If you are in the market for a new home, now may just be the best time ever to buy. New home builders in our Bradenton, Florida real estate market area are offering everything from free 42-inch flat screen televisions to free car leases to free pools.  New homes can be found starting in the low $120,000's. Homes priced in the $2 million dollar range have been discounted $300,000 by one builder. If you have a home to sell, one builder will pay up to 6 months on your new home while you are selling the old one.How can you find out about these incentives?  Contact me of course!(Copyright 2008 by Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserved) Dan Forbes, PL is a licensed Broker-Associate and Certified Residential Specialist serving the Bradenton - Sarasota, Florida market. He leads the Forbes Advantage T... 01/10/2008

Our Manatee County, Florida real estate market continues to show slow improvement.  That is welcomed news!  However we are not out of the woods yet.  Economist Hank Fishkind predicts the number of homes for sale in Manatee County won't return to normal until the middle of 2009, when the market is expected to finally hit bottom.My Total Market Overview Reports below show by price range:Current number of active listings Number of expired listings for the month Total Number of Pending Listings Number of closed sales for the month Absorption Rate Average List Price and Average Sale Price Average Days on Market Market Trend: Improving or Not Compared to 6 months ago Compared to 1 year ago Dec 2007 ResidentialDec 2007 Condo(Copyright 2008 by Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserved) Dan Forbes, PL is ... 01/08/2008

While out for a drive yesterday, I came across a tiny neat little neighborhood tucked away in North East Bradenton.  It's just off of Manatee Ave and 27th St E.  I just happened to glance up and saw a sign that said Historic Neighborhood with an arrow, so I quickly turned down the street and ended up in this neat little community.It's a 55 and over community that sits where the Braden River meets the Manatee River.  The first thing I noticed were that the streets are only wide enough for one car to pass and these homes are pretty close to each other, so there isn't much yard to worry about for maintenance.  As I drove through the winding streets and up and down a few hills, I knew I was in a historic community.  You could tell just from looking at the homes.  They were all old homes tha... 12/18/2007

Is there any market with more FORECLOSURES than MLS Listings? Here in Manatee County, one of the hottest markets in 2005, the reported number of foreclosures is over 2400!  Our active inventory is about 5500 including condos and homes.  From my perspective the number of homes that are in some sort of PRE foreclosure state has to be near 2000.  It seems that half of the listing appointments that I go on the seller will have to bring cash to close the deal.  Usually, If the seller bought the home in late 2004 thru 2007 the seller's home value would be lower than what they paid for the home.  Also, if the owners had refinanced the property in that time frame using an inflated appraisal than they will be also upside down.It would be nice if the sellers that are UPSIDE DOWN could roll over t... 12/10/2007

 Last night, watching the sunset with my family, I realized that we were the only Americans enjoying the great view.  English, German, Canadian accents were all that I heard.  Our tourist season has started earl this year.  The local press has highlighted the booming tourism sector, and the recession in the rest of the areas.  Here in Manatee County we were at the pinnacle of the house boom.  And now we are dropping in value fast.  Some neighborhoods have dropped to 2003 pricing!Does anyone have any good suggestions for web marketing to target and expose these buying opportunities to the Canadian and European buyers?  I assume that everyone uses the web, but are there web sites that these folks use beyond the major ones here in the States?I have been approached by some that are expensiv... 12/06/2007

 1032 Rainbow Court Bradenton, FL 34212  5800 sqft 5/6/3 waterfront originally 2.5 million now 1.55!Homes in my market have been dropping hard in the past few weeks.  For example, in Waterlefe golf and river club, a home that was sold in 7 days for 700,000.  That was in May 2007.  Last month, a very similar home sold for 575,000 which just closed this week.  Today, I put a contract on a home (same sqft, and very comparable) in the high 400,000's.  This is almost a 300,000 dollar drop in less than 6 months!What a crazy market here in Bradenton, FL.  I wonder how far prices can go down.  the home I have pictured has been on the market for almost 2 years and has been reduced 1,000,000, to 1,550,000.  This home could not be rebuilt for anywhere near that price.At some point it seems that pr... 11/14/2007

I was able to confirm that buyers who have purchased and sold a home in florida in 2007 would be able to take advantage of the portable homestead benefit. Of course that is if it passes.Which it should since the entire law was written to pass since most voters are homesteaders. This could help get our real estate market out of the funk and help some sitting on the sideline to jump into the market sooner then later. I have a few customers that will save 4000-6000 by the law change.cool 11/12/2007

