Inspiration Through Short Sales

 

Inspiration can be found anywhere and it’s all up to the individual and what he or she is inspired by. It can be found on a slow walk on the beach or even traveling 90 miles per hour on a speed boat.

 

Something that’s always inspired me has been helping people. Maybe it’s the mother in me, but whether it’s helping my sons put on their soccer cleats or helping someone to short sale their home and avoid foreclosure, the biggest reward for me is seeing that look on someone’s face when they’ve accomplished something that they thought to be impossible.

 

 
Sometimes it’s easy to get derailed from what’s really important in life. One minute you can be in a great mood just driving down the road then an impatient driver cuts you off or you get a flat tire. Then, all of a sudden your in a bad mood and frustrated and you allow it to ruin part or even the rest of your day.

 

 

When you look at the big picture, instances like these are just little obstacles that are part of everyday life and making them out to be anything more is just a waste of your time and energy. So don’t sweat the small stuff!

 

 
Working as a short sale realtor in Orlando, I’ve had clients get discourage and frustrated about how long it’s taking their lender to process their short sale, or if it will even get approved! They have to live with a sense of uncertainty about what the outcome will be which can be mentally draining. Although their frustration is warranted, it’s a complete waste of time and energy to worry about what’s out of your control.

 

 
Having completed thousands of short sales over the years, I’ve become a counselor for distressed homeowners in helping them to deal with the emotional side of the process. Potentially losing your home can be stressful and even mentally crippling, especially when you have a family that’s depending on you to keep a roof over their head.

 

 
A real estate agent’s role in completing a short sale is basically a middle person between the seller and the short sale lender. If a seller takes their own sweet time in sending me documents that the bank is requesting yesterday, then they’re only hurting themselves. In this case procrastination is the homeowner’s worst enemy.

 

 
I try to get my clients to maintain a positive outlook on the situation and focus on the desired results, which is to complete the short sale on their house and avoid having a foreclosure on their record and even get them a few thousand bucks back from the bank at the closing. Keeping a positive attitude throughout the process will only make things easier and help to reach their goal.

 

 

Although short sales are never guaranteed, if you have the right team fighting for you, then at least you’re giving it your best shot. If you or someone you know need help with an Orlando short sale, give me a call 407-902-7750 or visit https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/short-sale-experts/

 

Orlando short sale agent

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Choosing The Best School For Your Child

If you’re a parent like I am, you know that when you make everyday choices in life it’s all about what’s best for your kids first and foremost and everything else comes second. Even the friends that we hang out with these days are other parents we’ve met either through school the soccer team or some other activity that our kids are involved in together, with the common denominator always being the kids.

Back in the day, people wouldn’t put too much weight into what school their kids would be going to when searching for a house to call home. Mostly because their options were very limited, you would either send your child to the closest public school or you would enroll them in a private school. I personally went to a Catholic school in New Jersey [and my ears still hurt]

As parents today we have so many different options that the challenge now is choosing the right school for your child. There are several factors that you should consider when determining the best educational choice. For example, if your child is a soccer star, you may want to pick a school with an outstanding soccer program. Maybe you would like for the school to be close by so that your child can walk to and from school. Whatever it is that you’re looking for in a school, you have to do some research so that you know which school will be best for you and your family.

Working as an Orlando Real Estate Agent, I always try to educate my buyers on the schools that are available in the area they’re looking to buy in. If someone’s not happy with the school that their child will be attending, then they should probably consider living in a different neighborhood if at all possible.

How To Start Researching Schools
A good start would be to write down what your child’s needs are first then the needs of your family as a whole. `
What are your child’s strengths? What are they excelling at? What’s their best shot at getting a scholarship!? For example, if your child excels in science or math, you’d be better off with a school that is known for having a strong science or math program. If your child happens to be a talented guitarist, why not send them to a school that specializes in music.

Once you’ve imagined what the perfect school would look like, you can move forward to the next step, online research. There are countless online resources available to help you get information like national testing scores and how the schools rank statewide as well as nationally.

Go In Person
It’s an amazing time we live in where we can research soo many things at the touch of our fingertips. However, when it comes to finding a school for your child, it’s worth taking that extra step to do an onsite visit of your top choices if at all possible. And if you have the option of bringing your child along, even better. Have a list of questions ready for your visit. Like the ones listed below.

Some Basic Questions To Ask On The School Tour

How many classrooms are there?
What’s the average number of students per classroom?
What facilities do they have?
What extra-curricular activities do they offer?

