St Augustine Real Estate Exclusive Buyers Agent Sharon Stevens Discusses Important Facts to Know About Financing St Augustine Investment Property . Receive the best type of loan for your investment property in St Augustine . It doesn't matter if your getting a loan for a rental property or another type of property in St Augustine that you are going to keep or one you fix up and flip for a profit. This exclusive series of reports will help you to discover the starting point in your journey for investment financing. READ EVERY WORD BELOW: Sharon Stevens Discusses How to Finance Your Investment Property in St Augustine.Looking for good real estate investment properties in St Augustine can be a lot of fun. It is a pleasure to go into a property just dreaming of the profits that the house c... 02/22/2011

Buying a vacation home in St Augustine by Sharon Stevens, St Augustine's ONLY Exclusive Buyers Agent If you've long dreamt of owning a beach house, country cottage or other second home to while away your leisure time, stop dreaming. With family incomes up, mortgage rates down and resort-real-estate prices depressed because of worries about possible changes in the tax treatment of vacation get-aways, this may be the best time in years to hang out that "Home Sweet Second Home" sign on your new vacation home in St Augustine.Contrary to the popular image of a second home in St Augustine as a luxury that only the rich can afford, a weekend or vacation retreat in the U.S. is within financial reach of many middle-class families. There are about 8.2 million second-home owners in this country, ... 02/22/2011

dvice from St Augustine Real Estate Buyers Agent  Sharon Stevens On how to Look at a Home   Every St Augustine seller wants you to buy their home.  They will try everything to convince you that their home is better than anything else you will look at.  So how do you narrow your selection?  Here are a few simple things to keep in mind when you need to weed out some of the competition.   You have to feel comfortable in a home, regardless of the fact that you don't own it- yet.  When you walk into a home for the first time you will instantly know if you want to see the rest of it.  Everyone has experienced a bad “feeling” in certain homes.  You can't put your finger on it, but for some reason it just doesn't feel comfortable to you.  If you have to talk yourself into it, then it's not the ... 02/19/2011

3 Common Mistakes St Augustine Real Estate Investors Make When Buying Foreclosures - by Sharon Stevens Exclusive Buyers Agent Here is a list of the top three common mistakes. St Augustine Real Estate Investors Make when Buying Foreclosures.Those who invest in real estate overwhelmingly agree that foreclosure are the best deals going as far as making money. Though often true, they can be dangerous investments where you might lose large sums of money. We'll go over 3 of the most common pitfall ,in this article When investing in St Augustine foreclosed properties you can keep from making these mistakes.The first mistake is to believe that all St Augustine foreclosures make good investments - that just isn't true. The condition of homes that have gone through foreclosure is not usually goo... 02/18/2011

St Augustine Buyers Agent Sharon Stevens' Guide to Buying a Home in St Augustine for the First Time Home Buyer Buying a home for the first time can seem like an overwhelming task. Youíre making the biggest financial decision of your life, and there is so much to consider. It helps a lot to understand the process from beginning to end. In this article, Iíll walk you through the entire process of buying a house in St Augustine so that your entire home buying experience will go more smoothly.Step #1  Getting Your Mortgage Pre-ApprovedAs we both know, lenders arenít nearly as lenient as they used to be. Itís important to find both a good lender and a good loan officer to handle your loan, preferably before you even go out to see properties.The loan officer will usually want to know what you... 02/17/2011

Tips To Managing Risk In The St Augustine Real Estate Market by Sharon Stevens Exclusive Buyers Agent Investors have a hard life. Rising insurance rates, legal liability, security concerns and increasing interest rates may not be actually conspiring to give them early heart attacks, but it can seem that way. Managing risk in St Augustine is in a large part, all about how to lower uncertainty by dealing appropriately with those and other stress factors.Start by exercising common sense and gathering as much information about the St Augustine real esate market and the general economy in addition to the specifics on an interesting property. Study the numbers on rates of new home construction and the ratio of new to existing property sales. Narrow it down to your different St Augustine marke... 02/16/2011

Three of my friends and I decided to take on historic St. Augustine like a tourist would. We wanted to spend the day appreciating our location and not taking the sunshine, antique shops, or amazing restaurants for granted. Our plan was to visit Castillo de San Marcos, the Fountain of Youth, St. George's Street, Potter's Wax Museum, and Ripley's Believe It or Not. The day most definitely didn't go as planned, but we had the time of our lives! As a St. Augustine golf course community resident, it really made me realize how much there is to do only 15 minutes away! We decided to meet in front of a historic hotel on the bay front. The weather was too perfect not to sit outside and enjoy a glass of champagne. And, since we were pretending to be tourists, it sounded like a great idea! From t... 02/15/2011

