Orlando Short Sale Expert | Orlando Short Sales

One in 20 Americans say they plan to buy a home within the next year, and they’re most likely to be 34 years old or younger and living in the South or West, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Roughly a quarter of potential buyers said the No. 1 reason they would buy now is because prices appear to have bottomed out. That reason topped bargain-priced foreclosures, worries about rising interest rates and a wide selection of homes.

The survey,  reveals how Americans are responding to a fragile housing recovery after three years of staggering price declines. The percentage of buyers thinking of jumping into the market was down slightly from a March survey, but up about 1 point from a poll in June.

Home prices rebounded this summer at an annualized pace of almost 7 percent, according to the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index. But with high unemployment and foreclosures clouding the picture, economists debate whether prices will dip again.

Recent housing figures and homebuilder earnings support a stabilizing housing market, and concerns about the expiration of federal homebuyer tax credit are moot after Congress last week extended and expanded the credit.

Buyers who have owned their current Orlando area homes for at least five years are eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500, while first-time homebuyers – or anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years – would still get up to $8,000. To qualify, buyers have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30.

The survey was conducted before the credit extension.

Those surveyed widely favored federal policies that kept interest rates low and helped troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure over those that helped first-time homebuyers purchase a home. And, overall, 48 percent of those polled didn’t think the government was doing enough to stabilize the housing market, whereas 42 percent thought it was.

Forty-five percent of Americans worry that they or someone they know will face foreclosure in the next year. And almost 30 percent of those with a mortgage have contacted their lender in the past year to reduce their payments.

Almost a quarter of Americans who refinanced their mortgages have used the savings for living expenses or paying down debt, the survey found. Less than 9 percent are putting the savings toward investment or retirement.

The telephone poll, which included about two-thirds homeowners and one-third renters, was conducted in October by market research firm GfK. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

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Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange or Osceola County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  Kissimmee or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Great news…

The U.S. House of Representatives has just voted (403-12) to extend and expand the homebuyer tax credit.  It’s now on its way to the President for his signature!

You can view (and print) a one-page PDF document that outlines the final provisions using this link: 

http://www.realtor.org/fedistrk.nsf/files/government_affairs_tax_credit_ext_chart_110409.pdf/$FILE/government_affairs_tax_credit_ext_chart_110409.pdf

The modifications in the column labeled “December 1 – April 30, 2010” become effective when President Obama signs the bill (he is expected to sign by tomorrow).  All changes made to the current credit become effective on that date, as well.

Thank you to everyone for the endless calls and emails to our Congressional Delegation!  This is a great win!

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Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange or Osceola County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  Kissimmee or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Orlando Real Estate Sales

 

Members of the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association in September sold 54.30 percent more homes than in September of last year, contributing to the area’s year-to-date sales increase of 50.69 percent. The most recent statistics show a continuing broad improvement in the area’s housing market, but ORRA President Les Simmonds, L.G. Simmonds Real Estate Corp., says economists expect a rise in foreclosures over the next 12 months and that it is important to maintain a healthy level of ready buyers to absorb the resulting increase in inventory.  The median price of all existing homes sold in September declined 2.34 percent to $125,000 from the $128,000 recorded in August. That same median price is a decrease of 31.32 percent compared to September 2008′s median of $181,995. 

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Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange or Osceola County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  Kissimmee or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Jerry LaRose, P.A., ABR, GRI, e-PRO, CLHMS, REALTOR® 407-580-7011

 Orlando sales continue to increase

Orlando Real Estate Sales

Florida’s existing home sales rose in May – the ninth month in a row that sales activity increased in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR). Statewide sales showed gains over the previous month’s sales level in both the existing home and existing condominium markets. Also, for the first time in many months, the statewide median sales price in May for existing homes and for existing condos rose over the previous month’s figure.

Existing home sales rose 16 percent last month with a total of 13,921 homes sold statewide compared to 12,044 homes sold in May 2008, according to FAR. Statewide existing home sales in May increased 6.2 percent over April’s statewide activity. Florida Realtors also reported a 21 percent rise in statewide sales of existing condos in May; existing condo sales last month rose 3.8 percent over the total units sold in April.

“The improving sales of existing single family homes and condos is a trend we have been seeing for several months in Florida. What is new in this month’s data release is that we are seeing evidence of prices beginning to firm,” says Dr. Sean Snaith, director for the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness. “While one month of data does not a trend make, it is the first green shoot we have seen in some time as far as prices are concerned. Until prices stop declining, we cannot state with confidence that the housing market has stabilized. Sales have risen to levels we have not seen since 2006, though the economy still faces headwinds. As credit markets begin to thaw this will help speed along this process of recovery in the housing market.”

