Using a "Lease with the option to buy" is a very good idea and works very well. There are times  many prospective buyers need help in locating a lender,paying off debt and having the sellers assist them in their purchase.   Since the sub-prime market has all but disappeared we`ve spoken to our investors about placing a clause into our contracts to assist the buyer/reenter in purchasing a home. We`re now allowing a potential buyer a"Lease to Own with 6 months of good rental history". We`ve had alot of new inquiries.This allows the prospective buyer time to clean up their credit, it also helps the sellers decide if this is the right buyer without over complicating a transaction.   With new FHA guidelines  there are opportunities for these buyers, but it takes 6 months to take care of bill... 08/26/2007

Ocala Florida Housing News Report:We`ve seen the prices of homes in the Marion County Florida Real have decreased during the past 18 months.There are exceptional buys on the market,which translates into a golden opportunity's for 1st time home buyers who wish to purchase a home.   With new FHA guidelines available New construction Homes are in huge demand. Marion County, Florida has seen tremendous growth during the last 3 years. New  Schools, Shopping,jobs and expansion of roads as made this area a highly attractive area to relocate to.Here are a few New Construction Homes in Marion County Florida: This is a 3bd,2ba,2CG SFH w/ 1475 SF under Air. Asking price $139,900! This 3bed,2ba,2CG SFH was recently completed.Asking price $140,000. For additional information on FHA guidelines or a l... 08/19/2007

We`ve been watching homes prices drop from their "Highs" in 2006. There are many new opportunities available to investors in the housing market. Marion County,Florida is loaded with great rental properties and affordable housing.Currently,rents in the area range from $800-$1400 per month for 3bed,2ba,2CG homes. The majority of these homes are less than 5 years old, maintaining them isn`t a problem.Home Prices in Marion County, range from $130-$180`s.With so many young families relocating to the Ocala area, rentals seem to be a logical choice for these young couples rather than buying, also to be considered is a "lease option" program that can be offered for those who are seeking a home as well.Here are examples of properties available in the Marion County Florida Real Estate market.   T... 08/17/2007

http://ocala.kijiji.com/c-Housing-Homes-for-rent-ocala-florida-homes-for-sale-3-LOCUST-CIR-LN-OCALA-FL-34472-W0QQAdIdZ20416042 3 LOCUST CIR LN, OCALA FL 34472 Brand New SFH with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, plus 2 car garage. Great Location! Never before lived in. Call L/O today for showing inst.Brand New SFH with 3 bedrooms, 2 ...  US $925.00 < 53 minutes ago ocala florida homes for rent 8 JUNIPER PASS LN, Ocala FL 34480 8 JUNIPER PASS LN, Ocala FL 34480. Rent this 2005 3/2/2 home. Available now. Includes range, refrigerator, dishwasher, and window blinds. Carpet throughout w/ vinyl in all wet areas. Master has ...  US $975.00 < 57 minutes ago http://ocala.kijiji.com/c-Housing-Homes-for-rent-ocala-florida-homes-for-rent-6945-SW-129-LN-OCALA-FL-34473-W0QQAdIdZ20415432 6945 SW 129 LN, OCALA FL 3... 08/16/2007

OCALA FLORIDA REAL ESTATE @13168 SE 101 AVE, Belleview FL 34420 3BED,2BAOwner will consider all written offers and is motivated to sell! 13168 SE 101 AVE, Belleview FL 34420   US $200,000.00 Ocala< 1 minute ago ocala florida real estate 2510 SE 48 ST, OCALA FL 34480 3BED,2BA SFH.COMPLETED UPDATED HOME WITH WITH 1.46 ACRES OF LAND THAT IS PARTIALLY CLEARED. HOME IS BEING SOLD WELL BELOW MARKET VALUE. CHECK THIS ONE OUT AND COMPARE TO THE AREA HOMES BEING OFFERED ...  US $139,900.00 Ocala< 4 minutes ago ocala florida homes for sale @10620 SW 49 AVE, OCALA FL 34476 3bed,2ba,2cg.Brand new home build by Lexington homes w/$27000 in extras: crown molding,tray ceilling,brick pavers,granite,tile/carpet,stainless steel app package,pool pump/light prewire,etc to many mo...  US $224,900.00 Ocala< 1... 08/16/2007