St. John County Florida Home Buyer Assistance Program Process and Time Line 1.  County sponsored home buyer education class is required. 2.  Home buyer is APPROVED and signs contract for home. 3.  Lender sends Reservation Form with contact to county. 4.  With-in 5 days, home is inspected by county staff. 5.  If necessary, lead based paint assessment is completed. 6.  Lender sends loan package to county. IF NO REPAIRS ARE NECESSARY...... 7.  County approves application package. 8.  County contracted appraiser completes appraisal. 9.  Home buyer meets with home buyer counselor. 10. Mortgage package e-mailed to title company. 11. Home buyer assistance check is released by county after HUD 1 is approved. 12. Closing occurs at the offices of the title company. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VIS... 02/15/2011

Three Things you should Know About Hiring a Contractor in St Augustine, by St Augustine Exclusive Buyers Agent Sharon Stevens In this article, we'll go over three necessary things you need to know about working with contractors to guarantee the most cost-effective, most timely, and highest quality work.  Tip one - Be Extraordinarily Express When you are asking for a bid or when you are talking about a job with a contractor, be extraordinarily really explicit about what you're trying to find.  After you have concluded on a number, you need to also be very meticulous about being explicit in what you put in writing. Taking this care will guarantee you get precisely what you need, no more and no less.  Tip two - Find a Good, Trustworthy Contractor Get an understanding of the standard of the... 02/14/2011

Number One "Trigger" to Quickly Get a Buyer to Make an Offer on Your House in St Augustine by Sharon Stevens - St Augustines ONLY Exclusive Buyers Agent What is it exactly that sells a house? Is it the price? Is it design? Is it the kitchen, bedroom, or the bathroom? In reality, it's none of these. What really sells a house are the buyer's emotions. In order to sell your house quickly, it's very important to learn to trigger your buyer's emotions. Based on years of experience in the [Profile.market2] real estate market, here I'll share with you some of the best ways I know to get an emotional response from a buyer.Appealing to Emotions - The First ImpressionThe first impression of your house will most likely be the most powerful impression you'll make on your buyer.The first impression ... 02/13/2011

Shopping For a Home Loan in St Augustine Florida - By Sharon Stevens, St Augustine's ONLY Exclusive Buyers Agent*  Next to shopping for the home in St Augustine itself, shopping for the home loan can be just as cumbersome. For such a large amount of money, you want to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. Loan Elements There are four key elements of your home mortgage payment: the principle, interest, taxes, and insurance. The principle is the amount of money that your are borrowing, less any down payment made. The interest is the cost of borrowing, expressed as a percentage of the total amount that you borrow. The money for your property taxes are put into an escrow account until it is time to pay them. Home insurance is required by most lenders. If your down payment was l... 02/12/2011

What You Can do to Help Your St Augustine Home Inspector - By St Augustine's Only Exclusive Buyers Agent, Sharon Stevens So you have decided to get a St Augustine home inspector check your home. That’s a smart choice. And, of course, you want to get the most out of this hired professional’s services. But, wait. Before going out there and scrutinizing your St Augustine home inspector’s work, maybe you should start with yourself first? What is your role in all this? What do you have to do to make your St Augustine home inspector’s work easier and therefore make your investment even more protected?Everywhere St Augustine home inspectors often come across limiting conditions that interfere with a complete report for the client. After you’ve paid for a home inspection, you do not want to see... 02/11/2011

How To Buy Insurance For Your Investment Property in St Augustine by real estate Buyers Agent Sharon StevensWe all think that when we buy house insurance that we have plenty of coverage. Unfortunately, many times, this is not the case. There have been many homeowners that discovered that their coverage did not cover flooding or even certain types of fire. As an investor, it is extremely important that they have the right type of coverages for their properties in St Augustine. In our discussion today, we will look at some things that as an investor you should be aware of or you should be asking your insurance agent in St Augustine.You want to make sure that you know who in or on your property in St Augustine will be covered. You should be aware of what on the property is covered. Another... 02/10/2011

