Orlando Florida Real Estate - Market News & Information

If you’re buying Orlando real estate and talking to lenders, you’ll hear about the Good Faith Estimate. Because the Good Faith Estimate is required by law and lists all the costs associated with a mortgage, including closing fees with estimated pricing, it's a good place to start when searching for a lender.

Best practice for buying Orlando real estate is to shop for lenders first. While you’re looking, ask for a Good Faith Estimate and then compare them. This will be your first indication about which lender is best for you.

Not All Estimates are Created Equal

Many closing fees for buying Orlando real estate are considered typical and have an average price range, such as:

• Title search and title insurance: $450 - $600
• Appraisal: $150 - $400

Because real estate closing practices vary depending on where you live, your location helps to determine what those closing costs will be. However, you might also find some extra padding on your closing fees, which some in the mortgage and real estate industries call “junk fees."

Most Good Faith Estimates (GFEs) have a break down of individual charges, but some may just be a lump sum amount such as: “Total of lender’s fees $1,395.” As long as the fees add up correctly to the estimated amount, there’s no problem. However, watch out for and question general wording like “miscellaneous fees,” “packaging fees” or “marketing fees.”

You have the right to request an explanation for any fee listed on the GFE. Although most GFEs have an explanation after each listing, some may not. If a fee seems odd to you, ask about it.

It's Only an Estimate

One final tip: The GFE is only an estimate, not the exact amount you'll be paying. At least one day before closing, get your final tally of the closing costs from your lender. Compare this to your Good Faith Estimate to make sure no additional fees were added. If you see inconsistencies, talk with your lender immediately to resolve these issues.

Need help finding a lender? We can help. Call us at 407-876-5771 at for more information.

Stop Foreclosure  Save Your Credit Orlando Short Sale

In 2006, Benjamin Koellmann bought a condominium in Miami Beach. By his calculation, it will be about the year 2025 before he can sell his modest home for what he paid. Or maybe 2040.

“People like me are beginning to feel like suckers,” Mr. Koellmann said. “Why not let it go in default and rent a better place for less?”

After three years of plunging real estate values, after the bailouts of the bankers and the revival of their million-dollar bonuses, after the Obama administration’s loan modification plan raised the expectations of many but satisfied only a few, a large group of distressed homeowners is wondering the same thing.

New research suggests that when a home’s value falls below 75 percent of the amount owed on the mortgage, the owner starts to think hard about walking away, even if he or she has the money to keep paying.

In a situation without precedent in the modern era, millions of Americans are in this bleak position. Whether, or how, to help them is one of the biggest questions the Obama administration confronts as it seeks a housing policy that would contribute to the economic recovery.

“We haven’t yet found a way of dealing with this that would, we think, be practical on a large scale,” the assistant Treasury secretary for financial stability, Herbert M. Allison Jr., said in a recent briefing.

The number of Americans who owed more than their homes were worth was virtually nil when the real estate collapse began in mid-2006, but by the third quarter of 2009, an estimated 4.5 million homeowners had reached the critical threshold, with their home’s value dropping below 75 percent of the mortgage balance.

They are stretched, aggrieved and restless. With figures released last week showing that the real estate market was stalling again, their numbers are now projected to climb to a peak of 5.1 million by June — about 10 percent of all Americans with mortgages.

“We’re now at the point of maximum vulnerability,” said Sam Khater, a senior economist with First American CoreLogic, the firm that conducted the recent research. “People’s emotional attachment to their property is melting into the air.”

Suggestions that people would be wise to renege on their home loans are at least a couple of years old, but they are turning into a full-throated barrage. Bloggers were quick to note recently that landlords of an 11,000-unit residential complex in Manhattan showed no hesitation, or shame, in walking away from their deeply underwater investment.

“Since the beginning of December, I’ve advised 60 people to walk away,” said Steve Walsh, a mortgage broker in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Everyone has lost hope. They don’t qualify for modifications, and being on the hamster wheel of paying for a property that is not worth it gets so old.”

