How we helped James by treating him like family!

    “They’re fantastic. I reached out to them before coming out for a job interview and they made sure to clear a whole day for me to come look at properties while I was there. They gave me the feeling of a family. It was more than just a business type transaction. They were just fantastic. From the first time we were exchanging emails, to phone calls, to helping me with lifestyle changes as we were moving here from the NorthEast -they were fantastic. I was concerned with not having a place to stay and they even assisted me in getting a rental property until my house was ready to be purchased. That was something that I’ve never seen anybody do before.”

    -James Cordiero, Home buyer

See What Makes Pie Day Such a Great Event

Now that Thanksgiving is over and the pies are all (hopefully) gone, we wanted to thank all those who took part in our giveaway. It was our pleasure.

Looking to sell a home in Jupiter? Click here for a Home Price Evaluation

Looking to buy a home in Jupiter? Click here to perform a full home search

Today we wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all those who stopped by at our pie giveaway. We are beyond blessed and are very thankful for all of our clients, friends, and family. We were so glad we got to see all of you stop by and pick up your pies.

In the video above, we made a slideshow of all the guests that came and all the fun we had. If you were present, be sure to tune in to see if you made the highlight reel.

A very special thanks to all those who came.

If you have any questions about this event, please feel free to reach out to us. We wish you a very happy and safe rest of the holiday season, and we hope we can see you again soon.

Robin Ross reviews The Simmonds Team!

     “They were excellent. The communication back and forth was outstanding. There were things that needed to be done for the house like, quotes for additional things, shutters and things like that. When the place actually closed, things weren’t cleaned like they should have been. They actually got someone to come in and clean it and I think, they might have even absorbed the cost. I’m not certain on that but, I just know that they certainly went above and beyond to make sure the lady that bought the house was very happy.”

     -Robin Ross, Home Seller

List Your Home at the Right Price the First Time Around

When listing your home, it’s important that you price it right the first time around so it doesn’t sit on the market and become stale.

Looking to sell a home in Jupiter? Click here for a Home Price Evaluation

Looking to buy a home in Jupiter? Click here to perform a full home search

It’s natural for homeowners to feel that their home is worth more than it actually is. Sometimes these homeowners can be right, but most of the time they’re wrong. As a homeowner, the most important thing to remember about selling your home is listing it right the first time. 

A trend I see happen often is people trying to list their home a little higher than it might be worth because they assume they can negotiate any differences of opinion. Unfortunately, this strategy just doesn’t seem to work. 

The value of your home is based on three simple things: its location, the comparable sales of similar properties, and its upgrades. It doesn’t matter what your neighbors say, nor does it matter how much they list their homes for. Just because their homes may be listed at a higher price doesn’t mean that you should list yours at a higher price too.

Prepare your home, do your homework, and list it right the first time.

It’s important to listen to outside advice. When your house is listed and just sits there, it becomes stale. If your house is priced too high, even if a buyer likes it a lot, they may not want to submit an offer because they’re afraid of offending you.  

In the end, your goals should be to prepare your home, do your homework, and list it right the first time. 

If you have any other questions about buying or selling a home, please feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to hear from you.

The Importance of Staging Your Home

We’ve added the services of two professional stagers in order to help us help you get your home sold quickly and for top dollar.

Looking to sell a home in Jupiter? Click here for a Home Price  Evaluation

Looking to buy a home in Jupiter? Click here to perform a full home search

One of the things I specialize in is decorating, and one of the reasons our listings typically sell much faster than other listings is because of the preparation we do before it even enters the MLS.  

That being said, we’re very excited to announce that, in addition to our growing team, we have a growing relationship with two professional stagers who we will be referring our clients to. The first is a designer who can use your belongings to spruce up your interior, and the other will bring furniture into a vacant home and turn it into a gorgeous showpiece. 

Our listings sell faster than others because of the work we put into them beforehand.

As an example of the difference staging makes, let me tell you about a vacant home I had that was sitting on the market for 60 days. People loved it, but they just couldn’t visualize it. My sellers then agreed that instead of lowering the price, we would invest in staging the home by furnishing the entire downstairs. Within one week of it being staged, it went under contract. 

