Now is the perfect time for luxury homeowners in the Palm Beach area to consider putting their properties on the market. According to Haute Living, prices for these types of homes are skyrocketing – sometimes by as much as 70 percent – meaning it’s the perfect time to sell.

Not only are builders tearing down old homes to build new luxury homes, but Delray Beach in Palm Beach County capped Redfin’s luxury housing price index in the third quarter of 2016, says Haute Living. This growth may be contributed to the fact that Florida residents do not pay income taxes, making the state appealing to young and old alike – beyond the benefits offered by the wonderful neighborhoods, temperate climate and bountiful regional activities.

With such high demand, Palm Beach County residents considering selling their home should take the plunge by finding an experienced realty group to sell their home. Leibowitz Realty Group has specialized in selling luxury homes in the Palm Beach area for more than 20 years. Our family-owned firm will extensively market your home so you receive the best offer and move your property quickly.

If you sell your home with Leibowitz Realty Group, you also get the benefit of our comprehensive real estate marketing plan. Not only will your home be featured in the Palm Beach Post full page ad at least once a month, it may be listed during the seasonal months in national magazines including Palm Beach Illustrated, Jupiter Magazine and The Palm Beacher. Plus, our professional team will take detailed pictures and provide an online virtual tour of your property for potential buyers to view online.

In addition to advertising your property in a variety of print pieces and on our website, Leibowitz Realty Group prints a full-color brochure with the details of your home for clients, brokers and more. These details will also be featured in direct mail pieces and email marketing on a weekly basis. You can even schedule open houses on a weekly or biweekly basis!

Leibowitz Realty Group takes your home sale seriously, working to market and sell your property as quickly and effectively as possible. With such a hot market for sellers right now and the support of a professional group of experienced Realtors, you are sure to walk away with a fantastic deal when selling your Palm Beach County luxury home. To learn more about selling your property with Leibowitz Realty Group, call us today at 561-627-5100.

Are you thinking about purchasing a home in Palm Beach County, Florida right now? If so, you should be aware of the slightly higher interest rates that are currently affecting the housing market as a result of a decision made by the Federal Reserve to hike up short-term interest rates by a quarter of a percent earlier this month.

But at the same time, this shouldn’t make you reconsider making your purchase. Despite this adjustment on the part of the Federal Reserve, now is still a great time to purchase a home, and if you wait too long, you might see additional interest rate hikes in the future that will make buying a home more expensive than it currently is.

The Federal Reserve interest rate hike didn’t come as a total surprise to most real estate industry analysts – after months of static rates, most financial experts knew it would come sooner or later. While interest rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan are currently sitting at right around 3.5 percent, Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, predicts rates could reach 4.5 percent within the next 12 months.

“We anticipate that rates may be 4.5 percent by the end of 2017,” he said recently to CBS News, “and that home prices will also march upward by 4 percent.”

Dan Smith, president of PrivatePlus Mortgage, was a bit more reserved, telling Florida Realtors that average rates could rise by as much as half a percent next year.

The Federal Reserve hike means that you will pay a little bit more on a typical 30-year mortgage than you would have prior to the hike, but according to Yun and many others, the homebuyers’ market is still “favorable,” which means you shouldn’t shy away from shopping for homes. If you are in the market for a new house, you can also benefit from the increasing value of homes as well, meaning that while you may spend a bit more, you should also expect to see the value of your investment rise, too. With many expecting interest rates to rise more as the economy continues to rebound from the Great Recession and housing bubble crises, now is a great time to get into a new property and start building your home and equity in real estate.

Leibowitz Realty Group has a large selection of properties available in the Palm Beach County area at the moment. Check out our listings online now or give us a call at 561-627-5100 to schedule a showing with one of our agents today.

When we think of early Thanksgiving traditions, we imagine Pilgrims in a chilly autumnal setting in Plymouth, Massachusetts. But did you know that the first Thanksgiving may have actually taken place in Florida?

