Wow, can you believe it’s September already and time for Life At The Beach? Where has the year gone? And for those of us that live here in beautiful Florida, we are sad to see the summer end, because that’s when we have our best fun. But you know, you can still come visit us in September and October because we have some awesome weather then. October happens to be my very favorite month to watch the sunsets.
Citizens Insurance
This month’s newsletter covers a variety of things. One of them is about Citizens Insurance, sending renewals to their existing customers. Now, back in January, new customers were being sent through a clearing house where they were offered several other options of other insurers that were coming into the state of Florida.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a lot that have come in here. We had so many leave after the hurricanes that we had.
Now some of them are starting to come back in, and what’s happening is with those of you that are already with Citizen’s, go through the clearing house, and if the rate for the private insurers is more than 15%, then you may stay with Citizen’s. If it is less than 15%, you must go on to a private insurer.
It remains to be seen how well this is going to work, but at this point, we’re hoping that by having more competition, that leads to lower premiums which would benefit everyone. Be sure to check that out and watch for that coming in the future.
Even Though There Is Zillow, Real Estate Agents Are Still Needed
Last month, I talked a little bit about Zillow and some of the other tools out there that many customers are using, buyers and sellers alike. They feel like they’re totally armed with everything they need to be able to buy or sell their home and I talked to you a little bit about how Zillow, and some of those others, they do not take into account some of the things that really help assist you in finding the range of prices for that particular area. That’s why you still need your real estate expert.
This article talks about that. About how realtors really help a seller, in finding out what the price point is, what they need to do to get their home ready for the market, how to deal with negotiations on getting the best deal and getting them through to the closing table without any problem.
For the home buyer, certainly helps them find those right properties, get them to the right price, find them a lender, find them a home inspector, and help them with homeowners insurance. We still play a big role in the home buying process of selling or buying. Be sure that you read those articles.
Do I need to re-finance my existing home?
In Florida we’re also a big vacation resort area, so we have many people that have second homes, some have vacation rentals. When you’re thinking about doing that, there are a couple things you need to keep in mind. First of all, what’s it going to take to finance that? Do I need to re-finance my existing home?
What kind of rates am I going to get? Because you know, it’s going to be a little higher than just for a owner occupied property. You have to think about the taxes, and how that’s going to affect you with your income. Be sure to take a look at that if you’re considering that, because those are some important points to think about.
Real Estate Market Stats
Now, as always, we have our stats and you know, the Niceville market has continued to stay hot market, but you know, Fort Walton has been catching up with them, and now they’re like neck and neck, so that’s a really good thing.
The Destin condo market, it’s great for you buyers, not so great for some of you sellers, but let’s see what happens in the future months.
My New App!!!
Last month I also talked to you about the new App. For those of you that didn’t quite follow what was going on, I want you to make sure you take a look at the newsletter, which will be attached to this email, because there is a detailed picture that shows you exactly how to do that. I hope that you will download that because I think that you will find it very useful.
That’s about it for me, I hope you have a wonderful September, you know to call me, or email me if you have any questions or want to see a home, or maybe you’re thinking about listing a home.