Tag: Orlando Short sales

Orlando Short Sale Guide part-1 of 2

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

 

What are Orlando Short Sales sales all about?

Working as an Orlando short sale specialist for over eight years, I get questions from both clients and realtors about short sales all of the time; How does a short sale work? Do I have to be behind on my mortgage to do a short sale? How will it affect my credit? Will my lender come after me for  the balance? Can I get money  back even though I’m in foreclosure? What are the tax repercussions?…just to name a few.

This two part post ” Orlando Short Sale Guide” is for people who have unanswered questions about short sales.  This week  I will talk about every aspect of short sales; what they are, how they work and the do’s and don’ts of whole process. In my next post I will also be talking about probably the single most important part of the whole process and that is finding the right Orlando realtor for you.

I think the best way to  start this off,  like anything else is by giving you a clear definition of what a short sale is.  A short sale is a sale of  real estate in which the proceeds from selling the property will fall short of the balance of debts secured by liens against the property and the property owner cannot afford to repay the liens’ full amounts, whereby the lien holders agree to release their lien on the property and accept less than the amount owed on the debt. Any unpaid balance owed to the creditors is known as a deficiency. Short sale agreements do not necessarily release borrowers from their obligations to repay any deficiencies of the loans, unless specifically agreed to between the parties.

An Orlando short sale is most often the best method to Stop Orlando foreclosure because it mitigates additional fees and costs to both the creditor and borrower. While credit is also typically damaged much less than from a foreclosure, both often result in a negative credit report against the property owner.

Who qualifies for an Orlando Short Sale?

Even though someone can easily prove that their house is worth less than what it owes, most lenders require the mortgage holder to be  at least 30 days late on their payment to even consider a short sale. In my opinion, this is a huge flaw  in the short sale process and I believe that any property that is worth less than what it owes should qualify as a short sale candidate. Creditors also require the borrower to prove they have an economic or financial hardship preventing them from being able to pay the deficiency.

  The Short Sale Process

Creditors holding liens against real estate can include primary mortgages, junior lien holders—such as second mortgages, home equity lines of credit lenders, home owners association HOA—all of whom will need to approve individual applications for a short sale, should they be asked to take less than what is owed.

Some liens such as student loans, back child support and I.R.S. liens cannot be discounted and have to be paid in full in order to get the deal closed. In our office, these liens are sometimes referred to as “Deal Killers”.
Most large creditors have special loss mitigation departments that evaluate borrowers’ applications for short sale approval. Often creditors use pre-determined criteria for approving the borrowers and the terms of the sale of the properties. Part of this process typically includes the creditor(s) determining the current market value of the Orlando real estate by obtaining an independent evaluation of the property with an appraisal, a Broker’s Price Opinion or [BPO]. One of the most important aspects for the borrower in this process is putting together a complete  short sale package including hardship letter explaining why a short sale is needed on you Orlando property.

Due to the overwhelming number of defaulting borrowers due to mortgage failures and other causes as part of the 2008–2012 global financial crisis, many creditors have become adept at processing such short sales applications; however, it can still take several months or even a year for the process from start to finish, often requiring multiple levels of approval.

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic RE Broker/ Orlando short sale expert.

 

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3 Best Tips to Selling your Orlando Home Fast with Little or no Money

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

When it comes to Selling Orlando Real Estate, there’s only one chance to Sweep potential buyers Off their Feet.

Top Orlando realtors know the importance of staging a house to get it sold. The truth is, with the exception of owner occupied homes that are furnished because the homeowners still live their, hardly any one wants to spend the money to have their house staged for showings. Even the houses that are owner occupied and fully furnished can work against you. Let’s face it, not everyone has the best taste to pick out furniture or decorating a home to look it’s very best.

I’ve entered many owner occupied Orlando homes and have been forced to have that ever so awkward conversation with the seller about removing some of their personal belongings, de-clutter and sometimes about just basic cleaning.

Have you  ever had to tell a cat lover that they need to get the cat smell out of their house, or even better, relocate the cat so we can get the property sold? Not funnest part of my job!