A Spanish admiral named Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his captain, Father Francisco Lopez, along with his men arrived in Florida in 1565. Father Lopez claimed the land for his men, and they held a mass for good fortune in their new settlement, reports the History Channel. As the native Timucua tribe looked on, Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés invited them to take part in their festivities following the service.

Could this have been the true origin of Thanksgiving as we know it? Did this beloved American tradition begin in the tropic region of Florida?

Whether or not this was the first Thanksgiving dinner, the traditions live on in annual Thanksgiving Day feasts here in Florida and across the rest of the country to this day.

Many people gather in their beautiful Palm Beach County homes with their family and friends to give thanks and enjoy their surroundings each year. Palm Beach County offers a veritable bounty of great, comfortable homes, with plenty of different options on the market that offer the amount of space you need to accommodate your whole family’s celebrations. The region is also a great home year-round, with temperate weather in every season, making it a popular destination for young families to retirees and everyone in between.

Give thanks with your family next year at the table in your new home in Palm Beach County and participate in what may be one of Florida’s oldest traditions. At Leibowitz Realty Group, we specialize in luxury real estate in West Palm Beach County, and we are happy to help you find the new home that’s perfect for you. To find out more or to sit down with one of our Realtors to start your new home search, give us a call today at 561-262-0721 or 261-262-0722.

Your house is not simply just a house. At Leibowitz Realty Group, we know that your house is also an investment not just in the time you’ve spent living there and making it your own, but also of the capital that you’ve spent to maintain and improve it. If you’re looking to downsize, find a larger home or even move to a new city, it is important that you get the best possible value for your home before you move on to the next chapter in your life.

Southern Florida home values have held steady this summer, with the sale price of homes in the area have remained the same – hot, hot, hot! Median home values have increased 11 percent in Palm Beach County, reports the Sun Sentinel, as the area’s real estate market remains as hot as the summer sun.

This means that now is a perfect time to put your home on the market to get the greatest value for your property. A rebounding economy and boom in people looking to find retirement and wintertime homes in the area means that it’s truly a sellers’ market. At Leibowitz Realty Group, we know exactly how to market your house so you can connect the right buyer fast.

The Internet is a main vetting point for most buyers today, and we know that it is important to place appealing images and a virtual tour online. By adding great images of your home on popular property sites in addition to our website, you will expand your potential buyer pool and help more people find your home for sale. Email marketing is also important, and we will include your home in our weekly email marketing campaign to showcase your home. Our email campaign drives about 10,000 people to our site each week, and is a sure-fire way to give your home ample exposure.

We will also add your house to our website listings, which will allow it to be found by anyone searching for a new home in the area. Prospective buyers can search by price point, address and a range of other filters, like number of bedrooms, which means that someone looking for your four-bedroom house will find your property listed in their search results.

At Leibowitz Realty Group, we also have affiliations with LuxuryRealEstate.com. This will give your home on the international market, not just the local market, and ensures that your elegant property can be found by anyone who is looking for a wonderful South Florida home – not just nationally, but from anywhere around the world.

We will also integrate your home into our social media, which includes postings on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Social media is an incredibly important part of a robust online presence. In this day and age, people look to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for information, so by highlighting your home on these networks, you further expand your property’s exposure.

However, offline marketing tactics are just as important as online tactics. We will hold weekly or biweekly open houses until your house is sold. We can also hold broker only open houses in addition to general population open houses, allowing other Realtors to see your property and offer it to their clients, as well. Leibowitz Realty Group also participates in the Multiple Listing Service, which is an important tool for brokers in Palm Beach County and throughout the country.

Come list your property with Leibowitz Realty Group and let us put our comprehensive marketing strategy to work for you. To get started with listing your home or to learn more, call us today at 561-262-0721 or 561-262-0722.

There is usually a point – somewhere in the second hour of digging a car out from a major snowstorm – that people really begin to consider a snowbird home.

