HOA Fees ExplainedWith Boca Raton being one of the top retirement destinations in the entire country, maintenance-free housing options here are beyond plentiful. But when you buy a condo, townhouse, or even a home in a gated or golf course community, home owners are required to pay a home owners’ association fee for common area maintenance and upkeep, which can be billed monthly, quarterly, or sometimes even annually.

So if you’re planning on being in the market for a new home or condo this spring, here’s a brief overview of HOA fees and what it may mean for you as a new home owner.

The Basics

As just alluded to above, the general idea behind an HOA fee is to help maintain the common areas of a condo building or community, which could including anything from the…

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Palm Beach County’s housing market reported rising median prices and reduced listing inventory in January 2018 as compared to January 2017, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. 

Here’s what buyers and sellers of Boca Raton real estate need to know. 

Median Price Ticks Upward 

January marked 73 consecutive months that the median sales prices for both single-family homes and townhouse-condos rose year-over-year. The median price is the midpoint, meaning half the homes sold for more, half for less. Months supply of inventory is only 5 months for single-family homes and 6 months for condo and townhouses.

Shrinking Inventory Putting Pressure on Buyers

In many sub-markets, particularly those below the $500,000 price…

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Choosing the Right Boca Condo BuildingIf you’ve made the decision to buy a Boca condo but don’t exactly know where to begin your search, we’ve got you covered. Unlike buying a single-family home, where buyers also have to consider backyard dimensions, exterior style and design, and countless other factors that specifically relate to detached residences, condo buyers need to focus on a variety of other characteristics, starting with the following…

Amenities 

Most condo buildings in Boca Raton offer plenty of lifestyle amenities for residents to enjoy, which could range from resort-style swimming pools to state-of-the-art exercise facilities. Keep in mind, however, that the more glamorous a building’s amenities are, the more expensive your HOA fees will be each month. 

New vs. Old 

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It’s certainly no secret that the spring season is one of the busiest times of the year for the Boca housing market. And with more people looking to buy a home or condo, chances are you may find yourself in a bidding war if you too are in the market for a new home or vacation residence.

But as the busy spring market fast-approaches, facing stronger buyer competition doesn’t always result in a more stressful home buying experience, as long as you’re well-prepared. And as we’ll discuss below, offering the most money isn’t the only bidding war strategy to consider when you find yourself competing for an available listing.

All-Cash Offers Are King

While not everyone is able to pony up the cash for a new place, doing so greatly improves your chances…

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Selling Your Boca HomeAs a home owner or potential home seller in South Florida, you’ve probably heard at some point how landscaping can help get your home sold faster and perhaps for even more money than you initially expected. But just what does that mean exactly and what steps should you take in order to maximize your home’s value from a landscaping standpoint? 

Well, did you know the American Society of Landscape Architects (ALA) recommends home owners invest 10% of their home’s value in landscaping? Seems like a lot, right? But you when really start diving into what will make the outside of your home really standout, expenses will start to add up quickly. 

To most people, landscaping means keeping your lawn mowed, keeping your bushes trimmed, and maybe even planting…

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Regardless of when or how you plan to sell your home or condo in Boca, maximizing profitability is usually the top priority. As you probably already know, however, most of today’s home buyers are looking for a nicely updated, move-in ready home that seems to checkoff most of the items on their wish list, which means you may need to make a few changes, updates, or modifications to boost appeal and desirability.

Easier said than done, right?

Prior to listing your home, the first thing you’ll need to do is take an honest look at what improvements can be made, then analyze the cost of each. Of course not every home seller has the ability to go out and install brand new kitchen appliances or totally makeover a bathroom or two before putting a property on…

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The housing market tends to be seasonal, and as you’ve probably heard, spring is usually when buyers and sellers come out of hibernation and start flooding the market, regardless of where you live. And while it’s almost common knowledge at this point that spring is usually the most popular time to buy or sell a home, you might still be wondering why this is the case each and every year. Well, once you start diving a little deeper into

More inventory

Simply put, because buyers know more inventory will be available during peak season, most will wait until the spring to really get serious about buying, even when it means they’ll face stronger competition among other home buyers.

Back to school season

Let’s face it—finding the right home can take…

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Spring Cleaning Tips For Home Owners in BocaIt’s hard to believe the first month of 2018 is already in the books, but here we are nearly a week  down in February with the busy spring market right around the corner. And speaking of spring, there’s hardly a better time to deep clean your home and get everything in order, even down here in South Florida where the sun shines all year long and we’re not coming off another cold and dreary winter season.

But before you fill up the water buckets and put on your rubber gloves, here are 5 easy spring cleaning chores that are both necessary and also won’t take all that long.

Degunk kitchen appliances

The kitchen is always a great place to start spring cleaning, and spending some time on your kitchen appliances is a logical first step. Don’t just throw…

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