Buyers - Orlando and Clermont Real Estate

Getting Your Clermont Lake House Ready to Sell

Getting Your Clermont Lake House Ready to Sell

When preparing to list your lake house, it’s important to remember that you’re not only selling your home, you’re selling the lake. Buyers can make changes to the structure of the home, but a lake front location is something you’re stuck with. Therefore it’s important to focus on the lake, shoreline and lifestyle in order to hook the buyer. Here are some tips:

Define the destination: Potential buyers will first want to go to the water. Be sure there’s a welcoming, clear and well-lit pathway leading to the water’s edge and/or dock.

Dock & Deck Safety: Be sure docks, decks and shoreline walls are sturdy and safe. Replace or repair any damaged or loose areas. For floating docks, it’s best to rope them off as many people are not used to walking on them.

Curb Appeal on the Shore: Clean all debris, leaves and dead fish from shoreline. Rake all aquatic weeds and bottom muck as far out into the lake as possible. Have photos ready to show the shoreline during every season, especially summer.

Stage for the Lake Front Lifestyle: Buyers are buying a lake home for a reason…the lifestyle. Help potential buyers visualize their new lifestyle by strategically placing kayaks, life jackets, patio furniture, fishing gear and the like. As an extra bonus, have a kayak, canoe or row boat ready (with life jackets) to take them out on the water at a moment’s notice!

Market the Lake: Create flyers that have EVERY detail imaginable on the lake itself. Include things such as size), depth, allowed recreation, boating rules & regulations, Lake Association information, aquatic weeds, public access, boat launches, fish type, etc.

Lake View: Once a buyer enters the home, they will immediately go to where they can see the lake. Be sure that the windows and/or sliding glass doors that provide views of the lake are clean and spotless. Image by Jared Flickr

5 Newcomer Tips for Living in Orlando

5 Newcomer Tips for Living in Orlando

Thousands of people move to Orlando each year and you are here because you are thinking about making the move. Well, do it. Orlando is a beautiful city in central Florida with something for everyone. Sports fan? We’ve got you covered. Nature lover? We have plenty of terrestrials and marine life here. Need to relocate to a warmer climate? We have more than enough sunshine and we are willing and ready to share it with you!

If you are planning an upcoming move to Orlando, here are 5 newcomer tips that should help you out once you get into town:

Have multiple interviews lined up – If you’re not currently employed, it is always wise to send out your resumes before moving into town. This will not only give you a feel for what type of jobs are available in the city but may also get a few interviews lined up for once you get here. Assuming you land a few interviews, prioritize them and figure out which one you think will be best for you. The best part of this is, if one doesn’t work out the way you want, the next just may be the start of your new career.
Know the cost of living – The cost of living in Orlando is one point lower than Florida’s average but is a bit higher than the national average. As the same goes with any upcoming move into a new city, you should have your financials set for at least the next six months before packing up and moving. Depending on you job and the lifestyle you live, in general, you can find a nice place in a decent area with nearby amenities and low crime rates.
Prepare for the weather – The Atlantic hurricane season is officially kicks off from June 1 to November 30, that being said, it is always a good idea to have a plan if a big tropical storm is headed our way. News Channel 13 has created a Hurricane checklist to help prepare you for incoming tropical storms. If you are moving to Orlando from out of state, chances are you’re not coming from Texas or Arizona so prepare for the summer heat. Temperatures have been known to peak in the mid 90’s but the humidity is what will make you sweat. We love our sunny days but it is always good to step inside to a nice air conditioned house as well.
Avoid Interstate 4 during rush hour – If you ask anyone who lives in Orlando and takes the I-4 to work during rush hour, they will more than likely tell you to stay off the interstate during rush hour. A $2.3 billion project named “I-4 Ultimate” will begin a 6 year ongoing interstate reconstruction in 2015, meaning that all lanes will be rebuilt, four variable-toll express lanes will be installed, and 15 major interchanges will be redone and 75 more bridges will be replaced – needless to say, stay away from the I-4 for the next six years.
Walt Disney World Annual Pass Discounts – What? You didn’t think we could give you tips for living in Orlando without even mentioning the discounts to Disney World? When people think of Orlando (or even Florida for that matter), many peoples minds immediately think ‘That is where Disney World is..’ – Yes, it is. If you go to the Disney World website, there are 5 different discount options you can purchase exclusively for Florida residents. If you choose to get a discounted Annual pass, you will be get more than $150 in savings.

