Category: Orlando Realtors

7 Qualities of a Top Realtor

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Knowledge of their local market

It’s absolutely crucial to hire an agent with an intimate knowledge of the local market. The MLS is a great tool when you’re doing some preliminary research like cost per sq ft and getting comparables. However, you need a realtor who can go deeper than that, someone that has local knowledge of the area you’re looking in. When you find a realtor that lives eats and breathes real estate, they’ll know things that other real estate agents won’t.

Relationships with homeowners

Realtors that specialize in certain areas will sometimes know the homeowners that are selling, personally. Whether it was from an open house in the same neighborhood or maybe from knocking on doors. A good realtor will go out of their way to create relationships with homeowners looking to sell their property.

By having a good relationship with the seller, the realtor may have some useful information like how motivated the seller is and if they need to move out quickly or maybe they don’t care if it sells at all.

Knowledge of Pocket Listings

These are listings that are not marketed through the MLS for one reason or another. Although pretty rare, pocket listings do exist, and usually, only agents that work in that area will be aware of them.

Experience as a Listing Agent

Like in any other competitive profession, there is no love lost when it’s time to negotiate the sales price. The buyer’s agent is trying to get the deal of a lifetime while the listing agent is trying to get $10,000 over the asking price.

Having an experienced agent in your corner who has “been there and done that” many times in their career will give you peace of mind that you’re in good hands. Is it really worth losing money on the buying or receiving end of a transaction just because you wanted to help your friend or family member who just got their real estate license?

Tech Savvy 

It’s no secret that most potential buyers start their search online. Fortunately, these days most agents will allow clients to search the MLS right from the agent’s website. However, even though the MLS is the most popular site for real estate searches, there are countless others now and your realtor should be familiar with and have access to all of them.

A good realtor will use all of his/her tools in their realtor toolbox to get the job done quickly and efficiently. You can start to see how having someone experienced in your local market is a huge advantage. 

Has Been Established For A Long Time

If a realtor has been in business for more than 10 years and is still thriving, then you know they’re doing something right. Getting your real estate license is relatively easy and most people that get their license don’t end up making it as realtors. Being a successful realtor year after year takes hard work, dedication and a never say die attitude, especially with an ever-changing real estate market.

Outstanding Track Record

This is the “proof in the pudding” when it comes down to it. It’s crucial that you find out what the realtor’s track record is. You should find out how many transactions they’ve done in their career overall and how many in the last year or six months. If their numbers don’t make you say “WOW!”, then you should probably move on to the next candidate. It’s also a good idea to ask for references from some of their past clients.

Easy Exit Listing Agreement

Even with all the ways, we can research an agent, there’s a chance that you still might end up with someone that isn’t producing the results that you were promised. Be very careful when choosing your agent and make sure that there’s a clause that lets you cancel the listing at any time for non-performance with no cancellation fee. If not, you could be stuck with a bad agent for the remainder of the listing contract or pay a hefty cancellation fee.

We’ve completely eliminated this problem in our own company by using what we call our “Easy Exit Listing Agreement”. It gives homeowners peace of mind knowing that if w don’t perform, then they can cancel on us anytime with no cost to them.

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Kailey’s Ridge Update

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Floor plans and pricing for Kailey’s Ridge in Hunters Creek are being finalized by both builders and are expected to be ready within weeks. With the entrance roadway now paved, construction moves to the next phase of development. The builders (Ryan Homes and Surrey Homes) will each control 50% of the 134 homesites and are scheduled to begin construction on the actual homes by the end of September or the beginning of October of this year. The development will cover about 53.4 acres of land.

Home prices are expected to run between the 3 to 4 hundred thousand dollar range and provide buyers with top-quality residences with some very attractive and functional floor plans to choose from. The plan is also to provide a rural feel to the community for future residents which is why at least thirty percent of the new subdivision will remain protected and unspoiled.

 Hunters Creek Roadways Will Remain The Same

As a follow-up to my last article about Kailey’s Ridge “Kailey’s Ridge Underway Residents React”  Many residents will be very happy to know that the roadway leading into Kailey’s Ridge will not be connecting to any other road. The plan was to have the road connect to either Osceola Pkwy or International Drive. There were even plans to connect the road to 535! As a resident and realtor in Hunters Creek, I’m glad that the Hunters Creek Community Association would not allow this to happen. Developers agreed to pay the  $2,700.00 per lot in order to be part of the HCCA. There will be additional fees to pay by the builders as well as the homeowners as the development progresses. 

About The Builders Of Kailey’s Ridge

THE POINTE AT HUNTERS CREEK

Ryan Homes

This builder has been building residential properties since 1948 and is known to be one of the top 5 developers in the whole U.S. They are known for providing quality homes to buyers with a personal approach. This builder will also be constructing homes that are Energy Star rated which will be a terrific value to homeowners that will cut down on monthly energy costs.

Surrey Homes

In the last 25 years, this builder has built over 5,000 fully customized residences. Their base is right here in Central Florida and over the years they have earned a lot of trust and respect in the industry. Surrey Homes is known for providing the best features, great warranties, and top quality at affordable prices. Their team has a combined 50+ years of experience building homes.

Kaileys Ridge

There’s no doubt that the construction of Kailey’s Ridge is and will continue to be an enormous undertaking until its completion. Hunters Creek is known for having beautifully and quality built homes with sharply designed landscaping. Expectations for Kailey’s Ridge are just as high if not higher than existing homes in the area.

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Avoiding Home Buyer’s Remorse

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

  Home Buyer’s Remorse

Have you ever bought something on the spur of the moment then later on you ask yourself.. “what was I thinking? I don’t even like or need it”. In most cases, you can usually return the items like an expensive shirt or an ugly painting as long as you have the receipt. However, if you paid cash and bought it from someone’s trunk in a parking lot, then you’re probably stuck with it.