The Reserve at Crossing Creek a new Centex Community in Bradenton, Florida was featured by today's local paper, the Bradenton Herald.  Floor plans range from 2062 square feet to 2870 square feet. This new community is located in the vicinity of SR 70 and I-75 behind the Creekwood neighborhood.Community amenities include a child playground, half-basketball court, lake views and sidewalks. The Matheson, a mid-size home is pictured here with a base price of $289,900.Buyers represented by a Realtor have advantages others do not have.  If you are looking for a new home in Manatee County, I would be happy to be of help.(Copyright © 2007 By Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserved.) Dan Forbes, PL is a licensed Broker-Associate and Certified Residential Specialist serving the Bradenton - Sarasota, Flor... 11/04/2007

Music on Main is a monthly outdoor musical event held the first Friday of every month in Lakewood Ranch, Manatee County, Florida. Main Street is the crown jewel of the Lakewood Ranch community in the Bradenton - Sarasota, Florida area.  You will find great shops, restaurants, and the new cinemas.  These pictures were taken Friday evening as my wife enjoyed the music of the Billy Rice band and dinner at McAllister's.   Main Street has it's own website with this description:"A visit to Main Street offers shopping, dining and entertainment you won't find anywhere else. Come discover more than 30 unique restaurants and specialty boutiques that set Main Street apart from every other shopping destination. Fashions, gifts, decor and more, plus Morton's Gourmet Market and the new Lakewood Ranch... 11/04/2007

Come and enjoy this year´s Taste of Manatee in Bradenton!Sample the cuisines from local restaurants while enjoying entertainment and activities for the entire family.  Enjoy a cold Budweiser or a refreshing Coca Cola while strolling along the riverfront or watching a football game on the large screen TV. Dates:   Saturday   November 3, 2007    5:00pm  -  10:00pm            Sunday     November 4, 2007    11:00Am -  6:00pm-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Location:  1301 Barcarrota Blvd., Bradenton, FL   34205-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  11/02/2007

Mortgage fraud is a subject in which we as Realtors need to be well versed.  I know a Realtor from my market area who is sitting in Federal prison today because she committed mortgage fraud. Joining her in prison is the title agent, and the mortgage-broker buyer.  Other "straw buyers" in the scheme turned and testified against those involved. I attended a seminar yesterday on mortgage fraud offered by our Association of Realtors and thought I would share some of this information over a series of posts.I write this to help Bradenton Buyers and Sellers avoid being led into an illegal situation. This is also helpful information to Bradenton Realtors, mortgage brokers, and loan officers.Florida Residential Mortgage Fraud Act Florida recently passed a new Florida Statute (817.545) called the... 10/26/2007

The latest in Bradenton...... A City of Bradenton sign will join the thousands of other hometown, directional and unusual automobile, caution and other signs in the world-famous Fernwehpark sign forest in Hof, Germany. Axel and Bea Weiss, formerly of Germany and full-time residents of Bradenton for the past four years, approached Councilman Patrick Roff about the idea during a Historic Wares Creek Neighborhood Association meeting. Above, Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston holds the sign with Bea (left) and Axel (right) Weiss. They will be at the 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, City Council meeting for a brief presentation. 10/22/2007

There is a lot of attention on short sales in our Bradenton - Sarasota market right now. This series of posts is intended to help sellers, buyers, and Realtors understand the short sale process. Everyone involved in a short sale transaction needs to know what to expect. Buyers of short sale properties need to understand what they are getting into. Some buyer's believe that they are going to be able to "steal" a property and make a killing by reselling it.  They have heard the stories that investors tell and think it's a piece of cake to buy a property fifty cents on the dollar.While that may be the case in some instances it is not the norm and should not be expected. Remember, the lender wants to sell the property as close to market value as possible.  In fact, most lenders have pretty ... 10/18/2007

Real Estate is local not national. Recently many folks have been talking about the decline in prices of homes on a national average and the increase in inventory. But it has been reported that the Sarasota/Bradenton area has been bucking the national and statewide trends. In fact while national sales of single family homes fell 13 % and Florida's sales fell 28% the Sarasota/Bradenton market saw a 16% increase in March 2007 when compared to March 2006. This is truly the time to buy a home or a condo in our area. When the Gulf of Mexico is your back yard people find it hard to resist the opportunity to live the sun-kissed life in paradise. 10/03/2007