Did you recently move into Orlando? Let us know how your move went and if you have any other tips for new and future residents of our great city!

I Want The Keys and I Want them Now

I Want The Keys and I Want them Now. When May I Have ’em?

It’s finally here! The day you’ve been waiting for! Yep! It’s closing day! YAY! This is the day you officially become a home owner. It’s the day that you’ll be handed your keys and walk over your new threshold into your dream home….or is it?

Many buyers are unpleasantly surprised to discover that the day that money changes hands and papers are signed is not always the day they get their keys. Sometimes the day you receive your keys does not come until long after closing. Why? It is usually due to a contract provision known as Possession.

It is true that usually possession happens the same day as closing. However, the contract may provide for the seller to have a bit of time to move out. This “bit of time” is typically conditioned upon funding ( the moment the escrow agent disburses the transaction monies.

In the majority of cases, the buyer’s mortgage company is to blame for any delays in funding. Many times they require the signed documents to be reviewed before authorizing the funds to be disbursed, or they may not disburse the funds to the escrow agent until after closing. For an excited and anxious new home owner, this can be pretty frustrating and disappointing.

Related Post: Where to start as a first time home buyer

Situations like this are why it pays to have a good understanding of the terms of your contract and the policies of your mortgage lender when planning your first visit to your new home.

Feel free during the home buying process to ask your Realtor (buyer’s agent) as many questions as possible. That’s a big reason why you have them! They’re experience and expertise can help you out a lot with working with your lender ( or even choosing your lender for that matter) and the whole home buying process.

Home Prices in Orlando Dropped in August

Home Prices in Orlando Dropped in August

Prices in the core Orlando market took their expected seasonal drop last month. They dropped from a middle of the road $170,950 back in July to $165,000 in August. These prices are according to Orlando Regional Realtor Association’s report.

It’s typical for prices to drop at the end of summer, but this decline is partly being attributed to the result of large amounts of distress properties selling last month that furthered the depressing of the region’s median price.

The amount of foreclosures has been increasing as well as auctions of foreclosed properties. Orlando foreclosures have increased by a third of the amount they were this time last year. They have increased more than 20 percent from July.

Last month year over year prices in the core Orlando market increased 26 percent for short sales, 9 percent for foreclosures and only 5.5 percent for normal sales. Overall home prices were up 6.4 percent year over year. This is only a fraction of the year over year increases that Orlando buyers and sellers realized last year, which was 24 percent.

2,449 houses sold last month, which is down from both a month ago as well as a year ago.

Homes are currently spending an average of 68 days on the market.

There is concern that the future holds a potential of becoming a buyers market as inventory increases.

Under contract homes last month, consisted of 34 percent shorts sales, 42 percent normal properties and 24 percent bank owned properties.

Want to know more about the Orlando and Clermont real estate market? Please check out the following articles:

– Winter Garden Village Has a New Owner

– Curb Appeal Check List to Sell That House!

– What to Do When Your Offer is Rejected on a Home in Clermont

Winter Garden Village has a New Owner

Do you live the Winter Garden area of Florida? Well then you probably shop at Winter Garden Village, West Orange County’s 161 acre signature retail development. You also may be interested to know that this retail development of Winter Garden Village now has a new owner. It’s the largest retail transaction so far for 2014 close to the tune of $251 million worth of retail investment sales in Central Florida.

The new owner is DDR Corp. DDR Winter Garden LLC, which is an entity related to the Beachwood, Ohio based real estate investment trust (NYSE: DDR), spent $196 million to buy the 1.1 million square foot Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves from Cole MT Winter Garden FL LLC and Spirit MT Winter Garden FL LLC on the 19th of July as indicated by Orange County records.

Available space for lease is being marketed on the website of DDR. Since this is the biggest retail transaction so far this year, it’s a good indicator that investors are willing to spend the big bucks on Central Florida real estate such as Winter Garden, Minneola and Clermont areas near Orlando.

In addition to this, the new owner could put more capital towards improving and/or developing the property. It’s also notable that this transaction has occurred just five years after the seller, a subsidiary of Phoenix based Cole Real Estate Investment, bought the open air lifestyle center for $180.4 million from a developer known as The Sembler Co.

For more information on Orlando and surrounding areas, please check out the following links:

– What to do When Your Offer is Rejected on a Home in Clermont

– Inspections to Have on a Lake Front Home in Clermont

– The Inspection and Walk Through – What to Look For