We all think lenders are crazy to turn down short sales. However, they think that REO is better. Here is why the rules are so tough to approve a short sale. The lenders and investors don't think they are losing money by rejecting short sales. Let me explain. All that is ever brought to their attention is how they lost money by accepting a short sale. A flipper buys a house for 150k and resells it for 200k. "This guy made a 50k profit. That's money that should have gone into our pocket," they think to themselves. This is why we need to document it whenever a former short sale sells for less as an REO. They don't see the $182,000 losses on a rejected short sale. Why not? Because it's never brought to their attention. If anything bad happens, rather than make the process easier, they tight... 04/26/2010

Haile Plantation Homes: Planters Grove - Gainesville, FL   Welcome to Haile Plantation - Planters Grove!  Established in 1987, the subdivision of Planters Grove is part of the southwest Gainesville neighborhood of Haile Plantation. Homes in Haile Plantation - Planters Grove were built between 1987 and 1989, and range in size from 1300 to 2200 square feet. Just 7 miles to Shands and the University of Florida, Haile Plantation - Planters Grove is zoned for Wiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School. (New or prospective residents of Haile Plantation should contact the Alachua County School District's Zoning Office at (352) 955-7700 to confirm zoning information).         Music: "There" by admiralbob77 admiralbob77 / CC BY 3.0 04/25/2010

Haile Plantation Homes: Chesnut Hill   Welcome to Haile Plantation - Chesnut Hill!  Established in 1985, the Haile Plantation neighborhood of Chesnut Hill features 1300-1800 square feet homes.  Haile Plantation - Chesnut Hill is adjacent to Haile pasture and the community garden, and is within walking distance of Wiles Elementary and Kanapaha Middle Schools.  Zoned for Wiles, Kanapaha, and Buchholz, Haile Plantation - Chesnut Hill is just 7 miles southwest of Shands and the University of Florida.   04/23/2010

Welcome to Haile Plantation - Bedford Square!   This Haile Plantation neighborhood was established in 2004, and is within walking distance of the Publix shopping center and the Haile Plantation Country Club tennis courts.  Zoned for  Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School,  Haile Plantation - Bedford Square is only 7 miles to Shands and the University of Florida.   Music: "Awel" by stefsax stefsax / CC BY 2.5 04/18/2010

We're using this new "saintly" strategy to get more pre-foreclosure listings. Now we don't just talk to pre-foreclosures about short sales. Now we give them advice on loan mods, how to stop harassing debt collector phone calls, and educate them on the foreclosure process. Here is why I came up with this new strategy. Do you "tune out" when you hear an ad on the radio? A guy I know told me how he hated the annoying ads for "Beta Prostate." I've heard them myself and they are so annoying. When commercials come on the radio, I just change the station. The same thing is happening in our marketing for short sales, but even more. Let me explain. See, most pre-foreclosures view doing a short sale as an indication of defeat. They feel that it means they've given up and they are beat. This is so... 04/16/2010

The southwest Gainesville neighborhood of Haile Plantation - Storeys Round was established in 2004.  Within walking distance of the Publix shopping center and the tennis courts,  Haile Plantation - Storeys Round is zoned for Wiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School. Homes within the Haile Plantation - Storeys Round subdivision range from 2000 to 3000 square feet in size.   During 2009, one home sold in Haile Plantation - Storeys Round. Built in 2006, this 4 bedroom home sold for $370,100.   Two homes have sold in Haile Plantation - Storeys Round since January.  Median sales price for these 4 bedroom homes was $377,750, and average days on market was 144.   04/16/2010

Sebastian's House: Sell a home, build a children's hospital   The Sebastian Ferrero Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a full-service children's hospital in Gainesville, Florida.  The organization was founded by Horst and Luisa Ferrero, who lost their healthy 3 year old son, Sebastian, due to a series of medical errors which ultimately led to his death in October 2007.   Rather than retreat from the world, Horst and Luisa created the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation. From their website:   "The mission of the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation is to advocate and fundraise for a full service, state-of-the-art children’s hospital in Gainesville, Florida while promoting excellence in patient safety and insuring that all families are treated with compassion, courtesy and dign... 04/15/2010

