central florida realtor: New challenge to proposed property tax amendment
- 12/18/07 01:21 AM
The first of several threatened lawsuits has been filed to challenge the new proposed property tax amendment. A detailed article was in yesterday's Sun Sentinel. Basically this is much of the same group that filed a similar lawsuit earlier in the year representing vacation homeowners from Alabama & Georgia who owned property in the Florida panhandle. The previous lawsuit was thrown out by the courts and the dismissal was affirmed on appeal. This is a new challenge. The Florida League of Cities has also contemplated filing another suit to overturn this proposed amendment. House Speaker Marco Rubio, Governor Charlie Crist, the Florida Association of Realtors, and the … (0 comments)
central florida realtor: The Governor comes to town. Is property tax relief in sight?
- 12/17/07 08:40 AM
Last Friday, Governor Crist conducted a press conference in Orlando regarding the upcoming property tax amendment vote on January 29, 2008. I was fortunate enough to be invited and got a chance to meet briefly with the Governor. He comes across as a very stand up guy even though in my opinion he hasn't been as tough a bulldog with things as his predecessor. He appears to be as dis-satisfied with the Florida Senate and the local governments as most of us Realtors and property owners are. I don't know if this amendment will be as big a spark to the real estate market as … (11 comments)
central florida realtor: More opportunities abound - deals are everywhere
- 12/15/07 10:28 AM
I talk to so many people that just aren't sure where this market is headed. I don't have a crystal ball, so I don't know either. However I do know a deal when I see it. And there are deals everywhere to be had. I have never seen so many good deals in the last 11 years of being a broker as I am seeing right now. We just picked up another deal for one of our customers in South Orlando. This bank foreclosure is a 3/2/2 block house for $109,000. The lowest retail sale in the neighborhood in the last year was for 175K. There … (7 comments)
central florida realtor: Altamonte Springs Florida pool home for sale - listing withdrawn for refinance
- 12/13/07 07:44 AM
LISTING WITHDRAWN WHILE REFINANCING 3 bed / 2 bath / 2-car garage / 1900sf block house. MLS # o4818372 . 324 Oakhurst Street, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701. DOUBLE LOT. NEW FENCE, LAWN IN BACKYARD, ROOF, A/C., KITCHEN CABINETS & MARBLE TILE COUNTERTOPS, BAMBOO WOOD FLOORING, LARGE POOL IN BACK YARD, WOODBURNING FIREPLACE, LIGHTING, FANS, FRESH PAINT INSIDE AND OUT.
central florida realtor: November Statistics for Orange & Seminole County Florida
- 12/12/07 07:27 AM
The latest sales figures are out for November 2007 Orange & Seminole Counties. It looks like more of the same. The inventory of homes for sale was 26,172 for month ending November 30, 2007. Inventory has been floating around the 26,000 mark since June, so that is 6 months in a row at that 26K number. New listings dropped to 3,160 for November and sales also dropped to 963. There is nearly always a seasonal slowdown from mid-November through mid-January because of the holidays, so December's numbers might be slightly worse than these. I don't see how the inventory could get … (2 comments)
central florida realtor: Brief market update
- 12/07/07 07:36 AM
I attended the View From the Trenches luncheon this afternoon put on by the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. The official November market numbers won't be out until next week, but we did get a few of the numbers revealed to us at the luncheon. I am not going to post them until they become official, however the numbers were a little better than those in October. Inventory was down just a little bit, # of solds was about the same as the previous month, and the median price stayed the same. This is some good news. The apparent consensus is that the … (0 comments)
central florida realtor: FHA Secure mortgage program starts in January
- 12/05/07 06:22 AM
FHA Secure is a brand new program sponsored by HUD and FHA to help borrowers refinance out of adjustable rate mortgages and similar products that will force their monthly payments to escalate. In order to qualify borrowers must must: (1) Have a non-FHA adjustable rate mortgage that has increased its rate. (2) Sufficient income to afford the monthly payments on the new note. And (3) A history of making their monthly payments on time before their rate increased. Borrowers do not need to be in default on their current ARM in order to apply for an FHA Secure loan. Hopefully this will help … (5 comments)
central florida realtor: Option One Mortgage closing its doors
- 12/05/07 05:51 AM
I have been quite hopeful that the market was close to bottoming out and at least flattening off for 2008. I read the news yesterday that Option One Mortgage is closing its doors and going out of business. It will still be finishing up the current loans that it is in the process of funding, but no more new loans. They are laying off about 620 staff members. When Countrywide announced its problems a few months ago that sent big ripples through the marketplace. Option One is a smaller player but still a big company. Hopefully there will not be any more … (4 comments)
