5 Easy Ways to Impress New Florida Homebuyers

Florida’s population grows by almost 1,000 people every day.
With the bulk of population growth stemming from new residents moving into the state, there’s a lot of opportunity for savvy agents to help new homebuyers find their happily-ever-after.

Offering up helpful content for folks relocating to the state is a great way to drum up new business and spur referrals from happy clients. It’s a fantastic way to build your brand and position yourself as a trustworthy source of knowledge.

We’ve compiled the top things you should prep your prospects with when they’re Florida-bound.

Help New Florida Homebuyers Understand Florida’s Current Market Conditions

The housing market has been steadily on the rise throughout Florida for the past few years. But, as the saying goes, the only constant is change, and this is especially true with real estate and month-to-month fluctuations in your particular region.

Florida homebuyers are extremely concerned about buying a house at the most opportune time, and it’s your job to help them translate market stats and conditions to optimize their process and help them achieve it.

Data on the “local” market is everywhere. People can find it on websites like Zillow and Trulia. They can hear about it from other people they know. But more than likely, they want your opinion. You are their trusted real estate expert. You need to piece together the numbers into something understandable, or as Real Estate expert Steve Harney explains, “Connect the Dots” for your clients to become a great agent.

• Let a prospective buyer know about the future of the neighborhood too.
• Stay well-versed in city plans and attend council meetings. If the city is planning on adding an interstate across a neighborhood, or adding a new school nearby, buyers will want to know.
• Share useful insights like the impact of property taxes, home maintenance, moving costs, utility fees, etc.
• You could even go into how the property inventory is shifting and what that means for prices.

Every data point affects your new Florida homebuyers and their emotions. To make sure they’re happy with your service and your brand, you need to connect all those data points into something understandable.

Break Down Florida’s Insurance Requirements and Costs for New Homebuyers

Coastal paradises unfortunately have a dark side. Yep, flooding and hurricanes. While you escape the snow and ice of more northerly climes, weather can still get a little rough and tough. So here’s how to go about preparing, not scaring, new Floriday homebuyers, and ensuring you’re the go-to source for the information they need.

1. Educate your prospects on the proper insurance to cover against flood and wind damage. Partner up with an insurance team for an educational round up in a newsletter, or a blog post on your website that maps out what zones need which type of specific coverage.
2. Make sure you’re well versed in what areas are in mandatory evacuation zones for hurricanes and if you work those area, provide helpful content on hurricane preparedness, evacuation routes, where and how to buy storm shutters, and what to include in a hurricane kit.
3. Help prospects allocate the appropriate amount of their budget for the estimated additional costs for insurances (in addition to a mortgage payment) each month.
4. Know the basics on home construction and age. Insurance is typically going to be lower for homes built in 2002 or later due to newer building code regulations. It’s never a bad idea to call a preferred insurance company and ask about specific homes or neighborhoods. They’ll be happy to provide you with a brief cost comparison if you have clients who are stuck between two different properties.

Factors that will make homeowner’s insurance more difficult and expensive to obtain:

• Old roofs, or roofs that do not meet current wind mitigation standards
• Dated plumbing and/or galvanized pipes
• Outdated electrical wiring
• Homes lacking hurricane straps

Explain Florida’s Deed-Restricted Communities to Potential Homebuyers

Since there are so many deed restricted communities in Florida, it’s important to communicate to potential buyers what the Homeowner’s association requires. Some new buyers aren’t aware of the fees associated with such communities (or the perks!), so it’s important to stay up to date on the specifics for each area in your market.

While many people enjoy the benefits of these types of communities, some HOAs have very stringent regulations, and some can have significant costs. Make sure your new Florida homebuyers are aware of any fees, and proactively work that into their budget so they can get a full picture on what a particular property would costs month-to-month.

Some HOAs enforce laws regarding how many people live in your home at one time, if you can rent out your home, what kind of pets you can have, as well as how the property is allowed to be used.

Remember to educate your buyers about Florida’s unique property laws. While many actually protect your home against foreclosure, even if you file for bankruptcy, if you purchase a home in an HOA community you may lose this right because the homeowner’s association has the right to foreclose on your home.

Educate buyers on Home Inspections and Closing Costs in Florida

We know you’re not one to underestimate the value of a home inspection, but make sure your clients know how critical this is in Florida with the possibility for moisture issues, pest infestations, and cooling systems!

Educate buyers on Florida’s home inspection process and let them know that you’ll make sure all of these things are thoroughly investigated:

• Soundness of the foundation and structure as a whole
• Termites and other pest infestations
• Soil, drainage or erosion issues
• Issues related to odor or noise
• The presence of mold or the right conditions to breed mold
• Issues related to heating/cooling systems, drainage, electrical and plumbing
• Issues with basement or flooring.

Florida is regarded as a “High Closing Cost” state. Make sure you explain to buyers that  it is typically more expensive to close on a house here than most other states.

Deliver An Unparalleled Home Search Experience for Florida homebuyers

Buyers are tired of outdated websites that all look the same. You need a user-friendly online experience that lets prospects browse with ease, keeps them coming back, and converts at a high rate (win-win, right?)

Your website is the face of your business. If it’s outdated, clunky, and hard to work with, that is what they will think of your company. At BoomTown, a team of designers and developers create beautiful, branded websites that are intuitive and user-friendly. Visually-pleasing large photos enhance the user experience to captivate your audience and keep them coming back to your site.

It’s not enough to just have a pretty website. Your website needs to attract the right type of visitors and start the conversion process for you. With tools like empowered search capabilities and the ability to manage their own accounts, you give visitors a sense of power in their quest for the perfect home.

With a BoomTown website:

Visitors are presented with the freshest listing data. Hourly refreshes mean visitors have the most up-to-date listing data available.

Users can narrow down their search options based on selective criteria such as price range, neighborhood, number of rooms, interior and exterior features, and more.

Your clients can mark properties as favorites, save search filters, customize e-Alert options to receive updates on new properties, and even compare up to four different properties.

Our websites pair elegantly with digital marketing campaigns, so visitors become leads in a snap.

Tailored property updates keep visitors returning to your site and provide agents with the contact information they need.

You want a team that is constantly working behind the scenes to give the home-searching visitors what they want in a real estate website, while providing agents the information and top-notch technology they need to make connections, close deals, and run a successful real estate business.

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