We`ve been discussing on several blogs the essence of "Pricing a home to sell". As the market has changed so has the marketing and listing of a home. Today overpricing a home won`t accomplish anything except keeping the home on the market for a very long time!   Case in point:   Two months ago we had a buyer  make an offer on a home located in Oklawaha,Florida. The home is situated on an a small lake and the seller was asking $245,000. The Comps in the area didn`t justify the price and we made what we thought was a very reasonable offer based on the recent sales in the area. Our offer of $192,000 was indeed rejected and the seller refused to counter.   We spoke to the buyer and told him that we should  notify the seller to keep our offer and if anything changes, contact us. The home was... 06/07/2007

 OCALA REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT Homes Sold MAY  2007 .............325*$100,000.00 or less.......................57$100 to $200,000.00....................160$200 to $300,000.00......................65$300 to $500,000.00......................31$500,000.00 Plus...........................12Active Listings as of 6/4/07......7167*Vacant Houses as of 6/4/07.......2101*Absorption Rate.........................22 months   The absorption rate is a way to measure the market. You divide the number of homes for sale by the number sold per month to see how many months inventory exists.*This does not count homes sold by builders that may not be listed on the MLS.   Here in Ocala, we are still in a buyers market and I think it will continue for the rest of this year. It's a great time to buy a home. Th... 06/04/2007

 It may be hard to believe but Ocala does have an airport. The Ocala International Airport to be exact. Now we don't actually have major airlines. Scheduled air service was discontinued in the early 1980's after Eastern and Allegheny Commuter Airlines terminated their operations here in Ocala. With competing airports like Orlando and Tampa and to a lesser extent Gainesville, the likelihood of scheduled air carrier service returning to Ocala is unlikely. The Ocala airport is currently a general aviation facility, designed to accommodate air cargo and other large non-scheduled aviation activities such as private planes and corporate jets.  On an odd note, buyers at the Ocala Breeders Sales, a thorough bred horse auction have been know to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a future race... 05/29/2007

Anyone who doesn`t believe the Internet isn`t a "Powerful Tool" when selling Real Estate may want to reconsider. The NET plays such a vital role in Real Estate that it`s crucial as Realtors that you incorporate it`s usefulness to your advantage.   Last Saturday I received a call from a couple in New York City who wanted to purchase a lake front home in Florida. They wanted this home to be a Summer Retreat a place where they could spend long weekends to escape the hustle of New York City!   They explained to me that the Hampton's weren`t an option any longer due in part to the tremendous amount of money it costs them each year!   The started searching the NET and wanted to know more about a listing we have in  Lake Weir, Florida.   We emailed them a video of the home and two days later t... 05/23/2007

Ocala Florida Rentals: We have Single Family Homes in Ocala that are also available for "Lease To Own"Contact The Scott Daniels Real Estate Group /Florida List For Less Realty for details@ 1-866-268-2274 .Visit us @ http://www.ocalabesthomes.com/Rental Property in Ocala: Looking for Affordable Single Family Homes, Townhomes or Condo`s in Ocala? Below is a list of rental property in Marion County. To preview any of these beautiful homes please contact us. 10178 SE 138 PLACE RD SUMMERFIELD, FL 34491 MONTHLY RENT $1,100 1396 SqFt 3/2 Lake Weir Shores Model: Abbate. 21 FISHER TRACE RUN OCKLAWAHA, FL MONTHLY RENT $ 1,250 NO MLS. 3/2 13625 SW 39 CT OCALA, FL 34473 MONTHLY RENT $800 MARION OAKS 3/2 1396 Sq Ft 5681 NW 55 AVE OCALA, FL 34482 MONTHLY RENT $1,100 OCALA PARK EST MODEL: CATANIA 3/2 ... 05/21/2007

The State of Florida Lottery Div. seems to be refusing to pay a $500,000 lottery ticket to a family. It appears the ticket if you can believe this is a misprint! HUH?Officals for the State claim that they scanned the ticket and it`s not a winner, if they fail to compensate this family, I`m positive that this will indeed have a huge impact on future ticket buyers.The misprint is the states fault not the family who purchased the ticket in good faith.The winners name is Joe Curcio, he was told that "An initial examination showed the ticket appeared misprinted" I`m sure Joe isn`t a happy camper today, would you be?He purchased a Gold Rush ticket has the numeral 1 on the top row and a numeral 1 above the $500,000 scratch-off piece, making the ticket appear to be a winner.Lottery officals  to... 05/17/2007

Florida List For Less Realty,Inc. is proud to announce:Our residential property management company located in Ocala Florida. Currently we`re now managing 68 rental properties for our clients. We formed this company only 6 months ago mainly for our investors. We never thought it would grow this fast! The rental market in Ocala is steady and it appears that there are alot of people relocating to the area daily.We charge 10% of the gross rent for the year and have a team of people who are involved in the day to day operations of caring for your home. Our job is to first locate a tenant, collect rents, do repairs, lawns as well as handle evictions if need be. If any of you have clients in and around the Ocala area that need a professional property manager to care for their home, please don`... 05/16/2007