As an Orlando Listing Agent it’s my job to do my very best at getting my clients Orlando Property sold, and sometimes sellers will get their feelings hurt. Usually, once I explain to the seller why we need to do certain things to their home sold for the highest price possible, they understand that ultimately it’s for their own good.

I also make them understand that as a Top Orlando Broker, people seek me out for quality Orlando properties and it’s my responsibility to show everyone of my listings in the best light possible.

Top Tips on making your Orlando Property look it’s best with little or no money

1-Cleaning and De-Cluttering– If you could only do one single thing to a house to make it look better, it would be to clean it and get rid of  the clutter. Most potential buyers don’t have the imagination to see anything except what you are showing them. So in other words the perception is the reality. Start by removing everything that you possibly can into the garage or out front. If possible, remove any large pieces of furniture that can make a room feel small and uncomfortable. Also, you should remove as many personal items as possible and put them in storage. Next,… clean, clean and clean more. Make every surface of your house as clean as possible, I prefer the term “sparkle”.

Warning: Once you clean and De-Clutter your home like never before, you run the risk of falling in love with it all over again and not  wanting to move anymore.

2-Lighting–  To show a house in it’s best light possible, you start with light and lots of it. There’s nothing worse than showing a house that looks dim and dark when you first walk in [that’s what they’ll remember]. Ample illumination can make a home feel warm, inviting and even larger and open. Lightening and brightening a home can offer one of the biggest returns to sellers at resale next to Cleaning, De-cluttering and paint. To make sure you get maximum benefit from your lighting efforts here are a few suggestions

      a. Use clear light bulbs instead of opaque for a cleaner look- Get rid of any mismatched bulbs, they are an eye sore and can make a room feel  chaotic. Also, avoid using those energy efficient bulbs that emit a harsh glare, instead use standard incandescent bulbs for a warm soft white light that.
 
      b. Clean or Update old lighting fixtures- If it’s not in your budget to update old light fixtures, then clean them. It’s a huge turn off to a potential buyer to look up at light fixture and see dust, spider webs and dead insects. I know it’s a pain to get the ladder out if the garage and clean fixtures that haven’t been cleaned in quite a while, but well worth your time and effort.
 
     c. Take advantage of window lighting- Start from the outside in, clean the glass and the screens. If the screens look really bad, get rid of them.  Old screens can make a window look awful and I’ve never seen a deal fall through because of a  house not having screens on the windows. On the inside get rid of any curtains or other window dressings that can be keeping the light from getting into the house.

3-Fresh Paint- If you were able to complete my first 2 suggestions, then you are off to a great start and many times you don’t need this final step. However, if you have chipped, scratched and missing paint on some of your walls, or if the colors you have on your walls now are very personal to you then you should definitely consider painting. Some people will see a color on the walls that they don’t care for and for that reason alone not like the house and not make an offer. If your house is extremely colorful to the point where it might turn some potential buyers off my suggestion is to paint all the interior walls off white. You can’t go wrong with off white; it’s bright, soft and elegant all rolled in to one. My husband is an experienced Orlando Real Estate Investor/Re-habber and he paints everyone of his Orlando properties “off white” with the trim “bright white”. You really can’t go wrong with this combination. It makes the house look clean, spacious and elegant. Also, these colors are very easy to paint over for new homeowners wanting a more dramatic look.

 

I hope this information was helpful to anyone looking to  sell their Orlando property. If you would like to see how much your house would sell for in today’s market, even if you have no intention of selling. Feel free to come see us for a Free Consultation or call 407-902-7750

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic Florida RE Broker

 

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Orlando Realtors Getting Creative trying to get New Listings

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

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 agents are 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.

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Orlando Realty Consultants Welcomes Top Agent “Ruth Miranda”

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Orlando Realty Consultants Hires only the Best Agents

Orlando Realty Consultants, Inc., a leader in Central Florida real estate, has added short sale superstar Ruth Miranda to its team of top real estate professionals. Ruth Miranda is an enthusiastic go-getter with a genuine desire to help clients find the perfect place to call home and we are thrilled to have her onboard.

