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The AI-Ready Home Sale: A Seller’s Roadmap From Preparation to Closing

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:04:51 GMT

Article 10 in The Lanham AI Listing Advantage™ series

Over the course of this series, I have explored how artificial intelligence is changing the way homes are prepared, priced, presented, discovered, compared and negotiated.

The technology is important, but it is not the strategy.

A successful home sale still begins with a clear understanding of the property, the market and the seller’s priorities. AI can help us organize more information, see patterns sooner and communicate more effectively. It cannot replace preparation, local knowledge or the judgment required when the answer is not obvious.

For this final article, I want to bring the pieces together into a practical roadmap. These ten steps describe what an AI-ready home sale should look like from the seller’s side of the table.

1. Begin With the Seller’s Real Objective

Before discussing algorithms, advertising or asking price, the agent should understand what the seller needs the sale to accomplish. Is the priority the highest reasonable price, a dependable closing, additional time to move, reduced uncertainty—or some combination of all four?

Technology can model alternatives, but it cannot decide which outcome matters most. That first conversation gives every later recommendation its direction.

2. Assemble and Verify the Property Story

An AI-ready listing depends on accurate information. Roof age, impact protection, permits, renovations, insurance considerations, floor plans, condominium reserves, assessments and building requirements should be identified as early as possible.

AI may help organize records and highlight gaps. The agent and seller must verify the facts. A polished description built on incorrect information is not effective marketing; it is a future problem.

3. Prepare the Home Before the Launch

The first days on the market are too valuable to use as a trial run. Repairs, presentation, photography, video, floor plans, disclosures and showing procedures should be coordinated before the listing goes live.

Not every home needs expensive improvements. Sometimes the right preparation is careful editing—removing distractions, addressing a visible concern or helping buyers understand how a room can function. The goal is not perfection. It is clarity and confidence.

4. Establish a Defensible Pricing Strategy

AI can expand the pricing analysis beyond a few nearby sales. It can help organize active competition, recent closings, price reductions, days on market and the features buyers appear to reward.

The recommendation still needs local interpretation. In Fort Lauderdale and surrounding communities, a street, view, roof, flood exposure, insurance cost or quality of renovation can separate properties that look similar on a screen.

The seller should understand not only the recommended price, but also the evidence and the plan if the market responds differently than expected.

5. Identify Who Is Most Likely to Value the Home

Effective positioning does not attempt to appeal to everyone. It identifies the needs the property can genuinely satisfy: room for visitors, outdoor entertaining, walkability, privacy, a home office, storage, boating access or a well-managed condominium building.

AI can help identify patterns in buyer questions and competing listings. Fair Housing rules remain essential, and the marketing must focus on the property and objective location information—not assumptions about who should live there.

6. Build One Consistent Digital Story

The listing description, photographs, video, captions, floor plan, property website and social media should reinforce the same accurate positioning. Buyers—and the search systems assisting them—should not have to reconcile conflicting details.

This is where AI can be especially useful. It can adapt verified information for different formats and help maintain consistency. The agent must review every version before it is published.

7. Make the Listing Easy to Discover and Understand

Buyers now ask more natural questions: Which homes have space for visiting family? Which offer covered outdoor living? Which are near downtown Fort Lauderdale and provide a workable home office?

A listing should answer those questions with specific language and useful supporting information. This is not about repeating keywords. It is about describing the home completely enough that both people and answer engines can understand why it may be relevant.

8. Measure the Market’s Response

Once the property is launched, the strategy should continue to learn. Showing activity, online engagement, buyer questions, repeat visits, competing listings and offers all provide feedback.

AI can organize that information and help distinguish a pattern from one isolated comment. The agent should then explain what the evidence may mean. A price adjustment is not always the answer, but neither should it be avoided when the market is consistently delivering the same message.

9. Compare Offers by Price, Terms and Risk

The highest offer may be the strongest, but the full package must be examined. Financing, deposits, contingencies, appraisal exposure, concessions, closing dates and the buyer’s ability to perform all affect the likely outcome.

AI can create a consistent comparison and model estimated proceeds under different scenarios. The agent must investigate the terms, communicate with the other side and help the seller understand the tradeoffs before making a recommendation.

10. Protect the Path to Closing

An executed contract is not the end of the strategy. Inspections, appraisals, association approvals, financing, title work, repairs and scheduling can introduce new decisions.

Technology can summarize documents, track dates and organize open issues. It cannot replace the conversations that keep a transaction moving. When the plan changes, the seller needs an agent who can separate a manageable problem from a serious risk and recommend the next step without adding unnecessary drama.

Three Questions Every Seller Should Ask

How will you use technology to improve the sale of my specific home?

The answer should connect technology to pricing, positioning, presentation, discovery or decision-making—not merely list applications the agent uses.

How will you verify information before it is published or relied upon?

The agent should have a clear process for checking property facts, protecting confidential information and reviewing AI-assisted work for accuracy and Fair Housing compliance.

What decisions will still require your personal judgment?

A trustworthy answer should include pricing, negotiation, risk assessment, communication and any recommendation that materially affects the seller.

Gary’s Take

I began using artificial intelligence because I believed it could help me prepare more thoroughly and serve clients more effectively. I still believe that. I also recognize that these tools are developing quickly and must be used with care.

I do not believe sellers need technology for its own sake. They need better information, clearer marketing, thoughtful advice and an agent who remains accountable from the first conversation through closing.

That is the central idea behind The Lanham AI Listing Advantage™: use modern tools to strengthen the work that matters, while keeping experience, honesty and human judgment at the center of every important decision.

No system can guarantee a particular price or a problem-free transaction. A good system can help us prepare earlier, see risks more clearly and respond with greater purpose when the market gives us new information.

Technology will continue to change how homes are sold. The responsibility to guide people well should not change with it.

Why the Highest Offer Is Not Always the Strongest Offer

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:03:33 GMT

Article 9 in The Lanham AI Listing Advantage™ series

When several offers arrive on a home, it is natural for a seller’s eye to go directly to the highest price. I understand that reaction. Price matters, and sometimes the highest offer is also the best one.

But not always.

An offer is a package of price, financing, deposits, contingencies, timing and risk. The number at the top of the contract tells only part of the story. A slightly lower offer with stronger financing, fewer uncertainties and a realistic closing schedule may leave the seller with a better result—and a greater likelihood of actually reaching the closing table.

Artificial intelligence can help organize these moving parts. It cannot decide what a seller should accept. That recommendation still requires experience, careful communication and an understanding of what matters most to the individual seller.

Price Is Only the Beginning

Consider two offers. One is $15,000 higher but depends on a low down payment, a broad inspection right and an appraisal at the full purchase price. The second is lower but includes a larger deposit, stronger financing and fewer opportunities for the transaction to unravel.

There is no automatic answer. The higher offer may still deserve serious consideration. But the seller should understand the additional risk being accepted in exchange for the additional price.

AI can place the terms into a consistent comparison and calculate estimated proceeds under different concession scenarios. That is useful, particularly when several offers arrive with different structures. The value is not that the computer chooses a winner. The value is that fewer important details remain hidden behind the headline price.

Financing Can Change the Strength of an Offer

A cash offer is not automatically superior, and a financed offer is not automatically weak. What matters is the evidence behind the offer and the conditions that must be satisfied before closing.

A careful review may include the buyer’s proof of funds, loan type, down payment, lender documentation, financing period and whether the buyer has enough available cash to handle an appraisal shortage or unexpected expense.

In South Florida, condominium requirements can add another layer. A financially qualified buyer may still face building eligibility, association approval, insurance or reserve issues that affect the loan. Those questions should be considered before the seller assumes that a higher financed offer is certain to close.

Technology can help organize the documents and identify missing information. The agent must still speak with the lender or buyer’s representative, ask follow-up questions and judge the quality of the answers.

Deposits and Contingencies Reveal Commitment—and Risk

The escrow deposit shows more than the amount of cash delivered at the beginning of the transaction. Its timing and relationship to the purchase price may help a seller evaluate the buyer’s level of commitment.

Inspection, financing, appraisal and sale-of-property contingencies also deserve close attention. A buyer may offer an impressive price while retaining several ways to cancel or renegotiate. Another buyer may offer less but accept a clearer and more dependable path to closing.

That does not mean sellers should insist that buyers waive every protection. An offer that is unrealistic for the buyer may create problems later. Good negotiation is not about forcing the other side into a position it cannot sustain. It is about finding terms that protect the seller while keeping the transaction workable.

Timing Has Financial and Personal Value

Closing dates, occupancy and flexibility can be worth real money. A seller who has already purchased another home may value a faster closing. Another seller may need additional time to relocate or may benefit from a short post-closing occupancy arrangement.

AI can help model carrying costs, overlapping expenses and estimated proceeds at different closing dates. But some priorities are personal rather than mathematical. A seller may gladly accept a small difference in price for a schedule that reduces stress and avoids two moves.

The strongest offer is the one that best fits the seller’s full objective—not someone else’s definition of winning.

The Cost of a Deal That Does Not Close

When a contract fails, the seller may lose more than time. The listing returns to the market with additional days accumulated, earlier buyers may have moved on and new buyers may wonder what went wrong. The seller may also face continued taxes, insurance, maintenance and carrying costs.

I have learned to be cautious about celebrating a contract before the major risks have been examined. No agent can guarantee that a transaction will close. We can, however, identify vulnerabilities early, ask better questions and help the seller make a decision with a clearer view of the tradeoffs.

AI can support that review by organizing information consistently. It cannot eliminate uncertainty, and it should never be presented as though it can.

Negotiation Is More Than Sending a Counteroffer

Negotiation often depends on information that never appears neatly in a spreadsheet. Why does the buyer want this particular home? Which term matters most to the seller? Is the other side solving a genuine problem, or simply testing the seller’s resolve?

Tone also matters. A technically strong counteroffer can fail if it is delivered in a way that creates unnecessary resistance. Sometimes the best move is to hold firm. Sometimes a modest concession protects a much larger result. Knowing the difference requires listening, experience and communication.

AI can help draft alternatives and calculate their financial effect. It cannot hear hesitation in a conversation, build trust between two sides or accept responsibility for the advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can AI tell a seller which offer to accept?

No. AI can organize and compare terms, but the seller and agent must evaluate the reliability of the information, the transaction risk and the seller’s personal priorities.

Is a cash offer always better than a financed offer?

No. Cash may remove financing and appraisal risk, but price, deposit, inspection terms, proof of funds, closing schedule and the buyer’s willingness to perform still matter.

Should a seller automatically accept the highest offer?

No. The seller should compare estimated proceeds, contingencies, financing, deposits, timing and the likelihood of closing before deciding which offer is strongest overall.

Gary’s Take

After many years in real estate, I try not to tell a seller that one offer is simply “best” without explaining why. My role is to identify the strengths, point out the risks and help the seller decide which tradeoffs feel acceptable.

AI can make that analysis more organized and help us examine several scenarios quickly. I value that assistance. But a clean comparison is only the beginning of the conversation.

The seller deserves a recommendation grounded in the property, the market and the seller’s own priorities. The decision is ultimately theirs, and it should be made with clear information rather than excitement over one number.

The highest offer may win. The strongest offer is the one most likely to deliver the outcome the seller actually needs.

In Article Ten, I will bring the series together with a practical roadmap for an AI-ready home sale—from the first preparation meeting through closing.

What Sellers Should Expect From an AI-Augmented Real Estate Agent

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:01:53 GMT

Article 8 in The Lanham AI Listing Advantage™ series

More real estate agents are beginning to say they use artificial intelligence. For a homeowner preparing to sell, that statement by itself does not mean very much.

The better question is: What will the agent do better because of it?

AI should not make the selling process feel less personal. It should help the agent arrive better prepared, explain the market more clearly, position the property more precisely and respond more quickly when new information appears.

In an AI-augmented real estate relationship, the technology works in the background. The seller should experience the results through better advice and better service—not through a stream of automated language.

1. A Better-Prepared Pricing Conversation

Pricing a home requires more than pulling three recent sales and averaging the price per square foot. AI can help an agent organize a larger field of evidence: recent closings, active competition, price reductions, days on market, condition, lot size, building history and the features buyers appear to reward.

That should lead to a more useful conversation about where the home fits—not a computer-generated promise of what it will sell for.

In Fort Lauderdale and surrounding communities, two homes that look similar online may compete very differently because of the street, view, roof, impact protection, flood exposure, insurance costs or quality of renovation. AI can help expose the comparisons. Local judgment is still required to interpret them.

A seller should expect the agent to explain the evidence, identify uncertainty and recommend a pricing strategy that can be defended in the current market.

2. More Precise Property Positioning

Every home has features. Effective marketing determines which of those features matter most to the likely buyer.

AI can help an agent study buyer questions and competing listings to identify patterns. A split-bedroom floor plan may appeal to buyers who need privacy for visitors. A covered outdoor area may matter more than an oversized formal dining room. Walkability, a home office, storage, impact windows or condominium reserves may become central to the property story.

The purpose is not to invent a buyer or exaggerate the home. It is to translate accurate property facts into benefits that help the right buyer recognize the fit.

A seller should expect the photography, video, floor plan, listing description, captions and property website to reinforce the same positioning. If every marketing element tells a different story, the technology has not improved the campaign.

