Blog

10 Creative Ideas To Help Sell A Home

Posted on by Jenny Zamora


Orlando Real Estate Marketing Ideas

Whether your home is in great condition or it needs a ton of work, the key to selling is a great marketing plan. As a motivated seller, you want your home to stand out among your competition to potential buyers in any way that you can.

A strong basic marketing plan is good…. but not good enough. There are a lot of little things that are often overlooked by Realtors. These real estate marketing tools take a bit of extra time and effort to prepare but they can have a huge impact on getting your Orlando home sold for top dollar.

If you team up with the right Orlando Realtor who’s willing to put in the extra effort, everybody wins!

These are some often overlooked real estate marketing ideas that have served us well and incorporated into your marketing plan.

Create A Floor Plan

By creating an attractive and professional-looking floor plan which represents your home, buyers get a clear picture of your property at a single glance. In addition to having paper copies available, take it a step further by making it available online.

A floor plan isn’t hard to make either… Your Orlando Realtor should be able to do this for you at no charge. After all, it’s going to benefit them as well by making your home that much more buyer-friendly.

Create A Professional Video

Video is more popular than ever and only continues to trend upwards. Just go to Facebook and you’ll see more videos than images. A professional-looking video tour of your home is important in selling an Orlando home these days.

Our company Youtube Channel “Orlando Realty Consultants” contains a video for every one of our listings and has proved to be an invaluable tool in our home selling arsenal. A well-made property video will engage a potential buyer much more than text and images.

Your Orlando real estate agent should offer this service to you. If they aren’t using video as part of their home selling marketing strategy then you’re missing out on a serious amount of exposure to potential buyers.

 Provide Utility Bills

In my experience, only about ten percent of home buyers will ask for the seller to provide them with a copy of their utility bills so they know what their monthly expenses will be.  Instead of waiting for them to ask for this information, why not have it available before they even think about asking. Buyers will appreciate it … especially the ones that wouldn’t have even thought about asking.

Provide A List of Service Providers

Everybody loves convenience. They want to start enjoying their new home as soon as they get moved in and settled. If you have service providers that you are happy with such as lawn maintenance, pest control, house cleaners, etc… then share this information. Compile a list of service providers that you’re happy with and have it available to your buyers. This will show buyers that you care about your home and that it’s been well maintained since the time you lived there.

Home Owners Insurance Provider

Depending on how experienced home buyers are with the process, they may be clueless in some or even all aspects of the home buying process. Homeowners insurance is a big one not only in price but in service. If you’re happy with your homeowner insurance provider, then you should make your potential buyers aware of what company you’re using. You should even give them the contact info of whom you deal with. You never know, it could end up saving you a few bucks on your next house.

Neighborhood Info

If you live in a neighborhood like mine you’ll be dealing with a very strict homeowners association. It’s best to let your buyers know about the basics. Although this may seem unimportant to some buyers, others will most definitely appreciate knowing what to expect moving forward.

Local School Information

If you’re in a grade-A school district, you should make your buyers aware of that. Even if you don’t have any children of your own. Being in a good school district is advantageous for maintaining property values.  Also, let them know if the local schools have won any awards or are involved in anything else important within the community.

Public Transportation

Although it may not be important to you, it may be extremely important to the new homeowners. Things like bus transportation, train stations, bike paths, etc. are all great to have in your information packet.

Share What You Love About The Town

Provide a written description of the reasons you love your neighborhood. This should be easy to do because it taps into your emotional side… just as it will into theirs. Writing a well-prepared narrative about things you love most about your home and neighborhood is a fantastic way to add a personal touch….emotions sell real estate!

If you think that the above information will be useful in the marketing of your Orlando home, then here are a few more…

  • Touch Up Paint- provide the paint colors of both the inside and the outside of your house so buyers can easily maintain the paint or buy more of the same if need be.
  • Water Shutoffs- If your water shutoff valve is in an unusual place, let the buyers know in case they need to get to it in a hurry.
  • Trash Days- Inform the new buyers of trash and recycling days.
  • Appliance Info- Provide as much information as you can about your appliances including warranty information, etc.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

7 Home Selling Mistakes

Posted on by Jenny Zamora


Selling A Home In Orlando is what we do best. To better serve homeowners getting ready to sell their home we’ve created this article which explains in detail some common mistakes that you should avoid.

 1- Set a listing price without proper research. 

Enlist the help of an experienced Orlando real estate agent to help you with this part. Your agent can provide you with a comparative market analysis. DO NOT rely on a website like Zillow to give you an accurate valuation of your house.

2- Listing the house too high.