   I transplanted myself from the frigid wilderness of western Maine to Ocala Florida a few years ago to escape the winter and to enjoy the sunshine. Being a Yankee I was born without a natural fear of thunder storms and lightning. Of course we have them in New England but it's like the old saying about the odds of getting hit and all that. It seems that Central Florida is the lightning capital of the world.  Well there I was, minding my own business, and BOOOM I thought my house had just been hit by a rocket. It scared the crap out of me. I went out side looking for a hole in my roof but couldn't see anything. The power went out so I went into the garage to see if the breakers needed to be reset. There on the garage floor was the control clock from my lawn sprinkler system. It had been... 08/13/2007

ocala florida rental property. Walk right in and make yourself right at home!This 3bed,2ba,2CG SFH features, tiled floors, wood kitchen cabs,huge backyard. Contact Florida List For Less Realty,Inc.@ 1-866-268-2274. visit us ...  US $900.00 Ocala< 1 minute ago Ocklawaha Florida Homes For rent @ 32 E MALAUKA TRK, New,New,New!Just east of Silver Lake...this brand new,never-lived-in 3 bedroom, 2 bath car garage unit w/ vaulted ceiling,indoor laundry room, vinyl flooring w/ carpeted bedrooms. CONTACT FLORIDA ...  US $900.00 Ocala< 5 minutes ago ocala florida homes for rent @ 200 LOCUST PASS WY, OCALA FL 344 FLEXIBLE RENTAL TERMS FOR ALL QUALIFIED RENTERS! BRAND NEW, NEVER LIVED IN 3/2/2. MUST RENT FAST! GREAT LOCATION! CONTACT FLORIDA LIST FOR LESS REALTY,INC @1-866-268-2274. VISIT US @ http... 08/11/2007

Belleview Florida Rental Properties at Lake Weir. Stop the car! This is a 3bed,2ba,2CG SFH with Lake Weir view! Awesome location!Brand Spankin New! Rent today! Contact Florida List For Less Realty,Inc and The Scott Daniels Real Estate gro...  US $900.00 Ocala< 4 hours ago Belleview Florida Homes for rent! Belleview Finest! Huge 3bed,2ba,2CG w/1700 SF under A/C. great school district. Never lived in. Must see to believe! Rent for $1000 per month. Pets welcome.   US $1,000.00 Ocala< 4 hours ago Belleview Florida Homes For Rent Ready to be moved in yesterday! This 3bed,2ba,2CG SFH has never been lived in! All new appl. Lease Option Available. Only 1st and security required. Rent for $1000 per month! We have o...  US $1,000.00 Ocala< 4 hours ago Belleview Florida Homes For Sale Hills of Tus... 08/09/2007

    It was 1981 and I was 26 years old and determined to buy my first house. I had to borrow the down payment and all I could afford was a handyman's special in West Groton Massachusetts. Interest rates on home loans were more like today's credit card rates. We were experiencing terrible inflation. The Iran hostage crisis was just getting over after watching a it on the news every night for over a year. Gasoline was over a dollar a gallon, god knows what that is in today's money. Now that's REAL doom and gloom.  However I forged ahead with my life and dream of owning a piece of property. I spent $35,000.00 on my handyman special and spent the next 5 years fixing it up.   In 1986 I sold it in a very hot market. In just 24 hours I had a full price offer of $146,000.00 !! That was a $111,0... 08/07/2007

 OCALA REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT JULY 2007 ....................................279*$100,000.00 or less.........................70$100 to $200,000.00......................126$200 to $300,000.00........................50$300 to $500,000.00........................23$500,000.00 Plus.............................10Active Listings as of 8/2/07........7392*Vacant Houses as of 8/2/07........2182**This does not count homes sold by builders that may not be listed on the MLS.    July is traditionally a slow month for Ocala real estate sales. Sales were off from May and June which averaged about 325 homes sold per month. July sales were only 279, which is a 17% decrease. I think the current buyers market will continue well into 2008.  Homes are selling every day. It's just a question of which house ... 08/07/2007

Marion County has experienced a new phenom in its continuation of expansion.The area seems to be buzzing with new malls,expansion of CFCC,roads and housing!The Ocala and surrounding area`s have experienced a "Hot Rental Market" that has been spurred,mainly from investors who originally believed they could "Flip Properties" only to find the majority of the market disappeared due to the Sub Prime Lenders fading! Many potential home buyers over night became renters.Thereby creating a strong demand for Rental Properties especially Single Family Homes.Most investors never anticipated this occurrence,some never thought of becoming landlords,but it`s happened. New creative ideas such as "First Right of Refusals" or "Lease Options" have become very familiar terms to both Realtors and Investors ... 08/06/2007

About three years ago we moved from New York to Ocala.  My wife Sara stayed behind to finish the sale and closing on our home and I did the advance work in Florida, finding a broker to work for, getting my license and learning the market area.  What I am going to let you in on is how I found my way around Ocala, and learned the various subdivisions and neighborhoods in town.My wife Sara had remained back in NY to close our house there (we had a home in Ocala under contract) and I had to get started.  After signing up for the pre-licensing class my job after finding a broker to work for was to learn the new territory.  What did I do?  I called several real estate brokerages in town.  I knew I was not a serious buyer, nor was I qualified (one home under contract for sale, another under co... 08/06/2007

