Author: gulfcoastoffloridarealtor

If you are deciding on which Realtor to choose, here is some information that may help you decide if you want me working on your team.

First and foremost, I am a wife and mother. I have 2 children, 2 dog’s, 2 cat’s and a fish. I live with my family in Nokomis, Fl. I grew up in Miami and Ft Lauderdale. I am a Florida Native and so is my husband who was raised in Sarasota.

I have many personal interests. I am a creative person who like to try new things all of the time. I love pottery, stained glass, making soaps, body butters, cooking, and gardening. My family and I love to camp and enjoy the outdoors and nature. We like to travel to different areas in Florida and see all the beauty our state has to offer. We look for sharks teeth and kayak whenever we have the chance. This is, of course forcing my son to step away from his video games. We venture out to the natural springs located in Northern Florida. If you haven’t been, you are truly missing out.

When it comes to work, I am a sales person who doesn’t like to sell you a house. I really like to help educate customers so that they can make their own choices that work for them. I would not be happy selling someone a home that they truly don’t want or need. Everyone can search for a home easily online. What I do provide as a Realtor, is a trusted source of knowledge that helps you through your selling or buying process in order to achieve what you really want. We are the problem solvers and the backbone support to help you. We have the contacts and the knowledge to help you get what you want. You should be able to trust your Realtor and know that they have your best interests at heart. I am that person and always have been. Obstacle’s are a common occurrence when dealing with real estate deal. Having a agent that can solve your issues is a key component in what we do for our customers. Knowing the processes in order to get what we need is very important.

When you meet me, you meet a happy, kind and sweet person. While you may think that having a shark as a Realtor will get you what you want… and in some situations that may be true, but having a smart Realtor who thinks rather than reacts is just as important if not more important. You must not perceive my kindness as weakness. In all honesty, treating people how you want to be treated goes a long way in this industry and has won me all of my deals. Working with me you will find that I am honest, persistent, trustworthy, fair, stubborn, hardworking, a good listener, a problem solver, and did I say stubborn? lol. I am imperfect, but perfectly done!

Hopefully by reading about me you can get a taste of who I am, how I work and how you can trust that I will do my best for you all while becoming lifelong friends.

Have you been frustrated lately while currently looking for your home? You are not ALONE! Customers, and Realtors are both frustrated. My goal is to help someone find a place to call home. I don’t just want to sell you a house, I want to help find you a HOME. Yes, I get paid when I make a sale, but sales are not enough to keep me in business. My lifeline is word of mouth and fulfilling my customers want’s and need’s.

This hasn’t been easy in this current market. I meet people from all over the country that are moving to Florida, leaving their current housing situation. They have realized that they want more out of life than to just have that corporate job that pays the bill’s. This pandemic definitely put life in prospective for all ages of people. People are wanting to truly live now. Get outdoors, enjoy their friends and family, especially since we have come from such isolation these past 2 or so year’s.

What I see when meeting new people is that they think that moving to Florida will be cheaper and that it shouldn’t be so hard to find a place because where they came from was certainly hugely populated. That used to be true. The reality is that so many people are moving to this great state, that we are in a severe housing deficit. People are leaving their over taxed states and moving to Florida in record numbers. In all honesty, I do not think people have a realistic view on what Florida is and has to offer. They know that we have amazing beaches, that goes without saying, but because they come from such a different environment, what I see is that they think that is has to be better here. The real deal is that home prices are up by 20%. With almost a thousand people moving here each day, we cannot build or nor do we have enough homes available to house this many additional people. We don’t even have the infrastructure to facilitate this many homes.

At this point in this housing market, we don’t have the traditional STARTER homes here anymore. We have livable homes that are pretty much starting in the $400,000.00’s. I don’t know about you, but that is not a starter home buyer price that people think of when buying their first home. The cost for rent has almost doubled and triples if not quadruples during our season, which is from Late December to Easter. The people that live here and work here are having difficulty affording to rent let alone buy a home. This is a true state of supply and demand. Therefore our local businesses are short staffed and having difficulty doing their jobs efficiently and as customers expect.

In a nut shell, if you are thinking of moving to Florida, you must be realistic. Firstly, you must find a Realtor that you trust and believe in. I always tell my customers the truth in their standing. I inform my customers and give them the honest market conditions. If you truly want to buy a home in this area, you must here what your Realtor is telling you. Remember, we want to make a sale, we also want to win offers. Sometimes the truth hurts, but having unrealistic expectations will get you no where fast. Learning what needs to be done in order to get under contract in this demanding market is crucial.

