Sarah and Rob, congratulations on your new home in Sanford FL! We hope you get to enjoy your beautiful home for many years to come and we are excited that, in the end, you found your perfect home!

We had the pleasure to help Rob and Sarah, a young couple that had recently moved to the Lake Mary area, with their home search. Rob and Sarah were first time home buyers and after moving here, had decided to live in a nearby apartment complex for a year in order to get to know this area a bit better. That is by the way a very smart way to really figure out where you want to be located. Taking your time will help you figure out how important location is, for example, how important your commute really is, or how much you really enjoy having dining and entertainment close by. So when Rob and Sarah contacted us they really knew what they wanted and were determined to find it – and so were we!

After only a couple of times looking at homes they found a home that they liked and put an offer on it. However, since it was a short sale it did end up taking too much time and so we had to move on. Turns out, that was a good thing because just around that time, their beautiful home-to-be popped up in the MLS system and won them over with its charm.

Sarah and John at closing

Congratulations Sarah and John on your beautiful new home in Sanford FL! We are sure you will create wonderful memories in your new home and hope you enjoy every day of living in it )

Jose and I helped these nice newlyweds find their dream home. Sarah is actually a first time home buyer!

Sarah and John were patient enough to wait on a great short sale deal. It took almost 4 months from the initial contract date to closing (as opposed to 30-45 days on a regular or bank owned home) but  it paid off for this young couple!

We started the house hunt before spring, looking for homes in the Sanford, Lake Mary and Heathrow area. Even though we came across some bank owned homes as well, John and Sarah fell in love with this home and stuck to it. Perseverance is only one of the many ingredients that make a short sale successful.

John in front of his new home

Yes, buying a short sale is not always easy. It requires a lot of patience, but also nerves. Banks (who are the ultimate decision makers in the short sale process) can be quite difficult during the negotiations. When buying a short sale you need to be prepared and have a knowledgeable real estate agent on your side who is working for you on getting the home.

Short Sales are ideal for buyers who:

• Have the time to wait i.e. they don’t have a deadline as to when they need to move out of their current place. Renters who are on a month to month basis with their landlord are in a good position.
• Are willing to commit to a home for at least 45 days (as opposed to a regular sale when your offer expires after 48 to 72 hours, depending on the acceptance deadline you specify in the contract). Just putting in an offer but then looking at more homes the next day will not work. In order to increase your chances you have to show the other party that you are serious about buying the home.
• Don’t want to fight with other buyers over good real estate opportunities. If you don’t want to deal with bidding wars or multiple offers, short sales might  be a good alternative. Even if you are in second position when putting an offer on a short sale, there is a good chance that you could end up with the winning bid because the majority of all buyers backs out of short sales once they are tired of the waiting game.
• First time home buyers who decide to put in their offer before the end of August. The $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit will expire on November 30, 2009 so if you are ready to commit to buying a short sale, do it now. The process takes around 3 months however in some cases more. We will be able to advise you on the best strategy in case you are considering a short sale property as your first home.
• Buyers who are educated about the process and have professional help on their side.

For a more in depth explanation of short sales read this post about “Short Sales and Shoes”.

Questions? Call us at 407-340-6458 or send us a quick message and we will be in touch.

Jose and I had the pleasure to help Viorica find her new home. Her daughter Carmen and Carmen’s fiance Mark found us through one of my blogs in May and contacted us about their home search. Viorica’s main concern was to be close to her family who lives in the area (her son, his wife and their little grand daughter). The targeted location was Lake Mary/Sanford, close to the Markham Woods area.

After looking at different areas, Heathrow stood out as the perfect neighborhood for Viorica who is planning to relocate from Ormond Beach before the end of the year.

We are glad to announce that we found a great home for Viorica and her family in Heathrow with a stunning pool area and breathtaking views  – and, after successful negotiations, at an unbelievably great price! Congratulations Viorica on your beautiful new home in Heathrow! We are sure you will get to enjoy this home with your family for many years to come and we look forward to staying in touch! Welcome to the area

Congratulations Diana and Mike! We are so happy you found your dream home in Clermont – and that we were able to help you find it! Diana and Mike were facing what many renters are facing: the foreclosure on their landlord’s home. So when they got served the letter at the beginning of the year this nice young couple knew: we need to get out here asap! So they contacted us and we started “the hunt”.

Being a first time home buyer isn’t easy but we walked Diana and Mike through the process, they even had enough time to apply for the $8,000 tax credit right after closing – and received the check within a short period of time. We looked at homes all over Ocoee and Winter Garden but then finally ended up looking closer at Clermont, FL, one of the only hilly areas of Central Florida. After looking at tons of outdated homes, bank owned foreclosures in bad shape and fixer upper like properties, it became clear: these young first-time home buyers needed a place that was ready to move in – and I don’t blame them… If you’re not a handy person, or at least know one, why bother with all the updating? With our help, Diana and Mike negotiated an amazing deal with Pulte Homes on a new construction inventory home! Their kitchen is amazing: granite countertops and stainless steel appliances – not bad for your first home! On top of that a private backyard (no back neighbors and a beautiful view of the hills of Clermont) and covered porch for summer BBQs: We look forward to that house warming party you guys

Congratulations Beth, James and Hannah on your new home in Sanford FL!

We helped this nice young family to find their dream home earlier this year. The home was a bank owned property in not so good shape – the interior resembled an outdated early 90s style, the pool was black and full of algae and the yard was about to overgrow the home.

When we went back to visit Beth, James and Hannah last week we were in for a pleasant surprise:

The home had undergone a major home improvement and now looks like a gorgeous contemporary executive home! James really has done a wonderful job! Among many other things, he tiled the main living areas, put in high quality wood laminate floors in the bedrooms, replaced the kitchen cabinets and custom tiled the fireplace (accessible from both living and family room). The pool is all cleaned up and the backyard in control. A professional contractor couldn’t have done a better job! We were excited to see such a dramatic and impressive change and know that these new home owners will have lots of joy with their dream home. Cheers to you and enjoy!

Below are some pictures documenting the change…

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Living Room Before

Living Room After - Fireplace Custom Tile

Congratulations Michael and Myrna! We helped this nice young couple find their new home in Oviedo. The closing was completed and everything went smooth.

It was a long journey because it is not easy finding just the right home and we were a bit under time pressure: As so many renters right now, Michael and Myrna got into a situation where their landlord was not paying his mortgage any longer and facing foreclosure. So one day this young couple received a letter in the mail saying that they had to vacate their rented condo within a very short amount of time. Apparently the bank was going to take the property from the landlord. The foreclosure process was going to get started and, obviously, the renters, Michael and Myrna, had to leave asap.

After dealing with a bank owned home that had a serious mold issue we finally found just the right home in Oviedo and negotiated a great deal. Now Michael and Myrna are happy home owners and will live in beautiful Oviedo with their two children.

Facing a similar situation? Are you a renter and your landlord is not paying his mortgage any longer? Text us or give us a call at 407-340-6458 – we can help you find your dream home quickly and at the best price! You can also fill in the form below so we can email you.