Mr. Walsh is taking his own advice, recently defaulting on a rental property he owns. “The sun will come up tomorrow,” he said. complete story

Source: NYTimes.com - David Stretfeld

Stop Foreclosure  Save Your Credit Orlando Short Sale

Even though it may sometimes seem like it, home building and design trends are not conjured up using a crystal ball. They are the result of surveys, observations, lifestyles, socioeconomic issues, entertainment, technology, and most importantly, the needs and desires of buyers.

Here are some of the national and Orlando homes trends to expect in 2010.

Green is growing.

A study conducted by Burst Media in late December, 2009, found that 90 percent of Web users surveyed have incorporated some aspect of going green into their lives, and overall, they are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products.

Homes are getting smaller.

For 2010, home builders say they will focus on lower-priced and smaller homes. More than 95 percent of home builders surveyed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in January said that was the way they saw their businesses evolving.

Single-story homes are in.

Because of the rise in homebuyers who are 55 years of age and older, more single-story Orlando homes are being purchased. According to NAHB, barely over half of new homes today are built with two stories or more. Two-story homes peaked at about 55 percent of the market in 2006.

Lower cost, more practical homes are being purchased.

In an attempt to respond to consumer demands for practicality, as well as hold the line on prices, home builders surveyed by NAHB are most likely to include these features as standard in their houses this year:

· Walk-in closets in the master bedroom

· Laundry rooms

· Insulated front doors

· Great rooms

· Energy-efficient windows

· Linen closets

· Programmable thermostats

· Energy-efficient appliances and lighting

· Separate shower and tub in master bathrooms

· Nine-foot ceilings on the first floor

Here are the features builders said they are least likely to add to houses in 2010. You'll notice a lot of the items being eliminated are luxury features, as builders try to lower costs.

· Outdoor kitchens

· Outdoor fireplaces

· Sunrooms

· Butler’s pantries

· Media rooms

· Desks in kitchens

· Two-story foyers

· Multiple shower heads in the master bath

· Smaller kitchens

Want to buy one of the new Orlando homes in 2010? Call us today at 407-876-5771 to get started.

You probably will not be surprised to hear that in 2009, on the average, new-home buyers purchased smaller Orlando homes.

To be exact, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released information showing that the average size of a new home decreased by 40 square feet, from 2,520 square feet in 2008 to 2,480 square feet in 2009. While 40 square feet may not sound like a lot, it is significant because it's been 27 years since the average home size fell by that much.

Are You Missing a Bathroom?

This decline in square footage is also noteworthy because 40 square feet is about the size of an average bathroom. Interestingly, NAHB's statistics revealed that the number of homes with 3 or more bathrooms fell in 2009, for the first time since 1992.

What's Fueling this Shrinkage?

There are 4 primary reasons the sizes of new Orlando homes are declining:

1. The recession. People are reconsidering how much home they really need and are looking for ways to save money. Results of a 2009 survey by Better Homes and Gardens magazine, showed that downsizing is a bigger priority. Thirty-six percent of homeowners surveyed said they expected their next home to be "somewhat smaller" or "much smaller" than their current home.
   
2. The small-house movement. This movement has been gaining steam in the United States for a number of years. The recession accelerated it and home builders responded by building smaller homes.
   
3. The prominence of first-time buyers in the housing market. This is being stimulated by the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.
   
4. The increasing number of households with members 55 and older who are buying homes. Folks over 55 prefer to purchase single-story homes, which tend to be smaller than two-story homes.

Considering one of the smaller Orlando homes?

If you're thinking of downsizing, we can help. Call us now at 407-876-5771 for more information.

I can hear you now, “Oh, no! Not another article on curb appeal to sell my Orlando home!” To which I reply, “Oh, yes.” One more time around the block, but this time, we’re doing it in style.