One of the best ways to research a school is to talk to other parents. They are experiencing the school the same way as you will be. Parents will be able to tell what they like and what they don’t like about the school within a matter of a few minutes. At the end of the day, just knowing that you have different options is a great thing.

Here are some fantastic resources for researching schoolshttp://www.greatschools.org/florida/

nces.ed.gov/

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7 Simple Steps to do Before Selling Your Orlando Home

Owning a home means that you are constantly doing maintenance as well as home improvements. There’s always something that needs to be repaired, replaced, or touched up. It’s lucky for us that these things happen at different times throughout the year, although sometimes it feels like everything happens at once.      Personally, I tend to procrastinate on the small things until there’s a whole bunch of little things that need my attention. These little things typically don’t get done until my wife decides to have people over the house. It seems that once I have a deadline for my to-do list, everything gets done on the same day.


When you’re selling your Orlando home, however, you should keep it in tip-top shape at all times, even the little things. Research has shown that you will not only get more money for your home but it will actually sell faster if you follow the steps that I’m about to outline for you below.  

1- Cleaning and De-cluttering: This is absolutely the most important thing you can do to improve the overall appearance of your home. As a matter of fact, if you can only do one thing on this list, this should be it. It’s hard for buyers to see themselves living in the home if it’s filled with wall-to-wall stuff everywhere. I would start by moving any large items into the garage that are making the house look smaller or just seem out of place or in the way. After the big stuff is gone, it’s time to clean like you’ve never cleaned before. I’m not talking about your routine cleaning, I mean deep cleaning everything including cabinets, walls, carpets, ceiling fans, fixtures, and whatever ever else can be cleaned.    Removing personal items like family portraits is also a good idea so that potential buyers can envision how their things will fit into a space. Also, you should lock up any guns, medicine, and valuables. Assume that every door and every drawer will be opened up by a stranger.    

2- Maximize Your Curb Appeal: That old saying ” never judge a book by its cover” doesn’t apply when selling Orlando real estate. One saying that does come to mind however is “the perception is the reality”. That means that whatever people perceive to be real is actually real to them.   The front door should make a statement by looking sharp and freshly painted with a color that pops. Keep your lawn and shrubbery perfectly trimmed and plant a few colorful flowers near the entrance. You should also pressure wash the entire house if possible or at the very least, the front.    

3- Fix It If It’s Broken: Assume that a prospective buyer will notice every detail. Don’t leave anything to chance, fix that leaky faucet or cracked window. If buyers notice that little things are in disrepair, they will automatically assume that the regular home maintenance has been neglected. The last thing buyers want is to move into a home and then have to make a bunch of small repairs to it. You should also take into account that buyers will tend to overinflate the price of repairs which may cause them to put in a lower offer.

4- Fresh Paint: There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to give your home a facelift. The painting will give you by far the biggest bang for your buck. It’s relatively cheap and makes the biggest impact on the overall appearance of your home. Stick to neutral colors like white and off-white. This will give it a clean elegant look and can be easily painted over by the new buyers if they wish.    

5- Make It Smell Good: Sometimes real estate agents will bake fresh cookies during an open house so that when you walk through, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. You don’t have to go that far or you’d be baking cookies every time there’s a showing. You should, however, make sure that there aren’t any undesirable smells in the air like animal odors. Make sure that the house smells fresh and remove any evidence of pets like litter boxes, pet beds, etc if at all possible. It’s also a good idea to take the pets with you during showings. If that’s not an option, then I would suggest keeping them in the garage or a  crate during showings.

Cigarette smoke is also a big one. I’ve had clients not like a house solely because it smelled like cigarettes. If someone in the house is a smoker, I would highly recommend telling them to smoke away from the home from now on. Smoke tends to attach to curtains furniture and carpet. Unfortunately, getting smoke odors takes a lot more work, like having your carpets, furniture, and curtains shampooed. 

6- Windows: You don’t need to replace your windows unless they’re in bad shape. You should at least make sure that they are spotless inside and out. The same goes for the blinds and curtains. If they are in rough shape, consider replacing them or if you can’t afford it, just remove them together.

7- Lite Staging: This is an important one. I’m not saying that you should hire a professional stager to come in and re-furnish your whole house for the purpose of selling it. As an Orlando listing specialist, I also have experience in staging homes by using the existing furniture and other items in your house to make it look its best for potential buyers.

By following the steps outlined above, you will put yourself ahead of the game when it comes to getting your house sold fast for the highest amount possible.

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Realtors In Orlando Ask: Sellers Where Are You?

