Real Estate Thoughts - James Williams III - RE/MAX Premier Properties

When it comes to selling your Central Florida house, the word that pops up in every discussion is the ubiquitous “decluttering.” Decluttering means exactly what it says: removing clutter in all its forms. Not just the debris that piles up in every Central Florida household (old magazines, less-than-priceless dust-catchers, toys that have seen better days, etc.), but also some more prominent articles that overfill space. But when it comes to taking real action in a decluttering campaign, there is another word whose value can’t be overemphasized. The reason that de cluttering is something that needs to be discussed at all is that it can be painfully hard to execute. It means giving up something that has value, or at least used to have value—and which through familiarity has become comfortable to be around. You may not have used that set of TV dinner trays that halfway block the garage entrance door, but who says you won’t need them? Those bookends that are actually cut from a...

If you ask the web, “what does Time is Money mean?” it tells you that time is a valuable resource, so do things as quickly as you can. That’s one way to look at it—from a superior, it probably means, “stop wasting time” or “get back to work!” But when it comes to property values—certainly including those here in Central Florida—it has another valid application. Of interest to anyone who owns (or will own) a property in Central Florida is this:   When it comes to landscaping, time truly is money. And the clock is ticking. The time , in this case, is the amount of time it takes to grow a tree, or a hedge—or any plant that will add livability to your property. Barrier plants are one example. They can protect a hilltop yard from exposure to an otherwise annoying prevailing wind. Barrier hedges can provide valuable privacy—a less expensive and more eye-pleasing alternative to fencing. Given time, defensive plants (thorny ones) can provide a literally impenetrable barri...

According to Alina Dizik, one of the leading Wall Street Journal’s real estate commentators, a growing number of luxury homeowners are finding new appreciation for an old idea. In fact, the older, the better.   Pursuing a way to enhance the feel of modern homes, more and more homeowners are “getting into the groove” of reclaiming ancient materials—especially old wood. Antique timbers from old New England barn sidings have long been recycled, but usually only for walls. Now other uses are being found to add character to otherwise unexceptional rooms. For Central Florida homeowners looking to update their own homes, looking to the past might be an idea worth thinking about. The Journal highlights a successful example in a Minnesota couple who used 1900s-era oak fencing to create an unusual dining-room ceiling. They liked the effect so much that they located some 1850s midwestern barn wood to use as exterior siding—then used the hand-hewn beams to look like support beam...

Ever since its introduction in 1965, Americans by the millions have embraced the retirement vehicle known by its IRS handle, the “401(k).”   It hardly matters that few Central Florida breadwinners know much about its relatively recent origins (much less, its family lineage)—but had they attended the Wall Street Journal ’s recent “ Future of Everything Festival ,” they’d have been enlightened. The inventor of the 401(k) is Ted Benna—now known in financial circles as its father. What the Father of the 401(k) had to say is encouraging for Central Florida’s homeowners. Since his popular financial brainchild has massively changed the retirement picture far and wide (Japan’s retirement law is called the “Japanese 401(k).” His words have earned more than the usual amount of credence financial advisors receive. He introduced his main point by referencing some of his more prosperous private sector clients. In his lengthy career, he noted that some of the most hugely successful...

  This summer’s Uber driver controversy came to a boil over one particularly notable real estate market item. Whether or not Central Florida residents have ever had occasion to use the web-based taxicab alternative, lately it’s been hard to avoid reading about the noisy dispute.   The controversy has to do with the publicity generated by a group of Uber drivers in their campaign to embarrass company bigwigs into granting them higher wages. They’ve been arguing that since they own their own vehicles, pay for their maintenance, fuel, and taxes—and since they also pitch in all of the driving labor—it’s only reasonable they be proportionately compensated. They say that the Uber company itself supplies only the communications and organizational structure, so the relative split of what riders are charged is grossly unfair.   Uber management points out that there would be no fares without their contribution. Since both points seem valid, the argument continues. ...

