Renovations and upgrades will increase anybody’s West Palm Beach home values, right? Maybe…but not so fast! Believe it or not, some projects can actually diminish a Palm Beach County property’s home values. In other words, you could potentially lose more than the cost of the project: you could lower your home’s ultimate resale value as well! One of the most common examples is the overly ambitious landscaping project. Who doesn’t love a well-tailored garden or a perfectly maintained backyard? Yet, as HGTV’s Sabrina Soto, host of “The High/Low Project” points out, overdoing it can be counterproductive. To some potential buyers, too much landscaping could equal increased maintenance (meaning more work and expense). When the balance isn’t right, turned-off prospective buyers can bring lowe... 12/05/2013

Real Estate is Real Estate (Except When it’s Commercial!) | Commercial Real Estate By virtue of their purchasing experience, homeowners have necessarily become familiar with the basics of real estate. A Palm Beach County homeowner may not consider her- or himself an expert in the matter, but history does allow them all to share a degree of confidence in real estate markets and the factors that are important when it’s time to make a buy or sell decision. Real estate is real estate, after all — whether it’s here in West Palm Beach or anywhere else, right? Not exactly. Commercial real estate is a horse of a different feather! If you are thinking about buying commercially for the first time, understanding not only that there are differences from the residential market, but how those influe... 12/04/2013

Conventional wisdom dictates that home sellers prefer cash offers. So what is a typical would-be buyer in West Palm Beach to do when the competition comes forward with an all-cash offer? Cash offers may come from any of a variety of deep-pocketed parties: institutional investors, foreign investors, wealthy families or individual investors. Beyond doing basic due diligence — gathering as much intel as you can about the property and the seller’s needs — if you’ve found the perfect home and are convinced it is the best property for your family, consider one or more of these tactics: Bidding over asking — even by as little as 2% or 3% — can sometimes win the day, according to Noah Rosenblatt, founder of Urban Digs, a real estate analytics company. Cash buyers typically factor in opportunit... 12/03/2013

When we buy or sell a home, the rest of our day-to-day activities tend to get less attention. When an offer comes in (or doesn’t) — or when we have to wait on pins and needles to hear if the home of our dreams will be ours — the rest of what’s going on takes a back seat. That is because buying and selling real estate involves not only significant sums of money, but also crucial and emotional decisions about the center of our family’s activities. At such a life-changing crossroad, most Palm Beach County people decide that it’s a good idea to work with a Palm Beach County professional real estate agent. But since not all real estate agents are equally well equipped to provide the same quality of support, the questions is, how to choose? I agree with the consensus that the following are p... 12/02/2013

Staging a Palm Beach County home for sale may not be rocket science — but doing it well does require a marketer’s ability to step outside yourself to picture what will most appeal to potential buyers. Our first instinct is to set up our home exactly as we like to see it, but that’s not how the professional stagers do it. When you think of the way a model home looks, you begin to get the picture: they are always pleasantly neutral. Sort of boring, actually. Always. It must work! Once you’ve listed your West Palm Beach home, there are some very common home staging pitfalls to avoid. First and foremost, as much as possible, pack up your personality and stow it in with the cartons of kid stuff you’re clearing away. Simply assume that prospective buyers won’t love the piles of Oprah magazin... 11/29/2013

If you’re planning to sell your home “For Sale By Owner” (best known as “FSBO”) in West Palm Beach this fall, it will be vital that you give some serious thought to the MLS. “MLS” (Multiple Listing Service) is the database used and updated by real estate professionals and trade associations. It’s used to organize and publicize available listings for everyone interested in buying a house. Access to any MLS system is restricted to agents and brokers, since they are licensed, insured, and have been trained in correct use of the technically-complex system. In today’s digital age, FSBO sellers who chose to just put up a lawn sign and advertise in Palm Beach County newspapers put themselves at a daunting disadvantage. Yet if you try to sell your house yourself as an Palm Beach County FSBO, t... 11/27/2013

When most people picture how they will buy a Palm Beach County house, they imagine visiting properties with their real estate agent, zeroing in on a suitable home in a neighborhood they like; making an offer; purchasing the home. But there are also less straightforward ways to go about buying a Palm Beach County house. One way people purchase houses today is at a Palm Beach County town auction. Homes usually go on auction because they have been foreclosed upon or have unpaid tax liens; but there are any number of possible reasons. For the buyer, a real estate auction presents an opportunity — but also hurdles to clear. A first possible drawback can be a real showstopper: the relative difficulty of thoroughly checking out the home’s interior. When it proves impossible to inspect inside,... 11/27/2013

