For your house hunt you need some datails before you start serching on the internet

In American homes, you will rarely find closets that are standing at the wall as it is common in many countries. The cupboards for clothes and linens are built into the interior walls when the house is constructed. These closets are closed with wood or metal folding doors. Mirrored doors are also available, and you can easily change them to whatever you like best. Such a solution is space-saving and comfortable.

If there is enough space in the house, these cabinets are accessible as a separate room and offer plenty of space for individual design ideas on the inside, such as shelving, hanging rails, and drawers.

Furthermore, properties are often sold with functional kitchen and laundry appliances. A basically equipped kitchen has a refrigerator and a stove. An upgraded kitchen includes a dishwasher, microwave, and garbage disposal. If you are lucky, your new dream home will include a washer and dryer too, because drying of laundry outside is not common.

In addition to the above-mentioned appliances, each property in Florida has a hot water heater and an airconditioning system as a standard feature.

This is only a small insight into the real estate purchase process in Florida. Much more to this topic you will find in my book

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Residence-Paradise-Property-Purchase/dp/0986252913/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AYHN235YHGNNECGKHBZJ

or contact me: andrea@florida-informations.com    

How to determine where to reside in Florida

If you are an adventurous person, for example, real estate locations south of Fort Lauderdale, toward Miami and Key West, might be right for you. In this area is the main center of tourism in southern Florida, and there are constant parties and events. The two major international airports in the region are Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and they are excellent starting points for your discovery trip to Florida.

Both cities also have large cruise ports, from which the cruise ships start their journeys into the Caribbean. In Fort Lauderdale, the airport and cruise port are within a one-mile radius.

Key West, the southernmost point of the continental United States, is another tourist attraction and is easily accessible by car or boat from Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

This is only a small insight into the real estate purchase process in Florida. Much more to this topic you will find in my book

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Residence-Paradise-Property-Purchase/dp/0986252913/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AYHN235YHGNNECGKHBZJ

or contact me: andrea@florida-informations.com    

Are you interested in owning a condo in Jamaica?

After the general overview about Jamaica, you know what to expect. Maybe you get the impression that Jamaica is only a tropical vacation spot. However, that is only one side of the coin.

This country has more benefits to offer than sun, water, beaches, and gorgeous mountains and countryside.

The potential of this country is not only in the tourism sector and its related businesses. Especially in the last years, Jamaica has worked very hard to better its hard economic situation and establish new income sources for its citizens. The positive impact of these measures are already noticeable; however, there is still much to do ahead, and the Jamaicans are determined to move forward on this positive path.

This is only a small insight into the cultural customs in Jamaica. Much more to this topic you will find in my book

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Caribbean-Islands-Jamaica-Business/dp/0986252948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452453659&sr=8-1&keywords=Andrea+Hoff-Domin

or contact me: andrea@florida-informations.com  

How to respect the people in Cayman

When you are on the Cayman Islands, please keep in mind that you are a guest in a foreign country and that the Cayman population has a different cultural background and experience than you do. The best way to make friends and feel comfortable is to observe and adapt your personal behavior during your stay on the islands.

The people of Cayman are always polite and respectful to you. When you meet them on the street, they will greet you with “Good morning,” or “Good afternoon.” That is the best way to start a conversation. If you know the first name of your conversation partner, you can include a “Miss” or “Mister” before the name. That is a respectful way of addressing a person.

As mentioned earlier, the Cayman Islands do not have daylight saving time. That means that when you are, for example, from New York and are on the islands during the winter months, then you do not need to adjust your watch. When you are in the Caymans during the summer months, then you have to turn your watch back one hour, because in New York there is daylight saving time but not in the Caymans.

The usual business hours for shops and other service providers are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Some businesses operate on Saturdays, too, but have different opening hours. On Sundays all businesses are closed. You cannot shop on Sundays, as you may be used to in your home country.

This is only a small insight into the cultural customs in the Cayman Islands. Much more to this topic you will find in my book

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Caribbean-Islands-Cayman/dp/0986252921

or contact me: andrea@florida-informations.com

Luxury Real Estate worldwide

With the end of the recession and the economy growth the interest in luxury real estate is awakened too. When the buyers have more money in their pockets they spend it for items that give them pleasure and delight. And the best of all is, when these items are not only nice to look at but also rise in value like real estate properties.

