Localism Challenge, Day #4: Seminole County Public Library, West Branch, 245 N. Hunt Club Rd., Longwood, FL  32779, 407-665-1670 Seminole County Public Libraries are open: Monday-Thursday:  9-8 Saturday:  10-5 Sunday:  1-5 Yes, I'm doing it- a post about a library.  There are many like it, but this one is mine...or at least the one that just happens to be the one closest to my home.  Folks that have viewed my posts for a while may have seen them listed under "Apopka", "Orlando", "Orange County", "Seminole County", "Mid-Florida", etc (and they're all true), but I live in Seminole County and can literally throw a baseball across into Orange County.  OK..it does need a bit of a roll- but I can get it there! Why a post about a library...or "the library"..or "my library"- Seminole County P... 09/04/2011

Would You Like Some Humility With That? "#3 Property Manager in Florida" Active Rain says.  "#9 Property Manager in America", Active Rain says.  That's nice.  We must be careful and try not to get caught up in Active Rain numbers, though- for sooner or later, you're going to be sitting in a meeting as I was this morning and thinking to yourself: Would You Like Some Humility With That? For background purposes, fellow Active Rain member and active blogger Jeremy Wrenn from Wake Forest-land had once suggested that I might do well in joining a BNI (Business Network International) group.  I forget the exact number, but I seem to recall that he gets about 1/3 of his business through BNI referrals. "Great", I said.  Then I asked myself "What the heck is BNI?"- as I'd never heard of them. I did... 08/10/2011

It's time to fire your property manager.  That might sound bad coming from a property manager- but as long as the one getting fired isn't me, life is good. Over time, I've written and spoke a great deal about the positive aspects of property management (again- it is my business).  I don't recall ever highlighting the negative side of the business, though- or of how having a property manager may add to an investor's headaches rather than alleviate them.  Maybe having a property manager remains a good idea (and it most likely does- because the alternative is really, really bad- wink, wink), but your specific property manager isn't upholding his end of your property management agreement.  In those cases...it's time to fire your property manager. Property management entails a great deal of ... 06/20/2011

Seminole County Florida Home Buyer Assistance Program Process and Time Line 1.  County sponsored home buyer education class is required. 2.  Home buyer is APPROVED and signs contract for home. 3.  Lender sends Reservation Form with contact to county. 4.  With-in 5 days, home is inspected by county staff. 5.  If necessary, lead based paint assessment is completed. 6.  Lender sends loan package to county. IF NO REPAIRS ARE NECESSARY...... 7.  County approves application package. 8.  County contracted appraiser completes appraisal. 9.  Home buyer meets with home buyer counselor. 10. Mortgage package e-mailed to title company. 11. Home buyer assistance check is released by county after HUD 1 is approved. 12. Closing occurs at the offices of the title company. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VIS... 06/13/2011

No Money Down Rural Housing USDA Loans in Seminole County Florida are back and fully funded. The new sub-prime loans of today are the government backed or sponsored loans. The FHA Loan is one we are all familiar with but how many of you know about the USDA Rural Housing Loan.  Here's how it works 100% financing on homes located in certain geographical area's with borrower's who are in certain income ranges. That's it! Use this link to see if the property qualifies by falling into one of the designated geographical area's http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do Remember when income qualifying to use the income of the ENTIRE family. Seller can pay up to 6% of buyers closing cost The 3.5% Guarantee Fee is included (Financed) in with the loan amount 100% of borrowe... 05/16/2011

Government Home Loans FHA/VA/USDA in Longwood Florida are still being used in most purchase transactions. I specialize in FHA, USDA, VA Loan products. When it comes to less out of pocket expense at a rate that is competitive with other lenders such as the conventional types more people are choosing to go with the Govies; which are aka FHA, VA and USDA Loans.  However lenders are not always willing to adopt into practice the new programs being passed down byHUD. Lets just say it would appear that this particular program isn't being accepted with open arm's on main street so far. HUD recently launched a program aimed at helping people who are current on their mortgage loans; refinance to the lower prevailing rates being offered through FHA and VA Approved Lenders even if they are under w... 04/11/2011