As another service of our team, we also have staging affiliates that we feel comfortable working with and referring our clients to. This service will help bring out the best in your home and get top dollar for it.

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home, please give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to hear from you. 

When to Pressure Wash Your Jupiter Home

Since we've entered August and it's been so hot and rainy lately, my tip of the day is about pressure washing. I don't know about you, but I've seen some algae showing up on our fence and a bit around our house. 

You definitely want to pressure wash if you're getting ready to sell.

What I recommend to everybody - especially those getting ready to sell their house - is to prepare your house for a pressure cleaning, or even buy your own pressure washer. It's not the best time to do it quite yet since we're still in August, but come late September and into October, we’ll start transitioning into our beautiful Florida winter. I'd definitely consider pressure washing at that time.

If you're getting ready to sell, though, now is a great time. 

If you are preparing to sell or buy a home in Jupiter, we'd love to answer any questions you have. Give me a call or send me an email and let's talk soon!

How We Impressed Kristin With Our Communication Skills

Tell me about your experience working with The Simmonds Realty Team.

"Fantastic! Good service, great communicators. Amy actually met me to show me the house at 6:00 on a Friday night, after hours. Right when it came up for listing, which is why we probably got the property."

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.

Breaking Down the Home Buying Process

There are a variety of opportunities in the South Florida real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

What’s the difference between a pre-qualified letter, a pre-approval, and a loan commitment? I can sum them up for you fairly easily.

A pre-qualified letter is just that: a pre-qualification. You speak to a bank and give them some initial financial information. Based on that information, they write you a letter. While it’s typically not very meaty, it might be just what the listing Realtor or the seller is looking for.

A pre-approval means that you’ve spoken to a lender and given them more asset information. The pre-approval letter is far more substantive and is only contingent on finding you a house. It’s a nice, strong letter that’s supposed to get the seller’s attention.

"Pre-approval is a strong letter that's supposed to get the seller's attention."

A loan commitment means the house you want to buy is under contract. Through talking with your lender, you’ve given them all the information that they needed in order to give you a loan. Based on your financials, they are providing you a loan commitment letter stating that they’re ready to give you the money you need to settle on the house. This letter means that, regardless of any outstanding title or insurance factors, they are committed to giving you the loan.

After that, you’re ready to buy your house. Keep the questions coming! Also, feel free to give me a call if you need information regarding further details.

How We Found Joe a House He Fell in Love With

Tell me about your experience working with The Simmonds Realty Team.

"The results were unimaginable. Our agent, Lee, spent a couple days showing us some very beautiful homes in the Jupiter area. The last day before my wife and I flew back to New York he got us into a house that we fell in love with. Subsequently, he went back to his office to put an offer on it. No exaggeration, within 26 days we went from having an accepted offer to closing on the home. Being from New York, that's unheard of! Buying a house in New York usually takes 90 days. These guys were able to do it in 26 days. It was a fabulous experience!"

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.

Beware of Zillow's Home Estimates in Jupiter

There are a variety of opportunities in the South Florida real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

As a real estate professional, I'm continually bombarded by the question, "Why does Zillow price my Jupiter home differently?"

If we go on Zillow's website, they say that the Zestimate is created by an automatic software process designed by statisticians, and there is no ability for humans to manually alter the Zestimate for a specific property.

To make that more clear, let's say a home is estimated to be worth $500,000. If the Zestimate is off by 10%, that's a difference of $50,000! If the home is under-priced, you're missing out on tens of thousands of dollars. If your home is overpriced by 10%, it will sit on the market for awhile, and you might have to drop the price, causing buyers to wonder what's wrong with the home.

It's been estimated that Zillow's home estimates are only right 7% of the time. That means that they are wrong 93% of the time! That is a terrible success rate.

Remember, Zillow can't take features or upgrades on your property and compare them to other recently closed homes in your area, even though doing so gives you a more updated value on your property. Zillow doesn't walk through your home, and that's where my team can come in and place an accurate value on your home with a comparative market analysis.

