Bradenton Real Estate

The Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota Florida is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Huge rooms that house some of the most famous paintings around. The Ringlings spent years collecting art and displaying it in this wonderful building.

The courtyard is breath taking as you stroll through the gardens and view the statues interlaced among the grounds. When you sit on the veranda, you get the view of Sarasota Bay just past the grounds facing West.

If you are in the area, this is one place that needs to be on your must visit list.

Looking for a place to explore in a day? Try out the Ca d Zan, it has been refurbished and the original furniture still remains. The home is 4 levels high and is 22,000 square feet in size. The regular admission of $20 will get you into the first two floors, you have to pay another $20 to see floors 3 and 4. While I recommend the general admission price, I did not feel the extra $20 was worth seeing a couple more bedrooms and the terrace that sits atop the house.

The mansion sits on the edge of the water on 66 acres. John and Mable Ringling built this home in 1924 and when you tour the home you will see they spared no expense. Marble is all throughout the home and gold leaf on the ceilings. They travelled through Europe collecting furniture and art and was decorated in the Venetian Gothic style.

It certainly is worth the trip to view this beautiful mansion.

Below is a list of events that will occur before you start looking for a home, while you are looking for a home and after you have found a home and have it under contract:

1. You need to find out how much of a home you are pre-approved to purchase.
2. Before you find a home and put it under contract, you need to choose a lender that you will be getting financing through and who is going to give you the best terms and conditions.
3. This is a list of the documents lenders typically ask for, the sooner you get these to them the easier the process goes. I suggest giving a copy of these documents to them right at the start.
a. Last 2 years work history
b. Last 2 years W-2’s
c. Last 2 years verification rental history or mortgage payments
d. Year to date pay stub
e. If on disability, social security or pension and you are claiming that income you have to show proof of that income
f. Bank statements from the last 12 months
g. If you are divorced or separated, you must provide either the divorce decree or separation agreement.
h. If claiming Child support income, you need to show proof of receipt
i. If you have filed bankruptcy, you will need to provide a certified legal copy of discharge
j. Any judgments or tax liens must be paid off
k. If you are paying child support, you must show proof that you have been paying in a satisfactory re-payment plan
l. If you have any 401k, IRA, Stocks & Bonds or savings accounts, you will need to provide statements from those accounts.
4. You need to get a copy of a pre-approval letter without a dollar amount on it to accompany any offers you make on a home so the sellers are aware that you are already pre-approved.
5. Now it’s time to start looking for a home. Your agent will set up an automated search for you and email you all the active listings in the MLS that fit the criteria of the home you are looking for based on the amount you have been pre-approved for. This saves you time from having to drive around looking for homes that are for sale.
6. Once you find the home you are looking for and make an offer on it, and the offer is accepted, you are now under contract to purchase that home.

NOTE: Additional documentation may be requested depending on your situation. Your lender maty also require you to pay any outstanding bills as well before closing on the home. You lender will let you know if this is required. Do not change your job, charge your credit card or affect you credit in any way, this will stop the loan process and no money will be funded. The mortgage company runs a second credit check right before lending the money, for this reason you will need to wait until after the closing for any change or purchase.

7. The Home Inspection and the Termite Inspection will be ordered. You are more than welcome to be there when the inspections are being done.
8. The lender that you chose to do your financing through will order the Appraisal. You are also welcome to be there for that as well. Survey will be ordered by the Title Company.
9. You will need to purchase homeowners insurance for a year, and provide the Declaration page to the Title Company as proof you purchased before they will allow you to close on the home. Your Insurance Company can fax a copy of that page to the Title Company.
10. Once the Home Inspection report comes back, your agent will meet with you to discuss the findings, and evaluate which items need to be repaired depending how the contract was written between the buyer and the seller. The seller will then make the requested repairs if the buyer and seller agreed that the seller would make repairs.
11. One day before closing your agent will do a final walk through of the home with you to make sure the home is in the condition it is suppose to be in and repairs were completed (if required)..
12. Your agent will go over the HUD-1 statement with you to make sure all figures are correct.
13. The Title Company will advise you of the dollar amount you need to bring to the closing in CERTIFIED FUNDS, personal checks will not be taken You will also need to bring your drivers license to closing.
14. Congratulations on the purchase of your home!!

