The most interesting part of this survey for us is that the Bradenton/Sarasota area makes the third place for the most frequently reported location of a home purchase after the Miami-Fort Lauderdale and the Orlando-Kissimmee areas. If you take in consideration that our area is much smaller than the Miami or Orlando area, this news is even more significant.

The buyers who bought property in Bradenton and Sarasota were mostly from Western Europe (44 %) and Canada (44 %). This survey shows how important international buyers are for our local market. “For home sellers it is extremely important that their property gets enough exposure on the international market. International Marketing can be the difference between selling or not selling their homes”, according to Weiss.

According to the survey foreign-born Realtors are more likely to work with international clients than U.S.-born Realtors. Foreign buyers often feel more confident when working with Realtors from their home country.

The reason for the increasing interest of foreign buyers in Florida properties can be seen in the falling value of the U.S. dollar relative to major world currencies during the past several years. As a result the cost of Florda property, priced in dollars, is much lower when converted to the buyer´s home country currency. From the percpective of foreign buyers Florida real estate is effectively on sale.

With the Canadian dollar hovering around par with the U.S. dollar, buying Florida homes seems to be a nice investment for many Canadians (The Canadian dollar was worth only 80 cents three years ago). Also Canadians benefit from a continued strong housing market and increasing home equity.

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, overall home prices grew 11 percent in 2007 to an average of $307,265, and they are expected to rise an additional 5.3 percent in 2008.

A Canadian bank has also made it easier to secure a mortgage. It set up a program that allows Canadians to buy U.S. property worth up to $2 million with a down payment of less than 25 percent!

The responsible local Real Estate company for this auction was Sky Sotheby’s Realty of Sarasota. The auction was overseen by Daniel DeCaro Real Estate Auctions Inc.

Some noticeable outcome:

1522 & 1538 N Casey Key Road
8 Bedroom(s) | 10 Full Bath(s) | 0 Half Bath(s) | 11748 sq. ft.
Offered for $20,035,000
Sold for $14,000,000

We compile a sale to listing price ratio: 69%

120 Osprey Point Drive
6 Bedroom(s) | 7 Full Bath(s) | 2 Half Bath(s) | 11759 sq. ft.
Offered for $8,900,000
Sold for $ 6,100,000

Sale to listing price ratio: 68%

204 Bird Key Drive
5 Bedroom(s) | 5 Full Bath(s) | 1 Half Bath(s) | 8071 sq. ft.
Offered for $7,900,000
Sold for less than $4,200,000

Sale to listing price ratio: 53%

Lake Vista Condos, Lakewood Ranch
3 Bedroom(s) | 2 Full Bath(s) | 1 Half Bath(s) | 2000 sq. ft.
Offered for $600,000.
Sold for $200,000

Sale to listing price ratio: 33%

Sarasota’s Westwater construction had 6 properties sold at an average of 60% of listing price.

The Sarasota Herald titles: “The auction achieved neither of its goals — pulling in $200 million and selling all 79 homes and lots — but Sky Sotheby’s and DeCaro Real Estate called the auction “record-breaking”"

Chad Roffers of Sky Sotheby’s says to the Bradenton Herald: “In some cases, the auction may bring prices back down to levels not seen since the 1990s.”

RE auctions are usually subject to regular Real Estate commissions in additon to the auctioneer’s commission which is up to 10%. So the final net proceeds for the sellers are usually significantly lower at an auction.

Our opinion:
We at Weiss & Weiss International, Axel & Bea Weiss provide an unique international marketing approach within the Bradenton / Sarasota area. In contrary to anonymous, large franchised companies, we deal directly with Real Estate Professionals from all over the world and market the properties directly to the prospective sellers. Of course for prospective buyers auctions like this give an opportunity for getting a good deal.

For sellers instead, this is not the way we would recommend. Real Estate auction companies have offered their services to us in the past. We have never seen an advantage for our clients in this. Although the auction companies always protect the broker’s commission (which is fast money for the broker), the additonal auction commission implies a serious disadvantage to the sellers.

We think transactions should be a WIN-WIN situation for all parties involved, so should prospective sellers when considering putting a property to an auction.

Owners of condominiums now fear, that it will be even harder to find a buyer. With to much inventory on the market it hurts if the board is cutting out a big part of potential buyers.

If you struggle to sell your condo, please pick up your phone and give us a call @ 941.866.1666. We will market your home to our qualified local and international buyers.

All real estate is local. That is the mantra for most real estate professionals. But not all buyers are local.

Did you know that

- 15 % of Florida Homes are purchased by Internationals?

- International Buyers spend 50 % more per home?

Nevertheless, according to the 2007 National Association of Realtors Member Profile, two third of Realtors had no business at all with international clients in 2006. Obviously this results in a lack of experience with international transactions.

International and out-of-state buyers are the buyers who drive our market today.

We know the differences and challanges in international transactions!

We actively attract international and out-of-state buyers instead of waiting for them to come to us.

