Category: News and Information

Orlando Homeowners Embracing The “Green Home”

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

With all the rage about “Going Green” lately, more and more Orlando home buyers are inquiring about green features when considering properties.

There is soo many advantages to making your home a “Green Home” and homeowners are steadily waking up and joining the going green revolution regardless of whether they’re of selling or staying put.

It just makes sense. Going green increases the value of a property by making it more attractive to environmentally conscious buyers as well as lowering your monthly energy bill.

 By making a few simple changes like using energy-saving light bulbs and appliances, using a tankless water heater system, and tinting your windows, homeowners can add legitimate value to their homes.
 Here’s a quick list of things that you can do to make sure that your home is as green as can be for the echo-friendly buyer.

Simple Green Updates That Don’t Cost A lot Of Green 

Update The Lighting. By using LED and CFL low energy bulbs you can save as much as $6.00 per year on a single light bulb! That may not sound like a lot but I bet if you count every light bulb in your house and multiply that number by 6 I bet you’ll feel differently. Also, the amount of energy being used is about 75% less than with traditional bulbs.

Install A Tankless Water Heater. Traditional water heaters store a lot of water and as a result, they have to consistently heat and reheat all the water in the tank whether it gets used or not. Tankless water heaters don’t store water and because of that, they use about 50% less energy than a traditional water heater. Also, with these water heaters, you will never run out of hot water again. The water gets heated instantly by the coils contained within the unit only when you need it.

Update The Appliances. By using “Energy Star” appliances you can save some serious green over the course of a year. Sure they cost more than traditional appliances but soon they will pay for themselves because they use anywhere from 20% to 50% less than traditional appliances. Make sure to let potential buyers know how much you’re saving on the electric bill because of the appliances.

Update The Bathrooms With Low-Flow Fixtures. By using low-flow showerheads and toilets, you can reduce household water consumption by up to 50% without sacrificing water pressure. Again, there is more of an upfront cost by switching to these fixtures but well worth it in the long run.

Install Energy Trackers. You can keep track of how much energy each appliance in your house uses or for around three hundred dollars you can have a device that will monitor the energy usage of your entire home that provides you with real-time feedback on how much energy you are using and how much you’re wasting.

There are a gazillion models to choose from these days and with the new technology, they’re even syncing them with smartphones and Ipads.

Whether you’re selling your home or planning on staying for a while, turning your home into a “Green Home” just makes sense. If you want to sell, then your home will have an added value that most other homes on the market won’t be able to compete with.

On the other hand, if this is your dream home where you plan on spending your golden years, then you can start saving big money as well as help save the planet. It’s a win-win no matter how you look at it.

 

 

 

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How Will A Short Sale Affect Your Credit?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora
short sale realtor orlando

How Will A Short Sale affect Your Credit?

Over the years I’ve gotten this question more time than I can remember. “How will a short sale will affect my credit?”

A short sale can have a lot less of an effect on your credit score than a foreclosure. But, it must be done correctly.

Short sales can happen if a lender agrees to accept less than the amount owed against the home because there is not enough equity in it to pay all costs of the sale.

It’s important to note that not all lenders will agree to a short sale.

If your request is approved, your agent should ask your lender to report the short sale as “paid in full,” as part of the negotiation.

There have been reports that a short sale has about the same impact on your credit score as a foreclosure. However, from experience with our own clients, that’s never been the case.

Most of the time, sellers that have completed a short sale report that their credit score only dropped by 100 points or so, which can be easily fixed by any decent credit repair company.

The biggest advantage of a short sale, as opposed to a foreclosure, is that you will be able to qualify to buy another home within two years as opposed to five to seven years after a foreclosure.

I hope this video was helpful, If you still have questions, feel free to contact us at 407-902-7750 or visit us at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/short-sales/

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Orlando Realtor- Seller Series part 2

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Hiring The Right Orlando Realtor 

Selling a home can be a daunting task to take on yourself. There are many moving parts involved in selling a property  like marketing, showings, open houses, contract negotiations, and complicated paperwork to fill out. You can make things a lot easier on yourself be hiring an experienced listing agent.

A top listing agent will have a foolproof and proven formula for marketing properties to the right people. This formula ensures that their client’s home fetches the highest possible in the least amount of time.

An experienced realtor should be equipped to handle any type of real estate transaction no matter what price, condition or situation. Realtors at our brokerage for instance, each have an area of expertise consisting of listing specialists, buyer agents, short sale specialists, marketing experts and transaction coordinators. Each one is an expert in their niche.