The bank turned down an offer for 220k on this house. Today it looks like an offer for 185k will be approved. Why is that? The first offer was submitted 4 months ago. The BPO came back at 265k. That caused the lender to reject the first offer. The lender closed the file. We submitted the next offer that came in the door a month later. It happened to be for 185k. The BPO for this offer came back at 197k. That is right in line to where this offer will be approved. Yes, short sales can get approved with a little luck, time, and persistence. The key is to get a proper BPO that isn't overpriced. If you have a mean negotiator, then just have them close the file and re-submit. With some luck, you'll get a good negotiator and BPO value the next time around. More than likely, the short sale will... 04/15/2010

Gainesville neighborhoods: Spotlight on Haile Plantation - Prestonwood   The southwest Gainesville planned community of Haile Plantation offers a variety of neighborhoods, home styles, and price points to choose from.   Haile Plantation - Prestonwood was established in 2002 and consists of homes in size from 2300 square feet to more than 4000 square feet. The Haile Plantation - Prestonwood neighborhood is zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School.  Haile Plantation - Prestonwood is part of the Haile Plantation West homeowners association.    Homes within Haile Plantation - Prestonwood were built by a number of developers, including Barry Rutenberg, Robinshore Custom Homes, Tommy Waters, Paul McArthur, and Bullard Homes.   Five homes sold in the... 04/14/2010

I'm going to give you a low cost strategy you can use to list more short sales today. I first started out in the pre-foreclosure business when I was still in high school. My job after school was to find pre-foreclosures who wanted to sell their home. I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing. I would drive around in my little red truck and knock on their door and ask if they wanted to sell. This was a great way to find motivated sellers. The problem was that people weren't always home. So, I started leaving notes on their door. The note would say something like: "I want to buy your home. I have cash and can close fast. Call me at 555-1212." After a while I came up with better notes I could leave on their door. People would get home from work and call me. I might knock on 10 doors and ... 04/14/2010

Question from agent: "I've been working on a file with BofA. [Countrywide] first and HSBC second. HSBC responded immediately several months ago wanting $7500. BofA responded with a counteroffer a few days ago wanting $5k more from the buyer, $3k to the HOA lien, and 0, nothing for HSBC. HSBC insists on $7500.Sellers live elsewhere and do not want to pay anything. What do you suggest beyond contacting the negotiators which I've already done? The first is not Fannie, Freddie, FHA or VA and, despite no payments since 10/09, it has no lis pendens [nod]. So, now what?" Diane Butler My Response: The good news is that HSBC responded fast. You simply need to negotiate them down. Here are a few general rules with 1st and 2nd mortgage negotiations. Rule #1: Most first's will pay the 2nd 10% of th... 04/09/2010

So, how is the Gainesville FL real estate market doing? The following charts provide a snapshot of the current state of the Gainesville, FL real estate market.   This first chart brings into sharp focus the decline in home sales prices from 2007 through 2009, broken down by month.       **Gainesville real estate market figures obtained from the Gainesville MLS and reflect median sale prices of Alachua County homes  sold for the period reported     Within the Gainesville real estate market area, 208 single-family homes sold during the first 2 months of 2010, for an average sales price of $180,115 and an average of 169 days on the market. According to figures obtained through the Gainesville MLS, there are currently 2,723 homes available for sale.   The Trulia chart gives a snapshot of th... 04/06/2010

Haile Plantation area - Gainesville, FL - Homes sold 1Q2010   Here is a quick roundup of home sales in the Haile Plantation area of Gainesville, FL during 1Q2010.  Haile Plantation home sale information for 1Q2009 is included in parentheses for comparison purposes. Number of homes sold 1/1/2010-3/31/2010:     25        (1Q09: 22) 2 bedrooms or less: 2                                           (1Q09: 0) Median sales price: $200,250                         (1Q09: 0)   3 bedrooms: 7                                                     (1Q09: 11) Median sales price: $200,000                         (1Q09: $202,000)   4 or more bedrooms: 9                                         (1Q09: 8) Median sales price: $398,000                         (1Q09: $430,800)   Attached (condo or townhome): 7  ... 04/01/2010

      Neighborhoods of Haile Plantation in Gainesville Florida   The southwest Gainesville community of Haile Plantation is broken down into 3 separate homeowner associations. Each of these homeowner associations serves several neighborhoods.  All 3 of these homeowner associations and their related neighborhoods make up the Haile Plantation community as a whole.  Here is a breakdown:   Haile Plantation Association serves the following Haile Plantation neighborhoods: Camden Court  Century Oaks Charleston Chesnut Hill Evans Hollow Evans Hollow, The Grove Founders Hill Grahams Mill Heritage Green Heritage Green IV Indigo Square Laurel Park Lexington Farms Magnolia Walk Planters Grove Quail Court The Preserve Sutherland Crossing     Haile Plantation West Association serves the following nei... 03/31/2010