3. Marketing Built for Both People and Search Technology

Buyers no longer discover homes through one doorway. They may begin with the MLS, a brokerage website, social media, video, a conventional search engine or an AI-generated answer.

That means the listing must be understandable wherever it appears. Important details should be specific and consistent. If the roof is newer, the installation year should be verified. If windows are impact-rated, the extent of that protection should be clear. If the property is near downtown Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Drive or the beach, objective location information is more useful than vague claims.

AI can help organize this digital story and adapt accurate information for different platforms. The agent remains responsible for verifying the facts, protecting confidential information and reviewing every description for Fair Housing compliance.

A seller should expect broader visibility without sacrificing accuracy.

4. A Clearer Comparison of Offers

The highest offer is not always the strongest offer. Price matters, but so do financing, deposits, appraisal exposure, inspection terms, requested concessions, closing dates and the buyer’s ability to perform.

I have seen offers that looked strongest on the first page become less attractive once the entire risk profile was examined. AI can help organize several offers into a consistent comparison so that important differences are less likely to be overlooked. It can also help model how concessions or timing changes may affect the seller’s estimated proceeds.

But an offer summary is not a recommendation. An experienced agent must evaluate the terms, communicate with the other professionals involved and explain the tradeoffs in plain language.

A seller should expect to understand why one offer may be safer or more advantageous than another—not simply be told which number is highest.

5. Faster Organization, More Personal Communication

Used well, AI can reduce the time an agent spends sorting notes, summarizing documents, preparing market updates and drafting routine material. That recovered time should be returned to the client through better preparation and more direct communication.

It should not produce generic messages at the moments when the seller most needs judgment. When an inspection identifies a problem, an appraisal comes in low or a condominium document raises a concern, the client needs a conversation—not an automated paragraph.

The agent should explain what changed, distinguish a manageable issue from a serious risk and recommend the next step. AI may help prepare that explanation, but the professional must stand behind it.

What AI Should Never Handle Alone

A responsible AI-augmented agent maintains clear boundaries. Technology should never be trusted by itself to verify property facts, interpret contracts, provide legal or tax advice, determine Fair Housing compliance, disclose confidential information or make the final recommendation on a seller’s behalf.

The agent remains accountable. That is not a limitation of the model; it is what makes the model trustworthy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can a seller tell whether an agent is genuinely using AI effectively?

Ask the agent to demonstrate how the technology improves pricing analysis, property positioning, marketing consistency or offer comparison. The answer should focus on outcomes and verification—not merely name a list of applications.

Will AI decide the asking price of my Fort Lauderdale home?

No. AI can organize market evidence and identify patterns, but the pricing recommendation should incorporate property condition, immediate competition, local differences, seller priorities and the agent’s professional judgment.

Does AI replace professional photography, video or personal service?

No. It can help plan and coordinate those elements, but strong visual marketing and direct communication still require skilled people who understand the property and the client.

Gary’s Take

Sellers should not hire an agent because the agent uses AI. They should hire an agent who can show how better technology produces better preparation, clearer marketing and more thoughtful advice.

My standard is straightforward: AI should make your real estate agent better prepared—not less personally involved.

The technology can organize information, uncover patterns and improve the reach of a listing. It cannot accept responsibility, understand what a move means to a family or make a difficult judgment call when the evidence is incomplete.

The strongest approach combines modern tools with experience, accountability and honest communication. That is what an AI-augmented real estate relationship should feel like from the seller’s side of the table.

In Article Nine, I will examine how AI is changing real estate negotiations—and why the strongest offer is not always the one with the highest price.

How Conversational AI Is Changing Home Searches in Fort Lauderdale

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:00:34 GMT

Article 7 in The Lanham AI Listing Advantage™ series

For years, searching for a home meant filling in boxes: price range, number of bedrooms, ZIP code, pool or no pool. Buyers learned to translate what they really wanted into the limited language of a search form.

That is beginning to change.

Today, a buyer can ask an AI-powered search tool a much more natural question: “Where can I find a three-bedroom home near downtown Fort Lauderdale with room for a dog, a home office and a short drive to the beach?” Instead of returning only a list of properties that match a few filters, the technology can help organize information around the buyer’s actual priorities.

This is one of the most important shifts now taking place in real estate discovery. AI-powered home search in Fort Lauderdale is moving buyers from typing keywords to asking questions. For sellers, that means a home must do more than appear in the MLS. Its story must be clear enough for both people and machines to understand.

From Search Boxes to Conversations

Think of the old search process as a card catalog. It could point you toward the correct section, but you still had to know which labels to use. Conversational AI works more like speaking with a knowledgeable librarian. The buyer can describe a need in everyday language, refine the question and ask follow-ups.

A buyer may begin with, “Show me homes in Broward County under $900,000.” The next question may be, “Which of these would work best for someone who entertains outdoors?” Then, “Which are near restaurants and have space for visiting family?”

The search is no longer one fixed request. It becomes a conversation.

That does not mean AI knows everything or always gets it right. Real estate information can be incomplete, outdated or interpreted without the local context that changes a decision. But the direction is clear: buyers increasingly expect technology to help them narrow choices according to how they want to live, not simply how many bedrooms they want.

Why the Words Used to Describe a Home Matter

In this new environment, vague listing language becomes even less useful. Phrases such as “won’t last” or “must see” tell a buyer—and an answer engine—almost nothing about the property.

Specific language is far more valuable. A description should explain what makes the home distinct: a split-bedroom floor plan, a covered outdoor living area, impact windows, a first-floor primary suite, proximity to Wilton Drive, or easy access to downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach.

The goal is not to stuff a listing with search terms. It is to describe the property accurately, completely and in the language real buyers are likely to use when asking questions.

Photos, floor plans, video, captions, property websites and neighborhood information should reinforce the same story. When those elements contradict one another—or important details are missing—the home becomes harder to understand and easier to overlook.

I saw the importance of this when marketing a distinctive Oakland Park home that ultimately sold for $1.65 million. Calling it simply a three-bedroom home would have missed much of its appeal. The double lot, courtyard pool, covered outdoor living spaces and walkability to Oakland Park’s Culinary Arts District helped explain how the property lived—not merely what boxes it checked. Those are the kinds of details buyers increasingly include in conversational searches.

A Listing Must Answer the Buyer’s Next Question

Good marketing has always anticipated questions. Conversational search makes that discipline even more important.

If the home has a newer roof, when was it installed? If there are impact windows, are they throughout the property? If the house is close to the beach, how close? If a room could serve as an office or guest suite, what makes it suitable? In a condominium, what should a buyer know about reserves, assessments and building requirements?

A strong listing does not bury those answers. It organizes them so buyers can quickly understand the value of the property and decide whether it belongs on their short list.

Some answers also require care. Fair Housing rules still apply, and descriptions should focus on the property, its features and objective location information—not assumptions about who should live there. AI can help organize language, but a knowledgeable real estate professional must review it for accuracy, compliance and judgment.

Discovery Is Broader Than the MLS

The MLS remains the foundation of residential real estate information, but it is no longer the only place where buyers begin. They may encounter a property through a brokerage website, a search engine, a video, a social media post, a map result or an AI-generated answer.

That makes consistency critical. The price, status, features and positioning of the home should be aligned wherever the property appears. A beautiful video cannot compensate for weak facts, and a complete MLS entry cannot carry the entire marketing campaign if the rest of the digital footprint is thin.

The best approach is coordinated: accurate data, clear writing, strong visuals and useful answers working together. AI may help a buyer discover the home, but the underlying information still determines whether the recommendation is relevant.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is AI changing the way buyers search for homes?

AI lets buyers describe their priorities in everyday language and refine a search through follow-up questions. Instead of relying only on price, bedroom count and ZIP code, buyers can search for the way they hope to live.

Can AI find homes that traditional real estate searches overlook?

It can help surface properties whose descriptions, photos, floor plans and neighborhood information clearly match a buyer’s needs. Its results still depend on accurate data and should be reviewed with local market knowledge.

How should sellers prepare a listing for AI-powered home search in Fort Lauderdale?

Sellers should use precise property descriptions, consistent facts, strong visuals and useful answers about condition, location and lifestyle features. The objective is not keyword repetition; it is making the home easy for qualified buyers and answer engines to understand.

Gary’s Take

Sellers sometimes ask whether AI can make a buyer choose their home. It cannot—and that is not the right goal.

The goal is to make sure the right buyer can find the home, understand what makes it valuable and feel confident taking the next step. Conversational AI is another doorway into the market. Our job is to make certain the property is presented clearly when that door opens.

AI can connect questions with information. It cannot walk through a home, sense how the space feels, understand every street-by-street difference or guide a seller through the judgment calls that arise during a transaction.

Technology is changing how the conversation begins. Trust, experience and communication still determine how successfully it moves forward.

In Article Eight, I will explore the human side of an increasingly AI-driven real estate market—and why empathy, judgment, trust and communication are becoming more valuable, not less.

How AI Helps Identify the Buyers Most Likely to Value Your Home

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:58:23 GMT

Successful marketing is not always about reaching the largest audience

A home I represented in Oakland Park had previously been used as a short-term rental. Some buyers would see an investment property. Others would see the repairs and improvements they wanted to make. The right buyer saw something more personal.

The eventual purchaser was moving from Delray Beach. He valued the home’s proximity to Oakland Park’s Culinary Arts District and could picture creating the kitchen he wanted. The property fit the way he planned to live.

That is what good real estate marketing is supposed to accomplish.

It does not persuade every buyer to want the home. It helps the buyers most likely to value it understand why it deserves their attention.

In Article Five, I explained how artificial intelligence can help organize the evidence used to price a home. Once the price is established, the next question is just as important:

Who is most likely to recognize the home’s value?

AI can help an experienced agent examine that question more carefully. It can organize buyer-search patterns, compare competing listings, identify features that appear to generate interest and help test how the property is positioned.

But the answer cannot be reduced to a demographic profile or handed over to a machine. It requires judgment, local knowledge and a clear understanding of Fair Housing responsibilities.

More Exposure Is Not Always Better Marketing

There is a tendency in real estate to measure marketing by volume: more views, more impressions, more clicks and more people reached.

Exposure matters. Buyers cannot consider a home they never see.

But exposure alone is not a strategy.

Marketing a home to everyone is like turning up the volume without deciding who needs to hear the message. The message becomes louder, but not necessarily more persuasive.

A waterfront property with fixed bridges may appeal to a different boating buyer than a home with direct ocean access. A condominium near Las Olas may appeal to someone who values walkability, restaurants and the ability to lock the door and travel. A house with a separate suite may attract buyers who need flexible space for family, guests or work.

Those homes may be located within a few miles of one another. They are not offering the same ownership experience.

The goal is not merely to generate traffic. It is to create meaningful interest among buyers whose priorities match what the property genuinely offers.

Every Home Has More Than a List of Features

Most property marketing begins with features: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a pool, impact windows, a newer roof or a renovated kitchen.

Those facts are important, but buyers do not experience them as a checklist alone.

A pool may mean weekend entertaining to one buyer and unwanted maintenance to another. A first-floor bedroom may provide privacy for guests, space for a parent or the flexibility to avoid stairs. A fenced yard may matter because of a dog, children, gardening or the desire for privacy.

The feature stays the same. The reason it matters changes with the buyer.

That is where positioning begins.

An experienced listing agent should ask not only, “What does this home have?” but also, “Why would those features matter, and to whom?”

AI can help generate and organize possible answers. It can review the listing beside its competition, identify benefits that have not been clearly explained and test whether the language connects the feature to a practical use.

The agent still has to determine which interpretations are honest, relevant and supported by the property.

How AI Can Help Define the Opportunity

Artificial intelligence can help an agent study how buyers search and how similar properties are presented.

It may reveal that buyers looking at a particular neighborhood frequently ask about boating access, storm protection, walkability, association rules, rental flexibility or proximity to the beach. It can help compare the questions appearing across listing inquiries, search tools and competing property descriptions.

AI can also test whether the marketing answers those questions.

Does the description explain that a waterfront home has no fixed bridges? Does it say how far the property is from the beach or downtown? Does it make clear that a room can function as an office or guest suite? Does it explain the outdoor living space in a way photographs alone cannot?

This is not about inserting every possible keyword into a description. That produces awkward writing and often weakens the story.

It is about understanding the questions serious buyers are likely to ask and making sure the listing provides useful answers.

From My Experience: The Buyer Saw a Home, Not an Airbnb

The Oakland Park property illustrates why this distinction matters.

The home had operated as a short-term rental, but its future did not have to be limited to that use. It was near restaurants and the growing Culinary Arts District, and it offered a buyer the opportunity to improve the property around the way he wanted to live.

The buyer who ultimately moved forward was not simply purchasing its rental history. He was purchasing a location, a lifestyle and the potential to create a chef’s kitchen.

The home’s value to him was not captured by bedroom count or price per square foot alone.

Artificial intelligence could help organize the nearby amenities, market history and features. It could suggest the kinds of questions a buyer might ask about the neighborhood and the property’s potential.

But the agent still had to recognize what made the opportunity meaningful and communicate it accurately.

Good positioning did not change the house. It helped the right buyer see what the house could become.

Market the Property—Not a Protected Class

Any discussion about identifying likely buyers requires an important distinction.