Summer Camp already? The city of Longwood has announced their Summer Day Camp for 2011. Early Bird registration (city residents only) will begin on April 1st. Regular registration begins on June 6th. For additional information and a list of fees, visit the City of Longwood's web site or call (407)260-3484  Centerline Homes' Bella Vista new home neighborhood in Longwood offers 3 - 6 bedroom executive single family homes priced from the upper $300's. Located on Sand lake Road, 1 mile west of Lake Brantley High School, Bella Vista provides sensational new homes in a prestigious Longwood location. For additional information call (407)278-0355Or visit www.CenterlineHomes.com 02/22/2011

  Golf Home Near Orlando....Palm Beach Inspired...Grand Showcase Luxury Golf Home Near Orlando oozes curb appeal! New on the market - Golf course Showcase Estate Home in beautiful Alaqua, near Orlando...Massive stately columns grace the two-story Grand Foyer and Grand Living Room with soaring ceilings, dramatic staircase and spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows.  Direct views of the golf course, fairways, and lavish "resort-style" pool with multiple waterfalls, walkways, summer kitchen and Cabana. You will be entertaining in "Grand Florida Style" in this gorgeous Golf Home near Orlando.                                    All first floor rooms open to the massive entertaining area complete with tropical foliage, lush palm trees, and accent lighting. New Gourmet Kitchen with Center Island... 02/17/2011

Centerline Homes' Bella Vista new home neighborhood in Seminole County gives today's home buyers a viable alternative to extensive remodeling of a current home - just to stay in Longwood. "Our location can't be beat," states Deb Marton Vice-President of Sales for Centerline Homes, "Generations of families have grown-up in Longwood and now want that same quality of life for their own families." Located off Sand lake Road, one mile west of SR 434, Bella Vista is an intimate neighborhood that features a controlled access entry, and a great selection of homes, priced from $379,900. Every Bella Vista home also includes Centerline Homes' quality construction and legendary value. There's a model that's perfect for every family - all in sought-after Longwood, and without the mess and stress of... 02/16/2011

NO MORE SNOW - buy a Home in Central Florida . . .   Buying a new home is a source of anxiety, frustration -- and a huge sense of accomplishment. You didn't pick the house that was best for someone else, you picked the one that's right for you! Trust me to help you find the Home and Mortgage loan that best fits your needs!               No Games ~ No Gimmicks ~ No Bull ~ Just Great Service & Support No one will take better care of you and your family. With todays challenging Real Estate and Mortgage Market, you can trust and rely on Richard Shuman From Start to Finish. I have the Experience, Education and Ethics to help you every step of the way! My clients receive immediate, professional service and support 7 days a week. A "STRESS-FREE MOVE, Across Town or Across the Country"         02/07/2011

Hi folks. First let me ask you a question. Who has heard of the new FTC ruling related to MARS? More specifically Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rulemaking Rule No. R911003. My guess is......not many of you. If you haven't take a minute to read the summary linked to above. This ruling is HUGE for our industry and put's many of us in jeoaprdy of being fined if we are not providing proper disclosures to our short sale sellers. So where was our association in all of this? This ruling went into affect back in December 2010 and most of us have never even heard of it. It's a pretty big deal that NAR has not issued a statement to our members letting us know  if the rule even applies to REALTORS(R) and if so.... what do we do about it? Will our State associations revise our Short Sale List... 02/05/2011

Longwood Luxury home sales and prices took another dive in 2010. Based on the Orlando MLS statistics for year ending 2010, luxury home sales dropped from 58 homes in 2009 to 55 homes in 2010. At the same time the average price per luxury home increased from $731,757 in 2009 to $821,942 in 2010 which is an increase of 12.4%. However, the per sq. ft. price per home actually decreased, from $173.98 in 2009 to $155.25 in 2010. This tells me that larger homes are selling at a lower per sq. ft. price. Home buyers bought fewer luxury homes; however, they bought on the average more expensive homes at a lower per square footage price. What does that mean in terms of consumer household goods; in Longwood you could buy a larger more luxurious flat screen TV at a lower price, that’s it in a nutshel... 01/06/2011

Wow! What a great  Interductorty Meeting we had today. We had a lot of comments with ideas and questions about Nextage and the opportunities it provides. If you missed this meeting, don't worry. We'll be having more like it soon. Here are some of the questions How do I get started? How do I as a new agent benefit from Nextage?   What does it cost to sign up with Nextage? How can investors get involved in this? How old is the company? Do you provide us with listings? Do you help us with the short sales? Are short sales all we will be doing? Do you help us with training? Do you help us with negotiations? These questions and more will be answered at our next introduction meeting. So be sure to be there!       11/18/2010

