Posts Tagged ‘homes for sale in st. augustine’

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Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: Tax Credit & Short Sale = Potential Train Wreck

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

We did a post here earlier this week on the $8000 first time buyer tax credit, and the $6500 repeat buyer tax credit, both of which expire on April 30.

Today on the St. Augustine Team company blog I did a post about trying to mix a short sale and the tax credit.  I’ll give you a hint about it…think of a movie in which Tom Cruise dances around the living room in his underwear.  That’s right.  Risky Business.

I hope you enjoy the post!

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Posted in $6500 tax credit, $8000 tax credit, homes for sale in st. augustine, short sales, St. Augustine Real Estate | No Comments »

Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: The Amateurs are Back, Bless Their Hearts

Friday, February 26th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), broker and manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

Well, as surely as the sun rises, the amateurs are back and it’s a strong signal that the end of he Buyer’s market is coming. 

I just did a post on the company website about having an inventory in residential single-family homes that is steadily decreasing, amatuerland out there in Buyersville, and how it all feels soooooo normal market.

I hope you enjoy it!

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Posted in homes for sale in st. augustine, St. Augustine Real Estate | No Comments »

Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: Avoiding the Contractor Rip Off

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

I read an article last week in the St. Augustine Record about several homeowners in Commodores Club getting ripped off by the same contractor. 

Basically the guy did the work, but didn’t pay for the supplies.  The contractor took payment for the supplies (driveway pavers) as part of the cost of the job, then pocketed the money.  So the suppliers ended up putting leins on each of the houses until such a time as the supplies are paid for.  The upshot is if the owners ever want to sell the house, the liens have to be cleared before the house can be sold.

The simple way not to let this happen to you is to simply purchase the supplies yourself. 

When you’ve decided which contractor to use, the contractor will have to estimate the amount of materials to be used.  Have him give you the list of the amounts. 

In the case of the driveway pavers you would then go to the building supply company, pick out the style you want, then order the amount that the contractor specified along with any extra materials needed.  The building supply company will then deliver it to your house.  And since you’re paying the building supply company yourself there’s no issue with a lein.  You can do that with roof shingles or anything.

Even if it’s something like a concrete pour or roof trusses on an addition, you can still verify that the supplier has been paid before you let them onto the property.  Something like a concrete pour might vary a little anyway, but you can at least contact the company to see what payment terms they have with the contractor.

You cannot take a lein lightly.  I once recieved notice of a builders lein for some work that one of my neighbors was doing on his own house.  It was a case of mistaken identity but I responded in the strongest possible terms that I would complain to the state agency that held the builder’s license and threatened legal action if it wasn’t removed immediately.  Which they did do quickly.

A year or two ago in Jacksonville a city employee was driving around looking for homes with “for sale” signs: she would then file a bogus builder’s lein for a few thousand $$ on the property.  Since the sellers had to clear the lein before selling, they usually just paid the bogus lein off instead of delaying the closing with legal action.  The lady did end up in jail, but again it shows how seriously and how quickly you need to respond if you ever get one of these.

It’s almost like you have to act as the Supervisor on your own project.

In the old days when work was contracted the building supply company would hustle the supplies out immediately then file the lein (in case of a non-payment the first lein gets paid first).  So, if you’ve already paid the contractor for the supplies and the supplies show up, refuse delivery until you can verify the goods have been paid for.

The last thing: if you do order work and you don’t pay for it when it’s finished, then count on a lein from the builder himself.

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Posted in contractor rip offs, homes for sale in st. augustine, St. Augustine Real Estate | 1 Comment »

Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: Slap that Rookie Realtor when You Hear the Word “Client.”

Monday, February 15th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

First of all, don’t forget St. Augustine Team Realty is offering its full-service listing package to First Responders/Law Enforcement/EMT’s, etc., right now for just 4.5% (a savings of $3000 on the average sale).  But you have to list with us by or before February 28th.  Thanks for all you do, First Responders, we love you!

There are a lot of new Realtors in the business right now and, bless their hearts, they want “clients.”

For a lifetime they’ve been fed a steady diet of television lawyers, as execs and other suits who run around from TV bar to TV bedroom talking about their “clients.”  But their are so very few “clients” in Florida real estate.