 Ruth Miranda became an Orlando Realtor in 2003 and offers a unique level of real estate expertise combined with an uncommon level of professionalism. Her specialties include: Luxury Homes, International Real Estate, Orlando Short Sales and Investment Properties with an expertise in Social Media Marketing, International Bridging, Market Analysis, Sales, Negotiating and Consulting experience. With a background in international relations Ruth recently received his Transnational Referral Certification (TRC) and completed his Certified International Property Specialist training (CIPS). Also held her Loan Officer’s License is a Certified Distress Property Expert, and Short Sales & Foreclosure Resource Specialist

She is also associated with many investment and international organizations with access to nationwide and international contacts. To navigate the complex decisions involved in today’s real estate market requires the guidance of a professional. Ruth is committed to quality service with an emphasis on accountability, reliability, timeliness and enthusiasm. Ruth’s goal is to provide you with powerful online and traditional marketing exposure, price band analysis, the expertise in negotiating for a quick sale along with the ability to maximize the highest asking price for your home. She is as devoted to her work as she is to her family.

She is fluent in the Spanish language, business etiquette, and culture. A successful real estate transaction is built upon the strength of relationships and the experience of how to get things done. Ruth is well respected by her peers and has developed invaluable working relationships with other professionals in the industry such as title companies, attorney’s, lenders, appraisers, builders, institutional investors and realtors. She also enjoys scuba diving, music, the great outdoors, giving back to the community as well as being with close friends and family

About Orlando Realty Consultants

ORC, Inc. is a leader in Orlando real estate, specializing in Short Sales. The firm has been at the forefront of Orlando, Florida realty for 8 years.  Orlando Realty Consultants has several Florida Realtors helping buyers and sellers alike. The majority of Orlando Realty agents hold the Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, providing special expertise for navigating through the changing climate of short sales, foreclosures and distressed properties.

 

For more information about Orlando Realty Consultants, call or visit www.orlandorealtyconsultants.com

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic Orlando RE Broker

Jenny Zamora Broker

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Orlando Realtors Being Targeted in a New Scam

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Scam Artist Targets Orlando Realty

Last week I picked up a beautiful $300,000.00 listing in Winter Springs. Less then a week later a man calling himself Dr. Andrew Cowley contacts me through my Orlando Realty Consultants website regarding this listing, it went something like this.. I am Dr. Cowley from the UK and I found my dream house on your website. I want to submit a full offer contract on it right away and I would like to submit an offer for $5,000.00 less than the listing price”.  A day or two go by and Dr. Cowley sends in the offer for almost full offer price complete with his financial statements which showed a balance of $5,856,765.00 .

I thought to myself, great! This guy really wants the house and even more importantly he really has the money. Being the only Orlando agent involved, I stood to make an $18,000.00 commission and it was all supposed to be done within a week. I got my seller to sign the contract, collected a $195,000.00 deposit from Dr. Bs and submitted everything to my Title Co.

The next day I get a call from my title company that blew me away. My title agent informed me that as soon as he submitted everything to underwriting, about a million red flags went up when Dr. Cowley name was submitted.  Apparently, this guy has been ripping off title companies throughout Central Florida, and now they were on to him.

 When something appears to be “To Good to be True” it probably is, especially when it comes to Orlando real estate

Here is how his scam worked. First he finds a house to submit an offer on and contacts the Orlando Listing Agent.  He then tells the agent how he is a successful Dr. from the UK and he has the financials to prove it. He also tells the agent how he has to have this house and is ready to buy sight unseen because he doesn’t want to lose it. The whole time, he goes back and forth the the agent on details of the contract to make himself more believable. Finally, after all thishe sends in a signed contract with a deposit of $195,000.00, when the contract only requires a $2,000.00 deposit.

Here’s the kicker…. A  couple of days later, he contacts the title company and tells them that his wife had a miscarriage and he really can’t move forward with the deal and that he needs his full deposit back immediately. By doing this two days after he sends the deposit, he knows that his bad check is still being processed and requests the title company to wire him complete deposit amount immediately.

I know what you’re thinking… Do title companies really fall for this scam?! Thank God my Title company is on top of things and saw this guy coming a mile away. However, there was a  title company that actually fell for this scam and he got away with it!

Jenny Zamora,  Lic RE Broker. Orlando, Fl

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