The New Southwest Florida Real Estate Market

The New Southwest Florida Real Estate Market

FORT MYERS, Florida (October 30, 2013) – The Fed’s quantitative easing – the purchase of $85 billion in securities per month – has done its job of keeping the cost of borrowing money to a minimum. But what will happen when this influx of cash ceases? How will it affect mortgages and home sales? To understand these questions on quantitative easing, we must first understand what impact financing has on value and the overall market.

Overall, houses continue to be at all-time high levels of affordability. Prices are increasing, but buyers are coming into purchases with more income and cheaper financing. Also, there is no shortage of inventory in Southwest Florida. These factors make it easier for buyers to buy and agents to sell houses.

And once the quantitative easing ends? Likely the cost of borrowing will increase; in other words, mortgage rates will be higher. Likewise, as financing qualifications are already strict, the qualifying standards will toughen even more as all provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act come into full implementation on January 10, 2014. Also, house prices will continue to rise. All of these factors will combine to continue the trend toward renting rather than owning property in Southwest Florida for lower-income buyers, which means more opportunities for investors and property managers.

Higher-income buyers will have more choices in the market due to builders actively competing with features and financing for those who need it. As for housing prices? That will be up to the sellers and their real estate professional.

If you would like to learn more about the present and future of institutional financing, attend Larson Educational Services Agent’s Guide to Financing Continuing Education courses.

Check out our continuing education schedule by clicking on this sentence to schedule a class today.

Contact:

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

Royal Palm Square

1400 Colonial Blvd, Suite 44

Fort Myers, FL 33907

(239) 344-7510
http://www.larsoned.com/

Google

High Vacancy, High Stakes in Southwest Florida Housing Market

-->

FORT MYERS, Florida (October 15, 2013) - Nearly five years after hitting rock-bottom in the  Southwest Florida real estate market, area professionals have found themselves in the middle of a new and intriguing conundrum: fewer active listings for single family homes but more overall closed sales. What do these seemingly counterintuitive points mean for local real estate professionals trying to make a living in Lee and Collier counties?

First, let’s look at the facts. According to The Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and The Beach, we’ve seen an increase since last year in three major home sale statistics: a 26.9% rise in median sale price, 19.3% more closed sales, and 36.1% more pending sales. However, the number of active listings has dropped 13% from last year. On top of that, by the end of 2013 there will be 20% more new real estate professionals than in 2012.

With fewer listings and more agents, along with more sales and higher prices – and by extension higher commissions – what is the takeaway for real estate professionals in Southwest Florida? Most importantly, they need to focus on standing out to potential buyers. With consumers being inundated with information both on-line and off, it is necessary that they differentiate themselves from their competitors. It comes down to image, branding, and marketing.

They should start by asking themselves the following questions:

What’s my brand?

What makes me different?

What’s my unique selling point?

What’s my niche or central theme?

The answers to these questions will cover everything from their website and YouTube channel to their wardrobe and personality. They will then base their marketing plan on these answers, ideally communicating a consistent message and image across all media platforms. Successfully executing this concept is one of the largest contributing factors into why one real estate professional makes it in the business and another may flounder. With more licensed agents fighting to sell fewer homes for more money in Southwest Florida, the ability to stand out in the crowd may be the difference between scraping by and living large.

However, some new real estate professionals my not know the first thing about designing a brand or creating a marketing plan. That’s where education comes in. Fort Myers real estate school Larson Educational Services offers continuing education courses meant to help answer these four questions for real estate professionals, giving them the confidence to portray an image and brand that will get them the sales they desire in a competitive market.

Go to www.LarsonEd.com or call (239) 344-7510 for more information and to schedule a class today.

Contact:

Brad Larson

General Manager

Larson Educational Services

Brad@larsoned.com

1400 Colonial Boulevard

Suite #44

Fort Myers, Florida

Google