As anyone who has tried to sell a home can tell you, creating curb appeal is an essential part of getting a home sold quickly and at a reasonable price – regardless of whether you’re selling a home in Austin TX or Panama City FL. After all, when a potential buyer drives past a house for sale, he is far more likely to give that home a second look if the home appears attractive and well-maintained. While there are several steps a homeowner can do to create curb appeal, proper landscaping is one of the most important components.

When landscaping a home to create more curb appeal, there are several things that should be taken into consideration. Some of these include:

– The overall condition of the home
– The landscaping that is currently in place
– The climate where the home is located
– The type of landscaping found throughout the neighborhood
– The needs of the target buyer

If you already have some great landscaping elements in place, you might simply need to clean up what is already there before you put your home on the market. Simple things such as keeping the lawn mowed, trimming your bushes and edging your flower beds will go a long way toward making your home more appealing to buyers.

If your home is lacking in landscaping, you might need to do a bit more work before placing your home on the market – especially in a luxury market such as Steiner Ranch. Still, unless all of the other homes in your neighborhood are beautifully landscaped and your yard is barren, this doesn’t mean you should invest thousands of dollars into landscaping your yard. Rather, adding a few simple bushes and replacing bare patches of lawn with sod may be all that is needed. Throw in a few potted plants filled with colorful annuals and your yard will be sure to grab the attention of potential buyers.

When adding plantlife to your landscaping, be sure to select plants that are hardy in your climate. Ideally, you should select native, low-maintenance plants for your projects. Otherwise, potential buyers may actually be turned off by the amount of maintenance the plants require. As an alternate option, you might want to focus more on hardscaping or creating a rock garden. Both of these forms of landscaping help provide a well-polished and attractive yard, but they require very minimal work to maintain.

If you aren’t sure how to go about properly landscaping your home, you might want to consider contacting a professional to help you out. If landscaping is done properly, you are almost guaranteed to get a full return on your investment.

About the Author – Eric Bramlett is co-owner and broker of One Source Realty and specializes in downtown Austin real estate.

As a reminder to my buys and sellers, pay your insurance premiums and add coverage BEFORE an announcement of a tropical storm or hurricane.

Thanks to Kathy Holman for providing the following…

Once a storm gets into the Gulf of Mexico & within a certain distance of land, Insurance companies will no longer bind insurance.

Once that happens, lending requires evidence of bound insurance & proof of payment (cannot collect at close).

Please keep your insurance agent in the loop regarding your purchase so they can be aware of timing & we don’t get stuck.

Panama City Condo and Home Sales:

• Panama City Beach Condo Sales
• Panama City Homes for sale

Foreclosures and short-sales. continue to be a significant factor in the recovery of the local real estate market.

These property types continue to drive sales as well as home and condo values .

Panama City Commercial Real Estate and Business Sales:

• Panama City Commercial Sales
• Panama City Businesses for sale

Commercial Sales gained slight improvements last month, which is a good sign the residential markets will begin to rebound.

Panama City Homes for sale

Owners, put my technology to work for you. If you are interested in selling your home or condo, contact me today (850) 774-6582 for a free no obligation Home value report.

Buyers, when you’re ready to purchase a Panama City home or condo, contact me directly (850) 774-6582 for the latest information and pricing on any of the Panama City homes sale.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Panama City Real Estate | Florida

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As a moving company with over 75 years of experience North American, has seen it all. If you want peace of mind on moving day here are five things we think you should never move without.

1. A Bright Tote Box: It’s easy to lose important paperwork, keys, documents and valuables on moving day. Set aside a special ‘moving day’ tote bag or box that is designated for items that need to travel with you. Purchase a box or tote bag that is brightly colored so that it doesn’t get confused with other boxes
2. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner: On moving day it’s important that you make time for meals. Plan ahead so that you don’t skip meals. Even if you’ve hired a moving company to physically move your boxes, it’s important to stay fresh and alert for driving and coordinating box placement.
3. Multi-Colored Sharpies: Keep yourself organized by diligently labeling boxes with multi-colored markers. Think about using one color for each room or area of your house and then adding a detailed description of the boxes’ contents for reference at your destination.
4. H20: Stay hydrated during your move by stocking the fridge at your destination. Not only will you be happy to have water on ice while you unpack, but if you’ve hired movers they’ll be grateful to be offered some water for their hard work.
5. A Floor Plan: Create a rough map of where the furniture should be placed in your new home. This will help your movers, friends or family move furniture to the right place the ‘first’ time. Not only will they be grateful for only having to move your grand piano once, it will help you think through the layout ahead of time.

Now, with these five things and a good mover, you’re ready to face moving day head-on. Just remember to plan, stay organized and take care of yourself on moving day.

Panama City Homes for sale

Owners, put my technology to work for you. If you are interested in selling your home or condo, contact me today (850) 774-6582 for a free no obligation Home value report.