Bella Vista | Sonrisa | $ 513,340 Longwood, FL  32779Homesite: # 7 Style: Two Story Bedrooms: 5Bathrooms: 4Garage: 3 CarA/C Sq Ft: 3,609Total Sq Ft: 4,528 New Home Features: This New Bella Vista home is complete and ready for move in! Among the many incredible features that this Sonrisa has to offer are stunning cherry kitchen cabinets, built in double oven, 18" ceramic tile in all main living areas including kitchen and baths, french door entry into the living, dining and master bedroom and a beautiful sparkling pool. This home at bella Vista won't last long, so hurry out to our sales office to take a look! Office HoursOpen Daily 10am-6pm New Home Sales Office Address1286 Bella Vista CircleLongwood, FL 32779 Directions to Bella Vista in Longwood, FLFrom I4 Exit FL-434 W Heading southwe... 10/27/2010

By definition luxury real estate in the greater Orlando area including Seminole county is considered any home above the $500,000 price range, this is based on guidelines from the Institute of Luxury Home Marketing where I am a member of and also hold the Guild designation Click here for the Gitta's Institute Website .  Luxury real estate in Seminole County, which includes cities such as Lake Mary, Longwood, Oviedo, part of Winter Park, Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs, Casselberry, Sanford and Geneva, seems to be on the way of recovery. There is an increase in the median luxury home price from last year same 9 month period of $656,023 to this year of $735,868. The median per sqf. Price showed a small decline from $166.24 in 2009 to this year of $164.24. These are bitter sweet news when... 09/15/2010

Alaqua Lakes Real Estate values have been remarkably resilient over the past 6 years, as real estate values in the 5 county areas have peaked in 2006 and 2007 and now have been crushing down in many areas. According to a recent Orlando Sentinel article, click here  Orlando Sentinel Article Orlando is back to 1998 prices. Home prices in Alaqua Lakes according to these sale numbers provided by Orlando MLS, 2010 is going to see an increase in the median home value over 2009.                 Sales      Median Price    sqft 2005       46           $708,737.00        $195.69 2005       46           $910,213.00        $245.02 2006       44           $1,069,500.00     $268.97 2007       34           $1,188,500.00     $280.00 2008       31           $1,080,000.00     $258.08 2009       30       ... 09/14/2010

Alaqua Lakes Real Estate, this magnificent man gated development is located on the North side of Longwood, Florida right off Markham Woods Road bordering the city of Lake Mary. It offers a Tom Fazio developed 18 hole championship golf course and is nestled amidst some old Oak Trees lined fairways and sensational estate homes with lush landscaping and manicured lawns.  Home prices vary between the $575,000 to multimillion dollar estate homes, built by some of the most well known local luxury home builders such as Dave Brewer and many more. There are currently 28 homes for sale, from the low $575,000 to the high $2.4 million range. The Alaqua Lakes real estate market has not been insulated from the bursting real estate bubble and there are currently 5 homes in short sale position. So far ... 09/12/2010

Congratulations Kay Green Design! Centerline Homes congratulates Kay Green and her team on their recent Aurora award win for the sensational Giralda new home model at Bella Vista in Longwood, FL. The prestigious Aurora awards, held last Saturday evening, are the much anticipated grand finale of the SEBC or Southeast Builders Conference. The Aurora judges loved this model's interior merchandising and felt that it highlighted both the home's unique architecture and the floor plan's family-friendly livability. Centerline Homes is very proud of the Giralda model and the Bella Vista neighborhood. Located in prestigious Longwood, 1 mile from Lake Brantley high school, Bella Vista offers buyers an exciting series of one and two-story floor plans featuring 4 & 5 bedrooms with up to 5,100 squar... 08/17/2010

FHA Premiums going up We knew this was in the works for a while. I don't think it's going to hurt the market any. I think if they pass a ruling that limits the seller contribution to 3% down from 6% that would hurt. The housing market needs a boost and with rates as low as they are, it's cheaper to purchase a home than to rent. Especially once you calculate the after tax benefit. To learn more contact us at www.SKIPtheBULL.com/ContactUs                           08/06/2010

The following are the market sales statistics for Longwood, Seminole County, Florida for June 2010.  Longwood is made up of the zip codes of 32779 & 32750.  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 divided by the numbe... 07/16/2010