Real Estate & Investment Perspective by Karen Lee Bertiger

2026/06/082026/06/08

Selling or Buying a Hurricane Damaged Home

Selling:

If the home was damaged, the seller should remove all wet drywall and dry the house out
Fill out a seller’s disclosure listing all known damage
Don’t cover water stains with paint – no cosmetic coverups
Do the necessary repairs and disclose all repairs
Get your own mold inspection done
Do a pre-listing home inspection to make sure you didn’t miss any repairs
Choose licensed Florida contractors to provide estimates and repairs
Don’t assume your home will sell only at a discount; many damaged homes are sitting on valuable land and many may even sell at the full market value of the home before it was damaged in the hurricane

Buying:

Get both home and mold inspections
Choose licensed Florida contractors for estimates and repairs you are considering having done
Get it in writing – if the seller wants to sell “as is” – get it in writing what repairs the seller will have done and what potential credits they may give you
Ask to see written evidence of the insurance proceeds and when they were disbursed to the seller
Make sure the property can be insured!
Ask if they have had the home treated for mold and whether they have a mold certification
If it looks like there’s no damage from the hurricane, ask if there was damage that was repaired
Ask for the seller’s disclosure and be sure to read it very carefully – ask questions about anything that seems vague
Know what has been repaired and what hasn’t – if repairs have been done ask what comany did the repairs and be sure to check whether the proper permits for the work were pulled from the local building department
If purchasing a condominium (this applies just to hurricane damage, not the new requirements) ask aboiut hurricane-related assessments, hurricane related insurance claims and if there are additional fees ask whether the seller will cover the fees or if the responsibility will be yours as the buyer

2026/06/072026/06/07

Downsizing Checklist – With Housing Costs Surging Is This a Good Move to Reduce Expenses?

What are your total transaction costs on the sale AND the purchase
What are the holding costs on the new home
Will you have to pay a capital gains tax on the sale of your current home
What are the moving costs
If you will be using your equity from the sale of your home to purchase the new home without a mortgage, how will losing the interest deduction affect your personal taxes
Will you need to store any of your belongings
Be sure to factor in your health care costs & inflation in your new location
It’s MUCH easier to accomplish a down sizing in your 50s & 60s than in your 70s & 80s
What repairs & delayed maintenance will be necessary of your current home to bring it to move-in condition
Can you afford the repairs & potential staging costs
If you will be purchasing your new home before your old home is sold can you afford the overlapping holding costs
Don’t waive a home inspection if you are buying a new build
Can you afford the inflation on home services in your new neighborhood
Will you regret getting rid of your “stuff”
You’re going to get decision fatigue
Will you have seller’s remorse
Make sure you’re not down sizing too small – you don’t want to have to move twice
If you are moving to a completly new area, consider renting before buying

Property taxes, hazard insurance and HOA fees are all increasing and up to 65% of homeowners with mortgages have “escrow shortages” — many were qualified at higher percentages of their income. In my opinion, I would not originate a mortgage (principal and interest) at more than 20-22% of my income because of it. With escrow shortages, your lender keeps the money on a monthly basis that was your old escrow PLUS the amount needed for your new escrow to meet ongoing payments. The average shortage in escrow balances was $2,157.00!!! Property taxes have increased by approximately 15% between 2019 and 2024 (Cotality.) Property insurance has increased approximately 70% between 2019 and 2025, says the Dallas Fed (March.)

This insurance issue is enough on its own to force some homeowners into falling behind on mortgage payments because they cannot move/downsize or otherwise lower their costs.

2026/04/242026/04/24

How to Use Your Down Payment Money

These days, when you’re buying property, you’re probably already aware that you can get concessions from the seller in a lot of instances. So brush up on how to get the most valuable concessions from the seller that will help you, depending on your situation.

What many do not consider: your best bet may NOT be using all of your down payment money for a down payment. If you want to be more sure that you are going to be able to afford the housing costs of the property you are buying, consider this strategy.

Figure out the maxium principal & interest amount you can comfortably pay. Determine the loan amount & THEN shop for your property with the understanding that you will only pay a minimal down payment to get the loan. This will probagly result in a lower purchase price.

Once you have closed & are in the property, after your first payment is due take the REMAINDER (majority) of your down payment & apply it to the principal balance of your new loan. For instance, If you have 20% to put down, put down only 0-3%, get all the best seller concessions for your situation & then take the remaining 15-17% & apply it to the princpal of your loan. When you check your amortization schedule, you may have wiped out about 10 years of INTEREST on your mortgage!

2026/04/152026/04/15

Arbitrage Opportunity

Things to consider for a current real estate opportunity window:

If you have property in a hot market (NE, Midwest) but want to relocate/retire/downsize to Florida in the near future, take advantage of your seller’s market where you are AND the buyer’s market where you want to be in Florida. Of course, that’s only one aspect. You need a real estate professional in Florida to answer questions, find appropriate properties, and guide you through your purchase and assist you in your move. Make sure it’s someone who is up to the task!

2026/03/252026/03/25

Private Listing Wars

Since the end of February, 2026, a buyer searching on Zillow may not see all properties available. This was made possible by all of the brokerages touting their own private listings platforms, including one on Zillow. During the time on the private listing sites, the listing agent typically receives all buyer leads. This is not about Compass, it’s about a fundamental change to the real estate industry.

It appears that sellers are not getting all the information they need to make the best decisions. These are NOT all homes that require painting….brokers/agents appear to be making every effort to “double-dip” commissions, rather than fulfilling their fiduciary duties to their sellers.

The MLS is no longer the first depository of listing information.

Zillow Research did an independent study of 2.72 million home sale transactions in 2023 and 2024. Key findings were that sellers who list off-mls or limit pre-market exposure see a sale price difference of 1.5% to 3.7% compared to properties sold through MLS starting on day 1.

Bright MLS also conducted a study including 100,000 listings in their service area between September 2024 and February 2025. Pre-market/private listings took a median of 37 days to reach contract vs. 20 days for listings that published on MLS on day 1.

I don’t have a private listing promotion. I have a full market promotion, with everyone getting exposure to your listing on day 1. This is the competition that produces the highest sale price in the least amount of time. This is about integrity. I present the benefits and the drawbacks to my clients to avoid “steering” them into a decision. My sellers make the best choice for themselves.

A buyer may see a “coming soon” listing on Zillow and get very excited – they may have found their dream home – only to get routed to the listing agent and told they can’t make an appointment to see the home. That is not seller protection, nor is it price optimization. It’s self-serving lead capture. Those buyers may have been pre-approved, looking for months, and very motivated. Most won’t wait. They’ll go buy something else. How is that in the seller’s interest? Inventory in most markets in Florida and Arizona is increasing. They have more choices now.

Coming Soon status only makes sense when repairs are in progress and the home isn’t ready to show.

I’m a broker who knows where the property you’re looking for lives. In this fragmented marketplace, buyers now need a true professional who can find the property they want (assuming it exists!) I have access to ALL built properties that may or may not be on the market in a way discoverable by the public.