Seasonal home buying in the Jupiter area still has some time, but the clock is ticking. The very best time to sell a condo in the Northern Palm Beaches this year is almost over. The best time to sell a single family home ends in about 2 months.

Paradise Sharks just closed this morning on a great little condo that we listed for a client in Tequesta. We set a record sales price and kept their expenses low. They are getting a bigger check today and that makes us proud. We love setting sales price records. We love our clients walking away from the closing table with more money in their pocket.

In this case, you can go back years, and years, and years and you will find that 68 times real estate brokers have marketed this exact floor plan and nobody has achieved the price we did. In all honesty, only one other broker even came close. We also have an amazing firm doing the title and closing work for a fee too low to even tell you about. NEVER do we charge our clients over a 5% total commission. Record prices and value because our focus is our customer. Of course, we do not have to pay stuff like franchise fees, broker splits or other expenses, so we do have an advantage. Being boutique is our special sauce. You can always pay more and get less but that just plain doesn’t make any sense. Not to a Paradise Shark.

Over the past year, in this community 9 other times real estate brokers have sold this very same floor plan. Our client just closed at a price over 16% higher than the second highest sale price. They walked away with almost 33% more than the median sales price. We brought in world class photographers and marketed like we do. We only charged our client 5%. We charged less and they got more. They got world class marketing, a record sales price, lower expenses and a bigger check at closing.

However, we know we can do even better. Paradise Sharks needs listings. Ours are just selling too fast. We want to set some more record sales prices. So, through the end of May we are running this fantastic special and are only going to charge a maximum 4.5% total commission for anyone who lists a property for sale, anywhere in Palm Beach or Martin County with Paradise Sharks. From today through May 31st we are going to charge a maximum total commission of 4.5%. Simple as that.

Paradise Sharks does not sell, we educate. We tell everyone to interview at least three brokers and ask a lot of questions. Ask to see their last 6 listings. Look at the pictures. Read the descriptions. Paradise Sharks only uses descriptions written by published authors. When interviewing ask how many record prices they have set recently. Ask what they charge. Are there any other fees? What are your closing costs going to be? And by all means Google them. Over 90% of all buyers shop online before calling a real estate broker. If your home doesn’t shine on line then you are missing what it takes to attracts over 90% of all buyers.
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Google us. Google them. 4.5% maximum commission through May 31st. Contact Paradise Sharksanytime at tom@paradisesharks.com or 561.308.0175 for a complimentary consultation. We are not the broker for everyone. But if you want world class marketing, record sale prices and a broker focused on your goals and not theirs, we may just be the broker for you.


Fins up for 4.5% maximum commissions…….


#jupiterrealtor

It’s something we can count on here in paradise. About January 15th, seasonal buying kicks into high gear pushing condo closings in March, April and May to the highest numbers we will see all year. In Jupiter, historical data shows us that 34% of all annual condo sales occur in this 90 day period. Come June, we will see condo sales in Jupiter pull back about 20% from May numbers.

Overall, pending home sales in the Northern Palm Beaches have been picking up steam as we expect to see this time of year. Poor inventory means buyers have little to choose from and the buying is pushing prices higher. As of March 15th, the median condo price has jumped another 2.4% over the past month to $230,000, which is the highest number we have seen since 2007.

Where things run from here depend on market buying activity over the next 45 days or so. There is no way we get even close to the all time highs of $280,000 that we last hit back in 2006. More volatility in the stock market this week but still not many options for places for investors to put their cash. The right property can be as safe an investment as any in these times and if stocks fall out of favor anything can happen.

One thing about the markets, they are always moving and never easy to understand. When dipping your toes in the real estate waters make sure you ask a lot of questions and make informed decisions. Timing is everything and mistakes can be very expensive.
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Enjoy the weekend ahead…….