As a reminder….It is imperative that you know what financing company will be doing your financing before you put a home under contract so the lender will have time to get all paperwork completed in a timely manner and it does not hold up the closing. The lender will also be able to provide your agent with the correct amount of closing costs so it can be written into the contract if you are expecting the seller to pay your closing costs. The more you get done ahead of time, the smoother your closing will go.

While out for a drive yesterday, I came across a tiny neat little neighborhood tucked away in North East Bradenton. It’s just off of Manatee Ave and 27th St E. I just happened to glance up and saw a sign that said Historic Neighborhood with an arrow, so I quickly turned down the street and ended up in this neat little community.

It’s a 55 and over community that sits where the Braden River meets the Manatee River. The first thing I noticed were that the streets are only wide enough for one car to pass and these homes are pretty close to each other, so there isn’t much yard to worry about for maintenance. As I drove through the winding streets and up and down a few hills, I knew I was in a historic community. You could tell just from looking at the homes. They were all old homes that were built back in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Each one different from the next. Unique in it’s own way.

As I continued to drive through the community, every person that I saw walking, driving a golf cart, riding a bike or just sitting outside of their home waved at me. All of them. This is small community full of friendly people. It was so nice to drive through someplace unknown to me and have people smile and wave as I passed them.

Making my way around this unique community, I came across the ruins of the Braden Plantation House, that was long known as Braden Castle. The Braden Plantation house was built in 1850 by Dr. Joseph Braden, whom Bradenton was named after. The Castle had 20 inch thick walls, was two stories high and measured about 100 ft on each side. There were 4 rooms on each floor that were all the same size measuring 20 sq ft each. The Castle also had 8 fireplaces and 4 chimneys.

In March of 1856, Indians attacked Braden Castle.

Dr. Braden fell onto some financial hardships in 1857. The home was foreclosed on by Daniel Ladd, but Ladd did not evict him. Braden later left Manatee for Texas around 1864.

The Braden Plantation was then purchased by Mary El Pelot and J. Crews Pelot after the civil war for $2,000. She then gave 320 acres to her father. For the next 10 years, Braden Castle was center of social life on the Manatee. When Mary’s father died, the Plantation House and land was then deeded back to J. Crews Pelot. He later sold 34.75 acres that is now known as Braden Castle Park to Schmidlapp and McPherson.

Sometime around 1903 a fire that was reportedly started by vandals destroyed most of the home leaving only the concrete walls standing. A short time later, the walls collapsed into the ruins that still remain today. A fence has been placed around the ruins, but they still remain. It truly is a historic site to see.

In 1924 the Tin Can Tourists (Camping Tourists of America) purchased the 34.74 acres.

By 1930, most of the 197 bungalows had been built. Many of them have undergone several renovations yet still remain as they were, when they were built.

Originally there was a barbershop, post office, western union office, general store, a filing station, fire station, men’s club house, women’s club house, pavillion and 13 rental tourists cabins.

Today, this small 55 and over community has boat ramps, shuffleboard courts, a pier, a lagoon with a gazebo in the middle of it and beautiful views of the Manatee River. Sorry, but they don’t allow pets here!

If you’re looking to live in a historic community, this may be the place for you. The bungalows range in size from about 450 sq ft to 1700 sq ft. Most are on the smaller side though. They make perfect winter residences or year round living if you don’t mind a small home to take care of.

While out for a drive yesterday, I came across a tiny neat little neighborhood tucked away in North East Bradenton. It’s just off of Manatee Ave and 27th St E. I just happened to glance up and saw a sign that said Historic Neighborhood with an arrow, so I quickly turned down the street and ended up in this neat little community.

It’s a 55 and over community that sits where the Braden River meets the Manatee River. The first thing I noticed were that the streets are only wide enough for one car to pass and these homes are pretty close to each other, so there isn’t much yard to worry about for maintenance. As I drove through the winding streets and up and down a few hills, I knew I was in a historic community. You could tell just from looking at the homes. They were all old homes that were built back in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Each one different from the next. Unique in it’s own way.

As I continued to drive through the community, every person that I saw walking, driving a golf cart, riding a bike or just sitting outside of their home waved at me. All of them. This is small community full of friendly people. It was so nice to drive through someplace unknown to me and have people smile and wave as I passed them.

Making my way around this unique community, I came across the ruins of the Braden Plantation House, that was long known as Braden Castle. The Braden Plantation house was built in 1850 by Dr. Joseph Braden, whom Bradenton was named after. The Castle had 20 inch thick walls, was two stories high and measured about 100 ft on each side. There were 4 rooms on each floor that were all the same size measuring 20 sq ft each. The Castle also had 8 fireplaces and 4 chimneys.

