The Di
gital version of the March 11, 2012 issue of Homelook is now available!
John R. Wood Realtors’ Signature Magazine provides you with an easy-to-carry, sensibly-organized, photo filled Real Esate Guide an resource like no other!
Just click on the image below to view the digital version!
Contact a John R. Wood Realtor today!
In a recent survey conducted, real estate agents across North America revealed that home buyers are motivated by
lifestyle needs and are more willing to buy homes with updated kitchens and open floor plans than homes with “trendy” media rooms.
Highlights from the survey include:
The survey shows growing families are currently the biggest lifestyle driver for home buyers. 70% of real estate professionals surveyed say a new baby or growing family is the most common or a very common lifestyle reason that North American buyers search for a new home.
Other key motivators include:
◦Marriage –59%
◦Divorce –48%
◦Retirement –37%
Now is a great time to consider buying in Southwest Florida! Whether you’re a family just starting out, ready
to retire or just looking for the Southwest Florida lifestyle, Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, Florida has it all – condos on the beach, family-friendly neighborhoods, and world-class golf communities galore!
Now that you’re ready to buy, contact your John R. Wood Realtor today!
To search for real estate in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero or Marco Island, Florida, click HERE.
John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge.
According to the latest housing affordability index by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), low mortgage rates and falling home values have brought housing within reach to more families than ever before.
“This is the first time the housing affordability index has broken the 200 mark, meaning the typical family has roughly double the income needed to purchase a median-priced home,” says Moe Veissi, 2012 NAR president. “For buyers who can qualify for a mortgage, now is a very good time to become a home owner.”
An index of 100 means that median-income household has exactly enough income to qualify for the purchase of a median-priced existing single-family home, also accounting for a 20 percent down payment and 25 percent of gross income devoted to the mortgage principle and interest payments.
NAR projects that affordability will remain high for the remainder of the year.
To find a John R. Wood Agent, click HERE.
To search for real estate in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero or Marco Island, Florida, click HERE.
John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge.
According the the NAR, 12,521 homes sell in the US everyday! See the breakdown at the graphic to the left: 33% first time buyers, 23% Investors, 31% cash deal.
In Florida, things are heating up as the market shows signs of turning around. Home prices in Naples are stabilizing as demand grows. John R. Wood Realtor’s President Phil Wood was quoted in Canada’s The StarPhoenix, commenting on what the value of a Florida home means and that Canadians still have a competitive edge in the Sunshine State.
“The buyers that we’re seeing, they’re for the most part second-home buyers who have been waiting. They’ve wanted to be down here for four or five years but all their plans got delayed because of the recession,” Wood says.
“The loonie has been at or above the [American] dollar for a while now, so a lot of Canadians are looking at that and say-ing, ‘I could get real good value down in the States.’ ”
And Canadians are more likely to have a healthy amount of equity available to pull out of their primary homes. Not surprisingly, Canadians make up 12% to 15% of John R. Wood Realtors’ business.
To find a John R. Wood Agent, click HERE.
To search for real estate in Naples,
Bonita Springs, Estero or Marco Island, Florida, click HERE.
John R. Wood – The Symbol for Local
Knowledge.
Don’t forget to look at John R. Wood’s Estate Lifestyles Weekly to see open houses and luxury homes for sale Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero Florida! Click the image below for the digital edition or see our insert in this Sunday’s Naples Daily News!
To find a John R. Wood Agent, click HERE.
To search for real estate in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero or Marco Island, Florida, click HERE.
Just this week, Warren Buffett appeared live on CNBC’s Squawk Box. He was interviewed about the current real estate situation and was asked the question, “ Is now the time to buy?”
Here’s what he had to say:
“If I had a way of buying a couple hundred thousand single-family homes I would load up on them.”
Also during the same interview he answered some equally important questions:
“It’s a way, in effect, to short the dollar because you can take a 30-year mortgage and if it turns out your interest rate’s too high, next week you refinance lower. And if it turns out it’s too low, the other guy’s stuck with it for 30 years. So it’s a very attractive asset class now.”