 

 

Unfortunately, you can’t do this when you buy a home which makes the home buying process even more stressful. Purchasing a property is a big deal for any family. Not only is this is the place they will call home for years to come but is probably the biggest or one of the biggest investments of someone’s lifetime.

 

 

In today’s competitive housing market where you have bidding wars on a very limited amount of inventory, it’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of wanting to be the one to “win” the home. Sometimes new homeowners will start to have serious regrets about the huge purchase they just made just days or maybe even hours after the closing. Oh No! What Have We Done!?

There are several things a potential home buyer can do to avoid going through buyer’s remorse…

 

Look at several properties that meet your criteria.

Even if you love the first home your realtor shows you it would be wise to visit several homes that meet or come close to meeting your criteria. Sometimes you think that you’ve found exactly what you’ve been looking for then you go see another home and you like it even better!

 

Don’t fall in love until the negotiations are done!

From my own personal experiences, I know this is a hard one to do but it must be done. Let’s say you put a fair offer on a home that you really like. Then after a few rounds of offers and counteroffers, the price has gone up another $30,000 more than what you can spend.

If you’ve already fallen in love with the house, then you are done…your mind will find a way of justifying the price increase and you’ll probably do whatever it takes to get the house even though you can’t really afford it.

Keep your best poker face throughout the negotiations. Tell your realtor what your budget is and stick to it! You’ll be glad you did.

 

Go see the home several times.

You should go and see the home several times before buying. Seeing the home only once before buying is a sure fire recipe for buyer’s remorse. Go through the home slowly and methodically, Open every door and window, walk through every room and leave no stone unturned.

 

I also suggest visiting the home at night for a another perspective. Don’t be afraid of bothering you realtor. Your real estate agent is getting paid to do their job, so make them earn it.

Make sure you have an inspection contingency.

Your best insurance is to make sure that there’s an inspection contingency in the contract. Some agents call it the “buyers remorse” contingency and it allows you to get out of the agreement if there’s a serious issue with the property you didn’t know before making your offer.

 

Hire An Experienced Buyer’s Agent

Enlisting the help of a realtor that is experienced in the area that you want to purchase in it will make your home buying experience much easier and even pleasurable. Let your agent know about any concerns or questions you have about a particular property or situation.

A good realtor will help you navigate through the entire home buying process as well as advise you of what to watch out for.

 

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Orlando Real Estate Brokerage

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Orlando Realty Consultants is a Top-rated full-service Real Estate brokerage located in Orlando, Florida.

Our firm provides professional real estate solutions for anyone needing to buy or sell real estate in the Orlando and Kissimmee area. Our experienced group of Orlando real estate professionals has experience in all areas of real estate. They will work with you to make your home buying or selling experience as pleasant as possible. We will provide you with the most up-to-date information on your transaction as it develops.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT BUYING OR SELLING A HOME CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS OF YOUR LIFE, WHICH IS WHY WE GO THE EXTRA MILE TO ENSURE THAT YOUR HOME BUYING OR SELLING EXPERIENCE IS A PLEASANT ONE.

TRUSTED BY YOUR NEIGHBORS SINCE 2005

www.OrlandoRealtyConsultants.com

Orlando Real Estate Brokerage 407-902-7750 VIDEO

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Avoid Orlando Short Sale Fraud

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Avoid Short Sale Fraud!

The mortgage industry is once again experiencing an increase in short sales. Since 2012 the number of short sales with Freddie Mac has gone up substantially. This rising trend will leave the Orlando real estate market a target for short sale fraud.

What’s A Short Sale

A short sale can happen when a homeowner can longer pay the mortgage on their property and the lender allows them to sell the home for a discount of the principal balance owed to the bank or investor. Banks are willing to do this because they can avoid taking the property through a costly foreclosure process.

Homeowners benefit by avoiding a foreclosure on their credit which can last up to 7 years as opposed to a short sale which stays on your credit for an average of two years. Many times homeowners are eligible for relocation costs from the lender. This amount is usually around $3,000.00.

What’s Short Sale Fraud?

Without trying to sound like an attorney, short sale fraud can basically be described as deceitfulness or trickery when directly related to a short sale transaction. Fraud can appear in many different ways during a short sale and on both sides of the transaction.

It’s deliberate misrepresentation or omission of a fact or circumstance that would convince the lender to go through with a transaction that a lender would not approve if they were aware of all the facts.

 

Some Examples Of Short Sale Fraud

1-The buyer of the short sale property selling or “flipping” the property immediately after the closing. This type of transaction can also be referred to as a “double” or “simultaneous” closing and can sometimes involve the use of two separate title companies.

An example would be if the seller or borrower owed $150,000 on a home that is only worth $100,000. The short sale lender accepts an offer of $75,000 from the realtor or facilitator. The buyer will then have a buyer lined up for $95,000 and both transactions close on the same day and the facilitator pockets the difference thus increasing the lender’s net losses.

2-The borrower’s hardship was fabricated for the purpose of getting the short payoff approved.

3- The short sale facilitator purposely damages the property in order for the BPO [brokers price opinion] to come in lower than it would if the property hadn’t been damaged.

 

Preventing Short Sale Fraud

The best way to avoid any type of fraudulent situation when it comes to a short sale transaction is to research thoroughly research the short sale realtor before listing your house with them. Ask for references, Google them, and check out any reviews that may have been posted. These days it’s even recommended to check out someone’s Facebook page to get some insight into what kind of person they are.

It’s also a good idea to avoid getting involved with facilitators that are unlicensed or if they want you to use a realtor that is controlled by them.

 

Orlando short sale expert

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