Lisa Carey Real Estate Blog at Carey Cottage, Tallahassee

Don't forget to file for Homestead Exemption by March 1, 2012!

For the homeowner's convenience, the Leon County Property Appraiser offers three ways to apply: 

1.  Go to www.LeonPA.org, follow the instructions and apply for Homestead Exemption by mail.

2.  Visit the Property Appraiser's office weekdays, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., 3rd floor in the Bank of America Building, 315 S. Calhoun St., behind the Leon County Courthouse.

3.  During February, visit the Property Appraiser's office on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. OR visit one of the six mobile community filing centers.

REMEMBER TO BRING:  Florida Driver's License; Social Security numbers; Florida vehicle tag number and/or voter registration card.

For more information, call the Leon County Property Appraiser at 488-6102 or visit www.LeonPA.org

Extended Hours and Community Filing Centers:

Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 (Every Saturday) at the Leon County Property Appraiser's Office

Feb. 9, Thursday, 3-7 p.m. B.L. Perry Library, 2817 South Adams Street

Feb. 14, Tuesday, 3-7 p.m., Northeast Branch Library, 5513 Thomasville Rd

Feb. 21, Tuesday, 3-7 p.m., Eastside Branch Library, 1583 Pedrick Road

Feb. 28, Tuesday, 3-7 p.m., Woodville Community Center, 8000 Old Woodville Road

Thinking of Listing?  Consider This:  According to Nielsen and comScore Media Metrix, the two global leaders in digital measurement, Coldwell Banker branded websites had the highest number of unique visitors among all national real estate franchise brands for full-year 2011.  This marks the second consecutive year that the Coldwell Banker brand ranked No. 1 in Web traffic among all real estate franchisors. 

“The Coldwell Banker brand is clearly top of mind when consumers go online and search for a home,” said Michael Fischer, chief marketing officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.  “Consumers know our great brand and have shown a desire to utilize the suite of online tools seen throughout the Coldwell Banker network at the national and local levels.”

According to Nielson, Coldwell Banker websites had 17.5 million unique visitors in 2011, which was more than 28 percent higher than the next nearest franchise brand competitor (13.7 million). Similarly, Coldwell Banker branded websites (26.1 million unique visitors) had the highest Web traffic ranking among real estate franchisors in the comScore Media Metrix full-year ranking for 2011, easily outpacing its next nearest competitor by 21 percent (21.6 million unique visitors).

The Coldwell Banker brand continues to place an emphasis on developing its website into a hub for consumers to find and prepare for the home buying and selling process.  Recent additions include the lifestyle search page and first time home buyer resource center.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC accessed the aforementioned information through its subscription to both Nielson and comScore Media Metrix. The rankings encompass all consumer Web traffic (unique visitors) to national and local websites operated by the franchise brands as well as by their franchisees.

While the market remains sluggish, well-priced and well-maintained homes in good locations are still selling.   The Carey-Hart Real Estate team recently listed a home in Killearn Lakes.  We arranged for a professional cleaning, staged the house, got great photographs, and marketed the house on 400 different real estate websites.  The seller was highly motivated, so we ran the numbers and mutually agreed on a very compelling price.  Listed at $225,000.  We received two full-price offers and one offer at 96% of list.  From the listing date to the sold date - just 43 days. 

If you are interested in selling your home, please give us a call at 212-3083 (Lisa Carey) or 443-7919 (Lesa Hart) for a consultation.  We can meet with you, go over recent comparable sales, make suggestions on how to improve your home's chances of selling quickly, go over the proceeds and costs, and much more.  Your home can sell, too!