Real Estate Information

For Sale by Owner is becoming a more popular way to sell a house now that the real estate market seems to have hit bottom.  Is it the best way to make the most money on the sale of a house?  Maybe, or maybe not.  If an average commission is 6%, the home owner can save the 6% off the price of the for sale by owner listing.

According to National Association of Realtors (NAR) statistics, For Sale by Owner, or FSBO, sales accounted for 9% of home sales in 2012.  The average FSBO sale price was $174,900 compared to homes sold by professional Realtors that averaged $215,000.  Maybe this $40,100 price differential was due to location, however it is not really likely.  This means that the FSBO who sold for $174,900 did save the 6% commission, or saved $10,494.  If one follows the average transaction price of a professional Realtor, that same FSBO might have sold the house for $215,000.  Deduct the 6% commission of $12,900, the FSBO may have netted an additional $38,594 had he used a Realtor.

These are national statistics from the National Association of Realtors, not mine.

OK, so let's not even consider the difference in net.  Try this.  According to the NAR, there are other issues to consider, including:

Most Difficult Tasks for FSBO Sellers:

• Understanding and performing paperwork  . . . . . . . . .  18%
• Getting the right price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14%
• Preparing/fixing up home for sale: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11%
• Helping buyer obtain financing: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6%
• Attracting potential buyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6%
• Selling within the planned length of time: . . . . . . . . . . . .  6%
• Having enough time to devote to all aspects of the sale . 1%

​​Other things a Realtor will ensure include:  pricing the home appropriately for the market; having a qualified buyer come to the house; and the presentation of a valid and qualified offer. A licensed Realtor will accompany the buyer, and has access to a secure lockbox on a properly listed home.  This is something that many FSBOs overlook, that the person coming into the house is both qualified and a legitimate buyer.

It really is easy to get a contract. Realtors earn their commissions in the stages after the contract: making sure all the deadlines in a contract are met, ensuring that the financing is on track, keeping the seller and the buyer updated on the progress of the transactions, making sure all the appropriate inspections are completed within the contract requirements, and much more. 

In most cases, even though there is a commission to pay, taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise of a professional Realtor will mean more money in the pocket of the homeowner when the sale is completed.

Find out what your Florida home is worth, then call a professional Realtor to get it sold.

Another reason to love our city, and buy real estate in Dunedin, is the Dunedin Smokehouse on Main Street.  They cook everything to perfection, and make the desserts on the premises.  You really need to try their Asian burger.  In a word, delicious.  The sidewalk dining area, which is dog friendly, (it is Dunedin after all), makes for a very pleasant environment while having a really good meal.

It is a very short walk to the Pinellas Bike Trail, which of course, is a safe place for a walk since bicycles and pedestrians share the trail.  We like to walk down the trail and into downtown Dunedin.  Lots of shops, restaurants and even good pizza or ice cream shops.

There are plenty of houses for sale so if you are looking for Dunedin real estate, whether for a year 'round residence or as investment or rental property, give us a call.  The lifestyle is what attracted us to Dunedin, and the lifestyle is what will keep us here.

Back to the Dunedin Smokehouse, be sure to try the pulled pork, or the smoked chicken, or the Asian burger, or any of the freshly made desserts.  You'll keep coming back!

In the meantime, if you would like to live in a wonderful community with lots of things to do, we will be happy to help you find and buy the perfect home to suit your lifestyle.

There are plenty or reasons to buy real estate and live in Dunedin, FL.  One of the best is the Pinellas Bike Trail.  It runs the length of the city, and passes by the Dunedin Blue Jays stadium, the Dunedin Causeway, the Dunedin Golf Club and on into Palm Harbor.  Buying Dunedin real estate is the best way to take advantage of all the benefits of this wonderful small city lifestyle.  You can use the Marina for your boat, play golf on the Golf Club course - former home of the PGA, or stroll out along the Dunedin Causeway to Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island State Parks.