The 21^st Century Curb

Curb appeal is that thing you do to pretty up the outside of your Orlando home. It’s the landscaping, the painting and the checking of the little details. However, many home sellers (and real estate agents, for that matter), don’t take into account that the curb nowadays isn't just the view from the front of your house. In the 21^st century, the “curb” starts right here on the Net.

Your online home listing has only three seconds - three short moments of time - to catch a potential buyer’s eye and turn them into an interested party. Unfortunately, it’s hard not to be biased or become used to the problems and eyesores your home may have. Because first impressions are so crucial and the housing market is glutted with competition, you have to bring it up a notch to get your home sold.

The Right Perspective

Most real estate agents park across the street, when they’re showing a home. So, to get the same perspective of your home as potential buyers will have, walk to the other side of the street and stand where potential buyers might stand. Go ahead; walk over there.

Once you’re on the other side of the street, turn around and look at the house for a few seconds. Most buyers don’t look for very long, so don’t stare, just glance. Then, as you slowly walk back to the house, keep your focus close, no more than a few feet out. What are you seeing?

• Yard ornaments
• Plain façade
• Obstructed pathway to the door
• Driveway stains
• Yard tools
• Leaves

These are just a few things that might be detracting from the beautiful home you have to sell. Take one last look around – a long, searching look from the front door – and see if anything stands out. If it does, fix it up!

The Virtual View

Once you think you have your home's curb appeal perfected, create a video of it for your potential buyers. Take a video camera across the street and start from there. Give your buyers a virtual tour of your Orlando home, using your curb appeal to its (and your) best potential. Online IS the new curb – use it!

When you hire me as your real estate agent, I'll create a professional virtual tour of your home, including its curb appeal. Your virtual tour will appear on key real estate websites giving your home maximum exposure with a 24/7, world-wide virtual open house.

Give us a call today at 407-876-5771 for more information.

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Compared with Florida's other metro areas, Orlando's existing-home sales overall held steady from November to December, according to a monthly report by the Florida Association of Realtors.

Orlando-area Realtors ended the year selling more single-family houses than agents in any other metropolitan market in the state, closing 2,300 sales last month. The next-busiest market was Tampa, with 2,123 sales.

For the month, Metro Orlando's condo market recorded 612 sales and a 3 percent decline in median price.

For the year, Orlando's condo prices fell more on a percentage basis than comparable cities in the state, plummeting 29 percent from $75,000 in December 2008 to $53,500. Tampa's condo prices dipped 17 percent; Miami's, 16 percent; and Fort Lauderdale's, 17 percent during the year. complete story

Source: OrlandoSentinel.com - Mary Shanklin

The number of households that received a foreclosure-related notice rose 21 percent from 2008, RealtyTrac Inc. reported Thursday. One in 45 homes were sent a filing, which includes default notices, scheduled foreclosure auctions and bank repossessions.

In December, more than 349,000 households, or one in 366 homes, were hit with a foreclosure-related notice. That represents a 14 percent spike from November and a 15 percent jump from December 2008.

Banks repossessed more than 92,000 homes, up 19 percent from November. That increase was likely due to lenders working to clear their books at the end of the year, RealtyTrac said. complete story

Source: MyWay.com - Adrian Sainz

Stop Foreclosure  Save Your Credit Orlando Short Sale

Orlando Home Buyers - It's Times to Buy!

Banks may be forced to resort to a remedy they’ve been trying to avoid -- principal reductions -- as another wave of foreclosures looms and payments on risky loans rise, Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine reports in the Jan. 18 issue.

While interest-rate reductions or extending loan terms reduce homeowners’ monthly payments, they don’t give much comfort to borrowers who owe more on their homes than their properties are worth. Borrowers who don’t have equity in their homes are more likely to hand over the keys when they run into trouble. “The evidence is irrefutable,” Laurie Goodman, senior managing director of Amherst Securities Group in New York, testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Dec. 8. “Negative equity is the most important predictor of default.”