When companies need to move employees who are also homeowners, they have to make the transition as painless as possible (or risk losing a valued asset). UrbanBound is a Chicago-based professional relocation group who know the landscape. “Even the most hands-on HR departments in the world can have too much on their plates to give relocation the attention it needs,” they point out. Thus the $16 billion relocation industry! If you’re contemplating a relocation West Palm Beach any time soon, even without the services of a specialist, there’s much we can learn from the do’s and don’ts they offer. Here are some key don’ts: Don’t Underestimate the Commute If relocation to Palm Beach County will find you entering unfamiliar territory, don’t rely on Map Quest to tell you how long your drive to ... 11/26/2013

Foreward-Thinking Palm Beach County Property Owners Curb Energy Costs Energy costs may not be skyrocketing as quickly as some other costs, but Palm Beach County property owners continue to watch incoming utility bills with a wary eye. It’s only natural: they remember sudden energy price leaps in the past. One of the ripple effects of high energy prices is the possible impact on anyone planning a future sale of their own property in West Palm Beach. Canny prospects are likely to demand to examine past utility bills — sometimes going back for a year or two. As we encounter cooler weather, that’s why it’s doubly important to keep a lid on gas and electricity bills. Some of these steps you can take are easy to accomplish…and all too easy to forget! Most experts recommend setting the water ... 11/25/2013

  West Palm Beach housing report just out for October 2103 shows a continuing trend with Median Sales Prices on the rise with lower inventory available.   The biggest benefit in this monthly marketing report for our readers is to provide content rich local information from a trustworthy source The Realtors® Association of the Palm Beaches. . Understanding that an educated buyer and seller when provided with the latest facts in our marketplace creates trust and develops relationships to make educated decisions when it comes to buying and selling real estate. I hope you enjoy the reports and look forward in discussing any questions that you might have in one of the most desirable real estate markets in Palm Beach County Florida.   11/23/2013

According to the National Association of Realtors®, active home-buying prospects are turning to the Internet in overwhelming numbers. If you have been a Palm Beach County house-hunter yourself anytime recently, this will not surprise you. Even after you’ve had to wrestle with an ever-expanding number of new computer apps, you know that when your computer (or notebook or smartphone) is working well, it’s unmatched for speed and breadth of access to what you’re trying to find. In fact, 62% of those who search for their next home online wind up touring a real-life property after first viewing it online. For homeowners who have listed their Palm Beach County properties, that’s a healthy incentive to be certain that what they put online is as effective as possible. The more information you ... 11/22/2013

"I'll Just Live Paycheck to Paycheck and Never Worry About Saving." An article, published in MoneyNews, offered some shocking, but ultimately unsurprising satistics: 46% of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. (Employment Benefit Research Institute) 40% of baby boomers now plan to work until they die. (AARP) 36% of Americans say they don’t contribute anything at all to their savings. [CNBC] 87% of adults say they are not confident about having money for a comfortable retirement. (Lifehappens.org) Expected retirement age is up to 67 from age 63. (Zero Hedge) Why are they shocking? I never thought it would be this bad, not to the point where also half of all future retirees were planning to work until their death. Why are they unsurprising? Besides the AARP satistic, the... 11/22/2013

As the housing market continues its recovery, sales of vacation homes in West Palm Beach are part of the national picture reported by the NAR — which tells us that vacation home sales rose by over 10% last year. While owning your own vacation home in West Palm Beach automatically sounds great, a thoughtful reality check is always in order. Particularly when a vacation home is involved, it minimizes the likelihood of making an overly emotional decision (and eventual buyer’s remorse). The first question to ask is How often will we actually use the home? If you travel to Palm Beach County just once a year for a week or less, keep in mind that, in addition to the purchase price, your actual costs include insurance, real estate taxes, and upkeep on the property. It’s likely you’d be dollars... 11/21/2013

