Buyers: Consider a Title Search BEFORE Writing An Offer to Purchase a Bank-Owned Property - 12/19/08 10:39 PM
With the ever changing real estate market and the number of foreclosures growing minute by minute, Buyers and their agents should be aware that there have been several instances in Central Florida where the lender has not filed the foreclosure properly; and as a result, are not truly able to sell the house you may want to buy.
According to the FAR/BAR contract in Florida, title companies must have the title policy to the Buyer's lender at least five days prior to closing...which is normally an ample amount of time to clear up anything minor...but, often times, title searches for homes that … (36 comments)

Read the HOA Docs Before Buying: You May Change Your Mind - 12/14/08 08:52 PM
Not all communities in Seminole County have Home Owner Associations, but, there are a good portion that do.
When I work with a client who is ready to buy a home, it's important to know if they want to live in a "deed" restricted community or not. If they want a community with a Home Owners Association, I then suggest that they be prepared to read a copy of the deed restrictions and covenants for the community in which they hope to buy in.
Often times, it's more efficient if the Buyer reviews the restrictions BEFORE writing an offer on a property...especially if they have specific questions...such as the number of … (3 comments)

Buyers: My Advice To You is "Don't Get Too Cozy on That Couch!" - 12/12/08 08:12 PM
OK, I'll admit it. I'm a freak for details.
As a Buyer's Agent, I find that I often spend endless hours educating Buyers on what they SHOULD DO to insure that their home buying process is a success, as well as what they should AVOID DOING so that it doesn't blow up somewhere along the way.
One of the most common educational sessions I have with Buyers is in regards to the need for them to maintain the same or better credit score that they had when they received their loan approval letter (which is typically obtained weeks before they even saw their first house).
… (14 comments)

Santa & Mrs. Claus to Visit Lake Mary Residents December 13th-Follow His Route Here! - 12/11/08 08:33 PM
According to the City of Lake Mary, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting several Lake Mary neighborhoods within the city limits on Saturday, December 13th as they ride on the top of one of the City's fire trucks!
The morning tour begins at 8:30AM and will begin at Ridge Road and follow the below route:
Ridge Rd to Channel Dr to Lake Shore to Almyra to Ridge Rd to Crystal Ridge Way to W. Frederick to E Floyd to Abbott to Byron to First to Alma to Grandbend to Lake Mary Ave to Wilbur to W. Crystal Lake to Lakeview … (1 comments)

Buyers Need to Know: Market Conditions Can Have An Impact on HOA Fees for Seminole & Orange County, FL Homes - 12/10/08 02:31 PM
Annual Home Owner Association fees are often calculated by dividing the income needed to pay the expenses for the community by the total number of homes in that community.
Let's use my community as an example.
Our annual budget is $30,000, which covers the management fee, water, power, printing, postage, landscaping, irrigation repair, legal fees, etc.
There are 40 homes in the community.
So, the $30,000 needed divided by the 40 property owners should mean that the Annual HOA Assessment should be $750.00 per household....but instead, our HOA Assessment is $833.00 per household.
Why?
Well, like most communities, approximately 10% of the property owners within the neighborhood are … (4 comments)

Buyers, Are You Looking for Homes on REALTOR.com? If So, Did You Know... - 12/08/08 10:14 PM
As a full-time Real Estate agent who specializes in representing Buyers who want to buy a home in Seminole or Orange County, I often have the opportunity to work with and advocate for homebuyers who begin their hunt for a new home on the Internet....specifically, REALTOR.com.
One of my most recent experiences with a Buyer who was searching for homes on this popular website prompted this post as I believe that Buyers need to know that what they see is not always what they get.
Here's the story:
One of my past clients referred a potential new client to me last week and we … (17 comments)

Residents Invited to Enjoy A Pancake Breakfast with Santa at Lake Mary YMCA in Seminole County FL - 12/06/08 09:38 AM
On Saturday, December 13th, the YMCA in Lake Mary, Florida will host a Pancake Breakfast with Santa from 8:30am-10:30am.
In addition to having their picture taken with Santa and his Elves, visitors will enjoy a yummy pancake breakfast and holiday arts & crafts.
Admission is $10.00 per person for adults and $5.00 per person for children ages 3-10 years-old. Children 2 & under are FREE!
 