Real estate marketing must comply with Fair Housing laws. AI should never be used to exclude people, steer them toward or away from neighborhoods, or target advertising based on protected characteristics.

The focus should remain on the property and the benefits it offers.

It is appropriate to market boating access, a flexible floor plan, proximity to restaurants, a fenced yard, an elevator, a home office or the ability to walk to the beach. Those are property features and lifestyle benefits available to any qualified buyer who values them.

It is not appropriate to decide that the home is “for” or “not for” someone because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin or another characteristic protected by law.

Technology does not remove that responsibility. If anything, automated targeting makes careful oversight more important because an agent may not always see how a platform’s system is selecting an audience.

AI can help clarify the message. Human beings remain responsible for making sure the marketing is accurate, inclusive and lawful.

Sellers Often Market to Themselves

One of the easiest mistakes in listing preparation is assuming that the next buyer will value the same things the seller values.

A seller may love a formal dining room while many current buyers want flexible space. The seller may focus on an expensive decorative improvement while buyers care more about the roof, insurance, impact protection or monthly ownership costs.

Neither perspective is automatically wrong.

The question is which features affect the buyer’s decision in the current market.

AI can help challenge assumptions by comparing the property with competing listings and identifying which benefits are consistently emphasized or overlooked. It can help an agent test several ways of telling the story before deciding which one feels accurate and persuasive.

But AI should not flatten the home into whatever appears popular. A distinctive property often succeeds because it is not interchangeable with everything else.

The objective is to understand its real strengths and connect those strengths with buyers who are looking for them.

Positioning Should Guide the Entire Presentation

Once the likely buyer needs are understood, that insight should influence more than the property description.

It should help determine the order of the photographs, what the video emphasizes, which neighborhood details are included, what questions are answered in advance and where the marketing appears.

If outdoor living is central to the home, the presentation should not wait until photograph number 38 to reveal it. If the location is especially convenient for boating, dining or airport access, the description should explain that in practical terms. If recent improvements may reduce future ownership costs, those facts should be easy to find.

The price, photographs, video, description, MLS fields and supporting information should all tell the same story.

That consistency matters because buyers now encounter listings across multiple platforms. They may see a photograph on social media, find the property on a real estate portal, ask an AI tool to summarize it and then send the listing to an agent.

Each encounter should make the home easier to understand—not create a different version of it.

The Right Audience Is Discovered, Not Invented

An agent cannot manufacture demand that does not exist. AI cannot create a buyer simply because the marketing is clever.

What good preparation can do is identify where genuine demand is most likely to come from and make sure the property is presented clearly when that buyer arrives.

Sometimes the most likely buyer will be obvious. Other times the market will surprise us.

That is why the strategy must remain flexible. Online engagement, showing feedback, buyer questions and the response to particular features provide new evidence after launch.

If buyers repeatedly ask about a feature that was treated as secondary, the marketing may need to give it more emphasis. If the expected audience is not responding but another group of buyers is, the agent should examine why.

AI can help organize those signals. Experience is needed to decide whether they represent a meaningful pattern or simply noise.

Gary’s Take

The best buyer for a home is not a stereotype. It is the person whose needs, finances and expectations align with what the property honestly offers.

Artificial intelligence can help us study buyer questions, examine search behavior, compare competing listings and test how a property is positioned. That can make marketing more focused and more useful.

But AI should not decide who is allowed to see a home, and it cannot fully understand why a particular property may feel right to a particular person.

The job of the listing agent is to recognize the home’s strongest qualities, explain them clearly and make sure the opportunity is visible to every qualified buyer who may value it.

Successful marketing is not always about reaching the largest audience.

It is about giving the right audience a reason to pay attention.

In Article Seven, I will explain how conversational AI and answer engines are changing the way buyers find properties—and what sellers can do to make sure their homes are easier to discover.

Can Artificial Intelligence Really Price Your Home?

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:56:54 GMT

AI can organize the evidence, but it cannot take responsibility for the price

Not long ago, I was reviewing the value of a South Florida condominium. One recently closed unit seemed to provide an obvious answer. It had sold for $265,000.

But the sale had taken nearly 300 days. The market had softened since it went under contract, and another unit was competing for buyers at a higher price with features the subject property did not have.

A computer could find the $265,000 sale in seconds. The harder question was how much that sale still meant.

That is the difference between finding a comparable sale and pricing a home.

Artificial intelligence is becoming remarkably good at gathering property information, organizing recent sales and detecting patterns. It can help an experienced agent work faster and examine the market from more angles.

What it cannot do is walk through a home, understand every difference between two properties, speak with the agents involved or accept responsibility when the market disagrees with its conclusion.

In Article Four, I explained why complete and accurate listing details matter. Those same details become critical when it is time to establish a price.

The Number on the Screen Is Not the Market

Homeowners now have access to more estimates than ever. With a few clicks, they can find an automated value, tax assessment, price-per-square-foot calculation and list of nearby sales.

Those numbers are useful starting points. They are not necessarily the price a buyer will pay.

An automated valuation generally works by identifying statistical relationships among available data. It may consider location, square footage, bedroom and bathroom counts, prior sales and nearby transactions.

The difficulty is that real estate data is rarely complete and homes are rarely identical.

The public record may show that two houses are approximately the same size. It may not show that one has a functional split-bedroom floor plan while the other has an awkward addition. It may record a swimming pool without explaining that one backyard feels private and the other backs up to a busy road.

A condominium model may appear identical on paper, but one unit may face the water while another faces a parking structure. One building may have completed its structural work and funded its reserves. Another may be facing a large assessment.

The number on the screen is an estimate produced from the information the system can see. The market includes everything buyers notice—even when the database does not.

What AI Does Well

Artificial intelligence can make the pricing process more disciplined when it is used correctly.

It can organize recent sales, active listings, pending transactions, price reductions and days on market. It can help compare properties by size, age, condition, location and documented improvements. It can also identify patterns that deserve a closer look.

For example, are renovated homes selling while dated homes remain active? Are buyers paying a premium for impact windows, newer roofs or stronger insurance profiles? Are listings between $700,000 and $750,000 receiving more attention than those just above $800,000?

AI can help an agent ask those questions earlier and test whether a pricing recommendation is consistent with the available evidence.

I also find it useful as a second set of eyes. After more than 22 years in real estate, I have seen many market cycles and property types. Experience is valuable, but it can also make any of us too comfortable with our first conclusion.

AI gives me another way to ask: What am I missing?

The answer still has to be checked. But the question can improve the work.

Closed Sales Tell the Past. Active Listings Reveal the Choice.

Most pricing conversations begin with closed comparable sales, and they should. Closed sales show what buyers were willing to pay and what lenders were willing to support.

But a seller is not competing only with properties that sold three or six months ago. The seller is competing with the homes buyers can purchase today.

That makes active listings important. They show the alternatives sitting on the buyer’s screen at this moment.

If a buyer can choose between two similar homes, the question is not simply what the neighbor received last year. The question is which home offers the stronger value now.

Pending sales provide another clue. They show where a buyer and seller have reached an agreement, although the contract price usually remains unknown until closing. Price reductions, showing activity and time on market also reveal how buyers are responding.

A strong pricing analysis therefore looks backward and forward. Closed sales provide evidence. Active competition provides context. Market direction tells us how carefully to connect the two.

The Most Similar Home May Not Be the Best Comparable

Selecting comparable properties requires judgment.

The house next door may not be the best comparison if it sold under unusual circumstances, needed extensive work or had features that materially changed its value. A slightly more distant sale may tell us more if it attracted the same type of buyer and offered a similar ownership experience.

The same is true with condominiums. Two units in the same building may differ because of floor height, exposure, view, condition, balcony, parking, assessments or the financial position of the association.

Price per square foot can help organize those sales, but it can also create false precision. Buyers do not purchase square footage by the pound. They purchase a particular home, in a particular condition, at a particular location, with a particular set of future expenses.

AI can line up the measurable differences. An experienced agent has to decide which differences buyers are likely to pay for.

From My Experience: One Sale, Several Different Meanings

The condominium I mentioned at the beginning illustrates the problem.

A nearby unit had closed for $265,000, but it took almost 300 days to sell. By the time I was evaluating another property, the market had moved. Buyers had more choices, and an active unit offered stronger features at a higher asking price.

An automated system could easily place heavy weight on the recent $265,000 closing. A seller could look at the same number and conclude that it established a floor beneath the property’s value.

I saw a more complicated picture.

The long marketing period suggested resistance. The changing market reduced the usefulness of an older agreement. The superior active competition placed a limit on how aggressive we could be. Condition, location within the building and the seller’s timing also mattered.

The sale was still relevant. It simply was not the answer by itself.

That is often what pricing requires: not rejecting the data, but understanding how much weight each piece deserves.

Pricing Is Also a Marketing Decision

Price does more than determine what a seller hopes to receive. It determines which buyers see the home, which competing properties appear beside it and what expectations buyers bring to the showing.

A property priced beyond the market may still appear online, but it may appear in the wrong comparison set. Buyers expecting more at that price will judge it against stronger homes. Buyers who might love it may never see it because their search ends below the asking price.

Overpricing can also weaken the most valuable part of the launch—the period when the listing is new and buyer attention is strongest.

A seller can reduce the price later. What cannot be recreated is the first impression among buyers who saw the home, rejected the value and moved on.

That does not mean every home should be priced below market. It means the price should be chosen deliberately, with an understanding of the competition, the seller’s goals and the probable buyer response.

The Market Gets the Final Vote

Even the best pricing analysis is a recommendation, not a guarantee.

The market may change. Interest rates may move. A competing property may enter the market. Insurance information may affect affordability. Buyers may respond differently than expected.

That is why pricing should not end when the listing becomes active.

Showing requests, online engagement, second showings, buyer questions and offers provide new information. If buyers are looking but not scheduling, the presentation may be the problem. If they are showing but not offering, the condition or price may be creating resistance. If there is little activity at all, the market may be telling us the property is positioned outside the buyer’s field of consideration.

AI can help organize those signals. The agent and seller still have to interpret them and decide whether the strategy should change.

The market gets the final vote. Good pricing means listening before that vote becomes expensive.

Gary’s Take

I do not believe artificial intelligence can price a home by itself.

It can find sales faster than I can. It can organize more information than any person could comfortably hold in mind. It can identify patterns, test assumptions and challenge an agent to explain why one comparable deserves more weight than another.

Those are meaningful advantages.

But a pricing recommendation still requires someone to walk through the property, understand the neighborhood, evaluate the current competition, recognize what the data does not show and have an honest conversation with the seller.

AI can organize the evidence.

Experience must interpret it.

And the market will ultimately decide whether we were right.

In Article Six, I will explain how AI can help identify the buyers most likely to value a particular home—and why successful marketing is not always about reaching the largest audience.

Why Listing Details Matter More Than Ever

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:55:16 GMT

Incomplete information can weaken the marketing—and derail the transaction

In Article Three, I explained how buyers can use artificial intelligence to compare several homes before scheduling a showing. But those comparisons are only as reliable as the information behind them.

A buyer paid TransUnion for a FICO score of 713. The homeowners association’s screening agency scored him at 675.

It happened twice.

After a 30-day extension, the frustrated buyer walked away. The Tamarac property eventually closed—but with someone else.

On paper, the association’s rule appeared simple: buyers needed a minimum credit score of 700. In practice, no one had clearly explained which score, scoring model, or system would be used to make that determination.

That experience reinforced something I have learned repeatedly in real estate: an incomplete detail can be almost as dangerous as an incorrect one.

Today, a property listing is much more than an advertisement. It is a source of information used by buyers, agents, listing portals, lenders, insurers, homeowners associations, search engines, and increasingly, artificial intelligence.

Every fact entered into the Multiple Listing Service can be copied, compared, summarized, and distributed across dozens of websites. If a detail is missing or inaccurate, that mistake can travel just as quickly as the listing itself.

Good listing preparation begins with facts—not adjectives.

A Listing Is Now a Data Record

Most buyers begin evaluating homes before they ever speak with an agent. They search by location, price, square footage, property type, number of bedrooms, association fees, pet restrictions, waterfront access, and many other criteria.

A home can disappear from consideration because one field was left blank or entered incorrectly. If impact windows are not mentioned, a buyer concerned about storm protection or insurance costs may never know they exist. If a roof was installed in 2022, saying only “newer roof” weakens the information because “newer” could mean three years old or ten.

If a condominium permits one pet weighing up to 25 pounds, writing only “pet restrictions” may cause a qualified buyer to move on.

The structured MLS fields can matter as much as the written description. In many cases, those fields are what search platforms and AI systems evaluate first.

That is why an AI-assisted listing process should begin with gathering and checking information. Before marketing starts, the listing agent should understand the improvements, permits, warranties, association rules, insurance considerations, and anything else that could affect a buyer’s decision or ability to close.

Specific Details Build Confidence

Real estate descriptions often rely on phrases such as “beautifully updated,” “move-in ready,” “great location,” and “must see.” Those phrases are not necessarily wrong. They are simply incomplete.

“Beautifully updated” does not tell a buyer what was updated or when. “Great location” does not explain whether the property is near the beach, a hospital, a school, a business district, or a major transportation route. “Move-in ready” means different things to different people.

