Tag: Orlando Real Estate

How To Interview A Realtor – Video

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Hiring the right realtor is crucial when listing your house for sale and it could save you a ton of headaches as well as thousands of dollars, so you don’t just want to hire the first agent that comes along. There are currently over 8,000 active real estate agents in Orlando and choosing the right one can get a bit confusing.

When interviewing an agent, you have to ask the right questions. The first question I would ask is, Do you work as a realtor full-time, or do you also have another job?

This is an easy one. If the agent tells you that they only work in real estate part-time, then you say “have a nice day…and move on to the next candidate. If they only work as a realtor part-time it means that selling your house won’t be a top priority for them.

The next question is actually a 3 part question
1- How many listings do you currently have?
2- How many of those listings are under contract?
3- How many houses have you sold in the past 6 months?

The answers to these questions will tell you how hard of a worker the agent is and what their average turnaround time is to sell a house.

If the agent only has a few listings or if they have listings that are several months old with no contract, then this is a sign of a lazy agent.

You want an agent that is a go-getter and someone who is determined to get the job done ASAP, NO MATTER WHAT.

Getting a clear picture of the realtor’s recent track record will give you a very good indication of what you can expect if they list your house.

Next question,…Do you have some references from past clients that I can call to ask about you?

This is absolutely one of the best ways to find out how you’ll be treated if you decide to list your house with them. A good agent will be happy to provide you with a list of past clients along with their contact info. If they have no references to present to you then something’s wrong.

In my 10 years in the Orlando Real estate business, I’ve never had a client who has told me not to use them as a reference. It’s simple, if you do a good job for someone, they’re always going to be happy to recommend you.

Next question,… Do you have a team or an assistant, or are you a one-person show?

A Top Orlando Realtor will always have a team or an assistant at the very least. There are a million details that a successful realtor has to deal with on a day-to-day basis and if they have to handle every tedious detail on their own, then they aren’t good at managing their time. Or they have too much time on their hands. Neither of these scenarios is a good one.

Next question,… How will you market my house other than putting it o the MLS?

The majority of Orlando real estate agents will list the house on the MLS and…that’s about it. They’re done! They wait for someone to submit a contract and if no one submits a contract then they just keep waiting until someone does.

There are soo many effective ways to market a house in addition to putting it on the MLS. Here are some examples of some of the things we do.

Video marketing [that’s where we create a professional video of the home], social media marketing, We blog about it, target marketing with postcards, email campaigns, press releases, Open houses… it goes on and on.

It’s important that a realtor use every single tool in their toolbox to get that house sold for top dollar in the least amount of time.

If you ask these questions when interviewing a realtor, then you will know exactly what they’re about by the answers that they give you. Also, don’t interview just one or two agents, I recommend that you interview at least 3 agents and pick the one that you feel the most comfortable with.

If you still have any questions or concerns about how to hire a top Orlando realtor or if you are just curious about how much your home will sell for, then… feel free to contact us at 407902-7750 or visit us on the web at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/

How To Interview A Realtor 407-902-7750 Video

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Protect Your New Orlando Home With A Home Warranty

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Protect Your New Orlando Home

So you’ve purchased your first Orlando home, it’s wise to consider a home warranty and how they will give you piece of mind. No one expects for things to go wrong as soon as they move in to their new home, unfortunately many times that’s exactly what happens. As an Orlando real estate agent I always inform my clients about the benefits of a home warranty. Sometimes homes sit vacant for extended periods of time and like with everything else that doesn’t get used for a while, different components of a home such as AC unit, water heater, etc. can start to give you problems after not being used for a while.

Home Warranties Are Sometimes Included In The Sales Price

By investing in a home warranty, you can feel better about encountering unexpected problems with your new home. Many times the Orlando listing agent or seller will include a home warranty as part of the purchase price as an incentive. 

Something like an AC unit can set you back several thousand dollars right out of the gate. However, with a quality home warranty you have the piece of mind that all you will be paying is he deductible which is usually in the range of $60 or so. This to me is a no-brainer, your home warranty just paid for itself 20  times over with just one use!

In general a home warranty will cover your appliances, Central AC, plumbing, electrical, the roof as well as several other items. The warranty company will send out an inspector to ensure that all of these items are in good working condition prior issuing your home warranty.

It’s important to note that home warranties are very different than home insurance and cover different things. The best thing to do in order to make sure that you’re buying your warranty from a reputable company is to research them online and read the reviews that were written about each company. Once you’ve researched a hand full of them, you’ll be ready to make an educated decision.

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When Short Sales Fall Short

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

There are no guarantees in life and when it comes to negotiating Orlando short sales, this is especially true. Although lenders have come a long way in terms of approving more short sales, easing up on their guidelines, and even offering cash incentives to homeowners that are willing to cooperate, there are still when can fall apart. These are some of the most common reasons why short sales fall apart.

 HOA Bullies and Short Sales

Delinquent HOA fees are one of the biggest reasons for a short sale not getting approved. Many times the lender in 1st position will only allow the homeowners association to receive 12 months of payments as a settlement. Unfortunately, sometimes delinquent HOA fees can be in the tens of thousands of dollars and they would rather let the home go to foreclosure than to take such a big hit. And If you can’t get either side to budge then the deal will not happen.

