Highlands County Talk

5309 Surrey Lane - The Sebring Country Club Downs

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:16:59 -0600

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.5017

5309 Surrey Ln, Sebring, FL

Country Club Downs

2BR/2BA Multi-Family, 1 units

offered at $150,000

Year Built	2006
Sq Footage	1,624
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	1
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	Unspecified
HOA/Maint	$42 per month

DESCRIPTION

Townhouse in Exclusive Country Club Downs of Sebring, FL. Ready for you to move in to one of Sebrings top communities located next to the pristine Highlands Hammock State Park. Get your piece of the pie at an incredible price.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Walk-in closet
- Tile floor	- Family room	- Living room
- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator	- Stove/Oven
- Microwave	- Granite countertop	- Stainless steel appliances
- Washer	- Dryer	- Laundry area - inside
- Balcony, Deck, or Patio	- Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Guest parking	- Clubhouse	- Swimming pool(s)
- Tennis court(s)	- Golf course	- Lake

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Front View	Kitchen
Living Room	Shower
Master Bedroom	Laundry

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.5017

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Nov 6, 2009, 4:21am PST

Who's your "Best Buddy"? Test Drive Ours NOW

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:54:07 -0600

For the past two years I have been searching for the perfect contact management program only to find that what's available on the market is either too expensive, had too many strings attached, or was too high maintenance.

My husband wrote an Aviation Maintenance Management Database, called AMDS, for the US military. They are still using it to this day, and I figured what's good enough for the military must be good enough for me.

This is how "My Best Buddy" came to life! My Best Buddy is a very simple, down to earth database that keeps track of all my contacts, listings and transactions, reminds me of important deadlines and shows me how much money I have coming in.

I have been test driving My Best Buddy for a few weeks and we have improved features and added new ones as well.

We are asking you to test drive My Best Buddy and give us your feedback. We have 50 FREE copies to give away. Your copy is yours to keep forever and you will also receive FREE updates and upgrades in exchange for your input.

Simply tell us what you think, what you would like to see added, what should be changed, what should be improved. We have a survey for you after you have used My Best Buddy for a few weeks. We welcome any comments and constructive critique.

How to get My Best Buddy?

Just drop us a line.......................
darrin@millsrealestate.net

Highlands County, FL - Real Estate Market Update 10/2009

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:06:43 -0600

It's already November, how could the last 10 months slip by so fast? It is true, times flies when you are busy and time has been lightening fast for us and, according to the lastest numbers for Highlands County, this holds true for many of our fellow Realtors.

93 sales in October, that's 30 more than in September, which wasn't a bad month either. Surprisingly, despite the increase in sales, there is a noticable decrease in distress sales. At the same time, the average sale price for all of Highlands County dropped by $7,000 and the average time it took to sell a home was only 135 days, compared to 148 in September.

We believe non-distress sellers have begun to realize that it only makes sense to put their property on the market if they are able to compete with the distress sales, which can be had at unbelievably low prices.

We can't wait to see what the end of the year numbers have to say!!!!!

Darrin & Andrea Mills
www.millsrealestate.net/blog

Short Sales in Sebring FL - why to use local professionals

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:41:56 -0500

Last week we were contacted by an absentee owner looking for a realtor in our area with a buyer for their bank approved short sale. The property is a beautiful townhouse located in one of Sebring's most prestigeous communities, The Sebring Country Club.

Upon speaking with the owners, residing in the Ft. Lauderdale area, we learned that they had hired a Ft. Lauderdale agent to list, market and sell the property. Also involved was a Ft. Lauderdale paralegal to negotiate the sale with the lender. The Ft. Lauderdale agent had found a buyer for the town house. There is no doubt in my mind that both the agent and the paralegal are highly regarded professionals even though the bank didn't approve the offer and the buyer ended up walking and purchasing townhouse. Sometimes things just don't work out, right?

We work with a local paralegal and closing agent to negotiate all our short sales and so far 100% of our short sale transactions have closed successfully.

Here's why using local professionals is always your best bet:

1. A local agent knows his local market. He or she will be able to defend the listing price with carefully selected comparables.

2. A local agent knows local buyers. He or she will be able to substitute a local buyer with another local buyer.

3. A local agent knows his fellow local agents. If he or she can't find a substitute local buyer, he or she will know which fellow agent has a local substitute buyer.

