Here are recent newsletters I sent to my subscribers:

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We send out newsletters via email but we are also writing many more blogs this year. Blogs are a great way to stay in touch on a more frequent basis. They are also interactive!

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General SW Florida information

Cape Coral Homes

SW Florida Real Estate investing

Also, please subscribe to our e-news as well. We never sell, rent or share your personal infomration & you can remove your email address at any time.

November 2007 News

October 2007 News

September 2007 News

August 2007 News - click link

February 2007 News

I heard that many of you are snowed in. I guess that’s an opportune time to spend some quality time with your loved ones. If you happen to be out/about today please be careful. Here it’s about 80 degrees. I went swimming early this morning for my daily exercise. My pool was heated to about 96 degrees. This evening I have the pleasure of attending my friend’s wedding. This particular friend was originally a client whom I met online through my website back in mid 2004. She purchased her home through me – actually site unseen (I sent tons of photos) - in early 2005. So congratulations to Staci on her wedding J

Real Estate News

The real estate market is still good. Obviously prices have changed & inventory is up but did you know that in 2005 (our hottest year) 27,631 single family homes exchanged hands in Lee County? Even more interesting to me is the fact that 20,181 changed hands in 2006 (the year everyone was complaining). Also, the median price in 2005 was $240,000 & $269,900 in 2006. Not too bad in perspective. Through 2007 I believe we’ll see pockets of decreases along with stabilization. It’s absolutely the best time to be a buyer. Sellers, there are buyers but pricing is critical.

Team News

Scott Slocum has joined our team. Scott is a full time firefighter with a schedule that allows for plenty of time off assisting prospective buyers. Scott is on track to becoming a top real estate agent as he’s a quick & eager learner. He is currently learning more about the process but he comes with a background doing mortgages & has bought 2 homes here in SW Florida since his relocation from NY so he’s no novice. We all work closely together to provide the best customer service to all of our clients. If at anytime you are unable to reach one of us you can always contact another team member for assistance. To reach Scott directly you can call 239-340-1384 or visit him online at www.ScottSlocum.info

That’s it for now. I hope you are all enjoying this special day. As always, should you have any questions or comments about any real estate need feel free to contact us at anytime.

Dec 2006 News

Happy Holidays

Can you believe it’s almost the end of 2006? I know I say this every year but don’t the years just fly by? It makes you really take a look at where you are, where you want to go & what you should be doing. At least for me it does. I set yearly goals & look at them often to remain on track. Some of us set goals at the New Year & forget about them until the following year. To me, life is too short to not be happy & do what you want to do. This year make plans & goals that bring happiness into your life & stick with them! Hopefully you have your holiday shopping done & if not be careful on the roads. The tourists are definitely here as the traffic is much different than even a month ago. Showings are up on our listings but offers are slower to come in. Inventory is still high but the properties that are priced correctly are selling. We do have plenty of buyers in town!

Enjoy your friends & family ~ remember gratitude & giving…

Team Holiday Schedule

Our schedule for the next 2 weeks: closed this weekend & Monday (Christmas). Open regular hours Tues-Fri. Dec 30 & 31^st by appointment only & closed Jan 1, 2007 for the New Year. Regular schedule Tues-Fri Jan 2-5. Obviously we’ll be answering the phone to schedule showing appointments & such all times.

Year in Review

The market took a dramatic shift this year from a very strong seller’s market to a very strong buyer’s market. The buyers and sellers have finally begun to react accordingly and inventory is moving. We predict 2007 to be a very telling year as foreclosures continue on the rise & the baby boomers start making their way into the Florida marketplace. For those of you who are curious, this year I closed 23 transactions. That’s down slightly from last year (crazy year) however still well above average.

As always, contact us at any time with any real estate questions you may have. I look forward to working with you to help you obtain whatever real estate goals you have this year & for life!