One of the latest studies shows that this trend is not only concentrated to US properties but also in other major countries. However, the spot one and three belong to the US cities San Francisco and Miami. On spot two you find the Indian city Bangalore. The Canadian City of Vancouver is on position four and is follow by the cities of Jakarta, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. The only European city in this comparison on position eight is Dublin in Ireland.

You are interested in global real estate? We can assist you. Please contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com.
In Real Estate always on your side - http://www.amazon.com/Your-Residence-Paradise-Property-Purchase/dp/0986252913

Spring trends in the housing market

Normally the housing marketing is more active in spring and that is not different this year. The market is a seller market with only 4.6 months of inventory on the market and this low inventory has the consequence that the home prices are surging.

The rising home prices are good news for the sellers but not for the investors who are looking for cheap homes that they can flip or rent. Therefore the investor numbers are declining and the normal home buyers have a greater chance to get their new home.

The rising price are also not an important thing for the buyers because it makes it harder to buy a new home even when the mortgage rates are still as low as 3.7 % for a 30 year mortgage. They have to qualify for their home loan. 

The most positive news for home buyers is the return of the Freddie Mac mortgage with only 3 % downpayment. This specific mortgage was not available for nearly 5 years.  

You want to get more market details? You can reach us at andrea@florida-informations.com

Buying a home and get financing – Changes at the beginning of August 2015

You are a frequent home buyer or a first time home, who is looking to purchase a home in the near future? Then you should keep in mind that there changes in the financing process in the coming summer. These change can impact you and your financing preparations.

After the financing crisis and hard to understand financing process with its costs and expenses along the way, the CFPB – that is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – is in the process developing a toolkit for home buyers in this matter. This toolkit will help you as the home buyer to understand the necessary steps in the process and the connected costs and expenses that come with the mortgage and the closing.

This toolkit will not only help the home buyers to understand the process better but also to find the best matching type of mortgage. It will also make it easier to understand the differences, requirements and benefits of the different mortgage types.

It is also intended that the mortgage industry use this toolkit with its customers. This toolkit will soon be available in English, Spanish and also for consumers with disabilities.

For more details to this topic please contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com   

What are Closing Cost?

This is a very important question for a home buyer because these costs are related to your home purchase and they are additional to the purchase price. The closing costs are expenses that are often ignored and not clearly explain to the buyer. The amount of these costs can easily add up to 2 to 5 % of the purchase price.

When you as the buyer make your probably biggest live time investment you are certainly interested to get your new home without any strings attached. To accomplish this goal you have to know that there are some service expenses involved. However, not all closings costs are paid by you as the buyer.

Parts of the closing expenses are paid by the seller but you are the beneficiary. The seller paid costs are the title and lien search to make sure that your title is clean and marketable. The seller also pays his/her part of the service costs of the title company and the documentary stamps for the transfer of the real estate property.

Your buyer part of the closing expenses are the title insurance, the title service fees, the recording fees at the court for your deed and the mortgage. The title insurance covers you as the buyer in case an unrecorded lien is put on your property but the seller or another former owner of your property is the debtor. Such a title insurance is a must have so that you will have a good night sleep in your new home. The title service fees and the court recording fees are mandatory to make sure that you are correctly noted on all legally relevant public records and documents.

Besides these direct related closing costs there are also the expenses for a home inspection, the survey and the lender’s appraisal cost in case you take out a loan on the property. Not every home buyer want these expenses and try to avoid them but that can be a big mistake in the future.

This is only a short summary and focused on a Florida real estate transaction. For more details you can reach us at andrea@florida-informations.com or find information at this link:  
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Residence-Paradise-Property-Purchase/dp/0986252913

Always check the license of a real estate professional

Every real estate professional in the United States must be licensed and each state has its own business license authority. In Florida the DBPR – Department of Business and Professional Regulations – has the authority to issue real estate licenses after the applicant has successful completed his/her education and passed the state exam. This license is only issued for two years and needs to be renewed at the end of every two years.

A properly licensed real estate agent has his/her state license always in the wallet because the license has only the size of a check or credit card. When the license is expired the real estate is no longer allowed to practice the real estate profession. The expiration date is stated on the license and easy to check.

