Category: Orlando Real Estate

Money-Saving Tips For Rental Properties

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Money-Saving Tips For Rental Properties

If you’re a full-time or even a part-time landlord, you probably know how important it is to stay on top of maintenance and repair issues with rental properties.

Regularly scheduled maintenance will help you address small problems before they become big expensive ones. Even more importantly, it will greatly cut down on the number of tenant complaints that you get.

As an Orlando Realtor, I’ve sold hundreds of investment properties to investors, many of which are landlords.

Working closely with these Orlando real estate investors I’ve learned some quite a bit about stretching a dollar on maintenance and repairs when it comes to rental properties.

6 Simple maintenance tips that can save you some serious cash:

  • Testing the smoke detectors- Making sure that the smoke detectors have fresh batteries can save you money and more importantly, save lives. By alerting people when there’s a fire smoke detectors can minimize the damage done to the property. It’s also a good idea to tell your tenant to alert you when that annoying chirping noise begins as some people may be unaware that the chirping means your smoke detector battery needs replacing.  Also, failing to make sure that your smoke detectors are working properly could leave you open for a lawsuit.
  • Have an electrical inspection done before moving in tenants- A thorough electrical inspection will uncover any issues with unsafe wiring which can cause a fire. It’s also a good idea to make sure the appliances are in top working order before moving anyone in to avoid the possibility of someone getting shocked.
  • Inspect for moisture and water damage- Moisture if undetected in a home can cause some serious damage including health issues, especially if there’s mold. You should check for moisture around and under sinks, water heaters and AC units thoroughly. Extensive moisture damage can turn into some pretty hefty repair bills. While checking for moisture damage, you may as well have a caulking gun in your hand to make sure all tiles, tubs, and sinks are completely sealed.
  • Treat for pests regularly- Whether you have an insect problem or not, you’d be wise to pray for them. By treating them before they even make an appearance you can stay ahead of the game. Also, it’s pretty hard to rent out a home if it’s infested with insects.
  • Inspect The AC once a year- The central AC is one of the most expensive items you’ll ever have to replace on a house. By having it professionally inspected and maintained once a year you can ensure that you’ll get the most mileage possible out of the unit before having to replace it.
  • Painting- By keeping your property nicely painted, not only will it look it’s best but a good paint job can prevent water damage and wood rot. Again, this can save you big bucks in the long run.

As you can see from the list above, keeping a rental home properly maintained is not exactly rocket science but it does require consistency. If you’re the type of landlord that’s just too busy to handle these things, you might want to consider hiring a property management company to help you out.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

New Short Sale Listing In Chuluota, FL!

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Call or text 407-902-7750 to see this home immediately!

Prepare to be amazed by this luxurious home in Chuluota, Florida, This gorgeous home has it all!

It’s a 6 Bedroom, 4 1/2 half-bath home in a high-end community.
It boasts a huge master bedroom with his and hers walk-in closet, his and hers vanities, a garden tub, and a custom oversized shower.

You can find high-end Tiffany Style Stained Glass fixtures throughout the home with stylish ceiling fans.

The large open kitchen is a thing of beauty featuring Corian countertops, solid wood cabinetry, a convenient island with sink, and a large walk-in pantry to accommodate large families with ease.

Custom-crafted rounded archways lead you into the large family room. A downstairs bonus room can be a full home office, game room, or even a man cave with custom built-in cabinetry and a cozy window seat.

Or if mom decides to move in, you can always use this spacious room as a mother-in-law suite.

The home has a complete security system with connectors in each window.

These homeowners spared no expense when it came to over-the-top upgrades which are too many to mention.

You will not find anything else like it in the community. All rooms are extremely big, the 3rd room upstairs has its own bathroom and all rooms have big closets.

Spacious loft area you have unlimited options, you can turn this into a game room, sitting area, movie spot, you get the idea…Let’s not forget the oversized backyard, fenced in with a beautiful brick wall, herb garden, and built-in extermination tubing system all around the house.

You are also minutes from schools, college, parks, bike trails, golf clubs, dining, shopping, and more.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

Open Houses, Worth It or Worthless?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Several hundred realtors in Orlando were recently asked if they still held open houses as part of the marketing strategy to get a house sold. From the dramatic response that was received, real estate agents were passionate about wanting to respond to the question about open houses.

The answer was [Drum Roll Please…] an overwhelming 58% said that open houses are a waste of time and don’t do them anymore. The other 42% said they were in favor of doing open houses and still used them as part of their marketing strategy. The survey also revealed another interesting set of facts, over 70% of participants hold between one and six open houses in an average month while the remaining 30% don’t do them at all.

As listing agents in Orlando, we do hold open houses for certain properties as part of our marketing plan, especially luxury homes. Planning an open house for an investment home or a teardown would be a waste of time as open houses are geared more toward the retail buyer.

It depends on the seller whether an open house will even be an option for marketing the home. Some sellers are very private and don’t even want their own neighbors to know that their home is for sale.

