Decor color fashions for 2013 !!

Spring is in the air and the fashions for Spring 2013 are already appearing in the retail stores. While it's always interesting to see what clothing designers are offering for the upcoming season, what's of more (or at least equal) interest to real estate professionals is what's ahead in home fashion and decor. Here is a sneak preview of the colors which will dominate this Spring in both clothing and in home interiors. The hues you see on the runway are predictors of the colors which will soon be seen in wall paints, furnishings, and other home fashions from towels to tablecloths. So, if you want to know the colors which top builders and interior decorators will be working with later this year, see the Top 10 hues in the “Spring 2013 Fashion Color Report” from Pantone. Download the report and you’ll also get a bonus peek at the fashions retailers are hoping you’ll take home and add to your closets. The “Top 10” colors are the colors you’ll want to keep in mind as you stage your listings (color makes things look fresher and more appealing). With colors like these on the home fashion horizon, it appears that Spring will be bright! Down load the Complete Spring 2013 Color report:: http://www.pantone.com/downloads/support/FCR/PANTONE_FCR_Spring_2013.pdf ** from The Institute For Luxury Home Marketing blog.

Housing: It’s Becoming a Seller’s Market !!

The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday what home buyers in many parts of the United States have known for months: it’s becoming a seller’s market. The number of homes listed for sale in January fell by 4.9%, leaving 1.74 million properties on the market. That’s the lowest since December of 1999, when there were 1.71 million homes on the market. By contrast, there were 2.91 million homes on the market two years ago at this time. After adjusting for seasonal factors, home sales rose by just 0.4% in January, to an annual rate of 4.92 million units. Still, that’s up from 9.1% one year ago. The upshot is that there’s a growing pool of buyers chasing a shrinking supply of homes. If the trend holds, prices will keep going up. At the current pace of sales, it would take just 4.2 months to sell the current supply of homes available for sale, down from a 6.2 months’ supply one year ago. While inventories typically increase in the spring, the Realtors’ group has expressed growing concerns that sales volumes are being held back by the lack of choice. This is good news for homeowners who have watched home prices drop over the last six years, but it’s bad news for buyers—and for anyone that makes their living selling real estate. Inventory declines have been the most dramatic in California, Arizona, and other markets that witnessed some of the largest home price declines. Those cities have large numbers of underwater borrowers—people who owe more than their homes are worth—while many others may have equity but aren’t willing to sell because prices have fallen so far. Investors have also been aggressive in buying up properties that are selling for less than their replacement cost. National Association of Realtors Home sales could rise to 5.2 million units this year, an increase of nearly 12% from last year, according to economists at Goldman Sachs GS -2.77%. They base their forecast on household formation and demographics, which both suggest rising demand for housing in the coming years, and affordability measures such as mortgage rates and home prices. But the economists note that there’s a considerable amount of uncertainty that could make those targets hard to hit, particularly if there’s nothing for would-be buyers to purchase. ** from WSJ Blog / Real Estate News and Analysis from The Wall Street Journal

Rising sea levels could have drastic impact on South Florida coastline

Rising sea levels could have drastic impact on South Florida coastline ! With the rate of rising sea levels accelerating, the impact to South Florida coastal towns in coming years could be drastic, lawmakers learned yesterday during a presentation of an 84-page action plan compiled by county planners and water managers last fall. The report found that coastal properties in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties and the Keys at risk. “The upper estimate of current taxable property values in Monroe, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties vulnerable in the one-foot scenario is $4 billion,” the report said, referring to a one-foot rise in sea levels, “with values rising to more than $31 billion at the three-foot scenario.” The grim report has several lawmakers calling for more state aid to combat the problem, the Post reported. The lawmakers hope to frame it as a state economic problem in light of the residential properties with high taxable value. The problems wrought by rising sea levels can already be seen in certain areas where regional flooding and saltwater intrusion are becoming common. But it could get a lot worse as analysts predict a climb of at least an additional nine inches over the next 50 years. [Palm Beach Post]–Sanna Chu ** As per The Florida Real Deal, South Florida Real Estate Magazine. Thinking on Selling your Estate ? Make sure to meet with Professionals for a Detailed market analysis. It will be our pleasure to serve your real estate needs. All the Best, Esperanza Franky "espie" Realtor Member of The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing "Selling Miami Estates" team with One Premier International Realty Cell: 305.283.5868 Visit our Blog: www.sellingmiamiestates.com & Follow us via Twitter: @espiefranky Marketing Florida Real Estate at the Highest Level !

