3 Big Tips on Staging Orlando Homes for Sale

What is home staging and how will it help you sell your home? Staging Orlando homes for sale is, quite literally, setting the stage for buyers. You want the home to look good, you want it to have the right atmosphere to attract buyers, and you want the first impression to blow them away.

Staging a home can mean sprucing up the paint job, eliminating clutter, moving furniture around – practically anything that makes your home look better to the buyer is staging. Whether you decide to do it yourself or hire a home staging professional, it can, and will, help you sell your home.

Here are a few pointers on how to stage your home and how each suggestion can help sell your home faster or for more money:

Style – Although the decorating styles of Orlando homes for sale range widely, you want to make sure your home doesn’t have too much of a good thing. Too much decorating style overwhelms the potential buyers' senses and doesn't allow them to imagine adding their own personality to the home. Try to look at your home from a buyer's point of view and design it to sell.

How it helps: Furnished homes with just a hint of style help buyers see possibilities they can bring to the home such as a different wall color, new curtains or hardwood floors versus carpeting. The easier you make it for the buyers to see themselves living in the home, the better chance it has of selling.

Clutter – In real estate terms, “clutter” is any personal touch that makes it obviously yours. Remember, you’re trying to sell your home, not show people what a great decorator you are. Before you start with open houses, pack up all your personal pictures, knick-knacks and bric-a-brac.

How it helps: Removing your personal clutter lets potential buyers see it as their own. No matter how much you love the items, leaving personal touches is, invariably, a turnoff to the buyer. It makes it darn near impossible to see the house as anything but yours.

Cook – Before an open house, start baking chocolate chip cookies or an apple pie – something that smells good to most people.

How it helps: Orlando homes for sale should feel, well, homey. Anything they can see, smell, touch or feel should be set up for maximum selling affect. Baking smells are an excellent touch.

Home staging will help get your home ready to sell, and set you well on your way. If you need help staging and selling your home, we would love to lend a hand. Contact us today at 407-876-5771 for more information.

5 Fourth of July Safety Tips for Orlando Homes

The Fourth of July is an exciting – and delicious - time of year for owners of Orlando homes. There’s swimming, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, and, of course, fireworks. While the lights are pretty and it’s a blast to set them off, a moment of carelessness can ruin a good time. Following this list of common – and not so common – safety tips will help ensure that you have a safe and happy July 4th.

1. Get rid of the weeds around your house. Although most Orlando homes are well taken care of, a lot of them have a little bit of weed growth here and there. Making sure the weeks are cut short (less than 3 inches) or destroyed will lower the risk of stray sparks setting them on fire.

2. Water your roof and the ground around your house. Stray bottle rockets and roman candles are the culprits of many a house fire. If you hose down your roof and the ground around your house in a strip about three feet deep before the fireworks start going off, these mindless arsons won’t have a chance.

3. Keep a bucket of water handy. As a safety measure, a bucket of water close by can’t be beat. Many a ground firework has had a stray spark left in it even after the light display is over. Sprinkling a little water on them when they’re done can stop fires before they start, and lower the chance of little hands getting burned.

4. No pointing. Is there anyone who hasn’t enjoyed a Roman candle war? Fun as it may be, pointing fireworks at each other is highly dangerous. Point them toward the sky where they belong!

5. Only light them once. If you get a dud, consider it a spent firework and throw a little water on it. Several people have lost fingers due to trying to relight a firework that didn’t explode the first time.

Practicing fireworks safety and a little bit of common sense can go a long way toward Orlando homes surviving one of the most fire-filled days of the year. Be safe, and have a happy Fourth of July!

Checklist for Moving When Facing Orlando Foreclosures

If you’re one of the many people dealing with Orlando foreclosures, you will probably be moving to a smaller, more affordable place. When it’s time to move you don’t want to leave the important things behind, but you may not have room for everything, either. Here’s a checklist to help you get the important stuff taken care of within the last month:

1. Change of address – With the rate Orlando foreclosures happen, you want to make sure your change of address is one of the first things you do.
   