ROI and Your Palm Beach County Home Value Questions If you are an Palm Beach County homeowner (or about to become one), you’ll be interested in the progression of your Palm Beach County home’s value over time. The market may fluctuate, but what doesn’t is your goal of seeing your property value go up — in other words, calculating its Return on Investment. In economic terms, evaluating the projected ROI tells you how much profit there would be if the home is sold at a later time. There are two major methods of calculating real estate ROI. Both take cost and appreciation into account — but they come up with quite different answers! The Cost Method gives a smaller ROI. Consider buying an Palm Beach County house for $100,000. Ubiquitous Zillow (the Internet giant) pegs the current annual a... 11/20/2013

The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium presents Titanic the Artifact ExhibitionThe dispaly is now open through April 2014 On April 15, 1912, Titanic, the world’s largest ship, sank after colliding with an iceberg claiming more than 1,500 lives and subsequently altering the world’s confidence in modern technology.  In Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, nearly 100 legendary artifacts conserved from the Ship’s debris field are showcased offering a poignant look at this iconic Ship and its passengers.  Go back in time to 1912 as you receive a replica boarding pass of an actual passenger aboard Titanic. Begin a chronological journey through the life of the Titanic, moving through the ship’s construction, to life on board, to the ill-fated sinking and amazing artifact rescue efforts. Pe... 11/18/2013

When a Palm Beach County home buyer first finds that single-family homes and condominiums have been getting pricier, it shouldn't be a surprise. Nationally, the median sales price is still well below the record $230,400 reached at the height of the housing boom ­ but that gap is shrinking. If you're a future home buyer in West Palm Beach, you can take steps to improve the situation. One way is to increase your negotiating leverage - to turn yourself into a highly desirable buyer from the seller's point of view. Show You're Financially Attractive: Maximize your negotiating power by getting yourself pre-approved for a mortgage loan. This is a step beyond merely becoming pre-qualified. To become pre-approved, a mortgage lender pulls your credit, studies your income, debt and employment hi... 11/17/2013

It’s that time of year again at CityPlace when children of all ages get excited as the Christmas season officially gets under way. The annual event is set to kick off this Saturday, Nov. 16th with the 40-foot Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 6pm. The entertainment starts today at 3pm with the Christmas concert performed by the children’s choir from The Kings Academy, a dance recital by Dance South Florida, acrobats, magicians, stilt walkers and living statues as well as the Dolphins cheerleaders. Children can visit Santa at Macy’s from 3 to 8 pm.WPB CityPlace Children enjoy riding on the Christmas train which runs daily from 3 to 9 pm Wednesday and Thursday, 3 to 10 pm Saturday and noon to 8 pm on Sunday. There will also be live Christmas music and entertainment by local bands and ch... 11/15/2013

Luxury home sales often trace a path that differs from the rest of the market. Just as high-end buyers can afford to take their time to find exactly the property they are looking for, Palm Beach County luxury homeowners tend to pick and choose when they will market their properties. That's pretty much what happened in the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis: many luxury home owners in West Palm Beach decided to hold off and wait for the market to rebound before listing. Now, as the housing market continues to recover and home values continue to rise, the potential number of buyers interested in these homes is also on the upswing. For those who have been postponing the sale of their own Palm Beach County luxury home, this winter is shaping up as a likely time to act. Before you list th... 11/15/2013

In West Palm Beach's competitive housing market, shrewdly targeting which (if any) renovations to make prior to listing your home can sharply affect not only its DOM (days on market), but the price it ultimately brings. After making any obviously needed repairs ­ any that would be standout deficiencies left untended ­ you must still decide, what else? Of the welter of possibilities you could choose before your property appears in the Palm Beach County listings, recent studies show some renovations have the greatest impact on selling prices. An inviting outside entertainment area is a significant plus for many prospects, so the addition of a wooden deck heads the list. A deck is relatively quick and easy to install, so when Remodeling Magazine reports a 77% return at sale, being able to... 11/14/2013

Today’s Internet-savvy home seller knows that before potential Palm Beach County buyers even make their way to a home’s online listing they may already have been exposed to the property’s pictures posted elsewhere. Since first impressions can be decisive, it’s all the more reason to heed something that advertising professionals have always known: the viewer’s eye is automatically drawn directly to any visible flaws. That’s why, if you want to entice more buyers by posting the most attractive teaser pics of your Palm Beach County home, you need to think in staging terms. Professional staging is the most foolproof way to create flawless images, of course — but there are also some easy and inexpensive approaches to creating eye-pleasing images of your home. Get your Stuff Out The first ru... 11/13/2013