With our strong connections throughout the US, to Europe, Asia and South America, we have established a broad network of phenomenal contacts and clients.

When you list your home with us, it is presented to prospective buyers from all over the world in addition to the local market.

Our goal is to sell your house the best and fastest way.

The combination of German precision, European quality and Floridian Lifestyle creates something unique - just for you.

This is the “International Advantage” we offer to our clients!

For most couples the family home is the largest asset they will have to divide in their divorce. Neutral and independent advise serves the interest of all parties during a divorce. You need to make good decisions in a bad time.

We can help to make the sale of your home more comfortable by performing the following important functions:
 
Setting the Price

We will propose an asking price and marketing plan based our neutral, independent expert assessment without prejudice against you or your spouse. With an neutral expert, it will be a lot easier for you and your spouse to find an agreement.
 
Preparing the House for Sale

We are experts in suggesting cost-effective strategies to present your house at its best. We will assist you in finding an agreement about who is responsible for doing repairs, cleaning up and make the home ready for a fast sale.
         
Marketing the House

Selling a home on your own usually is difficult - but it´s almost impossible for a couple going through divorce. You would have to make many decisions about marketing, expenses and much more. We know how to do the job - and get your home sold fast.

Negotiate a contract

Again - we are a neutral, independent experts. It is easier to have a neutral party involved than dealing with two lawyers who work for one side each.
 
Closing the Deal

A signed agreement is only the beginning of another process. We will be working with you to obtain all required documents and take care of all pre-closing details. We will guide you through the entire process of the sale of your home from listing to closing.

If we can help you with the sale of your house - please give us a call @ 941.866.1666.

The first difficulty can come with pricing your property realistically. Homeowners often price their property too high initially, then, in a panic, drastically slash the price. Even if a buyer agrees to the initial asking price, there could be trouble if the buyers begin to feel that they have agreed to pay too much or if the lender’s appraisal values the property at far less than the agreed-upon price.

The overwhelming majority of homes that sell are listed with a real estate agent (90%), so you will be going against significant odds if you decide to sell your own home. The experience of a real estate professional may get you a better price and help you to avoid all the “little” things that can go wrong in a real estate transaction.

When you list with a real estate professional, you are not paying for any of the marketing. You pay NOTHING until your home sells. A lot of For Sale By Owner’s end up paying for their own marketing out of pocket, taking the time to do it on their own, deal with strangers, and THEN finally turn to a professional to complete the job.

List before you spend. You lose nothing if your agent doesn’t sell it.

The desire to “save” the commission on a property is the reason most people decide not to work with a real estate agent. Prospective buyers who look for properties that are “For Sale By Owner” (FSBOs) are also wanting to avoid the commission–and to get a less-than-market-value deal. So both sides in the transaction are looking to save the same money! However, nothing is saved in the majority of FSBO’s.

If you are not skilled in the area of negotiations or writing binding business contracts you may end up actually selling for less, having your transaction fail, or worse yet ending up with a legal or financial liability because you made a mistake. Furthermore, if the buyer brings their own representation and you have none, you stand a good chance of getting the worst side of the deal.

Listing your home with a real estate professional can save you money, spare you the inconvenience of showing your home, and save you the time you would spend talking to buyers who could not qualify for a loan.

Every seller wants to get the best price for his home. But ironically, the best way to do this is not to list your home at an excessively high price! A high listing price will cause some prospective buyers to lose interest before even seeing your property. When the listing price is above market value, the price alone discourages buyers. An overpriced house scares away potential buyers who think they can´t even afford to look.

We will be glad to provide you with a free market analysis of your home to determine the current market value of your home!

Not preparing your home for Sale

It´s a competitive market, and only few buyers are interested in a handyman special. Most buyers are not willing to do extensive repairs and will subtract the cost of the needed repairs from their offering price.

Buyers want an inviting home in move-in condition that shows like a model home. The home needs to be made as presentable and as pleasant as possible when attempting to sell to prospective buyers.

Ask us which renovations pay off and how to bring your home in top showing condition!

Hiring the wrong agent

The agent who is innovative and willing to offer new strategies for attracting home buyers will always outperform the agents who rely on traditional methods.

We offer a wide range of marketing methods. In addition to our outstanding local marketing, we also offer international marketing for our listings!

Not providing proper access to a home

If buyers and their real estate agents don?t have proper access to your home, they won´t see it and won´t make an offer. It´s important for sellers to be flexible in allowing home showings to be scheduled.

Getting involved in home showings

When buyers and their agents are looking at a home, they want to feel comfortable to check things out and discuss features without the homeowner lingering nearby. It´s usually best if the homeowner leaves the home during a showing, or at least remains inconspicuous. And if you have pets, it´s a good idea to not have them in the house during a showing.

Do it yourself

It is not unusual for homeowners to yield to the temptation to try to sell their own home. But to be true: without a professional advisor, you probably won´t sell. Even if you do sell, studies show that “For Sale By Owners” often net less from the sale than sellers who use a real estate agent. A Real Estate Agent does a lot more than most people know from bringing qualified buyers, to keeping things on track to settlement.

