×
×
homepage logo
STORE

Local Columns

Options if financing falls through late

Dear Mr. Feichthaler: I intended to close on a new home next week. A friend of mine had promised to loan the money I need for the purchase, about $200,000. Yesterday, he called to advise a family member had a serious medical issue arise, and that he no longer could fund the loan. I already ...

April shows what was up is down and what was down is up

In the past year, there has been a complete market reversal in which what was up is down and what was down is up in our not too hot, not too cold Goldilocks market. In fact, one year ago we noted the number of closed home sales in Cape Coral in the month of April declined versus the closed ...

Protect yourself from wire fraud

Dear Mr. Feichthaler, I am planning on purchasing a property in Cape Coral soon. I have read a lot about wire fraud and I have concerns about sending my money by wire to the law firm handling the title work. Do I have anything to worry about? —Linda R. Dear Linda, In a word, YES! Wire ...

The Cape’s new equilibrium establishes a Goldilocks market

Not too hot and not too cold. A “Goldielocks” market aptly describes the current conditions in our local real estate market which seems to be positioned “somewhere in-between.” For example, home sales and prices are “somewhere in-between” as they are down from the record levels ...

Exploring garden myths

We’ve all heard anecdotes and advice throughout the years about every subject imaginable, and gardeners are among the best at passing along tips and tricks! There are many gardening myths that we may be guilty of repeating without realizing or understanding the science that can debunk many of ...

Rift creating difficulties for co-owners of property

Mr. Feichthaler, Several years ago, a friend of mine and I purchased a property, where we held title as Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship. She paid in 20%, and I paid the rest. I have lived in the property since then, and paid all of the bills. The property has since increased in ...

Digging into home prices and how long it takes to sell

Last week we discussed how our real estate market reached its new equilibrium in April of this year based on the number of closed sales and the increase in the number of active listings in our single-family home market over the past year. As we pointed out, the beginning and end of the recent ...

Mulch: Humble but important

Mulch, that bottom layer of your garden. Humble, unassuming. Yet it can do so much for your landscape. Visually, it adds a dark edge between the green grass and the plant bed, making a nice outline to your landscape. More importantly for me, if you keep it at least 2 inches thick, it limits ...

Cape’s April housing market establishing a new equilibrium

Based on the preliminary sales results for single-family homes in Cape Coral during the month of April, we seem to finally be settling into our new market equilibrium after adjusting to last year's sharp interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve and the devastating impact from Hurricane ...

Buyer’s proposal crosses the line into fraud

Mr. Feichthaler: I listed my home for sale asking $400,000, and I received a full-price offer. The buyer wants to allocate $200,000 to the home purchase, and $200,000 to “personal property.” Although I take care of my personal items, the value of my 10-year-old furniture is, well, worth ...