Summer is in full swing and with it so many of the great summer deals.  July, as with most summers, was prime time selling season.  Check out a few of these great Central Florida real estate deals that closed last month.                  North Lane                               Magellan Drive                       Moss Park Ridge Dr 1. North Lane, Orlando, FL 32808.  This property was in the Signal Hill neighborhood in Northwest Orlando.  Bank owned REO needing some fix up but in okay shape.  3 bed / 2 bath / 1-car garage block home.  Sold for $40,500. 2. Arley Drive, Windermere, FL 34786.  This was a fix and flip deal.  Seller bought this house, fixed it up nice, and it went pending in just 9 days after hitting the market.  4 bed/2.5 bath newer home in a great location.  Sold for $210,... 08/03/2010

This week marks the start of August, a popular vacation month for Americans. Maybe you're among the many in Lake Mary that will leave town for a few days -- or a few weeks.  But, before you leave your home, make sure you don't leave clues for......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Ex-Burglars Share Tips On Protecting Your Home From Break-Ins   08/02/2010

Richard Shuman is now part of two great companies, FLORIDA WHOLESALE REALTY Corp and visit www.SKIPtheBULL.com for all you real estate and mortgage needs in Central Florida. Mortgages available throughout Florida. We are available 7 days a week to help you purchase, sell, finance or refinance a home. it's hard to believe home prices and interest rates are as low as they are. If you are renting, it could be cheaper to buy than to pay rent. Ask about the tax savings benefits from owning your own home! call or visit www.SKIPtheBULL.com/ContactUs or visit our office 860 North S.R. 434 Suite 1005 Altamonte Springs, FL 32751         08/02/2010

No doubt you've heard that mortgage rates are low. They're lower than they've ever been in history.  The news is everywhere. Just check out some of.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: 30-Year Mortgage Rates Make New Lows, But Look Ready To Spike   07/31/2010

For the second consecutive month, U.S. consumer confidence is plunging. July's official reading is its lowest since July of last year and the figures run in stark contrast to just two months ago, when the index touched a multi-year high. According to The Conference Board, July's figures are reflective of a more pessimistic consumer; one concerned about "business conditions and the labor market". Falling confidence numbers are.........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Falling Consumer Confidence Helps Drag Mortgage Rates Lower. For Now. 07/29/2010

Standard & Poors released its Case-Shiller Index Tuesday. On a seasonally-adjusted basis, between April and May 2010, home prices rose in 19 of Case-Shiller's 20 tracked markets.  It's the second straight month of strong Case-Shiller findings. Also, May's numbers are a........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Case-Shiller Shows Home Price Improvement In 95% Of Cities 07/28/2010

After a down month in May, the sales of newly-built homes appears back on track. As published by the Census Bureau, June's New Home Sales report showed: A 24 percent sales volume increase from the month prior A 2-month drop in the supply of newly-built home There are now just 210,000 new homes for sale nationwide. June's data is a........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: New Homes Sales Gain in June, But Gains Are Relative 07/28/2010

According to the EPA, if every household in America replaced one "traditional" bulb with an energy-saving compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) light bulb, it would result in $700 million in energy cost savings each year, plus a greenhouse gas savings equivalent to that of 800,000 automobiles. They're expensive, but CFL bulbs tend to pay for themselves in less a year, and often last for several. It's no wonder they're so popular with.....   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: How To Prevent Mercury Poisoning With CFL Light Bulbs 07/26/2010

Consistent with most post-home buyer tax credit housing news, the National Association of Realtors® says Existing Home Sales eased lower last month. An "existing home" is a home that cannot be considered new construction. The 5 percent drop in sales from May to June was expected, but a closer look at the month's data reveals some.....   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Existing Home Sales Drop In June But Hint At Support For Higher Price Tiers 07/23/2010

