Category Archives: Real Estate Trends

What a Deal! Island Homes for Sale at Drop-Dead Discounts!

7-23-islandThe good news is, yes, you read that headline correctly: there are drop-dead gorgeous oceanfront island vacation homes on sale for you right now—this summer! The bad news, however, (depending on your vacation and travel plans) is that these homes for sale aren’t as convenient (geographically speaking) as some others.

They are in Greece. There’s always a catch, isn’t there?

CNNmoney’s website reported last week that the recent escalation in Greece’s financial trouble has produced a notable increase of interest from foreign investors. Reports indicate that prices are discounted anywhere from 30% in the most popular islands to as much as 50% in less relaxing places. Like Athens.

Alexandros Moulas, who is an Athens-based associate at the global property firm Savills, says that buyers are mostly from Europe, but also the Middle East and Asia. So why not add Highlands buyers to the pack? We like vacation homes, too!

There are reasons why Highlands locals might consider a Greek investment property, aside from the travel benefits. A Greek island home, for example, can be a nice earner. Rental incomes are attractive—but it’s wise to keep in mind that islands like Mykonos are incredibly seasonal, grinding to a complete halt each winter.

The truth is, I can’t actually sell a single one of these stunning, bargain-priced Greek island homes to you. As a licensed real estate agent here in Highlands, I am an expert in Highlands homes for sale, and – while a trip to Mykonos sounds fantastic, the homes for sale in Highlands need me here this summer.

So while there might not be any oceanfront homes for sale in in these parts at a 30% – 50% discount, there are a great many welcoming Highlands homes for sale this summer—and interest rates are still, for the moment at least, temptingly low. Call me anytime this summer to discuss your search!

Foreclosure Starts Continue Downward Momentum

6-23-foreclosureIf you are one of those Highlands homeowners who has been gladdened to see property values continuing to rebound, you have also been pleased at the steady decline in the wave of foreclosures that were part of the global financial crisis. When the subprime mortgage crisis triggered widespread financial dislocation, many homeowners felt the repercussions. Every Highlands foreclosure that resulted weighed on neighborhood property values, which reflect the dollar amounts paid when nearby homes change hands.

Even most people whose livelihoods were unaffected—who kept their jobs or businesses and continued to make their mortgage payments without difficulty—could have suffered as a result. When the apparent equity of a home dwindled, so too was the amount lenders were willing to lend for refinancing. The comfort provided by fat home equity lines of credit (the HELOCs) suddenly melted when their maximums were cut, or even withdrawn altogether. HELOCs, after all, were a major component in the foreclosure phenomenon. The whole atmosphere caused confidence to be shaken.

But ‘buy low, sell high’ is a proven investment strategy—and ‘buying low’ is an opportunity that typically arises when fear is in the air. Many large institutional investment outfits looked at the situation and apparently asked themselves, what’s more “real” than real estate? They dived into the panic, buying up distressed residences in droves, paying rock-bottom foreclosure prices.

For many homeowners, though, the real effect was psychological. After all, when your major asset is your home, any Highlands foreclosure can be seen as having the effect of bringing your apparent net worth down.

RealtyTrac is the national scorekeeper for foreclosures and REOs (Real Estate Owned, or bank repossessions); and last month they continued to provide comforting news. Although there are ups and downs in the month-to-month stats, the overall trend continues to decline from the high in September 2013. In fact, there was a small uptick in REOs in April, which might seem like bad news; but REOs are actually completed foreclosures—at the same time, foreclosure starts continued their long slide downward.

Daren Blomquist of RealtyTrac was quoted with more good news, confirming that “the overall increase in foreclosure activity in April is a continuation of the clean-up phase” of the housing crisis. But even better was this: “Foreclosure starts nationwide are now running consistently below pre-crisis levels.”

It does seem as if this season is a choice time for sellers to enter the revived market. If you would like to explore the possibilities for your own property, or are ready to start the search for a Highlands home of your own, please do give me a call!

Real Estate News (in Case You Thought You’d Heard it All)

5-13-real estate newsHighlands real estate news is fairly predictable—at least compared with some of the stories that filter in from the rest of the world. Here in Highlands, for instance, wherever a new home is being built, you’re likely to see familiar evidence like stacks of lumber and drywall, cartons of nail gun ammo, sacks of cement, and workmen hustling around as they put everything together.

Nary a printer in sight.

Not so in China. According to The Washington Post, the real estate news includes an item about an innovation from Asia. “Innovation” is perhaps a bit of an understatement, because the gist of the story was that in April a year ago, a Chinese concern built 10 houses in one day using a 3-D printer.

Despite what you may be thinking, this item did not have an April 1 dateline.

