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FEATURED ARTICLE
The Time to Buy is Always Right When You Buy For the Right Reason
Don't let the chorus of experts confuse you. These experts are the same that took us to where we are by selling a market that was totally unsustainable. Over the next year, general market conditions for home buying may get better - or worse - than they are today... Read More
Real Estate Headlines
Nervous Wrecks
Lenders' failure at mortgage modifications puts homeowners on edgeMarketWatch.gov
Citigroup, Fannie and Freddie Suspend Evictions for Holidays
Mortgage servicers and foreclosure attorneys to suspend evictions for occupied single-family homesMarketWatch.com
Mortgage Rates Rise
30-year fixed-rate mortgage stays below 5%, continuing seven-week streakMarketWatch.com
Pay the Mortgage or Walk Away?
The question more Americans are asking as the housing market continues to dragMarketWatch.com
Housing Starts Rebound in November
Multifamily starts jump 67.3%MarketWatch.com
Mortgage Applications Rose Slightly Last Week: MBA
Applications for mortgages rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% last weekMarketWatch.com
More Declines Expected in SW FL Markets
Fort Myers/Naples area continues to be plagued by high unemployment and foreclosuresFREJ.com
Foreclosure Filings Skyrocket in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade
Lenders filed more than 7,000 notices in November against property ownersSun-Sentinel.com
Simple Mistakes Can Undercut the Best Home Sales
Problems can arise if the school district, ZIP Code, number of bedrooms or map coordinates are inaccurateSun-Sentinel.com

WHAT'S GOING ON IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD?
Research Links
• What's My Home Worth• Just Sold• Active Listings• Best For Sale Deals• Active Rentals• Best Rental Deals

SEARCH TIPS
Using the Research Parcel
Each week we will be featuring a new tip to help you take full advantage of the tools Homekeys has to offer. This week's tip is "Using the Research Parcel." If you have any suggestions about tips you'de like to see, feel free to Contact Us.
The Research Parcel is a very useful tool when you want to know information on properties surrounding the one you are interested in. This is a great feature because you can go through the neighborhood of the property you�re looking at and get an idea of what other homes in the area are worth and what they sold for in the past.
Click the button to activate the tool and then click on the center of a property. A window will pop up with the property�s address and estimated value. You have the option to view details, which will give you the county record information on the property. In addition, you can choose from aerial view, comparables, or estimated value.


When you close the pop-up window a yellow box with the estimated value will be placed on top of the property. You can do this for as many properties as you like.
The Research Parcel works a little different when it comes to condos. When you click on a condo building you will get a list of the units inside. From there you can select a unit and get all the same information you would get from any other property. When you close the pop up window, now the yellow box displays the number of units in that building.
Next weeks tip - Searching for Rentals
Real Estate questions? Search help?What do you want to see in the next newsletter?Email Us

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If you want to be removed from this mailing list go here Homekeys, Inc. - 10700 N. Kendall Dr. Miami, FL 33176 - 305.351.8628 or 877.325.8258

Home For Sale in The Alexander, Miami Beach

Priced To Sell. Amazing 2/2 Fully Furnished In The Luxury Alexander Condo On The Ocean. South Exposure, Low Floor/ Tile Floors And Carpeted Bedrooms. Hotel Services Available Include Shula'S Steakhouse, Business Center, Concierge, Maid Service....


For pictures and information on this property visit www.homekeys.com and enter
MLS number D1338859





property was listed by Beachfront Realty, Inc

Home For Sale in Murano Grande, Miami Beach

Short Sale, bring all offers. Live in the famed South of Fifth Neighborhood in a luxury 5 star condo with amenities galore. This unit is a 2 bedroom, with 2 full marble baths, bamboo flooring in bedrooms and soap stone throught the main room and kitchen. Window treatment and lighting is controlled by remote. Sold AS IS with right to inspeccion. Faces East with City View.



For more information on this property visit http://www.homekeys.com/ and enter MLS

number D1342414








Listing information courtesy of Beachfront Realty, Inc.

Highly Desirable, Guard-Gated Community Near The Falls! Stunning & Immaculate!

