Hojin’s Southwest Orlando Real Estate Scoop

Short sales have flooded the marketplace in Dr. Phillips and Windermere the past few years with real estate transactions characterized by response times for offers taking 6 months or longer. It’s not a surprise that many of these short sale transaction are unsuccessful but there’s a new program called HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives) implemented [...]

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The home buyer tax credit has been extended, but not for everyone. It only applies to those who were under contract to purchase a home before. April 30, 2010. Under the original bill, those buyer would have had to close by June 30. The new bill extends the closing date to September 30. I think [...]

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Senator Harry Reid proposed a 3 month extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit this past week for those who are already under contract to purchase a home. The bill gives more time to those who rushed in to get the tax credit but face uncertainty about meeting the June 30 deadline for closing. It provides [...]

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I’m working with quite a few first time home buyers at the moment and the question that I get asked the most is has the first time home buyer tax credit been extended? I can see where the confusion comes from with all the ads that I’m hearing and seeing at the moment about the [...]

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Foreclosures and short sales have become a commonplace in the Dr. Phillips and Windermere market as well as most other areas in Orlando and bringing your home’s value down. It appears we’re all at the mercy of banks to set prices for our homes. You’d think the appraisers would take this into account when valuating [...]

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As many of you have noticed, the price of housing has come way down in the past few years. In many cases, it’s now cheaper to buy then to rent. No joke. It’s a reality which I don’t believe many people realize. Let’s take a $130,000 home which is the median price of a home [...]

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Homeowners in the townhouse community of Phillips Bay in Dr. Phillips filed a lawsuit against the builder, Deluca Homes, in 2007 due to mold, missing stucco, and patios that are not structurally sound. The civil case is scheduled to be heard October 12. Deluca Homes has also built the same style of townhouses in Carriage [...]

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There’s been a big push among lenders for the FHA home loan. The advantage of this product is that it allows a buyer to get into a home with as little as 3% down. It’s really a nice choice for a loan, but it can be difficult to obtain if you’re looking for a condo. [...]

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One misconception I’ve been running into with the public is what the heck a “short sale” really is. They’re a part of the real estate landscape these days and there’s plenty of them for sale in SW Orlando. When a listing mentions a short sale, it means the seller owes more than the asking price. [...]

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I noticed this post on the Bloodhound Blog yesterday, HR 2801: Will Home Ownership Move the Economy? about the new bill in congress to extend the home buyer tax credit. It’s up for vote in the House and will also require approval from the Senate but it’s a fantastic bill. It removes the income limitation [...]

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