If you’ve been keeping track of the Orlando Real Estate market lately you’re probably aware that housing recovery is in full swing. Lenders are advertising aggressively and new housing developments have been popping up all over Central FL. Mortgage companies are offering qualified buyers loans as low as 3%.

“Where are the sellers?” Realtors in Orlando ask.  Inventory continues to drop at an alarming rate and the homes that do hit the market are flying off the shelves. I feel bad for buyers’ agents because even if you have 100 buyers ready to go, you’re in trouble if there’s nothing to show them. From our own experience, the Orlando homes that do become available are usually under contract within the first week of being on the MLS.

For home buyers looking for their dream home, it can be challenging to say the least. And even if they do find what they’re looking for, they’re sure to encounter some heavy competition. As a matter of fact, competition is such that the days of taking a week to decide if you want to make an offer on it are long gone.

It appears that consumers are buying off the top and as soon as a house hits the market, it’s sold. Lately, when we show houses to potential buyers in certain neighborhoods, we bring a contract ready to go at the initial showing just to try and get an edge on the competition.

 Hang In There Buyers!

In our experience as Orlando Realtors, seller activity historically picks up during the spring season. This should give buyers a spark of hope in finding the perfect home. Many Orlando real estate agents that have been targeting buyers are now starting to hunt for sellers to try and help boost the inventory.

Tips On Making Your Offer Stand Above The Competition

  • Don’t send a low ball offer thinking that the seller will counter. With Orlando homes getting multiple offers low ball offers will be the first ones out. Submit a strong and fair offer right off the bat. This will ensure that your offer will stay on the table.
  • Have your financing ready to go. By being prepared with a pre-approval letter from your lender, you will be ahead of the game and your offer will be taken more seriously by the seller.
  • Add a personal touch. If this is truly the house for you, write a letter to the seller explaining why you want to live in the house so badly. For some sellers, it really does make a difference knowing that the person buying their home will love and enjoy it as much as they did. And if you have kids, talk about them also. If not, then get a puppy… lol!
  • Put down a larger deposit. Giving the sellers a larger deposit than they are asking for, it will show that you are truly committed to making the deal happen.

Many realtors in Orlando remain optimistic about the upcoming spring and summer seasons even though the supply and demand are soo out-of-whack right now.

If you or someone you know is considering selling right now or if you just want to find out how much your house is worth, please give me a call at 407-902-7750.   

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6 Best Ways To Enhance Curb Appeal

As an active realtor in Orlando, I always make it a point to inform my seller clients how a home’s curb appeal is a one-time opportunity to give buyers an inviting impression of your home…so listen up! 

The front door should give potential buyers an indication of the way the home looks on the inside.  The good news is that you can enhance your curb appeal without spending a lot of money. Below are some things you can do to change your entrance from bland to grand!


Paint Your Front Door

Make your front door pop by using a bright color or even super dark color, it could be just the touch that you need to give it a modern touch. If you live in a neighborhood with a strict homeowners association, then you should find out about any color restrictions they may have or you could end up painting twice.    

Decorate Your Entrance

The entrance to your home is the main focal point of the front. If you have the space, try decorating a bit. A couple of nice porch chairs and a small table or maybe even a cozy swing could give your entry a whole new look that potential buyers will love. Be careful not to go overboard, you don’t want your entryway to look cluttered.    

Add Lighting

Having curb appeal at night is almost as important as it is during the day. Most interested buyers will drive by the home at night to see if it looks as good in the dark as it did in the daylight. Having some warm lighting at the entrance by using decorative lanterns or solar lights will enhance the appearance of any front entrance.    

Use Large and Stylish Address Numbers


One of the most annoying things for me when I’m trying to find an address is having to slow down and squint to see the house number. A small house number can also take away from the overall look of the house. Be proud of that house number! Celebrate it! Use big stylish numbers to identify your house. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference this simple step can make.    

Minor Landscaping

Most of the time all a house needs in the landscaping department is some clean-up and trimming to give it that “fresh haircut” look. If you really want to make a good first impression then add some flowers with bright colors leading up to the doorway. This will help to set the mood for people right before they walk in.    

Replace The Hardware

If you haven’t changed out your front door hardware in a long time then I would strongly recommend that you get rid of that rusty door handle and replace it with a new one. Having a new door handle and maybe even adding a door knocker and kick plate will give your entryway that brand new feel to it.     

These subtle changes and tweaks to your front doorway won’t cost much money and the best part is that you can do it yourself in less than a weekend. If want to know more about how you can enhance your curb appeal before listing your Orlando house on the MLS, call me at 407-902-7750 or visit me at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/contact/jenny-realtor/. I’m here to help.

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