Resolutions for Home Sellers in 2011 -- http://wp.me/p146tm-ac

By listing in early January, you might be able to catch a few of those early birds who start browsing in the winter so that they can find a brand new home before school starts in the fall, said Louis Cammarosano, general manager of HomeGain.com, a real-estate website. In fact, lots of buyers tend to start their searches online right after Christmas, and continue throughout January and February, he said.

If your New Year's resolution involves selling a home in 2011, you've got some work to do: There's lots of stock out there and in a buyer's market like this one, getting an offer on a home can be challenging.

"If you hit the ground walking and you're a fresh listing that has completed everything right, you've got the best shot," said Cammarosano. Think about the following tips to give your home the best chance to get noticed -- and sold -- in 2011.

Price It Right from the Start

Lots of sellers suffer from attachment bias, said Tara-Nicholle Nelson, consumer educator for real-estate website Trulia.com. they think that their home is worth over they'd pay for it in another context. While it's always a bad idea to overprice a home, it's  dangerous in times like this because there is a lot competing stock in lots of local markets.

Nelson's advice: Give yourself a reality check by looking inside comparable homes in the work of open houses. That can help you receive a clearer idea of your home's value. You might even think about interviewing a few real-estate agents to get over one take on how the home ought to be priced, Cammarosano said.

Don't be afraid to advertise in the listing and advertising materials that it's not a foreclosure or short sale, Nelson said. In markets where distressed sales are plentiful, there's buyers who basically don't need to deal with the additional hassle and uncertainty of a short sale or bank-owned property, he said.

The longer something sits on the market, the more cost reductions you might must make and the more potential buyers will assume that there's something wrong with the home, he said. So usually, it's best not to try testing the waters with a higher cost, he adds.

Read More

When should I refinance? #Refinance #realestate http://wp.me/p146tm-ah

Question:

What situation makes sense to refinance? How long will I have to own the home to make up the cost of the refinance?

Answer:

With mortgage rates near historic lows, many homeowners are considering the benefits of refinancing their current home loans.  So how do I tell if refinancing is the right option for me?  2 is the key factor that is used as a general rule of thumb in the mortgage industry.  2 being the number of percentage points you would need to save on the interest rate and 2 being the minimum number of years you would need to stay in the property afterwards to make the refinance worthwhile.  However, one can still see significant savings with even a smaller 1% decrease in interest rate which would make this an attractive option considering the time you plan on staying in this home.  Since one would incur additional closing costs with a refinance option (approximately 2.5% of the loan amount on average) one would need to analyze the monthly savings verse the expense to find a breakeven point.  This would indicate whether the refinance option really works for your particular situation.

This answer was provided by Jeff Edwards of DHI Mortgage.

Docusign: How we use it...

NEW SALES CONTRACTS ON THE INCREASE; MEDIAN PRICE STILL HOLDING STEADY

Watch Video

(December 13, 2010 – Orlando, FL) Members of the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association reported an increase in the number of home-sale contracts they filed in November, with 3,243 newly filed contracts topping last November’s tally of 3,023 by 7.28 percent.

The area’s pending sales statistic — like new contracts — is also an indicator of future sales activity. A total of 8,998 homes are currently under contract and awaiting closing. This number is also an increase (of 4.23 percent) over the 8,633 homes that were under contract in November 2009.

Members of ORRA recorded completed sales on 1,848 homes in November, which is a 20.65 percent decrease over the November 2009 tally of 2,329 sales. To date, Orlando area home sales are up 21.55 percent over this time in 2009.

“Uneven sales patterns are to be expected over the next months,” explains ORRA Chairman of the Board Mike McGraw, McGraw Real Estate Services. “We are experiencing aftershocks from slowdowns caused by the homebuyer tax credit ending and the temporary foreclosure stoppage. But at the same time, buyers who are responding to record-low interest rates and enticingly low home prices are contributing to a push-pull effect on Orlando’s housing market.”

The median sales price of all homes sold in the Orlando area held steady at $105,000 during November, the third month in a row. According to ORRA the current median price remains 5.11 percent higher than the $99,900 median price recorded in August 2010 and is 14.63 percent below the median price of $123,000 recorded in November 2009.

Read More

Google Foreclosure Mapping - http://wp.me/p146tm-9E

Google has just come out with a new feature on their google maps that I thought may be of interest. They are now mapping foreclosed properties for any given area. Just as an example I have embedded a map here of the Oviedo area and all the little red dots are foreclosures. This opens searching capabilities up to the public but some would suggest there is a privacy issue.

Let me know your thoughts....

http://wp.me/p146tm-9E

View Larger Map

DISNEY HOTELS: GINGERBREAD HOUSES http://wp.me/p146tm-9L

Megan and I [Justin] spent the evening last week walking around the Disney resorts. We found some incredibly decorated hotels that are worth the trip to see. At the top of the list I would recommend going to see the Grand Floridian, which hosts a life size gingerbread house pictured here. We took the monorail from there around the resort area and stopped in to a handful of well decorated resorts.

The other hotel worth stopping into is the Beach & Yacht Club. This video below is of a gingerbread carrousel. I don’t know how long all of these decorations will be up but this is a great way to spend an evening.

To see more pictures click here. 
 

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Date Night: Light Up UCF - http://wp.me/p146tm-9x

Light Up UCF is a seasonal event put on outside the UCF arena. If you have not taken an opportunity to check it out you definitely should. If  you know nothing about it here is a video showing some of the attractions.

http://wp.me/p146tm-9x

My advice would be to pick one of these nights to go watch the undefeated UCF Knights basketball team play and end the night with Light Up UCF. Your ticket from the basketball game will get you a reduced rate into the attractions outside. For more information you can visit the light up UCF website by clicking here or visit the Facebook Page.

12/29/10	vs. Furman (UCF Holiday Classic presented by EA Sports)	Orlando, Fla.	7:00 p.m. ET
12/30/10	Northeastern/Princeton (UCF Holiday Classic presented by EA Sports)	Orlando, Fla.	TBA
01/05/11	vs. Marshall *	Orlando, Fla.	7:00 p.m. ET

1. Ice Rink Pavilion
2. Artic Glide Ice Slide
3. Attractions
4. Santa’s Workshop
5. Community Stage
6. Holiday Light Show
7. Holiday Film Festival
8. UCF Arena
9. Cypress Room