- Academy Cove
- Brantley Estates
- Brantley Terrace
- Country Creek
- Cranes Roost
- Crescent Place At Lake Lotus
- Glen Arden Heights
- Lake Brantley
- Lake Lotus
- Lotus Vista
- Oakland Estates
- Orienta Point
- River Run North
- River Run South
- River Run Villas
- Royal Arms
- Sanlando
- San Sebastian Heights
- Spring Oaks
- Spring Valley
- Victoria Park
- Weathershield
- Windmeadows 55+ Community
Homebuilders Expect More Sales Volume This Year
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Homebuilders are optimistic about the housing market this spring, relative to recent months. According to the monthly Housing Market Index as published by the National Association of Homebuilders, after 4 straight months of reading 16, March homebuilder confidence ticked 1 point higher to 17. It'...
A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (March 15, 2011 Edition)
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Today, for the second straight meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. The vote was 10-0. In its press release, the FOMC noted that since its January 2011 meeting, the economic recovery "is ...
Your Mortgage Rate Strategy For Today's FOMC Meeting
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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The Federal Open Market Committee meets today in Washington D.C. The FOMC is a special group within the Federal Reserve, led by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, and consisting of 12 members. The FOMC's official schedule calls for 8 meetings annually at which it reviews the nation's economic and finan...
The calendar has turned March in Lake Mary and warmer weather is around the corner. Get ready for Spring Cleaning Season. For households in which Spring Cleaning is an annual ritual, this helpful checklist from MarthaStewart.com makes sure no job gets left behind. From the smallest of chores to...
Do I Have To Continue Making My Mortgage Payment If My Lender Goes Bankrupt?
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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When mortgage lenders go out of business and are essentially taken over by the FDIC, homeowners are left wondering if they still need to make a monthly payment. Great thought, and a very common question for many borrowers in the 2006-2010 timeframe. The short answer is YES, you still have to cont...
FHA Streamline Refi Changes : No Income, No Job Required
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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FHA Streamline Refinance guidelines are changing. For the better. In an effort to improve its loan portfolio, the FHA is loosening approval standards on its popular refinance program, rendering large groups of homeowners suddenly FHA Streamline-eligible. Now, that may seem counter-intuitive -- ...
Loan Fees Set To Rise For Conforming Mortgage Applicants
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Beginning April 1, 2011, Fannie Mae is increasing its loan-level pricing adjustments. Conforming mortgage applicants in Florida should plan for higher loan costs in the months ahead. If you've never heard of loan-level pricing adjustments, you're not alone; they're an obscure mortgage pricing met...
Federal Income Tax Deadline Extended To April 18, 2011
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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April 15 is the traditional due date for federal income taxes. It's a deadline so ingrained in the American psyche that the April 15 calendar date is often called, simply, "Tax Day". In 2011, however, federal taxes aren't due April 15. They're due April 18. It's because of a combination of holi...
Home Affordability Peaked Last Quarter; Purchasing Power Sinks 10%
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Home affordability reached an all-time high in 2010's last quarter. Unfortunately for home buyers in Florida , it's been a different story since, however. As mortgage rates cratered, and with home values soft, the Home Opportunity Index reached its highest level in 20 years. The index is publis...
Military Personnel Can Still Claim The $8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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For certain members of the military, and for certain federal employees, there's just 2 months remaining to get use the federal home buyer tax credit. Eligible persons include members of the uniformed services, members of the Foreign Service, and intelligence community employees who served at le...
How Do I Calculate My Mortgage Payment Without Using A Mortgage Calculator?
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Calculating an exact mortgage payment without a calculator on a loan is no small task, but there are some simple rules-of-thumb you can use to get a close estimate. With the exception of the MIT Blackjack Team, performing this type of complex math in your head often leads to frustrating rants. Wh...
FHA : Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premiums To Rise April 18, 2011
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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For the third time in 12 months, the FHA is changing its mortgage insurance costs. Effective for all FHA case numbers assigned on, or after, April 18, 2011, annual mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) will increase 25 basis points. The change will add $250 to an FHA-insured homeowner's annual loa...
Make A Mortgage Rate Plan BEFORE Friday's Jobs Report
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Mortgage rates could move higher beginning tomorrow morning. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its February jobs report at 8:30 AM ET. Home buyers and rate shoppers in Orlando would be wise to take note. The jobs report is almost always a market-mover. Consider last month. Although net jo...
Ignore The Case-Shiller Index; Focus On The Future Instead
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Last week, Standard & Poor's released its Case-Shiller Index for December 2010. The index is a home valuation tracker, meant to meausure the change in home prices from one period to the next. December's Case-Shiller Index showed major devaluations nationwide. As compared to December 2009, on a ...
Pending Home Sales Drop For Second Straight Month
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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After a strong run to close out 2010, the market for home resales softened a bit in January. On a seasonally-adjusted basis, the Pending Home Sales Index dropped 3 percent last month, and December's figures were revised downward for a loss, too, according to the National Association of REALTORS...
The Psychological Tactics That Supermarkets Use On Customers
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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More than 50% of supermarket purchases are "impulse buys". You may not have known that, but the supermarkets do. And they've built their stores accordingly. A fool and his grocery cart are soon filled to the brim. In this 6-minute video from NBC's The Today Show, you'll learn how supermarkets...
Assembling Your Home Buying Team - Knowing The Players
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Buying a new home is literally a team sport since there are so many tasks, important timelines, documents and responsibilities that all need special care and attention. Besides working with a professional team that you trust, it's important that the individual players have the ability to effectiv...
New Home Sales Crater In January, Opening The Door For Deals With Builders
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Not all housing reports are sunny, it seems. In its monthly New Home Sales release, the U.S. Department of Commerce showed a 13 percent drop-off in annualized new construction sales between the months of December and January. It's the biggest one-month drop in New Home Sales since May 2010. In ...
Existing Home Supply Down 40% In Last 6 Months
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Home resales rose another 2.7 percent last month, according to the National Association of REALTORS® monthly Existing Home Sales report. An "existing home" is a home that's been previously occupied and is not considered new construction. The number of existing homes sold on a rolling 12-month b...
Cost of Living Reaches An All-Time High, Pressures Mortgage Rates Higher
(Chris Brown | Certified Mortgage Planners)
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Mortgage rates are up 0.875% since mid-November, causing home buyer purchasing power across Longwood to fall more than 10 percent since. Persistent concerns over inflation are a major reason why and this week's Consumer Price Index did little to quell fears. CPI rose for the third straight mont...