After a CMA [comparable market analysis] is completed on the property to determine an accurate listing price, the listing specialist will meet with the homeowner to discuss any issues that need to be addressed prior to showing the property such as minor repairs, landscaping, light staging, etc in order to improve curb appeal as well as make the inside look the best that it can.

The property should then be advertised in many different ways including the MLS, through the agent’s blog or website, a video showcasing the property, open houses, direct mail as well as through local publications.

Negotiating the price should be handled by the listing specialist to make sure that the homeowner gets the best price possible for their home that the market will allow. The homeowner will be informed of everything that happens every step of the way. The listing specialist’s job is to represent their client through the whole process of selling their home to ensure that the seller has the most pleasurable experience possible.

Are you thinking of selling your Orlando Home? Contact Jenny Zamora Listing Specialist and Broker for the ORC team to set up a free consultation.

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Alternatives To Short Sale

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Alternatives To Short Sale Video

 

If your lender doesn’t agree to a short sale on your house, there are several other options available to you.
One option would be a “deed in lieu “, which is basically a voluntary foreclosure and all that happens is that you sign the property back over to the bank without going through the whole legal process involved with a foreclosure. You should be aware however that a deed in lieu will show up on your credit as a foreclosure.

 

Another option available to you, if you’re interested in trying to keep your house is a loan modification.  A loan modification is when we try and get the terms of your loan adjusted so that you can afford to keep your home. We do this by either getting your payment reduced or reducing the principal balance or both.

 

Bankruptcy is also an option to avoid foreclosure. There are 2 different types of bankruptcies, a chapter 7 and chapter 13. In this case you would need to talk to a Bankruptcy attorney, and most of them will give you a free consultation on the initial visit.

What if you just let your house go to foreclosure?

 

I would highly recommend that you don’t take this approach because you are just giving up, and when you give up then you’re giving up all control of your situation to the bank and then they can do what they want at that point.

 

Also, don’t think that just because you let it go to foreclosure, that you will be free of that debt. Actually the opposite will probably happen and the bank will hit you with a deficiency judgment for the difference between what you owe and what the property sold for at the auction.

 

So please if you find yourself in this situation, consult with a licensed real estate professional figure out what your best option is and take action.

 

Feel free to call us at 407-902-7750 or visit us at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/short-sales/

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Orlando Realtor- Seller Series part 1

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

This series is dedicated to Orlando homeowners that want to sell their property for top dollar in the least amount of time but aren’t sure how to get started.

 Over the next few weeks, we will be revealing a 6 step formula for selling an Orlando home quickly for the highest amount possible. This edition will serve as an overview of the steps that will be broken down in detail over the next month or so.

 You must first seek out an experienced Orlando Realtor with a reputation for getting the job. At our brokerage this person is known as a “Listing Specialist“.

 A Listing Specialist is exactly what it sounds like…a realtor that specializes in listing properties and nothing else. It’s no secret that if someone dedicates and focuses themselves at doing just one thing, they will become experts in their niche or their “one thing”.

A Listing Specialist will sit with you and discuss your time table for selling as well as the profit needed at the closing of the sale. They will also lay out the best plan of action to market the house and get the results you desire.

 Another critical step to selling your house is to price it right. Your realtor should prepare a detailed CMA [comparable market analysis] and go through it with you. This in-depth report of your home together with current market trends will help to determine what the highest listing price for your home will be.

 It’s then time to get the home ready for showings. You only one chance to make a first impression which is why it’s good idea to clean, de-clutter and even do some light staging if possible. A Listing Specialist can offer the seller tips on how to make the home look the best that it can without breaking the bank.

 Next, your realtor will help you to negotiate the offers that come in. Terms like contract price, contingencies in the contract, inspection periods, and closing date are all negotiable and an experienced realtor can prove invaluable in these instances.

 Once an offer has been accepted and a contract has been signed, you can start making plans to move out. You can count on your Orlando listing agent to be at your side at the closing table along with the buyer and the buyer’s agent and the title company. Once everyone signs the paperwork it becomes official and your you will receive your proceeds from the sale. 

Feel free to submit your questions or comments about this post below. For a quicker response, contact Jenny Zamora Lic Broker/ Listing Specialist at Orlando Realty Consultants at: 407-902-7750

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