This past weekend I was holding an open house at one of my listings. We started getting busy with numerous buyers walking around and not thinking, I left my laptop unattended. I noticed that one of the buyers was more interested in my computer than the house. I should have known better than to leave it in plan view, and will not make that mistake again. Fortunately, the buyer turned out to be a computer geek and was curious about the air card that I was using. But this was a good reminder that we must practice safety first when doing open houses or showing homes.

Any Realtor can tell you that when doing an open house, you have to put safety first. We’ve all had experiences with strange or suspicious people, and no sale is worth your safety. So when doing an open house or showing your home, please remove your valuables, money, jewelry electronics, and prescription drugs. You need to eliminate any temptation. Here’s a quick checklist of safety tips when doing an open house – http://bit.ly/opensafety.

Market your calendars for this Sunday, January 31st from noon until 2pm at 2387 Egrets Glade Drive in Egrets Glade off Hodges. Former model listed for $199,000 is perfects for the first time home buyer, is ready now and NOT a short sale! Visit www.jaxopenhouses.com for more information. Hope to see you there!

You are probably seeing a lot of ads for loan modifications these days.  In a loan modification, your lender agrees to modify any or some of the terms of the mortgage. This is a process where an existing note is modified, but not canceled. Changes may include extending the term of the loan, changing the monthly payments, or changing the interest rate.  Please keep in mind that this solution may not solve the reason you are in default and it can work only if you have the proper income, desire, and patience to work with your lender to remedy the situation.  As with any foreclosure issue, I suggest you seek legal advice before taking any action.

Need 2BR, 2BA condo in the Southside area that will accept FHA financing for first time buyer under $90,000.  Have checked all the available properties, and due to the impending assessments that some communities have revealed, or the overall condition of the property, we have not found the right the unit.  So, if you have anything coming on the market in the next 3-4 months, please contact me at pstaines@aol.com or call me at 904-476-7653.

There is good news on the horizon with the implementation of HAFA, or the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program that was introduced in late 2009 by the US Treasury to help improve the short sale and deed-in-lieu processes.  Look for more information to come in early 2010 when  this program is rolled out on April 5th.

Market your calendars for this Saturday, January 9th from noon until 2pm at 2075 Gail Avenue in Jacksonville Beach.  Updated townhome listed for $199,000 is  just two blocks to the beach is ready now and perfect for first time buyer or second home.  Visit www.jaxopenhouses.com for more information.  Hope to see you there!

There is good news on the horizon for condo owners.  In addition to condo sales being up in Florida for the past two months, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has established new guidelines for condo sales effective February 1, 2010.  If your development is FHA approved, this basically means that prospective buyers may qualify for FHA financing as long as the new guidelines are met by your association.  Also, the new guidelines may result in more buyers entering the condo market due to the low FHA required down payment.  And, Realtors may be more inclined to sell condos knowing that their buyers will be able to secure FHA financing on the “approved” FHA condo developments.   Look for more information to come out of the FHA during the first quarter 2010.

I’m often asked by buyers to find property at the beach that is in good condition and cheap. Guys and gals, if there were properties at the beach that were in good condition and cheap, I would buy them! If you want to live at the beach and have a move-in condition property, it will come at a price.

But there options for some buyers who qualify. Depending upon your type of financing you may be able to roll some or all of the repair costs of improving a home into your mortgage. As a 203K Specialist, I can help buyers purchase homes using the 203K FHA mortgage.

And if you want an affordable beach property that does not need work, I have two under $200K that may work. Check out 2075 Gail Ave in Jax Beach listed for $199K, MLS #513569. It’s an updated townhome two blocks to the ocean. Or if you prefer to live in Ponte Vedra, I have a lakefront condo at 117 Cranes Lake listed for $139K, MLS # 496848.

I will be holding 2075 Gail Ave open this Saturday, January 9th from noon until 2pm if you want to come by and take a look.

Running monthend updates – totally shocked to see only one sale in Queens Harbour for the entire month of December and it sold for $790K or $435K off list price.  Wow, the upper tier market is still hurting.

It never fails that during the first few weeks of the new year, I’m asked how the previous year’s real estate market did.  Well, if you bought a home in 2009, congratulations.   This year was one of the best years in memory for homebuyers in Northeast Florida.  With low interest rates, affordable prices and motivated sellers and builders, 2009 was the year to buy.

Now for the sellers out there, you know you had to stay ahead of the competition in every arena in order to compete.  Short sales and foreclosures took a toll on our prices in 2009 and sadly it looks like that will continue into 2010.

So what if you haven’t bought a home yet?  Our market has, and will continue to out perform most of the markets in Florida with first time buyers getting some absolute fantastic deals.  And with the $8000 first time buyer tax credit extended through April 30th with an additional $6500 tax credit for repeat buyers, 2010 is looking up.  

So if buying a home is on your to do list for 2010 and you want the tax credit, your purchase contract needs to be ratified by April 30, 2010 with the closing before July 1, 2010 in addition to meeting the qualifying guidelines of the tax credit.