Property Site: http://tour.circlepix.com/home/ULMCBX/475-DOVE-DRIVE-Poinciana-FL-S5023487 shopping, dining and local transportation! This rental is featuring two stories four bedrooms and two and a half bath. Also, a Bonus Room which could serve as a 5th bedroom, home theater, or office. Two car garage and block construction. New interior paint, new carpet, and new appliances. Standard size lot and mature landscaping. Covered front entryway and open patio to rear. Former Moranda Homes model. Floor plan features preferred formal and informal living areas. The kitchen includes service island, closet pantry, wood front cabinets with Formica countertops. Inside laundry utility room! Live, Work and Play in Poinciana! Stroll through shopping and dining at Poinciana Town Center and Poinciana Place Shopping Center. Enjoy numerous playgrounds and playing soccer, softball, basketball, tennis, racquetball and baseball fields in multiple areas. Poinciana Medical Center is now op...

  By now, just about everyone in Central Florida looks back on the last decade’s housing bust with a lot less consternation than heretofore—time can do that (as well as the recovery of temporarily lost value). For some Central Florida homeowners, the temporary nosedive in Central Florida real estate values was little more than an uncomfortable learning experience. For others, it served as confirmation of the long-term store of value their Central Florida real estate embodies. But for others, the dominant memory is of the severe dislocation it and the accompanying worldwide financial meltdown triggered. Members of the Gen X group (those born between 1965-1980) could have ample reason to identify with any of the above—but there’s reason to believe the first two claim more adherents. The Pew Research Center has gone over the statistics and emerged with these factoids about the generations and how they have fared, post-recession. The first one may be the most surprising: ...

  Every serious house hunter is aware that the Central Florida neighborhood surrounding any house has a significant effect on its ultimate value. It follows that the future of a neighborhood will have a measurable impact the future value of the properties in it. Part of the reason not much emphasis is given to this factor is the difficulty of gauging a neighborhood’s future prospects. That’s especially true for homebuyers who are new to the area. Yet there are ways to scrutinize neighborhood characteristics for indications that augur well…or which point to a future which might not be headed in the right direction. Here are four such factors: 1. Incomes . Strong average household incomes are indicative of more than just the current bankrolls of the neighbors. Higher incomes are good bellwethers for households likely to maintain attractive landscaping—and to make future renovations to their properties. 2. Home price histories . For properties currently listed in the same neig...

  When most of us envision the momentous occasion when you hand over the keys to your just-sold Central Florida house, it’s probably some variation of the traditional mental image: people gathered at the front porch, everybody beaming. Realistically, that Norman Rockwell grouping happens only occasionally—but even when it takes place in a lawyer’s conference room, the occasion is likely to trigger some emotion along with the sense of completion. No matter how briefly you may have called it home, turning that page is bound to tug at least a little bit on anyone’s heartstrings. Nowadays, though, there needs to be some added mental engagement as you take leave of your just-sold property. As your physical family heads off to the new house, you’d better double-check that your virtual selves are making the move, too! Without going into detail on all the variations, there can be any number of electronic remnants of your stay in the sold house—and they need to be properly clo...

Few Central Florida residents who spend much time online have avoided the unnerving experience of having their screens populated with ads aimed at them, personally. Whether the culprit is Google or Facebook or one of the otherwise-useful apps, it’s close to impossible to avoid having your personal preferences noted and exploited by the omnipresent web snoops. Among the annoying pop-up ads that result can be the ones that aim at real estate investors. Some feature piggy bank graphics, graying couples with anxious (or confident) expressions on their faces, or charts with upward-sloping trend lines. There is one that shows a toy house on top of a mountain of dollar bills—a variation on the ones perched atop stacks of coins.   But then there are the really aggressive pop-ups. Some of them actually pop up and without even asking start playing video movies about successful real estate investing. If the soundtracks are noisy, and particularly if they originate from a window buried be...

  If it’s the first time you have ever bought or sold a house, don’t fret if you’ve found yourself procrastinating—who wouldn’t? Most people are at least temporarily paralyzed by the immensity of the undertaking. The same applies to many of Central Florida’s current homeowners whose last real estate foray happened years ago.   Even so, veteran home buyers and sellers have the advantage of knowing that Job One is to establish a trusting relationship with an experienced Central Florida real estate agent. Experienced folks may do at least some preliminary groundwork—checking out the current crop of properties being offered—but in the end, they know how the single step of teaming with the right agent accomplishes the vital job of removing the guesswork from all that follows.   The tricky part is identifying the right real estate agent. There’s no shortage of how-to articles on the subject—but in truth, the qualifying factors are simple, logical, and uncontrover...