“Buy Now… or Wait? The Brutal Truth About Florida Real Estate in 2026”

Is the Northeast Florida housing market finally shifting in 2026? Are buyers gaining more negotiating power, or is this just another phase of the real estate cycle? In Episode 29 of the Real Estate UnRaked Podcast, Eric Rakers and the Rakers Home Group team break down what is really happening in the Northeast Florida real estate market, including Jacksonville, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Clay County, St. Johns County, and surrounding areas. For the past several years, buyers have faced intense competition, rising mortgage rates, limited housing inventory, and rapidly increasing home prices. But now in 2026, new trends are starting to emerge. Inventory is slowly rising, buyer pressure is easing, and affordability conversations are shifting across the housing market.

So the big question is:

Are we entering a more balanced market — or are buyers still fighting an uphill battle? In this episode, Eric and the team dive deep into the real estate trends affecting buyers and sellers across Northeast Florida, discussing how interest rates, housing inventory, migration patterns, and local economic growth are shaping the housing market.

If you're thinking about buying a home in Northeast Florida, relocating to Jacksonville, investing in Florida real estate, or selling your home in Clay County or St. Johns County, this episode delivers real insights from experienced local real estate professionals working in the market every day.

You'll hear the team break down the real housing data behind the headlines, talk about why buyers are still moving to Florida, and explain how smart buyers are finding opportunities even in today's market.

The conversation also explores why many buyers are discovering that Northeast Florida offers a unique combination of lifestyle, affordability, job growth, and coastal living that continues to attract new residents every year.

From top-rated schools and growing communities to waterfront living and new construction opportunities, Northeast Florida remains one of the fastest-growing housing markets in the Southeast.

Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, relocating family, investor, or someone thinking about selling your home, this episode gives you an inside look at what’s really happening in the market — without the fluff.

If you want real insight into the Jacksonville housing market, Clay County real estate trends, and Northeast Florida home buying strategies, this episode is packed with valuable information.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

If your house didn't sell in 2021, it's probably not selling in 2026.

SPEAKER_01 0:05

And if you're a buyer still scared to make a move, you might be missing the calm after the storm.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

So let's ask the real question here. Is Northeast Florida cooling off, or are people just finally waking up?

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Because inventory is rising, buyers aren't panicking, and sellers are quietly lowering prices at midnight. So grab your coffee or something stronger and let's unrank it. Let's do it. Okay. Welcome to podcast number 29, a real estate unrate.

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Hello, everybody. Bienvenidos.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

And here we are back again at Landmark Title. Yes. Thank you for letting us use the studio. Shout out. I like it. It's nice. It's very bright.

SPEAKER_03 0:53

Yeah, it works.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

I like it. I mean, the wall. I mean, it's beautiful in here. I love this office.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Yes. Fantastic. Now let's find out if Dane can up his last joke from last week.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Oh no. Last week's gonna be hard to beat joke time. That was gonna be hard to beat. But a weasel walks into the bar and the bartender says, What can I get you? Pop goes the weasel.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Oh my gosh. That one. That one. That one. Okay. That's so funny. Because pop likes soda pop. Yeah, yeah. There you go. Very good. Next. She's next. Okay. I can do it. I told my dog to fetch a stick. He came back with a tree. I guess he wanted to branch out.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Oh my goodness. Boy. Oh boy.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

That was terrible. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

JC?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

What she got?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Did you hear the rumor about butter? Never mind. I shouldn't spread it.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Oh wow. So I asked the girl at Walmart where the nuts are. She said pretty much every aisle. No, that was pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 2:04

That one's good.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

No, that was good.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Well, to this is what we're talking about today, guys. The 2026 housing wake-up call. Sellers are nervous and buyers are out for blood right now. At least they smell it. All right, the frenzy's dead. So let's be honest. A few years sellers had superpowers. Okay, you could overprice it, skip repairs, refuse showings, demand appraisal gaps, reject great offers because we'll get more. That era.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Dead. It's gone. Yeah. It's not happening anymore.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

Sorry. We appreciate your time, and it's no longer needed.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Now we're now it's things are getting back to where they need to be. And I'm gonna tell you how hard people are struggling with it right now.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

Yes. No, I mean inventory's going back up, and so buyers have more time, right? They can compare the homes, they have a little bit more advantage.

