Cape Coral Real Estate Information, Lee County Real Estate – Florida

The beauty of building a new home is that you can dictate every detail of the design, customized exactly how you want. This can be your chance to have a “dream home!” But where do you start?

This is the fifth tip in What’s New in New Construction: 12 Tips for Building a Home in Southwest Florida Today, a free eBook.

Every new home begins with a plan. Some people hire an architect to create a custom design. Others purchase stock plans from a building plans publisher. So, how do you know which option is right for you? Try these suggestions to help you determine the best course of action:

Browse the Web
Just do an online search for “home plans” and you’ll find hundreds of websites that can help you get started with your home plan. These sites have powerful search engines that allow you to search by broad styles, as well as put in detailed information about the style and size of the home you’re looking for. You can browse through plans until you find one that is the “perfect fit”. These plans include floor plans and elevation drawings. Once you find the one you like, simply click on the link to order the plan, and you’ll be sent the the complete construction drawings. Once you have those, just hand it over to your builder, and you’re off and running!

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Before you begin building your house, you will need a place to build it. Buying vacant land is an exciting process in itself. You can look at an empty stretch of land, and begin to visualize it coming to life with your dream home sitting upon it.

In Southwest Florida, there is an amazing selection of waterfront property available right now, which is quickly rising in value. People can affordably build on all types of waterfront, from canals to rivers and bays.

This is the fourth tip in What’s New in New Construction: 12 Tips for Building a Home in Southwest Florida Today, a free eBook.

How to find a lot

Having an idea of the architectural style you prefer will help you determine the size and characteristics of your building lot.

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Much like buying a home, building a home requires you to either pay for it outright or get a loan. Here is how construction financing works today:

Financing construction involves obtaining a construction loan from a lending institution. Construction loans are usually considered short term financing. Once the construction project is completed, the loan is typically converted into a permanent mortgage loan.

This is the third tip in What’s New in New Construction: 12 Tips for Building a Home in Southwest Florida Today, a free eBook.

Qualifying for a construction loan

Construction loans may be harder to qualify for than a traditional loan. This is because the bank has no collateral in the transaction—the proceeds of the loan aren’t used to buy a finished product. As a result, construction loans are typically interest-only. They usually have a term of one year or less and a higher interest rate to reflect the higher risk of loaning money without a finished product.

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The inventory of new homes in Southwest Florida is extremely low right now. Why? The rate of foreclosures is almost half of what it was a few years ago. In addition, we’ve seen a large increase in home sales. As the economy improves and interest rates remain low, people are more motivated to buy property.

This is the second tip in What’s New in New Construction: 12 Tips for Building a Home in Southwest Florida Today, a free eBook.

Your home is your most valuable asset, both financially and sentimentally. Your new home is the place you will be starting the next stage of your life. You shouldn’t settle for anything less than exactly what you want in a home, and exactly where you would like to live. If you can’t find your ideal home, don’t buy. Instead, consider building a home that’s perfect for you.

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In Southwest Florida, the new construction of homes dwindled to next to nothing after 2007. As a result, the inventory of “new” homes may actually be 7 years old. What does this mean for you? It means that many of the new homes on the market are now susceptible to many of the issues that can affect older homes.

New homes provide benefits such as:

• Lower Maintenance
• Energy efficiency
• Impact windows and doors
• New appliances under warranty

Air Conditioning Units
An average A/C unit lasts 12-18 years. A unit that has that has been exposed to the elements, or sitting dormant for seven years is much more likely to have issues and may even need to be replaced. The energy efficiency of the A/C units from seven years ago is also lower than the efficiency of a newer unit, so your electric bill may be a bit higher.

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If you’ve been looking to buy a new home recently, you may be disappointed. There aren’t many old homes for sale, and many “new” homes were built as long ago as 2007.

Are you feeling like you’re out of options? Is new construction really a good choice right now?

I understand your desire to get exactly the home you’re looking for! You probably want it to be in the right neighborhood, up to date, and priced right. You might also have questions about how to go about building a home, to see if that’s the right option for you.

I’ve talked to lots of people who wanted to build a new home but didn’t know where to start. They told me about the high-pressure sales tactics they endured when they visited a home builder to shop around. They wanted to know what to keep an eye out for as they searched and compared.

So I wrote this free eBook, What’s New in New Construction: 12 Tips for Building a Home in Southwest Florida Today, to help anyone who is thinking of building a new home. In it, you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions:

• Why build new instead of buy old?
• How does construction financing work?
• How do I find and buy an empty lot?
• How do I make smart design decisions?
• What costs do I need to be aware of?
• How can I save money during the process?
• How do I choose a builder?
• Do I need a real estate agent, or should I deal directly with a builder?
• How should I negotiate the builder contract?
• What new building codes will affect me?
• How long will it take to build a home?

Get your free copy today!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my latest series of blog posts covering 12 Tips on How to Sell Your Home Fast!

Sometimes life presents a change–a new job, a retirement, a marriage, a death in the family–that leaves you with a house to sell. If you don’t want to rent it, and you don’t want to keep paying to maintain it, selling it may be your best option. But what should you do first? How do you get the best price without having to wait too long?

I’ve helped a lot of people through the home sale process. I know the frustrations and fears and how to make things go smoothly. I’ve condensed this knowledge into twelve tips, each with a short video, showing you how best to sell your home:

1. Choosing a Cape Coral Realtor
2. What to Expect During Your Listing Appointment
3. Selling a Home in Cape Coral? Make Sure to Examine the Terms of Your Listing Agreement
4. Setting the Right Price When Selling Your Fort Myers Home
5. Market Your Home to Sell
6. Staging Your Home to Sell
7. What Are the Real Estate Agent’s Duties?
8. How to Show Your Home
9. What to Expect after Your Home Is Shown
10. Negotiating the Sale & Contingencies
11. Preparing for a Home Inspection & Appraisal
12. Preparing for Your Real Estate Closing

You can also download them all in one free eBook: 12 Tips on How to Sell Your Home Fast or watch all the videos on YouTube.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me!

This is the last of 12 Tips on How to Sell Your Home Fast, which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Congratulations! You’re ready to finish the home sale. If all has gone according to plan, you have sold your home quickly and are ready to move on.

The process of closing the deal on a real estate transaction can be complicated, but with the right real estate agent, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you followed the first tips in our blog, you chose an experienced, professional real estate agent who was comfortable answering all of your questions. During the closing, you will need to rely on your agent once again to lead you through the steps.

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This is the eleventh of 12 Tips on How to Sell Your Home Fast, which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

When you get one or more offers on your home, it’s important for your real estate agent to carefully review the offer and explain the contingencies that it may include.

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This is the tenth of 12 Tips on How to Sell Your Home Fast, which can be downloaded from our free eBook library.

When you get one or more offers on your home, it’s important for your real estate agent to carefully review the offer and explain the contingencies that it may include.

Read the rest of this entry »