Orlando Home Buyers Buy Their House Back After Losing It To Foreclosure!

Every once in a while we hear a story about something that inspires us and that reminds us that good things still happen in the world. In this case, it was about one of our clients, Jose and Mary Guadalupe had gone through some financial hardships due to loss of employment and ultimately ended up losing their South Orlando dream home located in the Meadow Woods sub-division to public foreclosure auction.

After it went through the foreclosure process another family bought it and just 2 years later, they hired our Company to complete a short sale on the property. And so we did then we actually ended up buying it ourselves as a re-hab property. We completely rehabbed the home installing new cabinetry, flooring, fixtures, etc. The day I went to put a “For Sale” in the yard was the day I met the Guadalupe family for the first time.

These Orlando Home Buyers Never Gave Up Hope

They went on to tell me their story about how they lost their dream house to foreclosure and about the deep depression the family went through because of that experience. Since going through that experience, Mr. Guadalupe was now employed as a local truck driver for over 2 years and their financial situation had really turned around for the better. As a matter of fact, the family had recently been house hunting in that same neighborhood for the past several months never finding one that interested them.

Mrs. Guadalupe claimed that she would drive by her old house several times per week just hoping that one day it would be for sale. Then one day came when they spotted me installing our sign in the front yard. After listening to their story, I was happy to show them around the newly renovated home. It didn’t take long for Mrs. Guadalupe to start getting teary-eyed as she walked into the kitchen where she had prepared thousands of home-cooked meals for her family. ” My kids were raised in this house,” she said. It was right then and there that we decided to do everything in our power to help the Guadalupe family get back the house that they had lost just a few years prior.

stop foreclosure

Typically, it’s much harder to get a mortgage on a property after you’ve gone through a foreclosure or short sale and it used to be that you would have to wait 7 years before you could even apply for a mortgage but with the new lender guidelines in place it could go down to only 3 years for some people. Although buying back the same home that you lost to foreclosure is extremely rare, the Guadalupe family is among a recently emerging group of purchasers, that were able to get back into the housing market under new, more forgiving lender guidelines.

With these new rules in place, thousands of Central Floridians who have gone through foreclosure have the potential to make buying a home a reality again. Over 100,000 homeowners in Orlando have lost their homes to foreclosure or short sale since the real estate crash of 2007.

 

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Developers Say the I-Drive Project Will Not be Named Orlando Eye 360

As the work on constructing a giant observation wheel at the International Drive is going on in full swing, the tourist corridor of Orlando has a lot of things to look forward to. The word was, that the overall project, that the observation wheel is a part of, is to be named the Orlando Eye 360 by its developers. The news was, however, brushed off by developers as they prepare to make an official announcement soon.

Other Than Orlando Eye 360 What is in the pipeline of Merlin Entertainments?

Merlin Entertainments Ltd. is working on a couple of attractions for the state and come 2015, the second-largest operator of visitor attractions in the world will unveil three attractions – the Orlando chapter of Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, the Orlando Eye and the Sea Life Orlando Aquarium.

The three attractions are part of a massive Orlando real estate project – the construction of a towering complex for shopping, dining and entertainment, that is being developed by NY-based Circle Entertainment Inc. and Orlando’s own Unicorp National Developments Inc. The multimillion-dollar Orlando Eye project on the International Drive (projected to cost over $200 million) is planned to be completed in phases – work in certain phases is already over.

For instance, the real estate agents in Orlando reveal that the International Drive will see Orlando’s first Yard House open for business on April 24. The popular restaurant adds to I-Drive’s impressive line of new and upcoming restaurants including Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, BJ’s Brewhouse and the Red Robin. Local real estate agents believe that the Yard House alone would bring around 200 jobs to the I-Drive area in the form of servers, hosts, hostesses, line cooks and bar tenders to name a few.  Not to mention, new and better dining options for the area’s tourist corridor.

The project was developed with Orlando’s tourism industry in mind. International Drive’s convention area will get some much-needed entertainment, wining-dining and leisure options after the project ends. It will boost the tourism industry of the area that is currently valued at about $50 billion. The entire project will also boost employment in the area as it is expected to brings thousands of new jobs.

Merlin Entertainments is planning for a press event, to be hosted later this month, during which developer Unicorp plans to unveil the new name of the project. While speculations were high in the Orlando real estate scene that the project would be named the “Icon Park”, Chuck Whittall, the President of Unicorp denied, saying the firm would announce a different name.

The name has become a special area of interest, particularly because of the frequent changes made to it. Previously it had names like the I-Drive Live and I-Walk Orlando associated with it. Only Unicorp can tell what new moniker the project will adopt.

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This Spring May Just be the Best Time to Buy a Home in Orlando

The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation has some good news for all real estate buyers. Results from a new survey conducted by the Virginia-based government-sponsored enterprise, point toward a slight dip in the mortgage rates across all of America.

The spring buying season has commenced and decreased mortgage rates may be just the extra push that home buyers need to kick-start their spring purchases. The average rate of interest on a standard 30-year home loan reached 4.34 percent in the week beginning April 7. Only a week ago, the rates stood at 4.41 percent.

 What does this mean for Orlando real estate buyers?

Have you been thinking about purchasing a property in Orlando? It would make good financial sense to get started now. According to top Orlando short sales experts, mortgage rates are decreasing overall sectors. The average rate on standard 15-year fixed loans also dipped from 3.47 percent to 3.38 percent, the same week. These dips, though not enormous, are substantial nevertheless and present a good opportunity to make a residential real estate investment.