Florida’s median sales price for existing homes last month was $144,400; a year ago, it was $203,800 for a 29 percent decrease. However, the statewide existing home median price in May was higher than the statewide median price reported in each of the previous four months. According to housing industry analysts with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties continue to lower the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

In Florida’s year-to-year comparison for condos, 4,839 units sold statewide compared to 3,998 units in May 2008 for a 21 percent increase. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $113,400; in May 2008 it was $181,700 for a 38 percent decrease. May’s statewide existing condo median price was the same as January’s statewide median, and was higher than the median reported in February, March or April. The national median existing condo price was $173,900 in April 2009, according to NAR.

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Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Foreclosures Fall

The number of U.S. households on the verge of losing their homes dipped in May from April, and the annual increase was the smallest in three years.

But as layoffs, rather than risky mortgages, become the main reason that borrowers default on their home loans, foreclosures likely will remain elevated this year and into 2010. Many economists expect unemployment, now at 9.4 percent nationwide, to rise as high as 10 percent, and some project it will exceed the post-World War II record of 10.8 percent.

Foreclosure filings fell 6 percent in May from April, according to RealtyTrac Inc. More than 321,000 households received at least one foreclosure-related notice last month – 18 percent more than a year earlier – but the smallest annual gain since June 2006.

Despite the drop from April, it was the third-highest monthly rate since Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac began its report in January 2005, and the third straight month with more than 300,000 households receiving a foreclosure filing.

One in every 398 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing last month, according to the foreclosure listing firm’s report.

The mortgage industry has resumed cracking down on delinquent borrowers after foreclosures were temporarily halted by mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and other lenders.

“It would not be a huge surprise to see the numbers level off a little bit at this point,” said Rick Sharga, RealtyTrac’s senior vice president for marketing.

Banks repossessed about 65,000 homes in May, up from 64,000 in April, due to big increases in several states including Michigan, Arizona and Nevada.

The Obama administration announced a plan in March to provide $50 billion from the financial industry rescue fund as an incentive for the mortgage industry to modify loans at lower monthly payments.

But the effectiveness of the relief plan remains unclear, with questions lingering about how much the lending industry will cooperate. Many housing counselors say it hasn’t made much of a difference so far.

After banks take over foreclosed homes, they usually put them up for sale at deep discounts, pulling down prices for other sellers. Nationwide, sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties made up about 45 percent of the market in April, according to the National Association of Realtors.

On a state-by-state basis, Nevada had the nation’s highest foreclosure rate in May with one every 64 households receiving a filing. California took the No. 2 slot previously occupied by Florida. California’s rate was one in every 144 households.

In Florida, one in every 148 households received a foreclosure filing. Rounding out the top 10 were Arizona, Utah, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado, Idaho and Ohio.

Among large cities, Las Vegas led the way with one in every 54 households receiving a filing. Four California metropolitan areas – Stockton, Modesto, Riverside-San Bernardino and Merced – were next, followed by Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Vallejo-Fairfield, Calif.; and Miami.

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Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Orlando Sales Soar

Once homes hit a psychological barrier, buyers jump off the fence, such is the case in the hometown of Disney World, Orlando, Florida, where the latest stats show home sales up 47 percent year over year in March 2009. The surge is a result of the average housing price dropping 37 percent.

Orlando homebuyers are getting back into the market and taking advantage of the improved affordability. Lower prices, record low interest rates, and a vast selection of homes give homebuyers increased buying power, making it an excellent time to buy a home. This is especially true for first-time buyers who are eligible for the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.

The housing market has benefited from the depressed prices (averaging $137,000) and a large supply of bank-owned houses for sale — nearly half of the 1,653 houses sold in March were bank-owned. The market is currently in normal absorption rate at about a 7-month supply with more than 12,000 homes on the market.

Homebuyers are starting to snatch up the good buys, decreasing the number of days on the market. Homes of all types spent an average of 104 days on the market before being sold in March 2009, and the average home sold for 92.66 percent of its listing. In March 2008 those numbers were 128 and 93.12 percent, respectively.

Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Orlando Real Estate see new life. Buyers are back!ALERT: Sales INCREASED 47.59% in March compared to March of last year.

ALERT: First time home buyers now receive an $8,000 INCOME TAX REFUND – no strings attached. This IRS offer is also available to anyone who has not owned a home in the past 3 years. HURRY – Must Close Before December 1, 2009.

Orlando Buyer

Buy Now Orlando's On-Sale!

OK, I’m going out on a limb here!

After more than a year of free-falling sales and prices, Orlando’s battered housing market is getting support from both first-time home buyers and investors taking advantage of record foreclosures and distress sales across the region.Sales and how they work.Orlando area sales.Orlando market, and bankers are saying yes more often to short sales, which spare them the expense of a full-blown foreclosure.

