Tag: Jenny Zamora RE Broker

Lenders Forcing Homeowners to purposely default on Orlando Real Estate

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Financial Hardship is not the only reason why Orlando homeowners are not paying their mortgage

Strategic Default is when a homeowner decides to stop paying their mortgage, not necessarily because they can’t afford it, but because it’s a bad investment not worth paying into anymore. Even if the consequence means to possibly lose their house to foreclosure and damage their credit.

Orlando homeowners have been purposely defaulting on their mortgages for several years now. When people become aware of the reality of their situation, they make a conscious decision to stop paying their mortgage. In most cases, I can’t say that I blame them. Don’t get me wrong, I would never tell a client to stop paying on their mortgage. However, I do tell my clients what their house will sell for and about how long it will take to sell and they do the rest of the math on their own.
Although Orlando real estate is making a steady recovery and I believe will continue to do so. There are Orlando homeowners that will never get the money back that they’ve put into their property.

Strategic default  Vs. Moral Obligation

Some Orlando homeowners are worried about their moral obligation to pay the mortgage. The truth is that the homeowner entered into an arms-length transaction with their lender in which both parties had competing interests thus spelling out their obligations in a clear, signed contract. Unless the contract states that the homeowner has a “moral obligation to pay,” then it’s plain and simple – they don’t.
Here are the facts;  when a homeowner borrows the money to buy an Orlando property, they have entered into a business transaction. The lender evaluated the risks and concluded that it was a risk worth taking. For its protection, the lender also required that the homeowner put the property up as collateral, as well as any equity that they had in the house.
The contract spelled out that if the homeowner doesn’t pay, the lender has the right to take the property and sell it before the homeowner gets any equity back – if there were any equity left, which of course in these cases, there isn’t. The lender would not have approved the loan if they didn’t think it was a smart business decision. The homeowners choice to enter into this agreement was also a business decision.
It’s now obvious, that both the homeowner as well as the lender made a bad decision. Now, the contract spells out what happens if the homeowner stops paying, the lender gets the property.

However, there are other options available to homeowners like doing an Orlando short sale or a loan modification. In my opinion, most loan modifications that get approved just don’t make financial sense unless they reduce the principle balance of the loan.

Strategic default is actually something that is caused by the lenders. The fact is, lenders won’t even consider entertaining a short sale unless a homeowner is behind their mortgage thus forcing the homeowner stop paying the mortgage.


By doing a short sale, the homeowner is able to get their house sold and walk away from the responsibilities of the mortgage. Also, there are now several “cash for keys” programs available where lenders offer substantial cash incentives for doing a short sale, sometimes up to $30,000.00 depending on what kind of loan they have and who the lender is.


Your value as a person is not determined by the value of your real estate, or how much money you owe to a bank.  You are worth more as an individual than your bank will ever understand. Life is too short, and there are so many things more important than an underwater mortgage. For many Orlando homeowners, it’s literally the difference between happiness and depression.


If you’re in a situation where you need to do an Orlando short sale on your house go speak with an Orlando short sale expert and find a solution, you owe it to yourself and your family.

 

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic Re Broker/ Orlando Short sale Expert

Orlando short sale expert

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3 Best Tips to Selling your Orlando Home Fast with Little or no Money

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

When it comes to Selling Orlando Real Estate, there’s only one chance to Sweep potential buyers Off their Feet.

Top Orlando realtors know the importance of staging a house to get it sold. The truth is, with the exception of owner occupied homes that are furnished because the homeowners still live their, hardly any one wants to spend the money to have their house staged for showings. Even the houses that are owner occupied and fully furnished can work against you. Let’s face it, not everyone has the best taste to pick out furniture or decorating a home to look it’s very best.

I’ve entered many owner occupied Orlando homes and have been forced to have that ever so awkward conversation with the seller about removing some of their personal belongings, de-clutter and sometimes about just basic cleaning.

Have you  ever had to tell a cat lover that they need to get the cat smell out of their house, or even better, relocate the cat so we can get the property sold? Not funnest part of my job!

As an Orlando Listing Agent it’s my job to do my very best at getting my clients Orlando Property sold, and sometimes sellers will get their feelings hurt. Usually, once I explain to the seller why we need to do certain things to their home sold for the highest price possible, they understand that ultimately it’s for their own good.