This is especially true of people further along in life, like those who have retired or are at least near retirement, and no longer have children in the house. Owning a snowbird home is a great luxury that can improve quality of life, allowing those who love their home and the area where they set up roots to enjoy their current home during the nicer months, but giving them a place in the south to escape to when the weather turns south.

At Leibowitz Realty Group, we help our northern friends find snowbird homes all the time. Helping newcomers to Florida and the Palm Beach area find the perfect home is a passion of ours, and we work with countless clients each year to find a home that’s convenient and comfortable, and meets their expectations. Many of our snowbirds have the same questions before purchasing the second home, so let’s take a look at the common questions and considerations to keep in mind when looking for a wintertime home.

 Do You Know the Area?

This is the big question we always ask. While it’s nice to visit a place, there are different considerations when planning to live here for an extended period. Look for homes near other snowbirds during the height of the winter, typically during December and January. That will give you an idea of how busy things are in that area and if it fits in with your lifestyle. Plus, you can also look for amenities that matter most to you, like distance to grocery stores, restaurants, entertainment and other local amenities.

What’s Your Budget?

While a second, or at least a new, mortgage payment is what most people think about immediately when considering a winter home, there are also additional costs to keep in mind. That includes the taxes at your new home and travel costs between your home city and the Palm Beach area, not to mention the cost of furnishing both homes. Think about everything you’ll have to spend beyond just the monthly payment to the bank.

Will You Rent During the Off-Season?

There is no right answer here – it simply comes down to personal choice. Some snowbirds rent during the off-season to help offset their costs, while others want access to their home at all times. Think about if you want to rent when deciding on a home, as homes that are located near major metro areas will be easier to fill during the offseason.

If you need help weighing your options and finding different properties, the team at Leibowitz Realty Group is standing by to help. We’ve helped buyers from across the country find their perfect wintertime home, and we can help you, too. Get started by calling us today at 561-262-0721 or 561-262-0722.

Your home is likely your largest investment, which is why it’s so important to ensure it’s protected from the unexpected. Although homeowners insurance is yet another thing to add to your long list of bills, it’s a necessity. If a fire damages your home, heavy rains ruin your roof, or an intruder breaks in and steals your jewelry, you can have peace of mind knowing your home and your valuables are insured.

Homeowners insurance can be quite a hefty investment, but it doesn’t have to be. By taking the time to shop around and learn about the many different options available to you, you can save big on your insurance! Keep reading to learn how you can save on homeowners insurance.

Shop Around and Compare Options

Finding the right homeowners insurance policy takes time and research. It’s important to have all your ducks in a row, as the saying goes, before making an impulse decision and regretting it down the road. There are so many insurance agencies and policies to learn about, so make sure you meet or speak with as many agencies as you can to compare each of their policies. Make a pros and cons list of what each plan provides and what it doesn’t, as well as how much it will cost you.

Get Home and Auto Policies from the Same Company

Many insurance companies will take a percentage off your premiums if you have more than one policy with them. It’s best to ask insurers you’re interested in rather than assuming they provide this advantage. In some cases, the discounts can range as high as 15 percent, says the Insurance Information Institute, which can total some significant savings on two necessary policies.

Agree to a Higher Deductible

By agreeing to a higher deductible, you can reduce your annual premium significantly. The more you raise your deductible, the more you will save. It’s important to remember, though, that a higher deductible can mean a higher out-of-pocket cost to you if you ever need to make a claim, so weigh that when considering different policy options.

Safer Is Cheaper

Something as small as a fire extinguisher can help you save on homeowners insurance. Having new wiring or electrical systems installed or upgrading your home to include a connected sprinkler system or fire alarm that automatically alerts first responders can cut your premium by as much as 20 percent, says the III. Ask insurance companies about their discounts on safety features – you’d be surprised at how much you can save.