Rental Property in Ocala,Florida: Looking for Affordable Single Family Homes, Townhomes or Condo`s in Ocala? Below is a list of rental property in Marion County. To preview any of these beautiful homes please contact us. 7728 SW 138ST RD OCALA, FL 34473 MARION OAKS 3 beds / 2 baths 1777SqFt RENTAL PRICE $ 1,300 per month 14657 SW 24CT RD OCALA, FL 34473 MARION OAKS 3 beds / 2 baths 1400 SqFt RENTAL PRICE $ 950 per month 30 JUNIPER LOOP CIR OCALA, FL 34480 SILVER SPRINGS SHORES 3 beds/ 2 baths 1396 SqFt RENTAL PRICE $1,100 per month 4838 SW 139 PLACE OCALA, FL 34473 MARION OAKS 4 BED / 2 BATHS 1648 SqFt RENTAL PRICE $1,050 per month 13236 SW 83 CIR OCALA, FL 34473 MARION OAKS 3 BEDS/ 2 BATHS 1680SqFt RENTAL PRICE $1,300 per month 20 PINE TRACE OCALA, FL 34472 IN SILVER SPRINGS SHORES REN... 05/16/2007

 . Question: Dear Scott,I`m interested in pursuing a foreclosure in Ocala,Florida. How does it work?I look forward to your answer.Thank You.Gloria M Ans:Gloria,The foreclosure process is not very difficult to understand. There are several stages during which the homeowner has an opportunity to bring the loan current and avoid foreclosure. After about three to six months of missed payments, the lender orders a trustee to record a Notice of Default (NOD). At the County Recorder's Office. This puts the borrower on notice that he or she is facing foreclosure and starts a reinstatement period that typically runs until five days before the home is auctioned off. If the default isn't corrected (the loan must be brought current) within three months, a foreclosure sale date is established. The h... 05/10/2007

We just completed our first Internet Rental through http://www.localism.com/ and our web site www.ocalabesthomes.com.   The home was located in Ocala,Florida and the client and I completed all the work via the net and the usage of http://www.localism.com/. %20It   It feels Pretty Neat!   It started with an inquiry last month,they sent us an email with the parameters of what they were looking for.I sent them several homes that we have listed, the couple liked one of the homes and wanted us to reserve it for them!Naturally, we couldn`t just do that so I explained that if they wanted to rent this home we`d have to draw up a lease,receive a security deposit and they can than have the home when they moved to Ocala in May.  I`m proud to say that yesterday we met them at the McDonald's in Mari... 05/09/2007

 OCALA REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT Homes Sold April 2007 ............364$100,000.00 or less..................58$100 to $200,000.00...............200$200 to $300,000.00.................55$300 to $500,000.00.................39$500,000.00 Plus......................12Homes listed on the Marion County MLS as of April 30, 2007 were 7,066.   We are still in a buyers market. There still too many vacant new homes that were bought by investors who intended to flip them and are now caught with houses they can't sell. There were 2018 vacant houses on the Ocala Marion County MLS as of April 30. The vacancy rate is a consistant 28%.   Homes that are selling are the lowest priced homes in their sub divisions. They seem to close within 5% of the asking price, when well priced to begin with.    This is a ... 05/03/2007

   Ocala is one of the few cities that I've seen since I moved to Florida that actually has a formal down town complete with a town common. Now I'm from New England where every small town has a common. Town commons date back to colonial times and were intended to give people a place to graze their cow or horse. What's so nice about town commons is that now a days they serve as a small public park like area in the center of town. Most towns and cities in Florida, in my look like one no stop strip mall, devoid of any character or charm. Ocala is different. It has a nice town common complete with a gazebo, huge live oak trees and even some nice art work.       Ocala was originally established in 1846 as a military outpost during the Seminole Indian Wars. On Thanksgiving day, 1883 the down ... 05/01/2007

Dear Fellow Realtors, Tired of looking at rentals that only offer $50-$100 dollars for your valuable time?At Florida List for Less Realty Inc. our clients have instructed us to offer Realtors who work in the Ocala and surrounding area's "Top Commissions" for renting their homes. We're offering an average of $400-$500 commission per home! Our landlords require only 1st and security and are extremely flexible with rental terms. Commissions paid on 6 or 12 month rentals.We also offer "Lease Option" plans. Think about it!How many times have you had inquiries in regards to locating a rental property only to decline because of the fee structure!Agents in the area have earned an average of $400-$2000 per week by working only a few short hours.     Rentals range $800 -$1200 per month.These are ... 04/30/2007