I also make them understand that as a Top Orlando Broker, people seek me out for quality Orlando properties and it’s my responsibility to show everyone of my listings in the best light possible.

Top Tips on making your Orlando Property look it’s best with little or no money

1-Cleaning and De-Cluttering– If you could only do one single thing to a house to make it look better, it would be to clean it and get rid of  the clutter. Most potential buyers don’t have the imagination to see anything except what you are showing them. So in other words the perception is the reality. Start by removing everything that you possibly can into the garage or out front. If possible, remove any large pieces of furniture that can make a room feel small and uncomfortable. Also, you should remove as many personal items as possible and put them in storage. Next,… clean, clean and clean more. Make every surface of your house as clean as possible, I prefer the term “sparkle”.

Warning: Once you clean and De-Clutter your home like never before, you run the risk of falling in love with it all over again and not  wanting to move anymore.

2-Lighting–  To show a house in it’s best light possible, you start with light and lots of it. There’s nothing worse than showing a house that looks dim and dark when you first walk in [that’s what they’ll remember]. Ample illumination can make a home feel warm, inviting and even larger and open. Lightening and brightening a home can offer one of the biggest returns to sellers at resale next to Cleaning, De-cluttering and paint. To make sure you get maximum benefit from your lighting efforts here are a few suggestions

      a. Use clear light bulbs instead of opaque for a cleaner look- Get rid of any mismatched bulbs, they are an eye sore and can make a room feel  chaotic. Also, avoid using those energy efficient bulbs that emit a harsh glare, instead use standard incandescent bulbs for a warm soft white light that.
 
      b. Clean or Update old lighting fixtures- If it’s not in your budget to update old light fixtures, then clean them. It’s a huge turn off to a potential buyer to look up at light fixture and see dust, spider webs and dead insects. I know it’s a pain to get the ladder out if the garage and clean fixtures that haven’t been cleaned in quite a while, but well worth your time and effort.
 
     c. Take advantage of window lighting- Start from the outside in, clean the glass and the screens. If the screens look really bad, get rid of them.  Old screens can make a window look awful and I’ve never seen a deal fall through because of a  house not having screens on the windows. On the inside get rid of any curtains or other window dressings that can be keeping the light from getting into the house.

3-Fresh Paint- If you were able to complete my first 2 suggestions, then you are off to a great start and many times you don’t need this final step. However, if you have chipped, scratched and missing paint on some of your walls, or if the colors you have on your walls now are very personal to you then you should definitely consider painting. Some people will see a color on the walls that they don’t care for and for that reason alone not like the house and not make an offer. If your house is extremely colorful to the point where it might turn some potential buyers off my suggestion is to paint all the interior walls off white. You can’t go wrong with off white; it’s bright, soft and elegant all rolled in to one. My husband is an experienced Orlando Real Estate Investor/Re-habber and he paints everyone of his Orlando properties “off white” with the trim “bright white”. You really can’t go wrong with this combination. It makes the house look clean, spacious and elegant. Also, these colors are very easy to paint over for new homeowners wanting a more dramatic look.

 

I hope this information was helpful to anyone looking to  sell their Orlando property. If you would like to see how much your house would sell for in today’s market, even if you have no intention of selling. Feel free to come see us for a Free Consultation or call 407-902-7750

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic Florida RE Broker

 

Sell A house in Orlando

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Cash Deals Still Rule in Orlando Realty

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Cash is Still King in Orlando Real Estate

 

“All cash deal” is one of my favorite phrases to hear regarding Orlando Real estate. Real estate deals that are purchased with all cash actually account for two thirds of all Orlando Florida residential deals closed. Cash deals are usually done by private investors or a group of investors that pool their cash together to buy investment homes to either rent out or flip.

The ”All Cash “ trend started in 2008 and in my opinion was great for the once “troubled” Orlando real estate market. Cash buyers took care of a lot of the inventory causing residential real estate prices to rise.

I have several Orlando Investors that I’ve been working with for several years. They are great to work with because already know what type of Orlando properties they are looking for and we’ve established mutual trust. So much so that they’ve purchased many of our properties site-unseen.

Of course cash buyers make lower offers  than retail buyers, but they make up for it in volume. The best part about selling a property to one of my investors… Guess who you think they will call when they are ready to sell it? That’s right, yours Truly.

