Dave’s Blog

5 Fourth of July Safety Tips for Naples Homes

The Fourth of July is an exciting – and delicious - time of year for owners of [city] homes.  There’s swimming, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, and, of course, fireworks.  While the lights are pretty and it’s a blast to set them off, a moment of carelessness can ruin a good time.  Following this list of common – and not so common – safety tips will help ensure that you have a safe and happy July 4^th.

1.  Get rid of the weeds around your house.  Although most Naples homes are well taken care of, a lot of them have a little bit of weed growth here and there.  Making sure the weeks are cut short (less than 3 inches) or destroyed will lower the risk of stray sparks setting them on fire.

2.  Water your roof and the ground around your house.  Stray bottle rockets and roman candles are the culprits of many a house fire.  If you hose down your roof and the ground around your house in a strip about three feet deep before the fireworks start going off, these mindless arsons won’t have a chance.

3.  Keep a bucket of water handy.  As a safety measure, a bucket of water close by can’t be beat.  Many a ground firework has had a stray spark left in it even after the light display is over.  Sprinkling a little water on them when they’re done can stop fires before they start, and lower the chance of little hands getting burned.

4.  No pointing.  Is there anyone who hasn’t enjoyed a Roman candle war?  Fun as it may be, pointing fireworks at each other is highly dangerous.  Point them toward the sky where they belong!

5.  Only light them once.  If you get a dud, consider it a spent firework and throw a little water on it.  Several people have lost fingers due to trying to relight a firework that didn’t explode the first time.

Practicing fireworks safety and a little bit of common sense can go a long way toward Naples homes surviving one of the most fire-filled days of the year.  Be safe, and have a happy Fourth of July!

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Filed under: Naples Real Estate tagged 4th of July, fire safety, fireworks, Naples Homes, safety, weed growth

4 Reasons Why It’s a Good Time for Real Estate Investors to Buy Naples Foreclosures

These days, homes are going into foreclosure like never before. Many factors have contributed to this trend, and as a result, banks have numerous Naples foreclosures that need to be sold as quickly as possible. Explore a few reasons why buying foreclosures now could be a great opportunity.

1.      Price – Since there’s an over abundance of foreclosed homes that need to be sold, many are priced way below market value, which creates a good opportunity for real estate investors to buy.

2.      Quick sales – Sellers want to get Naples foreclosures off their hands as soon as possible and they tend to be extremely motivated sellers. Therefore, you could be the owner of a new home in record time.  Also, most bank owned deals, which were taking anywhere from 3 to 18 months, can now often be closed in less than 45 days.

3.      Easier to obtain loans - With the help of the stimulus plan, buyers of foreclosures are now finding it easier to get loans. 

4.      Less competition – Many times, foreclosures aren’t advertised like regular homes. Also, because of the sheer amount of foreclosures, many bank owned homes go unnoticed by most people.  This means you probably won’t have to compete heavily with other buyers for foreclosed properties.

Although times are still tough for some, if you’re a real estate investor, right now could be the ideal time to purchase Naples foreclosures. It may be a while before deals like these come around again, so take advantage of the rock-bottom home prices now before they’re gone.

Want to work with a real estate agent who can expertly guide you through the process of purchasing foreclosures?  Give me a call today at 239-596-1181 or email me at dave@bartleyrealty.com.

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Filed under: Naples Real Estate tagged Foreclosure, investors, loans, Naples, Naples foreclosures

How The Stimulus Plan Helps You Buy a Naples Home

The new stimulus plan has given many people new hope for their housing futures. At first, many worried that the stimulus package would merely help the banks and other financial institutions and not the actual homeowner looking to buy a Naples home.  But, it has become clear that the people who really win with the new plan are those who count—prospective home buyers.

Stimulus for Banks and Buyers

The stimulus package provides huge tax rebates in 2009, and while that is a limited provision, the savings are enormous for those who get out there and buy a new Naples home. The fact that the stimulus plan includes relief for the struggling financial industry also helps buyers by making it more likely they will be able to obtain loans. 

Stimulus for Luxury Properties

The stimulus package gives the two major government mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac more power and allows for larger loans for higher priced properties. That is a big incentive if you’re looking to buy in a major metropolitan area because you will now be able to get a loan secured by Fannie or Freddie.

The economic boost from the stimulus package will require a little time to really become apparent, but it is working, even now.  Slowly the market is rebounding and new home buyers are able to take advantage of loans and tax incentives while getting houses at prices that are extraordinarily low.

If you would like more information on how the stimulus package can help you buy a new Naples home, give me a call at 239-596-1181 or email me at dave@bartleyrealty.com.

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Filed under: Naples Real Estate tagged Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Naples Home, stimulus

Naples Florida foreclosures are selling like hot cakes in Naples.  Don’t wait any longer to purchase a new home, move up to a more luxurious home, or buy that vacation property you’ve always dreamed of. 

According to the Naples Area Board of REALTORS®, pending sales are up 87% and inventory for homes over $300,000 are down 16%. There are great deals to be found now! 

Bartley Realty Services just listed a foreclosed townhouse at 20292 Larino Loop in Estero at 4:00 PM on May 29th and by 8:00 PM we received our first of four offers.  This trend is happening all over southwest Florida and is being shown in the sales today. A recent search of condominiums in the North Naples area showed the average sale price to be 6% higher than the listing price. 

The news here is the Naples market place has bottomed and is on its way back up.  The number of available Naples Florida foreclosures will continue to dwindle.  If you have not purchased a home (or condo), please call Bartley Realty Services to find out what properties are still available in the market place.

David R. Bartley Sr., is one of the best Naples real estate brokers you’ll find.  When it comes to negotiating, David will help you obtain the best price for your home.  Give David a call at (239) 596-1181 or email Dave@BartleyRealty.com now to get started. 

David R. Bartley, Sr.
Bartley Realty Services
Naples, Florida
www.BartleyRealty.com
Dave@BartleyRealty.com
Call:  (239) 596-1181

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Filed under: Naples Real Estate tagged bank owned properties, foreclosures, Naples Florida real estate agents

Buying Bank Owned Naples Real Estate—REOs

Buying REOs is a very popular method of buying Naples real estate for investment.  If you’re just getting started accumulating investment property, this is one way you can get very good deals and amass a great deal of property quickly.

REO stands for Real Estate Owned and is the acronym banks place on properties they have taken back from mortgage defaults. REOs are considered non-performing assets meaning they have value but are not bringing in any money—bad for the bank, good for you.

Buy REOs at Foreclosure Auctions

Foreclosure auctions are a great way to get fantastic deals that you might not be able to convince a bank to go with prior to the event. Some savvy investors try to catch properties while they are in pre-foreclosure which avoids a property being bid up in an auction atmosphere.  To do that, you often have to convince the holding bank to “short sale” a property and sell it for less than the note they were holding on it. At a foreclosure auction, the bank is usually desperate to unload the [city] real estate and often settles for far less than the actual value without all of the short sale paperwork.

Do Your Homework

If you choose to buy properties at auction do your homework. Use foreclosure worksheets to determine the true value of a property and what your maximum bid should be in order to realize a profit from its eventual sale or use as a rental. Doing this prevents you from getting caught up in the moment and over-bidding on a piece of Naples real estate that has a lot of competitors bidding on it.

If you would like more information on how to acquire REO properties, I can help. Contact me at 239-596-1181 or email me at Dave@bartleyrealty.com.

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Filed under: Naples Real Estate tagged auction, bank owned, Foreclosure, REO