"A Realtor is your best bet for an accurate home value."

Ultimately, if you want the most accurate price for your home, make an appointment with a real estate professional. Skip the nonsense and have a real estate professional find the true market value of your home. We will factor in the condition, location, upgrades, and amenities of the home in order to find it. If you have any questions about how we can do that for you, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to help!

If you have any questions, or if you're interested in a home valuation, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How We Impressed Ryan by Being Attentive

Tell me about your experience working with The Simmonds Realty Team.

"They were excellent. Very efficient. Probably the smoothest process I've gone through even buying a car, definitely buying a house. They made it so easy. Their recommendations with a mortgage company was excellent as well. Every task they had, I'd send an email and within minutes get a response, after hours, 8 or 9 o'clock at night, almost immediately. Really attentive to their clients, that's for sure."

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.

How Quickly Can You Close a Jupiter Home?

There are a variety of opportunities in the South Florida real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

We receive tons of different questions about the Jupiter real estate market. Particularly, we’re often asked, “How long does it take to close?”

Typically, it takes anywhere between 35 and 40 days to close a home, especially if you’re financing. This includes a 10-day period for inspection and 30 days for a loan commitment.

However, if you’re paying with cash, you can close in as little as seven days! It’s entirely up to you. It also depends on how quickly the title company gets their work done.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the surrounding area, or have any questions about real estate, reach out to us. You can contact us by phone or email at your earliest convenience! I’m always open to suggestions or questions to answer in future videos.

How We Made Sure Cathy Closed on Time

Tell me about your experience working with The Simmonds Realty Team.

"We made an offer on a house and closed on it within two weeks. The whole thing from beginning to end was absolutely outstanding. The service was just incredible. I wish a lot of businesses would do things the way they did it, with a happy smile.

We were in a real time crunch which is why we closed it so fast. We were dealing with a homeowner's association and we had to have approval. When we started the whole process, we had looked at the home, but we were in a different part of the state when we made the offer. As soon as I got to town, I completed the application and submitted it to HOA. That was on a Friday, and we were going to close the next Friday. They said they would have it ready on Tuesday, well by Wednesday, low and behold, Lee, our Realtor, called to see what the problem was. My goodness, they lost it along with the check I had given for rapid release. He made a point of going over there and assisting them in finding it and getting the approval, so that we could complete the closing on Friday morning. I didn't know it. I would've gone over there had I known, but he did it for us. Amy, she's the one who keeps track of the details to make sure it's all lined up, the communication was just outstanding! It just was, I don't know how else to say it. I would recommend them in a heartbeat!"

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.

How to Successfully Show Your Listed Jupiter Home

There are a variety of opportunities in the South Florida real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

Today, we’ll talk about showing your home when it’s listed. When you sell your home, you need to list it on the MLS. Real estate agents will mention how they’ll help show your home. Lately, we’ve noticed that when we schedule a showing for buyers, it becomes challenging. Here are three reasons why.

1. Listing agents are often not available. As a seller, you might be missing showings because your listing agent doesn't have a flexible schedule.

2. Buyers want to be alone when previewing homes. They want the opportunity to talk openly and freely without the seller or listing agent present. They should ask questions they otherwise wouldn’t feel comfortable with.

3. You may not know you’re missing showings. For instance, if a listing agent isn’t available for a showing, they won’t tell you that.

If a buyer is serious, listing agents typically want to be there to answer questions, ensure they feel comfortable before submitting an offer, and so forth. However, we want to assure you it’s okay if the listing agent isn’t present! The buyer’s agent should be licensed and leave a business card to let you know they were there. You should have a lockbox for the key with automatic registration. Allow them the time to relax in your home and get a feel for it.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the surrounding area, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to answer your questions about this topic or more!

How We Understood Bob's Needs

Tell me about your experience working with The Simmonds Realty Team.

"We're very pleased. John first of all made sure we found the right area that we liked instead of trying to convince us to buy a house in an area we didn't like. He made sure that we got comfortable, understood the area, and he understood our needs. We were very pleased.