In the Ocala Florida Real Estate Market, We are currently experiencing a Buyer's market. A Buyer's Market is where inventory is high and there are few active qualified buyers. There are more homes listed for sale than there are buyers. Because of this, the market moves at a slower pace. The homes listed for sale are staying on the market longer. This basically means that buyers now have a greater amount of choice. Buyers can be more picky and choosy.Some buyers may put the current market condition to the test. They may give low offers to find out how low a seller may go. But the truth of the matter is that the market is always the market. Yes, some sellers who are still caught up in the sky-rocketing values from the recent hot market are beginning to realize that they need to bring thei... 04/30/2007

We`re in the midst of dealing with an agent who continues to speak for her client rather than having her client speak for themselves. Case in point an agent that receives an offer that`s been on the market for 7 months with NO offers! She immediately contacts our office to explain "My Seller would never consider this offer!?", I ask her who is she speaking for the owner or herself? This is a "Deal Breaker" basically a Realtor who first doesn`t present an offer no matter what they think isn`t doing their job! The client should first be presented with the offer and than initial with a counter or acceptance. Don`t tell us what you think, especially in this market. A "Deal Maker" will work the transaction until it`s either executed or exhausted, thereby assisting the client with the selling... 04/20/2007

We`re involved with a FSBO that own a duplex located in Ocala,Florida. The original "Agreed Upon" price they wanted to sell their property was $145,000. The FSBO agreed that we were to be compensated a commission of 2.5% for bringing them a qualified buyer. We located a buyer executed the contract and assisted our buyer in the necessary arrangements of getting this property closed.We rush to get the appraisal done,unfortunately the appraisal comes in lower than expected.The appraised value is $139,000.   We always place in our contract that if the property doesn`t appraise we can either do one of two things. 1-Renegotiate the price. 2- Buyer has the option to walk if seller doesn`t wish to sell at appraised value.   Our belief is that in a market like we`re experiencing, "Overpaying" fo... 04/14/2007

New preconstruction Single Family Homes located in Ocala!Prices for a 3bed,2ba,1CG home starting @ $143,000.For additional information, please contact The Scott Daniels Real Estate Group @ 1-866-268-2274.Visit our web site @ http://www.floridalistforlessrealty.com/  335 LARCH RD.Ocala,Florida. 34480. Start your engines! 3bed,2ba,2CG w/1540 Sf under A/C.Starting@ $143,000.Preconstruction Model w/all the comforts ofhome already built in! Affordable CBS construction homes,w/several models to choice from starting as low as $135K, Dev can build on your lot or ours! 04/13/2007

We`ve been dealing with several builders in Ocala,Florida over the past several months who seem to have forgotten what a signed contract  actually represents!When times were good 14-18 months ago "Investors" flocked to these builders and bought in many cases multiple units each costing an average of $200K. These people or "Investors" as many wanted to be called, signed contracts that apparently allowed builders to charge them an "Overage" on materials that were used to build their homes. Pavers,paint,and sod for example were additionally charged if the builder ran out of material based on cubic footage, so if a person had a longer than usual drive-way they were charged an additional few thousand dollars.Only one problem, these "Investors" are told about these fee`s  after they close! No... 04/11/2007

Ocala Florida is one of the fastest growing regions in Florida. It`s an area where Affordable Housing is available.These homes are priced between $120,000-$145,000.For a list of all "Active Property" in Ocala and surrounding area please contact Florida List for Less Realty,Inc @ 1-866-268-2274.Visit us @ www.ocalabesthomes.com  Marion Oaks.This is a 3bed,2ba SFH w/1310 Sf under A/C.Offered @ $139,900. DUNNELLONThis is a 3bed,2ba,1CG w/1155 Sf under A/C. Terrific location!Offered @ $139,900. Silver Springs Shores.This is a beautiful 3bed,2ba,1CG in mint condition! Over 1200 Sf under A/C.Offered @ $139,800.   04/05/2007

Here is a partial list of Bank Owned Property Located Marion County Florida.Many times these properties have been recently Foreclosed on and the lenders are willing to work with the prospective buyer.It is always wise to do an inspection on these homes prior to placing an offer.Our company specializes in distressed and foreclosure properties located in the state of Florida. For a list of all Bank Owned or Distressed Properties in Ocala or surrounding area`s please contact our office @ 1-866-268-2274.Visit our web site @ http://www.ocalabesthomes.com/.  (Kingsland Country Estates)This is a 4bed,3ba,2CG w/2475 Sf under A/C. Offered @ $256,000. (Marion Oaks)This is a 2bed,2ba,1CG w/1010 Sf under A/C.Offered @ $129,900. (Silver Springs Shores)This is a 3bed,2ba,2Cg w/ 1660 Sf under A/C.Offe... 04/05/2007