Tag: Jenny Zamora

Downtown Orlando To Have More Than 1,000 New Residential Units

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

The month of May in the Orlando real estate industry is all set to be marked by a plethora of new housing programs. Orlando Realtors can count on builders adding more than 1,000 new residential real-estate constructions in the downtown area alone.

On Monday, May 12, “The City Beautiful” reviewed plans for two new residential units. Further, work on a third apartment complex is all set to begin in a week or two. Top Orlando Realtors say several interested investors and first-time buyers have started showing a lot of interest in the projects.

 

Orlando City Council reviews plans for two complexes

The city council met to review the phase-one plans of the proposed “Citi Towers” and “Elan at Audubon Park”. Citi Towers, proposed to be erected on the north-eastern corner of Lake Avenue and East Church Street, will be built by the Summa Development Group if everything goes as planned.

The group had filed an appeal before the city council to replace what is currently known as the Lutheran Towers planned district with the Citi Towers apartment complex. The complex is expected to have 22-story and house 223 individual housing units. The site spreads over 0.7 acres and the complex would include commercial space spanning over 22,300 square feet as well. Developers also requested the council to extend the maximum allowance and let Summa Group raise 710 units in total.

Plans for the Elan at Audubon Park were also reviewed by the council on Monday. Orlando Heights LLC, which owns property on the site, appealed to the council to rezone or reassign a planned development community that currently exists near the Orlando Fashion Square mall. If approved, developer Greystar would be roped in to raise an apartment complex featuring 450 individual units, at the site. The site stretches over close to 20 acres and would be filled with four-story apartments including garage space.

Work on a new residential complex in Thornton Park, Downtown Orlando to begin in May

While the future of the two proposed apartment complexes remains in the hands of the city council, work on a third apartment complex is set to begin this month. The complex would be raised in Church Street of the Thornton Park area and house 299 units. The complex will also house close to 9,000 free spaces for commercial leasing and have 10 individual live-work units.

According to some Orlando listing agents familiar with the plans, a part of the commercial space is to be leased out by one large and two mini art galleries. New artists will be able to display their work and keep the community abuzz with several activities.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

It’s Time For The Final Walk-through!

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

A final walk-through is not at all like a home inspection or an appraisal. The final walk-through occurs after all the dust has settled from negotiating the price to scheduling inspections, getting the loan approved, etc.  A final walk-through is an inspection usually performed by the buyer and buyer’s agent anywhere from a couple of hours to several days before the closing. I like to schedule final walk-throughs for my buyers 5-7 days before the closing.  

The main purpose of this type of inspection is to make sure that the buyer is getting exactly what was agreed upon by both buyer and seller as well as to check on repairs, if any, that were supposed to have been made by the buyer. It’s the last opportunity for the buyer to walk through the house as the buyer and not as the new owner.  

The final walk-through shouldn’t be skipped by the buyer, it’s never a good idea to assume that things will be the way you expect without verifying, especially with something as important as purchasing a home.      

Here are some tips when it’s time for the Final Walk-through  

Finishing touches- paint

1- Bring a hard copy of this checklist with you so you don’t forget anything.  
2- Check the exterior of the home for new damage, especially if it’s been storming since your last visit.  
3- Turn on the sprinkler system, pool pump, and all exterior lights, and check outlets.  
4-Run all water faucets throughout entire house, check hot and cold. Look under sinks for water leaks.  
5- Test all appliances  
6- Make sure that the seller hasn’t removed any fixtures, chandeliers, etc. they agreed to leave behind.  
7-  Test air conditioning and heater.  
8- Flush every toilet.  
9- Open and close every single window and door.  
10- Check ceilings, walls, and floors for new water stains.  
11- Turn on garbage disposal and exhaust fans.  
12-Make sure any debris has been removed and the home has been cleaned.  
13-Make sure you test any remote controls such as the garage door.  

Take your time!

As an Orlando Realtor, I always stress to my clients that this is one time that you DO NOT want to rush. Spend a good hour or more going through the house that you will call home. The last thing you want to deal with when you move in is cleaning or repairing something that should’ve been done by the seller.

Be sure to take notes about anything you may have noticed that wasn’t the way it was supposed to be and inform your real estate agent. Remember, the final walk-through will be your last opportunity to mention anything that you’re not pleased with before the closing of the transaction.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Testimonial For Jenny Zamora, Orlando RE Broker

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

This is the story of Irene Mazza. When she first came to see us, she had a rental property that was costing her $150 per month and was ready to just let it go to foreclosure. We sat down with Ms. Mazza and explained her options to her. After hearing about all of the options available to her, she decided on a loan modification.