Highly desirable, guard-gated community near the Falls! Stunning & immaculate! This residence offers true versatility w/unique floor plan.Enjoy a grand theater or your 5th bd.Gourmet kit boasts the finest appliances & appts w/breakfast nook. Formal liv & din rm, large fam rm w/wet bar, beautiful marble-like flrs throughout. Huge master suite w/lavish bath, secluded lot offers privacy & allows rm for a pool.Lush landscaping & an imported outdoor fountain grace the grand entrance to this exquisite estate. For more info visit http://www.homekeys.com/ and enter mls number D1321471

Reinventing real estate: How online empowered consumers are taking charge and paying less

Homekeys Town Hall Meeting- February 19, 2008

Remarks made by Manuel J. Iraola, CEO of Homekeys

What is going on in real estate?

These are fun times for the Real Estate industry. So much is going on !

For decades, the real estate world turned in a predictable manner. And now, everyday brings the news of many start ups using technology to transform what has been a "well protected business model".

For many years,the roles of buyers, sellers and real estate professionals were fairly well defined and transactions followed a predictable path of yard signs, newspaper ads, open houses and miles of paperwork. Not anymore ! Online and empowered consumers are and will continue to change the game.

Real estate professionals now face issues similar to the ones that have transformed the
retail, personal finance and travel planning industries. As technology advances and new business models evolve, the real estate industry has begun to transform itself from providing traditional, carefully controlled “agent-centric” transactions to new “consumer-centric” practices.

What are the trends driving these changes?

The “Five Ds” that are driving change in real estate are:
1. Disruption – Over the past 10 years, the Internet has matured into a powerful platform for delivering real estate information, forever changing the interaction between buyers, sellers and real estate professionals.
2. Displacement – The popularity and acceptance of self-service and consumer direct business models is being felt by real estate professionals, who are striving to develop attractive new offerings for Web-savvy consumers.
3. Demanding consumers – You now have more real estate knowledge, tools and resources at your fingertips than ever before. More savvy consumers tend to be more independent and demanding.
4. Downward pressure - Traditional real estate commissions of 5-6 percent of a property’s sales price are facing downward pressure.
5. Developing alternatives – The real estate industry is transforming itself to provide targeted services and exciting new options that add value for consumers.

Tomorrow's topic : Disruption

Look for us on the Web at www.homekeys.net and give us your feedback, ideas or input.

We would like to hear from you!

What goes up must go down

According to the associated press December ended as the worse year for the real estate market in the South Florida in the last 3 decades.
Real estate is a local business and we need to be careful with "satistics". You simply cannot generalize. The glass is half empty for some and half full for others.
Homekeys offers real estate services in 67 Florida counties and what we see is different from County to County. If you travel through the tri-county area Dade, Broward and West Palm, you will see more for sale signs than ever before. but that is not the case in other Regions . It is a fact that the tri-county area has become one the most difficult places to sale a house. But like anything else, all that goes up must come down and that does not exempt real estate. We have been through similar difficult periods in prior decades and eventually the market will sort itself out.
Homekeys offers the widest range of choices and savings for buyers and sellers.
Call us for details

Too many homes for sale, large # of buyers, few deals !

It's an irony of the current market that with all the homes offered for sale, many serious buyers can't find a home to buy. There are often certain types of homes, in certain areas, that just aren't on the market. These are usually prime properties in excellent condition that have broad-based appeal. When these listings come on the market, they are usually snapped up quickly, despite the otherwise slow housing market.

Many buyers are sitting on the fence at this point, watching the market and waiting for a better time to buy. It's impossible to time the housing market, so you won't know precisely when the market will next correct until that correction has already occurred. A market correction can be verified only through hindsight.

Although most buyers feel more comfortable buying in a hot market -- even though it may mean paying more -- there are some buyers who see a slow market as a good buying opportunity.

If you are one of these buyers and you're having difficulty finding a home to buy, we offer the following tips:


1.Get to know the inventory of homes available in your target area. Some of these listings will never work for you, either because they aren't large enough or because they have defects you might not be able to live with, like a lot of stairs to the front door. You can drop these listings from your radar.

2.Don't assume there's something wrong with the house if it's back on the market, or if it has been unsold and on the market for a long time. In a changing market, it's often difficult to select a list price that will bring about a speedy sale. Keep an open mind about listings that have had price reductions. These could have been mispriced to begin with. If the sellers are motivated, they will reduce the price until it is in line with the market.

Take a look at Homekeys Neighborhood Analysis Tool and let us know what you think. We want to make this tool as comprehensive as possible. Does it help you? What would you like to see?

Obviously, this is not an appraissal but simply an indication of value based on a number of assumptions.