The 25 percent plunge in residential real estate prices from their 2006 peak has left homeowners underwater by $745 billion, according to research firm First American CoreLogic --a number that tops the government’s $700 billion bailout for banks. That’s why Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair is considering incentives for lenders to cut the principal on as much as $45 billion of mortgages acquired from seized banks. “We’re looking now at whether we should provide some further loss-sharing for principal writedowns,” says Bair. “Now you’re in a situation where even the good mortgages are going bad because people are losing their jobs.” complete story

Source: Bloomberg.com - Gittelsohn and Gopal

Stop Foreclosure  Save Your Credit Orlando Short Sale

Not too long ago the “Greening of America” was just an idea. Now, it’s a government mandate. The latest requirements for new construction may just cause the cost of new homes for sale in Orlando and around the nation to rise.

In December, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new stormwater management requirements for new construction. These new requirements have the National Home Builder’s Association (NAHB) up in arms. In a news release posted on the NAHB website, the Chairman said the new housing regulations are unrealistic.

It all comes down to stormwater. When it rains, water hits the ground and seeps into it. In most cases, that water is absorbed and filtered by the ground, and then replenishes the world’s water supply. Not so in developed areas, where pavement and roofing, among other man-made surfaces, prevent the water from being absorbed.

The remaining water becomes runoff, which, according to the EPA, damages the infrastructure of surrounding development, causes downstream flooding and bank erosion. In addition, the water carries pollutants, which are carried into streams and water supplies. The new regulations have a strict limit on pollutants in stormwater, as well as requiring that the stormwater has little to no soil or sediment in it.

While less pollution is a fantastic idea, NAHB says something is missing – such as understanding soil differences. Certain types of soil absorb water better, reducing the amount of run off, while other types of soil produce a naturally high amount of sediment. The cost for homebuilders to meet these regulations can be expensive – an expense that will be passed on to those looking for newly built homes for sale in Orlando.

The EPA has done some wonderful things for environmental protection, such as the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), that already affect construction costs. However, for newly built homes for sale in Orlando, this new stormwater requirement may end up not only being impossible to keep but impossible to pay for.

If you’re looking for new home construction that meets all necessary requirements, we can help. Call us today at 407-876-5771 for more information

You've listed your property. You've spent your weekends with people traipsing through your home. You've done everything you can and your Orlando real estate is still sitting on the market while others around you are selling. Why won't your home sell?

 
You've cleaned your home—you think. Let's examine a few areas many people overlook:

• Did you stuff all your stuff in cabinets thinking no one will be bold enough to open cabinets and look inside? Hum… maybe. Maybe not. Lots of people open drawers, cabinets, and definitely will look in closets, so don't stash all your stuff in closets. Besides being untidy it is likely that overstuffed closets will fall out in an avalanche when an unsuspecting buyer happens to peek.

 
• Are there dirty dishes stacked up, clothes in the laundry baskets, or used towels all over the bathroom? Just because you have to live in your Orlando real estate until you sell it doesn't mean it looks good to your buyers. The 'lived in' look only makes your home look comfortable when friends and family visit, not prospective buyers.

 
• Does your loving pet adore your visitors? Even the most well-behaved dog or cat may be a distraction. Not everybody is a pet lover, and even if they are they don't want to have to deal with your pets while viewing a home. Have your dogs and cats in their crates when buyers come to see your Orlando real estate listing.

• Is the lawnmower sitting on the patio, the pool skimmer lying on the lawn, the kid's bikes piled up in the driveway? The inside of your home isn't the only place that shouldn't look 'lived in' when you are showing your home to the public.

Little things mean a lot. Don't let those little nail holes, stray wires from a removed fixture, or coffee stains on the carpet go unheeded. Your buyer is not going to want to fix those things when they move in. And, it makes potential buyers think that if minor repairs haven't been taken care of, most likely, major repairs have been let go also. Take the time to do minor home fix ups and make your house look as inviting as possible.

If you'd like more tips like this, subscribe to our blog. You'll get a couple of new tips automatically emailed to you each week.

