No News Is Bad News

When the other agent or the loan officer stops communicating it is safe to assume that the deal has turned south. If the appraiser hasn't called the listing agent for access to the property two weeks after contract, the safe assumption is that the borrower hasn't made formal loan application (that usually includes an application fee) or the loan officer is slacking, neither good news for hitting the closing date. In a recent deal, the loan officer responded with "everything is on track" until he went radio silent about two weeks into the deal. There was no sign of an appraiser at that point. When the title company emailed him for info three weeks in, he responded with "please remove me from your email list". Not a good sign. He strung everyone along for five weeks until finally admitting that the loan wasn't going to happen "because of the ex-wife". Thanks a bunch.

Condo inventory in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral has increased a smidgen since my last post while single-family home listings have receded to their lowest level ever. There are currently 219 existing condo and townhome units and a mere 46 single-family homes currently for sale on the Cocoa Beach MLS. That's less than a four month supply of both at current sales levels. I received three inquiries in less than an hour of entering a listing in the MLS this week.

Prices remain strong and continued upward with overpriced listings predominating the landscape. Sellers who are renting their properties to snowbirds can be more stubborn with their opinion of value during the season while they're collecting inflated rents. It can be difficult to negotiate a fair price early in the year from a seller who may be looking at collecting 5% of the asking price in rent in the next few months. Their high ground starts receding at the end of March when the annual northerly migration begins. This is especially true in the complexes with longer than one month minimum rental restrictions. Finding a renter willing to sign a lease for at least three months after March and vacate by New Years can be a difficult task.

Those looking to purchase a condo here who hope to mix personal use with rental income are well advised to be aware of rental restrictions and their implications. Anything longer than one month minimum will be an obstacle. Some years it may work out, others not.

Shower thought of the day: I wonder what new owners in the condominium across the street from my house think when they realize that Waste Management empties their dumpsters two or three times a week between 6 and 6:30 AM. There are units on the second floor whose master bedroom sliders are level with the dumpster being slammed against the truck. It's loud at my house. It must sound like encore at a Motorhead concert in those units.

Three bedroom waterfront unit, $369,000.
Monthly fees: $435
Buyer's agent's local knowledge: Priceless

I had no idea when I quoted Ursala K. Le Guin (pictured above) in my last post that she had passed away the day before. Many thanks to her for the stories that inspired this young boy to imagine worlds far different than the one he found himself living in.

"If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested they're not values. They're hobbies." ________Jon Stewart