Specific language is more useful.

Instead of writing:

The kitchen has been beautifully updated.

A stronger description might say:

The kitchen was renovated in 2024 with quartz countertops, soft-close cabinetry, stainless-steel appliances, and additional pantry storage.

Instead of:

The home offers excellent storm protection.

It is more helpful to say:

The property includes impact-rated windows and doors and a roof installed in 2022.

Specificity improves more than the writing. It helps buyers understand the property and gives search engines and AI systems better information to work with.

The goal is not to make a listing longer. It is to make every statement more useful.

The Most Important Details May Be Invisible

Photographs can show a renovated kitchen, a large backyard, or a waterfront view. They cannot show whether the roof was permitted, whether an assessment is pending, or whether a buyer must satisfy a particular financial requirement before being approved.

Some of the most important facts are buried in association documents, permit histories, insurance records, financial statements, and screening requirements. Those details can determine whether the transaction closes.

A buyer can love the home, agree to the price, complete the inspection, and obtain financing—yet still be rejected by the homeowners association.

That is why the phrase “HOA approval required” is not enough.

The listing agent should try to understand what approval actually means. Is there a minimum credit score? Which bureau and scoring system are used? Does every applicant have to qualify separately? Is there an income requirement? How long does approval take? Can an applicant challenge the result?

These questions may sound administrative, but they can control the entire transaction.

From My Experience: When a 713 FICO Score Was Not Enough

The sale of 4812 NW 49 Drive in Tamarac showed me how dangerous an incomplete requirement can be.

The homeowners association required prospective purchasers to have a minimum credit score of 700. The buyer paid TransUnion for a current FICO report showing a score of 713, so he reasonably believed he qualified.

The association’s screening agency reached a different result. It evaluated the buyer and reported a score of 675.

That 38-point difference placed the transaction in jeopardy.

We obtained a 30-day extension so the buyer could investigate the discrepancy and try to resolve it. After the additional time, the screening agency evaluated him again.

The result was still 675.

The buyer therefore failed the association’s screening process twice, even though the FICO report he purchased from TransUnion showed 713.

That was when the real issue became clear. The association’s stated rule was simple: a minimum score of 700. But it did not explain exactly how that score would be determined.

Was the screening agency using a FICO score or another credit-scoring product? Which version of the scoring model did it use? How current was the information? Could the buyer dispute the result or submit updated documentation?

Questions also arose about whether the screening platform used the same current scoring model reflected in the buyer’s paid TransUnion report. Without conclusive documentation, it would be unfair to accuse the agency of using improperly licensed or obsolete software. The conflicting results, however, clearly justified questions about the scoring model, technology, and information being used.

The lesson was straightforward:

A requirement is not fully understood until everyone knows exactly how it will be measured.

The buyer believed he qualified. The association’s screening provider said he did not. Meanwhile, the seller had taken the property off the active market, waited through the initial approval process, and agreed to another 30 days.

Carrying costs continued, other potential buyers may have moved on, and the certainty of the transaction weakened.

Ultimately, the first buyer became frustrated by the conflicting scores and walked away. The property later closed with another buyer.

For the seller, that meant additional time, continued carrying costs, and the uncertainty of starting over after a buyer had already been under contract. The home eventually sold, but the first transaction failed because a requirement that appeared simple was not being measured in a way the buyer expected or could resolve.

What looked like a routine association rule became one of the most important facts in the sale.

The experience reinforced something I have learned throughout my career: the property may be marketable, the buyer may be sincere, and the contract may appear solid—but an unclear third-party requirement can still derail everything.

Transaction Details Are Part of Marketing

Agents sometimes treat marketing and transaction management as separate activities. Marketing means photography, video, advertising, social media, and the listing description. Transaction management begins after the offer is accepted.

I do not see it that way.

A property cannot be marketed responsibly without understanding the conditions that may affect its sale. A pending condominium assessment affects marketability. A financing restriction affects the buyer pool. A credit-score requirement affects who can purchase. An aging roof may affect insurance and financing. An unpermitted improvement can affect appraisal, title, insurance, and the buyer’s willingness to proceed.

These are not simply closing issues. They influence pricing, positioning, expectations, and the strength of the offers a seller receives.

Good marketing does not hide complexity. It explains it clearly enough that the right buyer can make an informed decision.

Where AI Helps

Artificial intelligence can be useful during the pre-listing process. It can review lengthy association documents, locate references to approval requirements, compare inconsistent language, organize permits and warranties, and help create a checklist of unanswered questions.

Suppose one association document says a 700 credit score is required while another uses different language. AI may identify that inconsistency and prompt the agent to investigate.

It may also notice that the application never identifies the scoring model. That missing detail becomes a question to resolve before a buyer invests time and money in the transaction.

This is especially helpful when an association package contains dozens—or even hundreds—of pages.

But locating information is not the same as verifying it.

Where Human Judgment Still Matters

AI cannot guarantee that association documents are current. It cannot promise that a screening company will apply its rules consistently or that its score will match the score a buyer obtains independently. It also cannot guarantee approval.

Those answers still require communication with the association, management company, lender, insurer, attorney, or screening provider.

AI may help identify the right question. The agent still has to pursue the answer and understand what it means for the seller.

That distinction is central to The Lanham AI Listing Advantage™.

The advantage does not come from turning judgment over to a machine. It comes from using technology to make human judgment better informed, more organized, and more effective.

The Seller Knows More Than the Public Record

The seller often knows important facts that cannot be found in public records or discovered during a brief walkthrough.

Before the property reaches the market, the agent and seller should discuss major improvements, roof and air-conditioning dates, permits, warranties, storm protection, insurance claims, flooding history, association restrictions, assessments, and anything else that could affect the sale.

This is not just about writing a stronger property description. It can uncover problems that may otherwise surface later during inspection, underwriting, association approval, or closing.

For an association-governed property, I want to know more than the monthly fee. I also want to understand the approval timeline, application costs, rental rules, pet restrictions, financing limitations, assessments, reserve requirements, and any credit or income standards.

Not every answer will be available immediately, but knowing what remains uncertain is valuable. It gives the seller and agent a chance to investigate before a buyer has invested time, money, and emotion in the transaction.

Better Information Creates Better Expectations

Accurate information cannot eliminate every real estate problem because too many people, systems, and variables are involved. But better information creates better expectations.

A buyer who understands the association requirements can investigate them before making an offer. A seller who understands the approval risk can evaluate offers more realistically. The buyer’s agent can determine whether the purchaser appears likely to qualify, and the listing agent can allow sufficient time for approval.

Those steps do not guarantee a closing. They reduce preventable surprises.

That is one of the most valuable things an experienced listing agent can do.

Gary’s Take

The details that sell a home are not always the ones visible in the photographs. Sometimes they are found in the association rules, permit history, insurance records, reserve documents, or standards governing who may purchase.

Artificial intelligence can help us find, organize, compare, and communicate those facts. It can uncover questions we might not otherwise think to ask, but it cannot take responsibility for verifying the answer.

The sale of 4812 NW 49 Drive reinforced a lesson I have learned throughout my career: a fact is only useful when it is complete, current, and understood in the way it will actually be applied.

The association required a 700 credit score. The buyer purchased a TransUnion FICO report showing 713. The association’s screening provider reported 675—twice—even after the parties allowed another 30 days.

The buyer eventually walked away. The property later sold to someone else.

The rule looked simple. Its application was not.

That is why listing details matter more than ever. Better information does more than attract attention. It protects the seller, prepares the buyer, exposes potential obstacles, and improves the likelihood that the transaction will reach the closing table.

How AI Is Changing the Way Buyers Compare Homes

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:47:03 GMT

A property can be eliminated before the seller ever knows it was considered

Not long ago, buyers compared homes with printed MLS sheets, handwritten notes, and whatever they remembered after a long afternoon of showings.

Today, much of that comparison happens before they ever walk through the front door.

Buyers can place several listings side by side, compare prices and monthly costs, study maps, review renovation histories, watch videos, and ask artificial intelligence to summarize the differences.

They may ask which home appears to offer the best value, which one is likely to require the least work, or which property best fits the way they want to live.

AI does not make the final decision. But it helps buyers narrow the field—and often eliminate homes without ever scheduling a showing.

That matters to sellers.

A home is no longer competing only during an open house or private appointment. It is competing on a screen against every similar property a buyer can find.

Buyers Are Researching Before They Become Interested

Many sellers assume buyers first notice a home and then begin researching it.

Increasingly, the process works the other way around.

Before contacting an agent, buyers may review the photographs, tax history, recent sales, estimated mortgage payment, insurance considerations, association fees, commute, and surrounding neighborhood. Some will paste listing information into an AI tool and ask for a comparison.

One home may have a newer roof. Another may have the better kitchen. A third may be less expensive but require substantial work.

Within seconds, AI can organize those differences.

The technology may not understand every nuance, but it makes it easier for buyers to create a short list. A property can therefore be rejected without a showing, an inquiry, or even a request for more information.

The seller may never know the home was being considered.

A Home Must Be Easy to Compare

When buyers place several properties side by side, clarity becomes a competitive advantage. They should be able to identify the differences that affect value, condition and future ownership costs without searching across several websites.

A vague or missing fact creates uncertainty. When buyers have alternatives, uncertainty often becomes elimination. AI cannot compare an improvement, restriction or advantage that the listing never clearly explains.

This is why listing preparation begins with verified facts. Article Four will look closely at how those facts should be gathered, checked and communicated.

Buyers Are Comparing the Cost of Ownership

The asking price is only one part of the decision.

Buyers increasingly compare the total cost of owning one home versus another: mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, association fees, maintenance, and likely repairs.

A lower-priced property may not be the less expensive property.

A home with an aging roof, older air-conditioning system, limited storm protection, and higher insurance exposure may cost considerably more during the first several years than a slightly more expensive home with those improvements already completed.

A buyer might ask an AI tool:

Which of these homes is likely to cost me less during the next five years?

The answer will only be as reliable as the information supplied. But the question itself changes the comparison.

The buyer is no longer looking at two asking prices. The buyer is comparing two ownership experiences.

That creates an opportunity for sellers. A roof, impact windows, electrical improvements, or a newer air-conditioning system should not be buried near the bottom of the listing. Those improvements may be central to the property’s value.

Photography Attracts Attention. Information Supports the Decision.

Professional photography remains essential. Buyers respond emotionally to light, space, design, landscaping, and the feeling a home creates.

But photographs cannot answer every question.

They may show a beautiful living room but not reveal that the windows are impact-rated. They may show a renovated kitchen but not confirm when the work was completed. They may show a waterfront view but say nothing about the seawall, bridge access, flood exposure, or insurance.

Photography earns the listing a closer look.

Accurate information gives the buyer a reason to keep it under consideration.

Video and floor plans can help as well. Video shows how the rooms connect and how the home feels as someone moves through it. A floor plan helps buyers understand the layout, privacy, room relationships, and whether the property may fit their furniture or lifestyle.

The goal is not to replace the showing. It is to give the buyer enough confidence to schedule one.

What Automated Comparisons Can Miss

AI can organize measurable facts quickly. It can compare square footage, bedroom counts, price, taxes, improvements and location. But it may not fully understand why one floor plan lives better than another, why a particular design creates an emotional response or why one street feels more desirable than a nearby alternative.

The goal is not to stop buyers from comparing the home. Buyers are going to compare it anyway. The goal is to make certain they are comparing the right facts—and to provide the context that raw data cannot.

From My Experience: The Best Fit Was Not Just a Number

I recently helped a buyer evaluate a duplex that had been on the market for more than a year. The asking price was $749,000, and the long marketing period was an obvious fact for any buyer—or AI system—to notice.

But the buyer was not evaluating it only as an investment or a price-per-square-foot calculation. He planned to live in one side and provide the other side for his granddaughter. The way the property could serve his family mattered as much as the numbers.

We made a $675,000 cash offer based on the market history, the property’s condition and the value it represented to this particular buyer.

AI could organize the asking price, days on market and comparable sales. It could not decide how much the living arrangement meant to the family. That is the difference between comparing properties and understanding why one may be the right property for a particular person.

Neighborhood Is Part of the Property

Buyers do not purchase only a house. They purchase a daily routine.

They compare access to beaches, restaurants, parks, schools, hospitals, employment centers, airports, and major roads. They may also study walkability, flooding, future development, noise, and neighborhood character.

That is why “great location” is too vague.

Great for whom?

A buyer who works from home may care about quiet, space, and nearby amenities. Another may value airport access. A third may want to bike to restaurants or reach the beach in ten minutes.

The listing should explain the location in practical terms without overstating it.

Specific neighborhood information helps buyers—and the AI tools assisting them—understand who the home may serve best.

Where AI Helps—and Where It Can Mislead

AI can help a listing agent anticipate how buyers are likely to compare a property. It can review competing listings, identify missing details, suggest questions buyers may ask, and show which improvements deserve more emphasis.

It can also point out that two listings describe similar features differently or that an important ownership cost has not been addressed.

That can be extremely useful before the listing goes live.

But AI comparisons can sound certain even when they are based on incomplete or outdated information.

A system may assume two roofs are similar because neither listing gives an installation date. It may overlook an unreported renovation, misunderstand an association restriction, or rely too heavily on price per square foot.