4. A local agent will likely have a trustworthy working relationship established with a local paralegal.

5. A local paralegal will have access to the local MLS to pull comps, listing history and whatever information the lender might require in order to approve a sale.

6. A local paralegal and closing agent will be able to close the transaction in the county where the property is located.

Legally, we are licensed to sell real estate in the State of Florida. This literally means we can list and sell property in Miami even though we are located in Sebring, about 2 hours northwest of Miami. Practically, is this a good idea? Probably not! We have no knowledge of the Miami real estate market. We are not familiar with local customs, we are not familiar with the local agents and other real estate related professionals. We also do not have the time and financial resourses to travel back and forth to Miami to service the listing.

We live in Highlands County. We know our market, we know our fellow agents and we know how to list and sell real estate in our area.

If you own property in Highlands County, consult local professionals!

Is your loan a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae and why you need to know this...

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:47:20 -0500

Is your loan a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae and why you need to know this:

Many homeowners who are able to pay their mortgage on time feel they are stuck in their home forever because they are not able to sell it for market value nor are they able to refinance and take advantage of today's low interest rates because their home is worth less today than what they paid for it initially.

The Making Home Affordable Program gives eligible homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac the opportunity to refinance into more affordable monthly payments.

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac provide "Loan Look Up Tools" on their websites for homeowners to check if their loan is owned or guaranteed by either of the companies:

Freddie Mac Loan Look Up Tool
Fannie Mae Loan Look Up Tool

WHAT? Buyer Agents work for FREE???

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:31:23 -0500

What? Buyer Agents work for FREE?

This question comes up quite often when working with buyers, especially if they are from out of town or from out of state. Now before we go any further, let me say this:

Every state has their own rules and regulations regarding buyer agents and listing agents.
Every region within every state might have its own customs regarding many things pertaining real estate.

This is how it works in Highlands County, Florida:

Generally, buyers do not pay their buyer agent! The buyer agent gets a percentage of the commission the listing agent earns from the seller.

Let's say you are from up north and are looking to buy a retirement home in Highlands County Florida. You call us up and we discuss your wants and needs. After we have identified several properties that are of interest to you, we go out and take a look at them. As I have said in an earlier post, we are not limited to our own listings or office listings. We will show you any home for sale through any agent and any office. Now, once we have found your dream home and have written up an offer that was accepted by the seller, we move towards the closing table. You will not have to pay us a dime! Our services are completely FREE to you, the buyer!
The listing agent offers a split of their commission to acooperating broker once they enter their listing into the MLS. This is how the buyer agent gets paid. It will show up on the top portion of page 1 on the final closing statement and it will be paid out of the seller's proceeds.

Now it makes even more sense to call us to help you find that dreamhome in Highlands County - it doesn't cost you dime to work with a pro!

Showing ALL the listings - Not just your own!

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:26:59 -0500

We are often puzzled by how little the general public appears to know about how the real estate business works. Many buyers seems to believe that any particular agent will only show them his or her own listings or at best; all office listings. It also appears that many sellers believe that their listing agent should be the one to sell their home, not a cooperating agent.

We do not know how other agents work but here's what we do:

Example: A younger couple calls us to help them find a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage home for under $150,000 in Sun'n'Lake of Sebring. Yes, our own listings come to mind first. That's because we know them better than any other listing within our office and within our MLS. If we do have a listing that matches the buyer's criteria and we believe could be of interest, it goes on the mental list. Next are our office listings. We know these listings from caravans and from talking to the agents in our office. Again, if there are office listings that matches buyer criteria, the go on the mental list as well. Thirdly, we check the entire MLS. Our search reveals 30 listings that match the buyer's initial criteria. We invite the buyer's to meet us at our office so we can go over some more details and try to narrow down the search a bit more. After we have weeded out homes that are not of interest to the buyer, we grab our list of finalists and start making phone calls to arrange for showing appointments. If our own listings or office listings are among the finalists, that's great. If not, then it doesn't make a difference either. Why? Because it doesn't matter to the buyer whether their next home was listed by ERA or Remax or ABC Realty. Therefore, it doesn't matter to us! Yep, it's that simple!

