Moving ‘Moving’ From Nightmare to Dream

Remember when moving was fun?

If you share the sentiments of just about everyone in town, your answer to that is a definite “NO!” Picking up and moving a household has never been fun or easy — and long distance moving can be even worse. When you need to relocate from another state to Southwest Florida, you can’t just hop back across town to take care of a few last minute details: likely as not, you’re a jet plane ride away!

The logistical concerns of moving your belongings, coupled with the expenses and the stress of locating a new home, can combine to be close to overwhelming. Thankfully, there are specialists to help with the situation. With focused training and years of experience, relocation specialists help save time and money (not to mention mental stability). With assistance from a relocation expert, you can move ‘moving’ out of its traditional nightmare category. 
 

When a Cape Coral  agent lists ‘Relocation’ among their qualifications, it means more than just first-hand knowledge of the area’s schools, shopping, commute times and home values. While people tend to be more or less familiar with the real estate market in their current neighborhood, it’s challenging to get up to speed with an unfamiliar real estate market. Agents qualified in relocation are particularly aware of the need to familiarize their clients with local values — especially since they often have a small window of time in which to secure their new home.

For anyone planning relocation to the Cape Coral area, there are a few steps you can take to find the right agent for you. First, put all potential agents through a telephone test. Call several agents during the day and leave a brief message, stating your needs. Then sit back and wait for return calls. Avoid any agent who doesn’t call back within 24 hours. Relocating to a new area is stressful enough without having a real estate agent you cannot rely on.

Next, ask the remaining candidates a lot of questions. Find out how much experience he or she has in relocating clients to the Cape Coral area. Determine how much the agent knows about the neighborhoods that fit your baseline criteria – have they successfully relocated clients there? Finally, ask for references – the names and phone numbers of past relocation clients. And don’t skip calling those references! The most reliable referral is one obtained from someone who can report from experience.

For a long distance or logistically complicated move – the kind that happens when you need to simultaneously sell one home and buy another – being able to rely on an agent who lists ‘relocation’ as a specialty may be the key to success. If you are considering a move to the
Cape Coral area, please give me a call anytime to discuss your timeline and needs.
Direct: 239-699-0142 or Email: LiloRealtor@gmail.com

It’s a fact that many folks in Cape Coral decide not to buy a home. Aiming to save some cash, they rent instead. They may feel that it makes more sense to work on rebuilding their portfolios, put some extra cash into a rainy day fund, save for retirement, or for college — for any number of worthy goals.

These would all be prudent financial maneuvers, but only if the original assumption is correct. But today’s environment is creating a new reality. It’s one where renting may not be as much of a cost saver as most people think. 

Since it is my profession to deal in real estate, you might think my answer to the question of whether to rent or to buy a home would be an automatic ‘buy!’ Not so. While I certainly do want to help arrange a sale whenever a Cape Coral buyer and seller can agree on terms, I also want all my clients to make the financial decision that is right for them and their family.  And as we enter the April selling season in Cape Coral, I’m pleased to be able to report on a piece of information that may be surprising. It’s one that comes from the latest Trulia Spring 2012 Rent versus Buy index.

This index is a widely watched calculation derived from data in the 100 major metro markets. A Price-to-Rent ratio of 15 or less means that any buyer who plans on living in his home for at least five years would be better off to buy a home than to rent it.

Bottom line: 98% of those 100 areas currently offer a cheaper environment in which to buy a home than to rent it! To make sense of the numbers, Trulia.com looked at the asking price of national rentals and homes for sale. It also included insurance, taxes and maintenance costs in the calculation. With low interest rates making the monthly mortgage cost lower, and high rental rates bringing the rental rate higher, many would-be renters might now find themselves looking at a surprising new reality — affordable homeownership.

If you are currently considering renting or buying a home in Cape Coral, why not sit down with me in our office to run a few numbers first?  I am happy to schedule time to discuss your needs before you sign a lease.  Today it is entirely possible that for you, owning a home will just be cheaper than you think!

The 26^th annual parade of homes was a big success for our local builders.
No tickets to buy. This was a free event for residents and visitors to Southwest Florida.
Very well organized by Lee Building Industry Association and its sponsors. Maps where available to take a self-guided tour.
There were 42 homes in the parade and many located in Cape Coral, FL.
Some of our local builders sold a home or homes on the spot.
The most expensive home in the parade this year is the one built by Contractors Don and Ginny Koogler on  a waterfront lot in Cape Coral.
The $2.3 million, 7,500-square-foot home built on speculation was sold before  it was completed. Already, 1,500 people have toured the home in the first weekend it was opened to the parade.
 Turnkey construction introduced there new Mediterranean model and had great success.
Cape Coral is on the rise again after a long term housing inflation and several builders lately opened their new build model homes.
At this point in the homebuilding recovery, builders are focused on certain locations where there is limited supply: waterfront lots with access to the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf of Mexico. “That’s where the demand is.
Cape Coral a city with over 400 miles of canals, more canals than any other city in the world.
Still affordable!!! Dry lot homes starting at $80,000 and up. Waterfront homes with boating access to the Gulf of Mexico starting at $175,000
Condominiums on the water have a starting price of $85,000.
There is a home available for everyone: First time home buyers, retirees, vacation homes on the water or off.
I invite you the visit our great city…Cape Coral, FL and offer a tour through this waterfront wonderland.

Now where you decited to buy a Cape Coral home… it’ time to close on your new home.
One way lenders increase their profits on your Cape Coral real estate mortgage is by charging settlement fees. While many fees are standard and required, others may be negotiated.

Shop Around For Better Closing Fees

The Good Faith Estimate (GFE), as required by RESPA, is presented to you after you apply for a loan to purchase your Cape Coral real estate. It gives you a heads up as to what fees you should expect at closing.

If you don’t like the numbers you’re seeing on the GFE, shop around with other lenders. If you were approved for one loan, you can likely be approved for another.  Collect comparable GFEs and see how the interest rate, monthly payments, points, and closing fees stack up. Your best bet is to tell your lenders that you’re comparison shopping, so they give you the best numbers possible.

Common closing fees you can expect to see on your Good Faith Estimate include:

• Appraisal Fee – Fee for an independent appraisal of the value of the property. This fee often ranges from $350 to $500. Note that payment for this fee is sometimes required prior to closing.
• Credit Report Fee – This is the cost of acquiring a credit report.
• Title Insurance Fee – This is the fee paid to a title company for research and insurance related to the title of the property.
• Processing Fee – The processing fee covers the cost of the person who handles collecting the paperwork, such as credit reports and employment history, for underwriting. Sometimes, the processor is the loan officer. 
• Loan Origination Fee – Also called underwriting fee, administrative fee or processing fee, the loan origination fee is charged by the lender for evaluating and preparing your mortgage loan. This fee can cover the lender’s attorney’s fees, document preparation costs, notary fees, and similar charges.
• Application Fee – This fee covers the processing of an application for mortgage insurance.

All loans have fees; there’s no escaping them.  If there aren’t any fees, the cost of making the loan has been wrapped up in other areas such as the interest rate or points.  So as you comparison shop, remember to look at the long-term cost of the loan, not just settlement fees. 

That said, with some comparison shopping and negotiation, you may be able to decrease your fee amounts without the price being woven elsewhere into the loan for your Cape Coral real estate.
Please call Lilo a Cape Coral Realtor to find your Cape Coral Dream home at 239-699-0142