We’re happy to report that not only did we help her get her home loan modified, but she is now instead of losing $150 every month, she’s making  $300 per month on her rental property.

Don’t take our word for it, watch the video and you can hear it right from her.

Testimonial for Jenny Zamora, Orlando RE Broker

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Loan Transfers, Not Just For Delinquent Mortgages

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Most people are under the assumption that a loan has to be in delinquent status in order to be transferred. The truth is that any loan can be transferred at any time the bank wishes. Remember the fine print that you speed read through at the closing? 

Somewhere in that fine print, it states that your mortgage company reserves the right to sell or transfer your loan at any time they wish after the closing. That means that the lender has the right to sell your loan to another lending institution without your permission.

Usually, mortgage companies will give you a written notice in the mail informing you that your loan has been or will be transferred to the new lender or servicing company.

However, I’ve had many clients tell me that they were made aware of the transfer only through a welcome letter from the new lender. Sometimes loans get transferred multiple times. Just because your loan was transferred once, it doesn’t mean that it won’t get transferred again…and again, etc.

Unless you pay off your loan in full, you will never have control over who controls your mortgage.

Mortgage Transfers Are Especially Challenging for Short Sale Realtors

For real estate agents like myself that specialize in doing Orlando short sales, this can be an extremely frustrating situation. You can have hours, days, weeks, and even months invested in a short sale file then… WHAMMO!!  Out of the blue the loan gets transferred to another lender. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if they would just transfer the complete file over to the next lender so that we could just pick up where we left off. But that’s not the case……that’s never the case!

The new lender requires the agent to submit the entire short sale package again from scratch. The only thing that does transfer over it seems is the pending sale date. So not only are you forced to waste a lot more time submitting the new file, getting a hold of the negotiator, etc. but the sale date doesn’t usually get delayed.

This has happened so many times to me that you wouldn’t bother me any more right? Wrong… this has to be the most frustrating thing that can happen to a short sale realtor especially if you’ve been working the file for several months. However, sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise if you’re lucky enough to get a lender that’s more flexible with their terms or guidelines other times homeowners end up with a lender with a much stricter set of rules.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Big-Name Brokerages Don’t Always Mean The Best Realtors

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

When I started my career as an Orlando Realtor back in 2004, I started working for one of the big-box brokerages thinking that it was a good way to get started in Orlando real estate and become a successful realtor. Working for a nationally recognized brokerage franchise can be great for new-bee real estate agents. They are constantly training new agents on how to prepare a listing agreement properly, how to use the MLS, create CMA’s, etc. I think it was a great experience for me as a new agent just learning the ropes.

With that being said, I also experienced the negatives of working for a big-box brokerage. The reason that everyone knows about national brokerage franchises is because of the massive amount of marketing that they do nationwide. These brokerages have a large budget to spend on marketing so they stay pretty busy. The problem is that many times these brokers get so busy that they have trouble keeping up with all the buyers and sellers that are contacting them to buy or sell a house. Unfortunately, sometimes this means that the potential buyer or seller ends up getting either poor service or no service at all.

It was then that I realized that it was time to branch out on my own. At first, it was tough as it is with starting any new business. However, through hard work and perseverance, I made it happen. I was fortunate enough to realize early on that people really appreciate personalized service when it comes to buying or selling a house. I mean think about it,… buying or selling a home is or will be one of the most if not the most important transactions of a person’s lifetime. I learned that if you do your job by providing the above-and-beyond type of service to people then you will be successful as an Orlando real estate agent. The Best Realtors believe that if you make it is not about the money, you make more money…it’s that simple. A happy client will tell their friends and family about what a good job their realtor did for them and spread the word. This translates into more clients which translates into increased income.

I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve gotten calls from people saying that before they found me, they called so-and-so realtor from a large brokerage and didn’t even get a callback!

Finding The Best Realtors

We’re now fortunate enough to be in a position where most of our clients come by way of referrals from past clients. If you want the find the best realtor to sell or buy a home, don’t just pick the biggest named brokerage, look for realtors with proven track records.  Spend some time looking on Google type in terms like “Top Orlando Realtors” or “Orlando real estate agents”. This will give you a great place to start you search. Once you’ve picked out a few from the top results, start interviewing until you’ve found one not only with a great track record but one that you like. I wrote an article a while back called “A Guide To Interviewing An Orlando Realtor”  Which has some great information on finding the best realtor for you.

Orlando Real Estate Broker

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields