412 S. Tamiami Trail,
All Blog Entries by Bryan Guentner 
There are currently 153 blog entries published by Bryan Guentner.
IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO BUY SARASOTA REAL ESTATE? YES, EVEN IF PRICES CONTINUE TO DROP!
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 2:55pm. 16 Views, 0 Comments.
And here is why.....I know prices are still dropping in some areas, but is this a good time to buy? The answer is a resounding YES. If you bought a $400,000 dollar home (for the purpose of illustration obtained a $320,000 loan) and that house drops 10% in the next year, the math is easy. You just lost $40,000. BUT - and this is a big BUT - if you obtained a loan today for that house at 4.25% and if that same loan in one year costs 6%, then the difference in payment is a lot LESS if you buy the house now. ($320,000 @ 4.25% = $1574 / $320,000 @ 6% = $1918) for a difference of $344 every month. Over 30 years, that difference is a whopping $123,840! One thing we have been assured of is that interest rates have to and eventually will be going up as the…
DID I MESS UP BY MISSING THE OBAMA TAX CREDIT? NO!
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 2:54pm. 7 Views, 0 Comments.
At the end of April (when the tax credit expired) the interest rate was hovering around 6% versus about 4.25% now. That means that if you took out a loan for $320,000, in April your loan would be $320,000 @ 6% = $1918 versus now $320,000 @ 4.25% = $1918, for a difference of $344 every month. Over 30 years, that difference is a whopping $123,840!
Despite what you read and see, homes ARE selling. Our team has been having a stellar year selling lots of homes for our sellers and finding quality homes at good prices for our buyers. We have become experts at distressed sales (short sales) and are CDPE certified, and we are even listing and selling some bank owned homes (REOs).
We are well aware that you have a choice in Realtors. We feel that now more…
FLORIDA CASH FOR CLUNKER AC SYSTEMS DETAILS ANNOUNCED!
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 11:05am. 27 Views, 0 Comments.
State officials, announcing long-awaited details of its latest "cash for clunker" program Friday, said Floridians could snare a $1,500 flat fee rebate for replacing their central air conditioning systems with more energy efficient units starting this month.
The program opens Aug. 30, and will run through the end of the year or until the $15 million the Governor's Energy Office set aside for it runs out. But getting that cash back will be more complicated than it was for the new refrigerators, dishwashers and other items that tens of thousands of Floridians bought during the wildly popular "cash for clunker appliance" program earlier this year.
The money, which comes through federal stimulus funding approved last year, will cover only 10,000 rebates. By…
WAVE OF FORECLOSURES IN SARASOTA!
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 11:04am. 22 Views, 0 Comments.
The wave of foreclosure filings that real estate experts had been anticipating all year began in a big way in July. Total filings in the three-county region jumped to 3,349 during July, a 40 percent increase from a month earlier and a 10.6 percent increase from July 2009. Charlotte County led the way with a 61 percent leap, while both Manatee and Sarasota counties saw their increases of more than 26 percent, data released by California's RealtyTrac Inc. shows.
Real estate analysts expect the number to keep growing in the months ahead because of two factors:
- A new wave of adjustable-rate mortgages resetting to higher interest rates.
- Banks feeling more comfortable about releasing supplies of unprocessed foreclosures because of increased demand and…
LEGACY TRAIL IN SARASOTA COUNTY FINISHES THE FINAL LINK!
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 1:35pm. 49 Views, 0 Comments.
Legacy Trail, the best cycling trail in Sarasota County just got better. Now Sarasota cyclists can enjoy an 11-mile ride south that offers views of Roberts Bay and Dona Bay. Each bridge features little side areas where you can step off your bike and stretch your legs. In the evening, as the sun sets over the water, it's quite a sight.
On the Legacy Trail, you'll encountered cyclists of all ages. Some young men pedaled hard while crouched over $2,000 bikes with aerodynamic handlebars. Some older women cruised along while perched on upright bikes.
