Tag: Orlando Short sales

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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Orlando Realty Prices Continue to Rise while Inventory Drops

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Orlando Real estate prices keep increasing as Inventory decreases

It’s becoming painfully obvious that when it comes to Orlando real estate, it’s officially a seller’s market. The market is nowhere near as inflated as it was in 05′ 06′ , but we’re definitely moving in the right direction. For the 4th month in a row Orlando home prices continue to go up. This is great news for homeowners that have had their value cut in half during the past five years, whether or not this trend continues remains to be seen.

Most of our own listings at Orlando Realty Consultants usually will have a solid contract on them within 5 days of putting them on the market,  sometimes we’ll even get a contract within that first day of listing them. More and more we are seeing multiple offers come in and most of the time the offers are above the listing price.

Orlando’s summer Home Buying season is in full swing

It’s that time of year again. The kids are out of school and people that have been wanting to buy an Orlando Property but didn’t want to switch their kids to a new school mid way through the school year are now actively searching for their Orlando home before the new school year begins. The evidence is in the numbers, median home prices are up 2.6 percent since April. This is proof that Orlando home buyers are on the hunt with a certain sense of urgency.

However, even with the increased seasonal demand and attractive interest rates, Orlando Realtors completed fewer sales in May than they did a year earlier. Orlando agents reported a preliminary count of 2,337 home sales last month, down 5.8 percent from May 2011

If you’re thinking of selling your Orlando Property, now may be the perfect time to do it. Finding a buyers for Orlando realty has never been easier. Sellers are finally back in the drivers seat for the first time since 2006. Find out what your Orlando Property is worth here

 

 

Jenny Zamora, Lic Orlando RE Broker
Serving the Orlando community since 2005
 

 

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Orlando Home Sellers Staying After Deals Close

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

More and more sellers are insisting on staying in their Orlando property after deal closes.

As an Orlando Realtor since 2005, I’ve seen it all. Some people need more time to find a new place while others just want to stay to finish out the school year. In some cases the sellers will make a deal with the new owners to continue renting the home indefinitely.

I say why not? As long as the buyer and the seller are able to come to a mutual agreement as far as rent and terms, then go for it.  Although many of my buyers are retail home buyers who want nothing more than to move in their new house, we also work with a lot of investors who buy several homes a year through our company.

Some of these investors are strictly  re-habbers that are interested in fixing the house up and selling it. These particular buyers never want the sellers to stay after the closing because they need to get in there and get to work. Obviously, you can’t have people living in a house while your remodeling it because it’s not livable. The other reason is that a lot of these investors need to close on one deal in order to re-invest in the next one.

However, there is another type of investor out there that is willing and able to accommodate sellers wanting to stay in the property provided that the terms are agreeable to both buyer and seller.

Buyers have had the advantage in Orlando real estate deals since 2006, when the market was flooded with properties and prices were still astronomical.

As Orlando Realty prices became more affordable, sales increased sharply, reducing the supply of available Orlando homes and ultimately giving sellers more power in negotiations.

Bidding wars have now returned for moderately priced homes, some real estate firms and analysts say that Orlando’s housing market has hit bottom. And others say more foreclosures could be on the horizon and will hurt prices.

In my opinion we’ve not only hit bottom but Orlando real estate is steadily increasing. Is it still a buyers market?  Yes, I think so, but in desirable Orlando neighborhoods with not a lot of inventory, buyers are fighting to get the houses.

Sellers are Starting to Regain Control in the Orlando Real Estate Market

Sellers in Orlando realize that the market is starting to come around again and some homeowners use this as leverage to make a deal with the new buyer to stay in the house. At the end of the day, short sale or not, the Seller has all of the control as long as the property hasn’t gone through foreclosure. That means that they can refuse to sign the sales contract if they don’t get the deal that they want.

Most sellers prefer to leave the home on the day of closing or before. However,  in my experience, post-occupancy clauses occur on about 10%  of the deals closed by our office.

While buyers may feel they have no choice but to allow a seller to rent in order to get the deal done, they should be careful about agreeing to it. There should be a written agreement that includes a specific move-out date and the amount of money that will be held in escrow to be used if the seller-turned-renter damages the property.

Ask me Anything, I’m here to Help.