A few months ago we worked with a young couple that made an offer on one of our listings. Because it was a short sale and because their living arrangements were really just temporary, they decided to abandon their offer and find a "regular" home for sale that could close faster. Honestly, we felt early on that those buyers weren't likely to wait through the short sale process and we knew they needed a quicker solution. They were surprised when we didn't mind showing them other homes. They were surprised that we showed them all the homes their previous agent for whatever reason refused to show them.

Just yesterday, we received a call from a buyer who had an offer in with another agent on one of our short sales. Because they couldn't match the bank's counter offer, they decided to let it go and find another home. Because we are in the business of selling homes, we gave the buyer's agent a list of similar homes we had listed within the same neigbhorhood. The buyer didn't know about any of these listings until they called us up yesterday. We will show them ANY listing that meets their criteria and it won't matter to us which sign is in the front yard. It's not about us, it's about the client. Always!

$79,900 in Avon Park, Cute as a button Starter Home

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:25:01 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

314 E Pine St, Avon Park, FL

Cute as a button - Short Sale

3BR/1BA Single Family House

offered at $79,900

Year Built	1935
Sq Footage	1,378
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1 full, 0 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	3 Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	13,500 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Cute as a button, 1935 charmer in the heart of Avon Park, only 1 block from Lake Verona. Subject to Short Sale.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Hardwood floor
- Family room	- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven	- Microwave	- Laundry area - inside
- Balcony, Deck, or Patio

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Cracker Style Frontporch

- Metal Roof

- Lots of upgrades and improvements

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 2, 2009, 1:16am PDT

4 bedroom Starter Home - $105,000 - Sebring FL

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:11:31 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

4000 Loretto Ave, Sebring, FL

Short Sale

4BR/2BA Single Family House

offered at $105,000

Year Built	2007
Sq Footage	1,648
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	20,000 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Great starterhome in Sun'n'Lake of Sebring. Spacious floorplan, almost new condition. Subject to Short sale

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- High/Vaulted ceiling	- Living room
- Breakfast nook	- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven	- Microwave	- Granite countertop
- Laundry area - inside	- Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Swimming pool(s)	- Tennis court(s)	- Golf course
- Lake	- Playground

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- cathedral ceilings

- 4 !!! bedrooms

- almost new condition

- pleasing floorplan

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 2, 2009, 12:55am PDT

...handing over that key! Priceless!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:29:22 -0500

Most of our closings are mail-outs and we hardly get to see the closing table. Yesterday, I had the honor of taking some very dear clients to the closing table and hand them the key to their new home. Priceless!

It had been a very eventful transaction from the time we first met with Paul & Judi. They made an offer on one of our listings, a short sale in a very active and well kept adult community in the heart of Sebring. They loved the home and they were very familiar with the neighbors. In fact, the neighbor across the street from our listing called Judi on the phone the second my husband Darrin put our sign in the frontyard. Goes to show that sign in the front yard IS important!

Paul and Judi were in the process of selling their previous home and the offer we wrote was not only contingent upon financing but also on the sale of their home. We submitted to the lender an addendum of removal of "sale of home contingency" after their home sold. Soon thereafter, our clients grew impatient with the short sale process. They had moved in with Paul's lovely Mom and not knowing whether or not the sale would be approved and how long it would take made them antsy.

We started looking at other homes, priced within their range and without the short sale waiting time. Why do they call it s-h-o-r-t sale anyway? This is a rhetoric question! After we had looked at a number of homes, Paul and Judi zeroed in on a lovely 2 bedroom home in a nice neighborhood. The privacy fenced yard was perfect for their two little dogs and what do you know...the screened lanai had a doggy door, perfectly sized for the bubbly pooches. We wrote an offer after getting a release from contract on the previous home.

The initial offer was countered by the sellers and after some soul searching, our clients accepted the seller's counter offer. Paul and Judi were happy and so were we! The home appraised for purchase price, homeinspection only revealed some minor issues, no termites found - ready to close!

We're happy to see our clients move into their new home. We're happy to see them excited and we're happy we were able to help them along the way. We will miss them and we hope Judi will continue emailing with us. Btw, if you are in Highlands County and looking to get beautified, stop by Judi's Place of Hair and Nails, 271 US 27 N (inbetween Highlands Today and the Chamber of Commerce). Call ahead for an appointment: 863-382-9911

The Little Realtor that could...

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:49:58 -0500

... fix an old air conditioner and save the deal!

