Your have received this email as a client or contact of By The Sea Realty, Inc. View it in your browser The Good News from your Real Estate Team By The Sea Its not all doom and gloom "By The Sea". While our real estate market has been hit hard in recent years and our national economy continues to struggle, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic. In our coastal marketplace inventories are coming down, market values have stabilized and many of the bank owned properties are being flushed from the system. Banks are approving more short sales for responsible home owners and shadow inventory seems to be staying in the shadows. Some market segments, like newer condominium units, are actually experiencing a product shortage. The rental market is competitive and interest rates remain low. If you are an investor or a homeowner looking to upgrade, there has never been a better time to make a purchase. We like to say, "Its not a bad market, its a market full of opportunity". More Than Just A Beach Cleanup Help keep our beaches clean, SCUBA dive under the pier and meet your Congressman, all this Saturday at Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. On the first Saturday of every month volunteers in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea gather at the pier to walk our beach and pick up what others leave behind. If you haven't joined us for the beach cleanup before then this week presents some additional incentive for new volunteers. As the sponsor of this week's cleanup, By The Sea Realty will provide bags, gloves and bottled water for all volunteers. Congressman Allen West, an avid SCUBA diver, is scheduled to join us for the pier cleanup dive and beach cleanup. There will be a raffle with prizes from local businesses, with the top prize being an introduction to diving course from Gold Coast Scuba. Click Here for schedule and details Mortgage Rates Hit 50 Year Low from a Blog post by Rich Barnhart According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey the average rate for a 30-year fixed loan fell to 4.15 percent in August, the lowest in more than a half century! Is it time to refinance or perhaps purchase that dream home you've always wanted? With interest rates this low and property values down there has never been a better time to buy. Read the entire post... What Is Your Home Worth? People always ask us "How's the market?", but what they really want to know is "How's the market in my neighborhood?" and "What is my home worth?" The answer to this question is not that simple, especially in today's challenging marketplace. Your best bet is to have a qualified real estate professional provide you with a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). A good CMA can be as informative as an actual appraisal and most reports will include recently sold comparable properties and a projected sales price range. Armed with this information and with the help of a good agent you can price your property appropriately and compete for buyers in your marketplace. What about Automated Valuation Models? Some web sites like Zillow.com have automated valuation models or AVM (Zestimate®). While these models may be a good starting point they are no replacement for a real CMA or appraisal. Do you really trust a computer to value your property? Is my Assessed Value Accurate? Your county property appraiser will estimate your "just value" every year. While this value is supposed to be representative of your true market value (as of the first of the year), it is not necessarily what your property would sell for. Make sure you consider exemptions, active competitive properties and more recent sales when evaluating your assessed value. Get Started Today: > Check out your Local Market Watch for your neighborhood > Then request a free CMA from one of our local specialists Real Estate Investment: A Practical Approach Whether you are an experienced real estate investor or someone who is considering investment for the first time By The Sea Realty is here to offer you a practical and efficient approach to meeting your investment objectives. Our process is simple and we focus on fundamentals that work in any real estate market. Read more about our investment process We Are Hiring! We are looking for experienced agents and brokers who share our vision for a higher level of customer service in the real estate industry. We offer cutting edge technology that provides your clients with better information and makes your business more efficient. If you are looking for a unique company where you can take your business to the next level then By The Sea Realty may be a good fit. Click here for more information By The Sea e-Newsletter Fall 2011 - Vol. 2, Issue 1 In This Issue > More than just a beach cleanup > Mortgage rates at 50 year low > What's your home worth? > Real Estate Investment:    A Practical Approach > Feature Properties > We are hiring In the Blogosphere Our "By The Sea Blog" features articles on Local Events, Community News and of course Real Estate. Visit our Blog regularly to keep up to speed on your favorite South Florida communities. Feature topics include: > Real Estate Investing > The Environment > Fort Lauderdale > Lauderdale-By-The-Sea > South Florida Events > Florida Foreclosure > Real Estate Trends and Statistics > and many more... FEATURE BLOG POST: What can a Certified Distressed Property Expert Do For You? Featured Listings FOR SALE: 5400 N. Ocean Blvd. Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Estate Sale: $325,000 - 2 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse. Enjoy the expansive private beach and excellent location. FOR SALE: 18260 N. Bay Rd. Sunny Isles Beach Fabulous Remodeled Condo: $475,000 - 2 bed, 2 bath, great views, walk to the beach FOR RENT: 801 E. 10th Ave. Fort Lauderdale - Rio Vista Single Family Rental: $3,750/month - 3 Bedroom, 2 bath, single car garage with pool on great street Commercial Investment Fort Lauderdale Retail building for Sale: $395,000 - Long term tenant, great location, seller financing available For more information about our feature listings please contact us or try our Advanced Property Search Forward this eNewsletter to a Friend Our web site: Home | About Us | Buying | Selling | Investments | Mortgage | Learn | Contact Us By The Sea Realty, Inc. 223 Commercial Blvd. Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL 33308 954-351-7007