 
To buy tickets, visit the J. Douglas YMCA at 665 Longwood-Lake Mary Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746 in person or call them at (407) 321-8944.
As YMCA members for more than 12 years now, … (7 comments)

What "Time Is Of The Essence" in a Purchase Contract Means to a Buyer in Seminole County Florida - 12/05/08 11:38 AM
Disclaimer: I am an active, full-time Real Estate agent in Seminole County, Florida. I am not an attorney. The Blog post below is not intended to be a substitution for competent legal advice. If you need an attorney, I'd be happy to provide you with referrals or you can find one via the Florida Bar website here.
Now, back to the topic at hand. Time.
If you are a Buyer purchasing a re-sale property in Florida,your Real Estate agent will most likely use one of two types of recognized sale contracts to submit your offer to the Seller:
The FAR Contract-Which is the sales contract … (3 comments)

Buyers: If You Want the Plasma TV, Be Sure It's Written In Your Contract! - 12/03/08 08:04 PM
No one likes personal property disputes. I mean really, closing days are meant to be "happy days" when everyone celebrates, not when you yell or scream because the surround-sound speakers are "missing" or worse...the flat screen TV is no longer mounted on the bedroom wall!
All kidding aside...if you want to avoid an uncomfortable (and potentially deal-breaking) situation, it's very important that you know what "personal property" is being sold with the house and what "personal property" is not....and, if you want the Seller to leave something that they didn't include via the listing agreement or in the Seller's Disclosure, ASK FOR IT … (27 comments)

City of Winter Springs Annual Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting This Weekend - 12/02/08 09:04 PM
The City of Winter Springs will be hosting the 27th Annual Holiday Parade this Saturday, December 6th beginning at 4:00PM.
The parade route will begin at Trotwood Blvd. and will end on Tuskawilla Road at the Winter Springs Town Center.
After the parade, the City will also have a Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony.
According to the City of Winter Springs website, from 6pm-9pm, the Town Center will feature: 
Holiday Lights and Decorations Snow will fall in the Town Center Holiday Hay Rides Chick-Fil-A Kid Zone Live Entertainment featuring National Musical Artist Vaughan Rhea of Vonray, as well as the Russian Ballet of Orlando, Indian Trails … (3 comments)

Orlando FL Named One of the Best Cities For Relocating Singles - 12/02/08 08:10 PM
According to a recent survey that was published in the Orlando Sentinel today, Orlando Florida ranked #13 in the Top 100 Metropolitan Cities for Singles who are relocating.
The survey was conducted by Worldwide ERC and evaluated the cost of living, rents & the availability of housing, demographic diversity, educational costs, job growth, the prevalence of restaurants, health clubs, bars and entertainment venues such as concerts and sports events.
Additional factors considered were the number of singles, ages 25 to 34 within a certain area, as well as the male-to-female ratio, the percentage of singles who use online dating services and how easy … (0 comments)

Does Your Home Inspector Use One of These? - 12/01/08 09:51 PM
For more than 6 years, I've been referring Jon Bolton...otherwise known as the "Inspectagator," to Buyers who are purchasing a home and are in need of a home inspection.
In addition to being "Gator Fans" (like me!), Jon and his team have performed more inspections than most inspectors will perform in their lifetime! As a matter of fact, Jon told me last week that he has performed more than 5,000 inspections! Now that's what I call experience!
In addition to the experience, Jon is also one of the most educated and "decorated" inspectors I have ever met. He is both FABI and ASHI … (5 comments)

 
Lashawn Rainmaker_large

LaShawn Norden, REALTOR, (321) 377-0157 Your Real Estate Advocate in Central FL

Longwood, FL

More about me…

Keller Williams Heritage Realty

Address: 1150 Douglas Avenue, Suite 2020, Altamonte Springs, FL, 32714

Office Phone: (407) 862-9700

Cell Phone: (321) 377-0157

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Selling or purchasing a home can be exciting and scary at the same time! The goal of my blog is to educate Central Florida Buyers & Sellers about the Good, the Bad & the Ugly things that can happen in a real estate transaction! As an advocate for consumers in Orange, Seminole and Volusia County, I especially enjoy working with first-time home buyers, relocation buyers, sellers of distressed property and luxury home sellers. Native to Central Florida, I'd welcome the opportunity to be your advocate too!

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