Fixed mortgage rates are not the only dipping bunch. Hybrid ARMs (adjustable-rate mortgages) also spiraled downwards slightly when compared to their rates a week ago. The rate for single-year ARM reduced from 2.45 percent to 2.41 percent. Five-year ARMs followed the trend, slipping from 3.12 percent to 3.09 percent in the same week.

With the industry heavily divided in its mortgage predictions for subsequent weeks, many realtors are encouraging prospects to gear up on their residential property plans. Real estate agents in Orlando have numerous listings on their hands, owing to the wide selection of residential complexes being constructed in the metropolitan area. Luxury apartments typically find buyers fast and disappear from the hands of listers in a shorter span of time.

What could the future look like?

The Mortgage Rate Trend Index saw 38 percent of analysts predict a steady decline in the rate of fixed and adjustable-rate mortgages over the next week. Another 38 percent predicted steady rates over the next few weeks. A total of 24 percent of participating analysts predicted the rates to rise in the next week. Realtors in Hunters Creek speak of the high spring buying trend in the metropolitan area – something they have been witnessing for years. They expect the spring buying season to be the same, asking potential buyers to make the best of the downward spiraling mortgage rates in the spring buying season.

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Central Florida’s Real-Estate Bust May Just be Over

Word is around the Orlando real estate market that Central Florida’s real estate bust has come to its end. There are not one or two, but three different sources that are ready to vouch for the positive turn of events in Central Florida. The three different sources and data contained in their industry reports  – all of which were released within a week’s time, point toward a growing industry.

Three sources, three reports, and several reasons to revel

Industry reports focusing on the real estate and construction market of the US as a whole as well as the states individually show signs of recovery and a rosy future. The sources include the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Urban Land Institute, and Economic and Demographic Research’s Florida Office.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks Florida number one in the nation in terms of state construction growth. The state’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research cited buildings as the reason Florida’s economy was recovering. Further, reports from the Urban Land Institute project a rosy, bubble-free future for Florida’s real estate industry.

While the dark clouds of foreclosures still loom large – Florida sporting the highest percentage of foreclosures in the nation – real estate agents in Orlando and industry experts alike, agree that the numbers are merely recession leftovers.

What Orlando Real Estate Experts Have to Say

What’s more, is that several industry experts are in agreement with the views expressed in the three reports. According to Cecelia Bonifay, who chairs the Urban Land Institute (Central Florida), the real estate industry has gained momentum throughout the nation, and Florida is no exception. She notes how all factors were aligning themselves for an extremely “positive marketplace” and adds that the positive sentiments were shared by almost all sectors of the US economy. Bonifay also points out that the recently released reports were essentially different because the recovery has become broader and spread across pretty much all economic sectors.

Leo Nimkoff, the Chair of the Commercial Council of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association is another expert who agrees that Florida’s real estate bust has approached its end. He reasons that people moving into Florida have helped the state grow – something top Orlando Realtors will agree with. Orlando itself has seen its fair share of new constructions, many of which are multimillion-dollar projects like the $56 million Crescent Central Station complex.

According to Nimkoff, people moving to Florida to settle permanently or the ones moving temporarily for work, generate jobs that go well beyond real estate and construction. Retails, restaurants, and malls spring up to meet the demands of a growing Floridian population and jobs get generated for the locals in such retails, restaurants, and malls.

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The Villages Shines as the Fastest Growing Metropolitan in the US

According to a report released by the US Census Bureau on Thursday, March 27, “The Villages” is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the US. The population census report reveals that over the 12-month period spanning from July 2012 to July 2013 – The Villages registered an impressive population growth of 5.2 percent, the highest in the US.

 

The top 10 fastest-growing metropolitan areas

1.    The Villages, Florida
2.    Midland, Texas
3.    Odessa, Texas
4.    Bismarck, North Dakota
5.    Fargo, North Dakota
6.    Casper, Wyoming
7.    Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
8.    Austin, Texas
9.    Daphne, Alabama
10.  Fort Myers, Florida

Technically, The Villages is not a metropolitan city, but only an unincorporated community of retirement homes, stretching across the Sumter, Marion and Lake counties. It is, however, widely acknowledged as a city since it is home to more than 107,000 citizens. This is nearly twice as much as the benchmark population of cities (50,000 people).

 

The Villages Responsible for Six cities Experiencing high growth

According to top Orlando realtors, the 5.2 percent increase in population can be attributed to the community’s improving facilities for seniors. Real estate agents who have worked in The Villages have revealed that the community has been witnessing a surge in the number of seniors and retirees. Warm temperatures, selection of executive golf courses, parks, fitness trailers, and the increasing number of “Neighborhood” and “Regional Centers” are some of the factors influencing this trend.

Six areas around the Greater Plains and the metropolitan region near the Gulf Coast were included among the 10 fastest-growing cities. The cities include Odessa, Austin-Round Rock and Midland in Texas, Fargo in Minnesota, and Bismarck and Casper. Rich in oil and gas, these metros witnessed a rapid growth in population primarily because of the energy boom.

Promising future for the Orlando real estate market

The recent report has left Orlando realtors with fresh hopes and a positive outlook for the rest of 2014 with respect to the real estate market in Central Florida.

Baby boomers from all over the nation are flocking to Florida’s much-talked-about retirement homes just northwest of Orlando. Further, residential projects like the $56 million apartment complex at Crescent Central Station, the 800 luxury apartments to be constructed by BentleyForbes Del American, and the Winter Park Village projects, are expected to bring in a lot of business for Orlando realtors.

 

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