The 3-D printers we’ve been reading about over the past few years are the ones that take pellets or powders made of plastic, wax, ceramic, or even metal, and print three-dimensional objects, layer by layer, as directed by a computer.

Only a few years back, for most of us, stories about 3-D printers seemed more like science fiction than reality. But apparently the things actually work! As evidence, there have been lots of stories about the legal and other ramifications that accompany the printing of firearms. A few months ago, astronauts printed up a 3D wrench aboard the International Space Station: they’ll just print up spare parts when things break down. And there was that car (the “Strati”) that a company printed in Chicago: it took 44 hours to print, with a top speed of 40 MPH…

Doesn’t this all sound a little bit nuts?

But back to the real estate news from China. It seems that the outfit that printed the 10 houses last year, built a really, really big 3D printer, and used it to print a mansion: an 11,840 square-foot villa. Next to it, they printed up a 5-story building (just showing off, you have to think). According to reports, the process is more than just fast: it’s becoming cheaper and more energy-efficient. The Chinese company says that it can save 30%-60% of building materials, 50% of labor costs, etc. They want to print bridges, too…

But don’t think American ingenuity is being left in the polymer dust! USC Engineering Professor B. Khoshnevis is plugging away at the forefront of the technology, except he calls it “contour crafting” instead of “3D printing” (or “Xeroxing”). On his web site, in answer to the FAQ “Can you print an entire house?” the answer is Theoretically, yes. He hopes to see “entry-level construction models on the market within one to two years.”

Soooo, how long before our local Highlands real estate news will be trumpeting our own 3D printed houses for sale? No time soon. It turns out that the villa, 10 small houses, and 5-story apartment building in China “aren’t much to look at.” In fact, some say they are for demonstration only.

So when you give me a call to help you find the Highlands home of your dreams, I suspect a printed model won’t be on our tour list. We won’t be making the rounds in a Strati, any time soon, either.

Highlands Real Estate Watchers Note Strong National Upswing

4-1-15-realestateHighlands real estate trends don’t always trace patterns that are precisely identical to those in the rest of the state or nation, but sooner or later the local market almost always responds similarly. That’s because there is a certain amount of momentum—positive or negative—that is automatically spawned by the good or bad real estate market news reported in the mass media.

So when last week’s Commerce Department report on new residential home sales was released, Highlands real estate watchers had reason to smile. Delightedly.

It wasn’t just that the bottom line number for February’s new home sales was substantial (estimated at 539,000, seasonally adjusted annual rate); it was how all the other stats supported them. Forbes headlined that February’s numbers hit a 7-year high. The financial web site Calculated Risk observed that although the report contained only two months’ worth of this year’s data, “Sales in 2015 are off to a solid start.”

In fact, just about all the accompanying details were heartening. The monthly new home sales are always revised several times as final real estate figures become available, and this time ‘round, January’s already-strong numbers were revised further upward. And the Census Bureau also tracks not seasonally adjusted sales (NSAs)—and so far this year they are up a full 19% above the same beginning months a year ago. For February alone, sales were up 24.8% year-over-year.

So, does that mean we should assume Highlands’s real estate sales are certain to jump by a full 24%, too? That would be terrific—but let’s not get carried away. For one thing, the new home sales statistics are a lot more volatile that real estate sales as a whole (new homes comprise less than 20% of the overall market). And the technical way the Commerce Department samples makes it prone to error. They put the margin of error at 15%, which makes for a lot of wiggle room.

Yet the sheer size of the sales increase makes it pretty unlikely that the trend won’t be borne out. Per Forbes, this report’s results are “viewed by economists as a measure of economic momentum and an indicator of future consumer purchases…” Those purchases are in furniture and appliances which traditionally accompany strong home sales.

Forbes’ “solid start” is exactly what we would hope for—especially since it tracks activity that was taking place even before the spring selling season got underway.

It’s getting started in earnest right now, so if you are interested in establishing your own Highlands real estate trend, this is the right time to give me a call!

International Home Buyers Might be Highlands’s Next Prospects

1-28-intlbuyerHighlands homeowners could benefit if the influx of international home buyers continues to expand. According to a study from the National Association Realtors®, the trend in that direction has been accelerating. In the most recent release covering the twelve-month period ending last March, foreign nationals are reported to have spent more than $92 billion in the United States for the year.

That’s growth at a blistering pace: an increase of 35% over the $68 billion spent in 2012!