SPEAKER_03 2:59

More homes are available, you know. So there's less urgency.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

We feel that.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

They have more time to compare, more strategic with what they're looking at, yes. Willing to put an off-rent on.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Mm-hmm. More time to compare. That's right. You know, buyers got options, you know, and this this is where the power is shifting. So we've been talking about for the course, I think ever since October of last year. We've been talking about the market stability, how it's stabilizing, things are shifting, right? One for affordability. How you know we didn't really say that a whole lot last we did not say that no, we said that like two or three times.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Yeah, sound on it. Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm on my phone today. Yeah, I don't have somewhere to write it.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

But you know, I think it's allowing that to kind of reset itself a little bit and people to get used to the new norm.

SPEAKER_03 3:48

Right. So are we crashing?

SPEAKER_00 3:50

No, nope. No, we're not crashing. Why would you think that at all? We're detoxing. Detoxing.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

That's a good word to describe it. I like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

You like that word detox?

SPEAKER_02 4:00

To detox.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

It depends on what kind of detox you're doing.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

Well, true that. True that.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

But no, it's it there's a correcting behavior going on right now. That's it's it's uncomfortable for people who got used to have easy money. All right. And that's not the case anymore.

unknown 4:15

No.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

You know, so buyers are starting to smell the opportunity. Let me tell you. Buyers, Dane, what's the phrase we usually use?

SPEAKER_03 4:24

Are we talking about if you can't find the deal, don't wait for the deal. We'll go find it for you.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Thank you. There, that's it. Yeah. That's the one we thought of. Let's not wait for the deal. Let's go out and make one for it. And right now, it is there under the covers. It is. It is, it is, it's there for the taking.

SPEAKER_03 4:41

There are so many homes available right now. And Green Cove, I do my uh weekly market update. And Monday is usually Green Cove Springs. There's over 300 homes available for sale in Green Cove Springs right now.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

That's so many.

SPEAKER_03 4:55

I think it's like 332. I mean, I can't give you the exact number, but that that is crazy. Just in Green Cove, 32043. That is amazing. Now we do have a lot of new home communities there, too, so that will add to it. Correct. But still, it's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

It's still options.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

Yeah, it gives buyers a lot of options, a lot of leverage.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Well, let me ask you something. What's this use just as an example? Because you know me, I like using examples.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

All right. It's Christmas time. Everybody's excited. Your kid wants that gift that everybody wants your rent, like the gift for the year.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Do you think you're gonna be standing in line for it? You think you're gonna get it?

SPEAKER_03 5:33

Probably not.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

What was one of like, for example, I mean, I'm kind of getting off the track here, you know, squirrel, you know. But was like tickle me elmo was one of them. Yes, tickle me elmo.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

I remember in the 80s or 70s or whatever it was.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Yeah, anything that was like He-Man related Transformer stuff. I mean, I could go on.

SPEAKER_03 5:53

You know, the PS5s or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

PS5s, Xbox, Xbox. Okay, so put yourself in that position that you're wanting that. You have the money, you want it.

SPEAKER_03 6:02

Can't get it.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Now you can't get it. So let me ask you a question. Are you the one that's waiting for the the right the right time for the rates, the affordability, that it's it's being advertised? Do you guys need a grand opening and this the sound of the music? Because right now on this podcast, I'm going to play the grand opening music right now for you. Because if you're waiting for a sign, this is your sign. It really is. Because if you wait when you really physically start seeing that, it's not just you that's waiting. Remember that. There's everybody's waiting for that. You will end up paying more. Don't wait. Don't wait for you know the rates to go down. We can help you buy down the rate. What are the rates? They were last week. They finally hit 5.9.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

Right. For an FHA.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

FHA. Yeah. VA was five and a half.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

This morning. Five and a half this morning.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

I think I reshared that on my story that there was a newer one.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

The rates are coming down.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

And Dane, you said this a couple episodes ago. Marry the house, date the rate.

SPEAKER_03 7:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Do it. Because we can probably get you a better deal on a home price-wise, concession-wise, everything else. You get into a multiple offer situation. First, the first thing that goes away.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

All the concessions.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Concessions go by.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

What happens when a lot of people start buying a lot of new construction?