The easiest facts to measure are not always the ones that matter most.

The larger home is not automatically the better home. The lower price per square foot is not automatically the better value. The newest kitchen may matter less than the superior location, layout, construction quality, or insurance profile.

AI can line up the facts.

Experience explains what those facts mean.

Preparing a Home for Comparison

Every seller should assume buyers will compare the property closely with competing listings.

Before launch, the agent should determine where the home clearly outperforms the competition, where it is weaker, which improvements reduce future costs, and which advantages may not be obvious in the photographs.

That understanding should guide the pricing, photography, video, property description, MLS fields, and supporting documents.

A strong listing does not pretend the competition does not exist.

It gives the buyer a clear reason to keep this home on the list.

Complete information may also help some buyers decide the property is not right for them. That is not necessarily a failure. The goal is not to attract everyone. It is to attract buyers whose needs, finances, and expectations match the property.

A well-informed buyer is more likely to schedule a productive showing, write a serious offer, and encounter fewer surprises later.

Good information does not merely attract attention.

It improves the quality of that attention.

Gary’s Take

Buyers have always compared homes. What has changed is the speed, depth, and timing of the comparison.

Much of it now happens before the buyer contacts an agent or enters the property.

Artificial intelligence can compare prices, improvements, locations, monthly costs, and property details in seconds. But the comparison is only as good as the information available—and the buyer still needs context.

That is why sellers cannot rely on vague descriptions, missing MLS fields, attractive photographs alone, or the hope that buyers will somehow recognize a home’s value.

The property must be easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to compare.

AI can organize the differences.

An experienced agent must explain why those differences matter.

In Article Four, I will explain why complete listing details now do more than market a home: they can help prevent the misunderstandings and surprises that derail a sale.

Your Home’s First Showing Now Happens Online

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:43:40 GMT

Why buyers may decide whether to see a property before they ever step through the front door

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Why the Best Real Estate Marketing Starts Before the Listing Goes Live

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 18:06:51 GMT

The most valuable marketing decisions are often made before buyers ever see the home

About This Series

This is the first article in The Lanham AI Listing Advantage™, a 10-part educational series examining how artificial intelligence is changing each stage of the home-selling process—from preparation and pricing to buyer discovery, offer evaluation and closing. The purpose is not to promote technology for its own sake, but to help sellers and real estate professionals understand where AI can improve decisions—and where experience and human judgment remain essential.

A homeowner recently sat across from me at the kitchen table and asked a question I have heard many times during my 22 years in real estate:

“When do you begin marketing the house?”

Most sellers expect me to say that marketing begins when the photographer arrives, when the home is entered into the Multiple Listing Service or when the sign goes into the yard.

I looked around the room and said, “We already have.”

Real estate marketing should begin before a home is photographed or entered into the MLS. It begins with pricing research, competitive analysis, buyer identification, property positioning and a carefully planned launch strategy.

The moment I begin studying the home, the neighborhood, the competition and the likely buyer, the marketing process has started. By the time a listing appears online, many of the decisions that will determine whether it receives immediate attention or fades into the background should already have been made.

Too many agents treat the MLS entry as the starting gun. I see it differently. The day a home goes live should be the result of a strategy, not the beginning of one.

When Should Marketing a Home Begin?

Marketing should begin as soon as the agent starts evaluating the property and the market around it.

Before the home reaches buyers, the agent should already understand how it compares with competing listings, which features are most likely to create interest, what objections may arise and which buyers are most likely to respond.

For a Fort Lauderdale listing agent, effective real estate marketing begins with understanding not only the property, but also the neighborhood, the buyer and the alternatives that buyer will see online. That early preparation is especially important because buyers are doing more of their homework before they ever contact an agent.

Today’s buyers begin their homework earlier. They study neighborhoods, price histories, photographs, videos and ownership costs before scheduling a showing—and some use artificial intelligence to organize what they find.

By the time a buyer walks through the front door, the home may already have survived a first round of comparison. That makes the work completed before launch more important than ever.

A Listing Launch Is Opening Night

I often compare a new listing to the opening night of a Broadway production.

The audience sees the curtain rise, the lights come on and the performers walk onto the stage. What the audience does not see are the rehearsals, rewrites, lighting tests and last-minute corrections that happened before anyone bought a ticket.

Opening night is not the time to discover that the lighting is wrong, the script is weak and nobody understands the audience. Yet that is exactly how too many homes are introduced to the market.

The photographs are ordered at the last minute. The description is written in a hurry. The price is chosen because the seller “wants to try it.” A video may or may not be added later. The home goes live, and only then does everyone begin wondering why the response is not stronger.

By that point, the market has already begun forming an opinion.

A listing’s first days matter because that is when the property is new, when agents notice it and when motivated buyers are most likely to pay attention.

You can improve the photographs later. You can rewrite the description. You can reduce the price.

What you cannot do is make the home new again.

What Should Be Decided Before a Home Goes Live?

Before a property enters the market, I want clear answers to several questions.

Who is most likely to buy this home? Which features deserve the most attention? What concerns might cause a buyer to hesitate? Does the price make sense beside the homes buyers will see immediately before and after this one? What story does the home tell, and are we telling it clearly?

A waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale should not be marketed the same way as a condominium near Las Olas. A mid-century modern home in Oakland Park requires a different approach from a family home in Coral Ridge Isles, a residence near Wilton Manors or an investment property in Pompano Beach.

That may sound obvious, but much of real estate marketing is still remarkably generic.

The same phrases appear again and again: “won’t last,” “must see,” “move-in ready” and, of course, “location, location, location.” Those words fill space. They do not explain why one home deserves attention over another.

I have watched good homes struggle because everyone assumed the property would sell itself.

Homes do not sell themselves. They are priced, positioned, presented and negotiated into a successful sale.

What Healthcare Taught Me About Preparation

Before entering real estate, I spent more than two decades in healthcare leadership. Healthcare and real estate are very different businesses, but they share one important principle: preparation affects outcomes.

In healthcare, you gather information, study the evidence, anticipate problems and develop a plan before taking action. You do not wait for the complication and then congratulate yourself for reacting quickly.

Real estate deserves the same discipline.

Before I recommend a strategy, I want to understand the property records, recent comparable sales, current competition, neighborhood trends, buyer behavior and the seller’s priorities. I also want to walk through the home and notice the things that do not appear in a spreadsheet.

Data may tell me the square footage. It may not tell me how the morning light fills the living room, whether the backyard feels private or why the floor plan works especially well for entertaining.

Numbers tell us what has happened. Judgment helps determine what to do next.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Improve Real Estate Marketing?

Artificial intelligence can improve real estate marketing by helping an experienced agent organize information, compare competing listings, identify buyer-search patterns and test a property’s positioning before it reaches the market.

AI has become an important part of my research and marketing process, but I do not view it as a substitute for experience. I view it as a tool that helps me use experience more effectively.

It can identify patterns in buyer searches, suggest questions that deserve closer examination and test different ways of describing a property. It can also help determine whether the language answers the questions buyers are already asking.

For example, buyers may search for a “mid-century modern home in Oakland Park,” a “Fort Lauderdale home with a private pool,” a “waterfront home near Wilton Manors” or a “South Florida home with boating access.”

Those phrases may describe properties in the same general area, but they do not necessarily describe the same buyer. The language used to present a home should match the reasons a buyer would value it.

AI does not hand an agent a magic marketing plan, but it can help an experienced agent ask better questions earlier, recognize patterns and test assumptions before the property reaches the market.

I still have to decide which information matters, what the technology may be missing and whether its conclusions make sense in the real world.

AI can make a capable agent more capable. It cannot rescue weak judgment, poor preparation or a bad strategy.

The central lesson is simple: AI is most valuable before a listing launches, when it can help an experienced agent study the competition, identify buyer questions and refine how the property will be positioned.

A Real Example from Oakland Park

A good example was a mid-century modern home I represented at 3400 NE 15th Avenue in Oakland Park.

Before the home reached the market, we considered how buyers would experience it online and in person. We studied the architecture, the setting, the likely audience and the visual elements most likely to create a strong response.

The objective was not simply to announce that the home was for sale; plenty of listings accomplish that. The objective was to explain why the home was special and make that difference immediately visible.

Short-form video can also play an important role before a listing goes live. A series of brief, carefully planned videos can introduce the neighborhood, highlight selected features and gradually build curiosity without revealing the entire property at once. For this Oakland Park listing, we released seven teaser videos before the launch. That effort was only one part of the overall strategy, and no single marketing tactic guarantees a sale, but it helped the property begin attracting attention before buyers could schedule their first showing.

The property generated approximately 26,000 online views, went under contract in nine days and sold for $1.65 million.

I do not mention that result to suggest every home will attract 26,000 views or sell in nine days. Every property, price range and market condition is different.

I mention it because the result did not begin when I pushed the button to activate the listing. It began with the decisions made before the public ever saw it.

That is the part of marketing sellers rarely see. They see the photographs, the video and the listing online. They may not see the hours spent studying competing homes, refining the positioning, anticipating objections and deciding which features should lead the story.

When the preparation is done properly, the launch may look effortless. It rarely is.

Gary’s Take

For years, sellers were told that marketing began when the sign went into the yard.

Today, by the time the sign is installed, buyers may already have researched the home, studied the neighborhood and decided whether the property belongs on their list.

A home therefore needs more than exposure. It needs a clear and compelling reason to be noticed.

The price must make sense. The presentation must be strong. The property’s best features must be easy to recognize. The photography, video, description and digital information should all support the same story.

By the time a home officially enters the market, the agent should not be asking, “What should we do now?”

The strategy should already be in place.

Sellers considering a move should ask every prospective listing agent a simple question:

What work will you complete before my home becomes visible to buyers?

The answer may reveal whether the agent has a true launch strategy or merely a plan to place the home online and see what happens.

That is the first AI listing advantage: making better decisions before the market gets its first look.

In Article Two, “Your Home’s First Showing Now Happens Online,” we will look at how buyers evaluate photographs, videos, descriptions and property information before deciding whether to visit—and why a home’s digital presentation must prepare the buyer for the experience at the front door.

At Home with Gary: Selling or buying your home in “interesting times”

Mon, 01 May 2023 15:40:26 GMT

The past several years have been interesting times for the Fort Lauderdale home sales market. As we’ve explored together in this column, the boom times of too many buyers chasing too few homes, and then, how rising interest and mortgage rates cooled what had been one of Florida’s hottest home sales markets in history, left many buyers and sellers nervous.

The lessons we learned truly remain timeless in any real estate climate. As I write what will be my last column for The New Pelican for the foreseeable future, I wanted to explore some of the lessons we’ve learned together.

Whether you’re a seller or buyer, these truths truly are timeless.

Hire a great real estate professional. Many realtors claim they’re experienced. But the pointers they share in initial and ongoing conversations will speak volumes about a realtor’s skill. They should present well-researched market comps to show where your home price compares to other recent sales. The marketing plan they offer should include traditional, web and social media promotions, utilizing the skills of skilled staging, interior, exterior, 3D and even drone photography pros to literally present your home in the best light.

Invest before you list. Your home could likely use some upkeep and refreshing. While a kitchen or bath remodel could yield some returns or a quicker sale, think smaller. A fresh coat of paint, landscaping of the yard and foliage, maybe an investment in deferred maintenance (replacement of rotten wood or rusted metal lights or fence posts, for example) can boost curb appeal.

In fact, when a major national magazine recently asked me why drive-by and digital curb appeal were important, I commented how about 97 percent of today’s home buyers first see properties online. Whether for a single family home, a beachfront condominium, a townhome or duplex intended as a rental property, the view from the street, sidewalk or curb out front can make a difference. Not all buyers can see past an unkempt property.

Others want to know the condition of things they cannot easily see. Expect to be asked about larger components – the age and condition of the roof, the patio deck or seawall, the air conditioner, the water heater, even the plumbing lines from the street to your house. If in poor condition, they could result in buyer demands for concessions at closing – or kill the deal outright (though in a market starved for inventory, many buyers will take cash at closing to ensure they close the deal and get the home).

If you’re unsure about the state or condition of your home and its components, your realtor should be able to help with those questions. They even may recommend a professional home inspector for a possible seller’s pre-inspection, just to avoid any surprises when the buyer performs their own inspection.

Calm amid chaos. As a buyer or seller, at some point, market conditions or the other individual’s demands are bound to leave you nervous. A top-producing broker also must bring a calm demeanor in turbulent times – and for complex or complicated transactions. Truly experienced realtors will have used their wisdom, experience and negotiating savvy in the past to soothe their clients’ fears and support their side.

As has been said, “May you live in interesting times.” Few times have been more “interesting” than the past decade of homeownership in greater Fort Lauderdale. I hope reading my columns and sharing your thoughts have helped bring clarity.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope my insights will help you the next time you buy or sell homes and other properties down the road.

And should you need a real estate professional, whether to handle your transaction or provide counsel, give me a call. I’m here to help make sense of interesting times.

As team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office, Gary Lanham is a veteran listing agent skilled in the most complex transactions. He knows how to get sellers the most money in the shortest amount of time, even in this changing market. See Gary’s digital promotions of his listing and contact him at instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695-6518 .