How Highlands homeowners stand to benefit from the increase in foreign buyers has a lot to do with today’s changing real estate marketplace. Since international home buyers need to learn as much as possible about a property from afar, the improvements in online presentation serve a very necessary purpose. When one of our Highlands listings includes an extensive selection of photos or video footage, it becomes a legitimate part of the emerging international marketplace. Combined with today’s easy-to-navigate links to detailed information about Highlands’s neighborhoods and local amenities, a local property is realistically accessible to buyers from anywhere in the world.

Last year’s foreign sales were split almost equally between foreign buyers whose primary residence is outside the country and those currently living here. Not surprisingly, the greatest number of sales—19%—came from Canadian nationals, closely followed by the Chinese (16%) and Mexicans (9%). Both Indian and United Kingdom nationals weighed in with 5% of last year’s purchases, while lesser percentages of international home buyers hailed from Germany, followed by the French, Brazilians, and Japanese.

The NAR study also delved into the reasons international home buyers increasingly favor U.S. properties—although the answers were wide-ranging. For some, it was the investment potential that was the biggest draw: owning U.S. properties is seen as a solid way to diversify foreign portfolios. International buyers value the relative economic stability and attractive prices present in our real estate market. Other buyers are relocating to the United States for professional reasons, while still others purchase a property for children attending college.

One aspect that Highlands property owners might find interesting is that international home buyers tend to purchase higher-priced houses. That might be due to the impact of the Chinese buyers, whose primary focus is in areas like New York and California where properties are more expensive. In contrast, Canadians are more likely to purchase in lower-priced areas of the country. This is one reason why, although Canadians purchased more properties last year, the amount they spent ($13.8 billion) represented a slight decline from the previous year.

International buyers have another standout attribute that Highlands home sellers should find attractive: they are more likely to pay entirely in cash! About 60% of all purchases made by international home buyers required no financing—that’s up a third from 2007. When you consider the average sales price, it represents a fairly hefty cash infusion.

If your own Highlands home will be on the market soon, I hope you will give me a call to discuss how we can create a strong presentation for local and international home buyers alike!

Forming an Effective Team Puts Your Sapphire Agent to Work

1-21-agentOne of the most effective ways to maximize your chances of achieving the best residential real estate deal possible lies in your ability to partner effectively with your choice of Sapphire real estate agent. Your agent is your local guide through the complexities of Sapphire’s market—your assistant, tutor, and trusted right arm in the enterprise of buying and selling a residence. It’s your Sapphire agent’s job to make the team an effective one—but for all parts to truly work as a unit, some basic elements should be in place…and clearly understood by everyone:

For prospective buyers, when your real estate agent fully understands your search criteria, the end product is a more focused search that yields the intended results most efficiently. It will conserve an under-appreciated asset (your patience)—and free your schedule by eliminating properties that aren’t right for you. Shopping for a home can lead to a bewildering jumble of options. Simply searching online for properties, or driving around likely neighborhood choices looking for “For Sale” signs is an inefficient and time-consuming stratagem. What’s more, tapping into a Sapphire agent’s comprehensive understanding of the market—past and present—makes you much more likely to unearth the best value/price offerings as they become available.

For those who are selling a Sapphire home, an experienced agent wades through less-than-serious inquisitors, keeping you from getting bogged down with fruitless showings or unreasonable offers.

A move into an unfamiliar area comes with a certain level of risk. A trusted agent equips you with the insights you would otherwise be missing. It can mean the difference between landing your dream property and buying into a subpar situation—one you might regret for years. You only need imagine buying a home in the warmer months only to be blind-sided when access becomes iffy during the rainy season. An agent will have a more complete understanding of the benefits and disadvantages of all of Sapphire’s neighborhoods—as well as the ability to help you make an informed choice, irrespective of when you are available or ready to buy.

Establishing a candid relationship with your Sapphire real estate agent will not only afford you a buying or selling experience that’s as untroubled as possible, it will also provide you with a resident’s comprehensive knowledge of all the local factors long-time residents take for granted. Buying or selling, I hope you will consider giving me a call for a no-obligation chat about the current market!

Highlands Rental vs. Purchase Choice Involves Multiple Factors

1-21-rentbuyWhen your primary residence is one of our Highlands rentals, from time to time you may find yourself pausing, pen hovering over checkbook, thinking, “What if this check were going to buy this place, instead…?”

It’s a nearly unavoidable thought because common wisdom has it that buying a Highlands home usually makes more financial sense than renting it. That sounds sensible simply because at the end of the day (or, more accurately, at the end of a 15- or 30-year mortgage term), ownership means you no longer have to write those checks: you own that Highlands rental. It could be true—but there’s a lot more involved in the purchase-or-rental decision. If you make it a point from time to time to recalculate your situation, should it turn out that you aren’t any better off exiting the rental ranks, writing those checks to the landlord will become a less stressful activity.