In March of 1856, Indians attacked Braden Castle.

Dr. Braden fell onto some financial hardships in 1857. The home was foreclosed on by Daniel Ladd, but Ladd did not evict him. Braden later left Manatee for Texas around 1864.

The Braden Plantation was then purchased by Mary El Pelot and J. Crews Pelot after the civil war for $2,000. She then gave 320 acres to her father. For the next 10 years, Braden Castle was center of social life on the Manatee. When Mary’s father died, the Plantation House and land was then deeded back to J. Crews Pelot. He later sold 34.75 acres that is now known as Braden Castle Park to Schmidlapp and McPherson.

Sometime around 1903 a fire that was reportedly started by vandals destroyed most of the home leaving only the concrete walls standing. A short time later, the walls collapsed into the ruins that still remain today. A fence has been placed around the ruins, but they still remain. It truly is a historic site to see.

In 1924 the Tin Can Tourists (Camping Tourists of America) purchased the 34.74 acres.

By 1930, most of the 197 bungalows had been built. Many of them have undergone several renovations yet still remain as they were, when they were built.

Originally there was a barbershop, post office, western union office, general store, a filing station, fire station, men’s club house, women’s club house, pavillion and 13 rental tourists cabins.

Today, this small 55 and over community has boat ramps, shuffleboard courts, a pier, a lagoon with a gazebo in the middle of it and beautiful views of the Manatee River. Sorry, but they don’t allow pets here!

If you’re looking to live in a historic community, this may be the place for you. The bungalows range in size from about 450 sq ft to 1700 sq ft. Most are on the smaller side though. They make perfect winter residences or year round living if you don’t mind a small home to take care of.

There is talk of making Lakewood Ranch into it’s own city. Even though it’s a huge community with just about everything you need already in place, I’m not sure how happy the residents living there would be about this. What would be the cost of turning Lakewood Ranch into it’s own city? What are the positives and the negatives of doing this? I wonder how many people would move out of the area if this was passed? I’ve not actually ever seen a community transition into a city, so I’m not sure what all is involved with the process and the expense to the residents if they do decide to do this.

I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens and what is voted on.

Has anyone ever seen this process happen and how it works? What was the outcome of it?

If your home is listed with an agent, you need to be asking yourself this question. Am I SELLING my home, or is my home just “For Sale”?

Let me first explain to you the difference between the two so that you can better answer that question.

Someone that is SELLING their home, has a home that is always clean & has been depersonalized and de-cluttered, the lawn is always maintained, the home can be shown at a moment’s notice, you leave during all showings and there is a lock box on the door for agent access.

A person that has a home For Sale has a tendency to leave the house in not so tip-top condition, hasn’t bothered to mow the lawn in about 2 weeks and it’s now knee high, refuses showings because it’s “bad timing”, likes to hang around during the showings or refuses to let the listing agent put a lock box on the door.

If you’re still having a hard time answering this question, let me ask you some other questions to help you out:

Have you ever refused a showing because you forgot to pick up your dirty underwear or wash last nights dishes which are still sitting in the sink or on the counters, and the agent wants to show your home before you are able to get home & pick things up and clean the house, so you tell them no?
Does your lawn still look like it hasn’t been mowed in about a month and the garbage cans are still sitting at the curb, and garbage day was 2 days ago?
Do you require 24 hours notice?
Do you only allow your home to be shown during your “off hours” from work because you want to be there for all showings to let the agent in?
Do you require your agent to attend all the showings, so thus refusing to allow a lock box to be placed on your home?
If you’re answered YES to any of those questions, then you my friend are not SELLING your home. Your home is just “For Sale.” Having your home “For Sale” in today’s market versus SELLING your home could mean you won’t be selling or moving at all, so you don’t need to worry about cleaning it or mowing the lawn!

