Short Sale buyer MUST submit pre-qual letter from Bank of America - 08/31/09 02:00 PM
What is that supposed to mean? My buyer wants to make an offer on this short sale and the listing agent states in the MLS and I quote: "Bank of America pre-qualification needed  for all offers. Free appraisal and credit report if buyer finances through Bank of America Home Loans."What if my buyer doesn't like to do business with Bank of America? What if my buyer has a pre-qualification from his own lender/bank already? Not good enough? Will you not present the offer and discriminate against my buyer  if the pre-qualification is not from Bank of America?Are you seeing this in your … (5 comments)

Surviving the Recession - Money Saving Tips from Your Highlands County Realtors - Part 2 - 08/30/09 11:32 AM
Surviving the Recession - Money Saving Tips from Your Highlands County Realtors - Part 2 In a previous post I talked about how to save a considerable amount of money on your electricity bill. Saving money on your energy bill is not only good for your wallet, it's also good for the environment! That's Two for the price of One.


Today, I would like to talk about saving money on your food bill. We all have to eat. Unlike other expenses, such as cable tv and gym memberships, we can't just give up eating. Eating healthy is an important topic these … (0 comments)

It's a great time to sell your Sebring Home! - 08/29/09 07:29 AM
Highlands County Real Estate - It's a great time to sell your Sebring home!!! Looking back to January 2009, we can definitely tell a big difference in market activity in Highlands County and Sebring specifically. Our phones have been ringing off the hook for showing requests from cooperating agents and interested buyers as well. It's no wonder with all those great deals waiting for new owners. Our own listing inventory is shrinking steadily because we almost can't list homes as fast as they go under contract and sell. We all remember the days where even the well priced homes wouldn't sell … (0 comments)

First Time Home buyer in Highlands County: Is a Short Sale right for me? - 08/28/09 06:37 AM

First Time Home buyer in Highlands County: Is a Short Sale right for me?A short sale is not much different from a regular sale, the only difference being that it will take longer to close because the seller's lender has to approve the sale. The lender's approval is a contingency in the contract that the seller needs to remove, by getting approval, in order for the transaction to close.
How long does it take to get approval?We don't know. There is no rule and there are no guidelines. We have had approval within 3 weeks and we have transactions that are still … (0 comments)

Pre-Approval BEFORE shopping for Highlands County homes??? - 08/28/09 05:16 AM
Pre-Approval BEFORE shopping for Highlands County homes??? We love showing homes! It's a big part of what we do on a daily basis. Our most important goal is to find you a home that is right for YOU. We would not show you homes on the golf course, if you were actually looking for lake frontage. We would not walk you through a two story townhome if your dreamhome was a mobile home on acreage. We also would not show you homes that are not within your price range.
 
What is your price range? Ideally, your price range is the financing amount … (2 comments)

posting from my blackberry - this is sooo cool! - 08/27/09 06:02 PM
I got my blackberry today and had to try to get on active rain. Not only did it work,I am also blogging from the blackberry!!! I'm loving this!!!I tried to go back to this post on the BlackBerry and edit it while trying to insert a photo and that didn't work. Couldn't find the submit button or the option to insert a photo. Gonna have to join a BlackBerry group I guess.....................
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Uncooperative Tenant blocks short sale efforts - home likely to go into foreclosure now. - 08/27/09 10:44 AM
Uncooperative Tenant blocks Short Sale efforts - home likely to go into foreclosureWe are working with a lot of short sale sellers in Sun'n'Lake of Sebring and have been very successful in obtaining good offers and bringing the transaction to closing for our clients.
Sun'n'Lake is a popular neighborhood close to medical facilities, schools, shopping and every convenience Sebring has to offer. The SNL district has its own security force, fire department, 2 golf courses, community pool, tennis courts, lakes, playground, clubhouse, restaurant, paved biking and hiking trails and is a very well maintained community. It's not hard to find buyers … (4 comments)

Vantage Pointe of Sebring, Highlands County - Deed Restricted Adult Living in the Heart of Sebring - 08/27/09 07:47 AM
Vantage Pointe, a quaint and charming adult community with over 190 homes, is located only minutes from all the major shopping places, banks, dining and places of worship. Yet, Vantage Pointe is so quiet and tranquil, you would never know that the mall is only a short distance away.Vantage Pointe, Vantage Pointe of Sebring Florida - Deed Restricted Adult Community in the Heart of Sebring.Like many other adult communities, Vantage Pointe offers planned activities, taking advantage of the beautiful club house, swimming pool and shuffle board court. While browsing through Vantage Pointe's website, I discovered there is a Polar Bear Club … (0 comments)