Buyers, when you’re ready to purchase a Panama City home or condo, contact me directly (850) 774-6582 for the latest information and pricing on any of the Panama City homes sale.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Panama City Real Estate | Florida

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Many agents are not familiar with certain aspects pertaining to out of area investors and often forget to pass on vital information for their clients that they as locals take for granted.

For instance, if you’re not from Florida you probably don’t realize that we have termites just like other areas.  However, our termites are burrowing and ground termites which is why you see many houses with siding raised off the ground a few inches.

Here is a short list of “do’s” and “don’t's” for my investor clients…

Do…

• Hire a property manager – If you’re not local, you are going to need someone local to manage your property. Trying to manage your property from a distance is not only difficult, but places your property in a position of not having ready access to emergency repairs as well as general maintenance.  Even if you don’t want to rent your property, for a minimal fee, you can hire a company such as Panama City Real Estate and Property Management, LLC to look in on the property every few weeks and give you peace of mind.
• Turn off the water - If you use your investment both for yourself as well as income property, remember to turn off the water when leaving from your vacation.  You don’t want to come back to your vacation property to find a water heater has failed or a pipe has leaked and flooded the property.
• Leave the electricity on – A light on will often discourage unsavory types from attempting to enter your property.  You can purchase timed, automatic switches which will turn on and off lights at various times during the day and evening to give the property the illusion of being “lived in”.
• Set the thermostat – In the summer, I recommend setting your thermostat to 82-85 degrees.  In Florida, the summer temperatures and humidity can get very high.  Leaving your thermostat set will help keep mold from taking hold in your investment property.  During the winter, you can set the thermostat to 55-62 degrees to help keep the interior and pipes from getting to cold.

There are many more do’s, all of which investors should be aware.   From plumbing issues, to landscaping and gardening to emergency procedures.

Don’t…

• Tell strangers you’re only here for a week – Unsavory types can be found everywhere and our area is no different.  While Panama City is a friendly city in general, telling complete strangers that you own a property and only use it a few weeks out of the year is inviting trouble.  This is another great reason to have a property management company looking after your investment.
• Forget to lock the doors – Often, vacationer’s have such a wonderful time that when leaving they forget to lock up the property for their next visit.  Remember to lock all the doors and windows when you leave your vacation property.
• Leave food out – Leaving food outside invites the feral community to come and feast on your goodies.  The last thing you want is to come back to your property and find a family of feral animals under or in your property.
• Leave perishables in the pantry – Remember to remove perishable items from your pantry and refrigerator prior to closing down the property.

There are more don’ts, that can help protect your investment which we provide to all our customers.  At JenniferMackay.com and Panama City Real Estate – we are very aware that not all our clients live local and are not familiar with issues locals take fro granted.

We’re here to not only help you purchase investment property, but also to help protect your property from unneeded and unwarranted damage.

For additional information about protecting your investment, Contact me today (850) 774.6582.

Panama City Real Estate Investments

When you’re looking for an agent with experience and knowledge in commercial, residential, condo and income property investments in Panama City Real Estate, the Panama City Real Estate team is here to help.

With over 30 combined years of experience we have the information you need to make a sound investment decision. Contact me today (850) 774.6582 and find out why we are one of the leading Panama City Real Estate investment teams in the area.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Panama City Real Estate | Florida

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A VA home loan affords the average veteran an opportunity to purchase their own home, making it possible for them be able to afford the American dream of home ownership. A VA loan is designed as a long term loan instrument, at a much lower rate of interest, and in some cases allows veterans to make these purchases without a down payment. As long as the veteran is able to meet certain criteria set forth by the VA, they will have these types of loans made available to them. The following criteria will determine if a veteran will be able to qualify for a home loan…

• Veterans
• Qualifying Widows
• Active duty personal
• Reservists and National Guard members

After the veteran is approved for a loan, then they will need to obtain what is called a Certificate of Eligibility. Without this certificate, the veteran will not be able to obtain financing through any banking or mortgage institution. There are three different avenues for the veteran to take to obtain a certificate of eligibility including applying online, applying by mail and making an application through the actual lending institution itself.The total amount that a veteran can apply for when shopping around for a first home, is upwards of $400,000 dollars. This amount varies by state so you will want to contact your local VA center and determine the maximum amount that will be available to you for the purpose of your home loan.

As long as a veteran is pre-qualified for a home loan, the VA works with a local bank, Mortgage Company or other financial institution to help facilitate the home loan for the veteran. The VA is not actually providing the home loan funds to the veteran, but rather securing the loan so that the institution that is actually providing the loan for the veteran has the guarantee of the government behind the loan in case the veteran defaults for any reason.
One of the advantages of obtaining a loan through the VA is their pre-purchase counseling. This is a way for the VA to work with the potential home buyer to help educate them about all the particulars of the loan including such things as the actual buying process, managing your debt load, and who everyone involved in the actual buying process are and what their roles are in relation to helping you make the actual home purchase.

