Our Upper Keys blog covers information from Key Largo and Islamorada market statistics and home values to Keys happenings. We also include "local reviews" of Keys neighborhoods, condominiums and more. We care and want to help you find your best place in the Florida Keys. Please reach out if you have any questions at all. An easy way is to visit ScheduleJim.com. We’d love to speak with you!
Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate Company, the #1 agency in sales throughout the Florida Keys, provides detailed quarterly reports on the current real estate market.
View the report here: Fall 2020 Florida Keys Real Estate Market
For more information about the market and how it affects your best interest, contact Jim Signor, long-time successful Realtor in the Upper Florida Keys.
Trust your investment with the dominant real estate sales company in the Florida Keys.
The number-one company for listings and sales in the Florida Keys since 2004. We had more transactions than the next four companies combined!
Outselling the next four competitors combined
Sometimes the best time to sell is when the listing competition is lower than normal. Plan ahead and contact Jim to develop a plan to achieve the best results for you.
More transactions than the next four companies combined and stretching the lead as compared with 2019.
For the number crunchers:
Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate Company, the #1 agency in sales throughout the Florida Keys, provides detailed quarterly reports on the current real estate market.
View the report here: Summer 2020 Florida Keys Real Estate Market
For more information about the market and how it affects your best interest, contact Jim Signor, long-time successful Realtor in the Upper Florida Keys.
With the Keys fully open and summertime in full effect, changing the staging and presentation of your home will help get it ready to sell more quickly.
Preparing a home to hit the market in the summertime can be as simple as minimalizing, keeping up with the landscape, and washing windows. Here are the four best ways sellers can spruce up their homes to show – and sell – in the upcoming summer months.
De-personalizing your home for tours involves removing mementos like family photos and children’s artwork, so replace these now-scarce spaces with a small plant or vase full of fresh flowers. Before a showing, open all shades and blinds to maximize natural light.
In the wake of spring cleaning, consider a minimalistic approach to how you rearrange your current décor for the summer – and remember that fostering a simple, refined appearance can help a space look clean and polished.
While a problem like nail holes may not be very noticeable, a compilation of issues like this can make the interior of a home look unkempt. Touch up chipped paint, wash windows inside and out, and clean baseboards – just to name a few.
If you’re feeling more ambitious, try tackling more time-consuming fixes like power washing the house or staining the deck.
To ensure a buyer feels love at first sight, keep up with regular outdoor maintenance and give your yard some extra TLC. Keep your yard free of weeds, trim trees and bushes as they grow and consider investing in a fresh coat of mulch in plant beds.
Liven up the home’s exterior by placing plant pots by the front door filled with vibrant flowers and arranging a few chairs on the porch. To really shake things up, paint the front door a different color for a fresh new look.
Make a backyard, patio or deck look like the perfect spot for being outside on summer days. Whether you have outdoor couches or a few plastic chairs, arrange the seating to feel like a place of gathering. Small details, like adding plants and flowers or hanging Edison string lights, frame the outdoor living space, and turn it into an inviting destination.
Want more tips on selling your house quickly and for more money?
Go to: ScheduleJim.com
RE/MAX is a business that builds businesses. With the release of its 2020 RE/MAX vs. The Industry report, the real estate powerhouse shows that it not only has outstanding agents, but that it leads in brand awareness* and global presence, too. (Twitter Article)
Agent productivity has long been a differentiator for the brand, which is comprised of more than 130,000 agents in over 110 countries and territories. RE/MAX vs. The Industry displays that in a survey of large U.S. brokerages,** RE/MAX agents outproduce competitors by a significant margin, averaging 15.6 transaction sides while only one other national brand had an average above eight.
Agent productivity fuels brand marketing and network growth around the world. In turn, these elements strengthen the competitive advantages and resources of every RE/MAX agent. The result is a win for agents and clients alike.
“For every agent, every situation, every challenge, RE/MAX works hard to provide solutions,” says Adam Contos, RE/MAX CEO. “RE/MAX agents enjoy the freedom to run their business on their own terms, but with the support of a global brand behind them. That’s a huge part of what makes RE/MAX a great destination for motivated real estate agents – and a smart choice for consumers looking for a skilled professional.”
Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, the National Park Service (NPS) in South Florida continues to increase recreational access. The NPS is working service-wide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.
Starting June 1, commercial operations in Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas National Parks will begin to resume guided tours and services at reduced capacities in accordance with public health guidelines.
Read the entire article: The National Parks in South Florida are open for visitors!
Are you ready to buy a home but don't know how the process begins? First and foremost - even if you're already driving through neighborhoods or looking online - find a real estate agent. Sounds simple enough, right? With so many brokerages and agents to choose from, the challenge here isn't just finding an agent but finding the right agent for you. Follow these tips to help make sure you hire the agent who best fits your needs. (Twitter article)
Do some investigating! You can learn a lot about a real estate agent with a little online research. Check out their website, social media accounts, and online reviews. Ask friends and family members if they recommend an agent they've enjoyed working with.
"An agent can tell someone all day long that they'll work hard for them. But positive reviews from past clients really say it," confirms Jeff Bowers, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Pro Realty in Charleston, South Carolina.
Interview multiple agents before selecting the one. This allows you to gauge their style, experience, and whether or not your personalities work well together. Make sure to ask questions about what to expect during the home-buying process, and find out how often - and via what methods - they'll be available for you to contact.
"Make sure you connect with the person and make sure they know what you are looking for in a home and how they can help you find the home of your dreams," says Kristen Long, an agent with RE/MAX Realty Associates in Champaign, Illinois.
With the competitive nature of home buying and selling, having a productive, experienced agent who knows the ins and outs can be quite an advantage. The more confident your agent is, the more confident you can be.
"Experience in our industry is so important, as no transaction is like the others and with challenges popping up all the time. Wouldn't it be nice to have an agent who already has the solution?" says Brian Teyssier with RE/MAX Real Estate Solutions in Pittsburgh. "Think of it this way, when you're sick, do you want your doctor to have to research the cure or already know what to give you?"
Once you've researched and interviewed your prospective agents, you'll get a sense of who's the right fit for you. Let your intuition guide you.
"It's very important to work with an agent you connect with," Long says. "You're making one of the biggest financial decisions of your life, and you want that person to be in your corner 100%. Make sure your agent understands what you're looking for and puts your interests first."
When searching for the right real estate agent, have fun, be patient, and use these tips to find a perfect match. Find an experienced agent in your area today!
What do the locals of the Florida Keys think about their neighborhoods? We are featuring genuine reviews from residents so you can hear the pros and cons of Keys neighborhoods and condominiums from their perspectives, not just me, "The Realtor"! Do you have something to add? Send a write-up with a few photos and/or videos and we'll add it to our list.
The following refers to Key Largo Park, otherwise known as "the neighborhood behind Tower of Pizza"
By S.A., Key Largo
I love my neighborhood because of the people. I hear children playing games outdoors. I greet neighbors walking and riding bikes and pushing strollers, I smell grills warming up in the evening.
I love that the houses are all shapes and sizes and are a little willy-nilly, as is the landscaping. One neighbor has a storied past and lives in a real eye-sore! But he has helped me when no one else offered, and he is always polite and quiet, in spite of looking a bit scary.
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My backyard is the Sanctuary Property, a hardwood hammock and private, except for all the butterflies, birds, squirrels, and occasional opossum. I wake to birdsong every morning. There are some iguana, which make for lots of excitement when my dog sees one.
I live within walking distance to the heart of Key Largo and would not need a car if I didn’t want to have one. I love that my neighborhood has people who speak more than one language and share their phone numbers and exotic foods with me. I love that the New Yorker, who just bought the house two doors down to eventually retire in, lives within 15 minutes of my daughter, who just moved to New York. I love that the house right next door belongs to a family who has become my family, too, and was responsible for my 10 pound weight gain when I first moved in.
What I love about my neighborhood? It’s the people.
That you for this awesome and genuine testimonial! Check out the current homes for sale in Key Largo Park