Retirement or vacation home in Florida Keys 305-395-0814

Is it Time to Downsize your Home?  A recent study by Edeman Berland revealed that of homeowners who are contemplating selling their house in the near future 33% plan to scale down. Let’s look at a few reasons why that would make sense to many Americans. In a recent blog post, Dave Ramsey, the financial guru, discussed the advantages of selling your current house and downsizing into a smaller home that better serves your current needs. Ramsey explains three potential financial advantages to downsizing: A smaller home means less space, but it also means less time, stress and money spent on upkeep. 186 Jasmine St, Plantation Key Florida, 33070 Let’s assume you save $500 a month on your mortgage payment. In 30 years, you could have an additional $1–1.6 million in the bank to get you through your golden years. Use the proceeds from selling your current home to pay cash for a smaller one. Just imagine what you could do with no mortgage holding you down! If you can’t pay cash, aim for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage and put at least 10–20% down on your new home. Apply the $500 you saved from downsizing to your new monthly payment. At 3% interest, you could pay off a $200,000 mortgage in less than 10.5 years, saving almost $16,000 in the process. Realtor.com also addressed downsizing in a recent article. They suggest you ask yourself some questions before deciding if downsizing is right for you and your family. Here are two of their questions followed by their answers (in italics) and some additional information that could help. Q: What kind of lifestyle do I want after I downsize? A: “For some folks, it’s a matter of living a simpler life focused on family. Some might want to cross off travel destinations on their bucket lists. Some might want a low-maintenance community with high-end upgrades and social events. Decide what you want to achieve from your move first, and you’ll be able to better narrow down your housing options.” Comments: Many homeowners are taking the profit from the sale of their current home and splitting it to put down payments on a smaller home in their current location and a vacation/retirement home where they plan to live when they retire. This allows them to lock in the home price and mortgage interest rate at today’s values. This makes sense financially as both home prices and interest rates are projected to rise. Q: Have I built up enough equity in my current home to make a profit? A: “For most homeowners, the answer is yes. This is if they’ve held on to their properties long enough to have positive equity that will be sizable enough to put a large down payment on their next home.” Comments: A recent study by Fannie Mae revealed that only 37% of Americans believe they have significant equity (> 20%) in their current home. In actually, 69% have greater than 20% equity. That equity could enable you to build a life you have always dreamt about. Bottom Line If you are debating downsizing your home and want to evaluate the options you currently have, meet with a real estate professional in your area who can help guide you through the process.

Don't Wait to purchase your vacation home in Florida Ke

Don't Wait to purchase your vacation home in Florida Ke

Labor Day in Florida Keys, Fascinating Story Behind the Labor Day

Purchase a Vacation or retirement home in Florida Keys 

I am reaching out to you today to tell you a story. Labor Day is upon us, and we just wanted to shed some light on a holiday that not many people know the history of. We did some digging, and are excited to share with you the history of Labor Day. 

The origins of Labor Day go back all the way to 1885 in New York, where citizens passed a municipal ordinance for a holiday to honor the accomplishments of working people in America. 

Labor Day was recognized as a national holiday officially in 1894 as a response to unrest during and after the failed strike by the American Railways Union against the Pullman Company. The strike led to violence and created bitter divisions among the public and the American labor movement. 

The real purpose of the holiday, according to the Department of Labor’s website, is this:

“The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.”

Another thing we should mention about Labor Day is that it signals an uptick of activity here in our market. More sellers are going to come onto the market looking to sell, and there are still a lot of buyers out there taking advantage of the low interest rates (near 4%) that are expected to rise soon.

If you’ve considered putting your home on the market, I invite you to check out our free home value report, which will give you an estimate of what your home could sell for in this post-Labor Day market. 

I think you’ll be surprised at what your home is actually worth.

If you’ve entertained the idea of purchasing a home, now is a great time to do that as well. We don’t know when interest rates are going to rise, but it’s going to be soon. Click here to take a look at all of the latest, up-to-date listings in our area. 

If you have any questions for us in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you, and hope you have a great Labor Day!

Your local Realtor For Life

 I Am on your Side! 

Cell 305-395-0814

      