If you need to find your dream home before finding the right homeowners insurance policy, you’ve come to the right place. Leibowitz Realty Group’s can help you search the selection of great homes throughout the Palm Beach County region and find the right property for you and your family. Learn more or start your search today by calling 561-262-0721 or 561-262-0722.

When deciding to buy or sell a home, there are many factors to consider. Since there are so many decisions to be made it can be difficult to juggle them all in your mind – especially when you are new to the buying or selling process. But, there is one factor that many forget about when buying or selling a house: closing costs.

Closing costs can be incurred by both the buyer and the seller at the end of a real estate transaction, and the number can often take you by surprise. That’s why it is important to have a rough idea of your closing costs before you commit to buying or selling a home.

According to the Palm Beach Post, mortgage closing costs in Florida almost match the national average. For example, on a $200,000 mortgage, Florida’s closing costs would be $2,180 where the national average is $2,128 – well below Hawaii’s $2,655 and New York’s $2,560.

With mortgage rates near record lows and Florida’s closing costs right around the national average, now is the perfect time to buy or sell your Florida home. Since buying and selling can be overwhelming, it is important to work with a Realtor who can guide you along the way. At Leibowitz Realty Group, we pride ourselves on providing top-notch service and unsurpassed expertise to each of our clients in the Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter Mirasol and throughout Palm Beach County, Florida.

If you are looking to buy or sell a luxury home in Palm Beach County, Leibowitz’s team of experts are ready to assist you. With an extensive knowledge of the various country club memberships and amenities, we can answer all your questions and break down the costs of buying a new home along the way. Plus, with access to numerous properties all throughout the region, we can help you find the perfect property for you or help showcase all the amazing benefits of your property to prospective buyers.

To learn more about selling your home with the help of Leibowitz Realty Group or if you need help exploring potential homes to buy in the Palm Beach County area, call us today at 561-262-0721 or 561-262-0722.

Homes are selling like hotcakes in Palm Beach, Florida, with buyers lining up to be the first to bid on the hottest properties in the area. If you are currently selling your home or are looking into doing so, you should know that just because a market is hot does not mean that your home will be graced with a guaranteed sale.

Consider staging your home and improve your chances. Here are four reasons why home staging is especially vital in a booming real estate market.

Staging Sets Your Home Apart

As in any hot market, buyers are left with many options to spend their money on and after a while, homes have a way of looking a bit alike. Staging your home, however, can help make sure that your house has its best possible appeal and is showcased for potential buyers who tour your property. One of the best ways to make your home stand out is to use stage to give your property a look that will highlight its features and amenities, helping make it truly irresistible to prospective buyers.

Make Your Home Move-In Ready

 You may still be wondering why you need to take any extra effort to sell your house when buyers are already flocking to your door. Well, if your home is not properly staged, those customers may leave as soon as they came. One of the reasons is that staged homes give the potential buyer the impression that your house is move-in ready.

Homes that are clean and staged in such a way that they look easy to move into have a distinct advantage over other homes that are empty and may expose small faults or flaws that a would-be owner dislikes. Staging can often give the prospective buyer an idea of how they would want the house to look if they owned it, as well – reimagining your decorated space with their furniture or with their preferences in mind. If you already have them planning their new home as soon as they cross the threshold, then you’ve got them hooked!

It’s All in the Numbers

While many can try to debate the effectiveness of staging, no one can argue with the numbers. According to Realtor.com, staged homes sell an average of 70 percent faster than unstaged homes in any market. Plus, staged homes usually sell at a 10 percent higher price than their unstaged counterparts.

Attract Higher Quality Buyers

But the advantages of having a faster-moving sale and higher buying price aren’t all there is to staging. Additional studies have shown that the presentation of staged homes also attracts more top quality buyers, and they just show better, regardless of the temperature of the market. High-quality buyers already have their prospective home in mind and staging can help to give the impression that your home should be their home.

