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 realtorin 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.
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 agentsare 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.
What is a Certified Distressed Property Expert [CDPE]?
It means that an Orlando Realtor with the CDPE designation is someone that is supposed to understand the complex and ever-changing issues in today’s Orlando Real Estate market. The agent should have knowledge of foreclosure avoidance options available to homeowners. A CDPE can provide solutions, specifically short sales, for homeowners facing market hardships.
Many times Orlando homeowners make the mistake of trying to do things on their own when they’ve fallen into foreclosure. This is always a bad idea because when someone is in financial distress, they’re just not thinking clearly, especially with the emotional burden of potentially losing their Orlando home to foreclosure.
Speaking with a realtor that is CDPE certified, also known as an “Orlando Short Sale Expert” is by far the best course of action to take. First of all, it doesn’t cost you a cent to consult with an Orlando realtor [if a realtor ever tries to charge you for a consultation, turn around and walk away], so you have absolutely nothing to lose in this regard. CDPEs have the tools, knowledge, and experience to help homeowners figure out the best solutions for their specific solution through the execution of an Orlando short sale or loan modification.
If you’re currently looking for an Orlando Short sale Expert, make sure to select an agent that possesses the CDPE designation to make sure that you have a trained professional to address your specific needs. CDPEs have an obligation to go above and beyond for their clients in need and you shouldn’t settle for anything less.
It’s not just about the CDPE Designation…
With all of that being said about CDPEs, it’s important to also consider the amount of experience the Orlando agent has had as a CDPE and what is their success rate with short sales in Orlando. This is something that is easily researched online or even better… ask your potential agent to show you proof of how many short sales listings they have and also ask them how many short sales they’ve closed in the past 6 months.
Another great option that may save you some time is just Google Orlando Short Sales and see what comes up. The top three results that come up should give you a great starting point. Like most people in the world today, I use Google for just about everything.
You want an agent that’s aggressive and doesn’t take no for an answer. Working with short sales is tough and you need an agent that is willing to go toe to toe with the bank for you. Unfortunately, this kind of tenacity and work ethic is something that is difficult to teach, realtors either have or don’t have.
Ask me anything, I’m here to help.
Jenny Zamora, Lic RE Broker. Certified Distressed Property Expert
Listing your home with the wrong agent could cost you Big Bucks
Most people will only sell a home a handful of times throughout their whole life. With limited or no experience in Orlando real estate it’s hard for someone to know how to maximize their profits from the sale of their home. Unfortunately, many homeowners make the mistake of thinking that all realtors are the same. They list with the first realtor that comes along without doing any research on that person and it ultimately ends up costing the seller thousands of dollars. The following information will help you to decide which Orlando realtor you should choose to sell your home for maximum profit.
Always Start with Google
Like pretty much anything you do these days, you start by typing your search term into Google and see what comes up. Most of the time you can find out anything you need to find out just by doing this. Once the list of Orlando realtors comes up, pick the top ten search engine results and write down their information. From these top ten agents, you should use the following questions to decide which is the right agent for you.
1. Could You send me some information about yourself? By asking this question you can learn a lot about this realtor. Ask them to see some of their marketing materials such as; postcards, ads, internet ads, etc. Also, pay attention to how long the agent takes to get back at you. If it takes a Orlando realtor 24 hrs or more to get back to you after you’ve left them a message then you can expect them to take at least that long to follow up with a potential buyer for your house.
2. How many Orlando properties have you listed and sold in the last six months? You want an Orlando agent that has experience in selling homes in the area where your home is located. By knowing the number of houses they’ve listed and the number of houses that they’ve sold within the same time period, you can get a good idea of what kind of results to expect.
3. What is the average length of time that it takes you to sell home? See what they tell you, then verify it. An Expert in Orlando real estate will know exactly at what price to list your home at to sell quickly for the highest price that the market will allow. The agent that you choose should have a good record of selling homes, not just listing them.
4. How long have you been in business? Going by how long an agent has had their license is not a good way to find out how good of a home seller they are. There are many “part time” agents that have been licensed for ten years or more, but I will choose a “rookie” top producing agent any day over a realtor that has to do something other than selling Orlando real estate to make a living.
5. Do you have any employees or an assistant? Top Producing Orlando Agents will almost always have at least an assistant. A lot of things involved with selling real estate are tedious and very time consuming, especially when you’re negotiating a short sale. A realtor with an assistant is typically a sign of a successful realtor.