Oct 2006 News

Wow, it’s October already. And from what I hear many of you northerners are already seeing major snowfall in your area. Our weather is great here J We are about through our Hurricane Season, the weather is dryer and mid to high 80’s during the day & low to mid 70’s in the evenings. This is my favorite weather here. I would still like to have a house somewhere up north for the hot & muggy summer months but for Fall, Winter & Spring I can’t imagine a better place to live.

What’s new here? Well let’s start with what is on everyone’s mind right now:

The real estate market

Buyers

Have we hit bottom? The short answer is YES. Why & how can I say that? I say that because I am working with many buyers right now who are in the process of buying property at some very excellent prices. Prices that you couldn’t touch since probably the beginning of 2005! But will it go lower? Yes, in some areas it could. However, right now sellers realize (finally) that it IS a buyer’s market right now. They are more willing to negotiate as they realize there is a lot of inventory on the market & less buyers out there purchasing. So you can make offers. And you have very little competition.

Now, our season is coming upon us. I think many sellers have the thought that with season will come higher prices. They are going to start becoming less motivated. They will be thinking that another buyer is coming along very soon. And there might be. Now we are back with more competition, more buyers & therefore the prices will stabilize and there will be less inventory to choose from. So basically, yes the prices can go lower but now is a great time to negotiate.

Wouldn’t you rather be buying in a buyer’s market vs. when it turns back into a sellers market?

And just a couple of facts, our pending home sales are up & the interest rates are still low, our local economy is very strong & our area is still growing.

Sellers

You just read what I wrote to the buyers and now you are wondering if you should be selling now or waiting. Here’s my take on this. If you have a home for sale & you don’t need to sell anytime soon, take it off the market (unless you want to be able to sell & buy another house at a discount). If, on the other hand, you have a house listed for sale & you really need to sell – get competitive. You know you have to be. If you need help with this call me. One of my clients homes is currently pending & they are buying a new home here as well. They were upset that they didn’t get 2005 prices from their house. But they DID get 2006 prices for their new purchase as well. See, last year they may have gotten more for their house but this year they were able to pay less for their new one. So it balances out. Tax rates will be lower this year though – that’s another plus.

Now if you own vacant land here & have been trying to sell it this is a different story. Vacant land here is moving but only the lowest priced properties are moving. There are too many options for a buyer to make an offer on your property if there are 50 more similar lots for sale asking much less. Now, if you have land & do not really need to sell what should you do? Well, I think that if you have equity in the land you should go ahead & cash out. Things could get worse for land. I’m not for sure on this & depending on location & water access, etc it could be different.

We saw this in the 70’s & 80’s when things first started developing so much here. Buyers were paying up to 20-30K for vacant land in Cape Coral for example. The prices quickly went back down to $1-2,000. They were under $5,000 until about 2001-2002. Then they quickly escalated to $20K, $30K $50K $90K (that’s where many maxed at in the NW/NE sections). That was at the end of 2005. All of 2006 we saw them slowly go back down. Now you can again purchase an off water lot in Cape Coral for under $50K! If you are looking for a long term investment, I’d say you should be buying. If you are looking for quick flips you better not buy vacant land. By the way, I have some great opportunities available for vacant land.

I’ll be sending a newsletter out soon more focused to the investor. I recently started working on real estate investing through a self-directed IRA & I will show you how you can benefit from one too. I’ll also touch on some planning tips for becoming an investor.

Also keep an eye out for some great tips for first time homebuyers. Did you know they are getting younger? Yep, we’re getting smarter J And it’s more affordable now!

Ok until next time, remember if you have any real estate questions I’d be more than happy to discuss your needs & how I can assist. Feel free to contact me at anytime.

August 2006 NEWS

We all hear it's a buyers market, yet we aren't all buying.

Why is that? What are you waiting for? Waiting for the next sellers market so you can miss the good deals?

Here's an article that takes a look at real estate in the 90's in a 'down' market.