The New York Times ran an important story this week concerning pregnancy and mortgage approvals. Titled "Need a Mortgage? Don't Get Pregnant", the article discussed the difficulties that expecting and recently-expanded families are having with their mortgage financing. NBC's The Today Show picked up the story as well, as shown in the 3-minute clip above. The crux of the issue is that maternity/paternity leave often......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Yes, You Can Still Get A Mortgage If You're Pregnant   07/22/2010

Single-family Housing Starts eased lower last month, falling by 0.7 percent from May, or 3,000 units nationwide. A "housing start" is a home on which construction has started. June's Housing Starts data is somewhat soft and may partially explain why home builder confidence dropped to its lowest level since April 2009, but for buyers and sellers in......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Housing Starts Ease 0.7 Percent In June -- 7x Better Than The Headline Data 07/21/2010

Builder confidence in the housing market slipped this month, according to the National Association of Homebuilders' monthly Housing Market Index. The Housing Market Index is actually a weighted composite of 3 separate surveys. One measures current single-family sales; one measures projected single-family sales; and one measures.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Sagging Homebuilder Confidence Opens The Door For Good Deals 07/20/2010

Home affordability is at an all-time high. Home values are still in recovery while mortgage rates continue to make new lows. But where are homes the most affordable? CNNMoney.com recently ran a..........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: 25 Cities In Which To Get A Bang For Your Homebuying Buck 07/19/2010

The Central Florida real estate market statistics for the month ending June 2010 have been released by the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.  Here is a direct link to the detailed report . Below is a short breakdown of these numbers. The stats cover Orange County & Seminole County Florida, including the cities of Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, Apopka, Ocoee, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Lake Mary, Sanford, Casselberry, Oviedo, and Winter Springs Florida.                  Inventory    New Listings    New Pendings   Under Contract     Closed    Days on Market June 2009     17,831        3921                 3686                 7230                 2220          104 Apr 2010       15,766        5116                 5221                10,832               2644           81 May 2010  ... 07/18/2010

According to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates made new all-time lows this week and the good news is that rates look poised to fall even more. Since the Federal Reserve's release of its June 2010 meeting minutes Wednesday, mortgage rates are dipping even more and one of the main reasons why is because of.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: The Fed's June Minutes Keep Mortgage Rates In Rally-Mode 07/16/2010

The following are the market sales statistics for Altamonte Springs, Seminole County, Florida for June 2010.  Altamonte Springs is made up of the zip codes of 32701 & 32714.  For purposes of this analysis we are only splitting the data according to single-family homes vs, condominiums, townhomes and villas. A couple of definitions are in order.  The median sales price means that 50% of the homes sold for more and 50% of the homes sold for less during a certain period of time – in other words, it’s the midpoint of sale prices.  So basically what this means, is that the median sales price is showing market activity in that it’s specifically indicating which price range is more active. The average sales price, as opposed to the median sales price, is the total volume of sold properties di... 07/16/2010

313,841 foreclosure filings were made in June, according to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac. The figure represents a 3 percent drop from May and 7 percent drop from June of last year. However, foreclosure filings remain relatively high nationwide. June marks the 16th straight month the filings topped 300,000. 1 in every 411 U.S. homes received some form of......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Foreclosure Activity Slows Again In June 2010 07/15/2010

Conforming mortgage rates may be posting all-time lows this week, but that doesn't mean you'll be eligible for them. You may have already called your loan officer and found this out the hard way. It's because of a..........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Mandatory Loan Fees Keep Borrowers From Getting Their Absolute Lowest Rate   07/14/2010

If your adjustable rate mortgage is due to adjust this year, don't go rushing to replace it just yet. Your soon-to-adjust mortgage rate may actually go lower. It's related to the math behind the ARM. Conventional, adjustable-rate mortgages share a common..........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Should You Refinance Your ARM, Or Let It Adjust Lower? 07/13/2010

Up to 50% of your home's energy bill can be tied to heating and cooling costs.  Thankfully, it's easy to lower those bills. The addition of a ceiling fan can cut your household energy bills dramatically. Plus, the installation may be........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: How To Install A Ceiling Fan In Your Home 07/12/2010