2. Find a moving and packing company.
   
3. Clean out your safe deposit box and transfer it to the new area.
   
4. Get your family’s medical records, school records and other important papers.
   
5. Change your insurance policies for your home.
   
6. Get a fire resistant safe and put all records, cards, birth certificates, etc. Make sure you have it with you during the actual move.
   
7. Pack less used items.
   
8. Arrange to have the utilities disconnected/changed over.
   
9. Plan your remaining meals so you can pack the nonperishable items you don’t need.
   
10. Make a list of everything you’re personally taking with you.
    
11. Walk through and decide what you really need to take. Hold a garage sale or call a charity to get rid of the rest.
    
12. Let your friends and family members know where you’re going and how they can reach you.
    
13. Confirm arrangements with the moving and storage companies.
    
14. Check the yard and sheds for left over items.
    
15. Take apart any furniture or other items for packing.
    
16. Start a “survival box”, which includes anything you might need for overnight or for a few days.
    
17. Defrost the refrigerator and freezer.
    
18. Close bank accounts if needed.
    
19. Do a last walk through before leaving to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Be sure to look through the attic, basement, closets, etc.
    
20. Drop off your keys with the bank or new owner.
    

Being one of the Orlando foreclosures isn’t fun; it’s stressful and you’re more likely to forget things in this type of situation. Make lists to keep track of what you’re doing and then use them!

When you're ready to buy your next home, let us help you find one that fits your lifestyle, budget and needs.

5 Things to Look for When Buying Orlando Foreclosures as an Investment

People buy Orlando foreclosures for a lot of reasons: to live in, as fixer-uppers, to flip and for investment purposes. The current real estate market isn't so hot for quickly selling foreclosures at a profit. Instead, consider purchasing foreclosures and holding on to your investment until the market turns around. In the meantime, earn money by renting the houses.

Here are 5 things to look for when buying Orlando foreclosures to rent out:

1. Most Orlando foreclosures are nice homes that, for one reason or another, the sellers have had to let go. With the variety of houses available, take your time and find a property that doesn’t require a lot of major renovations, unless, that is, you’re a handy man and enjoy fixing up homes.

2. Figure out the costs of the potential rental property and then look at the average rent in the area. If the rent would cover the costs and a little over, it’s a keeper.

3. Many of the homes have been updated with more energy efficient appliances. Energy efficiency is better for you, as the landlord, and better for them, as the tenant. Due to the current push towards environmental concerns, if you buy a home that isn’t updated, you may eventually want to do so. Cut through the update havoc and look for energy efficient homes.

4. Like you would with any potential home, look into the cost of utilities, property taxes and so on. Make sure that you can handle the costs in the eventuality that the home stays empty for a while.

5. Make sure the home you look at is “tenant friendly”. If there are a lot of breakable fixtures, big bay windows or glass enclosures, you might not want families living there due to the cost of repairs. Families are the highest number of renters, so look for homes that would withstand children.

“Accidental” landlords – those who hadn’t planned to rent, but did because they couldn’t sell – are a growing population. Instead of being accidental, plan for it. Look into buying Orlando foreclosures as a rental investment. There might be a home just waiting for your tenants.

If you need help finding the perfect foreclosed home, give us a call today at 407-876-5771.

How to Decide if You Should Remodel Your Orlando Home or Move

From birthdays and anniversaries to graduations and weddings, your home has seen many great days. But, you also may find yourself making repairs more often, and you could begin to get the feeling you need a change. This change can come by remodeling your Orlando home or selling it. Before you make a decision, consider a few very important factors.

· What does remodel mean to you? — If your idea of a remodel is as simple as replacing flooring and adding fresh paint, that should be an easy fix. But if a complete demolition job is involved, you'll probably save yourself money and a lot of headaches by buying a new home.

· Factor in finances – Whether you plan to remodel your Orlando home or move, money is involved. Figure out if it financially makes more sense to make updates to your current home or move into a new already updated home. You'd be surprised how quickly renovation costs can add up, so keep that in mind.