Buyer's Market Article

Now is the time to buy. Sure, we may see some more desperate sellers emerge over the next several months but if you are looking for a house of your own or a long term investment it only makes sense to buy now. Obviously we are not in a 'quick-flip' market but what about foreclosures & rehabs? More great options! I currently have some great buys in my inventory now. Single family homes, investment properties, vacant land - at prices you couldn't touch in the last year! I also have access to thousands of listings & I see great deals every day. If you are looking for something specific please let me know & I'll alert you right away when something becomes available. A buyer's market is exciting, we have more choices & more time to make that decision. What decision are you making? Let's work together to benefit in this new market. History shows, it can't last forever.

Call or me today for more information.

July 2006 News

Cape Coral has been working on the water & sewer systems in sections for the past several years. The project was recently halted due to concerns of overly high fees. There is going to be a meeting in a few days to discuss this further. You can read the full article by clicking on the following link:

http://www.capecoral.net/fullstory.cfm?articleid=10278 (utilities issue)

Another hot topic in Cape Coral & Lee County alike are real estate taxes. There are proposed rate reductions at both levels for the first time in years! This is due to the overall assessed value increases, especially over the last couple of years.

You can read the short article about Cape Coral by clicking on the link below:

http://www.capecoral.net/fullstory.cfm?articleid=10279 (tax reduction)

And you can see the full proposed budget here:

http://www.capecoral.net/citydept/Citymgr/pdf/CMMessage2007.pdf (full pdf)

Here's a link to the article about Lee County's proposed 11.1% overall reduction:

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/RE/607260408/1076

We also saw our first year-to-year by month decline (5%) for June '05 to June '06. It's no surprise, we all know how much values have gone down since the end of last year. Expect more #s like these through the end of this year.

(this is my simple prediction & while I wish I did hold the magical crystal ball for real estate, I do not - this is my OPINION only based upon my experience in this market)

By the way, here's an article put out by the News-Press.com with some additional information & opinions for your review:

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/RE/60725046/1076

We are very lucky to have such comprehensive websites available for public access in our communities. And in case you were wondering, you can also access these sites via my website anytime: http://www.SusanMilner.com

If you have any questions or need additional information please feel free to contact me. I will do my best to obtain the needed information for you asap.

As always, should you, or anyone you know, be in the market to buy or sell real estate here in SW Florida please contact me for assistance.

July News 2006 - Happy 4th of July!!!

Wow, I can’t believe our year is half through already. I guess time flies when you are having fun. Our current market is still a buyer’s market. Yes, this is correct to say. But I must also say that offers are now coming in. There ARE buyers here. Yes, not as many as the last 2 years when prices were out of control but now the educated, no longer time-crunched, buyers are here & looking. Are there deals to be found? You better believe it. How long will this last? While no one can predict for sure I am swayed to believing that this year’s hurricane season will be a major determining factor here locally. If we see a slower/less active season I think we’ll see things pick back up nicely this fall. If however, we have a busier/more active hurricane season we may be in for more price decreases. That being said you can see the dilemma for all.

Buy now? Yes, but risk prices falling even more.

Buy later? Yes, but prices may go up sooner than later.

Sell now? Yes, but you have to be priced correctly.

Sell later? Yes, take that chance as well.

Overall, the picture isn’t so gloomy though. The averages are still staying ‘steady’. Sure, there are the occasional ‘steals’ out there with a desperate seller but it’s not the market as a ‘whole’. Statistics are still showing an increase from last June to this June. But that’s misleading information because it’s not taking into account the appreciation we saw from June ’05 through Nov ’05 – which was quite a bit. So at the end of this year the statistics will be telling a different story altogether. But those increases we experienced were very speculative. Investors made up a large portion of the purchasing. Now we’re seeing more homeowners in the mix along with the more seasoned investors purchasing these great buys from motivated sellers.

Our team has recently started working with a couple of very distinct groups.

1) First time homebuyers – the last couple of years of appreciation has scared many first time homebuyers into believing that they cannot afford a house of their own. The predatory lending practices of negative amortized loans, buy-downs, etc. has also turned off many would-be buyers. Now, with the increased apartment rents, the real estate market in a more stable state & with interest rates creeping up it’s an excellent time to see if now is the time to buy for you. If you, or someone you know has a question about becoming a first time homebuyer please contact us ASAP. We have several great properties for sale & can show anything else listed as well. There are still great mortgage programs out there that are beneficial to you. Buy now, we’re in a BUYER’S market.