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Incentives go away.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Incentives go away. Bye-bye. All right. Supply and demand. Understand that simple principle of supply and demand. That's where prices are going to go up. That's where things are going to change. If there's more people out buying, there's going to be less incentive to get people to buy.

SPEAKER_04 7:41

Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

Just figured I'd remind everybody. But right now, buyers are feeling seller concessions, builder flex cash, rate buy downs, inspection negotiations, price reductions. Two years ago, you got laughed out of the room. It's coming back.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

You got the power. Remember that song? You got the power. Yeah, right now you've got that's that's literally what a buyer should be listening to in their car to and from work.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

And right now it's like Captain Jack Sparrow. Buyers are like, it's a matter of leverage. Leverage.

SPEAKER_04 8:10

Leverage.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Yeah, not unlimited leverage, but there is real leverage in this whole thing. It is the most strategic buyer window we've seen in years. The buyers who move smart right now will look brilliant in three to five years. Yes. Right. Great uncle that bought in 1984. Don't listen to him. Don't listen to him. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

Don't edit and put like the Pope outfit on you. Just give us a call. We'll help you out. Just give us a collar.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

Well, the reason why I want to just kind of like give you a perspective of the opportunity because one, I know mostly buyers what you're feeling. You can't afford it. You you're waiting for that one thing to come through to make it work. What if I told you the way the rates have shifted over the past three months, it's gonna sit it's already saved you like three or four hundred dollars a month. Yes. All right. And you need to get to that other that one little rate to make it that much better. So if you're on the fence about a $2,200 a month house payment, now you want to be at around $1,900 to $1,800 a month.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

We might we we can help you with it. We can help you with that.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

That's a realistic expectation. Yeah, okay. Are you hearing that in the national news? Heck no, you're not.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

No, no, not at all. The news doesn't understand it. Plus, at the same time, too, be hyper-focused. I mean, we talked about this on other podcasts. Be hyper focused in your own market and what you're looking for. Right. Yep. So we can speak to that very well in Jacksonville.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

So before I jump into the really the game part, like because that's like our favorite part. But we're not gonna talk about that yet. I want to throw out some fear versus facts to you guys for Northeast Florida. So here we are. We're looking at the headlines that are a lot of noise right now from TikTok, Doom post, Facebook economists, and I'm gonna separate that for y'all. Okay. Is the market crashing? That's the fear. Fact is inventories inventory rising does not equal crash. Crash means massive foreclosures, massive job loss, distress selling. We are not seeing that in Northeast Florida.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

We are not.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

We are seeing seeing normalization. If I buy now, prices will drop right after. That's the fear.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

You can't tell.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Ready for the fact? If you're buying short-term speculation, maybe. If you're buying long-term lifestyle and equity growth, history says real estate trends up over time. Trying to perfectly time the bottom is like trying to catch a falling knife. The smart move is buying smart, not buying scared.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

Right. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Here's another fear for you. No one's buying right now. Here's the fact homes are still selling every single day in Jacksonville, in Clay County, St. John's, and Duval. The overpriced ones, those are the ones that are sitting.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

There's a difference between no demand and no patience for bad pricing.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

Correct. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

Here's another fear. Rates have to drop before I move. Well, first of all, rates might drop. They might not. But here's what we do know. When rates drop significantly, competition explodes again. So the question isn't what if rates go lower? It's what happens to competition when they do.

SPEAKER_03 11:23

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

And finally, sellers are desperate. That's a fear. Some are. Some aren't. Actually, most aren't. This is not a foreclosure wave.

SPEAKER_04 11:33

No.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

It's a leverage adjustment. Buyers have more room, but this isn't a fair, this isn't a fire sell, guys. It really isn't.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Correct. I wouldn't say sellers are desperate. They're motivated.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

Fear makes people freeze. That's human nature. Facts help people move. And in 2026, this year, people who win in Northeast Florida are the ones operating off data, not headlines. Okay. Now let's see who's living in delusion and who's actually strategic. Translatable translation. We're gonna talk about our game. It's game time. Let's have some fun. Sorry, I got too real for you. All right. So here I'm talking about fear and fact. Let's jump right into the name of the game this week is therapist or realtor.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

We're both. Yes. Same time.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

So we all do, we all, we all know the inventory's rising. Buyers have leverage. Sellers aren't getting used to the 2021 numbers out of their head yet, but some people are still emotionally spiraling out of control. So here's a question, guys. Do you need a realtor or a therapist? So we're gonna find out.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

This is gonna be fun.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

Here we go. My neighbors sold for 555,022. So that's where we're gonna list at. Need a therapist or a realtor?