Not taking the first offer

Two out of three times the first offer is YOUR best offer!

Call us today to discuss the sale of your home!

Here are some tips to getting prepared for showing:

Clean up your house 

Give your house the model-home treatment. No one wants to buy a dirty or cluttered home and no buyer wants to walk through one either. Do a vacuuming of the entire house. Clear the clutter on the kitchen counter, bathroom sink, coffee table and couches. Make all the beds. Clean all your bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Finally, take out the garbage.

Wash Windows 

Brighten the rooms by cleaning the windows, opening the drapes and turning on the lights.

Remove extra furniture and personal items 

You want your home to look spacious, not cluttered. So remove all furniture which make the rooms look smaller.

Put away family photos, sports trophies, collectible items and souvenirs. You want buyers to view the house as their potential home. When a potential homebuyer sees your personal items, it puts your own brand on the home and shatters their illusions about living in the house themselves.

Make basic repairs 

Perhaps a room needs is new paint; or window treatments or light fixtures. If painting is necessary, do not choose colors based on your own preferences, but based on what would appeal to the widest possible number of buyers.

Take extra care of defects in the kitchen, the bathrooms and the master bedroom.

But do not do anything too expensive. Remember that part of selling a house is also preparing to buy your next home.

Pets  

If you have pets, find a safe place to keep them during a house showing.

Vacuum the home to remove pet hair. Most importantly, you should always clean out the litter box before showing your home and put away any pet dishes.

Refresh your home exterior  

Many buyers form their opinion about your home within the first 20 seconds of seeing it. That means your home’s “curb appeal’ is very important.

Keep your lawn trimmed and the weeds tamed. Put away the garden tools.

By re-painting or re-staining the front of your home, especially your front door, it will give the entire house a fresh, new look.

Now leave the work to us! Try to leave home before a showing. If you are at home, greet the potential buyers at the door before politely excusing yourself. Buying a house is an emotional decision. It´s easier for buyers to imagine themselves living in the house when you?re not there.

Ask the Realtors of your choice about their marketing plan and decide on hiring the realtor you feel comfortable with.

Don’t forget to ask about their international model as up to 50% of potential buyers might be out of State and up to 15% out of country.

Sign the listing agreement

The listing agreement is the written contract where by a property owner hires a real estate broker to market real property and provide services. A listing contract describes the property (address and legal description), the listing price and the terms that are acceptable to the seller.

Our listing agreements are typically 6 months.

Detailed house tour

We will take a tour and collect information to be used in sales material. Beside this we will advise you on repairs or improvements to present your house at its best and maximize its selling price.

We will take professional photographs of the exterior and interior of your home to be placed on MLS and numerous websites.

At this point you will provide the completed property disclosure forms and inform us about any issues or recent repairs.

Pricing

We will help you to determine the fair market value of your home by preparing a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that will compare your home’s value to that of your neighbors and other similar properties in your area.

Naturally, you want top dollar for your home, but, it is also important not to overprice. Overpricing will scare off buyers and may cause your property to sit on the market for months. Ultimately, many overpriced properties sell below market value.

To determine the best asking price, we review the cost of recently sold homes, evaluate the competition and study marketplace trends.

Marketing - Local and International

After all we will put the house on the market and start aggressive marketing to let people know your house is available.

If you really want to sell your home, there is one important factor to consider:

15 % of Florida Homes are purchased by Internationals

This number must be considered when marketing your home. As we are Germans we know the European market well, so we can market your property not only here in the United States but also overseas. Our outstanding international marketing will open up this additional market for you!

Together with our excellent local marketing and our international network of Real Estate Professionals your home gets the best exposure on the market:

We will list the property in the Multiple Listing Service, where other Real Estate Agents who present potential buyers become aware of its availability.

We will expose the property through our all of our websites.

We will place our distinctive For Sale sign on your property along with a brochure box for detailed information for prospective buyers

Our website will market your property all across the web and all over the world. Since most buyers start their property search online this way to present your property is very effective.

We will advertise in local as well as overseas publications. As we are from Europe we have the knowledge to open an addtional market with lots of opportunities!

We will prepare custom flyers which communicate the selling feature of your home and make these available inside and outside of your home.

We will place a lock box on the property, so that REALTORS will gain access to your home through the lock box and an extra key.

We will present your home to as many qualified buyers as possible thus getting your home maximum exposure.

We will screen qualified buyers and coordinating showings.

You will get the service many Realtors provide and much more!

Communication

We will communicate with you on a regular schedule and keep you fully informed of the whole sales process. You decide how to be contacted (phone, email, mail). Furthermore we provide online statistics and give advise on the furture marketing model.

Negotiation

We will negotiate the transactions and finalizing the terms of the sale contract. We will complete all documentation and ensure that you understand the process and your rights. We follow up on all aspects of the sale till closing.

Closing

Together we did it!

Congratulations to you and to us.

But our support will not stop! We will follow up and would appreciate to do business with you or your family members in future.