At Home With Gary: Five steps to sell your home in a digital world

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 15:40:54 GMT

In recent columns, we’ve discussed the importance of “digital curb appeal.” That is, using tools like digital photography, videography and drone footage and social media platforms to share your home listing to as wide an audience as possible.

The rationale is simple: Studies report that the vast majority of home buyers (97 percent) first see online – whether with their smartphone, tablet or computer – the home they eventually purchase. So, by improving your home’s “digital curb appeal,” or how it appears to those seeing it online, you heighten your chances at capturing their attention and possibly making the sale.

Beyond staging, refreshing or painting the home’s exterior, even tidying up the landscaping, porch and patio deck, what are some of the key elements you should consider? This question especially rings true if the homeowner is limited in what they can do to improve how well their home presents online, and therefore must focus on a few key improvements.

What would those be?

Show the neighborhood. People don’t just buy homes. They buy communities. They buy quiet streets, neighborhood parks and bike trails, highly-rated area schools, and convenient access to shopping, services and houses of worship. Any online presentation you and your realtor create for your listed home must include mention and preview of these.

Capture imaginations with drone photography. In the hands of a professional, a drone can capture critical and captivating videography, photography – and the imagination. These images truly can be stunning. Whether “flybys” or shots of the community with the home as the centerpiece, this high-definition footage shows the prospective buyer where their potential future home sits in the neighborhood.

Have a flight plan. Engaging and well-planned drone footage can serve like a Google map. Think of it as a high-flying ride showing street by street the home’s proximity to all the area’s features and amenities. Viewers can visualize a walk, bike ride or drive to the park or shopping or the waterfront. They see themselves taking a route and seeing what they’ll pass along the way. It takes “engagement” to a whole new level.

Transform your space. With the right photography, including 3D interior imagery and digital floor plans that help the buyer visualize a home reconfigured with their belongings in the space, the home takes on new life. The bedrooms, home office, kitchen or Florida room are theirs. The brochures we used just a few years ago cannot begin to bring space to life in quite the same way. The space is transformed from what is to what could be.

Help sell the dream. If you think about it, realtors sell dreams to buyers. In the eyes of that engaged buyer, your home stops being yours – and becomes theirs. The home and interior space, as well as the yard and pool, the deck and the dock each become etched in their minds – with themselves and their families in place.

This doesn’t happen on its own. That’s why it’s critical to find the right realtor who’s versed in the use of digital technology and the promise of digital curb appeal. They should have strong partners in the visual arts, as well as their own robust social media presence, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

They should have the latest industry designations that keep them atop an ever-changing market. Ask if they are a certified residential specialist – the highest credential awarded to only 35,000, or just 2 percent, of real estate agents nationally. International home buyers and sellers should inquire about the realtor’s certified international property specialist designation. This credential is critical for foreign nationals.

If 97 percent of home buyers first see their future home online, own that space on their device. You’ll improve your chances at capturing their imagination – and making the sale.

At Home with Gary: How staging presents your home in its best light

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 15:42:37 GMT

Face it – we’re tethered to our smartphones. While some chide this modern reality, the truth is, if you’re selling your home, it’s the first – and possibly the most powerful – tool in your sales and marketing toolbox. Putting that technology to use can feed your home directly to your prospective buyer’s screen – and make it stand out among competitive listings.

This is the second article in a series about digital curb appeal and marketing your home online. While digital curb appeal becomes the seller’s online chance to make that critical first impression, the process starts long before images or messaging are broadcast to the masses.

It begins with a professional eye for detail. “Staging” is how your realtor and professional designer or stager presents the home so the photographer and videographer can capture what makes the home unique among all available properties.

As noted previously, 97 percent of today’s home buyers are first attracted to properties via smartphone, tablet or personal computer. Whether you’re selling your single-family home, townhome, duplex or condominium, staging the home starts from the curb, then finds its way through the home’s interior and out to the patio, pool deck or other spaces.

What does staging require? Essentially, you’re making the home look less like yours and more like the prospective buyer’s. For an open house or showing, you’ll remove any family photographs, collectables or other belongings.

Similarly, remove furniture that may clutter the home – and open the space to make it more airy. This gives the buyer a chance to visualize the space with their own furniture in it. However, we suggest never emptying a home of all furniture; buyers need a spatial perspective to see how a dining room table and chairs or family room sofa will fit.

Staging includes the home’s exterior property. Painting the home, even just the front door for contrast, can make the home pop from the curb. Freshening up the landscaping by removing dead palm fronds or tree branches, even planting some impatiens and laying some mulch can polish the appearance.

With this as their palette, the photographer and videographer will choose the right time of day to capture the home literally in the best light. Realtors now routinely provide 3D tours, such as those provided by Matterport, EyeSpy360 or Cupix.

What’s more, they’re increasingly using drones to shoot overhead videos, even “approach” shots of the drone flying toward the home. These can create spectacular imagery that truly captures the imagination like traditional still and video photography cannot. This is especially useful if your property is close to the ocean, Intracoastal, or fun, pedestrian shopping areas that enhance the property’s location.

We wrote previously about selling an empty home in the sought-after North Andrews neighborhood of Oakland Park. Virtual staging with photography allowed the seller to boost the asking price. The eventual sale price was equal to one of the most expensive homes in the neighborhood.

In the hands of a professional stager and photographer, these efforts boost lifestyle appeal without presenting an unbelievable “glamor shot.” The difference is critical and truth cannot be compromised. For example, I tell photographers not to use a “fisheye” lens, so as not to misrepresent a room’s apparent size or spaciousness.

You do, however, want people to imagine themselves in your home. We have used models for some photo shoots. In one, I hired a model to show the pool and patio in use; I even had the photographer shoot an image of a woman walking down a hall from the master bathroom to the kitchen. The windows showed the outdoor garden – and the light illuminated the home’s artwork.

Ultimately, staging and photography play a role in how digital curb appeal reveals your home in its best light – and help close your deal.

At Home with Gary: Digital curb appeal makes property attractive from the street to the world

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 15:56:15 GMT

A major national magazine recently asked me about the definition and importance of digital curb appeal. My short answer was that it’s the way the overwhelming majority of home buyers start reviewing properties for sale. In fact, my answer understated the impact digital curb appeal has today. Digital marketing in real estate takes first impressions to a higher level (another level), don’t miss this opportunity.

Whether on their smartphone, tablet or personal computer, about 97 percent of today’s home buyers are first attracted to properties online. As the internet and social media become the way many prospective home buyers see properties of interest, it’s critical that your home shines online.

We all know traditional curb appeal. It’s the view of the house from the street, sidewalk or curb out front. Don’t think curb only means single-family residence. Condominiums, townhomes and duplexes also can benefit from digital curb appeal.

How is digital curb appeal accomplished?

Experienced listing agents encourage sellers to apply fresh paint to their house, or paint a contrast color on the front door. They’re told to manicure the lawn and garden to improve the home’s general attractiveness.

This is all outside the home; it has nothing to do with the home’s interior. As buyers drive through the neighborhood, often on the weekends, what stands out are the houses that look like the place they would want to call home. It becomes the invitation to prospective buyers to “see more.”

Digital curb appeal takes that presentation a step further to present the entire home to the world – from outside to inside the front door. When we list a home, we hire professional photographers, videographers, even drone operators, to capture the home in the best light. I mean that literally, as photography is shot when the sun shines best on the property.

Areas of the home – the kitchen or bathrooms or the pool and patio deck – that have been upgraded or are especially alluring get special attention. This appeal translates to a warmth and charm the home radiates to the viewer.

Tech-savvy realtors also routinely provide 3D tours, such as those provided by Matterport, EyeSpy360 or Cupix to show the home as if the viewer were walking through it themselves.

How is that viewer found? Realtors versed in digital marketing work in concert with leading SEO partners who use keywords and phrases meant to elevate the property and specific community or neighborhood. We write engaging copy, full of rich details to tell the story of the home, the neighborhood and the lifestyle that could be enjoyed by the buyer.

The result is that digital curb appeal allows buyers to “drive” the internet anytime, 24/7 to find properties of interest that coincide with their living/lifestyle requirements. Think of it as a vetting process; they have an earlier opportunity to review the exterior and interior of a house. They can learn about neighborhood assets – parks, restaurants, schools, churches, retailers, even hospitals.

The buyers then can take a list of homes or neighborhoods they’ve discovered to their realtor to help guide the search. “This is what I like,” they can advise. “But don’t spend time looking at this area.” That’s why the listing agent must capture the attention of prospective buyers browsing through hundreds of listings.

This digital curb appeal becomes the seller’s online chance to make that critical first impression.

This is the first in a series of articles exploring the importance of presenting your home online. The next article will explore the strategy behind staging the home and shooting the best photographs and videos unique to the given property.

At Home with Gary: South Florida real estate predictions for 2023

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 15:48:10 GMT

If the COVID and post-COVID era made for interesting times, 2023 promises to be just as challenging – or exciting – depending on your tolerance for the unknown.

Below are 12 predictions for the year ahead . . .

1. Home prices will hold in 2023. A shortage of homes in South Florida, combined with homes still selling at record levels, translates to strong pricing. Home prices will go up 3 to 4 percent because of low inventory. While people overpaid for homes in the last two years just to get in, home buying will be an even smarter call in the year ahead than during COVID.

2. Home inventory will shrink. The dilemma of Florida homeowners has been clear: if I sell, where am I going to move? Only homeowners forced to sell due to life events – divorce, death, recession and unemployment – will be motivated to sell. Others will stay put, putting downward pressure on inventory.

3. Foreign investors return to Florida. Political and economic instability and uncertainty across Latin America will continue to drive a flight of capital to the U.S., and particularly South Florida. Lenders flush with money will be eager to loan, meeting the needs of those foreign nationals looking for mortgages.

4. Fix-and-flip home activity will slow down in 2023. The high cost of real estate, coupled with inflation and ongoing supply chain issues, will take these investors out of the market as profitability decreases.

5. Mortgage Interest rates will drop. It’s curious how sometimes when the Fed raises the Federal Reserve rate, mortgage rates may drop. After unprecedented rate hikes over the past year, the Fed has indicated rate increases will slow in 2023. These will end up in the 5 percent range by the end of the year, calming borrower concerns and driving buyer enthusiasm.

6. The number of real estate transactions will go down. The year 2022 saw up to 25 percent fewer real estate transactions than 2021. The year 2023 will have even fewer real estate sales than 2022, as the market finds equilibrium.

7. Rental demand will grow. Fewer real estate transactions and low inventory for sale will fuel growing rental demand. This will cause further increases in rental rates, which are forecast to rise by up to 13 percent for the year. The interest on rent is 100 percent, meaning that you get nothing for your rent. You pay your landlord’s mortgage and, at the end of your rental term, you own nothing . . . so you might as well be paying 100 percent interest.

8. Investment properties will return to the market. These properties, especially Airbnb and other rental properties, will start to hit the market as investors recognize lower returns due to increased supply and lower short-term rental rates, as well as higher taxes and insurance premiums on non-homesteaded properties, and as consumers grow more cautious about their expenses in a questionable economy.

9. Fewer first-time home buyers. High home prices, coupled with increased interest rates, and again, economic uncertainty surrounding their budgets and income, will dampen buyer enthusiasm. Those first-time home buyers who do decide to buy will be pushed to less desirable areas.

10. Seller concessions will grow. The days of “as-is” home sales and waived inspections are over. Fewer buyers, coupled with higher inventory, will induce seller concessions, such as inspection-report repairs, purchase of mortgage rate buy downs, and other creative ways to stand out against other real estate listings. Buyers don’t care about the interest rate or the sales price; the buyers care about their monthly payment.

11. Seniors 62 or older will seek creative cash flow. Seeking a better, more stable retirement, seniors will explore ways to eliminate mortgage payments, increase cash flow and leverage their current residence to live in the home of their dreams through reverse mortgages or other options.

12. Say goodbye to Fort Lauderdale’s older homeowners. Seniors and retirees tired of the region’s congestion – and hoping to capitalize on home values – will cash out and move north. They’ll stay in Florida, but head to places like Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach and The Villages.

If you’re hoping to list and sell your home, the right realtor can help. As team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office, Gary is a veteran listing agent skilled in the most complex transactions. He helps sellers get the most money in the shortest amount of time. Contact him at instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or 954-695-6518 .

At Home with Gary: How real estate can be your ticket to citizenship

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 15:47:54 GMT

Those hoping to immigrate to the U.S. have limited options. Those with means can do so through real estate, business investments, or business investments comprising real estate. They invest a fixed amount of money into a business entity that guarantees the creation of a certain number of full-time jobs in return for permanent residency visas.

The most popular options for investors are the E2 and EB5 visas.

I recently spoke with Fort Lauderdale immigration attorney Connie Kaplan. Herself an immigrant, Kaplan works with investors and families hoping to make the United States their permanent home through legal immigration. We explored the E2 and EB-5 programs.

The EB-5 immigrant investor program allows foreign nationals to apply for a U.S. green card by investing a minimum of $800,000 or $1.05 million in a U.S. business. In 2021 alone, foreign buyers invested some $54.4 billion in over 107,000 U.S. properties.

Kaplan finds the program lacking for two particular reasons. First, the cost. Atop the legal fees that can be in the tens of thousands of dollars, the $800,000 investment would go toward purchasing shares in a designated area, such as a mall or development, where their money would be parked during the process.