Coldwell Banker Schmitt

International President's Circle 

Author/Realtor

11050 Overseas Highway

Marathon, Fl 33050

www.SearchFloridaKeysHomes.com 

lela@CBSchmitt.com 

 
Shared Friends' Blog by J Cook 

Debunking Some Myths about Mortgage Availability

Debunking Some Myths about Mortgage Availability

Key Colony Beach Ocean Front Lot For Sale, Lela Ashkarian 305-395-0814

Is it Time to Downsize your Home?  A recent study by Edeman Berland revealed that of homeowners who are contemplating selling their house in the near future 33% plan to scale down. Let’s look at a few reasons why that would make sense to many Americans. In a recent blog post, Dave Ramsey, the financial guru, discussed the advantages of selling your current house and downsizing into a smaller home that better serves your current needs. Ramsey explains three potential financial advantages to downsizing: A smaller home means less space, but it also means less time, stress and money spent on upkeep. 186 Jasmine St, Plantation Key Florida, 33070 Let’s assume you save $500 a month on your mortgage payment. In 30 years, you could have an additional $1–1.6 million in the bank to get you through your golden years. Use the proceeds from selling your current home to pay cash for a smaller one. Just imagine what you could do with no mortgage holding you down! If you can’t pay cash, aim for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage and put at least 10–20% down on your new home. Apply the $500 you saved from downsizing to your new monthly payment. At 3% interest, you could pay off a $200,000 mortgage in less than 10.5 years, saving almost $16,000 in the process. Realtor.com also addressed downsizing in a recent article. They suggest you ask yourself some questions before deciding if downsizing is right for you and your family. Here are two of their questions followed by their answers (in italics) and some additional information that could help. Q: What kind of lifestyle do I want after I downsize? A: “For some folks, it’s a matter of living a simpler life focused on family. Some might want to cross off travel destinations on their bucket lists. Some might want a low-maintenance community with high-end upgrades and social events. Decide what you want to achieve from your move first, and you’ll be able to better narrow down your housing options.” Comments: Many homeowners are taking the profit from the sale of their current home and splitting it to put down payments on a smaller home in their current location and a vacation/retirement home where they plan to live when they retire. This allows them to lock in the home price and mortgage interest rate at today’s values. This makes sense financially as both home prices and interest rates are projected to rise. Q: Have I built up enough equity in my current home to make a profit? A: “For most homeowners, the answer is yes. This is if they’ve held on to their properties long enough to have positive equity that will be sizable enough to put a large down payment on their next home.” Comments: A recent study by Fannie Mae revealed that only 37% of Americans believe they have significant equity (> 20%) in their current home. In actually, 69% have greater than 20% equity. That equity could enable you to build a life you have always dreamt about. Bottom Line If you are debating downsizing your home and want to evaluate the options you currently have, meet with a real estate professional in your area who can help guide you through the process.

What’s That Flying Over Your Listing?

What’s That Flying Over Your Listing?



View the Entire MLS Listings www.SearchFloridaKeysHomes.com

Real Estate In Florida Keys with Coldwell Banker, Lela Ashkarian

Is it Time to Downsize your Home?  A recent study by Edeman Berland revealed that of homeowners who are contemplating selling their house in the near future 33% plan to scale down. Let’s look at a few reasons why that would make sense to many Americans. In a recent blog post, Dave Ramsey, the financial guru, discussed the advantages of selling your current house and downsizing into a smaller home that better serves your current needs. Ramsey explains three potential financial advantages to downsizing: A smaller home means less space, but it also means less time, stress and money spent on upkeep. 186 Jasmine St, Plantation Key Florida, 33070 Let’s assume you save $500 a month on your mortgage payment. In 30 years, you could have an additional $1–1.6 million in the bank to get you through your golden years. Use the proceeds from selling your current home to pay cash for a smaller one. Just imagine what you could do with no mortgage holding you down! If you can’t pay cash, aim for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage and put at least 10–20% down on your new home. Apply the $500 you saved from downsizing to your new monthly payment. At 3% interest, you could pay off a $200,000 mortgage in less than 10.5 years, saving almost $16,000 in the process. Realtor.com also addressed downsizing in a recent article. They suggest you ask yourself some questions before deciding if downsizing is right for you and your family. Here are two of their questions followed by their answers (in italics) and some additional information that could help. Q: What kind of lifestyle do I want after I downsize? A: “For some folks, it’s a matter of living a simpler life focused on family. Some might want to cross off travel destinations on their bucket lists. Some might want a low-maintenance community with high-end upgrades and social events. Decide what you want to achieve from your move first, and you’ll be able to better narrow down your housing options.” Comments: Many homeowners are taking the profit from the sale of their current home and splitting it to put down payments on a smaller home in their current location and a vacation/retirement home where they plan to live when they retire. This allows them to lock in the home price and mortgage interest rate at today’s values. This makes sense financially as both home prices and interest rates are projected to rise. Q: Have I built up enough equity in my current home to make a profit? A: “For most homeowners, the answer is yes. This is if they’ve held on to their properties long enough to have positive equity that will be sizable enough to put a large down payment on their next home.” Comments: A recent study by Fannie Mae revealed that only 37% of Americans believe they have significant equity (> 20%) in their current home. In actually, 69% have greater than 20% equity. That equity could enable you to build a life you have always dreamt about. Bottom Line If you are debating downsizing your home and want to evaluate the options you currently have, meet with a real estate professional in your area who can help guide you through the process.

Duck Key Canal front Home For Sale, easy access to Atlantic Ocean for Diving, Fishing, and Just Cruising. Call Lela 305-395-0814 or click www.Facebook.com/sellingfloridakeyshomes