Clearwater Real Estate Tips for Buyers – Good Tampa Bay Realtor Helps You Find Short Sale Bargains Not a Pig in Lipstick
February 27th, 2008 Categories: Random Thoughts
Clearwater Florida – When people discuss all the homes for sale and whats happening locally, we 
truly believe now is a great time to buy Clearwater real estate. We are still experiencing a buyers housing market in the whole Tampa Bay area. Jack and I have successfully helped lots of first time home buyers, vacation home buyers and seasoned investors get great real estate deals this year in the Clearwater area by working with us.
Why a Buyers Agent Matters when Buying a Short Sale Property
And like me, everywhere you turn you probably see reports in the newspapers, on TV, driving down the street and know that there are lots of Clearwater homes for sale.
Now with all the media attention its important for you to know that no ones got around to giving away homes.
Not a day goes by when someone doesnt tell us they want to buy a Clearwater Beach Condo for $100,000 on the water. Me too, but unfortunately it doesnt exist. We also have lots of buyers call us and say they ˜want to buy a short sale property and now that is something we CAN definitely help with.
We always ask them if they are ONLY interested in purchasing a short sale condo or home OR are they really just looking to buy a Clearwater FL property that represents a great value. Many of the real estate home buyers weve work with in the Clearwater area are surprised to find out that ˜short sale andgreat bargain may not be the same thing. Does that surprise you?
An old saying goes, ˜You make your money in real estate (equity) when you buy. So how do you buy right? We believe by having a team working for you thats committed to your goals. Thats what we offer the buyers who work with us. Experience shows that having a REALTOR like us, who is YOUR buyers agent definitely puts the odds of success on your side because now youve got a team who:
- knows the real estate market in Tampa Bay Florida;
- knows the Clearwater neighborhoods – even in this market certain neighborhoods always sell seem to well;
- does the research, digging and leg work necessary to get you good information;
- prepares the contracts heavily protecting the home buyer from spending money on appraisals and inspections when the bank may not approve the home or condo sale.
- can successfully negotiate the short sale purchase with the listing agent and the bank (were not in Kansas anymore Dorothy);
- will recommend home inspectors and specialists so you can really know what youre buying (especially since we had so many cosmetic flippers in Tampa Bay – you know the type – slap on a fresh coat of paint, make a few minor improvements and call her done. In addition we had the new roofing code go into effect in Oct 2007 – so if the home needs a roof youre looking at a BIG expense that can be up to 50% more than before)
- can oversee all the transaction details (weve had several take 5 months to close because of the bank);
- always puts your interests above selling any one house of condominium.
- Will be honest and give advice which may mean walking if the deal is no longer in your best interest.
- does all this at no charge to you as the buyer.
This is the first in a series of articles we are planning to write about how your can work with a good real estate agent, especially a Buyers Agent in todays Clearwater real estate market to get genuine real estate bargains (from short sales, bank owned, REO, pre-foreclosures, foreclosures and dont forget truly motivate sellers with equity) without getting sucked in by marketing and lingo – authentic Tampa Bay property values WILL shine through.
So please dont buy the dolled up pig someone just put a new shade of lipstick on and called ˜short sale – lets do our homework up front so you dont have to be afraid to look later!
Remember, the home listed as a short sale in our MLS could be the same overpriced house thats been sitting there 365 days and wont sell – much less appraise! We advise you along the way and let you know when we think it would be a waste of your money to do inspections and appraisals on properties like that.
So why would you risk buying a short sale without someone just reprenting YOUR interests? Imagine what its like to have an experienced team working for you throughout this detailed process – the seller does! Consider letting us help you, doing research, negotiating and being your advocate every step of the way through this crazy short sale maze and the best part is our services are always free to you, the buyers.
So you still think a short sale is for you¦then read the following questions and lets compare answers.
If a Clearwater Home for Sale is a Short Sale then it must be Myths Busted!
Doesnt a Clearwater Short Sale mean its a bargain?
Maybe, Maybe not
Doesnt it mean a short sale home is a great value?
Maybe, Maybe not
Doesnt it mean I can steal this house for 50% of the fair market value?
Probably not
Shouldnt I just focus on short sale property listings since these home sellers are acknowledging they cant sell it for what they owe the bank? I advise my clients, No dont limit yourself and heres my reason why
Why Buying a Short Sales May Not be your Best Bargain
By definition, a short sale means that the home seller owes the bank (or banks if they have a 2nd mortgage) more money than the home will currently sell for.
The thing you need to know about the Clearwater Real Estate market is that many of the homes we see being sold as short sales were purchased 18 months to 2 years ago (and the home buyers may have actually paid too much for their property during the hot housing market of late 2005-to late 2006).
The other thing we see are people who took out home equity lines of credit (werent those banks just so generous – they turned our homes into giant ATM machines) and people borrowed (between their first and second mortgages) more than they can now recoup.
Unfortunately, these are often the people who will call Clearwater REALTORs, like me, to sell their home and start the conversation by saying, ˜I NEED TO GET for this house. Now, please understand REALTORS dont control the price a home will sell for¦buyers and banks do because they determine what they are willing to pay and then if there will be home mortgage it will also depend on what the bank is willing to finance (based on information from the appraiser).
Unfortunately many of these sellers are in denial and the reality pricing process can be a long one with many ending ultimately as bank owned properties after foreclosure (another good topic for another day)
So once you see a home you like – we check out the asking price next and begin to determine if its a good value. We research things for you like this and more:
- The Clearwater homes or condos condition (ex. distressed or remodeled like new?)
- Other recent sales (and their impact on the appraised value)
- The competition – other similar homes and condos currently for sale – what are they asking and how long have they been waiting to sell. (Supply and demand has dramatic effect on real estate),
- Research expireds, withdrawns, etc,. for this home and others.
- The property value range for a given neighborhood – Ive seen some ˜deals in neighborhoods where the home seller did too much and the homes value is limited by the neighborhoods top end.
- How far in the lis penden (pre-foreclosure) process is the home seller;
- How much of a loss is the bank (or banks) looking at? PMI usually pays 20% on the home owners first mortgage which can represent a great opportunity to find value.
If the value is there and you decide you want to make and offer we move on to the next phase and enter the Short Sale Maze (accompanied by the listing agent, the bank and more). Ill write more about successfully navigating the Short Sale Maze in the future.
So when youre ready to start looking into buying Clearwater homes or condos, feel free to search the complete Tampa Bay MLS listings and give us a call at 727-710-8036 to be part of your home buying team.
We realize that selecting a real estate agent over the internet is hard since we havent met yet, so some of our clients who started their home search here too want to introduce us and tell you a little about their recent real estate experience. These Tampa Bay home buyers share candid thoughts and examples about their home buying process and why working with our Clearwater Real Estate team saved them money, made the process ˜painless, ensured they got great values, helped them avoid costly mistakes and treated them like family and more. Wed love to be your choice too.
About Cyndee Haydon
Cyndee Haydon, Realtor with Future Home Realty specializing in luxury waterfront and beach homes of Clearwater Beach - St Pete - Tampa Bay area with her husband and partner, Jack Haydon Cyndee's Google Profile