Here's a taste of Ocala living and the beauty that surrounds us. I'd love to help you find a place in sunny Ocala Florida! Ocala has so much to offer, after all it is the Horse Capital of the World! I'd like to take 27 seconds of your time and introduce myself. I personally like face to face discussions so I have had a commercial made that tells in very brief form who & what I am. Take a few seconds and view my commercial and send me some feedback! Thanks, Sara 08/03/2007

Published Real Estate Articles from The Scott Daniels Real Estate Group.Scott Daniels - EzineArticles.com Expert Author   X     With over 10 years of Real Estate experience I`ve been involved in 1000`s of transactions. Each day, we blog about Real Estate issues that we feel are of interest to our fellow Professionals. The stories are true, the names have been changed to protect the innocent! [View Scott Daniels's Extended Author Bio][Display Categories] Sort By [Title] [Newest] [Oldest] When Is Enough Finally Enough? Seller Wants Us To Purchase A Swing Set At Closing[Real-Estate:Selling] He's upset that the buyers refuse to compensate them. We explained to him that the swing set was never part of the transaction, so if they want they can move this "Custom Swing Set" with them. Problem s... 07/27/2007

   As you may or may not know most of the roads in the Rolling Hills sub division, just west of Ocala , are either limerock or just dirt. Limeroch basically being a very hard packed dirt road.   Well I heard rumors of a paving project so I contacted the Marion County commisioners office. I 've just decided to paste the responce I got via email below. There is no better information than from the horses mouth, so to speak.Good MorningThe roads proposed for improvement through a road assessment program are:  SW 129th Terrace, SW 61st Avenue, and SW 114th Ct., about 6 miles.The County will not be paving these roads at no cost to the property owners; each property owner will be assessed for a portion of the total cost.  The roads are in design right now and it will probably be at least next ... 07/25/2007

We just took this listing below.The homeowner wants us to rent this home unaware that there is a Watermelon Patch on the property.Apparently, when the construction workers were building this home, many must have taken time out during the day to eat watermelon. The pits must have been thrown all over the place as the pictures indicate!This being Florida, everything and anything grows! All you have to do is just throw the seeds and add water.Thanks to both Mary and Nicole....I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks...  07/25/2007

   Once a year the state of Florida issues a report on it's school systems. Just like being in school they are graded from A to F on various testing criteria. Each school is individually rated so you can see the grammar, middle or high school of your choice and how it's ranked. This report is for the latest 2006/2007 school year and covers every school in the Ocala and Marion County Florida area. 2006/07 Ocala Marion County School Report Card 07/23/2007

I like to contact expired listings of Ocala Florida Homes . It is my opinion that many sellers weren`t advised by their former Realtors about the market shift in prices reduction. I don`t know how many Realtors call expired listings, but for a great education of "Seller Denial" you should! Many sellers instead love the New Rage sweeping Sellers! "Let`s Play the Blame Game!" -It`s easier! That being mentioned it probably is. Yesterday, i spent 3 hours on the telephone contacting expired listings in my "Farm Area". It was really enlightening to hear why some homes never sold!   One seller denied that he actually had his home for sale,another claimed the Realtor never did an "Open House" to move their home, the best was the "Realtor never paid attention to their suggestions!" I kid you not... 07/17/2007

Talk about the Florida weather being HOT! The Ocala Florida Homes  market is just as hot, if not fierce! Yesterday,I was at a listing appointment in Marion Oaks.  The seller interviewed 6 different agents for their home. They need to sell the home quickly because they have issues with the lender. Needless to say they have to select a Realtor that is capable of marketing and selling their home.   I spent 1.5 hours in what felt like a job interview. I`m happy to report that we just got notice that we`re the winner and will be listing the property on activerain.com.   The Real Estate market is sizzling in Ocala,Florida and only the strong it appears will survive. 07/17/2007

  OCALA REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT  Homes Sold June  2007 .............327* $100,000.00 or less.......................72 $100 to $200,000.00....................157 $200 to $300,000.00......................60 $300 to $500,000.00......................24 $500,000.00 Plus...........................14 Active Listings as of 7/4/07......7335* Vacant Houses as of 7/4/07.......2165* ** This does not count homes sold by builders that may not be listed on the MLS.   Here in Ocala, we are still in a buyers market and I think it will continue well into next year. It's a great time to buy a home. There is a lot of inventory to choose from and prices couldn't be better.     Free MLS search of Ocala and Marion County Florida real estate.    Great buys in Ocala real estate.   I provide honest, straight f... 07/17/2007