6. What listing price would you recommend? And how did you come up with that number? Pricing a house right from the beginning is absolutely critical. The price should be realistic and a Keep in mind the selling price should attract prospective buyers to your home, get you top dollar in the current market and reflect the condition of your home. Be realistic and avoid ‘yes agents’, who will say ‘yes’ to any request or price while your home languishes on the market. Lowball agents will try to talk you into an artificial price simply to sell as fast as possible.
7. What does your listing agreement entail? , when does it expire and what fees will I have to pay if you are successful in selling my house? – Have your agent go over every detail in the listing agreement with you until you understand it completely. Make sure the beginning and ending dates are on the agreement; a good standard for length is three months. Know exactly what fees you will be paying and remember that less is not always better. If the agent stands to make very little commission you can bet it will be reflected in the amount of time and effort that is spent marketing your home. If the agent reduces their commission to get the listing it may mean they intend to spend very little money promoting the property. The normal commission is between 5 and 7 percent.
8. How do you market your Orlando properties? How much is your Orlando realtor going to spend on advertising this property? What are the different methods or strategies do they use for marketing their properties? Do they have a strong internet presence? Beware of agents that will do nothing more than list your property on the MLS…and that’s it. Agents who are aggressive and innovative with their marketing will always outperform agents who only rely on methods of the past.
9. Can I see some testimonials from your past clients? Any top producing Realtor should have at least a dozen testimonials from past clients and should be happy to show them to you. If the agent can’t produce any, then you should end the interview right there and continue searching for the right agent.
I hope these questions will help you to find the right realtor for you. As always ask me anything, I’m here to help.
Short Sales Outnumbering Foreclosure Sales in a Big Way.
The Orlando foreclosure crisis is nowhere close to being over, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter every day. Orlando short sales are a win-win for everyone involved. Short sales [which occur when homeowners sell their homes for less than what they still owe], also close much faster than foreclosure sales, and they relieve lenders of the responsibility of maintaining vacant homes as well as not having to worry about the properties getting vandalized.
It makes you think,… with soo many benefits in it for the lenders the question is why weren’t they doing this the whole time?
New Developments in Orlando Real Estate
There have been some changes made in the rules of Orlando short sales lately. For starters, lenders no longer have a choice. The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced this month that mortgage servicers will be required to review and respond to short sale offers within 30 days and make final sale decisions within 60 days. All of this is supposed to take place in June of this year, meanwhile, lenders are scrambling to train enough staff to handle the demand for new short sale files.
A Win-Win Situation for Orlando Homeowners
By going the short sale route both the lenders as well as the homeowners win. Homeowners get to walk away from debt-free, the lender re-cooperates some of their money back and everyone gets to move on with life.
Doing a short sale is usually the best option for people. Statistics just from our own office indicate that 90% of the time homeowners choose the short sale route after consulting with one of our Orlando short sale specialists and all the options have been explained to them. With all the incentives being offered by lenders these days, it just makes the most sense in most cases. With lenders being much better equipped to process short sales now, it’s absolutely the fastest way for borrowers to walk away from their distressed properties. Also, credit repair is much easier to achieve when you’re dealing with some late payments on your record as opposed to a foreclosure.
Cash for Keys for some homeowners.
For many homeowners, banks are offering cash incentives for the homeowner to agree to a short sale. We’ve gotten our clients from $3,000.00 up to $20,000.00 back at closing. This is a tremendous help for homeowners in making the transition into a new homeless financially painful.
Short Sales are better for Orlando neighborhoods.
Banks are terrible property owners, foreclosed homes often stay vacant for months and even years, meanwhile, the home deteriorates due to lack of maintenance. To make things worse, vacant houses might as well have targets painted on them in certain neighborhoods. Thieves go after things like fixtures, appliances, copper pipes, etc. Banks are unknowingly cannibalizing their own assets with foreclosures. Short sales put new owners in vacant homes much faster than foreclosure sales. This is good news for Orlando neighborhoods that have been hit hard by the mortgage crisis. New homeowners are typically pretty excited about being new homeowners and the first thing they usually do is work on the curb appeal of their new home. Many times this creates a domino effect and before you know it, surrounding neighbors will also want to improve their curb appeal.