#jupitercondoprices

A real estate transaction anywhere is an expensive proposition. Buyers and sellers rely heavily on a real estate professional for advice and to ensure they are making an informed decision. Florida is a transactional brokerage state which allows a Realtor to remain legally neutral and actually can assist both parties on the same transaction. It’s typically not a great idea because a sellers goal is typically to obtain the highest selling price while a buyers goal is to get the seller down to the best possible purchase price. Having one person assist both parties frankly doesn’t make sense.

The value of a home is determined by many factors; the size of the home, the age of the home, the size and characteristics of the lot, the quality of construction, the features of the home and other factors all play a role. Comparable sales of similar homes in close proximity helps provide guidelines for current value. How well the home is marketed and will show when toured by prospective buyers is a huge factor. Buyer and seller motivation are both key factors. Understanding the relationship of all this information and how it plays into the strategy a well represented buyer, or seller, may take can make a very significant difference in what a property ultimately sells for.

Let’s look at home sales in the Jupiter Farms neighborhood in 2017. More that 200 homes closed and it would be hard to find a Jupiter neighborhood with as many different home and lot styles, quality and sizes as we find here. Sales prices ranged from $180,000 all the way up to well over a million dollars. There were homes that were brand new and some that were built almost 60 years ago. The smallest home sold last year in Jupiter Farms had only 204 square feet and the largest over 5,000 square feet. Lot sizes and locations offer almost as much differences as the homes.

One thing is certain and evaluating everything that comes together to determine true market value is not as simple as it may look in a neighborhood like Jupiter Farms. If a buyer and seller are represented by the same person one party, or both, isn’t going to do as well as they could have. Let’s look at last year’s sales in Jupiter Farms of concrete block homes built after 1995 with a minimum of 2,500 square feet and a lot size under 1.5 acres. The lowest sales price was $130 per square foot while the highest sales price came in at $245 per square foot. Paradise Sharks knows both homes very well as we represented the seller on the highest price sale and we represented the buyer on the lowest price sale.


When Paradise Sharks was working with our buyer that purchased the home for $130 per square foot our goal was to get them the very best price. It was our job. The subject home had been on the market for over 6 months. Its list price had been lowered 8 times and almost 20% from its original price of $674,900. Now, priced at $549,900 and we were able to further negotiate, sensing the time was right with a seller who had seen enough. Our buyer paid $497,000, or $177,900, below the homes original list price. You see, we were working with a buyer and our obligation was to find them the best house at the lowest price. They ended up paying $130 per square foot and we were quite pleased. Ask yourself how we could also be working with the seller as their broker and be effective in acting in our clients best interests. We couldn’t.

Just down the street, we had recently worked with a seller and our obligation in that case was to get them the highest price. We studied the market, knew the house was going to show amazingly well, because the client understood the importance of presentation and staging. We brought in our ace photographers and marketing team and put it on the market at $599,000 late one Friday afternoon. Our marketing was well received and we had 3 showings on Saturday. Each presented an offer and we had a little bidding war. Early Sunday morning our client accepted an offer of $615,000 or $245 per square foot. Later, we fielded two calls from the Palm Beach County Property Appraisers office as they were surprised, at not only the price, but the sale well above list price. Now, ask yourself how could we have worked with the buyer on this transaction and also be effective in getting our clients the highest price for their home. We couldn’t.

There is no way that a professional Realtor can effectively help a buyer get the lowest price and a seller get the highest price on the same transaction. It’s impossible. If you are getting ready to do real estate, of any kind, you need to have goals and a broker who is working in your best interest. Seeing a home advertised and calling the broker who is representing the seller is the worst mistake you could ever make. Period. Calling the listing agent just does not make sense if you really are looking to negotiate your best deal.
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Paradise Sharks firmly believes in ensuring are clients are well informed. We don’t want to sell them, we want to educate them. If we can ever help educate you about anything real estate, please feel free to contact us anytime at tom@paradisesharks.com or 561.308.0175.




