If spring is any indication, this summer should bring several hot days and nights to Central Florida.  Owning or purchasing the right house could help you stay cool when the heat rises.

1. Make sure the a/c is in good shape.  A search of the local MLS resulted in over 600 homes listed for sale with either and updated or newer a/c unit.  Also, over 3300 homes have been listed for sale offering a home warranty.  A home warranty could prove useful should the air go on the fritz after moving in.
2. If you don’t have a pool, make sure your neighbor does.  It’s hard to imagine living in Florida without having a pool in your backyard or nearby.  Right now there are over 18,000 homes for sale that have a private pool for cooling off when the days or nights become unbearable.
3. Shade trees baby!  More than 600 homes currently active on the market feature landscaping or trees where you can set up a lawn chair or hammock and beat the heat the old fashion way, doing nothing but sipping a glass of cold ice tea.

These are just 3 ways your house can help you stay cool in the heat.  The right house can help you in a variety of ways.  If you are interested in finding the right house, send me an email at greg@gregstaker.com or give me a call.  407-304-0255

Many of the area lakes are known for their bass fishing experience, especially Lake Toho where tournaments are held nearly every year. It is no wonder with the popularity of owning a home on a lake tat offers the best in Central Florida fishing, there would not be a high rotation of homes offered for sale at any given time.

I searched the local multiple listing service and found 21 homes situated on a Kissimmee lake for sale. These homes ranged in price from $159,000 to a high of 2.4 million. Professional bass anglers or weekend fishermen or women that are interested in owning a home on some of the best fishing holes in Central Florida, can give me a call to receive detailed information about any of the homes currently for sale.

Drayton Woods at Providence is a gated, golf and country club community of luxury homes in Central Florida. 

If you are interested in receiving additional information about the new model or would like information about the Drayton Woods at Providence community, call or email me.

Using the MLS to search for homes that could be purchased at this type of discount would be difficult at best. In order to be accurate, an appraisal or at the very least a market analysis would need to be completed on each property to determine if the subject property has been listed at fair market value, and then from there, an offer could be submitted at the discount rate. But why would a typical seller accept an offer significantly lower than real value?

The best opportunity to purchase a home under list value would be in finding a home listed higher than it should be or a home that has been on the market for an extended period of time without a price adjustment.

If the goal is to find a good deal then buyers will be pleased to learn that properties are being sold at some of the lowest prices seen in years. There are good quality homes available right, priced to sale.

If you are interested in buying a home in the Eagle Creek community you have over 30 homes to choose from right now. 58 homes have sold in 2010 and 21 are under contract awaiting closing.

I am not a very good golfer so I cannot help you with your game, I can, however, help you sell or buy a home in Eagle Creek. Give me a call!

If you are a no-nonsense buyer desiring to purchase a quality home both in condition and price, there are options available for you. Contrary to the belief of some, there are great homes being offered for sale that are not saddled with the issues surrounding distressed property.

I have access to many of these homes and can provide you with the details and features plus arrange for a private viewing for you. In Osceola and Orange County alone there are nearly 6,000 homes that are not REO or short sale contingent for you to consider.

photo credit by adobemac

For buyers not wanting to get caught up in the waiting game associated with buying a short sale and as of late, a foreclosure, purchasing a new home becomes a smart decision.

There are a number of communities throughout Central Florida that offer spacious well-built homes at affordable prices. I am happy to provide you a list of available homes matching your area and desired features.

Equally encouraging was the report that new contracts in August increased by over 17% over last year’s numbers. Buyers are continuing to write offers. The increases in pending contracts are no doubt driven by the short sale and REO market.

Home sales remain strong in my office as well. Lower prices are attracting buyers seeking a good deal. Partly because of our location and that we have access to thousands of homes for sale, buyers continue to stop in or call our Orlando-Kissimmee office. Our sold numbers based on units exceed last year’s totals.

Is now the right time to buy a home in the Orlando area? A lot of buyers have thought so.

Seller commitment

The transaction becomes increasingly difficult when the owner of the home is detached from the situation. In a short sale the owner is often involved in a distressed situation. They could be upside down on their mortgage, owing more on the home that it is currently worth. They may be behind on mortgage payments and facing foreclosure. Many of these owners have all but given up, even choosing to move out of the property. From a buyer’s point of view, without the seller’s cooperation and involvement, the short sale transaction can face numerous delays or even fail to close altogether.

The seller’s cooperation and involvement

Before making an offer on a home listed as a short sale, ask the listing agent several questions that will help you determine the owner’s level of interest in seeing the transaction through to a successful closing.

• Are they really interested in short selling their home or could they care less?
• Have they provided their listing agent all of the documents the lender will need to consider the short sale payoff?
• Will they keep the utilities on so that the buyer can complete their inspection of the home?
• Are they prepared to bring money to closing or sign a promissory note in order to satisfy the terms of a lender’s short sale approval?

Moving on

There are a number of sellers interested in avoiding foreclosure by selling their home subject to a short sale. Over 4,000 have closed so far during 2010. If the owner of a property is not very responsive to your questions and concerns now, it can only get worse during the transaction. Move on and find a home where the seller is willing to work with you in order for you to purchase their home.