The Alachua County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a zoning change that allows for a planned development on 160 acres in western Alachua County on CR 232. This incredible community is designed around an existing runway and will have homes with hangers, a championship golf course, a small village with retail space for restaurants and boutique shops, parks, walking trails, areas for communal gardens, a small vineyard, a tennis center, a clubhouse and spa.

It will adhere to state-of-the-art conservation and environmental protection practices and highlight the North Florida experience for the vacationers and second-home residents that will make up the community.

North Florida has so much to offer for anyone looking for an active, yet still a respite from their everyday lives and Oak Tree Landing hopes to provide that for its residents.

The developers have pulled together an incredible team of designers, contractors and engineers to create this unique project. It will provide hundreds of jobs over many years, increase the tax base and add millions to the local economy of two counties and several nearby communities.

Stay tuned for more information about this wonderful project. For more information, Call Julie Cole at 352-871-5354.

Here are a few simple tips:

1. Spray distilled white vinegar on the tracks of the shower doors and let set for a few hours. Then scrub with an old toothbrush and rinse with hot water. Your shower will sparkle like new.

2. Mix vinegar, water and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and use on any chrome, glass or mirrored surface. Wipe with a dry, all cotton towel and follow with a wipe with a paper towel. Your smooth surfaces with shine.

3. Pour baking soda down each of your drains, at least one cup, then follow with a cup of vinegar. Let it bubble like a volcano for a few minutes, then pour hot water down the drain.

4.Scrub tile grout, smooth cook tops and bath tubs with baking soda paste (baking soda and water), then rinse and scrub with water and vinegar, then rinse with water and dry with a cotton towel.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Prudential Trend Realty agents get certified to tackle residential investment property

Brokerage commits to finding ways to improve local housing market

Sept. 13, 2011 _ Eight licensed real estate agents and brokers at Prudential Trend Realty in Gainesville have graduated from Own America’s investment certification program by studying the ins and outs of investing in residential real estate.

Prudential Trend Realty President and Broker Thomas McIntosh brought the program to his agents because he sees the growing need in our community for experts who are well versed in working with residential investors, big and small.

“Investors are buying up to 20 and some say even 30 percent of the residential inventory out there today,” McIntosh said. “These buyers are looking at property differently than those who are looking to purchase a home for their families. Our agents are now fully equipped to answer important questions investors have about a property _ such as monthly cash flow and cap rates.”

Agents and Brokers from Prudential Trend Realty who received the certification include Julie Cole, Joyce Dorvall, John Caldwell, Darlene Pifalo, Charlene Dinkla, Craig McCall, Cheryl Hartley and Denise Mongiardo.

These agents took a rigorous real estate investment course through Own American, an organization dedicated to reducing housing inventory around the country to more stable levels. McIntosh said it will take proactive approaches like this to clear away inventory and for real estate professionals to be part of the solutions to stabilizing our local and national economies.

Graduates will help investors determine quickly if a property will produce a profitable income and therefore be a good investment. This effort alone could significantly reduce the inventory of property in the local MLS and could be the cure for the declining prices in Gainesville.

Prudential Trend Realty will help real estate investor learn how to best capitalize on the struggling housing market’s tidal wave of foreclosures, REO deals and quality real estate assets at rock-bottom prices.

“The market is great for investors, but investing in real estate is quite different than traditional home buying and selling,” explains Tony Miller, Vice President of Prudential Trend Realty.  ”It’s a more complex process requiring additional levels of expertise. Our agents now have that expertise.”

For more information, please call Prudential Trend Realty at 352-225-4700.

I know that times are tough so every little bit counts!

You can count on me to work hard for you through our business together! And if you ever have a complaint, just let me know or our sales manager know and we will do our very best to fix the problem. If after 10 days or notifying us, we still haven’t made you happy, you may cancel your listing contract with Prudential Trend Realty and Julie Cole.
I am here to make you satisfied and make the home sales transaction as smooth as possible.

According to the data collected on the Gainesville-Alachua County Multiple Listings Service, 488 homes on the MLS expired without a sale in that time. That is an average of about 3 homes a day then ended their listing without selling.

On face value, that doesn’t seem surprising considering all the doom and gloom the mass media would have us believe. Housing is in the dumps, right? But, then why have nearly 7 houses sold each day  in the same time period? Let me repeat it, seven homes a day have sold in Alachua County every day for the last 6 months. And those homes fit every description _ 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, 4 or more; priced as low at $19,000 and as high as $1 million plus! Cash buys and conventional loans, seller financing and FHA.

All types of homes throughout our county, in all neighborhoods and all price ranges have sold.

So why hasn’t yours? And what can you do about that?

1.) The first thing you should look at is price. I know, you’ve heard it all before and you don’t believe it. But, the hard truth is that homes have dropped in value as much as 50 percent of the 2005-2007 pricing and it’s still dropping in the Gainesville area. So, if you bought a home in 2006 for $200,000 it could be worth $100,000 today, unless you made a ton of improvements that cost a lot of money. And in another 6 months, it could be worth even less.

But, you think that your home is very special or the “right buyer” will be willing to pay more after they fall in love with your home. Or maybe you need to get more for your home that the $100,000 it is now worth.