The Legacy Trail starts near McIntosh Road in Sarasota. It passes Osprey and Oscar Scherer State Park before crossing the bays just north of Venice.
The next bridge for the Legacy Trail will be the one…
FLORIDA BACK-TO-SCHOOL SALES TAX HOLIDAY RETURNS AUGUST 13th
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 1:33pm. 46 Views, 0 Comments.
Shoppers, get ready to fire up the credit cards. Friday, August 13th starts Florida's tax-free weekend.
From 12:01 a.m. Friday to midnight Sunday, Floridians will not pay the typical 7-percent sales tax on books, clothing and footwear that cost $50 or less, as well as school supply items that cost $10 or less.
The tax-break was originally meant to spur the economy and give parents a break on back-to-school expenses. For the last two years, the tax holiday was on hold amid budge problems at the state. Now, it's back. But instead of a week, it's been shortened to a three-day weekend.
Luckily for shoppers, there's no requirement to prove the merchandise is for a student. Anyone can buy eligible items and receive them tax free, so that brassiere at…
SARASOTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL IS CHANGING!
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 at 1:44pm. 53 Views, 0 Comments.
The 9-story high bridge will connect Sarasota Memorial's East Tower to nothing at first, likely causing a bit of head-scratching among passersby of the busy hospital construction site.
Construction on the bridge will start in September, three months before construction manager Skanska USA starts work on the crown jewel of the project, the new nine-story Courtyard Tower. The bridge, as hospital bridges do, will connect each floor of the East Tower to each floor of the new tower.
The nearly three-year-old, multi-phase construction project still has another three years before completion. Earlier phases may have appeared busier because they included very visible projects, including demolition of the power plant and the Ortho Building fronting U.S. 41 and…
FEWER HOMES IN FORECLOSURE IN THE SARASOTA REAL ESTATE MARKET
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 at 1:42pm. 33 Views, 0 Comments.
Foreclosure filings in the Sarasota real estate market during the first six months of the year fell by 10 percent from the latter half of 2009. The report by RealtyTrac Inc. was the latest in a series of signs that the foreclosure crisis could be ebbing in Southwest Florida.
The Sarasota real estate market logged 10,359 foreclosure filings, or 2.65 percent of all the housing units in the area. That was down from the 5.26 percent of homes and condominiums during all of 2009 that made the region 17th nationally.
There has been strong demand in Southwest Florida for distressed properties, and many of those in the best condition already have been snatched up by first-time buyers or investors looking for bargains.
Nine Florida markets included in the…
SARASOTA CONDO SALES CONTINUE TO SOAR IN JUNE!
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 1:23pm. 42 Views, 0 Comments.
Condominium sales soared in the Sarasota real estate market during June when compared with those of a year ago. Last month 326 condo units changed hands in the Sarasota real estate market, up 53 percent from a year ago, but down from 384 in May and 406 in April. The June sales represented the fourth highest percentage increase in the state.
Prices in the Sarasota real estate market dropped 9 percent to $133,000 from $145,800 a year ago. This is also 13% from May.
This information is from the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Don't forget to contact Re/Max Platinum Realty at 941-929-9090 for your needs in Sarasota real estate, as well as your needs for Siesta Key real estate and Casey Key real estate.
U.S. HOME PRICES SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN MAY
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 11:04am. 35 Views, 0 Comments.
Home prices rose in May for the second straight month as federal tax incentives pulled more buyers into the market. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday posted a 1.3 percent increase in May from April.
Nineteen of 20 cities showed price gains month over month. Minneapolis and Atlanta led the way with 2.8 percent and 2 percent increases, respectively. San Diego posted its 13th straight monthly gain.
Only Las Vegas recorded a price decline. That metro area hit a record low in May. Home prices there have lost 56.4 percent of their value since peaking in August 2006. While Detroit recorded a 0.7 percent increase from April, the average home price there is about the same as it was in 1994.
The Sarasota real estate…
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