Older home, fair market sale, USDA loan.

After the first offer was rejected by the seller, the second offer came in considerably higher but the home didn't appraise for that much. Seller agreed to reduce the purchase price to the appraisal amount and to pay 6% in seller's concessions (which really hurt!).

The inspection day revealed that the A/C is not functioning and the loan cannot close unless we have an A/C in working condition at full capacity. The buyer agent had an A/C specialist look at it to give an estimate of repairs: we need a completely new unit! $3,000! That's $3,000 the seller didn't have. We couldn't reduce the purchase price, which both parties would have agreed to do, because the loan wouldn't close unless there's a working A/C. Now what?

Not only am I married to Mr. Right, I'm also married to Mr. Fix-It, both the same person, which happens to be my partner in crime as well! Friday night, hubby and I went out there to take a look at the A/C. Our own blew out just a few months ago and he was able to fix it with a few new parts. After some thinking, my husband decided that if the thermostat panel doesn't work, the A/C can't work either and maybe all we need is a new thermostat panel. $15 at Home Depot. No, Mr. Right/Mr. Fix-It is not an A/C repair man!

Saturday morning he installed the new thermostat panel and voila! The A/C is working and at full capacity!

We are now awaiting another inspection!

Lakefront Home with Guest House - Short Sale

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:39:39 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

Lake Josephine Drive, Sebring, FL

Completely updated Lakefront Beauty!

5BR/4BA Single Family House

offered at $244,900

Year Built	1984
Sq Footage	3,259
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	4 full, 0 partial
Floors	2
Parking	4+ Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	0.927 acres
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

This lakefront, cedar of redwood home sits on just under 1 acre on beautiful Lake Josephine and has just been extensively remodeled and updated. The main house has 4 bedrooms/3 bathrooms with a large living/dining area featuring a stone fireplace. Family room overlooks lake. Oversized kitchen has a center island. Separate guest house has a full bath as well as a loft for your guests to sleep. Guesthouse would also make wonderful inlaw apartment. This is a short sale. Listing price may not be sufficient to pay the total of all liens and costs of sale, and sale of property at full list price requires approval of seller's lender. Allow 45 to 60 days to close. Proof of funds required with all offers.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- Family room	- Living room	- Dining room

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Guest House w/ loft and bathroom

- Lakefront w/ FREE sunsets

- Oversized kitchen w/island

- floor to ceiling stone fireplace

- 2 story home

- Extensively remodeled and updated

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 10, 2009, 5:05am PDT

Lakefront Getaway

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:14:32 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

1718 Sentinel Point Rd, Sebring, FL

Fisherman's Getaway!

2BR/1BA Single Family House

offered at $199,900

Year Built	1961
Sq Footage	745
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1 full, 0 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	4+ Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	30,400 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Always been dreaming about a romantic little getaway place by the lake? Here you go: Surrounded by granddaddy oaks for lots of privacy, boat dock, fireplace, eat in kitchen, hookups + septic for RV.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- Tile floor	- Living room	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven	- Washer	- Dryer
- Yard

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Boat dock

- Fireplace

- Electrical hookups for RV

- Small septic tank for RV

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 10, 2009, 2:57am PDT

Fisherman's Ultimate Dream!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:52:12 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | mills@millsrealestate.net | 863.202.0729

2608 Pine Needle Drive, Sebring, FL

Fisherman's Ulitmate Dream!

3BR/2.5BA Single Family House

offered at $469,000

Year Built	2006
Sq Footage	2,967
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	4 Car garage
Lot Size	0.258 acres
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Privacy, breath taking lakeviews, 3 lakes in one for under $470,000. This is every Fisherman's ultimate dream! Fish all day long in 3 lakes, store all your toys in your giant 4 car garage, enjoy the breath taking views of Lake Josephine. Wood floors, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, energy efficient gas stove.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- High/Vaulted ceiling
- Walk-in closet	- Hardwood floor	- Tile floor
- Living room	- Dining room	- Dishwasher
- Refrigerator	- Stove/Oven	- Microwave
- Granite countertop	- Stainless steel appliances	- Washer
- Dryer	- Laundry area - garage	- Balcony, Deck, or Patio
- Yard

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Metal Roof

- Lake frontage (3 lakes, not just 1)

- Boat slip for two boats

- Electric boat lift

- gas stove

- 4 car garage for all your toys

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

mills@millsrealestate.net

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 10, 2009, 2:33am PDT

Short Sale buyer MUST submit pre-qual letter from Bank of America

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:56 -0500

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 MLS as well? Is this STEERING?