2) Recent investors of spec homes are finding that their house is not done yet & the loan is now due – what can you do? We have a few great mortgage brokers we are working with that specialize in these types of loans. Hurry & refinance while the appraisal is still favorable. Then we can list, market & sell your property with our other fine properties to net you the most possible profit. We offer selling on a lease option as well if that interests you. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation valuation of your property.

I hope you have a safe & fun Fourth of July.

Make it a GREAT day!

May 17, 2006

Cape Coral/Ft. Myers area still ranking #21 in the country for 1st quarter of 2006 growth. We may be in a buyer's market but we're still strong!

Check out the latest article:

brought to you by CNNMoney

Officially a Buyer’s Market in SW Florida 4/06/2006

Have you missed out? No, no & no. Now is a GREAT time to buy here in SW Florida. The last couple of years I kept hearing “let me know when there is a deal”, “I’m looking for an under valued property”, etc. But you know what? There weren’t any. Well, a few, yes but those properties were gone within minutes or hours of hitting the market – seriously. The properties priced right were scooped up within a couple of weeks & the ones priced too high were eventually selling too! But now, properties are sitting on the market for 90-180 days. Properties priced below market value are even sitting for 30-45 days at times. There aren’t so many buyers out there right now to compete with & plenty of sellers to contend with.

Wait a minute, “Are you telling me now is not a good time to sell?”. The answer is “NO”. Unless you are unreasonable or really don’t need to sell. In that case, it is probably better to wait. If you are open to pricing your property at a reasonable price, keeping it in “show condition” & really do need to sell we can do it. But it’s not the marketplace to “list high & wait for the market to catch up”. A lot of the properties listed for sale are sellers who don’t really need to sell. They are just listing because it seems like the thing to do, maybe they are afraid the values may go down, maybe they just want to be like all of their neighbors, etc. With everyone listing all at once it creates this buyer’s market.

February Sales Report (March’s not out yet)

How much have sales really gone down? Well, they’ve went up according to the most recent FAR report. Cape Coral/ Ft. Myers area median sales prices went up 22% from February ’05 through to February ’06. Interesting? Yes, very. The median sales price in February ’05 was $229,700 & February ’06 was $279,900. The amount of sales (REALTOR sales are the only in this study) did go down though 9% to be exact. There were 752 sales in February ’05 compared with only 684 this February. What does all this mean? I think it means that the market is in fact stabilizing into a more ‘normal’ market. But that’s GOOD. The market will become more predictable. It just means that we can no longer buy a property & in 6 months turn a profit. But real estate is supposed to be more long term anyway, unless of course you are buying foreclosed on properties or properties that need rehabilitation, etc. You can view the full report by clicking http://media.living.net/releases/Feb%2006%20Sin%20Fam%20Ex%20chart.html – includes other cities in Florida as well.

Useful Blogs

I have recently joined the blogging community. Not sure what a blog is? You are not alone. It’s fairly new (unless you are a computer techie). I have 2 distinct blogs I’ve been writing. One is my general take on the area, news, information, property statistics, etc. The other is for mainly investors where I have linked to the best real estate deals I’ve found. These aren’t my listings, sure some of them are, but I search the MLS to find the best deals, regardless of who the agent is. You can view them online or you can e-mail me to be put on the list to have them sent directly to your inbox as they become available. This particular blog is updated about monthly so if you opt for in-box delivery you will have the freshest listings available.

Local Real Estate Info

Investors Only Info

Newest Listings – HOT!

For Homes: click here ( http://www.SusanMilner.com/homes.html )

For Vacant Land: click here ( http://www.SusanMilner.com/vacant.html )

I have a lot of great new listings to share with you. While I can’t list them all here I would like to share my current featured home.