Looking for JUMBO LENDERS !

2013 has started strong in sales of LUXURY Real Estate in South Florida. Many potential buyers ask us what is the best jumbo loan ? who offers it? what rates are available ? With this in mind we are inviting ALL JUMBO LOAN LENDERS to send us their answers to the above and their contact information. Kind regards, Espie Franky Realtor, Luxury Member, BBA 305.283.5868 espiefranky@gmail.com visit our Blog: www.sellingmiamiestates.com follow us via Twitter: @espiefranky Sent from my iPad

"Market for Trophy Homes is SIZZLING" !!

South Florida Ultra Luxury real estate market is on fire !! important concepts to have in consideration.... * the trend in the last several years is a DEMAND for Vey High Quality Product !! * High Net Customers are looking for Great Locations as well as Exotic Materials; such as Brazilian woods, Italian marbles and exotic stones including Onyx and mother pearl ! * Listing Prices for the fanciest single family houses & condominiums are soared to levels never before seen. * Renewed Interest from New Yorkers, and other ultra rick North Easterners to purchase Luxury real estates in South Florida. * Miami is emerging as an even greater magnet for the worlds Super Rich ! * The Ultra Rich Market is realizing how valuable the bay waterfront is! South Florida, Specially Miami is running out of prime ocean front and bay front sites ! * Newset architectural trends envision tropical modern style that fuses the indoors & outdoors ! * Many Top Tier Luxury Home buyers are going for the more contemporary looks such as glass houses with sleek modern feel, instead of the mediterranean architecture! For more information on Active, Pending sale or recent closed luxury estates, contact us 305.283.5868 or via email at espiefranky@gmail.com We will Appreciate Your business & referrals ! Kind regards, Espie Franky Realtor, Luxury Member, BBA dir: 305.283.5868 visit our Blog: www.sellingmiamiestates.com follow us via Twitter: @espiefranky

RE Mortgage Interest Rates start Climb....

Mortgage applications down as rates climb The number of mortgage applications for the week ending February 13, 2013 decreased 6.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association announced today. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 5 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 6 percent from the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 10 percent from one week earlier, reaching its highest level since the week ending May 7, 2010. Unadjusted, the Purchase Index decreased 4 percent compared with the previous week and was 15 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The refinance share of mortgage activity held at 78 percent of total applications. The adjustable-rate mortgage share of activity also held at 4 percent of total applications. Interest rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans with conforming balances, continuing an upward trend for eight of the last nine weeks, increased to 3.75 percent from 3.73 percent, the highest rate since September 2012. Interest rates for jumbo loans also increased to 3.98 percent from 3.96 percent, the highest rate since September 2012. Rates for Federal Housing Administration-backed 30-year fixed-rate loans stayed at 3.53 percent from the previous week, while 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 3.01 percent, the highest rate since September 2012, from 3 percent. — * from The Real Deal _ South Florida RE Magazine / Christopher Cameron ESPIE FRANKY REALTOR BBA Luxury Market 305 283 5868 Twitter to @espiefranky espiefranky@gmail.com

So Fla ranks 12th in USA as best place to purchase REO's....

South Florida ranked 12th in the nation on best places to buy a foreclosure, and could see nearly 105,000 distressed homes hit the market in 2013, the Palm Beach Post reported based on a new national report from RealtyTrac. Of the 20 most attractive U.S. metropolitan regions in which to purchase a foreclosure, six are in the Sunshine State, including the top-ranked Palm Bay/Melbourne area, the report stated. Rankings were determined on four criteria: months’ supply of foreclosure inventory, percentage of overall sales that are foreclosures, foreclosure sales price, and percent change in foreclosure activity in 2012 from the previous year. The inaugural report was compiled as a way to help address the nation’s current lack of housing inventory, said Daren Blomquist, vice president of RealtyTrac. “These are bright spots in the housing market where buyers will find more homes available,” Blomquist said. Palm Beach County had a 5.9 months’ supply of single-family homes in December, according to the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches. Moreover, there was a six-month supply of condominiums and townhomes. Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties have 104,833 foreclosure homes — a 29 months’ supply — that are yet to be listed, the report stated. Last year, foreclosures in South Florida sold at an average price of $129,941, a steep 30 percent discount from the average sales price of a non-foreclosure. [Palm Beach Post] –Hiten Samtani ** from The Real Deal; South Florida RE Magazine Selling Miami Estates will soon be listing REO properties in South Florida....stay toned to our Twitter @espiefranky and our Facebook page sellingmiamiestates for particulars.