Cash Deals are Dominating all Spectrums of  Orlando Realty

Cash buyers don’t discriminate against high end properties either. Orlando properties from below 100k all the way into the millions are being bought up buy Cash buyers. Educated home buyers are aware that when a you make a cash offer on a property that your offer will draw more attention than an offer for the same amount using traditional financing.

57% of all my Orlando listings closed this year have been all cash. Buyers know that in order to get the best sales price possible cash is the best incentive that you can offer. No one  likes to have to wait around for a potential home buyer to go through a long drawn out approval   process where at the end of the day may or may not close. Also, lenders have a very strict inspection guidelines which are proven deal killers.

 

 

Orlando Investment Homes

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Orlando Real Estate Agents are on the Move to in order to improve their earnings.

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

 Finding the best brokerage to work for proves challenging for Orlando Realtors

 

Top Orlando agents are always looking to maximize their earnings and sometimes this can mean switching to a another brokerage for a higher percentage split or a more desirable area. I went through the same thing myself when I first started my career as an Orlando realtor in 2004, working for several different brokerages until ultimately becoming abroker myself and starting my own company.

Orlando Real estate is an industry where it is common to see agents moving from brokerage to brokerage until they find the perfect situation for them to settle into, [which sometimes is never].  Most new Orlando realtors will usually stick with a brokerage for a while to see where it goes and if they’re not happy for whatever reason, it usually doesn’t take long for them to find another broker to hang their license with. Sometimes this will continue on for several years with some agents.
Just about every Orlando real estate agent will agree that the market has left its darkest days behind. So they want to be in the best position to enjoy the climb back up.  I can’t say that I blame them.
I believe that will we continue to see more and more agent movement as the Orlando real estate market works to fully turn the corner on the housing collapse of 2007.

Top Brokers seeking out top agents

Top Orlando Brokerages are always on the lookout for their area’s top agents so that they also can increase their earnings and make better commissions. The best realtors will always end up at a top brokerage sooner or later because they are mutually beneficial to each other which is why they are constantly seeking each other out.

Here at Orlando Realty Consultants we are no different. It has taken us several years to assemble the team of Orlando Real Estate experts that make us who we are today and we are always looking for Top Orlando agents to join forces with.

 

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic RE Broker

Selling A house

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Orlando Realtors Getting Creative trying to get New Listings

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Orlando Real Estate agents are trying anything to lure new sellers and get the listing.

It’s no longer enough just to send out a few thousand post cards and wait for the phone to ring. These days Orlando real estate agents are getting more and more aggressive when it comes to marketing to new sellers. This is not only the case with Orlando realtors, real estate agents across the U.S. are doing their best to lure sellers into giving them the listing.

Some Orlando realtors host happy hours a local bars in hopes of picking up a new listing while others comb through public records to find out who has lived in their home for more than 10 years and may be ready for a change in scenery.  Bank owned properties that were once hitting the market like wildfire are on the decline. In the first quarter of this year, foreclosure filings were at their lowest level since 2007.

Orlando Homeowners are waiting it out

The once plentiful sea of available Orlando Real Estate is drying up fast, but Orlando sellers aren’t budging. Sellers know if they wait out the slow rise in home prices, that they can sell their home for more than it’s worth at present, leaving them closer to the original price they paid or at least closer to what remains on their mortgage. Some homeowners are even hoping to make a nice profit when they sell their Orlando property.

Marketing Orlando Realty Consultants

Here at Orlando Realty Consultants we have just about all the business we can handle from referrals. We get referrals on a daily basis from either past clients that we’ve helped, other realtors that need help with a short sale and even banks that we’ve established good relationships with over the past 7 years.

Like most successful Orlando Brokerages, we started by using traditional methods of marketing for buyers and sellers such as postcards, newspaper ads, etc. but it just got to the point where we just didn’t need to do it anymore. As a matter of fact, the only form of marketing that we do is this blog which is attached to our website, and it was never intended to be about marketing for more clients.  I started writing a blog so that people could easily get valuable information about Orlando Real Estate, which happens to be be one of my passions.

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic Orlando RE Broker. Ask me anything, I’m here to help.

Sell A house in Orlando

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