You should never be refusing showings unless it’s a family emergency, you have company over, you’re in the middle of dinner or your kids are sick. You’re trying to SELL your home, which means that your home needs to be shown on the buyer’s schedule…..NOT YOUR’S! Your home should always be spotless (or as clean as possible if you have kids), and if that means you have to stay up an hour later each night cleaning and picking up the house, then that’s what you have to do. You should never leave for work with dirty dishes left out, dirty clothes on the floor or a dirty house in any other sort of way. If someone calls at 11am and wants to see it at 11:15am, then you need to be prepared for this! If you want your home SOLD, then live in a home that is in tip-top condition at ALL times or as much as possible if you have kids.
If your lawn doesn’t look AS GOOD OR BETTER than the day it was listed and all the photos were taken, then you have some work to do! If the lawn is not well maintained and garbage cans are laying at the curb with 3 days of newspapers at the end of the driveway that you haven’t bothered to pick up, then it usually means the inside of the home is dirty, which also means you probably haven’t maintained your home in any sort of way, which in turn screams to the buyer to RUN!!!
Why do you require 24 hours notice? Unless it’s a tenant occupied house, there is no reason why you need to have 24 hours notice!! Selling a home in an inconvenience that you will have to deal with for a few months if you want your home sold. By requiring agents to provide 24 hours notice for showings, probably will result in less showings. Many buyers call last minute and want to see a home right away or within a couple of hours. You need to be willing to work with them. Some agents see that requiring 24 hours notice and you refusing showings with anything less than 24 hours notice as difficult people to work with and they may advise their buyer that you are probably not serious about selling and may be difficult to work with. NEXT!!
Ok, so if you’re one of these people that insists on being there for all showings and you have to be there to let them in, GOOD LUCK! You’re gonna need it. Chances are you probably aren’t going to sell your home either. Many people like to look at homes during the day…while you’re at work…and if they can’t get in, then that’s another buyer you’ve potentially lost. Most times, they will NOT call back to reschedule. There are too many other homes that are available to get into much easier. And as much as you think you may be helping the situation by being there to let us in and you’re there to answer any questions…..buyer’s HATE when homeowners are home! They feel like they are intruding in your home and they don’t feel comfortable looking in closets or cabinets. In fact, most times they will rush through the home to get out quickly because it is so uncomfortable having a seller there.
If you don’t allow an agent to put a lock box on the home or you require your agent to be there for all showings….once again, GOOD LUCK, you’re gonna need it! I know I certainly don’t have time to hunt your agent down and drive somewhere else to go pick up a key or to try and work around your agents schedule to show my buyer your property! There are too many other homes on the market to waste time driving some place to pick up a key that I will then have to drive back to return it, or to re-schedule my entire showing schedule because your agent has to be there to let me in and it’s bad timing for them. NEXT!!
Having a “For Sale” sign in your yard and your home listed in the MLS isn’t going to do you one bit of good if you’re refusing showings, allowing showings while your home is dirty, requiring to be there for all showings, not allowing a lock box to be placed on the home, not maintaining the home or the yard or requiring your listing agent to be there for all showings!

As I said before selling a home can be a big inconvenience. BUT, if your home is in tip-top shape and ready to show at a moment’s notice without any hassle or anyone hovering over the agent that is there showing the home, chances are higher that you will sell it faster and move on. If not, then you will probably end up dealing with the inconvenience of selling your home much longer than you really needed to if you’d of just been a little bit more flexible.

You need to be impressing a buyer. Not turning a buyer off! There are way too many other homes for sale that you are competing with and it’s too easy for a buyer to say, “You know what, never mind. We don’t really need to see that one.”

So let me ask you this question one last time. Are you SELLING your home, or is your home just “For Sale”?

Linda Reynolds has proven herself as a wonderful real estate agent. When we were looking for a new home, she had professionalism, courtesy, and patience when it came to our needs. She always listened and always gave her best advice. Never giving up, she found us the right home. To have Linda Reynolds as your real estate agent will be in your benefit. Not only did we find the home of our dreams, we’ve also found a true friend. A.V.

Becky was delightful to work with and went beyond the call of duty to help us. We flet like we knew her even though we had never met her. We would recommend her and your company to any of our friends and family. Thank You! S.B.
Our experience with Linda Reynolds has been wonderful. She sincerely cares about our family and listened to our thoughts and ideas when we were purchasing our home. She was patient with us and worked diligently to find exactly the home we were searching for. Now that the time has come to move on, we wouldn’t trust the sale of our house to anyone but Linda. We know we will get great service from a professional who will put our needs first. She really is our “real estate agent for life”. J.N.

We were very pleased with your service, agency, and level of professionalism. Becky is a jewel! Thanks for your efficiency. We’d like to thank your listing coordinator who stayed up til midnight listing our house on the MLS. Thank You, Thank You. M.S.