Of course, there are lots of wonderful shops in the city, and restaurants are everywhere, and they are good!!  There are 55+ condos from less than $75,000 to higher, single family homes along the golf course, waterfront estates, and plenty of other opportunities for real estate in Dunedin.

So check it out, the lifestyle is terrific!

This weekend is another example of the Dunedin lifestyle and why you should consider buying Dunedin real estate.  Friday evening, April 19, at dusk, bring a blanket or a beach chair to Pioneer Park downtown and enjoy, for FREE, Mama Mia.  This is great family entertainment, people chatting, sipping on coffee or other beverages, children having fun in the park and the movie is on the big screen on the stage at Pioneer Park.

Then on Saturday, at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, home of the Dunedin Blue Jays, there is a FREE giveaway of two trees for Dunedin residents.  Simply bring proof of residency, driver's license or utility bill, and get two trees in 3-gallon pots.  Then you can go home and plant the free trees in the yard of your Dunedin real estate.

And this is just another quiet weekend in Dunedin, where there is always something happening.  Of course, there is the Dunedin Causeway, with a beach, rental sailboards, and the access to Honeymoon Island, perennially one of Dr. Beach's nominees as best beach in the country.

Find out lots more about Dunedin real estate, or other communities in the area with just a click of your mouse.

Take a walk along Bayshore Blvd., stroll down Main Street and try a delicious ice cream creation at Strachan's Ice Cream store, or have a wonderful meal at any of the many restaurants in Dunedin.  Or simply enjoy the sunset at the Marina.

It is a great place to live and own real estate.

Today in Dunedin it is 56 degrees.  It is only 49 degrees in Boston, MA right now.  Thing is, this Saturday, it will be 74 degrees in Dunedin, and it still will be only 49 degrees in Boston.  This evening, Gwen and I will stroll along the Pinellas Bike Trail to downtown, stop in a local place and perhaps enjoy an adult beverage, or tonight maybe a hot cocoa.  Then we'll walk back home, or head west two blocks to watch the sunset.

The Dunedin lifestyle allows us this privilege, of being close to work, having the Florida lifestyle in our favorite little city, enjoying fresh seafood, al fresco dining (although we'll wait for the weekend when it is a  tad warmer), watching the sunsets over Honeymoon Island, and never having to open a car door.  We can go for a healthy walk on the Pinellas Bike Trail, stroll around downtown for ice cream, or cocoa, or Tapas at Casa Tina's, or fresh catch of the day at the Dunedin Marina restaurant, or savor a unique local brew at Dunedin Brewery, and then just walk home.

The Dunedin lifestyle is what we have been looking for for years.  Now we are living it.  Quaint cottages and Craftsman homes, tree lined streets, excellent restaurants, street festivals seemingly all year round, spectacular coast sights such as Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island with the sun setting over both, and always meeting someone we know on our walks.  It is a wonderful place to live and be.

There is a charming community called Indian Trails, Palm Harbor that is centrally located for beaches, the Pinellas bike trail, shopping, restaurants and good schools.

This community, within the unincorporated borders of Palm Harbor, is currently zoned, in 2012-2014, for Sutherland Elementary School, Palm Harbor Middle School, and Palm Harbor University High School.  All are excellent schools.

Palm Harbor real estate has plenty of benefits and lifestyle advantages.  Among these are the Pinellas bike trail is just a short bike ride away and from there, access to the entire bicycle system in Pinellas County with more than 45 miles of bike trails is available.  You can easily ride to the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs, head out to Honeymoon Island via the Dunedin Causeway arm of the bike trail, or go to the very friendly downtown Dunedin, with its specialty shops, restaurants and micro-breweries.

Here is a summary for real estate in this neighborhood.  At present, there is only one home for sale in Indian Trails and it is listed for $285,000.  There are three houses currently under contract and in the last 90 days, four homes sold.  The average sale price in Indian Trails, Palm Harbor was $224,425 and the average square footage was 2,738.  Average days on market for these 4 sold homes was only 79 days.