SPEAKER_02 12:58

Get you a realtor. Definitely a realtor. A good one. You may need a therapist for things that way. And maybe.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Well, I tell you what, they're not in a rush, guys. Because they've been on the market for 63 days already. All right. Uh I don't want to repaint. The buyer can deal with it.

SPEAKER_03 13:20

Oh my gosh. Realtor needs to straighten them out.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

This is a hard round because I do feel like a realtor's also.

SPEAKER_03 13:26

Yeah, I think realtor on that one. Realtor needs to say the realtor needs to help them out to get the house presentable.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

You can also look like what the situation is, the other side of the coin. There's a lot of things we could say in this, but we'll just keep it the fact that it's just realtor, okay?

SPEAKER_03 13:40

Okay, realtor.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

We're gonna wait for the prices or for the rates to drop until we buy.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Oh my gosh, get a realtor. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Sure they don't need a therapist for that? No.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

I think a lot of these they might need a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

Just a little someone to talk to.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

All right. So this next one's about buyer panic.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

I'm scared prices will crash right after I buy. Do you think they need a realtor or a therapist?

SPEAKER_03 14:04

See. All the above. All.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Are you ready? This one's great. I want the perfect house. Under budget, no repairs, prime location.

SPEAKER_03 14:16

Therapist.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Therapist and have the therapist tell you you need a real estate.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

There you go. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:28

Must-habs versus the wants.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

All right, Bridget, this one's for you. After 22 homes, I'm still unsure.

SPEAKER_02 14:34

Oh my goodness. I know I said this last podcast. I'll show you as many homes as you want. However, we gotta we gotta regroup and rethink and restrategize here together. If that's the case.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

Just know there's gonna be questions after house number five. Pretty much.

SPEAKER_02 14:54

I'll be like, all right, let's fix this. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

How about the the one we always love hearing? I'm just gonna wait for 3% rates again.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

Oh my goodness. Did you hear us all sigh? We all sighed at that one.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

You don't need a realtor to tell you that. No. You're still thinking that now. Um when's the last time you went and got fuel? When's the last time you went to the grocery store? If you can ask the clerk there to have uh $1.99 milk back, then we can talk about maybe 3% rates. But until then, have your therapist talk about deep dark secrets you need to bury. Just forget about it. Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

Forget about it. Move on.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

All right. How about this one? It's called the Brutal Agent Edition. You ready for this? An agent tells seller. Don't worry, we're gonna get top dollar. But they don't have a pricing strategy.

SPEAKER_03 15:46

But the realtor needs to see them.

SPEAKER_02 15:48

Yeah, the realtor needs to see them. Are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_00 15:51

Well, yeah, but I'm gonna tell you right now, I'm I find the seller and my real estate agent told me that, didn't have anything. In the next 14-15 days, I'm laying on the couch talking to my therapist about it.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Yeah, because you're gonna go through an emotional roller coaster with that.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

How about this? A real estate agent that's still using 222 comps in a 26 market.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Delusional. Oh, that was the last game.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

That was the last game. Again.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

It is delusional for a therapist. We just see them.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

This is the sideways confession. You know, after three or four weeks.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

Uh talk to your doctor about this. He's gonna prescribe you something. Otherwise, he's gonna give us him or you our business card. Business card. All right, ready? Agent says, let's see just what happens. Realtor therapist.

SPEAKER_03 16:40

Therapist.

SPEAKER_02 16:41

Wait, what wait, what was it? Price drops after 14 years old.

SPEAKER_00 16:43

The agent says, let's just see what happens.

SPEAKER_03 16:45

Let's just see what happens.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

Therapist. Therapist.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

I was gonna say genie in the bottle.

