As a local or out of town home buyer, identifying suitable Stuart area property listings can be daunting when it comes to using the myriad of online search tools currently available. Evolving Web 2.0 technologies have made it it easier than ever to learn about, buy, sell, or rent properties. While your search preferences may range,  amongst others,  from Realtor.com, to Zillow or Trulia, each has its pluses and minuses when it comes to finding the right home for you.

I have found the clients I work with typically use several real estate search engines to “triangulate” on properties and areas of interest. My own online home search pages offer a blend of some of the best home search tools currently available to find real estate in Stuart, Florida, including links to our Multiple Listing Service through MLS Homefinder, MapTracks and Listingbook . These tools give you real time access to our MLS.

Online home search tools will generate a number of properties for your consideration. But it is raw data and not always accurate or up to date. That’s when it’s time to involve a local REALTOR®, who can provide expert knowledge of Stuart area homes and neighborhoods and represent you in your transaction (my out of town clients typically forward hundreds of property listings to me every day in order to gain feedback and guidance in selecting the best properties to see when they arrive).

As a Web savvy REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast, I can quickly filter your property selections through our MLS system, providing you with currently available listings. More important, as an agent with local expert knowledge, I will help you see past the “fluff” and recommend homes you will want to visit when it is time to schedule a tour.

This post has been authored by Eric Slifkin, REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast. You can reach me at 888-288-1765, or visit my Web site at www.TreasureCoastHomeSales.com. As your resource for information on new or resale homes throughout the Treasure Coast, please be sure to contact me about any home you may find on the Web, yard sign or ad and I will research the property, arrange showings and handle all the details.

Inside discover the upgraded kitchen equipped with stainless appliances, granite counters, center island and walk-in pantry. Other features include central vacuum, built-in wall units, Saturnia tile in living areas and a luxury master suite with sitting area.

Cobblestone is guard-gated, patrolled and just minutes from I95, Palm City shopping and the new Citrus Grove elementary school. Optional membership to the private Fox Club is available.

Looking for luxury?  Contact Eric Slifkin at 888-288-1765 today!

At a recent “Brokers Open” I was pleasantly surprised to discover that  Centex has devised a whole new series of affordable homes with nine floor plans ranging from 1,698 through 3,300 square feet and priced from $229,990 to $296,990, giving first time home buyers an excellent opportunity to enjoy an upscale lifestyle at affordable prices.

What remains unchanged are the guard gated entry,  lushly landscaped grounds, heated community swimming pool and clubhouse with fitness center and catering facilities.

For first time home buyers seeking value in a luxury community Copperleaf is worth considering. The icing on the cake is its desirable Palm City location, “A” rated Martin County schools and easy access to major highways, shopping and entertainment.

The Violet Floorplan
Starting from $229,990 1,698 Square Feet 3 Bedrooms / 2 Bathrooms
1,698 Square Feet
3 Bedrooms / 2 Bathrooms
2 Car Garage Attached
1 Story
Walk-in Pantry
Covered Patio
Walk-in Closet in Master
Dual Sinks in Master Bathroom

This post has been authored by Eric Slifkin, REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast. You can reach me at 888-288-1765, or visit my Web site at www.TreasureCoastHomeSales.com. As your resource for information on new or resale homes throughout the Treasure Coast, please be sure to contact me about any home you may find on the Web, yard sign or ad and I will research the property, arrange showings and handle all the details.

But this may not be an option for many Stuart area sellers in this challenging economy. That said, here are some tips you may want to try on your own to show your home in its best light:

1. Try to see your home through the eyes of the buyer. That means looking at a room using the doorway as a frame to highlight its best features. Often, a prospective buyer won’t look beyond the doorway,  so it is important that the room is inviting. You will want to make sure it looks clean and neat. Remove excess furniture and keep floors free of any stacks or clutter to make the room as spacious as possible.

2. Decluttering is arguably the most important aspect of staging (and at no cost). Scrutinize every surface, including shelves and counter tops, ensuring that they are as clear as possible. Stow toiletries under the sink, and pack up personal photographs or keepsakes so buyers don’t get distracted by looking at them.

3. Consider replacing outdated, threadbare or otherwise unappealing furniture, fixtures or window treatments with low-cost temporary fixes.

