As with anything, the real estate profession is filled with honest
trustworthy agents, but there are those who give all hard working agents
a bad name, with their lack of knowledge and shady practices.
During the real estate boom, every Tom, Dick and Harry wanted to get in
on the action and unfortunately many did.  There are countless
stories of many of agents that ruined deals, artificially drove up
prices and were engaging in fraudulent practices with mortgage brokers
and appraisers, all for an extra buck.   Now unfortunately,
consumers are having a hard time trusting Cape Coral real estate agents
or brokers.  Now that the market crashed, we are left with the real
professionals wanting to provide consumers with exceptional service,
and honest business practices.

Here are some guidelines to help you pick the agent that is right for
you:

Make sure you interview with the potential agent.

You need to make sure your personalities click; you will be spending a
lot of time with this person.  They need to fully understand your
wants and need and most importantly your budget.  Are they willing
to show you properties that are not listed by their Cape Coral
brokerage? Do they seem to be honest? Are they interested in developing a
long term business relationship with you? Many people buy and sell
multiple times in their lives, building a strong trustworthy
relationship with your customers can only benefit their business.

Do some research.

You can find out so much about a person by simply imputing their name
into Google and hitting search.  Visit their website; make sure
they have experience in the type of property you are looking to buy.
What have they sold? What type of property seems to be their specialty?
Most importantly, ask for references and make sure to call.

Ask your friends and family.

Most likely someone you know or are related to have bought or sold a
Cape Coral property recently, and can share some useful tips and
valuable information with you. Would they recommend their agents to you?
If they answered yes, what traits made that particular agent so
special?  What kind of overall experience did they have?

These a just a few tips to help you weed through the mountain of
agents a find the best fit for your needs.  Put your trust and
confidence in this person, they will be responsible for the largest
transaction of your life and because of that pick carefully.

Call our team of highly qualified professionals to answer any of your
real estate related questions.  Florida Future Realty is here to
help.

Yours in Success,

The Florida Future Realty Team

(239)542-8521

cape coral real estate

Over the past couple of years we’ve been hearing more and more about Chinese Drywall in SW Florida. Our office focuses mostly in Cape Coral & Fort Myers real estate. There are many homes & communities that have been affected by Chinese Drywall. Most of these homes were built between the years of 2003-2008 but there have been some instances found dating back as early as 1998.

During those periods, our housing/building boom, drywall was imported into the United States that was manufactured in China & much of it contained potentially toxic materials.

If you are considering purchasing a home in our area that was built, or remodeled in those timeframes you will most definitely want to have a home inspection that includes a Chinese Drywall inspection.

How does an inspector look for Chinese Drywall? At the present time, the only sure way to confirm that the house has Chinese Drywall is to send a portion of the drywall off to a lab to be tested.

An inspector can look for signs of Chinese Drywall though. Some signs are:

Corroded Copper
in electrical wiring
in air handler

Silver
in faucets and other fixtures
jewelry
mirrors

Odor
similar to bad well water / sulfur / rotten-egg

What are some potential issues of Chinese Drywall?

Health
I’m not for sure if these have been confirmed but people have complained of respiratory problems, allergy-like symptoms, headaches and nervous system issues.

Electrical & Structural
again confirmation may, or may not, exist ~ I’ve heard of complete electrical panels being burnt out
the toxic fumes could penetrate into the concrete blocks or other components of the house ~ most typically into other wood items such as cabinets

What is the remediation process for Chinese Drywall?

Complete removal of all Chinese Drywall
Depending upon the severity of the spread this could include the blocks, cabinets, wiring, pipes or more

As I am not an expert on Chinese Drywall I have included links to other resources where you can continue your education if you so choose.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://cpsc.gov/info/drywall/
Article on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/18/chinese.drywall/
Article from WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123171862994672097.html
Article from our local News-Press: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909220331
Additional information & photos: http://www.chinesedrywall.com/gallery.html

At the present time we have buyers actually seeking out Chinese Drywall homes to purchase & other buyers steering clear of them. Armed with information you can make the decision that is best for you.

As always, we look forward to working with you. You can search Cape Coral real estate from our website 24/7 from the comfort of your home or office. When you are ready for more information simply let us know & we’ll get in touch quickly.

Make it a GREAT day!

Yours in Success,

Susan Milner
Broker of Florida Future Realty, Inc.
(239) 542-8521
www.SusanMilner.com

~ as with most things, the signs stated above could be signs of other conditions of the home and may or may not equate to Chinese Drywall. Make sure to hire a professional to make the correct determination.

Copyright 2009 Susan Milner ~ Florida Future Realty, Inc.