Becky Troutt was exceptional!! We cannot thank her enough, she truely was outstanding. I would recommend Reynolds Realty to friends and family. J&G S.

Enjoyed working with you. As you know I had alot of concerns and you answered them. Looking forward to working with you when I’m ready to buy again. C.P.

Excellent job, top performer for the fast sale of the house. I would recommend Reynolds Realty to friends and family. K.S.

I needed to let you know about a VERY special person working with you. Thanks to you, I was connected to her in my search for my very first home. Everything you told me about her and so much more was absolutely the ultimate truth. Mary is a fantastic realtor!
She knew exactly what I could afford and what I would or would not accept as a purchase after only telling her once. She was prompt with advising me of listings and never let me down. She was ready even at a half hour’s notice to show me homes. She was professional and pleasant and you know what? She made the experience fun for me. C.L.

It has been very good for all of our family members working with Linda. Our sincere thanks for all of her efforts in two sales. A.S.

There are quite a number of expenses that you will incur when purchasing a home that make up your closing costs.

Closing costs typically range anywhere from 3%-6% of the purchase price, depending on the loan you’re getting. The fees vary from one company to the next, so it’s best to actually get a a copy of a Good Faith Estimate from your lender.

Typically, the lender will allow the seller to contribute 3%-6% of the purchase price towards your closing costs. Make sure you’re working with an agent that will negotiate on your behalf to have most of or all of these expenses paid for by the seller, depending on what your lender will allow.

All of the fees may or may not apply to you.

For an explanation of all of these charges, please visit HUD’s website.

Fees Related To Your Loan/Lender

Loan Origination fee
Loan Discount
Appraisal
Credit Report
Lender’s Inspection Fee
Assumption Fee
Underwriting Fee
Flood Certification
Processing Fee
Application Fee
Points
Tax Service Fee
Mortgage Broker Fee
Interest From The Date You Move In, Until The 1st Day Of The Following Month
Mortgage Insurance Premium
Hazard Insurance Premium
Flood Insurance Premium
Title Fees

Closing Fee
Title Search
Title Exam
Title Insurance
Document Preparation
Notary Fees
Attorney Fees
Title Insurance Binder
Closing Fee
Wire Transfer Fee
Courier Fee
Mortgage Package Handling Fee
Record Fee
Other Endorsements
Administration Fee
Reserves Required By The Lender For Escrow

Hazard Insurance
Mortgage Insurance
City Property Taxes
County Property Taxes
Flood Insurance
HOA Dues
Government Fees

Recording Fees
City/County Stamps
Intangible Tax
Additional Fees

Home Inspection
Termite Inspection
Mold Inspection
Radon Inspection
Septic Inspection
Lead-Based Paint Inspection
Survey
Home Warranty
HOA Transfer Fee
HOA Application/Background Check
Escrow Deposit
Down Payment
Misc Expenses

If you have any bad debts such as a bill in collection, they may require you to pay it off prior to closing. Check with your lender.
One last tip: Whatever dollar amount that you need to bring to closing NEEDS to be in the form of a Certified Check made payable to the Closing Company/Attorney’s office! They will not take cash or a personal check!

Here are some tips on how to “go green” and help the earth just a little bit more. Every little bit counts and anything you can do to help will help in the long run. Of course, the more you do, the better for everyone.

Please consider doing some of the following things.

Install low-flow shower-heads
Purchase only compact fluorescent light-bulbs (CFL’s)
Walk or ride a bike instead of driving a car. If you have to drive, try taking the bus or carpool.
Instead of purchasing new books, go to your local library and check out books and movies there.
Buy from Farmers Markets instead of purchasing fruits and vegetables in grocery stores
Install an energy saving thermostat in your home and set the thermostat a couple degrees warmer in the summer and a couple degrees cooler in the winter.
Recycle your newspapers, plastic and glass
Use a rain barrel to catch water to water your flower gardens with
Install ultra-low flow toilets
Fix any leaky or dripping faucets immediately
Make your own compost from yard waste and food scraps
Purchase energy efficient appliances
Install a water filter to filter tap water rather than buying bottled water
Purchase cloth bags and reuse them at grocery stores instead of using their paper or plastic bags
Use recycled paper
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
Unplug electronic items when not in use
Buy rechargeable batteries
Recycle your old cell phones
Read newspapers and magazines online instead of having them delivered to your home
Use solar powered lighting outside
Install solar panels
Buy organic foods
We are slowly killing our planet. Please do your part to put a stop to it!