· Assess your neighborhood – Do you still recognize the area you once knew? Are your neighbors still "neighborly?" An important point to consider is whether or not the neighborhood still has value. You want to make sure it is well kept and safe. If not, selling could be the answer. You also don't want to price yourself out of the neighborhood. If updating your home would make it the highest valued home in the neighborhood, you'd be better off moving into a neighborhood where you can purchase one of the lowest valued homes.

· What about the children? Most times, when kids practically grow up in a home, many strong friendships are made. Think about how moving can affect your kids. Starting over in a new neighborhood and a new school can be life changing for children. In this case, remodeling your home could be the better option.

Bottom line, when trying to figure out if you should remodel you Orlando home or sell, take your time. You should exhaust every possibility to ensure you make the right choice for you.

6 Steps to Prevent Orlando Foreclosures

The thought of losing your home due to foreclosure can be a devastating experience. If you've been late on payments or missed them altogether, foreclosure could be in your future. However, it doesn't have to be. There are varieties of steps you can take to prevent Orlando foreclosures.

1. Contact your lender
   In order to sort out the situation, you need to involve your lender as soon as possible so you can figure out the next plan of action and keep your home.
2. Set up a repayment plan
   Usually, repaying your missed payments is the start of fixing the problem; that's why contacting the lender is so important. Depending on what you work out, your repayment costs may only be a little bit more than the cost of your current mortgage.
3. Try to get forbearance
   Depending on your specific situation, you may be able to put your loan in forbearance. This means, you could be allowed to make smaller payments or you could be free from payments altogether for about a year.
4. Modify your loan
   This is also known as a loan modification. The plan involves reducing your interest rate, resulting in cheaper payments. This can help you get back on track and avoid Orlando foreclosures.
5. Refinance
   Refinancing your loan could also result in a lower interest rate, therefore, helping you keep you home. For example, if you have an adjustable rate mortgage that keeps going up each year, refinancing to a fixed-rate loan would be tremendously helpful.
6. Sell your home
   Although this option is not ideal, it is better than foreclosure. When you sell your home, you have the chance to keep your credit score intact.
   

There are never any perfect choices when facing foreclosure. But before you think all is lost, examine your options.

If you need to sell your home as quickly as possible, give us a call at 407-876-5771. We have a proven track record for selling homes faster than the average Orlando real estate agent.

Foreclosures - Defaults Rates may Reach 75%

A central tenet of Washington economic policy for the past three years has been that the key to ending the recession is stopping mortgage foreclosures, whatever the cost. Well, another new study shows that mortgage-servicing companies are having a terrible time of it, not least because the mortgages are continuing to sour at a rate nearly as fast as they can be modified.

Yesterday's Journal reports that Fitch Ratings looked at mortgages bundled into securities between 2005 and 2007 and managed by some 30 mortgage companies. Fitch found that a conservative projection was that between 65% and 75% of modified subprime loans will fall delinquent by 60 days or more within 12 months of having been modified to keep the borrowers in their homes. This is an even worse result than previous reports by federal regulators. Even loans whose principal was reduced by as much as 20% were still redefaulting in a range of 30% to 40% after 12 months.

The reasons for the high redefault rate aren't surprising. Many of the borrowers never could afford these homes in the first place, yet the political pressure has been strong to modify loans even for these borrowers. As home prices continue to fall in some markets, borrowers remain underwater and many of them simply walk away from the home and thus redefault.

This study has to come as a blow to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which has invested a great deal of political capital in the modification thesis. It also means that to the extent that public money has guaranteed any of these loan modifications, the taxpayer will be an even bigger loser. Banks don't like to foreclose on borrowers, so the best public policy was always voluntary renegotiation. As for the housing market, the quickest way to begin a recovery is to more quickly let prices find a bottom. On the evidence so far, the mortgage modification fervor has been a giant political exercise with little impact on housing prices.

Source: Opinion Journal Forum