The highest sale price in the last 90 days was $275,000 at a price per square foot of $98.80.  The one listing at $285,000 is a 2,796 square foot home for $102 per sf.  It has been on the market for 705 days.

Check out Indian Trails in Palm Harbor.

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

Royal Stewart Arms 55+ community is situated on Dunedin Causeway, which is the gateway to Honeymoon Island state park. Dunedin, FL is a community on the Gulf of Mexico, with Tarpon Springs to the north and Clearwater Beach to the south.

Royal Stewart Arms is a condo community with 454 condos, ranging in size from a 1 bedroom 1 bath unit of 539 square feet to a larger 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bath condo with 1,181 square feet. Most of the units are 2 bedroom 2 bath condos and all are equipped with natural gas for cooking. This waterfront community offers shuffleboard, tennis courts, a recreation building, and a fishing dock where people gather to catch dinner and while away the time telling fish stories.

Among the benefits of living in Royal Stewart Arms 55+ community are the location at the entrance to Honeymoon Island state park, wind surf rentals on the Causeway, the beaches along the Causeway not to mention the former #1 beach in the United States, Honeymoon Island. The Pinellas bike trail, which goes from Tarpon Springs to St. Pete also has a spur from the mainland out to Honeymoon Island state park and goes right by Royal Stewart Arms. The Pinellas bike trail offers exercise to bicyclists, roller blade enthusiasts, joggers and just plain walkers - all for free. There are also restaurants on the Causeway that are social gathering places for the many residents in Dunedin, FL who live on the Causeway or in Royal Stewart Arms.

The condo association monthly dues range from about $360 to $446 and cover the recreation center, shuffleboard, tennis courts, building and grounds maintenance, building insurance, elevators, and laundry rooms on every floor in each building. Each building has its own association and board of directors who plan the budget and social events.

The Royal Stewart Arms 55+ community is a wonderful place to live and play. The City of Dunedin, FL provides the normal services, trash pickup, water and schools. So if you are looking for a great place to live, come to Dunedin, FL. You'll be glad you did!

Just what is, or was, the fiscal cliff??  Is it something that people actually fall off of? Does the extension Congress voted for recently mean much, or anything, or a whole lot, to the average homeowner?

If you are interested in finding out some of the ramifications, take a look at the info in our Fiscal Cliff report, co-authored with Brian P Forrester of VanDyk Mortgage.  Brian is a Senior Loan Originator with VanDyk Mortgage and a CPA.  We at Sun Bay Associates at Keller Williams Realty have been Realtors with 20 years of experience and much of that experience has to do with short sales and other distressed properties.

One of the key provisions of the Fiscal Cliff legislation is that the Mortgage Debt Relief Act was extended to January 1, 2014.  This will allow homeowners and home sellers who have part of their mortgage debt on their primary residence, to be forgiven by their lender due to a short sale, foreclosure or loan modification.

There are several other benefits from the Fiscal Cliff Bill that affect both the real estate and mortgage industry. See additional information on our summary report, or give us a call.

Our goal is to help our country recover from the real estate recession one homeowner at a time.

The Oldsmar real estate market is showing signs of recovery.  This Oldsmar real estate update will hit the highlights of the last 30 days of real estate activity for single family homes in Oldsmar.

There are at the moment, 75 single family homes for sale in Oldsmar, ranging in list price from a house at $84,900 that has 284 days on market to a high list price of $1,199,900 for a house that has 318 days on market.  The average list price for a single family home in Oldsmar is $388,842 and an average days on market of 160.

There are currently 60 houses under contract in Oldsmar.  And in the last 30 days, the Oldsmar real estate market has seen 20 houses sell.  The average sold price was $242,680 with an average of 78 days on market.

In the previous 30 days, there were 75 houses for sale and 22 houses sold.  This is a good indication that the Oldsmar real estate market has stabilized and at the least, prices are no longer plummeting.  

Check out the latest listings for Oldsmar real estate, just to satisfy yourself about what is now available.