At Leibowitz Realty Group, we specialize in the luxury real estate market and have sold some of the most beautiful homes in all of Palm Beach. If you are looking to sell your home, our comprehensive marketing strategies can help you get your home in front of qualified, prospective buyers and other agents quickly. Get started today by giving us a call at 561-262-0722!

As the economy continues to improve, sustained growth has been seen in housing markets in several regions. The Southeast, California and Pacific Northwest regions are all enjoying strong housing markets this summer, but four of the top five summertime housing markets are located in Florida, with Palm Beach County coming in as the top summertime market, according to the recent Top Single-Family Housing Markets Report for Summer 2016 from real estate marketplace Ten-X, according to HousingWire.com.

The Ten-X report evaluated housing markets across the country based on both forecasted and current data. The top housing markets listed all exhibited evidence of demographic growth, economic growth, appreciation in home values, and strong demand.

Florida has seen some of the strongest growth in the nation recently. Top metropolitan areas in Florida offer affordable housing options while local economies are experiencing a rebound in employment opportunities and growth. The population growth in Florida has also been well above the national average.

Right here in Palm Beach County, we were previously ranked fourth in the country, but have jumped into first place this summer. Home prices in Palm Beach County shot up an impressive 16.8 percent from last year – the highest increase of any market in the country. Home sales growth has increased by more than 4 percent year over year.

Orlando has the second-best summertime market in the country. The city has seen an annual increase in home price growth of more than 10 percent. Home sales growth has increased by more than 5 percent. Tampa and Fort Lauderdale occupy third and fourth place, respectively.

Leibowitz Realty Group is the premier source for luxury homes and properties in Palm Beach County. We have been connecting buyers with luxury homes in upscale communities for more than 20 years. As a family-owned real estate firm, we offer personalized service in addition to the global technology that buyers expect. Contact us today by calling 561-262-0721 or 561-262-0722 to learn more about any of our properties or browse our listings online now to see properties that are currently available.

Buying a home can seem like an overwhelming experience. There are so many important things to keep in mind as you look, from school zones to number of bedrooms to loan approvals. Luckily for you, the expert realtors from the Leibowitz Realty Group are here to help. Here are five tips from our top realtors to help you on your search.

Keep an Open Mind

As CBS News says, buyers who are too picky from the start will have a very hard time finding a home. We know that this is a big decision, but it’s important to remember that certain things are more important than others. If you find a home that is in the perfect location, for example, but you hate the shutters, it’s probably not a home you should cross off your list. Updates and changes like shutters or paint color are easily changed and should not cause you to cross a home off your list.

Don’t Wait Too Long!

If you find a home that you love, but you’re holding out for the asking price to be lowered, or putting off the decision to make an offer, you could end up in a bidding war or ultimately lose the home. This is especially true here in the Palm Beach region, where the housing market has been quite hot in recent months. When you find something you love, the time to put in an offer is now!

Avoid Upfront Haggling

If your agent is advising you to write a full-price offer, it means that your agent thinks the price is fair for the market. If you offer less than the asking price, you run the risk of the buyers rejecting your offer and cutting ties with you. While it’s important to get a good deal on a home, it’s equally important to listen to your agent’s advice – they are more familiar with the market than you are.

Avoid Numerous Counter Offers

Speaking of offers and counter offers, Bank Rate suggests that buyers keep in mind that bidding wars with other buyers could drive the home’s price up higher than where the market actually values it. Don’t end up overpaying for a home that has more than one interested buyer.

Get Your Paperwork Prepared

If you’re serious about buying a home, make sure you have all of your paperwork and bank statements ready to go. A few days of delay in getting your paperwork into your agent to present to the seller could cause you to lose the home.

If you’re ready to commit to buying a home and are looking for an agent to help you, meet the agents at the Leibowitz Group. We’re standing by and ready to help you find your dream home in the Palm Beach area today. To get started, give us a call at 561-262-0721 or 561-262-0722 today to schedule an initial consultation appointment to request a visit to see any of our listings.