Florida Exodus Begins: Low Rates + Hurricane Fears!

Interest rates, we've got some good news for you. Windermere, other lake areas, and some areas of Florida are still booming. The commercial inventory issue is going to affect everybody. We're going to touch on that real quickly. And most importantly, the get the hell out of Florida mentality is starting again. We did this in 2004 after Charlie and another hurricane. We're going to dive into that towards the end. All of this in under five minutes. Let's get to it. My name is George Filbeck. This is my incredibly talented, smart, and negotiating pit bull wife, Jackie Sosa. And we are real estate professionals here to help you through what is a challenging market. So let's get some good news off the plate right now. And that's the interest rates. Take a look at this. What you're looking at is the average rates for today, which is the 12th, 6.7%. And you'll notice the green arrow, meaning it's going down right below that is the 30-year VA, 6.1%. I fully expect we're going to have these rates continue to drop down. We've got some more economic robust. People are feeling pretty good about that, which is terrific. However, let's keep our eye out. We have seen an uptick in traffic just a week after the election, where the rates have started to adjust down. I expect we'll see more. We usually have, just so everybody's aware, we usually have a buying season that goes from October through the end of November with the most amount of closings any other time of the year besides the summer season in December. So expect that if you're on the market, you're probably going to get a little more activity. Look for it. Week by week, increase. That's my advice, my suggestion for you. If you need to get in touch with us, our contact information is in the description. Feel free to reach out. We have a lot of you that reach out and say, hey, I got a question. You want to do it privately, please do, or put it in the comments. All right, let's talk about what's happening to lakefront homes to some really nice communities. I had somebody comment on like Naples, great area. Miami Beach, phenomenal area. You've got all these great areas that are still seeing a lot of influx of business. That's good. Here's an article about it. Central Florida's hottest housing markets include Windermere, fast-growing lakes, suburbs. Now for all of you that don't live in Central Florida, I want you to also consider that every community, every area has an area that's going to continue to grow where financing and all that really isn't an issue. The nicer areas, Windermere is our nicer area in Central Florida, but it's also showing lakes, retirement, places that you want to stay that are long-term. Let's go back to the article. With interest rates cooling and the region's housing market beginning to find balance, seven Central Florida housing markets stand out as having some of the most in-demand housing. Again, that's not just Central Florida. I use that because it's completely relevant to us. We focus and specialize really the entire state of Florida. We help everybody sell their homes here, but we live in Central Florida, so it's relevant. It's also relevant to you. You have other areas in your community that are going to be seeing a balancing out. We're starting to see that. We're starting to level out a little bit. We've got a higher inventory by double. So keep your eyes peeled. Maybe perfect opportunity, subscribe to the channel. That way you can keep up with what's happening in the Florida market. That's our goal is to give you great information. That being said, let's jump to commercial. I'm going to cover this pretty quickly, not spend a lot of time. The amount of vacancies in commercial office space and what you're seeing in the malls, the commercial spaces in these big expanding malls is going to become an issue. Now we're probably a year or so down the road before we see it. Expect that there will be foreclosures in these big high rises in occupancies. We're finding that with technology, we don't all have to go into the office as much as we used to, and these spaces are just not being occupied. Now, usually residential leads commercial. Commercial will lead residential. This is going to be an issue next year. Plan on it. As you're reading stuff about commercial occupancy, maybe spend a little more time there if real estate's something you focus on. I'm assuming it is because you're watching this. Okay, I'm going to transition now to what I really wanted to talk about today, and that's the let's get the hell out of Florida mentality that is starting to come, and I totally understand why. Take a look at this article. Florida homeowners call it quick selling hurricane-damaged homes to quick buy-in, as is vultures. Obviously, that's not printed on a garage door, but they did that for effect, and the effect is real. So I get it. Your home is flooded. You want to get the heck out. A lot of people, and that's in this article. I'm going to actually put this article in the comments. You probably want to read this. I'm not going to go through it because I want to keep this under five minutes for everybody. A lot of people are underinsured, and they are in harm's way. Here's the thing. There is a quick exit strategy, but unfortunately, you're giving away equity positions in doing so. Yes, it does take a little bit more time, but that time translates into financing, money, yours. Get a professional to help you get opinions of what the value looks like. Use ReVenture, which is a great app, ReVenture.app. Again, links in the description. I don't get a penny for it. I just think they're great. Find out what's happening and what values look like in your particular area. It's a free app. You can subscribe for it. What I show y'all is my subscription-based stuff because it's so informative. Bottom line is, folks, don't just say, I quit, I'm out, I'm done, until you have good information. We saw this in 2004, particularly Punta Gorda, where it just got ravaged by Charlie, and then I forgot the name of it, the next hurricane that came through. Everybody's like, we're done, we're out. These are canal-front properties. Well, they got beat up again a couple of years ago, but the values of these homes have gone up, continue to go up. It might make sense to consider keeping this property. I get it if you want to get out. I totally do. I understand the financing issues that are here, and that makes sense to me too, but do not sell it to the vultures, folks. It doesn't serve you or your family. You want to talk about it? Reach out to us. Let's just throw some ideas back and forth and make sure that you're making the right choices because I'm genuinely concerned about the equity position that you've built, you've endured, you created. Jackie and I are committed to your financial well-being, and it doesn't always work with selling it to a vulture who just wants to take your home, start counting their own money, and build up their wealth, taking away from yours, okay? So this is something I'm going to keep on the back burner. I'm going to keep talking about this because I don't want this to happen to all of you. You've spent the time, the energy, and the effort. It's your equity. You earned it. I also understand that this is a hard time, and I get that. We both do. Jackie and I do together, and God bless you. God bless your family. We will get through this together. The market will come back. Your equity position will continue to increase. We're going to see it drop a little bit, but this is an incredibly desirable place to live because of our climate, because of everything else. Threw a couple of big snowstorms, and everybody wants to move to Florida. Folks, protect what you worked for. God bless you. Jackie, myself, we're here if you need anything, and if you're considering selling your home, watch this. You're going to like this. Or we'll step in and pay the mortgage until it does. Hi, I'm Jackie Sosa. And I'm George Philbeck. Let's say that again. Your home sold in 45 days or less at a price you agree to, or we'll step in and pay the mortgage until it does. And the best part is our guarantee is 100% risk-free. If you're not happy, fire us. You're in control. We know you'll be happy because we outsell the average agent over 50 to one. We're not bragging. We're applying for a job. And don't forget, commission is completely negotiable. After all, it is your house, so you're in control. For a more detailed look at why we outsell the average agent more than 50 to one, and how you can sell your home for more money, as well as your potential next steps to a secure selling process, simply go to the site in the description and on the screen below. Thank you.