 

Stubborn Junior Lien Holders

The 1st mortgage holder in a short sale is always in the first position with the exception of tax liens. Typically, all lenders will only allow a fraction of what is owed to be paid to junior lien holders like 2nd and 3rd mortgages. The problem is that not all second lien holders are willing to negotiate and if they are willing to take a discount, it’s still not enough to please the 1st mortgage holder. Unlike HOA liens that will be paid 12 months of fees if the house goes to foreclosure, a junior lienholder could potentially end up with nothing if the house goes to auction.

Bad BPO’s

A BPO aka “brokers price opinion” is a report completed by a local broker or realtor who comes out to the home and gives their opinion of what the home is worth. The BPO then becomes the starting point of the negotiations between the listing agent and the short sale lender. It seems that lately there’s been a rash of bad BPOs. When the BPO value comes in too high then the home will be overpriced and have little or no chance to be sold. If this happens, then your only chance of making something happen is to convince the bank to order another BPO.

 

 Lenders In Denial

After all the progress that’s been made in the short sale industry, there are still lenders out there that choose to remain stubborn about accepting short sales. It makes absolutely no sense to me at all. For some reason, lenders have trouble realizing that if they don’t negotiate, they end up losing a lot more money than they need to. They have to pay attorneys big money to take a property through foreclosure and if it does get sold at public auction, it ends up selling for much less than what’s owed anyway!

 

 

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Orlando Home Values Are In The Eye Of The Beholder

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Real Estate Is Not An Exact Science…Not Even Close! 

The truth is that there are many variables involved and I’m not just talking about physical variables like granite countertops and travertine floors. I’m talking about other aspects like the motivations and the desires of both sellers and buyers. It can be very difficult to account for more value or less value when you bring the human element into the mix. Sure, it’s easy to pull up data for value trends in a certain area, but you have to blend that data with variables that are present in each situation.

Working as a Realtor in Orlando since 2004, I realized long ago that real estate is about people and every person is different with different needs and different motivations. Orlando home values can differ drastically depending on who you’re talking to.

These days most home buyers know exactly what they want. What may be considered valuable to one person may be viewed as a negative to another. Does the home provide a specific need for the new buyer? A perfect example of this can be a home with a pool. Living in Orlando especially, I personally place tremendous value on having a pool in the backyard so that my family and I can cool off on those hot summer days.

However, there are people who prefer to not have a pool. Having a pool for them could represent having more things to maintain and more expensive or maybe they have small children who can’t swim. To these people, having a pool is a huge negative and they may not want to even consider looking at a home with a pool.

Other examples that can influence buyers with a specific need may include having an in-law suite, one-story or two-story floor plans, a master on the main floor, a handicapped-friendly floor plan, etc. Some may place the quality of the construction and the home’s design at the top of the list.

Elements outside of the home itself like living in a specific school district, being close to public transportation, or having a pond view can also increase or decrease the appeal of a home depending on what the homeowner is looking for.

People will always be willing to pay more for what they perceive to be valuable to them in their lifestyle. A Home’s Value has to be measured in two different ways: On paper – what the data says and, how well it will serve the buyer and their needs.

Appraisal Value Is The Only Thing That Matters To Lenders

I’ve seen single-family homes in Orlando with bowling alleys, batting cages, and even basketball courts…indoors! However, while a house may contain all these luxurious features, the problem is that these items are considered to be over improvements and just don’t add any “dollars and cents” value to the home.

Although a buyer or a seller may place more value on a home for personal preferences, the lenders are only interested in the appraised value. Attempting to challenge an appraisal in these situations is close to impossible. Underwriters typically do not like to think outside of the box.

 

 

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Value of Orlando Homes Predicted to Increase by 7.3% in 2015

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Orlando Homes On The Upswing

It is an excellent time for homeowners in the Orlando area. The value of homes in the Orlando metropolitan area is predicted to increase by 7.3 percent in 2015. According to the Real Estate Market Report published by Zillow, this rise easily beats the national prediction of 2.9 percent.

Other predictions

Other than the predicted increase in home values, there are a number of other predictions about the Orlando real estate residential market embedded in the report:

* The average Orlando real estate home value will increase by 15 percent every year. The value has increased to about $161,300. In the other facet, values also decreased in short term and dipped by 1.1 percent in the period between April and May. According to Orlando realtors, home values in the Orlando metropolitan area are now back to the levels witnessed from 2004 to 2007.
* The average rental value increased by 4.4 percent every year to reach $1,296.
* The inventory of total listed for sale residences increased 36.5 percent every year and increased by 4.4 percent every month in May.

When considered all over the United States, the listed for-sale home inventory increased in May and jumped 11.8 percent. Another fact that should be considered here is that a majority of these gains were achieved among residences that are priced in top one-third and middle home values. According to Orlando Realtors, the sale of homes in affordable Orlando real estate – the kind of property favored by people who are buying their homes for the first time – decreased every year in 28 of the country’s biggest metro jurisdictions. These findings came up when the numbers were crunched by Zillow.

Rents

All over the US, rents fell a little in May compared to April. It was a reduction of 0.1 percent and the median rent was calculated as $1,310. National rents (year on year basis) increased to 2.3 percent in the previous month (May).

In May, value of homes all over the US increased by 0.1 percent as compared to April and touched $172,300. This marked its consecutive rise in 28 months when considered year over year. In May, the value of homes increased in Orlando by 5.4 percent. This yearly appreciation in values is the slowest when considered for more than one year. Average rate of interest paid by purchasers decreased to touch 4.39 percent in April.

 

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