Try to loose those ideas and emotions and think it through from a buyer’s perspective _ the very same buyers you are trying to attract. There are 1,987 homes for sale in Alachua County right now, and the average home list price reflects the overall price drop, and prices are still dropping and are not expected to get back to 2006 prices overall for as many as 10 years, why would a buyer choose to purchase your home for above current market value and at a price that will insure they won’t be building equity over time?

If you can think of a good reason why a buyer would do that, then you must think of a reason why the bank providing financing would allow that? Most banks are going to stop the sale because your home won’t appraise for the price the buyer is willing to pay and won’t provide enough collateral for the loan? Then what?

Are you hoping that a cash buyer will come along who will fall in love with your home and throw caution to the wind and buy it, despite the comparables, drop in prices and the likely advice of friends and family who are wondering why they don’t consider another more accurately priced home down the street? Well, in the last 6 months, just 33 percent of sales were cash buys. The rest were financed in some way.

Have you boxed yourself into finding a needle in a haystack?

2.) But, you feel your house is priced right and you know that isn’t the problem. Then what may be the cause? Well, go to the three characteristics that sell any home, no matter the market _ location, condition and price.

How is your home’s location? Are you by a busy street? Does your neighbor have an old car on blocks in his frontyard? You can’t change your home’s location, but remember those first stats from the MLS _ homes have sold in every area of the county. So, yours can too.

What do you do? You spruce up your yard as much as you can. Create as much curb appeal as possible. Make the inside shine and worth it for the buyers. The best house in the worst neighborhood might be worth it to the buyer if they can get it for the right price. You must also make sure your home is price below market value, because you are trying to give the buyer as much of an incentive to compromise on the neighborhood as possible.

3.) So, then there is condition. Does your home need work? If it does, get started as soon as possible. If you aren’t sure, hire a company to come into your home and give you an evaluation. It is not the time to be defensive about your home or your housekeeping. You want to get your home sold, not impress anyone with your skills as a designer or handyman. Develop a thick skin, realize that most people know that day-to-day life puts stress on a home. Don’t take anything that is said personally. But remember, buyers don’t want to see that stress. They want to see as close to model condition as possible. And with a little effort, some money and the advice of others, you can achieve that. And remember, the people who are handing out the advice, aren’t trying to hurt your feelings or judge you, they are trying to help you get the most money as possible.

If you still have doubts about the advice of others about your home’s condition, then ask your Realtor to take you around to see the homes currently on the market. In fact, it is never a bad idea to go look at your competition. Don’t you think the executives of Banana Republic check out the merchandize at J. Crew? You can learn a lot about what is selling and what isn’t.

What should you do if your home doesn’t measure up? Do everything you can to make it look nice, clean and uncluttered and then drop the price. Again, give the buyers an incentive to purchase your home despite its shortcomings.

4.) So, if you have crossed those first three issues off the list, next take a look at the marketing. Do buyers know that your home is for sale? Is it easy to show? Statistics show that 90 percent of buyers first look online for homes they like, then they call a Realtor. Why wouldn’t they. Both services are free. A recent poll shows that buyers go to Realtor.com 40 percent of the time, and 4 percent go to Trulia and Zillow to find homes for sale or rent. Is your home on these sites? Are there tons of beautiful pictures highlighting its features? How about on Youtube? Can your buyers find a walk-thru video of your home to get a feel for the size and layout? Is the online listing information complete? Buyers have a lot to choose from when looking for a home and they know that there aren’t a lot of buyers out there, so they aren’t in any rush to purchase your home. They assume that they can take their time when evaluating homes. Some buyers even drag out their “shopping” because they want to see what is coming on the market the next day. There is no rush to purchase. No sense of urgency to make an offer.

Are you creating urgency? Is there a buzz about your house? Are you holding Open Houses? Is your home making the rounds on Social Media. It is so easy to do these days to get word of mouth going through online avenues. Is it easy to show? Or do you try to dictate certain times of the week to so that you aren’t inconvenienced? Are you trading a potential sale, so that you won’t have to put the dog in day care or clean your breakfast dishes?

5.) If you have done all of those things, have you thought of ways to expand your buyer pool of potential candidates? In other words, are you reaching every last possible buyer who might want to purchase your home. Do you know that in the last six months, 7 of those homes sold were funded by the sellers? If you own most of your home, consider offering seller financing. It is a great way to attract buyers AND make some extra money with the interest rate. How about a lease-option? Can you offer that and attract even more showings, and potential buyers? How about offering to pay the buyers closing costs? Or a year of their homeowners’ association dues? Or $1,000 in allowances for whatever they need. The more incentives you offer, the more buyers come through your door and that is a good thing, since showings lead to offers and offers lead to the sale.

6.) Are you reaching all the Realtors? Is your property listed on the MLS? If you haven’t listed with a Realtor, but you are offering to pay a commission to a buyer’s Realtor, are  you marketing to those Realtors. You can’t just make a call to a few. In Alachua County, there are 700 or more Realtors and they work with most of the buyers. Are you reaching them all? If not, get your home listed on the MLS and bite the bullet and pay a seller’s commission, too. Calculate  what you are really saving if you don’t. Add the extra time it takes to sell with out one and the cost for each extra day your home in on the market. Think of all the showings you have to hold yourself. Remember, the Gainesville MLS shows an average of 182 days on the market for homes that are price right. Has your home been on the market longer than that? If so, it’s time to get a Realtor now and give yourself the best chance to sell.

It takes more than a yard sign to sell a house, no matter the market. So get serious, get real and get your home sold by evaluating what has happened so far.