Sunday, July 31, 2011

Who’s Duty Is It To Do The Due Diligence?

International Real EstateI work with home buyers from the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and Spain as well as local buyers. Working with buyers from out of the country presents a whole list of challenges that need to be overcome in order for a successful transaction to happen.

One such challenge is how a buyer can do their research and due diligence on a home purchase from across an ocean. It can be done, trust me. But it takes extra effort from the buyer and the agent.

I have had buyers email me to ask how far away a villa is from Disney World. My initial instinct is to tell them to jump on Google Maps and map it out for themselves. Through experience I’ve learned that is not the way to answer that question. There is no substitute for eyes on the ground. If you’ve ever been to London you know that traffic there is quite a bit worse than in Davenport , Kissimmee, or Orlando for that matter. If you tell someone who lives in London that a home is only 15 miles from Disney they will likely picture a 45 minute drive through traffic. However, if you tell them you’ve driven that route and it took 18 minutes they will be more confident in your answer.

What about the neighborhood? How is the neighborhood? Is it safe? I get that question almost daily and it’s a valid concern. While I can’t visit every home a buyer asks me about, I can give them the benefit of my knowledge of the area. I won’t give out statistics on crime because I’m not qualified to provide that kind of info. However, I can visit a neighborhood, talk to some neighbors, look at the state of things during the inspection period and tell the buyers what I find out. As I said, there is nothing like having eyes on the ground.

Then I take a nice photo shoot of the home and a video possibly so the buyers can get a good detailed look at what they are buying. A video camera and You Tube are great for this end of my business.

If there is a Home Owners Association I can get the info to the buyer so that they can call or email the HOA and ensure that the HOA is in good shape finacially. They can also ask the HOA whether there are any upcoming special assessments that they need to know about. Being surprised by a $1,000 special assessment for road maintenance is not something a buyer wants to hear about when they just closed on a home.

The list goes on and on but you get the point. It takes a collaborative effort from myself and a buyer to make a good, educated, and safe investment. It requires that myself and my clients build a good level of trust between us so that we can have the right kind of working relationship moving toward a successful purchase.


If you need help buying a home in Davenport just let me know. I've helped folks from all over the world buy villas,condos, townhomes, houses and homes. I'm happy to help!

Image courtesy of JoelK75 at Flickr

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Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Disclosure

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc is not associated with the government and our services have not been approved by the government or your Lender. If you stop paying your mortgage you could lose your home and damage your credit. Your Lender may not agree to the change of your loan and/or a Short Sale.With a Short Sale, there are no guarantees offered and we cannot provide legal advice. Seek legal advice.
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Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

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When Is A Lead Dead? Never!!!

Homes For Sale In Legacy Park Davenport FloridaI had an interesting phone call this morning that got me thinking. It was from a buyer in the United Kingdom who I had been working with last year to try to find a home in Legacy Park Davenport, Florida. He was a strong buyer who was going to be buying a home with cash.

I was glad to be working with him at the time because he was the kind of guy that understood what the market was doing and he was open to my advice because he knew I had his best interests at heart. But a few weeks into our home search he called me to let me know that his situation had now changed drastically and he would no longer be able to purchase a home.

I didn’t ask him why at the time because he sounded disheartened. But I did ask if I could continue to send him a link to a blog article every now and then just to keep in touch and he said that was ok. So I did just that. We kept in touch for the last year over email and every now and then on Facebook.

The phone call today was to tell me that now he is ready and able to move forward with purchasing a home and to thank me for keeping in touch. Things happen to all of us in life that we can’t control. But we can control our reaction. He was honest and up front with me from the start and I was up front and honest with him.

When he was ready to buy a house he came back ready to go. This is just a little lesson about not burning your bridge, your buyer might need to cross that bridge to come back to you later.

Image courtesy of acrylicartist at Flickr

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Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Disclosure

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc is not associated with the government and our services have not been approved by the government or your Lender. If you stop paying your mortgage you could lose your home and damage your credit. Your Lender may not agree to the change of your loan and/or a Short Sale.With a Short Sale, there are no guarantees offered and we cannot provide legal advice. Seek legal advice.
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Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

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Do Gated Communities Really Give You More Security

The short answer is not really. Crimes happen in gated communities just like they happen in all communitites. No matter where you live there will always be that ten percent spoiling it for everyone. But gated communities do have their perks. Gated communities usually look more affluent and grand. It is a great way to keep out unwanted traffic and loitering.