Overpricing, your home from the start can cause your home to sit on the market for a lot longer than it needs to. You also run the risk of losing potential buyers who don’t even look at your house because at your home because it’s just a bit over their budget.

7-Common-home-selling-mistakes.png

Don’t listen to Realtors that use a strategy of going high on the price and gradually lowering it. This could end up costing you thousands in the long run.

3- Use an odd listing price

Home search tools give potential home buyers research ranges such as “homes between $150,000-$200,000”. If you were to list your home for an odd number like $202,457 you’d miss out on that entire pool of potential buyers.

4- Overpricing because you have all the time in the world

If you price your home at a ridiculous amount of money thinking eventually someone will come along and bite, you’re wrong. Your home has the best chance of getting under contract within the first few weeks of hitting the market. If you’re not ready to sell, then don’t list it.

5- Letting your emotions get involved

Don’t get offended if someone makes an offer on your home that’s way too low. Instead of getting upset, consider it a starting point for negotiating a potential deal.  At the end of the day, this is just a business transaction and everyone is just trying to get the best deal possible.

6- Expect that your home will sell itself

Even if it’s a hot market for sellers, you have to make sure your house looks the best it can. De-cluttering and cleaning are 2 good ways to start. Homes that are tastefully staged and effectively marketed sell much faster and for more money than homes that aren’t. Your Orlando realtor should be able to provide you with some tips on how to make your home look its best according to your budget.

7- Selling without A Realtor

A survey taken by the NAR [National Association of Realtors], homes that are sold “for sale by owner” not only sell for tens of thousands less than homes that are listed with a real estate agent, they also take much longer to sell.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Ask the Short Sale Expert

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Recently, we recently put out a survey where we asked Orlando homeowners who were currently behind on their mortgage, what their biggest doubts or fears maybe about short sales. The response was overwhelming which is why we decided to post this Q and A article where our very own Orlando short sale expert, Jenny Zamora RE Broker answers a number of questions about short sales and the short sale process.

Q: How long have you been doing short sales?

Jenny Zamora: We’ve been specializing in Orlando short sales since 2004 and have closed thousands of transactions in that time.

Q: In which way is a short sale different than a traditional real estate sale?

Jenny Zamora: A short sale usually takes quite a bit longer than a typical sale because you need to get approval from the lender. Even though a buyer may submit an offer and the seller accepts, it’s still not an executed contract unless the lender signs off on it. Many agents prefer to send their short sale files to processing companies because they’re either unfamiliar with the process or they prefer not to deal with all the extra work that comes with processing a short sale.

Q: Is a short sale different from a foreclosure?

Jenny Zamora: Very different… the foreclosure process usually begins when the homeowner misses 3 or more payments on their mortgage. It’s the legal process by which the bank will ultimately try and sell the property at a public auction. At that point, either someone will buy it or the bank takes back possession if they think the highest bid was still too low.

short-sale-process

It costs a lot of money in court and attorney fees for a lender to complete a foreclosure on the property… and then there’s no guarantee that they’ll meet their reserve at the auction.

A short sale is actually designed to avoid having both parties go through the foreclosure process. It starts out the same way in the sense that the homeowner is behind on their mortgage. However, with a short sale, the homeowner has to prove 2 things. First, the property has to be upside-down, meaning that the property is worth less than what’s owed on the remainder of the mortgage. Second, there’s some kind of financial hardship going on preventing the homeowner from making the payments. If these main points are met then there’s a strong chance the lender will approve a short sale.

Another big difference between a foreclosure and a short sale is your credit will suffer much worse from having a foreclosure on your credit than a short sale.

Q: How long does it take to complete a short sale in Orlando these days?

Jenny Zamora: These days the average turnaround time for a short sale in Orlando is 60 days. In recent years banks have put systems and rules in place to streamline the short sale process which used to take from 6 to 12 months. A few years back… some files could’ve taken a year or two, especially when the property has multiple liens on it or some other monkey wrench was thrown into the deal.

Q: Do you have any advice for someone in need of short sale on their home?

Jenny Zamora: The most important thing would be to find an agent that has a lot of experience with short sales. This is not the time when you hire a friend or family member that just got their license last month. Short sales are complicated and you need someone that is keeping up to date on all the new rules and regulations that come out. I would start with a Google search of “Orlando short sale expert” or whatever other city the homeowner may live in. The first page of results should give you a few good options.

I would like to invite anyone who still may have questions about short sales or anything else related to real estate in Orlando, to feel free to call us at 407-902-7750 for a free consultation or visit https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Orlando Home Buyer- 5 Step Plan of Action

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

The purchase of a home is a big deal for most of us. Let’s face it, this could be the largest purchase you’ll ever make in your lifetime…or at least one of them. There are so many things involved in the home buying process, which is why you have to be well prepared. The more prepared you are, the better your experience will be.