Fins up……




#jupiterhomesforsale

Jupiter home sales, and those throughout the Northern Palm Beaches, are up 14% from where they stood 30 days ago. A nice move indeed, but somewhat expected. After all, we are in the middle off the strongest home buying season we will see all year. ​

Interest rates have moved higher, but leveled off over the past month after a fairly steep climb. Options for home buyers in the Jupiter area have been improving, but are still far below year ago levels. Over the past month, inventory levels in the Northern Palm Beaches are down slightly and today sit about 11.5% behind 2017 numbers. Unfortunately, for those out looking for the perfect opportunity, the number of homes available for sale will, in all likelihood, continue to dwindle over the next 6 months.

Sales have not been fantastic this year, but so far in March are showing a bit of spunk. In fact, in Paradise Sharks March 1st market update we informed you that even though sales jumped in February by 18.5% pending home sales on March 1st were down 30% from what we have seen in recent years. But, over the first half of March, pending home sales in the area are up 9.6%, which again is a very nice spike, and a bit higher than expectations. Last year, over the same period pending home sales were up 7.9%. In 2016 they were up 4.1%. So, March to date has been a great month especially with interest rates rising and poor inventory.

What about prices. With sales (demand) pushing higher and inventory levels (supply) questionable one would expect pricing pressure to be to the upside. As of March 1st, median single family home prices in the Northern Palm Beaches were up for three straight months to $465,000 and so far this month are up about another $5,000. Getting very close to the 12 year highs we hit back in September. All time record highs are in sight. Median condo prices are reported each month by Paradise Sharks and are still about a week away from final numbers but watch for them to be up again to new 12 year highs. Still a ways to go before we are talking  new all time records but prices have been pushing higher across the board.

The national economic news remains positive and while there is still way too much negative attitude out there, the stock market continues to react well to employment numbers and the growth we have been seeing. Stay tuned, pay attention and if doing anything real estate seek knowledge. Interview, ask questions and make informed decisions. If Paradise Sharks can ever be help in any way please feel free to contact us at tom@paradisesharks.com or 561.308.0175.






Fins up…..








#jupiterhomesales

If you are thinking about selling your Jupiter single family home, the time to stop thinking and get acting is now. The reason is simple, if you believe historical trends. Year after year, there is one month that stands out when we look at the sales of single family homes in this seaside village.

June invariably leads the pack when counting the number of single family closings each year by month. Once again in 2017 it was the busiest month for closings in Jupiter with over 13% of all sales for the year. To find a year when June wasn’t the busiest closing month for single family home sales in Jupiter you would have to go all the way back to 2011. The odds are high that this year more single family home sales in Jupiter will close in June than any other month. Last year, once June passed you by, closings dropped well over 30% in July and then continued dropping for months. In September 2017 sales of Jupiter single family homes were about 1/2 of what we enjoyed in June. You do not want to miss June if you have a Jupiter single family home to sell.

So here we are on March 4th, why do we get going now if the big sales month is still 3 months away. First, it is going to take you a little time to schedule interviews with real estate brokers. Then to take their advice on staging, decluttering, scheduling photos and the clock keeps ticking. Then you still need to get the brokers marketing machine working to find a buyer who is willing, ready and able to pay your price.

68% of Jupiter single family home sales closed with loans last year so it takes between 30 and 45 days between going to contract and the actual closing. We see a few go quicker but with required association approvals that is fairly rare. With association approval, inspections and potential loan underwriting it all takes time. Once you add these time lines together you will see that someone who is thinking about selling a single family home today in Jupiter had better get moving if they want to hit the historical hot spot of this market.

So if you are thinking about selling a Jupiter single family home you need to get moving. Remember to interview at least three real estate brokers and ask a lot of questions. Find out what they are going to charge you and what their marketing plans will look like. Ask questions and find someone you trust with what is a big financial decision. If you want to walk away with the best price the time is perfect for you to do just that.
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If your home is anywhere in Palm Beach or Martin County Paradise Sharks would be honored to be on your interview list. We never charge our clients over 5% and are happy to show you our track record. Contact us anytime at tom@paradisesharks.com or 561.308.0175.


Fins up……




#jupitersinglefamilyhome