In a vacation area like Davenport Florida it’s nice to have your home in a nice closed and gated neighborhood. It does make you feel a little more secure when you leave for home. Davenport is home to some beautiful gated communities:
Aviana
Vista View
Regency Place
Marbella At Davenport
Tuscan Hills
Solana
Sunset Ridge
Westridge
Davenport Estates
Reserve At Town Center
Del Webb
Providence
Greens At Providence
Victory Woods At Providence

If you’d like more information about any of these communities just click that big button. Yeah, the one that says Contact Nathan. Happy hunting.

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Copyright © 2011 http://www.cflinvestmenthomes.com  All Rights Reserved

Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Disclosure

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc is not associated with the government and our services have not been approved by the government or your Lender. If you stop paying your mortgage you could lose your home and damage your credit. Your Lender may not agree to the change of your loan and/or a Short Sale.With a Short Sale, there are no guarantees offered and we cannot provide legal advice. Seek legal advice.
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Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

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Monday, July 25, 2011

Lake Wilson Preserve Davenport Florida Homes For Sale

Lake Wilson Preserve Davenport FloridaLake Wilson Preserve Davenport Florida is a picturesque community of 96 homes located less than 15 minutes drive from Disney World. The spanish tile roofs and natural beauty of this community make it one of the most visually striking communities in Central Florida.

Lake Wilson Preserve is located just minutes from some of the nicest premier golf courses Central Florida has to offer, as well as being conveniently located near most of Kissimmee’s restaurants, shops and attractions. All while being tucked back into the countryside away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Homes For Sale In Lake Wilson Preserve Davenport FloridaHomes for sale in Lake Wilson Preserve Davenport Florida range in price from $140,000 to $240,000. The Lake Wilson Preserve Home Owner’s Association does a fantastic job of keeping this community in top shape which in turn has helped keep the property values up. The HOA fee of $229 per month is reasonable for the services provided which are weekly (or as needed) landscaping, weekly (or as needed) pool cleaning, irrigation and basic cable service for each home.

The Lake Wilson Preserve Home Owner’s Association’s details are as follows:

Mailing address: 8297 Champions Gate Blvd Suite 517 Champions Gate, FL 33896

Email: info@lakewilsonpreservehoa.com

Web: www.LakeWilsonPreserveHOA.com

Click the "Contact Nathan" button below if you’d like a free list of the homes for sale in the Lake Wilson Preserve Community.

Images courtesy of lakewilsonpreservehoa.com

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Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Disclosure

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc is not associated with the government and our services have not been approved by the government or your Lender. If you stop paying your mortgage you could lose your home and damage your credit. Your Lender may not agree to the change of your loan and/or a Short Sale.With a Short Sale, there are no guarantees offered and we cannot provide legal advice. Seek legal advice.
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Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

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22 Offers On One Listing; A Snap Shot Of The Davenport Florida Real Estate Market

I am working with a buyer who is looking for a vacation villa in Davenport with a private pool. He has been doing a lot of the searching himself on websites such as Zillow, Trulia, Movoto, etc. Normally I love when a buyer takes the bull by the horns and does some searching and research on their own. You can never have too much information, which is why I write this blog. But in this case it has backfired on us and I’ll tell you how.

Today I received an email from said buyer asking for some more details/info on 7 listings. The first thing I did was go to the MLS and see which ones were still available. Not a one was still actively on the market. Every single one had either sold or was in pending status. This was frustrating for me but even more so for the buyer. Homes are selling so fast you can't even keep up with them.

I happened to know the listing agent of the buyer’s favorite listing so I decided to give her a call and see how things were going and see if she had room for a back-up offer. Here are her words, “Sure, we can take another offer but we already have 22 offers on this listing”. WHAT!!! Are you serious?!! So unless my buyer is willing to come way up on price we don’t have have a shot in you know where of getting this one.

My jaw had already hit the ground but it got even worse. She then told me that she has 3 listings in Davenport right now. They had 16, 19, and 22 offers on them respectively. I was floored to say the least. I know there are almost always multiple offers on homes in the below 100k price range, but it has become very competitive indeed. Go big or go home is the phrase that comes to mind. Buying a foreclosure has a laundry list of idiosyncrasies that you as the buyer need to understand if you are going to secure a home in this market.

Here are a couple of other articles about buying foreclosures that I think will help you. If it's not covered there I'm always a phone call or email away. Good luck and happy hunting. 

Buying A Central Florida Foreclosure Requires Some Strategy

Buyers Beware....The Asking Price Of The Property Means Squat!

10 Houses To Show 5 Buyers, How’s That For A Market Update!

Serious Buyers Make Serious Offers

Contact Me

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Copyright © 2011 http://www.cflinvestmenthomes.com  All Rights Reserved

Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Disclosure

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc is not associated with the government and our services have not been approved by the government or your Lender. If you stop paying your mortgage you could lose your home and damage your credit. Your Lender may not agree to the change of your loan and/or a Short Sale.With a Short Sale, there are no guarantees offered and we cannot provide legal advice. Seek legal advice.
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Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Lake Marion Golf Resort Home Owner’s Association

Lake Marion Golf Resort ClubhouseHave you ever tried to get in touch with one of these home owner’s associations only to find their info is nowhere to be found? I know I have, many times. I’ve decided to do something about that. I’ve been compiling a database of HOA info for about the last two years and I’m going to start putting their info out there for the masses to find. I’m hoping this makes someone’s life easier.

I’ll start with Lake Marion Golf Resort. This is a beautiful vacation community in Poinciana, Florida. It has direct access to Lake Marion. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a very good fisherman (ok, I’ve never caught a fish in my life, but not from lack of trying), but I hear the fishing is great!

Lake Marion Golf Resort BoatdockLake Marion Golf Resort is a gated community with on scene 24 hour security, clubhouse, community pool and spa, tennis courts, basketball courts, fitness center, children's playground and more. I sold a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo in this community recently for less than $50,000.

When taking into account all the community has, and the gorgeous properties themselves, it is astonishing that you can buy a condo or villa there for that kind of price.

As promised here is the Home Owner’s Association details:

Registered Agent Name & Address

STAMBAUGH, INC. 3601 CYPRESS GARDENS RD SUITE I WINTER HAVEN, FL 33884

HOA Property Manager: 1-407-327-5324; Security/Front Desk: 407-738-7630

Lake Marion Golf Resort Community PoolIf you would like a free list of properties for sale in Lake Marion Golf Resort please click the contact button below and let me know. Have a great day everyone!

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Copyright © 2011 http://www.cflinvestmenthomes.com  All Rights Reserved

Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Disclosure

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc is not associated with the government and our services have not been approved by the government or your Lender. If you stop paying your mortgage you could lose your home and damage your credit. Your Lender may not agree to the change of your loan and/or a Short Sale.With a Short Sale, there are no guarantees offered and we cannot provide legal advice. Seek legal advice.
******************************************************************
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

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Should I Stop Paying My Mortgage If I’m Doing A Short Sale

Calabay Parc Davenport Florida Short SalesToday I received an email from a seller who owns a house in Calabay Parc Davenport, Florida. It was a brief email. It read “Hi Nathan, we found you online and were wondering if we should stop paying our mortgage if we want to do a short sale?” I get that question a lot from sellers and I always tell them the same thing. I can’t tell you to stop paying your mortgage.

But I can tell you that the bank will expect to see some kind of hardship if you are trying to short sale your home. A hardship can be a loss of job, loss of income, death in the family, unexpected medical bills or any other number of things. The fact that your home is now worth about 1/3 of what you bought it for may even be seen as a hardship. A hardship letter is required by every lender I know of and is a big part of the short sale package. You should give it some serious thought when writing it.

There are sellers out there who may feel like they were taken advantage of when they bought their home. Or they may feel like their lender has screwed them. If you bought in 2005 in Central Florida I’d say the odds are good that’s how you’re feeling right now. But what have to keep in mind is that the person negotiating the short sale on behalf of your lender doesn’t know you or your situation. It’s simply a numbers game to them.

I call them bean counters. They are looking at the numbers and strictly the numbers. If you can show them in a letter that you indeed have some sort of hardship, and have a buyer who is willing and able to buy the home for fair market value, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t approve the sale.

As hard as it may be, you should try to leave the emotion out of your hardship letter and just give them the facts. That’s what they need to see in order to make a decision on your short sale. Anything else is distracting them from your goal, and that is getting you house sold.

Contact Me

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   Find Me On Facebook    Follow Me    Watch My Videos    Google Me    Get Linked In    View My Posterous Blog

Copyright © 2011 http://www.cflinvestmenthomes.com  All Rights Reserved

Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Disclosure

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc is not associated with the government and our services have not been approved by the government or your Lender. If you stop paying your mortgage you could lose your home and damage your credit. Your Lender may not agree to the change of your loan and/or a Short Sale.With a Short Sale, there are no guarantees offered and we cannot provide legal advice. Seek legal advice.
******************************************************************
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

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