Clients are for those agents that on rare occassion work as single agents, which implies a fiduciary responsibility.  The other 99% of us work as transaction brokers, which involves a limited form of confidentiality (the semantics of the two forms would take an entire blog post, so I won’t go into it here).  But the upshot is that 99% of the people buying real estate out there are called…brace yourself… “customers.” 

So what’s the big deal if Realtor X calls his customers “clients?”

The big deal is I’m at the other end of the phone.  And when your agent brings me an offer and calls you a client, I know I’ve got a Rookie Agent that I can negotiate circles around.  It also raises a red flag that I might just be dealing with a single agent, so I hold my cards even tighter than I would normally.  If he’s a rookie, he’ll tip his hand in a few other places as well, so I should know soon enough anyway.

It also let’s me know that the Kid is going to be inexperienced in some places and that I’ll probably have to shoulder the load.  So maybe a rookie announcing it to the world is not such a bad thing if it helps the other Realtor work the transaction better. 

After all, a home sale is a cooperative effort, not a competive effort.  The assumption is that you as a buyer want to buy the home, and the seller wants to sell.  The Realtors are the ones familiar with the process, its paperwork, and its customs, they help facilitate the deal and work the sticky parts out.  So don’t ditch your Rookie Agent…they’ve got to start somewhere.  But if you hear them use the word “client,” slap…well, don’t slap them, but ask them not to use that term again.  Unless they mean it.

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Posted in homes for sale in st. augustine, rookie realtor, St. Augustine Real Estate | No Comments »

Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: A Valentine for our First Responders, We Love You!

Friday, February 12th, 2010

from the Staff of St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

A Valentine for our First Responders!

To our First Responders, Police, Fire, Paramedics, Emergency Room Nurses and Physicians, EMTs, and Ambulance Drivers:

When human beings get tired, get angry, or just get plain exuberant, you’re there to pick us up, patch us up, and yes, even rough us up (a little).  Well, in appreciation of that this Valentines Day St. Augustine Team Realty is offering its full-service listing package to you for just 4.5%, a savings of $3000 on the average sale!  But you have to list with us by or before February 28th.  Thanks for all you do, we love you!

Is anyone else eliglble? Yes: Fish and Wildlife Officers, Corrections Officers, Border Patrol, Military Police or SAR in the U.S. Armed Forces and Coast Guard, National Park Rangers, and our beloved local Lifeguards, in short, anyone who puts themselves in harm’s way for the public.

Who is not eliglble: people who play the above on television.  Except for Ponch and John from “ChiPs” (we always loved Ponch and John).  And maybe Pamela Anderson from “Baywatch,“ she can rescue us over and over again.

To find out more you can call St. Augustine Team’s Sean at (904) 386-8327, Ron at (904) 501-2424, Kate at (904) 377-2276, or Suzie at (904) 521-2603.

Note, short sales not eligible for this rate…call us to find out why (hint: it has to do with the banks that hold the loans on a short sale).

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Posted in homes for sale in st. augustine, listing special for first responders, St. Augustine Real Estate, valentie's listing special | No Comments »

Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: Spam-Style Ads in Real Estate

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty, (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

Struck with inspiration, I decided to spice up some of our advertising spam-style: you can see the results on a post I did at our company site. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as Ging (a spammer from Taipei) did when he wrote:

“The author of staugustineteamrealty.com has written an excellent article. You have made your point and there is not much to argue about. It is like the following universal truth that you can not argue with: A mousepad will always collect the most dust compared to any other object in the room. Thanks for the info.”

Ah, these spammers have a way with words that brings a tear to the eye!

If you teach English.

Or simply love the language.

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Posted in homes for sale in st. augustine, spam, St. Augustine Real Estate | No Comments »

Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: 168 Turtle Bay Lane Price Reduction

Monday, February 8th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

One of the most beautiful homes we have now costs less!  168 Turtle Bay Lane in Turtle Shores is now just $389,900.  A custom built 4-bedroom home, 168 Turtle Bay Lane encompasses nearly 2400 square feet with a gigantic wrap-around outdoor screened patio.  The home has a huge kitchen, a large breakfast nook, and a formal dining area with wonderful high ceilings.  As a realtor I have a tendency to use a  lot of hyperbole when describing a home, but in this case it’s entirely justified. 