Buying and selling of a property is for the most people a big deal and therefore you have to be careful with whom you are dealing. Unlicensed individuals do not know the proper procedure how to perform a real estate transaction correctly. They often try to scam you and sell or rent you poorly maintained properties with cloudy and dirty titles. When you realize this issues later on they have already disappeared and you have lost your invested money. I do not think that you want to make that experience – right?

In case you need more information to this topic please contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com or find details in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Residence-Paradise-Property-Purchase/dp/0986252913

  

Outdoor Kitchen - Trendy in Florida

In many countries only indoor kitchens are known. In Florida this is different. In the State of Florida we have nice warm weather all year long and in the evenings we enjoy the smooth evening breeze in the backyard in the outdoor kitchen.

Such a kitchen is like the little sister of the indoor kitchen and it extends your house into the backyard. The kitchen has cooking and heating tops, a sink, a smaller fridge and preparing space like its big sister indoors.

The only difference is the main function of the outdoor kitchen: it is the socialized preparing of a meal for family and friends. Everybody in the yard can be included in this cooking experience. While the indoor kitchen is used as a storage area.

The only thing that is often missing in an outdoor kitchen is a pizza oven. However, despite that the outdoor kitchen trend is growing and it is a great feature for the sale of a home.

You want more information? Please contact us at
andrea@florida-informations.com   

55+ Real Estate Market is strong and healthy

In the United States real estate market there is a specific market segment that addresses the needs of elder persons and this market is strong and growing during the last years. This trend is expected to keep an upward trend for the future.

The demographic development shows that the population is getting steadily older and the people live longer. The children have left the homey nest and have children of their own. The group I am talking about are active people who are turning 55 and are now eligible to live in the age restricted communities. Such a market segment is not in every foreign country known and you cannot compare these complex with nursing homes. The owner of such a unit is living an active life and often belong to the active workforce in the region.

The existing units in these complexes change often quickly from one owner’s hand to the next. Therefore this market segment becomes more and more interesting for new construction developments and the developers are exploring their opportunities in this market.

The available properties in these communities – that can be a condominium or a small single family home – are in comparison to other properties very affordable. The maintenance fees in these communities are moderate. The community complexes are mostly central located and have shuttle bus services to all important place in the municipality. In the 55+ community itself there are many amenities available that make the active life of its residents very pleasant. These communities have often entertainment centers with dancing events or music performance, tennis, golf and several pool areas indoor and outdoor and much more for everyone. 

When you are interested in such a unit you can contact us at
andrea@florida-informations.com  

The housing market in Florida is back

Finally the recovery of the real estate market has reached the normal balanced market trend. A balanced real estate market in Florida is an inventory of 5 to 6 months. That means the new listing number is higher than the sale number and the available properties in the market would be sold in the next few months.

The available market data also show that after the rapid home price increase in 2013 this trend goes back to a normal level of 4 to 5 % annually. Based on the moderate price increase the home buying and flipping of house is no longer attractive for some investors in the market and their engagement is declining. The foreclosure rate is also on a low level and the shadow inventory that comes with this kind of real estate action is falling.

The new construction is showing an upward trend especially in south east Florida where most of the international buyers are making their real estate investments. The international buyers have a strong market position in the sales numbers.  

There are still good deals in this real estate market. However, you have to make your move now when you are interested in a good purchase deal.

For more you can contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com

Make sure to choose a licensed real estate professional

One of the biggest industry in Florida is the housing market and it offers many individuals a job opportunity. To work in this field you have to be licensed by the State of Florida.

To get a real estate license in Florida you have to study the business objectives and must take the state exam for this industry field. This license exam is not an easy task. That show the following numbers: 50 % of the people who try to achieve their license failed the first time. Even at the second time still 66 % of the examinees failed again.

However, there were still 24,000 examinees successful in the last year and got their license for their profession in the real estate.

That is a huge number. When you are looking for a real estate agent, please keep in mind that you have to look for the matching agent for your needs. Not all agents are the same. To find the best fitting agent you need to know what are your real estate goals and your financial investment amount. A knowledgeable and experienced agent will be happy to assist you with all your needs.