First, you must have proof that you can afford the home you are looking at. This will either entail a proof of funds letter or a pre approval from a mortgage broker or bank. A bank approval is even better.

You must be able to present a strong security deposit. This deposit shows the seller that you are a serious buyer. You have more skin in the game.

The type of loan that you use will effect a sellers decision on which buyer they decide on. There are Conventional loans that require 20% down usually, unless you have excellent credit you can find a bank that has a different option that the norm. FHA is a loan that the government backs. The down payment is usually 3-5% of the purchase price of the home. There are other fee’s too to consider, like closing costs. If all of this sounds foreign to you, I would advise to meet with a mortgage broker and discuss all the options, fee’s and cost’s associated with buying a home. They will be able to figure out how much home you can afford, what you can afford for payments and this includes taxes and insurance for the home and a possible PMI payment. PMI is a mortgage insurance the bank may require if you have not been able to put 20% down payment into the loan that you are taking. Again, best to speak to a professional who only does mortgages all day, every day.

When your Realtor tells you that homes are selling above asking price, believe them. Presenting a low ball offer just will waste your and your Realtors time, just to be told NO. If you want to play the game, you have to believe in your Realtor and trust that she or he has the knowledge to help you get the home you are bidding on, that is if you have the means to do so. That is where you must be realistic. Depending on your own personal financial situation, you will need to look at this logically and understand what is up against you. While, buying a home is an emotional issue for people, while presenting offers, it is safe to say that unless you are pulling out all the punches, you must be able to lose some before you win one. This is not uncommon in this current market and you must not take it personally. You must keep your chin up and persevere forward. What is meant for you will appear, I truly believe that.

I hope this article can help someone and remember that what’s meant to be, will be yours if you go after what you want, just duck and weave and we can and will get through this.

Have you always dreamed of owning your own home? What steps do you think you have to take to get to your goal? Do you have a professional in the field of Real Estate to help guide you towards this goal? Does the possibility of starting the process overwhelm you? Well, here is some honest advise that you may be able to use!

There are many aspects to look at when starting the process of home ownership….

First step is to talk to a lender. They will look at your credit scores along with debt to income ration and help you decide what you can afford and what type of loan you may be able to qualify for. Lenders are online, at local banks and credit unions and through mortgage brokers. Mortgage brokers will have a variety of loan options and will guide you through the whole process, step by step. They usually do not sell your personnel information as well which is a plus as online loan companies will likely sell your information. (If you need names of mortgage brokers, I would be happy to help you with some trusted companies in our area.)

As far as loans go, there are conventional loans that usually require 20 percent down in order to qualify for this type of loan. This is 20 percent off the cost of the home that you decide to purchase.

There are FHA Loans that usually require 3-5 percent down. These loans usually require that you carry PMI insurance. Private mortgage insurance is required to protect the lender if you happen to default on your mortgage loan. You are considered higher risk being that you have not invested 20 percent into the purchase of the home. You see, if you’ve put down a chunk of your hard earned money, you are less likely to walk away from a loan because that would mean you would lose that 20 percent that you’ve invested. Hence….the PMI.

There are no down payment VA loans that veterans get from their military involvement.

There are USDA Loans that tend to be in more rural communities.

These are the most common type loan options out there. With acquiring a loan you will have certain cost associated with getting a loan. These fee’s are called closing costs. They are set fee’s, bank fee’s and title agency fee’s that you have to come to the closing table with. You will be given a closing disclosure closer to you closing date that breaks down all the fee’s that are involved with the closing. They are able to give you an estimate at the beginning of your process of these fee’s but are subject to vary a bit, they will have a more accurate price closer to the closing date.

Finding out what amount of house you are pre approved for is a necessary step. This pre approval will be required from you when you decide to put in an offer on a home. This document will get turned in along with your offer and shows that you can indeed afford to buy a house. A strong deposit is another positive step in order for the seller’s to see that you are a serious buyer.

While I know this type of article can bore the pant’s off of people, it is wise to get a head’s up on the process and a better understanding of what you will face while searching for your home. This is why having a trusted friend/Realtor is so important. We as Realtors will follow up with deadlines and help move the process forward all the way up to the closing date. Did you know that Realtors get paid by the seller’s? Having a Realtor when buying a home give’s you someone who is looking out for your best interests. We take care of all the legal contracts and negotiations that will happen and keep you as worry free as possible.

I hope you found this article helpful and if after reading this you would like some names of mortgage broker’s in our area, please email me at hollisarabryant@gmail.com.

Happy House Hunting!!!!