View of the Intracoastal and Marsh taken from 168 Turtle Bay Lane

View of the Intracoastal and Marsh taken from 168 Turtle Bay Lane

The thing I like best about the home is that it’s nestled in the trees on the leeward side of a high dune, giving you views of the ocean and expansive views of the Intracoastal and marsh, with nearly all of the home being shielded from the wind.

If you don’t know anything about Turtle Shores, it’s a gated community about 6 minutes north of the Vilano Bridge and about 8 t0 10 minutes to St. Augustine’s historic district, depending on traffic.  Turtle Shores has a large pool complex with exercise room, tennis and playground.  Best of all the community has a tunnel that runs under A1A so you don’t have to cross traffic to get to the beach.  And the beach is one of the prettiest in North Florida…lots of seashells in the mix give the beach a reddish cast distinctly different from the white sand just a few miles away at St. Augustine Beach. 

If you’re looking for a larger home near the beach in St. Augustine (though it’s actually a Ponte Vedra Beach address), I strongly suggest you check this home out!

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Posted in 168 Turtle Bay Lane, homes for sale in st. augustine, St. Augustine Real Estate, Turtle Shores Ponte Vedra, Turtle Shores St. Augustine | 1 Comment »

Announcing EPIC Listings for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of St. Johns County

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

St. Augustine Team Realty is proud to announce that it has designated certain listings EPIC Listings for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.  When St. Augustine Team Realty sells an EPIC Listing it will donate a portion of its gross commission to EPIC Community Services and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of St. Johns County. 

EPIC is a local non-profit orginization offering professional counseling and mentoring programs with a primary focus on the prevention and treatment of substance abuse disorders.  EPIC was started in 1971 and administers Big Brothers/Big Sisters along with many other mentoring and counseling programs.  EPIC stands for Education Prevention Intervention and Counseling.  

You can check out all the great EPIC Listings by clicking here.  If you’d like to find out more about EPIC itself, visit the EPIC webpage.

If you’d like to have your property listed as an EPIC Listing, please contact Sean Hess at (904) 386-8327 or at Sean@SeanHess.com.

Why EPIC and Big Brothers/Big Sisters?  I volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of St. Johns County, and that I’ve been a member of the Board since 2005.  The relationship I have with my “little” has been incredibly rewarding, sometimes incredibly frustrating, but always worthwhile and its absolutely provided growth for both of us.

Please help us sell these listings so we can generate more $$$ for an already worthy program!

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Posted in EPIC Community Services, EPIC Listings for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, homes for sale in st. augustine, St. Augustine Real Estate | No Comments »

Homes for Sale in St. Augustine: 5 Must-Have Upgrades?

Monday, January 25th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

I was reading an article this morning on RIS Media about Must-Have features in a New Home.  Some of its good, some of it is complete bullsh*t.

I agree with:

Having a Home Office/Den in addition to three bedrooms.  With so many people working from home now extra office space is a great advantage in a new home.  Even if you never intend to use it yourself, it’s a great place to stick a computer (quiet), and it will boost the home’s resale value.

Two or even three-car garages.  In any newer home you’re going to have a two car garage.  If you’re buying a single family home and can get a three-car for not much more: do it.  It will boost resale value down the road and in the meantime you’ll actually have a place to park your car and store your stuff.  In Florida storage space is at an incredible premium because we don’t have basements and attics only very rarely.  If you can get a garage in your condo it will help you sell the unit faster, and for the same reason: storage is at premium in the Sunshine State.

Housing upgrades that are complete bullsh*t:

Energy Efficient Appliances.  In nearly a decade of selling real estate, the type of appliances essentially makes no difference, except that they are all there.  Appliances come into play only: if you’re a first time buyer and House X has all the kitchen appliances plus the washer and dryer, and House Y just has the kitchen appliances, then House X will win because that’s an extra $1000 the cash-strapped first time buyer will not have to spend.  Or, if you go into a custom home with beautiful granite counters, but the appliances are old and cheap, this might set off warning bells in a buyer’s head (as in, “what else have they gone cheap on that I can’t see?”).  But whether the appliances are energy efficient or not makes no difference, none.  No one on earth would walk from a great house because of a refrigerator.

Stucco and vinyl don’t make the cut.  Another freaking fabrication.  Stucco, vinyl and hardiboard basically are Florida construction because they handle the humidity so well.  The beauty of the home, its livability, and how well the design was executed  make the sale.