SPEAKER_03 16:51

Yeah, no doubt.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Alright. Well, that was the game for this week.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

That was insane.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

I just need to get better games. These last two weeks have been kind of like, eh. That one kind of hurt my feelings a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 17:03

Oh my gosh. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

All right. Well, hey guys. Sellers, there's some sellers that are pricing things right now that still think it's 2021. What do you think? Yeah? No?

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Maybe when you see a house on the market, you know, or over a hundred days. That's telling you something. Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

Always tell.

SPEAKER_03 17:26

You're right. So if it's over a hundred days, you need to bring that sucker down. And you should have a realtor to tell you that to begin with.

unknown 17:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Yeah. Now let's there's been one scenario that's been happening here lately. What if they can't come down? Because they're gonna have to pay money.

SPEAKER_03 17:42

Well, let's hope they have a little extra hidden.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

You gotta find out what's important as a seller.

SPEAKER_03 17:47

You gotta find out the motivation. Yeah. The motivation and what they're willing to do to get to where they want to be.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

There's wants and needs, and that really needs to be identified. It really does. But here's the spicy part. Some sellers still think that we're in a that pink frenzy. They're pricing 22 2,022 comps, and they're saying we're not in a rush. I hear that a lot, but that's changing, okay? So cool, great, grand. But neither are the buyers. And guess what happens next? They it sits, then you reduce, then you reduce again, then you chase the market down, and it costs you more than pricing correctly on day one. So your ego is gonna cost you money this year. So listen, listen to what we talk about with the market and price it right. Is it less than last year right now? Yes. Is it less than two years ago? Yes. Do you want somebody to tell you that and figure that we're beating around the bush on it and thinking, oh, maybe somebody's gonna come out here and give us the price we want for it? No.

SPEAKER_04 18:50

Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

I'm just reflecting back everything that you're talking about. I'm just reflecting on scenarios, you know. It's so true. I mean it happens. Definitely just strategize and put your feelings aside. Yeah, these decisions.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

How many people this is this is great, and this is really good stuff to talk about. How many people before 2021 hit saying I should have not sold my house?

SPEAKER_03 19:17

That's a good question. I don't know. I don't know this answer.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

For example. There we go. All right. Let's wind the clock back to 2010.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Okay. And you buy a house that's a pretty decent size. How much are you paying for it in uh Northeast Florida?

SPEAKER_03 19:38

In 2010?

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Yes, let's hear it, Dane.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Gosh, you're gonna be paying well, what an average house.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

When did you buy in Fleming Island originally?

SPEAKER_03 19:48

Originally was 2003.

SPEAKER_00 19:52

All right, let's back the clocks to 2003 then.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

All right. I had a one, two, three, five bedroom, five bedroom, three bath home, over three thousand square feet, two hundred and wait before you say it.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Okay, all the way through. Yeah, hope everybody's sitting down for this. And if you're driving while listening to this podcast, both hands on the wheel. Both hands on the wheel, or make sure that you put your seatbelt on. Right, Dane. What is it?

SPEAKER_03 20:18

I believe 242, if I remember correctly.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Under $250,000.

SPEAKER_03 20:22

That is correct. Are you serious? Over 3,000 square feet in that home.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

He's dead serious.

SPEAKER_03 20:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

What if I told you people still remember that? Because I know Dane does.

SPEAKER_03 20:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

And now look at the prices. Okay. Those are the people that come up to me and say, I should have held on to that house at that price, and I should have stayed in it and should have moved out. No. Listen, that's the delusional thought. Why? Because your lifestyle changed.

SPEAKER_03 20:49

It did. I did. I had uh abundance of children at that time.

SPEAKER_00 20:53

It's just the same as me.

SPEAKER_03 20:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

I should have bought a bunch of basketball cards in 1984 and got three or four Michael Jordans that cost me 75 cents a pack. Wow. Now the Jordan rookie's worth over $30,000. Come on.

SPEAKER_03 21:07

That's crazy. Well, let me give you another real estate related issue. In 2000, I bought a four-bedroom, two-bath home, about 1,700 and something square feet at Neptune Beach. Okay, about eight tenths of a mile from the ocean. Ride the bike there, no problem. $150,000. Oh my gosh. Two years we sold it for $210 two years later. So 2003, when we moved to Fleming Island, that house now is worth over $700,000.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

You girls are like, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

My my jaw, I we're not saying much. I feel like we're just flies are coming in our mouth. We're so shocked.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

It's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:43

So don't wait.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

No.