St Augustine Home Buying Advice - More stringent screening means borrowers must watch credit until closing day Be prepared to be looked at under a microscope for not only the 6 months before you apply for a mortgage...but all the way to closing day. Here is a great article from the Washington Post Washington Post Arricle   For help in finding a great St Augustine Mortgage Lender to help you through this "hairy" process. ...visit my ST AUGUSTINE REAL ESTATE INFO website. 02/09/2011

Should You Buy or Should You Rent In St Augustine Florida by Sharon Stevens, real estate expert and Exclusive Buyers Agent. If you have ever rented, then you have probably more than once wondered if you should rent or buy your own home. In our discussion today, we will give you three tips to consider. Tip #1 – Have you considered all of the costs? Now as much as it would be nice to own your own home, and as much as people are always willing to suggest that you should move into your own home, no one tells you about the various expenses that you will gain if you move in to your own home rather than rent your own home. Of course you have to pay the mortgage and the utilities just like you do if you rent. You also have to add on expenses such as insurance, taxes, maintenance and repairs, an... 02/08/2011

How to Win a Multiple Offer Bid in St Augustine Without Losing Your Shirt, by Sharon Stevens,St Augustine Buyers Broker One of the worst things that can happen during the home buying process is to finally find your dream home, only to discover that someone else is already bidding on it. When this happens, how can you win your dream house without losing your shirt in the process? In this article, weíll cover some of the more important points to winning a multiple offer property in St Augustine.Tip #1 - Know Your LimitItís tempting to increase your bid based on emotions during a bid war. Buyers are often willing to pay more out of competitiveness, feeling that something they want is being taken away, or just plain rationalization.This trap can cost you thousands of dollars. Instead, do yo... 02/06/2011

THERE’S A NEW AIRPORT IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA ! Well.., not really, but if you haven’t paid much attention to the news in St. Johns county in the last several months, you might think so. Recently the St. Johns County Airport just north of St. Augustine on U.S. 1, underwent an exciting new change. After many years of being called the St. Augustine / St. Johns County Airport, (or colloquially, the “St. Augustine Airport”), the name was changed to the Northeast Florida Regional Airport, (NFRA). The Northeast Florida Regional airport has been an aviation icon since the early 1900’s and is now the major gateway to northeast Florida. With runways that can handle the largest and fastest aircraft in the world, and with “all weather” capability, the Northeast Florida Regional Airport has equivalent... 02/06/2011

This is fabulous alligator farm (although I have a propensity to enjoy alligator farms, FYI), and I have been many times over the years.   It's not a mud pit filled with alligators, which is what most people seem to think of; it's a true zoological exhibit with native bird sanctuaries, and other creatures besides the alligators and the crocodiles. I'm excited they are expanding their park to offer this aerial obstacle and zip line course - can't wait to check it out in the near future! You can read more here: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-02-06/story/st-johns-county-welcomes-adventure-tourism   02/06/2011

The Purchase Document For Investors by real estate expert Sharon StevensIt is very important to protect yourself when you are purchasing some investment property in St Augustine. One of the ways that you can do this is to make sure that you know what should be in your purchase contract and that you are satisfied with everything in it. In our discussion today, we will be discussing some of the parts of the purchase contract.Names on the contractMake sure that all of the parties that are involved with the transaction are clearly named in the contract. This includes all partners and spouses. You must make sure that you negotiate your agreement with all parties that have ownership in the property in St Augustine. If you can’t speak to all parties, then it is best to stop the negotiations un... 02/05/2011

Top Ten Tips For Buying Your First Home In St Augustine Florida By St Augustine Real Estate Expert Sharon Stevens, An Exclusive Buyers Agent   Are You Looking To Buy Your First Home In St Augustine Florida?  Well....never fear...Sharon is here to pass on some pointers for you! First and foremost, it is vital to find a good lender....even before looking for a house or a Realtor to help you look at houses!  If you do not know any local lenders....ask family or friends or a trusted Realtor who they can recommend.  Here is a link to a great article I came across which really puts everything together for you. TOP TEN TIPS FOR  BUYING YOUR FIRST HOME IN ST AUGUSTINE   READY TO SEARCH FOR HOMES IN ST AUGUSTINE? ST AUGUSTINE HOME SEARCH NEED TO FIND A GOOD LENDER IN ST AUGUSTINE FIRST? ST AUGU... 02/04/2011