Surviving the Recession - Money Saving Tips from Your Highlands County Realtors - Part 2

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:32:19 -0500

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 days and I have quiet a few tips that will save you money AND have added health benefits. Another Two for the price of One!

Dine In - it saves gas money, time, the restaurant's overhead, and the tip for the waiter and there's two ways to do it:

1. Purchase frozen pre-cooked meals . With pre-cooked meals, you save time by not having to cook it from scratch. Every grocer carries a wide variety of frozen meals and I don't mean boring tv-dinners. Give Bertolli a try. Stouffer's make a delicous family lasagne to feed 6 for around $8. Add a tossed salad and jello for dessert, voila! Dim the lights, put a fancy table cloth on the table, top it with your best dishes and enjoy the meal!

2. Cook it from scratch. Get your cookbooks out and if you don't have any or need more inspiration, check out AllRecipes.com. You will be amazed at the wealth of information: Recipes, how to's, videos etc. It doesn't get any better. You can even save your recipes in your on-site recipe box. Give it a try! Cooking from scratch is more time consuming than using frozen meals but how about making it a family affair? Have your kids chop the veggies, have your spouse fire up the grill while you take care of the side dish and dessert. It's quality time you can spend with your loved ones. There's another Two for the price of One!

Generic brands - I don't compromise when it comes to ketchup. It has to be Heinz! With everything else, I purchase the store brand or generic brand whenever possible. On average I save around $15 per week with generic brands. That's $ 780 per year. One great example: Oil of Olay Night Time Firming Cream is $11. WalMart's Generic brand is $5 and it has exactly the same ingredients!

Left Overs - purchase a couple of cheap plastic containers (it does not have to be TupperWare!) and save the left overs. Chicken legs make a great salad if you pick the meat off the bones and add mayo and some of your other favorite ingredients. Leftover potatoes make a breakfast dish: slice, add some onion, fry with cooking spray and pour two beaten eggs on top. Add some of the left over meat from last night too! Cook down that bone from your ham, add a variety of dry beans, tomatoes, veggies - voila, you have bean soup! I freeze left over gravies for another meal. You can do the same with left over veggies.

Sales - check those fliers from your grocer for items that will on sale. It pays to compare sales and use coupons if you have them. Plan your weekly meals with the sales flier in mind. Yes, this means trips to several stores but you might be able to combine the trips with other errands.

Dine Out - if you must dine out, and there's really nothing wrong with it - take advantage of the deals many restaurants offer now: My husband and I went to Chili's a while ago and tried out their $20 deals. We shared the appetizer, each had a great entree and then shared the dessert (which was plenty for both of us). All for $20! Last summer, we took advantage of McDonald's 59 cent cheeseburger deal. Now some might argue that going to McD's isn't dining out, especially if it's drive-thru. We still got a great deal (we oven baked our own fries and had our own iced-tea for less than $1 per glass).

Buying Bulk - if you have the extra freezer space, buy meat in bulk. Check Costco and Sam's Club for specials. Example: we'd buy a whole tenderloin and get 4 meals out of it: pork roast, pork stew (no different than beef stew!), pork steaks (no different than beef steaks!) and stir fry. We'd cut the whole tenderloin in sections to go into the freezer. To save time, you can season the meat before you freeze it. All you have left to do is thaw and cook!

Last but not least: have a list! - Write a list of all the items you NEED and stick to it. You will not be so tempted to pick up 10 other items you didnt' really need.

It's a great time to sell your Sebring Home!

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:29:01 -0500

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 under 90 days and you were lucky to get an offer, even if it was a shaky one. These days, we get multiple offers after only a few weeks on the market and we have agents ask us to notify them once we get another "great deal" on the market or to let them know if one of our deals falls through so they can get their buyers in place to make an offer. So, if you are thinking about selling your Sebring home, give us a call! Due to high volume of offers, we need to replenish our inventory! Btw, we list and sell Avon Park homes as well as Lake Placid homes!.