SPEAKER_03 21:45

Don't wait.

SPEAKER_02 21:46

Don't.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

So you're you're talking about that all those years ago. I can talk to you something as recently as twenty sixteen, which is now almost ten years ago.

SPEAKER_03 21:56

Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

But I bought a house and In Orange Park South for $79,000.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

Three years later, I sold it for double uh what I paid for it.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

Oh my goodness. Good return.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

It was a great return. That allowed me to move into Fleming Island. Yeah. But then you look at the the increase that we had in the the shortest time frame in Northeast Florida's history. 27.6% or 27.8% equity increase in the value of the house because of the COVID thing.

unknown 22:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

And because of the the cheap interest rates. That's what that's what we are stabilizing ourselves from. That is what we're trying to get over mentally. You know, I would have loved to buy a car for $9,000, but no, you're paying $70,000 for a really, really nice car. Right. All right. And even more than that now, actually. It can be a good one.

SPEAKER_03 22:52

That's like your regular size now.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

So you can't live in the past, but if you talk about wanting to be the people that are going to make the right moves, you're never going to know that you made a right move until three or four years down the road. So it's not like it's a fire sale. I got this for 80 for 85% off.

SPEAKER_03 23:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

You know, it's not like you're buying a home during, you know, the how the grin stole Christmas, where they had the fire sale with all the Christmas before. Everything for the next 15 minutes is 99% off. All right. You're not going to get that. And you're going to find a deal, not because it's a deal for what everybody thinks is a good deal. It's going to be what works for you. Right. And you need to remember that. And if you remember that and you go through it, boom. That's where you win. So if you buy a house right now, somebody may tell you that you're freaking crazy. Okay. That's fine. But what if I got you the price that you wanted on a monthly basis is affordable? And you got to leave that apartment. You got to leave that rental that you're paying 100% interest on. How's that going to change your life? You're getting to the next chapter in your life.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Paying someone else's mortgage when you're renting.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

It's no bueno. It's no fun. Yeah, no, that's not fun at all. I tell my kids that all the time. I ask them, what are you paying for rent? Well, we're paying like $1,800 a month for rent for a house. Okay, you want I know that you want to thrive for the home ownership thing because you're looking for a house to rent, not an apartment.

SPEAKER_04 24:18

Right.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

All right. So the emotional investments there. So what's keeping you from doing it? Well, I can afford $2,100 a month. First thing I say is BS. They want to know why? Because they like their extracurricular things. They like this, they like that. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 24:33

Right. They like Uber Eats, which is twice the money.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

Going out and eating, you know, just having fun in life.

SPEAKER_00 24:38

So I asked them to do a test for me, which they still have yet to do, and I'm going to remind them they come over for dinner on Sunday. Is look at your monthly expenses for one month. Don't try to tell me what you do right now because you don't know. Write it down and then add it up and let me know. Come to I will guarantee you that they waste probably three to five hundred dollars a month on an already tight budget that they have, right? That they can go and get what they want and feel like they're working for something, to have something, to just start doing your generational wealth that you want to create.

unknown 25:11

Right.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

That's what happens. That's what you got to do. You have to buckle down, grit your teeth, and say, okay, I buy this house, I may lose eight fingers, but it's worth it.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

It will be so worth it down the line.

SPEAKER_00 25:25

Because here we are again, three to five years down the road. Guess what?

SPEAKER_03 25:29

You got equity.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

You got equity.

SPEAKER_03 25:30

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Just like a stock market. What we went through, everybody bought at a high, and now it's stabilizing. It's still going to increase because as the rates drop down, what's the price is going to do?

SPEAKER_03 25:42

They're going up. They're going to go up. They're going up. Yeah, they're going to go up.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

They're going up. So that's what we need to focus on. All right. This whole frenzy, this whole being scared, all this kind of thing. I was always told there's an easy way of doing things and there's a right way of doing things. Easy way is clicking on that schedule, the tour button. The right way of doing things, calling us. Calling us because I'm going to educate you. The team is going to educate you. We're going to educate you. And if we don't know the answer, we're going to find that out.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Absolutely. And we do not know everything. No guarantee that we don't.