 

Orlando Real Estate Broker

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Orlando Home Buyers Having to come out of pocket to settle with HOA Bullies

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Homeowner Associations have gotten tougher and tougher to negotiate with over the years. It used to be that an Orlando homeowner trying to short sale their house wouldn’t have to worry about paying their delinquent HOA dues until the closing date. Not only that, but they would also settle for a fraction of what is owed to them, usually about 10% or less in most cases. Those days are long gone!

 

Orlando Homeowners Associations have become the bullies of the block

What we’re seeing more and more is that the HOA’s are trying to bully Orlando realtors as well as the homeowners into getting the entire amount of what is owed to them. If they don’t get their way, they take to property to foreclosure regardless of what the lender is doing. HOA’s are fed up with being put on the back burner every time and now they’re taking it personal. They are also very aware of the law, HOA’s are entitled to get one year of past dues if the lender takes the property to foreclosure. They also know that it’s much easier for them to foreclose than a bank [no proof of ownership necessary, no issue with robo-signed documents ]. A completely different animal than a bank foreclosure.

Once they get the property into their possession, they rent it out. HOA’s know that even though it costs them a couple grand to foreclose on the homeowner, they are now able to rent rent the property out and recoup some of the loss. Many times they are able to make thousands of dollars just because the lenders take so long to foreclose.

Orlando Buyers are Having to Come out of Pocket to Pay Delinquent HOA dues

I personally think it’s ridiculous that an HOA would foreclose on a homeowner because of a few thousand dollars in past dues. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about it, especially when they’ve already hired an attorney to handle all negotiations. I can tell you there’s nothing more frustrating than having an Orlando short sale 90% complete and the only thing holding up the deal is settling with the HOA. All your negotiating with the lenders is done, they’ve both given you payoff letters, and they’ve also given you 30 days to close. The only thing left to due is get the HOA to give you a discounted payoff letter and you’re golden.

The problem is that they want either the entire amount or an amount that is very close to full payoff! Unfortunately, if they don’t budge, then either you figure out a way to get them their money or the deal falls through. As an experienced Orlando realtor I will take a cut on my commission just so the deal will go through. Most of the time however, this isn’t enough for them. Sellers usually can’t afford to come up with any money, and the only ones left that can make the deal happen are the new buyers. Even though that debt has nothing to do with them at all, we have to make them aware that if they don’t pay it, they don’t get the house.

Orlando Real Estate Broker

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Orlando Homeowners Have all the Power!

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

We all know how thousands of Orlando homeowners have suffered through this foreclosure crisis since 2007.  There is another group of individuals that is also feeling the effects of all this…Lenders.

The truth is, banks have taken an extensive beating over the last few years and the effects are starting to show. Lenders don’t have many options when it comes to managing Orlando foreclosure properties. Even the usual process of foreclosure has been anything but reliable.

Orlando Homeowners have all the power.

A homeowner with the right strategy can stay in their home for over three years without making a single mortgage payment. I know this for a fact because several of my clients are in this situation.
Fact: It actually costs the lender less money to let the homeowner stay for free and maintaining the property than it does to evict the homeowner and pay to have the property maintained.

Don’t freak out, go see an Orlando Realty professional

I just cringe every time someone comes in to see us and they tell me that they moved out of there house because they fell behind on their mortgage and they thought that the “Big Bad Bank” was coming to kick them out. Unfortunately, most of the time it’s too late to do anything about it because they’ve already turned the key into the bank and moved into a new lease.
It kills me because if they would’ve just come in to see us when everything first happened, they could’ve saved tens of thousands of dollars and lots of stress.

That’s not the way it works!

Here are 3 things that you absolutely need to know if you’ve fallen behind on your mortgage.
1-    Don’t stop talking to your lender! As a matter of fact, call them often and tell them what’s happening with you. Ignoring the situation is the worst thing you can do!
2-    Even if the bank begins foreclosure proceedings, they have to inform you well in advance [in writing] of hearing dates, sale dates, etc. They can’t just kick you out from one day to the next.
3-    Talk to an Orlando Real Estate Expert. It’s free to speak with a top Orlando Realtor and an experienced agent will be able to inform you of all your options and help you come up with the perfect plan for you.

One thing is for sure, there has never been a better time in history to do an Orlando short sale than right now. There are so many homeowners facing foreclosure right now that banks are having to negotiate better and better deals.
We’ve gotten our clients anywhere from $3,000.00 to over $20,000.00 back from the lender depending on what program we‘re able to qualify them for.

Still have questions? Ask me anything, I’m here to help

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