Real Estate Blog - Marco Island - marco island

What To Do and What Not To Do When Selling Your Home

Your house usually needs work before it goes on the market. Most likely you will paint, and replace those outdated cabinets. The list can be long and overwhelming. Cosmetic damage includes things such as scuffed floors or peeling paint. They don’t interfere with the function of your home, although they do make it look run-down. A smart home buyer knows to look beyond that.

If your kitchen is woefully outdated or your bathroom is painted a terrible color, it doesn't matter.  Many buyers these days look forward to remodeling these areas, trying to second-guess what they want and have it there waiting for them is just plain unrealistic, given all the home decor styles there are to choose from today. If you do decide your kitchen and bathroom are so bad…

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How To Maintain Your Beach House

If you just bought a new home near the coast of Marco Island, you should understand that beach home maintenance is absolutely necessary and a bit more involved than your average home. Homes near the beach are generally more difficult to maintain because materials like wood and metal are more likely to become brittle or oxidize due to a combination of moisture, salt air, sand, and wind.

Review your home insurance policy

It’s never a bad time to review your insurance policy for your beach home, because you may be missing out on coverage you need or discounts. For example, adding hurricane shutters or hurricane windows could save you quite a bit in monthly premiums. Make sure you know what your deductible is for named storms, wind, and other…

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Property Taxes in Marco Island

Florida gives real estate taxation rights to thousands of locally-based governmental units. Typically taxing municipalities’ tax assessments are combined under the same notice from the county. Every municipality then is allocated the assessed amount it levied.

Property taxes have traditionally been local governments’ near-exclusive domain as a funding source. They’re a capital pillar for public services in support of cities, schools, and special districts such as sewage treatment plants, public safety services, transportation and others.

These are a few of the public services most local governments typically offer. Again, real estate taxes are the main way Marco Island pays for them, including over half of all public school funding. All other…

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School Districts in Marco Island

In order to find the school that fits your child's unique needs, you will want to consider a number of factors, including the school's character, classrooms and instructors. Your choice of schools may factor into other important decisions in your family's life, such as where to live.

If you are looking to move to Marco Island, FL considers which school your children would attend. This is usually in the top 3 things that people look into when considering a move. If you have children, their education is of utmost importance. Marco Island Public Schools, like all US public schools are tuition-free.

Florida has a competent and well-ranked education system. Florida's public education system consists of several components that are commonly found in…

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How Trusts Can Benefit Property Owners

How does having a trust benefit property owners?

Estate planning is about creating a custom plan to allow you to transfer your money, property, and assets to your family in the most efficient way possible. The two most common estate planning documents are the last will and testament and the revocable living trust.

There are two main reasons why people put a house into a trust. The first reason is that they want their family to be able to inherit their home without having to go through the long, stressful, and expensive probate court process. Instead, their home can be transferred to their heirs in a private setting shortly after their death.

The second reason deals with planning for incapacity. It’s a common misconception that estate planning…

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Move-in Cleaning Checklist

The easiest time you'll ever have to deep clean your entire house is right before you move in. Without any of your belonging to tidy or move out of the way, you can begin your life in your new home with a sparkling clean slate by setting aside some time for a cleaning day. There are many tasks that will become exponentially more time consuming or annoying after move in, like cleaning behind appliances, wiping out drawers, or shampooing carpets, so do yourself a favor and tackle them before the moving truck arrives.

To take one item off your mental load, we have put together a move-in cleaning checklist to help. Your future self will thank you!

Supplies

First things first: supplies. Because you will ideally be conducting this move-in cleaning…

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What to Know About a Real Estate Counteroffer

What do you do when counteroffering?

A counteroffer in the home buying process refers to a return offer given by the seller in response to the original bid. When a seller gets an offer, they can choose to accept, reject or counter. In return, if the seller makes a counteroffer, a buyer can choose to accept, reject or counter it.

If you’re selling your home, you’re going to have to get comfortable with the concept of negotiation or you’ll forfeit money and conveniences for the sake of being nice.

Counter offers are your chance to secure a contract for the price you want on your terms, make decisions on where you’re willing to compromise, and find out if potential buyers are willing to play ball. 

Once the buyers of your house have made a…

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Will My Homeowner's Insurance Cover Me After a Hurricane?

Hurricanes are a reality in Southern Florida and you probably want to make sure that your homeowners or renter insurance will hold up during this kind of a disaster. Here's some information about homeowners insurance and hurricane damage.

It often depends on the type of disaster you have. Most damages from many calamities are covered by a standard policy but some are not and so it's important to know what your policy covers. Plus, it might cover some of the damage but not the full extent and many homeowners and renters don't have adequate protection to cover all their losses. In addition, new tax reform laws could mean that uninsured losses can only be deducted in specific cases.

Homeowners insurance, condo, and renters insurance will cover…

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Are Investment Properties on Marco Island Worth it?

Investment Properties

Are investment properties worth it?

There’s a big difference between owning your own home to live in and owning an investment property. An investment property is a real estate asset you use only for investment purposes. You must occupy a property for at least 14 days or 10% of all the days the property is rented to call it a residence. If you occupy it less, you’ll need to claim it as an investment property on your tax returns, according to the IRS.

An investment property is also not a fix and flip, which is when you buy a property, renovate it, and hope to sell it for a premium. These projects can be profitable. You hold them for a shorter time than you would an investment property. An investment property is held with the…

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When Can A Seller Back Out Of A Contract?

Can a home seller back out of a contract to sell their property? The short answer is yes – under certain circumstances. In fact, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to get cold feet and want out of a real estate contract.

However, the choice to back out of a purchase agreement may come with added expense and potential legal consequences. Sellers who want out of an existing real estate contract are advised to do their homework up-front and recognize that time is of the essence if they wish to save on steep legal fees.

For example, some property owners may wish to backtrack for sentimental reasons. Others may sign a real estate contract only to determine in short order that deal terms and deadlines don’t seem as attractive as they’d initially thought…

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