SPEAKER_03 26:14

We work with a great brokerage.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_03 26:17

United Real Estate Gallery. And Sonny and Ray are amazing brokers.

SPEAKER_02 26:22

Shout out, Sonny and Ray. Yeah, no doubt.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

So um look them up. You will understand what we're talking about. If we can't find the answer, they will have it and we know that.

SPEAKER_02 26:31

We try to surround ourselves with so many like-minded people too that want to help, right? And get the person the right house. So just call us because we'll have like a whole team for you.

SPEAKER_00 26:43

Yeah, absolutely. Girls, you know, you guys are speechless a little bit when we were talking about those prices. Yeah. And, you know, oh yeah. Dane and I got a few years on you guys. Just a few. Just a few.

SPEAKER_04 26:56

Tell you.

SPEAKER_00 26:57

I you know, this is this is a good great opportunity to talk about how you feel because there's a lot of buyers out there right now that are feeling and thinking the exact same way you ladies are at this very moment. Tell me, tell me how you feel at that moment. When you heard that and kind of where we're at.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

I've never really looked at real estate as like three years ago mattered because it doesn't. Like that's not going to affect you as a buyer right now. The current market is what you need to focus on. That's what you're dealing with. It's not three years ago. Don't worry about your parents' purchases or what equity they had or still have. Like you're buying now. That's what you need to focus on. For sure. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

So buyers in the generation of where you're at, do they focus more on I would rather go out during the weekend and have some fun and live life, and I'm okay with paying rent right now? Is is that more of a priority than it would be to one in a home?

SPEAKER_01 27:54

I feel like the issue with my age right now is they're just really unsure. They have no idea what the what it looks like as a buyer right now in this market. And so they assume it's unattainable. And that's why I've really geared my social media to first-time home buyers. Like it is it's more attainable than you think.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

I am so glad that you said that.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

Education and knowledge is power. And I know the younger kids like to have something to say, they want to know everything, they want to make sure they're 100% confident about what decisions they're going to make, and they want to be happy. And they don't want to have a regret about that.

SPEAKER_04 28:31

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Because there's a lot of instant regret I've been seeing a lot here lately. Talk to an agent, talk to talk to us, talk to anybody that you trust. Let them educate you. It is our job as realtors to educate our clients, our customers. Educate them. We're advisors. And don't tell, don't take us lightly. You know, like I like I talked about in past episodes. Don't just click that blue button to schedule a tour, thinking that we're just going to be walking you through things.

SPEAKER_03 29:01

No, I want to interrupt here for a second. We're not just real estate agents, we're real tours. We have to do continuing education. Correct. And we got to stay on top of things. So that's the advantage of giving us a call. We, as a matter of fact, I got a class tomorrow I have to do. So definitely we try, we we do what we need to do to stay on top of the game, to advise you as best as we can.

SPEAKER_02 29:22

Yeah. I mean, we we put you know time and money into becoming agents.

SPEAKER_04 29:27

Right.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

You know, we don't do this just because we want to, or you know, like I mean, we do do it, right? Because we chose to do this, but yeah, no, but like we're required to keep up and meet, you know, criteria. And like you said, doing the continuing education and things like that. Like we we're on top of it, you know, as agents.

SPEAKER_00 29:42

So but not not for nothing, Bridge. Did you have an opinion on the idea about where we're at? Because you just recently bought a home last year.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

I recently bought a home and it was a wild when I say wild experience in the best way possible, nothing terrible happened. It was just like it was such a proud feeling when we bought a house because I know that we're gonna, you know, renovate it, put some things into it, and you know, it's in a great location, it's in a great neighborhood, you know, and down the line, like we're gonna be so happy that we did. There you go, and move on to the next. So it's just like, oh my gosh, okay, we hit this milestone. What's next?

