Checking Your Homes Value Can Lead to a Fun Trip Through Memory Lane

Checking Your Homes Value Can Lead to a Fun Trip Through Memory Lane Recently researching for a blog I was writing about home values, I ran across a number of websites that will give you the value of a home you are interested in. You simply enter the address and within seconds you have the home’s value. It is pretty amazing and helped with my research project, but I am sure like many of us tooling around the internet, we become victim to distractions. And how easy it is to be distracted by these sites. I was looking at Zillow.com to check the value of a property I am interested in. Well, one thing lead to another and I was entering an address, where I spent my formative years. We moved out west from New York in 1960, along with countless other families seeking warm weather and a booming area. My parents selected a brand new ranch home in the San Fernando Valley. The property was once owned by movie star legends Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor. It was a tract of land carved out of their ranch. Their home was a short distance away for awhile, but they soon sold out to big development. But I do remember seeing the home, and how my mother would tell me every time we passed who lived there, etc. etc. The price I recall for our modest, but brand new home was around $24,000 plus a pool which at that time was to the best of my recollection $2,000. I was only 7 at the time, but these numbers seem to have stayed with me as did the address. I enter the address and lo and behold the house pops up, a hybrid aerial, but very detailed. And the memories came flooding along with the warm feelings of youth and innocence. There was the pool we swam in almost daily for the 6 years we lived there, and the mound where my dog would bury potato chips after licking the salt from each wet and wilted chip. There were our neighbors’ houses. On one side was a character actor, although dead now for many years, I still see him every so often on vintage movies or an old episode of Twilight Zone. And on the other side lived the brother of Cubby, the youngest mousketeer from the original Mickey Mouse Club. Living there was the best of times,it was the longest we ever lived in one house, and the memories are with me forever. Anyway the house is now worth $500,000 and still, at least from the overhead looks very nice. After tearing myself away from the old neighborhood, I got back on track and finished my blog. It was a very enjoyable trip to much simpler times. If you are looking to create those future memories for your family visit the website of an award winning builder, Kaye Homes of Southwest Florida, www.kayehomes.com They can help you select your dream home today and start building your family’s dreams of tomorrow. Naples, Florida is the perfect place to raise your family. Its safe and offers its lucky residents clean air, fantastic weather and gorgeous beaches, and Kaye Homes is the perfect homebuilder to make your dream a reality.

“V” is not for Valor, but Value

“V” is not for Valor, but Value Yes, the V-word is perhaps the most important word in any real estate market, but especially in a slower market, as we are experiencing today. Value, more than location is the most important aspect of a housing purchase. Value is defined in the dictionary as “relative worth, merit or importance.” Value is the sum of all the parts of a real estate decision, which involves, location, price, size and quality. A 10 million dollar home can either be a good value or a bad value, it depends on the different factors. The same can be said for a $300,000 home. A $300,000 home on the beach in the United States is most likely an incredible value, where as a 10 million dollar home in an old tired neighborhood could be one of the worst values of all time. I am sure you’ve heard the phrase, location, location, location. In reality the worth of a home is value, value, value. Location is certainly one of the key ingredients, but you can have a good location and a bad value. Appraisers have a list of criteria that enables them to place a value on the home, beyond comparable solds listed in the same neighborhood. I recently asked an appraiser what are the red flags to look out for when shopping for a new home. What adds value to a home and what decreases value. One of the keys is square footage, even if it is an empty room square footage as it relates to other homes in the neighborhood is very significant. Of course the location is important, as comparisons are made to homes within the same neighborhoods. He said if you are looking to purchase a single family home absolutely do not buy across the street or next to multi-family. Today you can check your current home’s value or a new home you are interested in on a number of websites such as Zillow, HomeValueHunt and HomeGain. So, if you are looking for an existing home, this is a great way to start your search For information on brand new existing homes ready for immediate move-in, in the Southwest Florida market, visit the Kaye Homes website at www.kayehomes.com . Kaye Homes has been building homes in the Naples/Ft. Myers market since 1985. They have won numerous awards including a 2008 Pacesetter Award for excellence. Every home built by Kaye Homes is a quality home, where value is paramount, whether you are looking for a million dollar custom home or a $300,000 home.

LAND H0! Why Buying Land is Still a Great Investment

Even in a slow economy and sluggish real estate market, there is still a very sound place to invest, and one that nearly all investors small or large will benefit. The investment of course is land. To quote Mark Twain, “Buy Land. They’re not making any more of it.” Historically land has always been a safe investment, whether purchasing a single homesite or commercial property. Where traditional investments such as stocks and bonds have a historical trend yielding between 4 and 8%, land investors have realized returns of more than 200%. Purchasing a homesite to build on is far less risky than any other real estate purchase, plus it provides a much more flexible approach to reaching that goal of home ownership, and building the home of their choice as opposed to a home someone else built for their family. Also, when purchasing a homesite, the financial terms are typically much more attractive. Kaye Homes, a Naples, Florida based homebuilder is offering large wooded homesites in Naples up to 3 acres in size with some interesting incentives if the buyer chooses Kaye to build their home. They are offering up to 15% down credited to the cost of the new home, they will credit interest paid on financing, and provide low financing. The risk factor comparing a homesite purchase to other real estate opportunities, such as commercial real estate, is very low. Many experts are saying now is the time to invest in land. Whether you plan on building right away, or letting the property grow in equity to build later or to sell, this is a great time to buy land. For information regarding the purchase of a homesite, or homesites in Naples, Floirda visit www.kayehomes.com or call 239- 455- 1007. If you are thinking of building visit the Kaye Homes website for the new collection of 2008 homes.

Population still heading down to Southwest Florida

While heavy rains, flooding and even late March snowfalls continue to plague the Midwest and Northeast, Florida is enjoying perfect weather. Temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s have been the norm nearly all winter, with very low humidity and lots of sunshine. Is it any wonder, Florida continues to be America’s favorite destination. Southwest Florida has enjoyed a 30% population increase according to the latest national census figures, just released, between 2000 and 2007. Projected growth is expected to increase at a steady pace. Florida has the 4th largest population of any state in the United States today. You think climate may be a factor? Of the top 100 fastest growing counties in the U.S. 92 are either Florida counties, or other southern counties, and the remainder are in the west. Interesting, Kaye Homes a Southwest Florida builder, based in Naples, has seen a change in their website traffic. Excluding Florida traffic counts, 4 out of the top 5 are visitors from the Northeast (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts). This is a significant change. Historically visitors to Southwest Florida were primarily from the Midwest, the Interstate 75 corridor (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois). Visitors to Florida’s east coast primarily came from the Northeast, along Interstate 95. This is a very positive and somewhat surprising trend. And what it tells us is that people want a quieter, cleaner, more pristine environment, which is found in the Naples area. Traffic in the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami areas is very congested and folks are just tired of the hustle and bustle of big city life. Southwest Florida offers a very distinctive option to people relocating to the Sunshine State. What all the data is showing is that Americans are still looking for sunshine, a clean, healthy and safe place to live. For more information about Kaye Homes, a custom homebuilder in Naples, Florida please visit http://www.kayehomes.com/ or call 455-1007, to view your next home.