Whether you are looking to just move on or avoid foreclosure: It's a great time to sell your Sebring home! We find many first timers among our buyer clients, eager to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit with it's looming deadline. Most popular with the first time buyers are the short sales and foreclosures. While a short sale is not for everyone, there are most certainly some really great deals available and a thrifty buyer can end up with a true dreamhome with only a bit of sweat equity invested. If you are looking to purchase, let us help you find your Sebring home. Btw, we can also assist you in finding your Avon Park home or Lake Placid home!

With around 140 - 150 foreclosure filings per month in Highlands County, we don't expect there to be a shortage of short sale, pun intended, for quiet some time. Homeowners that find themselves unable to keep up with their mortgage payment are well advised to explore their options and take advantage of some of the alternatives to foreclosure, such as Short Sales. We find that while many homeowners have heard of the term, only a few understand how short sales work. We believe that most homeowners walk away from their home because they believe they have no other option. We work with investor owners as well as owner occupants and there is no cost involved to meet and speak with us about your situation.

First Time Home buyer in Highlands County: Is a Short Sale right for me?

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:37:37 -0500

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 awaiting approval after 4 months. From experience we know that some lenders are very backed-up when it comes to short sales, some lenders have a more efficient system in place to process short sales. It varies from lender to lender.

Why would I want to purchase a short sale?
We already know that it might take a considerable amount of time from offer to closing, if we can obtain sale approval from the seller's lender (we never had one of our short sale not approve but it could happen). If you are not on a time frame, meaning if you are currently renting or do not need to move into your new home by a certain date, then a short sale might be a great opportunity for you to buy a home that was completely out of reach just a year ago. Example: 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, built in 2007, marble counters and all the works - $230,000 when it was built, $180,000 last summer, $99,000 today. You do the math.

What can I do to get my offer approved?
1. Make a good offer: Many buyers figure that it makes sense to start out with a lower offer to leave room for negotiating. This holds true if you are dealing with a seller who does NOT need to obtain a sale approval from his or her lender. In a short sale, the seller's lender is not in the business to negotiate real estate deals, they are not even in the business to sell homes. Their business is lending money. Make it easy for the lender - make your highest and best offer! Think of it this way: you are already making an offer that is below market value and while short sales are great opportunities to purchase a home for a lot less, they are not liquidation sales. Do not expect to get the property for next to nothing.
2. Provide Proof of Funds: If you wish to pay cash for your short sale, provide a bank statement along with the offer. This lets the seller's lender know you are serious and you are financially able to close the deal! If you are financing, provide at least a pre-approval letter. If you can, don't ask for seller concessions or extensive repairs. The seller is not likely to be able to pay for discount points or help you with your closing cost. The seller's lender isn't likely to pay for these expenses either. It's a short sale - the seller is losing money, his or her lender is losing money. Most short sales are being offered "as-is", which means you purchase what you see with the right to inspect.

Get an expericenced Short Sale Agent to help you find your dream home!
Make your highest and best offer!
Back it up with proof of funds or at least pre-approval!
Bring time!

Pre-Approval BEFORE shopping for Highlands County homes???

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:16:51 -0500

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 you qualify for. The best way to find out about that is to get pre-qualified or even pre-approved with a lender. If you feel most comfortable talking about this to your house bank, that's perfect! If you can have a friend or family member recommend someone, that's perfect too! The important thing is that you have a clear understanding of how much house you can purchase.

On top of that, with a pre-qualification, the offer you might make on that dreamhome is going to be so much stronger with a lender's pre-approval attached to it. It shows the seller you are a serious buyer, not just a tire kicker and it also give them peace of mind in knowing that you have already taken important steps towards securing financing of your new home.

So, before we go out to shop for homes, it's a good idea to get pre-qualified. It will save you a lot of time and maybe even disappointment because you won't make an offer on a home you end up not able to finance.

posting from my blackberry - this is sooo cool!

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:02:43 -0500

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.....................

Uncooperative Tenant blocks short sale efforts - home likely to go into foreclosure now.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:44:05 -0500

Uncooperative Tenant blocks Short Sale efforts - home likely to go into foreclosure

We 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 for homes in Sun'n'Lake.

We listed a beautiful 4 bedroom home for sale in a very quiet and tranquil area of Sun'n'Lake. The home was built in 2007, has a very pleasing floorplan and is very well maintained. $110,000.