For the $1.05 million fee, immigrant investors must commit to opening a business and creating 10 full-time jobs.

For example, imagine a developer wants to build a new mall, logistics center, or residential complex. Investors in an EB-5 program will receive shares in that program where their money will remain parked throughout the course of the development and their application process.

Therein lies the catch. Once the amount has been fully invested and the business is able to prove the 10 jobs have or will be created, the investor can apply for a Form I-526 seeking conditional permanent residency. This filing takes an average of two years – with some taking much longer. Between the time, distance and cost, this can dissuade some from seeking an EB-5 visa.

Another route finding favor is the E2 visa. For an investment, which can vary depending on the type of business, location and other factors, the investor can buy an existing business or open a new business. Kaplan’s clients have bought mostly retail businesses and the properties where they conduct business.

Applications based on real estate investments for purposes of short-term rentals such as VRBO, vacation rentals or AirBnB, are being highly scrutinized and denied as the government seeks to curtail housing shortages. However, motels, hotels, and multi-family properties are favored as they lend themselves to job creation.

It’s important to note that the E2 program does not lead directly to permanent residency; applicants must reapply every two to five years. Kaplan has clients who have been on E2 visas for decades. However, under certain circumstances, an application under the E2 program later may be converted to EB-5.

Under these programs, buying or contracting to build a luxury home or condominium does not qualify for the application process. Remember, both are tied to the creation of full-time jobs. Labor on a jobsite does not qualify.

Of course, there are other ways to apply for visas or permanent residency, like marriage, family relations, or work. However, for those with financial means, patience, and a penchant for real estate investing, the E2 and EB-5 programs allow them to maximize the immigration laws, grow a business and participate in the American dream.

As team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office, Gary is a veteran listing agent skilled in the most complex transactions, including those involving foreign buyers and investors. He knows how to get sellers the most money in the shortest amount of time, even in this changing market. Contact him at instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695-6518 . Visit conniekaplanlawyer.com to learn more about Connie Kaplan’s firm.

At Home With Gary: Selling your home takes creativity and commitment, Part III

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 15:54:10 GMT

Selling a home in today’s market takes creativity, collaboration, and commitment. In the course of a few months, fast-rising interest rates and fears of inflation have halted bidding wars and over-asking-price deals. If you’re looking to sell a home or condominium, how can you stay calm while luring a buyer?

In this third installment of our series exploring the changing Fort Lauderdale real estate market, we’re reviewing strategies homeowners are using to improve their chances of selling their property.

We’ve written previously about how creativity, incentives and positivity can help. What we’ve made clear is that success comes by getting back to basics.

First, though, stay calm. Inventory is in short supply, but people are moving here in search of Florida’s low taxes and high quality of life.

Second, as we said in the last installment, get creative to incentivize your prospects to turn them into buyers. We discussed the 2-1 interest rate buydown, giving credits at closing, paying a few months or a year’s HOA dues, even turning repairs into improvements. In fact, a third of new home buyers were looking to avoid renovations.

We also discussed finding an eager realtor willing to put some skin in the game. This can include offering cash perks, partnering and marketing with other realtors, or employing other creative strategies.

Combine these strategies to encourage the homeowner and realtor to work better together. Some savvy sellers who can’t afford to offer buyers several percentage points toward closing costs are taking a different route. This may include offering to pay a bonus percentage point [or more] in incentives to the eventual buyer’s broker – on top of the commission, rather than to the buyer themselves.

Why? Over 90 percent of buyers who are ready and financially capable of buying a home in today’s market are represented by a broker. That leaves brokers to sort through sometimes hundreds of fairly similar listings to decide which ones to show a buyer any given Sunday. Working with your agent, offering a broker’s incentive can make your home stand out among all those listings to the brokers and agents who put property tours together. This can boost the number of buyers that view your home – in turn, boosting your home’s likelihood of getting an offer.

In fact, 24 percent of recent sellers offered incentives to move their properties, helping drive down the median time on the market to two weeks.

Heading back to the basics, driving prospective buyer interest requires you to . . .

Pretty it up

Invest in new paint, improved landscaping, and other upgrades. Hire professional photographers, videographers and drone operators for a second shot at capturing the home’s beauty.

Pay attention to “neighborhood living”

Nothing sells a community better than a drone shot of the streets, canals and waterways, parks, and proximity to shopping. This attention to “neighborhood living” brings your community to life and shows buyers what it would be like to call your home their own.

Practice extreme marketing

With your new staging, photography and videography in place, share your home across your social media. Ask your friends and family, especially those in key feeder markets, like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, to share your posts as well.

This may also be the right time to assess your entire situation. Beyond engaging an experienced Realtor, talk with your financial advisor to see where your home stands as part of your overall portfolio. If your home is even slightly overpriced, it’ll spend more time on the market, with ongoing expenses like taxes, homeowner’s insurance, HOA fees and other costs, slowly chipping away at your nest egg.

If you’re selling, protect your retirement. If you’re buying, protect your future. No matter on what side of the transaction you sit, the right realtor can help.

Click here to read Part I. Click here to read Part II.

As team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office, Gary is a veteran listing agent skilled in the most complex transactions. He knows how to get sellers the most money in the shortest amount of time, even in this changing market. Contact him at instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695-6518 .

At Home with Gary: Welcome mat or “No Pets”: HOAs struggle with support and service dogs

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 15:53:45 GMT

Dogs have gotten a bad rap lately. So have condominium HOAs struggling to enforce their rules. Can’t the two just get along?

In the “emotional support” era, some dog owners have paid for the paperwork from a licensed mental health professional or doctor needed to make their canine a comfort or emotional support animal (ESA). The numbers skyrocketed, from about 2,500 in 2011 to more than 200,000 in 2019.

For people with mental illness, anxiety, loneliness or other bonafide needs, the therapeutic benefits of an ESA can be invaluable. Service animals, conversely, are trained to mitigate a disability or physical or mental impairment that limits a major life activity.

People throw around the terms “comfort” and “service” like they are interchangeable. They are not.

The continued proliferation of ESAs has led to conflicts in “no pet” buildings. Many HOAs have been strong-armed by new buyers or tenants with ESAs demanding to be allowed to buy or rent there. Some successfully have challenged the policies, often under the threat of litigation, to the point that the HOAs have rolled over, rather than fight costly lawsuits.

Many original condo purchasers, however, bought in “no pet” buildings because they wanted peace and quiet.

How can the HOA curb this practice, without running afoul of federal law?

True service animals fall under accommodations found in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act; their access to particular places of business, like a restaurant, airport or airliner, could be also governed by other state or federal agencies.

The Fair Housing Act defines assistance animals as those “that work, assist, or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, including providing emotional support, which alleviates or improves the symptoms or effects of a disability.” The ADA defines service animals as “individual dogs that have been specifically trained to work with or perform specific tasks for people with disabilities including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

“A psychiatric service dog is not the same thing as an emotional support animal,” the ADA continues, “psychiatric service dogs are trained to detect the onset of psychiatric episodes, which can ultimately lessen the effects of the episodes.”

The Fair Housing Act applies to rentals and condo owners; the ADA applies to hotels and other temporary housing, and buildings used for religious and private functions.

Dawn Hanna, owner of Oh Behave Dog Training in Fort Lauderdale, said part of the issue could be in training. People brought home “pandemic puppies” during Covid or on a whim. Sometime after its arrival, the promise to train the dog to set boundaries and to be a good neighbor was lost. They’re left with a dog that may be antisocial or have anxiety, is dog-aggressive, an incessant barker or a marker of territory. In many situations, a dog that needs more exercise and interaction than life in a highrise allows is left with its basic needs ignored.

A service animal must be under the control of the handler. Most ethical service dog trainers will not even address training the task to mitigate the disability until the dog passes a public access test. It’s an expensive process. To learn more, visit disabilityrightsflorida.org and search for “service animal.”

If you’re an HOA or property owner, how can you ensure a dog is what the owner says it is? You can ask if the dog is a service animal, and what services it is trained to perform, especially if the disability isn’t obvious. You cannot ask about the owner’s disability or for documentation.

Neither I nor Hanna are offering legal advice here. Whether you’re a pet owner, or a property owner or HOA, consult an attorney. If your HOA is having difficulties here, Hanna’s website has a blog explaining these classifications.

As team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office, Gary Lanham is a veteran listing agent skilled in the most complex transactions. He knows how to get sellers the most money in the shortest amount of time, even in this changing market. Contact him at instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695-6518 .

At Home with Gary: Selling and buying homes in a time of change, Part I

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 15:57:50 GMT

If you’re trying to sell or buy a home in today’s real estate market, the Chinese proverb, “May you live in interesting times,” may come off as a curse.

The bidding wars and over-asking-price sales of just a few months ago are gone. With inflation on the rise, the Fed raised rates. The average 30-year fixed mortgage today is over 7 percent, from under 4 percent in February.

Except for homes over $1 million, the market stopped cold. Listings are at historic lows, and offers have dwindled. Yet, prices continue to increase, albeit more slowly. Whether you’re selling or buying, don’t let “interesting” translate to panic. How can you turn chaos to your advantage? Turn information into knowledge.

This is the first in a series looking at the changing Fort Lauderdale real estate market, how rising interest rates are affecting buyers, how sellers can go “back to basics” to attract buyers, and how knowledge and patience will help maintain your sanity.

Truth is, statistics point to continued traffic. While inventory is low by recent standards, homes – and buyers – are still out there. Our low taxes and high quality of life continue to attract new residents and businesses. We’re still the strongest market in the country. Buyers are simply unwilling to engage and overpay in any bidding war.

Deals are happening. As of early September, there were 959 active listings in the combined markets of Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach and Lauderdale-By-The Sea; 210 of these listings were “Active Under Contract.” Another 274 pending listings were likely to close. Another 250 listings had closed in the last 30 days.

But 93 of these listings were on the market for more than 30 days; 38 were on the market for more than 60 days. Days on the market were rising. But closings were happening.

Maybe the problem isn’t with nervous sellers or cautious buyers. Maybe the problem lies in an agent’s inability to glean knowledge from figures and see cautious optimism and a chance to capitalize on the market. We’re in that historically soft, “shoulder” period between summer and the winter season. If you’re a buyer, sellers spooked by rising interest rates and the threat of inflation and potential recession may be eager to negotiate.

If you’re a seller whose home has been on the market for more than 90 days, consider pulling it. Spend 30 days sprucing up the exterior, painting the interior, staging the space, and maybe shooting new photography and videography. Be sure to have it back on the market by Thanksgiving so snowbird buyers can find it.

Empirical data is more important than ever. It shows where our buyers are coming from. So advertising videos should be dropped in those areas using social media. This might also be an opportunity to research a real estate team with the expertise to review the latest statistics and determine how market trends in your neighborhood are affecting your chances for a timely, high-value sale.

The top-producing, economist-trained brokers with Coldwell Banker are telling some of those who bought in the past few years and who fear falling home values to stay patient. Many see the possibility of a “V-shaped” market slowdown, where recovery could be relatively quick and solid, given Florida’s underlying market strengths.

More than a quarter of recent home and condominium buyers were investors hoping to rent these out as vacation properties. Those who weren’t institutional buyers could panic and sell; we already see a rise in those properties hitting the market, creating more competition. Sellers who improve their property and relist later this fall could be in a good position to outshine the competition.

Most of all, don’t panic. Talk to your realtor and together, weigh your options in the current climate and prepare for that deal you know is out there.

Click here for Part II.

At Home with Gary: Home sellers: Creative incentives can sell your home, Part II

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 15:55:56 GMT

It’s getting cold in the Sunshine State. Buyers with homes under contract are getting cold feet, and Florida had four of the nation’s top 10 markets with the highest cancellation rates in the past three months, according to CNBC.

Rising interest rates, still-high home prices and uncertainty about the economy have buyers thinking twice about inking the contract or closing the deal. Yet in Fort Lauderdale, including Wilton Manors, Oakland Park and Pompano Beach, listings have increased. If you’re a home seller, what creative incentives can you offer to improve your chances for a sale?

Consider the 2-1 buy down . This seller incentive can help lower the interest rate during the first two years by the seller agreeing to “pay points,” or award the buyer a certain number of percentage points of the sales price, which will, in turn, be paid to the buyer’s lender as discount points that bring the buyer’s interest rate down. Rates revert to the contracted rate for year three and for the duration of the loan. If they sell the home, any leftover buy down money reduces the principal; it is not lost like if the mortgagee paid points to reduce the rate permanently. This incentive decreases the pressure buyers feel to guess the right day to lock in their interest rate [a common source of serious stress among buyers] and sends the message that if they buy your home, they’ll automatically beat the market rate. Seller-paid points are usually tax deductible to the buyer.

Closing cost credit . Many buyers trying to break into the market while prices are low are already scraping the bottom of their savings account barrels to come up with their down payment money. With most home loans, the buyer will have to come with anywhere from 3 to 6 percent of the loan amount, in cash, on top of their down payment, to cover closing costs like loan fees, escrow services and title or mortgage insurance. Some sellers [and their agents] include in their home’s listing and marketing materials the offer to pay a credit from 3 percent to 6 percent of the home’s sale price at closing to defray the buyer’s closing costs.

