New from Regler Real Estate...

Is Now The Right Time To Buy In SW Florida? Trick question! The answer is always a resounding "yes!" In SW Florida, single family homes continue to sell well and at fair prices. Is it the boating and beaches? Is it the relaxed pace of life under ever-sunny skies? Is it the close proximity to yours truly? Who can say? But don't take my word for it; let the numbers speak for themselves! May 2024 - Single Family Homes Are you ready to take the leap? Maybe you have a few more questions? Call me!

  For most of us, the sale or purchase of our home will be the largest transaction we ever undertake. Choosing the real estate professional who will guide us through that process can be an intimidating prospect. How can we be sure the person we choose is well qualified? Below are a few questions you can ask potential agents, courtesy of Realtor.com. Their answers will allow you to gauge their experience, industry knowledge, and familiarity with your area. Additionally, how they respond to being questioned will give you an idea of what it will be like to work with them. How long have you been a Realtor ® ? Look for someone with a few years in the business. Willing to try a rookie? Ask if they'll receive hands-on help from a broker. What neighborhoods do you specialize in? They should be familiar with area home prices, schools, safety, public transportation, and cultural amenities. What is your schedule and availability? Whether full-time or part-time, your Real...

  Florida is once again stepping up to support residents who devote their time and their lives to serving the community they live in, by offering assistance as they pursue their dreams of home ownership. If you or someone you know is a member of the armed forces, a qualified first responder, an educator, or a member of any other  elligible profession , assistance is available! In this short video,  Tim Hart  of  VanDyk Mortgage  explains what's new this year, and how you can benefit from the Hometown Heroes Loan Program. Would you like to learn more about how the Hometown Heroes Program can help you?  Call me today!

  Are big investors really buying up all the homes today? If you're trying to find a house to buy, this may be something you're wondering about. Maybe you've read about it or seen reels on social media saying investors buying all the homes is making it even harder to find what the average buyer is looking for. But spoiler alert - there's a lot of misinformation out there. To clear things up, here's the scoop on what's really happening. A lot of the big investor activity is actually in the rearview mirror already. The  Wall Street Journal  (WSJ)  explains : "Investors of all sizes spent billions of dollars buying homes during the pandemic. At the 2022 peak, they bought more than one in every four single-family homes sold, though more recently their activity has slowed as interest rates rose and supply became tighter." The key here is investor activity has slowed significantly, and even during the peak of investor buying, 3 out of every 4 single-family h...

May this Memorial Day find you grateful... ...and leave you inspired.

...and how will it impact your home purchase? Smart home buyers and sellers look for every possible advantage when negotiating the purchase of a home. What if there were an advantage that would benefit everyone? We've asked the professionals at Barfield Insurance to step in this week to explain how a transferable flood insurance policy makes a home more appealing by significantly reducing buyer costs: It's no secret that the insurance marketplace in Florida can be difficult to navigate. That's why it's important to work with professionals who understand the different tools available for you to use to keep your insurance costs affordable. One of these techniques has to do with the assumption of flood insurance policies. First, some background. All homes are either in a low-risk flood zone or a high-risk flood zone. If you plan to have a mortgage on your home and the home is in a high-risk flood zone, you will be required to purchase a flood insurance policy. When choosin...

  If you've got a move on your mind, you may be wondering whether you should wait until mortgage rates come down before you spring into action. Here's some information that could help answer that question for you. In the housing market, there's a longstanding relationship between mortgage rates and buyer demand. Typically, the higher rates are, you'll see lower buyer demand. That's because some people who want to buy a home will be hesitant to take on a higher mortgage rate. So, they decide to wait it out and put their plans on hold. But when rates start to come down, things change. It goes from limited or weak demand to good or strong demand. That's because a big portion of the buyers who sat on the sidelines when rates were higher are going to jump back in and make their moves happen. The graph below helps give you a visual of how this relationship works and where we are today: As Lisa Sturtevant, Chief Economist for  Bright MLS , explains: "The higher ra...

The blue skies and warm breezes of sunny SW Florida are no secret. Our waters are ideal for  sport fishing , our beaches plentiful for  shell hunting , and our 400 hundred miles of canals invite  kayakers  to glide through them while admiring the backyards they beautify. Did you know we offer a paradise for gardeners as well? Seated comfortably in Hardiness Zone 10a, we can grow almost anything! From strawberries to orchids, our gardens are overflowing with lush greenery, brilliant flowers, and delicious fruit. And nowhere is that more on display than the  Naples Botanical Garden . Founded by local plant enthusiasts in 1993, the Naples Botanical Garden sits only a few miles from downtown Naples and stretches over 170 acres. You'll find an  orchid garden , a  succulent garden , and a rich  Caribbean garden . There is a calming  water garden  that hosts live music and a 90 acre  preserve  that attracts more than 200 bird species....

You may have heard headlines in the news lately about agents in the real estate industry and discussions about their commissions. And if you're following along, it can be pretty confusing. But here's the thing you really need to know - expert advice from a trusted real estate agent is priceless, now more than ever. And here's why. A real estate agent does a lot more than you may realize. Your agent is the person who will guide you through every step when buying a home and look out for your best interests along the way. They smooth out a complex process and take away the bulk of the stress of what's likely your largest purchase ever. And that's exactly what you want and deserve. This is at least a part of the reason why a recent survey from  Bright MLS  found an overwhelming majority of people agree an agent is a key part of the homebuying process (see visual below): To give you a better idea of just a few of the top ways agents add value, check out this list. 1. Del...

One of the biggest hurdles buyers have faced over the past few years has been a lack of homes available for sale. But that's starting to change. The graph below uses the latest data from  Realtor.com  to show there are more homes on the market in 2024 than there have been in any of the past several years (2021-2023): Does That Mean Finding a Home Is Easier? The answer is yes, and no. As an article from  Realtor.com   says : "There were nearly 15% more homes for sale in February than a year earlier ... That alone could jolt the housing market a bit if more "For Sale" signs continue to appear.  However, the nation is still suffering from a housing shortage even with all of that new inventory. " Context is important. On the one hand, inventory is up over the past few years. That means you'll likely have more options to choose from as you search for your next home. But, at the same time, the graph above also shows there are still significantly fewer homes for sa...