The home is tenant occupied. We always make every effort to accomodate tenants and their work schedule to facilitate showings. We met with this tenant shortly after taking the listing to make arrangements to take photos. The tenant was to call us to let us know what time is good for her. No phone call. None of our calls were returned either. We left notices on her door, no reply from the tenant.

After 4 weeks, we were finally allowed to access the home to take photos and measurements. We took the measurements, to avoid being fined by our local board, but declined taking photos. While the home is clean, there is clutter everywhere. It was hard to make out the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

We were not able to reach the tenant for showing appointments and missed out on several potential buyers. We have worked with the landlord/owner to resolve the problems with the tenant. He pays a property management agency to collect rent. The property manager was not very responsive at first and it took several letters and phone calls from the landlord to get her to cooperate.

The property manager states she has taken the tenant to see several other rental homes but that the tenant has made no decision. We talk to buyers and sellers every day and after while you get a pretty good idea of one's motivation to buy, sell, move or rent. This tenant has no plans to move out of this home unless served with a notice to vacate by the Sheriff.

Meanwhile, the property, which could have sold already, is sitting on the market with lots of interest but now way of selling to anyone. It appears to us that the landlord has resigned to the fact that his property will go into foreclosure because the tenant does not cooperate with anything.

Vantage Pointe of Sebring, Highlands County - Deed Restricted Adult Living in the Heart of Sebring

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:47:40 -0500

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 ,meeting at 4:00 PM at the pool any day the temperatures drop below 45 degrees F. How cool is that? Pun intended! If that is too cold for you, join the Water Volleyball team at 3 - 4 PM on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. If the pool is not your cup of tea, there is a line dancing group, daily coffee hour, of course BINGO. Every holiday is commemorated with a themed brunch or dinner. It's hard to imagine anyone ever gets bored in Vantage Pointe. Next on the Calendar of Event is Labor Day Dinner on Monday, September 7th. Cocktails at 3:30pm, dinner at 4:00pm.

Our office has several homes listed for sale in Vantage Pointe and we always enjoy bringing buyers to this well maintained community. The HOA President, Ernie Kelly, has been very helpful answering our questions regarding signage and we love to refer interested buyers to Vantage Pointe's own website for information about this very active and close knit neighborhood.

Call us if you are looking for active adult living in Florida! Andrea 863-202-0729 Darrin 863-202-5017
You may also email us, we reply to emails instantly!

Leaving Highlands County Dead Zones - Transitioning to Verizon Wireless and a BlackBerry

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:58:26 -0500

Leaving Highlands County Dead Zones - Transitioning to Verizon Wireless

Because 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, but never rang for the phone call itself. And that ring for the message came hours LATER! So, I got into the habit of leaving my phone on the hutch in the living room, which is still in the dead zone but drops service less frequently, and forwarding my cell to my home phone. I still didn't get all my calls.

Yesterday, I went to Verizon Wireless and ordered a BlackBerry Curve 8330 (it's frosted pink, yep!). Porting my current number might take up to several hours depending on complexity and cooperation from Boost.

It is scheduled to be delivered this afternoon, hopefully porting won't take too long and I won't miss a bunch of calls.

I have never owned a BlackBerry but I'm VERY VERY excited about the email push feature. I'll get emails as soon as they arrive, without having to check for them. How cool is that??? I can email anything to anyone without being on my computer!!! I can surf and post on Active Rain from anywhere!!!!!

I can't wait for FedEx to deliver that thing today!!!!!

Making an offer on a Highlands County Home - Put it all in writing!

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:58:31 -0500

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 agent gets very upset because after all, the seller agreed verbally to accept your counter offer, right? Is the seller legally obligated to sell the home to you?

No! 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.

Had your counter offer been in writing, chances are the seller would have agreed to your counter in writing, instead of verbally and you would be moving into your dream home.

Highlands County Real Estate - Making an offer? Put it all in writing!

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:52:29 -0500

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 agent gets very upset because after all, the seller agreed verbally to accept your counter offer, right? Is the seller legally obligated to sell the home to you?

No! 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.

Had your counter offer been in writing, chances are the seller would have agreed to your counter in writing, instead of verbally and you would be moving into your dream home.

Originally posted on Highlands County Talk Blog

Call us for any questions or concerns - 863-202-0729
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