Melbourne Real Estate News, Brevard County Florida by Sandy Shores Melbourne FL Realtor

I am currently working with an international buyer that contacted me about 4 months ago, here on Active Rain. We have been corresponding ever since.  He's very funny. 

Now, he is currently here in the states for 10 days to purchase a property and then he will go back to England.  We have spent several days looking at properties in Cape Canaveral Florida.

It's funny as I talk to him, so often his comments are, " I know, I read that in your blog online." He has told me many times that he felt like he already knew me before he got here. He indicated that he's been reading my blog for sometime now, from over in England. I LOVE IT!  He said my Active Rain Blog is the reason he chose to do business with me.

So I wanted to share some pictures of some of the beautiful sights we have seen during his visit here.

This was taken at the Costa Del Rio Condo Complex in Cape Canaveral.  This is what you would have to look at every morning when you get up.

We got a kick out of this sign at a local pond.

No trip to Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral would be complete without a visit to the World Famous Cocoa Beach Pier.  This is where surfing contests are held and contestants come from all over the country to compete.

.

We spotted about 10 of these manatees in the backyard of a Cape Canaveral Condo complex that we visited. In my 35+ years of living here, I have never seen so many manatees in one spot.

We saw alot of momma manatees with their babies.

 This was the view out the balcony of one of the condos we looked at.

This was the same Cape Canaveral Complex as the sun was setting.

These complexes sit on the Indian River Lagoon and are just blocks from the Atlantic Ocean.

So many great reasons to live in Cape Canaveral Florida. 

It is absolutely breathtaking!

Thank you Active Rain for bringing me clients. I couldn't do it without blogging!

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

I feel so fortunate to live in Brevard County Florida.  As there are so many wonderful sights to see and places to visit.  Currently, I have been working with a buyer from out of the country that is hoping to purchase a condo near the beach. Fortunately for him, there are many properties to choose from, with some great prices too!

We have been touring the city of Cape Canaveral Florida and I thought he would like to take a drive just up the street, to where you can see the fishing boats and the cruise ships in port. 

We were lucky on this day to actually see a ship in dock.

We were also fortunate to see the fishing boats in port, that bring in the fresh seafood to the local markets.

We even saw some local fishermen looking for a good spot of their own to drop a line.

It was an absolutely picture perfect day. 

When I know that I am going out with customers to a beautiful location, I ask if they mind if I bring my camera with, so I can take some pictures on my own.  And, then I am able to send them reminders of where they were, when they get home.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

On our trip to the beach the other day, another interesting creature we came across was the Man O War. These things can be dangerous if you get too close to them or step on their tentacles. They can cause swelling, stinging, burning, itching and in some people severe allergic reactions.

Some can have tentacles that are several inches long. 

If you do step on one of these, wash the area with salt water or fresh water quickly.

If the pain continues you can apply heat or cold whichever works better.

Try to stay away from these as some people are severely allergic to them. They can cause difficulty breathing and can cause large welts.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

Today we headed to Spessard Holland Beach in Melbourne Beach to enjoy a couple hours in the sun. My husband wanted to go fishing,  We left the surfboards at home.  We actually should have left the fishing poles at home and brought the boards instead, but we didn't. The surfing was great today.

It was a perfect day. Not too hot, The wind was cool.

This guy was funny, because everytime we turned around he was trying to steal our bait out of our bait bucket.

He kept walking up and down the beach trying to steal people's newly caught fish.  He seemed to be eating pretty well today.

Unfortunately, we didn't catch any fish today. But, we did catch a great tan.  It was a bit too rough for fishing.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

I had a situation with a buyer in the past couple of weeks that had spoken to an internet lender they were not familiar with, to get preapproved to buy a home. This is not to say that all internet lenders are bad, however you must know who you are doing business with. 

The buyer received a good faith estimate with an interest rate that was 1/2% higher than the going rate. And, the estimate had a $2895 mortgage broker fee attached to the loan!  Ouch! There aren't many buyers in this market than can afford a fee like that tacked onto their loan.

I always recommend buyers talk to more than one lender to be sure they are being quoted the best rate and terms on their mortgage.  I also recommend they talk to a local lender, as they work in and understand the Brevard County Real Estate Market.

So, I recommended to this buyer that she contact another couple of lenders, here locally that she could speak to about getting a mortgage.  She did. The first lender she talked to is reputable and has been working for the same company for many years.  He advised this buyer that her ratios were too high and he wouldn't be able to do the FHA loan for her at this time.  He told her what she needed to do to fix her problem areas.

Both lenders were going to do FHA financing with 3.5% down!

She was completely confused as to why one lender told her it would be no problem to get an FHA loan and buy a house and the other lender told her that she needed to get some items on her credit in order, before she could proceed ahead.  Well, I explained to her that it would be the difference between whether she would actually be getting to the closing and actuallly buying the house. 

