Cocoa Beach Real Estate Summary


Cocoa Beach Real Estate Cycles


During a slow economic time, fewer people are buying homes in the Cocoa Beach market. Even so, some homeowners find themselves in a situation where they must sell. Families grow beyond the capacity of the home, employees get relocated, and some may even find themselves unable to make their mortgage payment - perhaps because of a layoff in the family.

During sellers' markets, Cocoa Beach real estate sells quickly and sellers have a lot of pricing power. As a result, prices rise more rapidly than at other times. During buyers' markets, Cocoa Beach real estate may sit on the market for a while before selling, so sellers become more flexible and may even drop their prices.


Building Cocoa Beach Home Equity


A popular question from prospective Cocoa Beach homebuyers relates to building home equity. Buyers like to estimate how much a home may increase in value based upon past appreciation. One of the many advantages of home ownership is that appreciation is based on the home’s market value rather than on the actual dollar amount invested or the down payment so that a $100,000.00 home that appreciates 5% is now worth $105,000.00, especially in Cocoa Beach.

With a typical 30-year loan, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest payments with only small amounts going to the principle in the early years. Only half the principle is repaid in the first 23 years of the loan. You can build Cocoa Beach home equity faster by choosing a 15-year loan instead of a 30-year loan.

Rent or Buy Cocoa Beach


In the early years of your Cocoa Beach mortgage, nearly all of every monthly payment is interest. This means you are only paying off a tiny bit of the loan principal, but it is good news in terms of tax savings.

The monthly payment for a $100,000, 30-year, 8% mortgage on your Cocoa Beach would be about $734. In the first year of your mortgage, $7,970 of your $8,805 payment or 91% would be deductible as mortgage interest. Even in the tenth year, almost 81% of your payments would be deductible. What this is worth to you depends on your tax bracket but this tax savings built into the home-buying equation is why you can afford to make higher mortgage payments than your current rent payments without squeezing your budget. There is no similar tax subsidy for renters.


The Benefits of Selling Cocoa Beach


In order to sell Cocoa Beach as your personal residence, you must have lived in it for two out of the five-year period ending on the date of the sale of the property. This means that you can buy a second home and live in it as your personal residence while renting out your first home. If, in a couple years you decide to sell your first Cocoa Beach personal residence you can sell it and still benefit from the $250,000 to $500,000 Capital Gain tax exclusion. The law says that the home must be your personal residence for at least two out of the past five years.



What Makes Cocoa Beach Sell?


Books have been written about this topic but to be concise, successful sale depends on six factors: Price; Terms; Location; The Home’s Condition; The Home’s Accessibility and the Marketing exposure the Cocoa Beach receives.

Price is what a willing seller and a willing buyer agree on. Price is determined by the current market, which fluctuates causing home values and prices to fluctuate. Often Cocoa Beach that does not sell is over-priced for the current market. Terms can vary as well. Some owners want payment in full, some are willing to carry a second.

Location is a major consideration in pricing and desirability for Cocoa Beach. Has the neighborhood gone to pot or does it look like a street at Disneyland? Are there open spaces nearby or is the home located in the middle of commercial district?


Cocoa Beach DEDUCTIONS


One of the advantages of home ownership is that while most other types of interest are not tax deductible, the interest you pay on your Cocoa Beach loan is deductible on your Federal and State income tax. This fact alone gives homeowners a distinct advantage over renters.

Robin Taylor Ritchie
Broker Associate
GRI, ABR, e-Pro

Licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Florida

Titusville, FL 32780
321-698-8731