Panama City Real Estate Blog

The real estate market appears to be rebounding after imploding during the financial crisis. While it is true that more homes are coming on the market and prices are generally rising across the country, there are still markets in which it is harder to sell. These include vacation homes, condominiums and other homes that are targeted to specific buyers. Offering incentives can be a great way to make your home more attractive to potential buyers and move it off the market more quickly.

Buyer incentives are essentially anything you as the seller agree to do to make it easier for your buyer to complete the sale. For instance, you might agree to carry the financing, especially if you are selling a second home or vacation home and won't need the equity in…

Touring houses or condos can be both exhilarating and exhausting. You know that one of these properties will become your new home, and you're eager to find it. Yet you may have to visit many condos before you're ready to make an offer.

As your Realtor, Jennifer Mackay will take you the homes or condos you want to view. Once you're inside, you can walk through all the rooms, peek into closets and cabinets, measure windows, and explore. Here's how to get the most out of each visit you make while shopping for your new home.

Preparing

Preparation is going to be key to a successful condo hunting tour. If you have everything in place before you set out to look at condos, you'll be able to focus on how well each condo meets your needs. So before you…

On Sunday June 16th, Jennifer Mackay will be hosting an open house at a wonderful waterfront home for sale in Venetian Villa between the hours of 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

This home is a must see with features including:

• Private dock,
• recently remodeled,
• updated kitchen and fireplace,
• Master suite
• and more...

Why not visit Jennifer on Sunday, June 16th at 1361 Capri Dr., Panama City, Florida and be sure to tell her you visited the website.

This 1,730+ sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath home is located at 1361 Capri Dr., Panama City Florida (or call for directions)

Buyers, when you’re ready to purchase a Panama City home, contact me directly (850) 774-6582 for the latest information and pricing on any of the Panama City homes…

Real Estate Market Update - April 2013

We are once again pleased to provide our customers with our monthly real estate market updates. Over the past several months our MLS has gone through several changes. We've avoided publishing the market update while waiting for those changes to settle and finalize.

Summary

This report describes member activity for the Bay County association and is not confined to any specific geographic area.

Overall, median prices for single family homes continue to rise, as do prices for condos and townhomes.

In addition, the average number of days on market (DOM) continues to decrease for both Single family homes and condos an townhomes.

You've seen these advertisements for "Sell your home in 90 days or…

Are you leaving money at the table?

In a recent study conducted by the financial giant Fannie Mae, Americans have been shown to be making poor choices about their mortgages. Many don’t understand their available options on the market while others simply don’t conduct enough research. Regardless of the reasons, these borrowers are paying more for their loan than they need to, and the data shows this can lead to problems later during the course of the loan.

Given today’s unpredictable home mortgage interest rates, homebuyers seeking a mortgage who don’t obtain multiple offers or cautiously compare them are wasting their hard earned money. Purchasing a home is one of the largest decisions an individual or family can make, if the borrower…

Do it right and within your means...

There is no doubt a fixer upper can be a great deal; but, it also has the potential to bring many disasters. The secret is to choose the right fixer upper to begin with.

Fixer uppers are typically below market value and they can be a good buy in any type of market. A few of the advantages in purchasing a fixer upper includes:

• Lower sales price
• Potential for resale profit
• Less competition

Fixer uppers can be a profit gain from the moment you close the deal. When you shop for a fixer
upper, you need to look past the repairs, and visualize it fixed up. The perfect fixer upper will be one
that everyone would want once it is fixed up.

What to Look for in a Fixer Upper Home

Location: Location in…

Market Update Week Ending January 4, 2013

Thanks to Kathy Hallmon at Regions for this mortgage market update:

Moving? Here is a helpful list

When moving it is important to have the necessary resources that help to assist in your move. Following are vital links that will help you before, during and after your move to your new area.

• US Postal Office
• Chamber of Commerce
• Weather Infomration

It is also important to have items handy that you will need when you first arrive to your new home. The following is a suggested list of items to have readily available when you move to your new home.

• First Aid Kit
• Toilet Paper
• Soap
• Cooking Utensils
• Can Opener
• Canned Goods
• Paper Towels
• Disposable Cups
• Bottled Water
• Snacks
• Plastic Silverware
• Paper Plates
• Pet Food / Dishes
• Fuses
• Keys to Both Old and New…

Back in 2004, the St Andrew’s Waterfront Market was started under a circus tent and a handful of vendors.  Then in 2010, a group of volunteers took the market on and it grew so that it grew out of its space by the fall of 2011 and expanded to the boardwalks of the Smith’s Yacht Basin and the two locations became connected by a water taxi.  The market also incorporated due to its growth in June 2011 and took over the responsibility of the St Andrews Community Garden.

In April 2012, the market expanded again eight miles west and over two bridges to the Grand Lagoon Waterfront Farmer’s market which is located at Pirate’s Cove Marina  the market at St Andrew’s operates on Saturday and Grand Lagoon operates on Sundays with a crew of volunteers…

Considering Buying a Home? Here are 6 Things to Think About...

Before you buy a home you should do some research so that you have all the knowledge that you need.  You should learn about credit score requirements and the standards on the Federal Housing Administration loans. 

As your Panama City Beach Realtor I can help you become familiar with these things and more but doing your own research will help speed up the process.

1. Before you consider buying a home you should make sure your credit score is as strong as possible. If your credit score is below 680 you can expect to have to pay a higher down payment.  If your credit score is over 750 you can expect to get better rates.  Get your credit report and stop applying for any kind of…