Since the real estate market turned for the worst, a lot of Bradenton, Florida borrowers have found themselves in a position where they owe more than their home is worth. As long as you don't need to sell your home and as long as you can afford the payments, your best bet it to sit tight and do nothing.  Eventually the market will rise and your home value will go up.Buy what if you HAVE to sell?  What if you are faced with a job relocation, divorce, illness, or financial hardship? What happens if you can no longer make your mortgage payments?  Is foreclosure your only option?Many Borrowers are approaching their mortgage holder and requesting that they accept a short-pay. This is commonly called a short sale.What is a Short Sale?A short sale occurs when a lender is willing to accept less... 10/02/2007

Axel & Bea Weiss | Weiss & Weiss International Realty | www.BradentonBroker.com | 941-866-1666 Ferienwohnung / Investment Traumhafte 2 Schlafzimmer / 2 Bäder Eigentumswohnung im Zentrum von Bradenton Ferienwohnung Kaufpreis: $165,000,- = ca. EUR 117.000,- Baujahr 1984 Größe 1,700 sq ft. (ca. 158 qm) Schlafzimmer 2 Bäder 2 Bäder Stellplätze 1 überdacht Entfernung z. Strand ca. 5 Meilen HOA/Maint $450 per month       View Larger Map LAGE Die Wohnung liegt in der Anlage "Spring Lakes" welche gleichzeitig nahe eines großzügig angelegten Vogelschutzgebiets in der Nähe des Zentrums von Bradenton an der Cortez Road liegt. Zum Strand sind es nur wenige Minuten mit dem PKW oder Bus. Darüberhinaus sind Einkaufs- (u.a. Wal-Mart Supercenter, Publix) und Unterhaltungsmöglichkeiten (Applebees und vi... 09/25/2007

Here are 10 ideas for things to do when in the Bradenton Florida area:Go to the Beach House Restaurant on the island.Take a walk along the beach and watch the sunset.Go on a Dolphin cruise.Go to the Village of the Arts on the first Friday of the month.Visit the Parker Aquarium.Visit the Bradenton Planetarium.Have dinner at the Twin Dolphin.Go to the Farmer's Market downtown on Saturday mornings.Go to Get Down Downtown on the third Thursday of the month.Visit Emerson Point in Palmetto and take a hike through the numerous trails. 09/15/2007

Today's paper profiled the neighborhood in which I live, Tara.  It is located at the junction of I-75 and Sr 70 in Eastern Manatee County, Florida. The nearest city is Bradenton. The headline reads, "Southern Belle" and the article begins this way: "Taking its name from Margaret Mitchell's Civil War novel, "Gone with the Wind," Tara forms one of East Manatee's oldest and largest neighborhoods."The change has been dramatic in the past few decades. What was once pastureland is now booming with shopping centers, restaurants and housing developments at the southwest corner of busy Interstate 75 and State Road 70."It goes on to tell the story of the neighborhood's beginning in the late 1980's and it's continued growth and development into the mid 2000's.  It began with the Tara Golf and Coun... 09/09/2007

 Located on the west side of Bradenton, Raintree offers the convience of being close to everything.  Just minutes from the beach. Recenly redecorated, new carpet, refrigerator. sold with some furnishings, on bus line, many extras in this friendly community. relax at our heated pool, enjoy party room with neighbors and friends. assigned and extra parking.Price reduced to $129,900For more information visit www.ReynoldsRealty.com 09/07/2007

How to Get Top Dollar for Your HomeMost sellers have one thing in common.  They want to know how they can get top dollar for their home.  Here are some suggestions from a top selling agent.1. See your house through the buyer's eyesI spoke with an agent today who showed one of my listings.  She and her buyer looked at 30 homes, before making an offer on another home.  I have been encouraging my seller to make some minor improvements which would help sell the property. The seller just doesn't get it. The seller is not looking at the property through the buyer's eyes.Buyer's today aren't excited about a home's possibilities.  They get excited about a home that is completely move-in perfect....What do buyers want?They want to see curb appeal.They want fresh and clean carpetsThey want a fres... 09/06/2007