4. Don’t forget the garage. Garages filled with boxes, tools and other items may be a turn off to buyers, especially when used as a catch-all from the rest of the house. Discard the junk and move the rest to a storage facility.

5. Clean. We are not talking about surface cleaning, which can still leave your home looking dingy. Deep cleaning carpets, upholstery and window treatments will improve the home’s appearance and remove lingering odors. Try using a Q-tip to clean around sinks, in corners and in other hard to reach places.

6. Each room should be light and bright. Clean windows and tie curtains back to let the light shine into the room. Lighten dark colors on the walls with inexpensive paint in neutral, light colors like white, off-white or light taupe. Paint can also be used to cover worn or outdated cabinets. Installing inexpensive new drawer pulls and cabinet handles can create a fresh new look for less than $100.

7. Repurpose rooms. Try moving items from one room to another. One room may be stuffed with furniture, while another could benefit from a great piece that can become a focal point. An extra mirror can make a room look bigger while an armoire from a over crowded bedroom can be used to store the television in a family room.

8. Accessorize. All-neutral rooms can be a bit boring. Add color with throw pillows and small accents like candles. Green is popular since it coordinates with most other colors without clashing.

9. Check your curb appeal. The outside of your home is just as important as the inside. Clean up the yard, trim hedges and weed flowerbeds. Remove dead plants, repair cracks in cement or asphalt, and power wash driveways and sidewalks. Have a look at your house from across the street to see things that need improvement.

Most of these tips require a small investment and can help sell your home in the shortest possible time and for the most money.

Oak Ridge is a gated community with clubhouse, large swimming pool, spa, tennis courts and a boat ramp that can accommodate boats up to about thirty feet. Minutes to major highways, shopping a “A” rated Palm City schools!

Palm City real estate is a great value right now, especially in comparison to properties further south. This includes homes in sought after Palm City communities such as Cobblestone, Canopy Creek, Hammock Creek and Orchid Bay.

There are great opportunities to purchase a golf villa, waterfront property or luxury home in Palm City at a significant discount over what you might have had to pay several years ago. You can also find deals on new homes with many builders sitting on large quantities of unsold inventory.

International buyers from Great Britain, Germany and Canada have also begun to target Palm City real estate as a great way to take advantage of the current buyer’s market. With our location on Florida’s Treasure Coast we are offering some of the best real estate deals available in years from townhouses to luxury executive homes for sale.

For many Palm Beach area buyers this may be their best chance to grab the home of their dreams. Eric Slifkin is your source for all Stuart, Palm City and Martin County real estate with our free MLS search and free buyers representation services. If you are looking for Stuart real estate, Palm City real estate or other Treasure Coast area property call me at 772-288-1765 to find out how I can help you today.

Inside features include a sumptuous master suite, gourmet kitchen with high-line appliances and gas cooktop, premium cabinetry, crown moulding throughout, custom blinds and draperies, fireplace with custom hearth and top-of-the-line furnishings.

More notables: loft area with hardwood floor and exotic stone wall treatment, balcony with golf and preserve views and gas-fired whole house generator. Offered fully furnished, this is the perfect turnkey luxury second home, vacation home or primary residence.

Trying to buy a home in Stuart, Florida from another city is a challenging task, but thanks to today’s technology, it’s never been easier to buy a home from a distant locale. Some out of town buyers may already be familiar with Stuart, Florida real estate, but even if you don’t know our area, the Internet is a powerful tool when it comes to long-distance buying.

Plan, Research, Investigate

The first thing you need to do is to plan, research, and investigate. Using the Internet, you can visit our local chambers of commerce, research property values and demographics, read online newspapers (The Stuart News and Palm Beach Post), check out Martin County schools and view detailed maps. These sites will also help you identify oppotunities for nightlife, concerts, theater, athletic activities or anything else you may desire in our community and the surrounding area.

Searching For Homes Online

As an out of town buyer, the real estate Web enables you to research properties much the same way a REALTOR® does. Start your home search by choosing a popular online search engine such as Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, The Home Buyers Scouting Report or our own Martin County MLS. Many buyers work with several search engines to “triangulate” on an area. As you discover homes of interest, a local agent can provide additional information, preview the properties and even take additional photos to help narrow down your selection. Be sure to select a REALTOR® who will help with your online search and be your eyes on the ground.