Leaving Highlands County Dead Zones - Transitioning to Verizon Wireless and a BlackBerry - 08/26/09 04:58 AM
Leaving Highlands County Dead Zones - Transitioning to Verizon WirelessBecause it made more economical sense to us for the last 2 years, we had pre-paid wireless plans. We had Net-10 for quite some time and then switched to Boost because it offered internet capable phones.
Eventually, we discovered, when looking at Boost's coverage map, that our entire subdivision was in a Dead Zone, like in the Verizon commercial. LOL, the creepy neighbors should have tipped us off! Just kidding!No wonder the phone displayed "no service" several times a day! No wonder it would only ring when someone had left a voice mail, … (4 comments)

Making an offer on a Highlands County Home - Put it all in writing! - 08/23/09 04:58 PM

Highlands County Real Estate - Making an offer? Put it in writing!
In Florida, the Statute of Frauds requires contracts for sale and purchase of real estate to be in writing and signed in order to be enforceable.What does this mean for you as a buyer? Let's go shopping and find you your dream home. It has everything you've been looking for, it's not a short sale and it's within your price range. Your agent writes up the offer. The seller counters back, in writing. You counter back, verbally. The seller agrees verbally. The seller is being presented with another … (2 comments)

Highlands County Real Estate - Making an offer? Put it all in writing! - 08/22/09 07:52 PM
Highlands County Real Estate - Making an offer? Put it in writing!In Florida, the Statute of Frauds requires contracts for sale and purchase of real estate to be in writing and signed in order to be enforceable.What does this mean for you as a buyer? Let's go shopping and find you your dream home. It has everything you've been looking for, it's not a short sale and it's within your price range. Your agent writes up the offer. The seller counters back, in writing. You counter back, verbally. The seller agrees verbally. The seller is being presented with another offer. Your … (1 comments)

Short Selling in Highlands County - Step 4 - Patience - 08/22/09 07:43 PM
Short Selling in Highland County - Step 4 - Patience The previous 3 posts in this series talked about Documentation, Your Hardship, and The Offer. If you haven't done so already, go ahead and read through the previous 3 step, I'll wait for you... Short Selling in Highlands County - Step 1 - Documentation Short Selling in Highlands County - Step 2 - Your Hardship Short Selling in Highlands County - Step 3 - The Offer Now that we have assembled all required documents and have received an offer, it's time to assemble the short sale package. This is were our … (2 comments)

Buying a Short Sale? You need proof of funds! - 08/22/09 09:53 AM
Buying a Short Sale? You need proof of funds! With so many short sales around it's hard these days to NOT find your dreamhome. For example, you can find a fairly new 3 bedroom home in a nice neighborhood in Sebring for around $100,000. Amenities include tennis courts, community pool, 2 Championship Golf Courses, biking/hiking trails, community-fire department, community-security force, clubhouse. As you probably already know, the seller's lender must approve the sale because the sale price is less than the seller's mortgage pay off - a short sale in a nutshell. Along with your offer, you are asked to submit … (1 comments)

3 br Pool Home w/ slide - bring the kids!!! - 08/21/09 09:22 PM
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Simply Charming! 3/2/2 in Lake Placid, FL - 08/21/09 08:38 PM
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Starter Home or Retirement Retreat - not a short sale! - 08/21/09 08:36 PM
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Highlands County Real Estate - Making an offer? Put it in writing! - 08/21/09 06:39 PM
Highlands County Real Estate - Making an offer? Put it in writing!In Florida, the Statute of Frauds requires contracts for sale and purchase of real estate to be in writing and signed in order to be enforceable.What does this mean for you as a buyer? Let's go shopping and find you your dream home. It has everything you've been looking for, it's not a short sale and it's within your price range. Your agent writes up the offer. The seller counters back, in writing. You counter back, verbally. The seller agrees verbally. The seller is being presented with another offer. Your … (0 comments)

Surviving the Recession - Money Saving Tips from your Highlands County Realtors - 08/14/09 05:58 AM
Surviving the Recession - Money Saving Tips from your Highlands County Realtors - Tip #1 - Your electric bill Your A/C -for the first 26 years of my life (which is almost half of my life but keep that between you and me, okay?) I lived in a non-airconditioned environment. Yes, these days they sell portable room air conditioners in Germany but in the good ol' days, millions of Germans made it through hot summers without air conditioning. I'm in no way suggesting you retire your A/C unit - this is Florida, after all! However, does your home need to be … (0 comments)

Short Selling in Highlands County - Step 3 - The offer! - 08/13/09 06:36 PM

In previous posts we talked about getting all neccessary documents lined up and explaining your hardship . If you haven't had a chance to read through these topics, go ahead. I'll wait for you!
Now that you have all your documents lined up and have prepared your hardship letter, let's talk about the next step: The offer!
In today's Highlands County real estate market it is not hard to get an offer on a well priced short sale. The secret to pricing is to net the lender enough for approval of the sale but keep the asking price attractive to buyers … (0 comments)

