It was a beautiful morning, a soft gulf breeze, calm waters, and the fish were biting! We dropped our lines about a half a mile off Caladesi Island and found a school of trout that must have mistaken our boat for an all you can eat shrimp buffet. No kidding, we caught about 40 fish, (catch and release of course), in about an hour and a half. I couldn't help but think about our timing. Anyone who's been fishing can tell you, when they're biting it's great (and easy), but you also have days where all you catch is a sun burn. Timing your fishing trips, knowing your waters, knowing when to move on to the next spot are all keys to succesful fishing. The same philosophy can be applied to real estate and mortgages. How many of us felt like Donald Trump over the past few years? You could sell a house in a week, mortgage rates were historically low, and lending guidelines were loose. The Prime Rate was as low as 3.75% and the Fed Funding rate dropped to a jawdropping 1.25%. Talk about timing the market. Those of you who jumped in saw results similar to my recent fishing trip, great catches everywere. So, what do you do when the fish aren't biting? Well, you better have a plan. Home listings are at all time high. (65,000+ just for Tampa Bay, Visit www.housingtracker.net) 30 year fixed rates, Prime Rates, fed funding, all higher. If you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage, you should consider refinancing into a fixed rate. If you have a house to sell, you need to get creative. Offer permanent or temporary buy-down rates for prospective buyers. (Contact me to learn how to offer this). Remember, no need to panic, just like fishing, the fish will bite again, but don't get caught sitting in a sinking boat.