Walk Away From your Mortgage Calculator

IS IT IN MY ECONOMIC INTEREST TO WALK AWAY?   
You decide.  This calculator is just a tool to help.  Numerous variables are involved but the biggest is probably your assessment of the future of housing pricing.  No one can predict future prices, but the conventional wisdoms says that it is probably not realistic to believe that housing prices will increase by more than 4%-8% per year on average.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I WALK AWAY?
It depends on the particulars of your situation.  In many states, including California, in many circumstances the “bank” has no legal or practical recourse against homeowners who stop paying their mortgages except to take their homes through foreclosure and put derogatory entries in their credit reports. 

LOAN MODIFICATION? 
The more it is in your economic interest to walk away, the more the bank should be willing to make a deal with you to get you to stay and pay.  The banks will try to base modification negotiations on what you can afford as opposed to what you should afford. 

SHORT SALE?  A short sale in Orlando offers homeowners a way to avoid foreclosure and help save their credit.  We have a team of licensed Orlando Realtors and loss mitigation experts who specialize in pre-foreclosures and the short sale of all types of property.

Walk Away From your Mortgage Calculator

Source: PayOrGO.com

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 Mortgage Financing Returns!

PURCHASE & REMORTGAGES NOW AVAILABLE!

After almost 18 months since a viable product has been made available we finally offer a product for foreigners! Purchase and remortgages up to 70% with minimal documentation required. Rates start at 6.5% and have no redemption penalties at all! Please e-mail us for more details soon as we do not know how long this product will be around.

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Study Finds Homeowners Fight Foreclosure Even When It Doesn't Make Sense

Millions of Americans, whose homes are now worth significantly less than their mortgage, could be making an expensive mistake by continuing to try and pay their loan off when they should, instead, be walking away. In fact, owners are willing to keep piling money into a losing investment simply because they're ashamed to foreclose, according to a controversial new study.

"Homeowners should be walking away in droves. But they aren't," writes Brent White, an associate professor of law at the University of Arizona.

He explains that some owners who bought at the peak of the market now owe more on their mortgage than they can ever recoup in their lifetime. Although it would make financial sense to cut losses and abandon their homes, feelings are getting in the way. "A lot of it has to do with shame, guilt and fear," says White.

Source: ABCNews.com - Dalia Fahmy

Stop Foreclosure  Save Your Credit Orlando Short Sale

Consumer Reports surveyed over 17,000 readers on the state of their home improvement projects. The results of the home improvement survey point out that you should definitely do your homework before doing the home improvement on your Orlando real estate.

Over half of those surveyed went at least $2,000 over budget for room additions. On basement finishing, 56% spent $1,350 over budget. Kitchen remodeling also had 56% going over budget, by $1,200. Lastly, 45% went over budget by $700 on deck additions. What was the reason? Surprisingly, they all had similar reasons:

• Plan adjustments
• Underestimated labor
• Increased cost of materials
• Special tools needed
• Unexpected system upgrades 

If you plan to remodel your Orlando real estate in the near future, keep these tips in mind so your home improvement goes as planned:

• Do your research – Factor in delivery and removal fees.  Make sure you know which products the contractor should have and plan ahead.

• Don’t deviate – Once you have a well-developed remodeling plan, don’t deviate from it. Those who did ended up going anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 over budget.

• Check the contract – Make sure your contractor's contract has a set amount for materials. Some have open-ended amounts, which makes it quite easy to go over budget. Read the contract before you sign it!

• Check up on the remodeling contractor – Get the referrals and then put them to work. In other words, don’t just get a list of numbers and names, and then forget to check up on the contractor. Follow through and make sure the contractor is a good one.

A little remodeling can go a long way in helping you sell your Orlando real estate. Just make sure you know what you’re doing before you hire anyone to do it!

If you’re trying to sell your home, or looking for a great home to buy,we can help. Call us at 407-876-5771 for more information.