We were going to build and wanted to move down [to Jupiter], but we didn't have a place. We had three dogs and John just happened to have a rental coming up and he rented it to us. Otherwise we would've been flying back and forth and life would've been miserable trying to build a house and do all of that. He went above and beyond!

We were very pleased working with John. The most important thing that I liked about John, and I have recommended him to others, he doesn't try to convince you to buy in an area just because a house is for sale. He wants you to find the area that you're comfortable with, and then he'll work around that. That's what we really liked. I've worked with other Realtors who just want you to buy a house. They don't care particularly about anything other than you buying a house. John didn't start there. We really liked that. He made sure we knew the Jupiter area. The pluses and minuses of Palm Beach County, but he let us make the decision of the area we liked and worked with us from there."

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.

Four Things to Never Say When Buying in Jupiter

There are a variety of opportunities in the South Florida real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

While touring homes in Jupiter, there are a few things buyers should keep in mind. It’s important to say the right things, for instance. Saying the wrong thing can jeopardize your position as a buyer.

First, don’t admit a house is your dream home. Maintain a strong negotiating position. These comments can lead to the seller getting more money out of you.

Don’t tell the sellers they have a poor sense of style. Refrain from comments about anything you might not like in the home design-wise. Their style might not be yours, and these comments might affect you later on once you submit an offer.

Keep finances strictly between you and your agent. Don’t admit your affordability to the seller or the seller’s agent.

Avoid asking too much about why the seller plans to move. You may be curious about why the seller is leaving their home. Maybe they got a divorce or job relocation. Avoid any uncomfortable situations. It might create a bidding war, which could lead to a later closing.

If you have any questions about the buying or selling process in the surrounding Jupiter area, reach out to us. We’d be happy to help!

How We Answered All of Hank's Questions

"We were very satisfied and I don't think we could've asked to work with anyone better. We worked with Lee, he just went above and beyond and made sure that if I had questions about anything, inspections, reports, anything, he was real quick to get us answers. He was there day and night, I could text him anytime, and within a couple minutes he was responding, which is kind of hard to believe. He was very knowledgeable, felt like he had our best interests in mind."

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.

How Juliana Felt Like We Were Her Advocate

“I worked mostly with Amy Simmonds and her partner Amy Lynn, and they were absolutely amazing. I was buying a house, and she first met with me and did a little interview about what I was looking for and my priorities. We went out looking a couple of times, she developed a list for me, and we would go out looking together. Through those times, she learned what I was looking for and the third time we went out, we found the house I wanted to buy! Once I bought it, she made everything go so smoothly. She maintained contact with me through the seller’s listing agent, the title company, the bank, and everything. They were really good. They made everything super easy. 

I feel like she always went above and beyond! Like I said, bringing me in, getting to know me, driving me around. She was super patient. And once I decided on a house to buy, the whole team came together and they would always send me reminder emails on what to do, lists of things that I needed to get done, if I needed to turn in certain paperwork. They made it really easy. They were always in contact with me. They were always super friendly and very sweet. If I ever needed help contacting anyone they would be the ones to call. I felt really well taken care of and like I had an advocate.”

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.

How We Were the Best Realtor Holly Has Ever Worked With

“I worked with Amy and she was great. The best realtor that we’ve ever used. I’ve bought and sold four homes and this is the fourth and best time we’ve ever had with a realtor in terms of professionalism and actually knowing what they were doing. We’d completely use her again.

They have a professional photographer that came in and took really great pictures of our house. She was spot on with what the house was going to sell for and the range and how quick it was going to sell. She said it was going to sell in two weeks and it did and it sold for the price she suggested we put it on the market for. 

Anytime we needed her, she was there. The photography was a really big thing. That was really awesome. That’s the first time any realtor has offered that to us, professional photography. She also helped me stage our house, moved furniture around, made things look better. It’s been hard for Amy’s team to get a hold of me, and that’s another thing. They’ll try to get a hold of me, they’ll text me, call me, and also email and eventually they do. I’m always on the go.”

To contact the Simmonds Realty Team, call 561-427-6100 or email john@simmondsteam.com.