With mortgage-interest rates at record lows and an $8,000 tax credit for buyers who haven’t owned a home for at least the past three years, existing-home sales in the region have started rising again compared with a year ago. And half the deals involve bank-owned foreclosures or “short sales” — properties for which the bank has agreed to take less than the amount owed on the mortgage. Throughout this blog you can find much more information on Short

Who’s buying them? Anecdotal reports and a few surveys indicate that first-time home buyers, who don’t have to worry about selling an existing property, and investors venturing into the second-home market for the first time or searching for bargains to add to their inventory, are responsible for most of the

Bulk auctions of both homes and condominiums are creating buzz in the local

Lenders are becoming more responsive. However, the short-sale process still remains slower and more cumbersome than a regular, open-market sale between a willing seller and a qualified buyer. The timing even though is better still encompasses a 4-6 month time frame in general. Therefore, Now is the time to buy. We are at or near the bottom of this cycle and there is little room for prices to continue to drop. Yes, prices in some area may continue to fall but as a general market I feel prices are ready to start stabilizing. Now, that doesn’t mean they’re headed up any time soon. I feel that we are at or near the bottom and we’ll drag along the bottom here possibly for several months before we start showing a modest increase. When price start to grow, I feel that the new growth will be at a 2-5% rate in general. Some areas more, some area less. So, Orlando buyers let’s BUY some property.

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Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Orlando Recently Sold Homes

The median sales price for homes in Orlando FL for Dec 08 to Feb 09 was $155,500. This represents a decline of 16.8%, or $31,500, compared to the prior quarter and a decrease of 30.9% compared to the prior year. Sales prices have depreciated 1.6% over the last 5 years in Orlando.

The average listing price for Orlando homes for sale on Trulia was $323,231 for the week ending Mar 18, which represents a decline of 0.4%, or $1,326, compared to the prior week and an increase of 15%, or $42,269, compared to the week ending Feb 25. Average price per square foot for Orlando FL was $95, a decrease of 33.1% compared to the same period last year. Popular neighborhoods in Orlando include Lake Nona, Metro West, College Park, Vista East, Baldwin Park, and Central Business District.

We are nearing the bottom. Yes, this is sooner than I expected. However, we fell quicker than expected. 

Where do we go from here? My opinion is we may fall just a little more. Perhaps 5-10%. Then we’ll drag along the bottom from several months before we start to increase. When we do increase we should be back to a normal market of 3-5% increases annually.

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Jerry LaRose is an Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Expert, who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of Real Estate in Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden Florida or any place in the country. Jerry has created a team of professionals throughout Orlando and the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. Please visit http://OrlandoShortSaleExpert.com or www.JerrySellsOrlando.com for your real estate needs.  Please give me a call if you have questions about the Orlando and Central Florida real estate market.

P.S. If you are listing your home as a short sale in Orange County Florida and Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden,  or Ocoee Florida make sure you hire an agent who knows how to do short sales and has the experience to get the job done. We are doing successful short sale packages. Call us at 407-580-7011 to find out more about Orange County Short Sales and Orlando Area Short Sales.

Orlando Housing is Headed Up

We received an important indicator of where housing is headed last week, when new mortgage applications for home purchases and refinances suddenly surged as they hadn’t in months.

Applications for FHA loans to buy houses were up by 10.4 percent. And overall home purchase applications jumped by 7.1 percent.

Meanwhile mortgage interest rates dropped to their second lowest level in nearly two decades, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Thirty year fixed rates averaged 4.96 percent and fifteen year rated dropped to just 4.5 percent.

Why’s this important? New financing applications to buy homes obviously point to rising purchase contracts and closed sales in the months ahead. They also suggest that prices have hit a level in many markets that is attracting once-hesitant buyers off the sidelines.

There’s still another factor that’s likely at work here as well: Congress’s recent improvements to the home purchase tax credit — pushing it to $8,000 from $7,500 and making it non-repayable. George Ratiu, research economist for the National Association of Realtors, says the big jump in loan applications could be tied to the improved credit in the stimulus package signed into law last month.

“Consumers may be responding to the stimulation” effect of the better credit for 2009, he said.

But let’s be clear here: A rise in home purchase applications does NOT suggest we’ve turned the corner in the cycle or have solved the multiple challenges facing markets around the country — high foreclosure levels, continuing domination in some areas of REO and short sales, and continuing increases in the unemployment rate.

Even amid these problems, however, there are some hints of possible improvements ahead. For example, a new study by research firm Realty Trac and USA Today found that despite the constant headlines about record levels of foreclosures, the more closely you look, the more you find that those numbers are highly concentrated in a relatively small number of counties.

More than half of the nation’s foreclosures in 2008, researchers found, were concentrated in just 35 counties in 12 states. You can guess where: California, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Florida.

But the really eye-opening finding: In more than 650 other counties, representing one fifth of all markets in the U.S., foreclosure numbers have actually declined since 2006.

Foreclosures are horrible no matter where they occur. But the fact is: Huge portions of the United States have NOT been seeing record foreclosures, short sales or even serious property value declines. They’re doing better.