The beautiful fall weather is here!! In Florida, it seems we have a pre-fall (where it just teases you) and then a fall season. It’s a beautiful time of year. The river water is getting colder as evidenced by the alligators on riverbanks warming their bodies. My middle and high  school years were spent growing up in the swamp of  Manshack Louisiana always excitedly watching these powerful animals. 90% of the time you’re watching them do absolutely nothing. Then that other 10% kicks in and you see them use they’re powerful jaws eating their prey.

I wish I could draw a clever parallel on how it’s election day today and the strength of candidates for president. But there is nothing funny or powerful about this election. I have to believe that this has to bring about a better selection and election process. We need good leaders and role models.  Having to choose the lesser evil is no way to run a country.

The real estate market has already started slowing to its upcoming holiday slumber. Not a lot of people like to move during the holidays. It could be a good time for you to consider doing renovations or improvements if your home hasn’t sold and it has not been updated. Taking the home off the market for a few months and then reintroducing it with a mini makeover and new MLS entry can boost your chances of getting it sold.

We’ve coordinated and overseen a lot of mini renovations for our property owners when it came time for a face lift to sell or rent. It’s amazing what a little tastefully done paint, lights fixtures, mirrors and floors can do for a place.

If your home’s roof is over 20 years old or even close to it, you may want to replace it if you intend to sell. Most banks will require it and trying to get it done under the gun of a closing date looming can be difficult and stressful.

During the spring and summer, repair and trades companies are busy, busy but come the holidays things slow down for them as well. You may be able to negotiate better prices than you would be able to get in the summer. Scrutinizing and comparing line items in your improvement estimates is a must. Finding someone you trust to do the work can be tricky. Often your top concern is to save money and you may set yourself up for a big disappointment and costly corrections if you don’t hire good folks the first time. Make sure you get a referral from someone you trust if you’re going to have work done. Because of our years of property management in this area, we have developed a strong list of trades and repair people that we supervise and can count on for good work and fair prices.

We have started renovating the river house by starting on the outside with the decks. We’re going to the cable system so we can soak up every ounce of view. After the decks we’re going to completely open up the wall along the front of the home with two sliders and big french doors. I can’t wait!  Below are pictures of the deck now and an example of the cable system we will be doing.

Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving! I hope you create beautiful memories with family and friends.