Closing costs associated with a VA loan are minimal at best. The veteran will not need any kind of a down payment and while the costs associated with the closing of this type of mortgage usually fall somewhere in the range of 3 to 5 percent of the loan. But a great thing with this kind of loan is that the VA actually allows the seller to pay for the closing costs up to a maximum amount of 6 percent of the total closing costs for the loan. And one other thing that is a definite advantage for the veteran looking to purchase a home is that they will not have to carry mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance adds a significant amount of money to the monthly payment due on a mortgage every month.

About the author – Tim Ryan specializes in helping buyers find great deals on Naples foreclosures. Tim also offers Naples property management to homeowners.

Buyers, when you’re ready to purchase a Panama City home or condo, contact me directly (850) 774-6582 for the latest information and pricing on any of the Panama City homes sale.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Panama City Real Estate | Florida

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To assist my customers and visitors, I’ve provided a new article: 20 Real Estate Terms Every Home Buyer Should Know.

Here are the first few terms from this article:

1. Acceleration clause
   A provision statement in a mortgage or loan document that gives the lender the right to demand payment of the entire principal balance if a monthly payment is missed.
2. Adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM)
   A type of mortgage that permits the lender to adjust the mortgage’s interest rate periodically on the basis of changes in a specified index. Interest rates may move up or down, as market conditions change.
3. AmortizationThe gradual repayment of a mortgage loan by installments.
4. Annual percentage rate (APR)The cost of a mortgage stated as a annual rate; which may include such items as interest, mortgage insurance and loan origination fee (points).
5. AppraisalA written analysis of the estimated value of a property prepared by a qualified appraiser.
6. ClosingA meeting at which a sale of a property is finalized by the buyer signing the mortgage documents and paying closing costs. Also called “settlement.” At this meeting, ownership of the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer.
7. Closing costsExpenses (over and above the price of the property) incurred by buyers and sellers in transferring ownership of a property. Closing costs normally include an origination fee, an attorney’s fee, taxes, an amount placed in escrow and charges for obtaining title insurance and a survey. Closing costs percentage will vary according to the area of the country.  Lenders or REALTORS® often provide estimates of closing costs to prospective homebuyers.

Read the entire 20 Real Estate Terms Every Home Buyer Should Know article here.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Panama City Real Estate | Florida

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The Senate has amended a bill to give homebuyers who were under contract on a home purchase by April 30 an additional three months to close the deal and claim the federal homebuyer tax credit.

Extending the deadline for closing from June 30 to Sept. 30 would allow lenders more time to clear a backlog of 180,000 homebuyers nationwide, said amendment sponsor Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The amendment to HR 4213, the “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010″ — which primarily extends unemployment insurance benefits — was approved in a 60-37 vote Wednesday. The vote on the amendment was mostly along party lines, with only four Republicans in favor and one Democrat opposed. The Senate has not yet voted on the amended bill itself.

Read more here.

Panama City Beach Condos for sale

Owners, put my technology to work for you.  If you are interested in selling your home or condo, contact me today (850) 774-6582 for a free no obligation Home value report.

Buyers, when you’re ready to purchase a Panama City Beach Gulf or Bay front condo for your vacation home, contact me directly (850) 774-6582 for the latest information and pricing on any of the Panama City Beach condos for sale.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Florida Real Estate | Panama City

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On April 21st, $694,119,068 of additional funding is now available for selected counties designated as disaster areas by FEMA in the country.   Florida has 20 counties that have received $129,202,000.  These counties are…Bay, Brevard, Collier, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Glades, Gulf, Hendry, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla and Walton.

Want to know more about Rural funding?

Contact me today (850) 774-6582 for more information about this another loan programs available.

Owners, put my technology to work for you.  If you are interested in selling your home or condo, contact me today (850) 774-6582 for a free no obligation Home value report.

Buyers, when you’re ready to purchase a Panama City home or condo, contact me directly (850) 774-6582 for the latest information and pricing on any of the Panama City homes sale.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Panama City Real Estate | Florida

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We pride ourselves on our customer service, award winning website and being the technology leader in our market area.

I would like to take a moment to thank the team for being the leading sales team by volume and units sold!

You’ve all done an outstanding job working with our customers, providing them the tools and information needed for each of them to make their Panama City real estate purchase successful and as stress free as possible.

Well done everyone and keep up the great work!

If you are a licensed real estate agent and would like to join our award winning Panama City Real Estate team, why wait?.  Contact me today (850) 774.6582 and learn how we can help you take your real estate career to the next level.

Jennifer Mackay
850-774-6582
Panama City Real Estate | Florida

“Liked this post? Subscribe to my Panama City Real Estate blog RSS feed and get loads more!”

Owners, put my technology to work for you.  If you are interested in selling your home or condo, contact me today (850) 774-6582 for a free no obligation Home value report.

Buyers, when you’re ready to purchase a Panama City home or condo, contact me directly (850) 774-6582 for the latest information and pricing on any of the Panama City homes sale.