Latest Hernando County Real Estate news…

Here’s a link to the Article in the Tampa Bay Business Journal that sparked the inspiration for this blog post.

As home prices in Hernando County continue to fall, and many sellers (including developers) hold out for 2006 pricing, many are finding they are unable to hold on long enough. The developer for the Hernando Oaks golf community in Brooksville, FL has filed for bankruptcy protection…the problem with that? Read on… Developer just missed the mark?

Here’s the biggest problem with this situation…whenever a customer purchases a lot (or new construction home) in the Hernando Oaks golf community, they are required to join the golf club either as an individual, family, or social member (with an initiation fee ranging anywhere from $1,100 for a social membership (golf not included) up to $7,500 (resident family membership). This fee is non-refundable and non-negotiable and is in addition to monthly fees ranging from $55 (social membership) to $225 (family membership)…but wait…there’s no clubhouse yet…there’s no pool….no fitness center…all of which were supposed to be completed in 2005 (that’s right…2005)…and the developer just filed for bankruptcy…doesn’t look good to me, folks…

Note – monthly fees are not due until improvements are completed, but “initiation fees” are paid at the closing for the lot/home.

View Larger Map of Hernando Oaks Subdivision

Is there a lesson to be learned? Absolutely – I tell every one of my sellers the same thing…If you need to sell (not just “kinda maybe want”, but NEED), you need to beat the market, drop your price and get your home SOLD.

Since June of 2006 the market in Hernando County has been declining by 2-3% PER MONTH. Over a normal listing period of 6 months with a $200,000 home, that costs you $33,405 if your home doesn’t sell….and that’s not based on a LIST price of $200,000…that’s based on a true market value of $200,000 (in other words, if your home is worth $200k but you’re overpriced and listed at $225,000 that doesn’t matter…list price doesn’t affect market value).

If you want to know your true market value (free, and with no obligations), click the “Need a Buyer?” link and fill out the form – we’ll run some numbers and get you a true estimate of your homes value in TODAYS market within 24 hours.

Seller’s need to learn to cut their losses and move on because this is not going to turn around after the election, come January, after the bailout, etc etc etc…This is going to turn around when inventory drops back to reasonable levels.

Plain and simple.

Right now we’ve got over 5 times the inventory that we had in 2005. As long as buyers have an abundance of CHOICES, the market cannot help but continue to decline and with 19 months worth of standing inventory currently available, we’re looking at several YEARS before this changes. You can cut your losses and sell, or you can decide to wait, or you can chase the market down and end up selling for significantly less. It’s your choice, but you do need to make one.

To the buyers out there – do not be discouraged – this is an absolutely amazing time to buy property here in Hernando County! I myself have purchased four investment properties in the past 5 months. The trick is to not just “buy anything” but find the great deals and then JUMP ON THEM! The homes that are priced right are selling within DAYS, so you need to have all your ducks in a row and commit to the IDEA before you find the right house. If you find the right house first, it will most likely be gone before you’re ready to make a strong offer (pre-approvals are a NECESSITY and do take time!).

The deals are out there – I usually find 1-2 per month (yes…that’s right…1-2 per month out of over 3,500 homes currently on the market) – but they are THERE! In fact, one of my buyers is closing on his “steal” on December 5th. I can’t give you the details on it yet because it hasn’t closed, but I’ll tell you all about it then, so make sure to check back! (update – it has now closed and here’s the info!)

Here’s another article from November 12, 2008 in the Hernando Today newspaper. This one is from before the bankruptcy filing.

And another article from The St Pete Times, September 4, 2007 – possibly showing the writing on the wall even back then?

Any questions or comments, fill out the comment form below and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible -or you can call me at 352-397-5182 or email me directly at Josh@HernandoLuxuryHomes.com – we’re always here.

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