Tag: Orlando Real Estate

Why Use An Orlando Listing Agent?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Orlando Listing Agents Vs. FSBO

Recently, there has been an upward trend of Orlando homeowners attempting to sell their houses on their own by way of FSBO [For Sale By Owner]. They are convinced that they have a plan that will save them thousands of dollars by not using a real estate agent. Unfortunately, this is never the case. When someone is advertising an FSBO, they don’t realize that the money they set out to save by not using a real estate agent will usually be spent just by doing the things that a realtor usually does.

Think about it this way…If you had to go to court because of an important case that involves you, would you want to show up without an attorney? Of course not, that would be suicide. Then why on earth would you not want to be represented by a professional in the sale of your most valuable asset? I believe that some people have this idea about real estate agents being lazy and they feel that they can do anything a realtor can do.

Orlando Realtors are trained professionals that are licensed by the state of Florida. They provide services that are meant to ease the burden of selling a home and ensuring that everything gets done legally and in a timely manner. Also, realtors are able to market your home to a much larger audience than you could ever dream of reaching by listing it on the MLS in addition to all the other marketing tools that real estate agents have access to.

Use An Orlando Realtor With An Online Presence

These days, It’s important to choose an Orlando Realtor with a strong online presence because 85% of Florida home searches start online.  Every realtor has or should have access to the MLS.  The MLS or “Multiple Listing Service” is a service that allows realtors to submit their listings for maximum exposure.

However, a successful real estate agent won’t rely just on the MLS for marketing a house for sale. A top Orlando realtor will have a very strong online presence as well.  At the very least, they should at least have their own website.

Our company not only has a main website but we also use social media sites, Youtube videos, and a blog to market our properties. By using all the tools available to us, we’re able to sell our properties extremely fast compared to other real estate agents in Orlando.

 

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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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