SPEAKER_01 30:22

So that's my favorite way. They say your first home is just your stepping stone. It's just stepping stone home. Yeah, you can't just look at like the really big picture. I want this as my dream home. That needs to be my first home.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

Yeah, and there's so many cool memories that happen to go with it too. Like, I don't know, we had a squirrel up in our attic. And and yeah, I got in the soffit. I sent it to JC. I didn't even show you guys, but how proud we were that we caught a squirrel on our own. It was a live trap, don't worry. I texted JC how I let it out. Um I would have never done that. I don't know. It's just super cool being a homeowner. Like you just yeah, like we we've got popcorn ceilings taken off in some rooms, it's a big job. The squirrel, what else? Yeah, the house came with a cool hot tub. We tried to we fix that on our own. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 31:11

It's just great landscaping though, didn't it?

SPEAKER_02 31:13

Wonderful landscaping. It's wonderful landscaping. It's just cool. Like, just get a house. Like it's it's not you're not gonna regret it. Like, if you're ready for the responsibility, do it.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

That's awesome to hear.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Or honestly, even if you're curious, if now's a good time for you, talk to a realtor. Yep. Just talk to us, call us.

SPEAKER_00 31:32

Education. I love empowering my buyers and sellers. Yeah, for the more that they know, the better they can make a decision, the better and easier it is gonna be for me to help them. I spent two hours yesterday talking to a potential listener, and they're 22 years old.

SPEAKER_03 31:49

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 31:50

And they're like, we're we appreciate you took the time for us to sit here and explain everything to us. And I said, absolutely. I mean call us, call me anytime, call one of my teammates, they're gonna explain something to you. Yeah, go over it. We can go over every single detail, every single line, and I'll go over it five or six times, even a dozen times, right, a hundred times. I'm gonna do it. Yep, and that that's that's what it is for us. It really is. That's what should be for the buyers right now. They should be searching for that information, not on YouTube. Okay, there's no DIY about how to buy a house. Yeah, every situation is different, just like every person's different, every realtor is different. You just so happen that you're listening to a team of four that know what the heck's going on and can relate to you, can relate to your situation that can help you. And we are always gonna do it with you first, yeah. And that's the most important thing.

SPEAKER_02 32:47

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

So don't be afraid because fear is gonna freeze you, not make a decision. More than likely, based on how history's gone and how we've talked about in this episode, waiting, you'll regret it.

SPEAKER_03 33:00

Right. If you got questions, just call us. Yeah. Get to know us, and we'll be helpful, be happy to walk you through it, help you through anything that you may be worried about. And if timing is not right now, maybe next time.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

And but we're there. There's times where I'll tell people, don't buy.

SPEAKER_03 33:16

No, right now might not be the time. I have too. I'm and I I I have told people right now is not the best time. Financially, you know, when you start looking getting pre pre-approvals and whatnot, work on that a little better, get a better rate to to make it where you can afford it. You know, we're we're not marrying the price. We're we're not we're date, what is it? Dating the price, marrying the marry the high rate.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

Yeah, whatever. You'll eventually get that.

SPEAKER_03 33:40

Yeah, I'll get that eventually. Oh my gosh. But that's it, you know. So get you know, we'll help you get to that point.

SPEAKER_00 33:46

Well, the other thing is I I've told people not to sell either at certain times right now, and it's all based on the situation. Now, if you gotta go, you gotta go. I completely get that. But if you're trying to maximize a business decision, maximize your opportunity, everybody has a reason. So you're not you're not gonna get labeled as somebody that did something dumb in 2026. You're just not, and every situation is different. But remember, that that fear freezes you. Don't don't do it, get educated, find out what's most important to you, tell, tell a realtor, tell us, and we'll help you guide through it. Okay. But here's the truth: nobody wants to say it out loud, but the frenzy's gone. The panic is gone, the easy money's gone.

SPEAKER_02 34:29

But opportunity, it's back.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

If you're a buyer, you finally have breathing room, and if you're a seller, you need a real plan.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

And if you're an agent still marketing like it's 2021, you're about to have a rough year. 2026 belongs to the prepared. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 34:45

That's not emotional and definitely not the delusional. Follow us on Instagram, follow us on Facebook, follow us on YouTube. We do a lot of education videos out there. Yep. Our our podcasts are live too, so you get to see our faces. I've got a face for radio, but these ladies in Dane, absolutely not. Call us if you need anything. Look forward to helping you guys in the future. But thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.

SPEAKER_04 35:08

See you.