Bond yields screamed higher this week with Big Ben signaling an end to the Fed's purchase of mortgage backed securities and unwinding of the 3 trillion dollar balance sheet. The 10-year was up a whopping 40 basis points over 48 hours, enough to bankrupt an unwary trader. So where do mortgage and interest rates go from here? Do we see a quick 100-150 basis point move north if we break through last summer's top? My opinion - Highly likely. What are your thoughts? 03/26/2010

My family just checked out a new restaurant in our neighborhood and I was so impressed I thought I'd give this place a big "shout-out"!   It's BubbaQue's !!  The Jonesville area is just west of Gainesville on Newberry Road - and that's my neighborhood.  All of us living in this area have been hoping for more restaurants, and we have a new one with BubbaQue's.   It's located at 14209 W. Newberry Road.  Just across the street from the Jonesville Publix.   The Food was great! The Service was great! The atmosphere was family friendly and excellent on your budget too! The decor was priceless.  The interior decorator had an excellent sense of humor and good imagination.  The menu will make you laugh out loud.   The NAMES of the dishes, meals, and sauces should win an award for comedy.  Jeff F... 03/22/2010

Neighborhoods in Southwest Gainesville, Florida   Here is a short montage of some of the neighborhoods and amenities of Southwest Gainesville, Florida.  Included in this youtube video are the Southwest Gainesville neighborhoods of Valwood, Hickory Forest, Mentone, Kenwood, Cambridge Forest, and Cobblefield.  Southwest Gainesville neighborhood amenities Kanapaha Park and Alachua County Veterans Memorial, as well as Alachua County Library - Tower Road Branch, also appear in this video. Homebuyers are attracted to Southwest Gainesville because it feels a little "farther out" from the city, when in reality the neighborhoods mentioned here are 8 miles or less from UF and Shands. Southwest Gainesville offers so much more than what is in this video....which is why I will be producing other one... 03/19/2010

Gainesville Day Trip: Kayaking the Homosassa River   Just 90 minutes from Gainesville, the Homosassa River is home to freshwater and saltwater fish because the mineral composition in this fresh water is similar to the mineral composition in salt water. Wildlife such as bottlenose dolphins, manatees, alligator snapping turtles, otters, alligators, and snakes can be found here.  Formed by Homosassa Springs, the Homosassa River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.   Kayak rentals are available at Homosassa Riverside Resort.  Paddle past Monkey Island on your 2.5 mile journey to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, where you can view manatees and other wildlife. If you are looking for a way to get back to your bliss, an afternoon along the Homosassa River could be just the ticket.     03/17/2010

Not sure where to find dim sum in Gainesville, FL?  Come to South Garden in Haile Plantation!   Opened in 2007, Haile Plantation's South Garden Restaurant offers dim sum on weekends.   Diners enjoy this Chinese tradition under the shade of plantation oaks outside this southwest Gainesville eatery.         Although South Garden's dim sum isn't served on the traditional pushcarts, their offerings are just as tasty. Diner favorites include turnip cake, pork dumplings, shrimp rice paste, scallion pancakes, and spring rolls. If you're looking for a fun weekend meal in Gainesville where you can try a variety of tasty offerings and not break the bank, I'd highly recommend an afternoon at a cafe table outside of South Garden Restaurant in Haile Plantation.     Learn more about Gainesville Follo... 03/11/2010

This "Gatorized" Steinway at University of Florida brings music appreciation to a whole new level!   Those crazy Gators are at it again!  Check out this piano I spied in the lobby of University of Florida's Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Institute this afternoon: This Steinway, "Gatorized" by artist Chris Cruz, is a fundraising effort on behalf of University of Florida's School of Music. It certainly brings music appreciation to a whole new level! Customized with a player attachment, this grand piano plays "Go Gators" among other faves. Bidding starts at $21,000 (and would anyone be surprised if I told you there is already a bid for $21,000?) The auction is open through September 30 2010, 11 PM Eastern Time. The Gator Piano Auction to benefit the University of Florida School of Music ... 03/10/2010