Turn requested repairs into improvements . By showing repairs to the air conditioner or roof as improvements or offering a home warranty or applying an allowance for such repairs at closing, you’ll boost buyer confidence and help them win over their lender.

HOA dues credit . If you are selling a home in a homeowners’ association [HOA] that charges monthly or annual dues, paying those for the six to 12 months or more can help defray significant costs for the buyer. Talk with your agent about how to do this in a way that will offer the maximum lure for buyers but will not run afoul of any guidelines for seller credits imposed by the buyer’s lender.

Then, find a realtor who is as eager as you. Will they offer perks like lunches and cash giveaways from a drawing with business cards from open house attendees; partner with another brokerage who has a listing near or in the same neighborhood – and perhaps split the expense by one house offering cash give away for attending; or connect with realtors who have had recent sales in the neighborhood to bring the house to their attention? Will they change up the MLS entry data, or allow any broker to advertise their listing, or increase the commission to the buyer’s agent from 3 percent to 4 percent? These incentives can create an audience for any brokerage where you can assure those agents that you have a property that can compete effectively.

If you’re eager to sell your home, the right incentives from you and your agent can prove you’re serious – and win over your buyer.

Click here for Part I.

Viewpoints – Week of Sept. 8

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 15:59:13 GMT

“Think of the tax dollars”

As we celebrate 30 years of surviving Hurricane Andrew, Broward County Commissioner Tim Ryan, in another viewpoint, has a good idea concerning the need for a Broward County Mayor. I bring in Andrew because the media that descended upon South Florida did not know who to grab for a sound bite. There was no one the media could go to for anything, as South Florida was kind of like a bunch of city-states. But I have questions.

First, as Broward County has pushed the unincorporated territory into one city or another, why does the Broward County commission even exist? And then the professional manager hired to run the day-to-day operations has me wondering what is being overseen?

Ergo, I agree with Commissioner Ryan in the need for a mayor. But if we the people decide we want a mayor then the professional manager has to go. Ditto the nine overpaid commission seats. All the basics for life [excluding the sheriff] are handled by the various cities and towns. The new mayor only has to oversee county infrastructure and the like. Think of the tax dollars in savings we the people would then benefit by with this new position and wiping out 10 other positions.

W.F. Cunningham III, Fort Lauderdale

“Updating us on the evolving situation”

As a 30-year permanent Pompano resident, it was so refreshing to read Mr. Gary Lanham’s article updating us on the evolving situation with local area homes, prices, inventories, and what’s been driving the changes. It was especially helpful that he also gave us hard facts and figures. Keep up the good work.

Craig Finnefrock, Pompano Beach

“We go back to letting the criminals know where the easy targets will be”

In your travels in the area, you may see Florida license plates that look a bit different from the one on your car or truck. These are rental cars. In the past, rental cars were identified with a plate that started with the letter Y or the word lease on the bottom. These cars became targets of criminals who saw a rental car as an easy mark. In 1993 the Florida legislature banned these plates. The Florida House voted 105-0, and the Senate voted 37-0 to have the plates removed. The wording of the bill was “there will be no conspicuous identifying letters or phrases.” Now after 29 years we go back to letting the criminals know where the easy targets will be.

Michael Cooks, Pompano Beach

At Home with Gary: Reading the Fort Lauderdale home sale tea leaves

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 16:00:46 GMT

Greater Fort Lauderdale homes for sale are facing a similar fate as those in other parts of the country. Rising mortgage rates spooked buyers and stalled what had been an extended bull market for home sales. Even as prices level off and dropping mortgage rates led to rising inventories of existing homes, the bag can best be described as mixed.

Signs point to some stabilization in the market and continued opportunities for sellers and buyers alike. Wherever you are in the market, where does this leave you?

Reading the market may require some reading of the tea leaves. One analyst told Forbes that falling mortgage rates would have the market stabilizing soon. That’s even with rates two points higher than they were this time last year. What will this additional buying power mean to home sellers?

Talk about a mixed bag. The Broward, Palm Beaches and St. Lucie Realtors report median sales prices are up over 21 percent to $600,000. Throughout South Florida, sales are decidedly off. The combination of active listings being up 54.6 percent, the sales pace up to over two months, and supply of inventory up 80 percent to 2.7 months still translates to a seller’s market. When we’re in a seller’s market, we have fewer than five months’ worth of inventory on the market.

The combination of buyer competition and aggressive bidding is another nod to it still being a seller’s market.

Another factor that the South Florida market hasn’t seen before to this level: buyers picking up existing homes as investments. In fact, investor traffic during the second quarter approached 20 percent of all homes purchased, up almost five points from 2021, notes the South Florida Business Journal. Investors bought some $1.43 billion in Broward homes; they bought $3.47 billion in Miami-Dade County, or a third of all homes purchased.

Except for a few pockets, the region is outpacing the national average.

The real estate analysts at Redfin tag “investors” as organizations, such as an LLC, an Inc., a trust, a corporation, as well as a buyer identifying on the deed as an association, a corporate trustee, a company, a joint venture or a corporate trust. Record rents prompt record purchases, to the point that we now see individual home buyers competing with institutional and investor-led purchases. These investors won’t stay in the market as long as individual homeowners. So unexpected inventory will occur if economic swings continue.

If you’re a buyer or a seller, what do all these statistics mean to you? First off, whether a buyer or seller, don’t panic. Remember, real estate, like much of the economy, runs in cycles. Just a few months ago, home buyers seemed locked out. Now, rising inventories translate to more available options to choose from. Bidding wars may soften, leading to less anxiety in the home buying process [at least, no undue panic].

For sellers, the same is true. The pandemic-related real estate market was a wholly unnatural, even unrealistic, event. Many got caught up in the sales frenzy; many enjoyed being in the driver’s seat as buyer bidding wars drove prices tens of thousands of dollars – even more – beyond the asking price.

To stand out against the competition, smart sellers also are updating kitchens and bathrooms and upgrading appliances.

Conditions have settled to a more reasonable state. Inventory is rising, and mortgage rates have fallen – for now. Home prices haven’t fallen back to pre-pandemic levels; few anticipate they will.

What we do have is a more predictable real estate market.

We still see contracts falling apart because newer listing agents lack the experience or knowledge to protect their sellers – or just read the tea leaves. If you need help reading the market, give me a call. Let’s navigate these still unpredictable times together.

Gary Lanham is team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office, and a member of The Hulsman Group in Ellicott City, Maryland. The firm is the No. 1 Coldwell Banker team for the Mid-Atlantic area, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington, DC. To learn more, visit instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695-6518 . Gary Lanham is a New Pelican advertiser.

At Home With Gary: Make your success in a softening real estate market

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 16:02:04 GMT

What a difference a few months can make.

Earlier this year, Fort Lauderdale homeowners were riding the wave of high valuations, heated price wars that often led to bids thousands of dollars over list prices, and contracts sometimes signed hours from being listed.

Then in just a few months, things changed. Interest rates spiked almost three points, scaring off mortgage borrowers and pushing up active inventory of available homes in May. Higher inventory and fewer buyers means prices are sliding in some markets and communities. Some report that year-over-year sales have been on a downward trend.

Meanwhile, inflation has driven up prices for owners looking to spruce up their homes to prospective buyers who would have renovated their new residences.

Some 79 percent of respondents to a Fannie Mae survey of homebuyer sentiment said it was a bad time to buy a home, notes USA Today. As one economist told the publication, “The housing market isn’t crashing, but it is experiencing a hangover . . . “

If you’re a homeowner, have you missed your shot to cash out during the height of the heated market?

Absolutely not.

Other numbers continue in Florida homesellers’ favor. A near-record number of people and businesses continue to relocate to greater Fort Lauderdale. This is leading them to hunt for homes in Pompano Beach, Coral Ridge Isles, Wilton Manors, Oakland Park and other desirable neighborhoods.

The state’s low taxes, relatively low cost of living, and high quality of life is keeping residents here.

So some market economics are softening, but macroeconomic fundamentals remain sound.

Here are some of the hidden or little known practices that can boost your chances of selling in a challenging market.

Treat “sell-ready” as a constant event. Don’t put off upkeep, maintenance, yard work or even roof cleaning or touch-up paint. These aren’t one-off events to be done the week before a for-sale sign goes on the yard. Especially if you live in a highly desirable neighborhood, you never know when an offer comes along that you can’t refuse. Keeping your home in sell-ready condition boosts curb appeal for passersby. It also will boost your own pride of ownership and please your neighbors, who have the same pride in the neighborhood.

Continually declutter. “Upkeep” includes removing clutter that’s been accumulated along the way. Recent empty-nesters know this burden. Removing a lifetime of stuff shouldn’t be relegated to a few weeks before a sale, especially when countless other details will be competing for your time and attention. Don’t forget the garage, attic and yard shed; those can become home to particularly dated clutter that time and the mind forgot.

Partner with the right realtor . Your real estate agent should do more than hang a sign and post your listing to the MLS. They should be a holistic partner in your home-sale process. This includes research into comparable home valuations; staging of the home’s interior, which hopefully has been decluttered; professional interior and exterior digital photography, including drone footage of the home, property and surrounding neighborhood; listing across all MLS and social listing platforms; and marketing across social media, personal networks and other outlets.

As more inventory hits the market, competition will rise. The right realtor also can help with home improvements and renovations – with no out of pocket costs to you. Coldwell Banker agents utilize a program called RealVitalize, which allows you to use OPM [other people’s money]. Your realtor can guide you on which upgrades will increase your likelihood of a quick sale and at the highest price.

More than anything, stay calm. Real estate rolls in cycles; what is soft will become strong again. Waterfront homes and those in highly desirable neighborhoods often will hold their value and invite competitive bids, over those in less exclusive areas. As inventory rises, so will competition.

While the market has softened, you probably haven’t missed your chance to sell. Those who know the South Florida market know patience prevails.

Gary Lanham is team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office. To learn more, visit instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695- 6518 .

At Home with Gary: Selling your home? Don’t fear a changing market

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 16:03:21 GMT

What a difference a few months make for Fort Lauderdale home sales.

This winter, homes were flying off the market at record sale prices and at a fevered pace. Now, rising interest rates have some prospective buyers delaying their decisions, so homes are staying on the market longer than before.

Truth is, if you’re considering selling your home, the changing market should make little difference to you.

Let’s look at the realities on the ground. Listings lasting “longer than before” means most homes in desirable neighborhoods like Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Ridge Isles, Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, and other areas, are selling in weeks, not days. This is a more “normal” time period than what we’ve seen since the pandemic. Experienced Realtors knew the fast contracts at thousands over the listing price were the anomaly.

Nationwide, a correction is occurring. As sales slow, more homes are being added to the inventory of available listings. This is good for a stable market, giving prospective buyers more homes to consider and taking the “frenzy” out of the equation. Frankly, that’s not a healthy condition for any market, but especially something that’s likely to be a consumer’s largest transaction they’ll ever be a part of. Yet one reality remains. Greater Fort Lauderdale, and South Florida as a whole, remains among the nation’s most enviable places to live. A higher quality of life at a lower cost of living than most metro areas – in a state with no personal or corporate income taxes – still tip the scales for many weighing where they want to spend their futures. For those nonetheless nervous about higher interest rates, we’re also seeing homeowners and buyers exploring various options to make home buying – or staying in place – a viable option.

As we discussed earlier this year with Donn Rubin with Fairway Mortgage, one option is the home equity conversion mortgage for purchase [HECM]. This program, designed for those 62 or older and living in their primary home, provides the possibility of refinancing your existing property or buying a high-end home – with no required mortgage payment.

It also lets homeowners with a HECM for purchase to preserve their retirement portfolio and allows the homeowner to use the equity in their home to make a deeper investment in the market.

We also see “2-1 buydowns” returning to the market. Instead of lowering the price of their home, sellers can offer the buydown to help the buyer qualify for the property. The buyer receives an interest rate usually two points off for the first year of the loan, which then rises a point for the second year. In the third year, it rises to the full rate.

Some market followers are anticipating interest rates will stabilize once inflation cools. Home buyers concerned about higher rates could find the opportunity to refinance when that happens.

As we look at the broader picture, we’re seeing a shifting and evolving real estate market. Again, continued low home and condominium inventory combined with inflation means that prices could remain high for the foreseeable future, especially in communities like Coral Ridge Isles, Deerfield Beach, and coastal neighborhoods with abundant single-family homes and condominiums, especially Greater Fort Lauderdale’s desirable east side. Despite high home prices and rising mortgage rates, demand is still strong.

If you’re interested in selling your home and buying another quickly, a knowledgeable real estate expert is critical to helping guide you navigate this landscape. This is a market rich with opportunities for those who take the time to study the conditions.

Truth be told, opportunities like this don’t come along often. What was a seller’s market a few months ago has become more balanced. Some prospective buyers are taking their time. Maybe you should, too.

Take the time to have an appraisal performed to see your home’s worth in the current market. Do some upgrades – from a fresh coat of paint inside or out, to landscaping upgrades, to other renovations to boost the home’s appeal. This will prepare you to act – no matter the market.

Gary Lanham is team leader for the Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Real Estate Fort Lauderdale Beach Office. To learn more, visit instagram.com/garylanhamgroup or call 954-695- 6518 .