The first consideration is location, location, location—but not in the usual sense. The question is how permanently you are likely to stay where you are. What are the odds that your job or family issues will take you away? If it’s likely that you will be moving out of Highlands within five years or less, a rental could well be a better choice. Buying and selling expenses—plus the time and effort involved—are factors that often make it wiser to delay buying until you are situated more permanently.

Then there is the real monthly outlay comparison between the two. Realistic calculations for owning take into account all of the monthly expenses involved. They include property taxes, homeowner or condo fees, insurance, gardening expenses, utility costs, and maintenance costs (they tend to be more than you first estimate). If your Highlands rental check is significantly smaller than the monthly home owning total, your financial ship might float higher if you put the difference into a savings account. You should consider whether your money might be put to better use elsewhere.

That last item points to the overriding issue: whether your current savings are able to support a purchase without incurring too much financial strain. That monthly home ownership calculation did not include the initial cost—the down payment. This part may have become less of a hurdle recently: the Federal Housing Administration has reduced its requirements. In fact, it may be possible to buy a house with an FHA mortgage with as little as a 3.5% down payment…although a higher down payment means a lower mortgage payment and no private mortgage insurance.

The last part of your calculation is one that can be a very positive financial benefit of ownership vs. rental: the mortgage interest tax deduction. Especially for those in higher income tax brackets with hefty mortgages, it can tilt the scales toward ownership.

I’m here to offer help and advice about any Highlands rental and ownership questions—in fact, about any of your real estate questions. I hope you won’t hesitate to give me a call!

Nightline says Reality TV House Flipping isn’t Realistic

1-14-houseflipABC’s Nightline recently aired an interesting segment about house flipping, which included a magic number that’s probably never been seen before. Sapphire house flippers would have been glued to their TVs if they’d stayed up late enough to catch Nightline, because if authentically magical, it’s a good number to know.

The segment was part of a series called “Realty Check.” This one was about new strategies in the “ever-competitive world of flipping.” The show started with some background about how expensive house flipping can be if it’s done in a hurry and on the cheap. Just slapping a coat of paint on the walls can result in an investment that languishes on the market, often until the asking price is reduced to an unprofitable level. The narrator stated that in the past, house flipping was often approached with the idea that the sooner a renovation could be completed, the better: “Get in, get out, move on.” We were shown how TV series like Flip It to Win It, Flipping Vegas, Rehab Addict, and Flip or Flop turned rehab projects into races against the clock: exciting drama for TV, maybe, but not necessarily a profitable real estate investment strategy in today’s market.

Nightline interviewed one new house flipping Phenom with 28 successful house flips to her credit. She says that “I call reality TV unrealistic.” She considers that the goal should be to produce a quality result—a house that’s “the best in the neighborhood.” That may take months rather than weeks, particularly if you want to avoid blowing your budget. Time, plus meticulous attention to detail, good taste—and a magic number.

It’s the magic number that has to interest anyone contemplating some Sapphire house flipping of their own. It comes from an expert: RealtyTrac’s VP Daren Blomquist, who posited that the data reveal that “the more you put into a property, the more return you get.” Even if it takes half a year. But the amount you should budget only “Up until this magic number which is 23%.”

The magic number? It’s 23%. The goal is to make the final product the best in the neighborhood, so that a buyer coming into the neighborhood sees it as “their first choice.”

That’s a pretty tall order around here. Sapphire has some fairly steep competition for best in the neighborhood. And six months between buying a property and being able to put it back on the market could seem like an awfully leisurely use of investment capital.

Without judging whether it’s truly magic or not, there is that 23% number. What was never explained was whether the magic number was meant to be 23% of the asking price, 23% of the purchased price, 23% of purchase plus rehab costs…or 23% of something else. Still—it’s nice to know there is a magic number.

If you have been thinking of undertaking some house flipping in Sapphire, or even readying your own property for the market as-is (23% of $0 is $0); the New Year should be a great time to get going. Give me a call!

Lease-Option: a Lake Toxaway Rental Investment Owner’s Alternative

12-10-leaseSuppose your Realtor® helped you land a prime Lake Toxaway rental investment property—and you’ve been more than content with the result. Your longtime tenant proved to be conscientious and dependable, with resulting passive income that has been quietly building your bank account with very little oversight from you. In short, your Lake Toxaway rental investment has made you a very happy landlord.

But now, that smooth sailing may be nearing an end.

Your tenant rings you up with the news. Even though she loves the house, over Thanksgiving dinner her brother convinced her she should become a Lake Toxaway homeowner herself. Since she doesn’t have quite enough cash to qualify for a home loan, he told her she should go out and find a rent-to own property. But since she’s content with the house she’s been living in—your rental investment—she wonders if you’d like to discuss switching to a lease-option arrangement?