Other homeowners expect their realtor to schedule at least one open house in the marketing plan. These homeowners just want the property sold no matter what and couldn’t care less how many people parade through their house. Open houses are also great for getting buyer feedback about the property.

Promoting The Open House

The most popular way to promote an open house these days is obviously social media. The more friends and people you’re connected with, the better your chances of having a successful open house. Email campaigns printed materials, and even bandit signs with balloons are also used among most real estate agents in Orlando to ensure some activity at an open house.

Some realtors will even take things a step or two further by baking cookies, popping popcorn, and even hosting a wine tasting at the open house.

So at the end of the day, open houses are alive and well although the majority of agents don’t do them. I think whether they are worth doing or not depends largely on the listing agent and how good they are at marketing their open houses. If the agent can get a good crowd to show up, then it’s worth it. On the other hand, if an agent just plans on putting up a few bandit signs and balloons, then why even bother?

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

Getting Ready To Sell? Update Your Kitchen and Bathrooms.

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

“Hello and Welcome everybody and if you’ve been here before, we’re glad you’re back! This is the podcast where we talk about anything and everything to do with real estate in Orlando.”

“Our listing clients always want to know what upgrades they can do to make sure they get top dollar for their home…”

“When selling your Orlando home to retail buyers, they don’t want to update, touch up, re-carpet, repaint,…”

The summary of today’s episode is below.  Just hit the “play” button to listen to the entire show.

“need to sell your home for top dollar,… then make sure that your kitchen and bathrooms are looking tip-top.”

“Let’s start with the kitchen…”

“The kitchen is a space where appearance and functionality are equally important….”

“90% of home buyers say having a nice kitchen is a huge factor when deciding on whether or not to submit an offer on a house….”

– “A full kitchen re-model usually doesn’t make sense when you get ready to sell…”

– “Start with some Painting- Slap on a fresh coat of paint to brighten up those dingy walls….”

-“Countertops- If you have the old school Formica countertops or old outdated tile, put down some…”

– “Fixtures- Get rid of those old chrome faucets you’ve had for the past 10 years and replace them with something…”

– “Cabinets- Getting new cabinets will cost you thousands, don’t do it if you don’t need to…”

– “You can make your cabinets look brand new by Staining them a different color or even painting them white…”

 Let’s talk about bathrooms.

– “Replace the toilet- Unless you can make your existing toilet look brand new…”

– “Vanity- think about staining or painting if you can…”

– “Same with the fixtures…If they look tired and worn out just replace them.”

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

Beware Of Agents That Talk Big And Come Up Short

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Beware of Realtors Who Tell You They Can Sell Your Home For Higher Than Market Value

Any Orlando real estate agent promising to sell your home for higher than it’s worth is probably lying or just doesn’t have the experience to know what they’re talking about.

 This is a shady tactic referred to as “buying the listing”. Agents do this with the goal of luring the seller in with a much higher selling price than other competing agents. Then once the agent has the signed listing agreement,  they will suggest that you lower the listing price after a few weeks of your home not selling. 

Meanwhile, you’ve just lost a lot of valuable time on the market. Even worse, a potential buyer might see how long your house has been on the market and offer less than what they were going to offer originally.

If you’re a homeowner looking to sell your Orlando home, don’t fall for this trap. Talk to several real estate agents in Orlando and get property valuations from all of them.

If one of them suggests a listing price ten thousand dollars higher than the rest, then you can be sure that something’s wrong. You would be wise to only work with an agent that can show you up-to-date real estate statistics and good comparables for your home.

 

Interviewing An Agent Who Promises A Much Higher Price

  • Ask for comparables justifying the price they are suggesting.
  • Ask them to provide at least 3 recently sold references, then call each one.
  • Find out about the agent’s recent sales. Where there big price reductions?
  • How long did they sit before selling?

 

Real Estate in Orlando is a very competitive business and unfortunately some agents have no problem resorting to using dishonest tactics to try and get an edge on their competition. These types of realtors usually have very short careers in real estate because it doesn’t take long for their fraudulent ways to be found out. Once the cat is out of the bag it’s usually only a matter of time before they drop out of real estate all together.

What A Top Orlando Realtor Will Do For You

  • Prepare A Free CMA [Comparative Market Analysis] on your house. With a CMA in hand, they will help you to determine a realistic selling price.
  • Give you suggestions on how to make your home look it’s best for potential buyers.
  • Prepare a high-quality presentation including, photos and HD video.
  • Promote your home on all major listing sites in addition to the MLS.
  • Promote your home with a massive social media campaign and on their company website.
  • Install a lockbox and sign once the property’s ready to list.
  • Hold brokers’ and agents’ open houses.
  • Keep you up-to-date on everything that’s going on as it happens.
  • Stick with you every step of the way until the closing.
  •  

If need to sell your Orlando home for the highest dollar amount, then come see our Orlando listing specialists. Over the years we’ve developed relationships within the community as well as with other brokers and agents which allow us to reach the all of right people within minutes.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*