Missing the Rainbow
Michael Saunders & Company

Not even the sharpest financial minds can predict with any sort of
precision when the nation’s real estate markets will recapture the
momentum needed to shore-up eroding home prices. One can,
however, be reasonably certain that the housing market’s comeback
will be a major priority, if not the top priority, of the next administration
in Washington.
For while no two politicians or financial pundits seem to agree on the best plan for solving the global financial crisis, most believe it needs to start by addressing the root cause of the meltdown—rising home foreclosures.

To that end, plans are now being formulated at several of the nation’s
largest banks to rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners from
loans they can no longer afford by modifying their mortgages with
lower interest rates, smaller principal amounts and other moreaffordable
terms. At the government level, the White House is weighing a plan from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that would help upwards of three million troubled borrowers find relief. Moreover, the rate of foreclosures should slow dramatically
as many of these institutions plan to place a 90-day moratorium
on new filings while the various rescue plans are formulated and set in motion.

This is extremely encouraging news and represents a decisive first
step toward stabilizing home prices. Which begs the question: How
will you, the average homebuyer, know exactly when prices finally do
stabilize? Unfortunately you won’t; except, of course, in hindsight—
after prices have already begun to inch upwards again.

You can never time the real estate market perfectly. At best, you’ll
be lucky enough to mistime the bottom within a few degrees of
accuracy one way or the other. As he penned in a recent op-ed article
in the New York Times, no less a master of opportune investing
than Warren Buffet admitted that attempting to time the markets
is a fruitless endeavor: “If you wait for the robins,’ he said. “Spring
will be over.”

Prices for homes in Southwest Florida are at their lowest since 2003.
They may go lower still. They may not. What we know for sure is
that people routinely gasp with wide-eyed astonishment when they
hear properties across the board being offered at what were once
unthinkably low prices. While it’s impossible to say whether they
are witnessing the absolute bottom of the market, their audible
gasps betray knowing an exceptionally good deal when they see
one. And that’s the point. Since you can never time the market
to the day, you can at least latch on to the best opportunity when
it comes your way.

To seize that opportunity when it presents itself, begin your homework
now. Keep up to date on what’s for sale in every neighborhood and
price range by visiting michaelsaunders.com regularly. Be sure to
check out the Best Opportunities page with every new visit. Unique
to Michael Saunders & Company, Best Opportunities removes the
guesswork for today’s value-conscious buyer by featuring only those
listings that have been judged by a panel of real estate experts to
be the best priced buying opportunities on michaelsaunders.com.
For a more up-close sampling of what’s for sale visit the site weekly
for a list of weekend open houses.

If you plan to use financing, get pre-qualified for a mortgage right
away. The rumor that banks no longer have money to lend is just
that, a rumor; but the days of obtaining a “creative” loan without
so much as proving your financial qualifications are history. These
days, it’s back to traditional lending practices that require you to
put money down, have an acceptable credit score and be able to
verify your income and employment status. Michael Saunders &
Company, in conjunction with its affiliated lending division, MS&C
Mortgage, has loan originators in every one of its 13 sales offices
to guide you through the pre-qualifying process. It’s partnership
with Wells-Fargo Home Mortgage provides customers of Michael
Saunders & Company with access to one of the most stable, secure
and dependable lenders in U.S. banking. Further, with our one-stop
approach to comprehensive real estate services, you can close on
the property free and clear of title defects with the expert assistance
of the team from MS&C Title. This is even more critical in this
unfortunate era of short sales and foreclosures.

What is perhaps the best buyer’s market in memory doesn’t automatically
make buying a breeze. On the contrary. With more properties
to consider, more to compare and much more room to negotiate, the
buying process has never been quite as challenging. An even bigger
challenge is to move confidently on a desired, well-priced property
when the temptation is to hold out for the possibility of further price
relief and gamble that the property doesn’t sell in the meantime.
That’s a little like ignoring a rainbow to search for the pot of gold.
By the time you realize the gold is a myth, the rainbow is gone.

University Town Center

By Toni Whitt - Herald Tribune


Published: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

Just when everyone is desperate to see the economy rev up, a group of developers got approvals needed to start construction on an upscale mall that will generate jobs in the building industry -- keeping architects, designers and construction workers busy for the next two years.

Benderson Development Co. has received clearance to pull permits for its University Town Center project in north Sarasota County after the state overruled objections raised by the Westfield Group, the Australian-based owner of the Southgate and Sarasota Square malls.

Even in this economy, the University Town Center developers insist that the paucity of luxury retail in Southwest Florida makes their project viable. They note that local residents and visitors have to travel to Tampa or Orlando for Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Crate & Barrel, Tiffany & Co., Apple and dozens of other popular retailers.

The new shopping center "will fill a huge void in the Sarasota marketplace, which has no critical mass of luxury retail," said Robert Taubman, Taubman's chief executive, in a conference call with investors last month.

Forbes predicted that 70 percent of the retailers coming to the mall will be new to the market -- stores not found anywhere from Bradenton to Port Charlotte. Finding unique retailers and restaurants has been a formula for success with Forbes' malls in Palm Beach, Naples, Orlando and Miami.

"We will add another level of depth and choice and sophistication and really complement what's been done in Sarasota," he said.

An underserved market..........

Larger markets like Tampa and Orlando have higher vacancy rates than Sarasota, largely because developers have been rapidly building around areas with population concentrations while ignoring some of the underserved smaller markets such as Sarasota.

The fact that businesses are "willing to take a risk here, when not many risks are being taken," proves that the Manatee and Sarasota markets have been ignored, said Kathy Baylis, president of the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County.

Benderson bought the site at Interstate 75 and University Parkway because of its central point in the region and the highway access. The company has been working for several years to get government approvals to build the mall, offices, housing and hotels. In that time, Benderson has been working in stages as the company received its approvals. At the same time, Benderson's retail along University has boomed, all with an eye toward the mall as the centerpiece.

Developers expect University Town Center to offer shopping, restaurants, night life and entertainment that is unique to this region. Forbes has used a "four-legged stool" philosophy in the malls it builds:

The company aims to bring in exclusive department stores, as they did when they attracted Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom to University Town Center.

Every Forbes mall includes dining, and especially a fine-dining component.

The Sarasota mall will be modeled after Mall at Millenia in Orlando, which recently had only one vacant storefront.

Even with the sagging economy, the Florida retail market remains hot, thanks in large part to the European tourists and wealthy visitors who love the state. Visit Florida says shopping ranks among the top five things that domestic vacationers want to do here. It is the No.1 aim among international visitors.