If you had ever contemplated cashing in on your rental investment, there are several reasons you might want to give it some thought. First, this would spare you the effort and expense of selling. You won’t have to wait for an interested buyer—and you know from experience that your tenant is a solid citizen. Furthermore, whenever you put a rental investment property up for sale, there can be complications if you want to continue to rent it—sometimes a tenant resents having to accommodate strangers tramping through their home. Worse, they may even subtly sabotage showings.

Although there is no single formula for how a lease-option (aka ‘rent-to-own’) agreement is constructed, some basic underpinnings are common. The landlord retains ownership and the tenant pays rent until the option to buy is exercised. Both agree on the sale price and on the specified period of time by which the sale must be completed (usually the time the tenant estimates will be needed to qualify for a mortgage). As compensation for your agreement to refrain from selling the property to anyone else during this option period, the tenant usually pays either an up-front fee or agrees to a higher-than-market rent. Some of that overage may be set aside to be applied to the ultimate purchase. Property maintenance is often made the responsibility of the tenant, along with provisions in case he or she fails to maintain it properly. And a number of other issues may be addressed.

But if the tenant does not exercise the option to buy within the specified timeframe, typically no refund is owed—the option lapses, and since the deed has always remained with the investment property owner, it becomes free to be rented or sold to another party…that is, if all local and state laws have been scrupulously observed—and all other conditions met. In other words, if ever there were an agreement that cried out for a trusted lawyer’s oversight, this is it!

Offering a lease option on your rental investment in Lake Toxaway is just one possibility when you’ve landed a choice property (which is where I come in). If you’re considering selling your Lake Toxaway investment property and would prefer a more traditional route, call me today!

Reverse Mortgage Rule of Thumb—Look before You Leap!

12-3-ReverseMortgageYou’re at home in Highlands, watching TV and trying to unwind, when all of a sudden here comes another baby boomer celebrity, looking into the camera, giving you his most sincere, trustworthy look, then assuring you that a “Reverse Mortgage” really isn’t too good to be true (even though it sounds like it is).

What could be better? Any Highlands homeowner 62 or older can apply: then the bank pays you instead of the other way around! You could even use part of the tax-free proceeds to pay off the other mortgage! Or go to Monte Carlo and break the bank! (The trustworthy celebrity only hints at that one). You don’t have to pay back the loan until blah blah blah, the property remains yours, etc. etc. etc. What could go wrong?

Short answer: quite a lot, actually.

Long answer: if you don’t plan for the long term consequences, this can be a potentially disastrous maneuver. As a quick and painless way to raise cash, it often is too good to be true.

For openers, the actual name of this loan is not ‘reverse mortgage’— it’s an HECM, Home Equity Conversion Mortgage—a much more descriptive name. It allows 62+-year-olds to ‘cash out’ the equity they’ve built in their Highlands home. Not all of the equity; just some. As soon as they no longer live in the home, the loan must be repaid in full. The problems are all in the details.

Detail 1: Payback

Suppose a husband and wife live in a Highlands house owned by the husband. He applies for reverse mortgage, dies 11 years later, leaving the house to his wife. Because the reverse mortgage becomes payable when the mortgagee (the husband) “leaves” the property, the loan becomes due and payable. So the spouse may be forced to sell the home in order to repay the loan. But it’s also possible that the same thing occurs when the mortgagee is permanently relocated to a nursing home.

Detail 2 (and it’s one you really have to take into account): Interest

Most often, no payments are made on reverse mortgages. Unless the trip to Monte Carlo ended well, it’s likely that the balance owed remains. However, interest accrues on the loan at the “prevailing rate”—which may be a misnomer, because reverse mortgage interest rates are often high. Over the long run, the amount owed could eat up most of the value of the house. The spouse could be left with very little to live on.

Details 3,4,5…etc.

While the fees charged for a reverse mortgage are capped by the government, they’re still much higher than those for traditional loans (possibly why the trustworthy boomer celebrity got involved in the first place). Because credit scores aren’t used to determine eligibility, higher fees are charged to help cover lender risk. Then there are requirements for keeping up the property (what if illness causes a temporary lack of attention?), paying taxes on time…and other circumstances that could cause the loan to be called in, forcing sale of the home.

Yes, a reverse mortgage can be a valuable resource for some Highlands retirees on limited incomes. However, before even thinking about committing, it’s vital to sit down with a trusted financial adviser. If it turns out that selling or downsizing makes a lot more sense, calling me is the next step!