“If I knew where I was going to want to live the next five or 10 years I would buy a home and I’d finance it with a 30-year mortgage… It’s a terrific deal.”
“If I was an investor that was a handy type and I could buy a couple of them at distressed prices and find renters, I think it’s a leveraged way of owning a very cheap asset now and I think that’s probably as an attractive an investment as you can make now.”
Bottom line: It’s time to buy real estate!
The next bottom line: It’s time to buy real estate in Naples, Bonita Springs or Estero Florida!
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, you may want to reconsider. Inventory in the Naples, Bonita Springs or Estero areas are decreasing and have been doing so consecutively for some months now – See John R. Wood Realtors’ Market Report HERE. Canadians and other foreign buyers are also coming to Southwest Florida in droves to take advantage of the current market. The median home price is also increasing as noted by recent reporting from the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR).
What are you waiting for? Better yet, why are you waiting?
To find a John R. Wood Agent, click HERE.
To search for real estate in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero or Marco Island, Florida, click HERE.
It’s Valentine’s Day and, YES, we’re totally serious! Just imagine your significant other opening the small velvet box you’ve just handed over, knowing that what he or she is expecting is NOT in that box! What actually is in that box is a key…but not just ANY key! It’s a key to a luxurious condominium on the beach!
Ok, so this would take some amount of pre-planning, but any time of the year is perfect for purchasing a second or vacation home in beautiful Naples, Florida! Whether it’s a high-rise condo on the beach or a single-family home at a resort-style golf community, buying luxury property in Naples, Florida is always a great investment!
Aside from the fact that inventory is shrinking and home sales are increasing, Naples is second to none when it comes to the luxury beach and resort lifestyle! Enjoy miles of white sand beaches, incredible sunsets, lush preserves, dining and shopping, and world-class golf courses.
So, for your NEXT Valentine’s day why not start planning now! By this time next year, you and your sweetie could be admiring the ocean from your beachfront condo! WAY better than chocolate and flowers!!
Case in point, check out this amazing condo and the View!
Find a John R. Wood Agent now!
To search for homes for sale in Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs, and Marco Island, click HERE!
Besides the obvious reasons that include great prices and low mortgage rates, there are some other reasons people want to buy homes. According to Inman’s Tara-Nicholle Nelson, increased conversations are taking place that center around people who want to buy and are defending reason to buy. Here are the most popular reasons she sites in her article:
I just want to own the place I live. The desire to be a homeowner seems to be the most popular reason. It may include a bunch of motivations, like tax considerations, the ability to gain equity over time, own the home and furnish as you desire. This popular reason may demonstrate that in the debate about whether a home is an investment or a place to live, the emotions around owning the place you live trump investment.
I want to buy now and move later. Warren Buffet’s assistant just famously bought a retirement home, years in advance, publicly stating that she did so on her boss’s advice to buy now and move later. This is a partially market-based sentiment, of course, as the rationale for buying right now is that prices and interest rates are low. But it’s also partially lifestyle-based, as this is a motive for buying that you’re much more likely to hear from those who have diligently saved and are currently well-employed, but look forward to moving to a locale with a lower cost of living in the years to come, when they change career paths or retire.
I don’t want to have to move anymore. The truth that living in a home you don’t own may mean moving when you don’t want to is a big emotional driver for home buying these days. It helps that rates and prices are low, and that many of these renters have been saving aggressively over the past few years.
Whatever your reason may be for buying a home, it’s hard to deny both the great value and lifestyle that you get by purchasing a property in Southwest Florida!
To find homes for sale in beautiful Southwest Florida, click HERE!
To learn more about Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and Marco Island, click HERE!
The John R. Wood Realtors’ February/March digital issue of Homelook is now available!
Click HERE to view the digital issue!
71F, 21C
RSS 2.0