My sellers have given me the ok to let you know that they are quite motivated. The price alone should tell you that. They are only asking $234,800. That’s the least expensive similar home available in the area. It’s 3/2 with a separate family & living room. The kitchen has upgraded appliances, cabinets & counters. Ceiling fans are in every room! The very large lanai is great for entertaining & the living room, second bathroom & kitchen opens out to it. There is room for a pool. Located in the very desirable & convenient SE Cape Coral. Quick access to Del Prado Blvd & Ft. Myers. This home was built at the end of 2002 & the city water & sewer is in & paid. What more could you ask for? You can see more photos & information online here.

( http://www.SusanMilner.com/MLS200628518.html )

Creativity with financing options when buying & selling

In a buyer’s market, buyers are looking for ways that your home or property is more appealing than the rest. How can we accomplish this? By offering seller financing. I have buyers now that are very interested in all or some seller financing. There are many ways this can be structured & negotiated to make it a win/win situation. If you have a property that you’d consider seller financing on please let me know about it. Also, if you are a buyer interested in seller financing properties I have some to share.

We are also still looking for additional qualified talent to join our team.

Please visit http://www.SusanMilner.com/employment.html for details.

Walk America Sponsor

While I donate to several organizations in a given year, this is one that I have the longest standing affiliation with. I started walking in High School & have only missed 1 or 2 walks since. I donate 3% of my income from Jan-walk date every year. If you’d like to contribute to this cause, please visit my personal page at http://www.walkamerica.org/sellstatesusan or if you are local, come join me & others on April 29, 2006 for a fun walk in beautiful Ft. Myers.

Global Warming & Hurricane Predictions

Many experts believe that the changes we have experienced recently with higher than normal Hurricanes is a direct result of global warming. Luckily for this area, the experts are also predicting a slower Hurricane season here this year. They are predicting a higher than normal Hurricane season in the Northeastern states. It’s always a good idea to be prepared. You can find many sites online with information but one of my favorites is http://www.noaa.gov/

Yours in Success,

Susan Milner, e-PRO REALTOR

Phone (239) 218-2229 E-mail Susan@SusanMilner.com

Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc. 7431 College Pkwy., Ft. Myers, FL 33907

March 2006 Cape Coral real estate news

Here's the latest update on the real estate market according to the news-press.com & those professionals interviewed for it:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060301/RE/603010413/1076/RE

To me, things do seem to be picking up as I watch the daily pendings & solds climb from the last couple of months. SOME, & I stress SOME sellers are drastically reducing their asking prices but 1) those homes & vacant lots are selling quickly & 2) the average is still not really down that much.

Again, we have to be priced right, this is definitely NOT the market place for listing high & waiting for the buyers. The buyers are taking longer to make a decision, looking at everything to find the best deal out there.

By the way, there ARE deals out there. If you are interested in BUYING let me know.

I have also just became a market expert on RealtyTimes.com
Click here for my take on our area: http://realtytimes.com/

January 2006 Market Update

Here’s a quick market update just out by the Florida Association of Realtors: Yes, we saw major price & sales increases here in Lee County again, according to recent reports:

http://media.living.net/ - check out the full article here

Our local news also covered the story (same thing but with added opinions):

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060126/RE/601260417/1076

The market may be slow right now but we’ll still show increases in price from last Jan to this Jan. My guess is that the amount of sales will be down though. Lee County’s rankings are the highest of the state. While sales in Collier, Charlotte, Broward & other counties were down ours were still up. Will Lee County follow suit or stay strong?

Depending on your situation now may be the best time for you to buy or sell, call or email me to discuss your options today! Everyone’s situation is different & unique in its own way so more has to go into your decision than just reading a report or opinion. That’s where I come in. I’ll help you decide what YOUR best option is now. Buying, selling, waiting? All choices. Let’s work out the details.

Looking for Older News?

I have archived my 2004 & 2005 Newletters for your viewing pleasure:

2004 Newsletters

2005 Newsletters

Real Estate News ( By Inman News - you must be a member (or sign up at the site) of Inman News to access these articles):