I was glad to see this story from realtor.org showing that real estate sales were up in December.  With all of the “bad news” that we hear it’s great to hear some good news.  Another silver lining in the cloud is that there has never been a better time for first time homebuyers.  In South Florida we saw many people moving up to the Carolinas and Georgia because they could not afford the real estate down here, now I see people moving back to the Miami Area and first time home buyers living the American Dream of home ownership!  The State of FL has helped with great incentives for first time homebuyers, up to $10,000 in grant money and some cities give even more funds!  Please email me for more information regarding these great programs!

This week our guest blogger, Justin Miller talks about the constantly changing interest rates. If you are interested in seeing the homes currently on the market, including foreclosures please visit: http://www.getsouthfloridafloridalistings.com.  

Ellen M Bithell, CRS, CREO, SSS (Short Sale Specialist)

I recently became a registered HUD agent, allowing me to show and sell HUD homes.  Having been in real estate for over a decade I had heard the term HUD homes, but did not really know much about them, how they came into HUD’s inventory, how they were sold and the numerous benefits to homebuyers when purchasing a HUD home.  When HUD training came to the Miami area I jumped at the chance to learn as much as I could, and the intention of this blog is to share that information with you!

We recently had to put down our beloved boxer, Faith.  After a bit of time, our boxer-loving family decided to work with Boxer Friends and Coastal Boxer Rescue, two great rescue organizations, to foster until we found the right dog for us to adopt.

On December 20th we became a foster family and picked up Tyson, a five-year-old male boxer from the Broward County Animal Control.  We wanted to give him a place to run and play after having been cooped up in a shelter for two weeks so, after loading up our truck with my son and daughter and their friends, we picked up Tyson and  headed directly to the dog park in The Lakes Area of Emerald Hills.  He ran like there was no tomorrow.

Foreclosures are up across the country, but the Miami real estate market has been hit particularly hard. Florida is consistently one of the top five states for number of foreclosures. In order to help consumers avoid foreclosure I have been educating myself by earning my Certified Real Estate Owned (CREO) and Short Sale Specialist (SSS) designations and by becoming a loss mitigation specialist.

While the rest of the country braces for the continual storms, we are planning outdoor seaside activities galore!  I don't see the kayak tour under the full moon, which I have been dying to try, but waterfront dining along the Intercoastal Waterways, a Seaside Craft Fair and and Organic Green Market sound heavenly to this Chicago Native!

Conveniently located between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood Beach has much to offer.  So grab a beach bag and meet me down on the Boardwalk, I'll be waiting!

At anytime you can contact me at 954-862-2631, fill out the contact form here at the blog, or visit us for more information on homes in the Miami Area.

Guest blogger, Justin Miller tackles a subject that almost everyone seems to be talking about!  Last month I participated in three foreclosure prevention seminars in which in addition to short sales and the foreclosure process loan modifications were the hot topic!  This month I will again be participating in two foreclosure prevention seminars in Hollywood, and am working on three for the month of February in conjunction with the Hallandale Beach CRA.  Read on for some great information, and please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at: 954-862-2631 or by email: ellenbithell@remax.net if I can be of service!

 FROM MY INBOX – HUD Homes It is funny how when we are open things come to us almost instantaneously. I have been working on obtaining authorization to work with HUD in selling HUD homes (government owned homes). HUD homes can only be sold by approved HUD brokers. On January 5th, I received my HUD authorization!

Learn what’s happening in and around South Florida!Hollywood Community Calendar

Hollywood Community Calendar

Our guest blogger, Justin Miller pipes in below on whether or not it is the time to buy.  Justin says “no one truly knows”, I have to step out on a limb here and say YES!  Properties are priced lower then we ever thought we would see them, the State of FL has free government money available to buyers and interest rates are low!  Read below to see what Justin has to say about our Miami Area Real Estate Market!

Ellen Bithell, CRS, CREO, SSS (Short Sale Specialist)