Working hard as an Orlando Realtor for the past 13 years, I can tell you first hand that when you’re well prepared to buy your first home the process will be much smoother and you can enter the home buying market with confidence instead of doubt.

Here are 6 excellent tips to help you make your home buying experience a good one.

1-Get your Financial Ducks In A Row

Priority #1 should be to get your finances in order. This means you need to start talking to lenders and shop for mortgages… or if you prefer, find a good mortgage broker to do the shopping for you. Either way, you’ll have to provide them with a lot of information in regards to income, expenses, etc. Basically, they have to prove that lending to you is a smart business move on their part…

The amount you pay in interest on your mortgage payment is largely determined by your credit score. It’s important to boost your score up as much as possible as this can translate to tens of thousands over the lifetime of your mortgage.

Start by requesting a credit report from the 3 big credit report companies so you know exactly what you’re working with. The Fair Credit Reporting Act states that these 3 companies provide you with a free credit report once a year upon your request. A good mortgage broker will be able to do all of this for you if you prefer. Once you get your credit report, look at it carefully for any errors. If your credit score is low, it might be in your best interest to work on improving it to get a better interest rate.

2-Get Pre-Approved

You wouldn’t go grocery shopping without knowing how much you can spend, would you? The best way to find out how much you can afford to spend on a house is by getting pre-approved by a lender. It’s extremely important to shop around for your mortgage to see which one offers you the best terms. The amount you get approved for and the interest rate is largely based on your credit score, income, expenses, etc…

Important: Pre-approval doesn’t mean full approval… If your employment status changes or your credit worsens between the time you got pre-approved and the time you actually try to buy a house, you may be in for a rude awakening. The best thing to do is start home shopping just as soon as you get the pre-approval letter in your hands.

3- Hire a Top Orlando Realtor

Some people think they can save themselves thousands by not using a realtor to buy their home. But if you want access to every home on the MLS as well as having someone in your corner looking out for you, then you should really consider hiring a realtor. The trick here is to hire an excellent realtor. It will definitely take some effort on your part but will be well worth it. It’s always best to talk to at least 2 or 3 agents on the first page of your Google results to see which one you feel most comfortable with.

4-Time your Move

Unless you’re staying at your Mom’s house, you’re probably renting a place. In order to avoid having to pay an additional 6 months on your lease, try timing the big move so that you won’t take too much of a hit. Talk to your realtor about your situation. They will be able to tell you how long it will take to get the sale finalized so you can get moved in.

5-Find Neighborhoods you like

Your realtor can prove invaluable in this instance. A good realtor will be well informed on all the surrounding neighborhoods in the area where you want to buy. Have a long sit down with your realtor so they know what all your needs want and dreams are for your new home…Once they have this information, they can find an area that meets your needs and fits within your budget.

By following these 5 tips, you’ll be on your way to a successful home buying adventure.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Why Use A Short Sale Specialist?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Most Realtors in Orlando won’t touch a short sale file while others… even though they’ve never done a short sale… refuse to ask for help which can seriously hurt a homeowner’s chances at selling their home via short sale.

As the leading short sale experts in Orlando, we take on all short sale listings, even the ones that other agents want no part of. You see, it is one thing to process a short sale with just one lender but when you have to deal with multiple lenders and or liens attached it becomes a whole other ball game.

A short sale specialist should know everything there is to know about the process and everything else that goes into facilitating the entire transaction. The agent should be aware of everything from foreclosure postponement, lender guidelines, and the latest state short sale regulations. There’s no situation that should arise that’s is beyond your short sale agent’s comprehension.

Cash Back To Seller Programs

Even though your lender is accepting a loss on what’s owed to them, many times we’re able to get our short sale clients anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000 back at the closing for relocation costs. A short sale agent should be up-to-date on all the various cashback to seller programs offered by different lenders. If they aren’t aware of this it could cost the homeowner thousands of dollars when they need it the most.

How Does A Short Sale Agent Get Compensated?

In a typical short sale transaction, the lender pays the real estate commission from the sale price. Some agents will try to put a short sale processing fee on the CD [Closing Disclosure formerly as the HUD-1] but it must be approved by the lender. You should never, ever pay a real estate agent prior to doing your short sale. Only attorneys are legally allowed to charge an upfront fee to complete your short sale.

If you’re in a situation where you need to do a short sale on your home, be sure to hire a proven expert in order to give yourself the best chance at making the sale happen. For a free consultation with one of our Orlando short sale experts visit https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com or call 407-902-7750.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields