Blog entries

Market Statistics from the Orlando Regional Realtor Association

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:59:09 +0100

Pending sales are at a record high according to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. This is great news for the local real estate market! Check out the full article at:

http://www.orlrealtor.com/Main/Main.asp?CategoryID=3

Tax Credit Extended For Military And Some Government Employees!

Nicola Hughes — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:01:42 +0100

Just found this out. Great news for members of the military and government employees!

Military Extension for Tax Credit

For military members and some government employees, the deadline for buying a home to be eligible for the tax credit has been extended one year. Therefore, you would need to enter into a contract by April 30, 2011 and close on Read More...

Great News For Home Owners Thinking About Doing A Short Sale!!!

Nicola Hughes — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:08:48 +0100

I just came across this article from the National Association of Realtors. It explains how the U.S. Treasury offers borrowers alternatives to foreclosure. Two key points are that the lenders have to use standard processes, documents and timeframes, which in theory, should speed up the short sale process. Most importantly, this program requires that borrowers be fRead More...

Time is Running Out for Significant Savings!

Nicola Hughes — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:39:52 +0100

I just got a great article from Cory Miller, our Mortgage Broker. Anyone who is thinking about buying a home this year may want to read this. It is very interesting.

Basically, the tax credit and other incentives to buy will end after the first quarter of 2010. This means that in the long run, you could actually be paying moreRead More...

New Market Statistics

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:42:59 +0100

I just read the report from the Orlando Regional Realtor Association's latest market statistics. It states that members of the Realtor association closed 59.31% more homes in 2009 over 2008! A total of 23,705 homes were sold in 2009 compared to 14,880 in 2008. Unfortunately, the median price in 2009 fell 35% to $130,000 compaRead More...

Buying a home using your IRA

Nicola Hughes — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:50:27 +0100

I just took a class about how you can buy a home using your IRA. This is something that not many people know is a possibility but it has been going on for years, it is just not widely known. What a great opportunity if you have the ability to do it.

You are allowed to purchase any of the following:

• Single family and multi-unit homes&nbsRead More...

Blog 103 - Cash to Close

Cory Miller — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:31:29 +0100

Cash to Close. In the lending business it means having the available money in your account to pay for the required down payment and any closing costs you are responsible for. The funds needed for down payment and closing costs must be “Sourced and Seasoned”.

This is the lender’s way of saying that it must be your money. “Sourced”… Read More...

Blog 102 - FHA and Conventional Loans

Cory Miller — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:49:02 +0100

Option #2…continued from my last blog on today’s available fixed rate loans. We last talked about the Rural Home Loan. Now let’s get into FHA and Conventional.

FHA is a loan that was designed for the first time homebuyer. It requires less down payment when compared to a conventional loan (conventional loans now require 10% down in the state ofRead More...

Blog 101 - USDA Home Loan

Cory Miller — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:59:11 +0100

You may be wondering what is available for you as a home buyer in today’s market.

Well…we have gone back to what seems like the “Horse and Buggy” days.

To answer this, let’s qualify it. Assuming you only want a fixed rate loan and your loan amount is below $417,000, you have only 3 to 4 options.

Option #1… is the RurRead More...

Buyer Tax Credit

Nicola Hughes — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:34:26 +0100

I’m sure that most of you have heard that the Buyer’s Tax Credit has been extended for the first part of 2010. The basics are as follows:

You have to have a pending contract on a property by April 30th 2010 and the closing has to take place before July 1st 2010

The Read More...

New Listings

Nicola Hughes — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:33:43 +0100

Business has been pretty quiet since Thanksgiving which is very normal for real estate around this time of year. I feel good about the New Year and taking on some additional listings. No doubt many of them will be short sales which we have become very experienced in, due to the number of short sales on the market. Because we completed so many in the last year, we now know thRead More...

Welcome to our new website!

Nicola Hughes — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:28:57 +0100

I just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to check out our new website. I hope that you find it helpful and easy to use. I have decided that I am going to write a regular blog to keep everyone updated on what is going on in the market in Central Florida, our listings, our office, etc. I will try to write as frequently as possible and welcomeRead More...