Community landscaping versus golf courses and swimming pools.  In Florida, we have year-round sunshine and warm weather.  People like, and will seek out a community with a swimming pool before they will seek out sidewalks.  That being said, sidewalks and conservation areas with trails are normal in the newer planned communities along with swimming pools and clubhouses, so in many cases you don’t have to make a choice of one over the other.  Golf courses are a bit of a push.  People love to play golf year-round in Florida, but there are soooo many great courses already…they don’t really help sell a community like they used to.

You can find the original article I based this on at RIS Media.

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Posted in homes for sale in st. augustine, St. Augustine Real Estate, upgrades | 3 Comments »

St. Augustine Homes for Sale: Holding Action in the Condo Market

Monday, January 11th, 2010

by Sean Hess (www.SeanHess.com), Broker and Manager for St. Augustine Team Realty (www.StAugustineTeamRealty.com)

In the St. Augustine condo market you can’t buy a condo unless you’re willing to put  40%  or more down, or pay cash.  Sure, there are some FHA approved communities that will go for 3.5% down, but they are few and far between, and there are none that I know of at the beach.

As such we’ve been fighting a holding action trying to get condos sold in St. Augustine.  We try to keep a condo for sale fresh and bouyant so that people who are waiting for the credit market to relax know its there.  In the meantime we’re essentially waiting for a cash sale.

Help may be on the way.  Fannie Mae recently started work on relaxing the criteria at which they will buy (on the secondary market) loans made on condos.  This could get credit moving again on condos, in that a buyer who wants to put 15% or 20% down will be able to get a loan to buy a condo.  The complete press release is as follows:

News Release

January 7, 2010

Fannie Mae Launches Special Approval Designation to Support Florida Condo Market

Realtors Commend New Flexibility

WASHINGTON, DC — Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE) announced today that it is undertaking a comprehensive review of hundreds of condominium projects in the state of Florida in an effort to allow additional projects to become Fannie Mae-eligible through a new “Special Approval” designation.

A dedicated team of six Fannie Mae professionals based in Florida is conducting a thorough examination of condominium projects across the state that may not currently meet Fannie Mae’s standard eligibility criteria and assessing specific criteria more closely, including occupancy, homeownership association dues, financial stability of the project and property condition. Projects deemed to be sufficiently stable following the closer examination are granted a Special Approval designation, meaning lenders can originate and deliver mortgage loans secured by units in these projects to Fannie Mae.

Fannie Mae has been granting exceptions to its condominium eligibility guidelines on a case-by-case basis when requested by lenders. The Special Approval designation streamlines the process for lenders and catalogues projects across the state that are Fannie Mae-eligible. Projects deemed eligible will be listed on www.eFannieMae.com as project reviews are completed, and qualified borrowers wishing to purchase units in these projects will be eligible for financing.

“This new initiative is geared toward providing maximum support for Florida’s distressed condo market as we continue to provide liquidity to the housing market more broadly,” said Karen Pallotta, Executive Vice President, Single Family Mortgage Business. “The state’s condo market has been particularly hard hit by the housing downturn and we’re working with the industry and our partners to do all we can to stabilize the market and help spur recovery.”

“NAR applauds Fannie Mae for taking this important step to make condo loans more readily available in Florida,” said Moe Veissi, National Association of Realtors® First Vice President and broker-owner of Veissi & Associates Inc. in Miami. “Our state is probably the hardest hit as far as the condo market is concerned, and Fannie Mae’s new effort to take a closer look at project eligibility could go a long way to putting projects back on a healthy financial track.”

Special Approval designations are effective for periods between 9 and 18 months, and lenders are required to confirm the project’s Special Approval designation on the date of the loan application. The Special Approval initiative is for established condominium projects only.

Fannie Mae exists to expand affordable housing and bring global capital to local communities in order to serve the U.S. housing market. Fannie Mae has a federal charter and operates in America’s secondary mortgage market to enhance the liquidity of the mortgage market by providing funds to mortgage bankers and other lenders so that they may lend to home buyers. Our job is to help those who house America.

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Posted in Buying a condo in St. Augustine, fannie mae, homes for sale in st. augustine, St. Augustine Real Estate | 1 Comment »

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