To get started and find this fitting agent this book is the first step to your success (English and German available): 
 http://www.amazon.com/Your-Residence-Paradise-Property-Purchase/dp/0986252913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427503424&sr=8-1&keywords=your+residence+in+paradise

Foreclosures are back to normal

Since the burst of the real estate bubble with all its impacts on the housing market, Florida is back on its normal pace. However, Florida is still at the top of all states with its foreclosure numbers. The numbers are on the lowest level since 2006 and only 2.3 % of homes that have a mortgage are in default. This is great news after the horrific years.

However, there are still 4 Florida cities at the top list of foreclosure numbers. One is close to home: Miami and the other three are in the middle region: Tampa, Orlando and Melbourne-Titusville.

Florida is still on the top when it comes to the time period of the foreclosure proceedings. It takes the banks nearly 2 ½ year to take passion of a financed property. That is bad for the banks but good for home owner because they normally stay in their home.

For more information about your opportunities you can reach us at andrea@florida-informations.com

What gives you the best return of investment when remodeling your home?

As a home owner you are always interested to keep your home in great shape and be proud of your biggest life investment. Every time when you think about remodeling your home you should keep in mind what adds the most value to your property in case you have to sell it in the near future.

I am not talking about the necessary repairs when your window glass was broken from your playing kids or when your roof is leaking because the last storm damaged it. I am talking about the remodeling and update of your home so that the market value will increase when you decide to sell it.

In such a case you need to know what are the trends on the real estate market. What is the most interesting detail for a potential buyer in your neighborhood? What will make your home attractive to potential buyers?

Studies show that even small updates or change on the exterior will push your home value and will give you a better return of this particular investment. When the outside of your home is attractive to potential buyer than the interior will often be less important.

Start with your yard and keep it clean and nice and make the outside of your home look well maintained. In case you have outside siding that looks a little bit run down, replace it with manufactured stone veneer. This update is affordable, looks nice and clean and will pay off at the closing table.

This is only one example for an affordable home update. However, there are trendier update that will give you a good monetary return.

For more information please contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com

Get ready for your new home in Florida

 

The economies in Florida and in other country are growing and producing the necessary income for the purchase of a primary home or a second home in one of the most desirable vacation areas: Florida.

 

The spot is not only interesting for locals but also for foreign buyers. There preferred buying area are the vacation spots Sarasota, Naples and Miami.

 

The huge property inventory during the buyer’s market is gone and now we have a seller’s market again. That means that the inventory is low and many buyers are competing for one home and may have to pay more as they expect for their dream home.

 

Even in this condition, the real estate market in Florida is still very attractive for the homebuyers in comparison to other countries. In Florida, a buyer can get a home for three times of the median income, a Chinese person has to invest 35 times his median income and a Brazilian has still 20 times the median income to pay for a home.

 

Every seriously interested buyer needs to get ready for the dream home in Florida. The market conditions are on the flow and each month the dream home will cost more money. The home prices are forecasted to increase by 5 % to 7 % in the next 12 months.

 

Therefore hurry up or your best chances will be gone!

You want more about Florida?


Your Real Estate services are at this link    and

 

Florida cultural information are here
 
Florida Services and Information under this link

“You are the best and the brightest!”

Wow – that sounds so good and pampers my soul and self-esteem very much. I am normally not the person who is complaining about the circumstances and the life hurdles in general but sometimes I too need this pat on the shoulder.

I am serving on several committees in our association. To do so have I have to take classes to fulfill my duties. Yesterday there was the day for the Code of Ethics and what is right and wrong and how to deal with violations of the Code.

The first question from our instructor: “why are you here?” “We would like to learn”, “we need this information to do a good job” and so on. That was not what the instructor wanted to hear: “You are the best and the brightest and you are selected for your position because you are the ones who have already demonstrated your knowledge and experience in the business.”

To some real estate professionals the Code of Ethics seems to be without any meanings and they behave like that. The result is that we not only hurt each other and far more important we hurt the public and our clients. We depend on their trust and to gain their trust back is a piece of work.

Why not do it right from the beginning and make everyone happy – our buyers, sellers and ourselves? We will get our reward – commission, self-esteem and the trust of our customers much easier.

Your Real Estate services are at this link    and

 

Florida cultural information are here
 
Florida Services and Information under this link