Finding a REALTOR®

You may want to ask your own REALTOR® for a recommendation or have him or her research agents in an affiliated office here in the Stuart area. You can also perform a Google search of Stuart Realtors. In any case, you will want to work with a Web savvy REALTOR® who will compliment your own search efforts and is capable of handling online transactions (since you are a long distance away, communication will primarily be through phone, fax, and Email). Your agent should be expert in the area he serves and have a “support team” of lenders, home inspectors, insurance agents, and other home service professionals at his disposal.

Interviewing Agents

Identifying a specific agent and how that agent views his or her role in the relocation process is an essential component of a successful long distance buying experience. You will be spending a lot of time with this person. It is important to find someone whose style and personality you are comfortable with. Check for designations such as CRS (Certified Residential Specialist). When interviewing agents, explain what you’re looking for as far as price range, types of houses you want and amenities you’d like. You’ll want to talk about the cost of living, taxes, utilities, etc. If you have kids, ask about the schools. If you have special needs, hobbies, pets or even large animals, like horses, you need to know the zoning and rules that apply to them.

Visiting Homes

Being out of town, you will need to take some time off to look at houses. If you can, schedule all your house viewings for one or two days then take a day off to evaluate the homes. Take lots of pictures to go over later. This will refresh your memory of homes you’ve seen and reveal features or problems you may have missed. Also, take notes while walking through each house of its pros and cons. Once you have narrowed your selections down to two or three, it’s time to schedule second showings.

Making an Offer

Now you have your mind set on a house, with a possible back-up in case the first choice doesn’t work out. You’ve also been preapproved for a mortgage, which shows the seller you are a strong buyer. If the house you like is a little too high for your budget, you can always negotiate (one of my recent buyers had the sellers come down from an original $254,000 to $205,000). At this point the negotiation may not be concluded until you return home; remember that you are a long distance away again and all information has to make its way from you, to your REALTOR®, to the seller’s REALTOR® and to the sellers by way of phone, fax, Email or FedEx.

The Home Inspection

As soon as the purchase agreement is accepted by all parties (a bilateral contract), a house inspection needs to be done. Your REALTOR® should offer several names of qualified home inspectors. Call the inspectors and see who can get it done and processed the fastest (most will have their report Emailed to you that evening). If you are unable to attend, your agent should make himself available to supervise the inspection.

Details And More Details

During the inspection period, get your mortgage company decided on. Amongst other things, they will order a property appraisal. Your agent will get the date of the appraisal and when the report can be expected (in today’s market that can take as long as two weeks). Having previously set a closing date when your offer was accepted, now is the time to make sure all paperwork and documentation requests are completed quickly in order to close on time. Murphy’s law comes into play at this point so it is important that your agent continues to drive the process to closing (the most common bottlenecks that occur are inspection, appraisal and loan issues). Again, your REALTOR® will be following up with everyone on a daily basis to make the process as stress-free for you as possible.

As a long-distance home buyer, utilizing online home search tools and with the help of a local REALTOR®, should ensure you are able to get your new house taken care of from start to finish in about 30 to 90 days.

This post has been authored by Eric Slifkin, REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast. You can reach me at 888-288-1765, or visit my Web site at www.TreasureCoastHomeSales.com. As your resource for information on new or resale homes throughout the Treasure Coast, please be sure to contact me about any home you may find on the Web, yard sign or ad and I will research the property, arrange showings and handle all the details.

• Competitively priced homes.  Many sellers have become more realistic with their pricing strategy and buyers have started to take notice.

• You can buy with as little as 3.5% down.  Conventional financing now require a large down payment (typically 20%).  But many buyers are taking advantage of government backed FHA loans right now which enable them to purchase a property with a very small down payment.

• The$8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers.  A tax credit of up to $8k is available for qualified first time home buyers that purchase a home before December 1, 2009.

• Low interest rates.  While rates recently ticked upward slightly, they are still at historic lows.

Whether you are looking for a “fixer” or a totally remodeled and updated home, I would welcome the opportunity to assist you.  Right now, there are great buying opportunities out there.  Please feel free to contact me for the best homes for sale in Stuart, Palm City and Treasure Coast.