Real Estate Blog - jacksonville florida

Seller Tips: The Advantages of a Comparable Market Analysis

What is a competitive market analysis and what role does it play in the home selling process?

This question is often asked by home sellers when they put their Jacksonville home on the market. If you are working with a real estate agent, he or she will likely use a competitive market analysis, often referred to as CMA, to determine the listing price for your home.

A CMA can be a short, one or two-page document, or it can be a rather lengthy and in-depth document. The detail and size of the CMA for your Jacksonville property will largely depend on your agent. However, most CMAs detail the following information:

• Active Listings – Active listings are essentially all homes that are currently for sale in your area. The active listings…

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What you Don’t Know about your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Could Cost you Big – Part II

Do you know what your homeowner’s insurance policy covers? More importantly, do you know what it doesn’t cover?

If you’re like most Americans, you have not given much thought to the details of your homeowner’s insurance policy lately. However, being unaware of your level of coverage can lead to a great deal of heartache and a large dent in your pocket.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine if you’re savvy about the details of your homeowner’s insurance policy:

Do you know whether your policy covers actual cash value or replacement cost value?

These two phrases can mean the difference between no out-of-pocket expenses should your Jacksonville home need to be repaired or replaced and falling short.

If your Jacksonville home is…

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What you Don’t Know about your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Could Cost you Big – Part I

Everyone who owns a Jacksonville home must have a homeowner’s insurance policy, yet these policies are often misunderstood. And unfortunately, most homeowners don’t realize their homeowner’s insurance does not cover specific things until it is too late.

Owning a homeowner’s insurance policy is just like any other type of insurance: there are different levels of coverage, different inclusions and certainly different exclusions. It is up you to educate yourself on the nuances of your homeowner’s insurance policy so that you will not find yourself stuck in a financial disaster should something happen to your home or your home’s belongings.

Am I protected from flooding?

No. Flood damage is not protected by a standard homeowner’s insurance policy, as was…

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The Basics of Buying a Home in Foreclosure

Most buyers have dreams of finding that perfect deal –you know, the worst house in the best neighborhood kind of deal. And many buyers find that home through the foreclosure process.

Many homes in the foreclosure process can be bought for substantially less than other comparable homes in the same neighborhood – often as much as 30 percent less.

But as with any other kind of transaction, it pays to be educated before diving into purchasing a Jacksonville property in foreclosure.

The following tips are designed to serve as a starting point when considering the purchase of a foreclosed home:

• Find a qualified real estate agent who has extensive experience dealing with foreclosures. A qualified real estate agent will prove invaluable…

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How You Can Qualify For a FHA Loan

You may want to purchase Jacksonville property but you have doubts about your qualifications.  You may think you don’t earn enough money, or your credit score is too low to qualify for a loan. Possibly you have experienced a foreclosure and even a bankruptcy in the recent past.  In your mind you have about as much chance of owning a home as you do of owning a private island in the South Pacific.

But you could be mistaken.  An FHA guarantee allows more potential home owners to be approved for a mortgage with less stringent requirements.  The government wants you to own property, and it is willing to back up the banks who lend money so that the economy continues to thrive. 

Since qualifying for a FHA loan is more flexible than a…

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Questions to Ask When Buying an Older Home

Whether the Jacksonville home of your dreams is 10 or 50 years old, there are a variety of issues that you will need to deal with when purchasing a home that is not brand new.

Maintenance Costs

Have a qualified home inspector check out of the major areas of the house, including the plumbing, the heating and cooling, the windows, the roof and the major appliances.

Ask the sellers to provide a list of repairs and modifications that have previously been made to these areas of the home and the dates on which they were made. Also ask the owners to estimate the age of these things.

It is with this information that you can make a more informed decision regarding the sale price of the Jacksonville property. These major areas of the home are generally…

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