Golfing in Avon Park, FL - River Greens Golf Course - 08/11/09 08:37 AM
Golfing in Avon Park, FL - River Greens Golf Course
Looking to golf in Avon Park FL? Located on the north end of Avon Park lies River Greens, a tranquil eighteen-hole golf course community nestled between Lake Damon, Lake Pythias and Trout Lake. The course, designed by Jack Kidwell, started out as a nine-hole course, underwent extensive renovation in 1969 and added 9 additional holes in 1974. The par-72 course measures over 6,000 yards from the back tees. The River Greens Golf Course has two lister courses; River Greens North Golf Course in Ohio and Lake Placid County Club Golf Course.River Green … (2 comments)

For Sale in Sun'n'Lake of Sebring - move to the hottest neighborhood in town - 08/08/09 09:48 PM
For Sale in Sun'n'Lake of Sebring - move to the hottest neighborhood in town, now is the best time to hunt down that bargain in Sebring's most popular neighborhood.
In a previous blog post about selling your Sun'n'Lake of Sebring I wrote that now is a great time to consider entering the market to take advantage of the vast amount of buyers willing and able to purchase if the price is right. That was only a few days ago. 5 great Sun'n'Lake homes have sold since.
77 homes are still waiting for a new owner:
The above listings are offered through Heartland … (0 comments)

Do you follow the pink route? Do you GPS? - 08/08/09 06:59 AM
For the past 41 years I've managed to make it through life without a navigation system. We've relocated some 15 times and one relocation was from Germany to the US - never got lost - not once!I have always relied on landmarks for navigation and my husband says I have a natural talent for it. I never leave the office or house without knowing where I'm going and how to get there. I use Google maps. I look at the route, I look at the landmarks and I get where I want to be. If the area is unfamiliar, I take … (8 comments)

School Supply Drive - Lake Placid and Sebring - 08/06/09 09:08 PM
School Supply Drive - Lake Placid and Sebring
The Suncoast National Bank is hosting a school supply drive until August 21. All items can be dropped off at the bank, located at the corner of Tower Street and US 27 in Lake Placid from 9am to 4pm from Mondays through Friday.
Items most needed are binders, folders, notebook papers, pencils, pens, erasers, rulers, crayons, markers, index cards, glue, dividers and highlighters.
Edward Jones branch office at 17 Ryant Blvd in Sebring will be accepting school supplies for local children in need through The Guardian Ad Litem Program. Items can be dropped … (0 comments)

ALDI is coming to Highlands County - 08/06/09 08:13 PM
ALDI is coming to Highlands County!People in Highlands County have asked for it, and ALDI listened. ALDI, the German based grocery chain will build a store in Sebring at the corner of New Life Way and US 27. It will be located where Barnhill's and, more recently, Farmer's Market Buffet have operated restaurants.The currently existing 10,540 square foot building will be torn down and replaced by a bigger 17,000 square foot building. The store is not expected to open until late 2010 or early 2011.This will be very interesting to watch as the proposed Sam's Club will be pretty much right across … (0 comments)

Lake Placid Store - Commercial - 08/03/09 09:24 PM
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Big, big, big - 4 bedroom home in Sebring on acreage - 08/03/09 09:08 PM
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Short Sale in Sebring - newer 3 bedroom home - 08/03/09 09:06 PM
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Short Sale in Sun'n'Lake - 3 bedroom - 08/03/09 09:03 PM
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Not a Short Sale but priced like one! 3/2/1 in Sebring - 08/03/09 08:46 PM
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Wine Country in Highlands County - 08/01/09 07:55 PM
We had been keeping this date in our calendar for weeks as we were excited to see Henscratch Farms re-open after their summer break - and we were not the only ones. We counted hundreds of cars in the parking lot and more entering as we made our way through the vineyard to hit our first destination - Henscratch's Country Store. You will find delicious home made jellies, sauces, salsas amongst scores of Scuppernong country wine.  I highly recommend the "Country Blush", a light semi-sweet rose that finishes very smooth.Visitors enjoyed burgers or hot dogs with chips while listening to bluegrass … (1 comments)

"Welcome Back Picnic" at Henscratch Farms - 08/01/09 08:14 AM
"Welcome Back Picnic" at Henscratch Farms
After being closed for the summer, Henscratch Farms in Lake Placid is open for business once again! Come and join the fun!!!
FREE live music by "The Front Porch Pickers", playing popular bluegrass tunes - always a delight to listen to.
In Shake Shack you will find Henscratch's famous strawberry shakes, shortcakes & soda floats. Muscadine fritters will be available as long as supplies last. If you're not that much into fruit, there will be a hotdog lunch with chips and a drink for $3.
The winery is open for free wine tasting & nibbles. … (0 comments)

 

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