One lender is going to tell you upfront there's no problems.  He will collect upfront fees, the buyer will pay for inspections, credit report, appraisal, etc. only to find out that halfway through the transaction her ratios are not in line with FHA guidelines.  So, then she will be denied, after she has spent a good bit of money.

The other lender played it straight from the hip.  He told her right upfront, that there are things that must be addressed before she can purchase a home. He told her today she cannot qualify for an FHA loan.  This lender will save all parties involved from signing a contract to purchase with a seller, paying exorbinant fees, and wasting everyone's time.

Basically, the third lender she spoke with gave her the same info that the second one did. She would not qualify today to purchase a home today, until she cleared up a couple of issues.

Give me the lender that's going to tell me today that it's just not going to work out for the buyer right now.

And, stay away from the shady internet scammers that are still making their monies off of upfront application fees.

She has decided to address her issues immediately, and hopefully will be back in the market, after talking to a local lender, within the next 6 months.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

I just finished reading an article in which the author indicated that vacant homes for sale show more attractively than furnished homes.  I'd have to say that in most cases, I don't agree with this opinion.

The article went on to point out that vacant homes offered by individual sellers can often times make a seller appear "distressed and desperate".  I do agree that often times this can be the case.

The problem with a vacant home is that the rooms can appear smaller than they actually are. Often, it is difficult for the buyers to visually "place" their furnishings in the home. It's harder to get a "feel" of where things should go and what will actually fit in the home. Sometimes buyers ask what the function a specific room has, while looking at the property.

However, on the other hand, when it comes to properties that are occupied, a home that is unattractively decorated in the eyes of the buyer, can be a turn off. Or a home that is cluttered with belongings can "hide" the home. I recently wrote an article about this. 

So, does a vacant home show more attractively than a decorated home?

I suppose that really all depends on the decor, doesn't it?

Or will a "well staged" home show the best?

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

There are so many great reasons to be in the real estate industry.

This afternoon I went to meet a seller to sign a Contract for Sale and Purchase on his property. 

The seller has been great to work with. 

He has kept his home immaculate while it's been on the market.

He has been ready for each and every showing that I have called him for. He's even been ready for the ones where I couldn't give him quite as much notice as I would have liked to. 

He has taken every recommendation I have given him to make adjustments to his property to make it more appealing to buyers. 

He has been what I consider to be a great owner.

His efforts have been so well appreciated.

As I was sitting with him today, going over the contract on his property, I thanked him for all of his hard work.

He then told me that I have been absolutely terrific to work with.  And, that I was the reason that he now was holding a contract to purchase on his home. He was geniune.

As I left his lovely home, it reminded me why I got into the real estate business in the first place... to help people.

But I also remember, that it's not closed, until it's closed.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

Acccording to the Brevard County Clerk of Courts office, there were 963 foreclosure filings here in Brevard County for the month of March 2009.  The number for the first three months of this year are 2,676.  These are not necessarily properties that will all slide into foreclosure.  The numbers are for foreclosures filed.

On Monday April 13 there will be a foreclosure forum held at the Melbourne Rialto Hilton from 7:00 - 9:00 PM.  There will be representatives from United States office of Housing and Urban Development, Consumer Credit Counseling and the Community Credit Union.  United States representative Billl Posey will host the meeting and a local attorney will also be present.

They will shed some light on how consumers can work with their lenders. They will also examine what programs are available to help homeowners in trouble, both federal programs and outside programs.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

As long as I can remember, I've always had a problem falling asleep at night. It takes me longer than most people.  I toss and turn and toss and turn, no matter how tired I am.  It runs in my family.  I have parents and 2 sisters that have the same problem.

When I lay down in bed at night, a little motor clicks on in my head, and the wheels are set in motion. You name it, and I'm thinking about it. My mind decides then, that I must solve the problems of the world.

Now people that don't have problems falling asleep have a hard time understanding this. It makes no sense to them.  'Just close your eyes, and think of the mountains, the ocean, anything but what you're thinking about.'  Well, now that's something I had never thought of. NOT! (my 16 year old daughter would say). I suppose that if I could do that, I would. But, it just doesn't work for me.

Perhaps, I should learn to meditate and do yoga.  I would love to learn how to do both.  I understand that you can gain complete control of your mind, and teach yourself to clear your head and to think about what YOU want to think about when you want to think it.

Hmmm, I may have to check into that!

But for now, I'll just spend time late at night getting things cleared off my desk, and getting caught up.  There's always so much to do at midnight.

It certainly beats laying in bed, and counting sheep.

As you can see from the picture, some have no problem sleeping anytime or anywhere, and snoring too!

Lucky dog!

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News