central florida realtor: Casselberry FL property for sale -- sold
- 12/03/07 06:15 AM
This is the latest listing that we have for the last week. If you are interested in showing it or seeing inside, please contact me directly. **** UPDATE: This property is Sold. Call us for all your real estate needs. ****
2901 Amroth Place, Casselberry, FL 32707. 3 bed / 2 bath / 2-car garage, 1160sf single-family home. New Roof, new heat/AC, totally new kitchen and stainless steel appliances, new baths, new flooring, new doors, new lights. New landscaping and sprinkler system. Fireplace, screened porch, spr & fence. Renovation includes, roof, heat/ac, totally new kitchen and baths,flooring, interior and exterior doors, … (0 comments)
central florida realtor: Central Florida houses for sale
- 12/02/07 08:53 AM
These are some of our featured properties that we have for sale. If you are interested in showing or seeing the inside of any of these properties, please contact me. Both of these are flat fee mls, for sale by owner listings. --------------
1. 1153 Northcrest Drive, Apopka 32703. 4 bed/2 bath block house, 1785sf, newly remodeled throughout, possible lease purchase or trade for the down payment. MLS# o4802378. *** HOUSE WAS SOLD. THIS SELLER SAVED OVER $4000 BY USING OUR SERVICES. *** ----------------
2. 905 N. Boston Avenue, Deland 32724. 2 bed/1 bath/1-car garage frame house. 3-lots on over 1/2 … (0 comments)
central florida realtor: Statistical Comparison of Limited Service Listing vs. Full Service Listing
- 12/01/07 10:02 AM
I've been wanting to do a statistical analysis of limited service listings compared to full-service listings for a while now. I wanted to compare the 2 for listed vs. sold ratio, days on market, and sold price. So today I did a very "unscientific" analysis by performing searches in our local MLS. I did a search of 6 Florida counties surrounding Orlando - Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and W. Volusia Counties for the last 6 months (6/1/07 - 12/1/07). Honestly, the results shocked me. I was expecting that with a full service listing you have a full-time Realtor trying to market and negotiate the … (10 comments)
central florida realtor: Atlantic hurricane statistics for 2007 - Florida spared this year
- 11/28/07 11:29 AM
The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on Friday 11/30/2007. So how did the forecasters do. It is pretty interesting to see what the supposed professional forecasters came up with versus what really happened. Below are the numbers for the last few years. The most noted forecasters are Dr. Gray at Colorado State University (CSU) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the National Hurricane Center. I am using the statistics that these forecasters put out in May of each year just prior to the June 1st beginning of each season. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # of Named Storms # of Hurricanes # of Major Hurricanes CSU … (5 comments)
central florida realtor: College Park property for sale - Orlando, Florida
- 11/27/07 08:18 AM
This is one of the properties mentioned in a previous posting (#2 on the list). We sold this one to an investor for dirt cheap from a motivated seller. The rehab has been completed and it is ready for an end user. 211 W. King Street, Orlando, Florida 32804. 3 bed / 1 bath / 1-car garage block house on big corner lot. MLS # o4814553. BEST DEAL IN COLLEGE PARK. POSSIBLE SELLER FINANCING. DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE $$$ AVAILABLE FROM CITY. PRICED $25,000 UNDER MARKET VALUE FOR QUICK SALE. Virtual Tour: http://www.tourthisplace.com/41011901 Beautifully remodeled home on big corner lot. New kitchen & bath, … (2 comments)
central florida realtor: Grassroots effort to reduce Florida property taxes
- 11/22/07 10:25 AM
Florida House Speaker, Marco Rubio, has endorsed Cut Property Taxes Now a grassroots petition to do something serious about reducing property taxes. Since Governor Crist and Senate President Ken Pruitt do not have the will nor the guts to do anything significant on property taxes, this grassroots effort might be a good alternative. The plan is pretty simple. Put an amendment on the ballot for November 2008 to make ad valorem property taxes capped at 1.35% of the assessed value of the property with all existing exemptions staying in effect. I did some quick math on some of my properties and this … (2 comments)
central florida realtor: Happy Thanksgiving to all
- 11/21/07 06:11 AM
During this time of Thanksgiving we hopefully get a few days to eat, enjoy family and friends, and maybe do a little shopping. It is also a time where can we reflect on all the many things we are thankful for. Being the managing broker of our firm for some 50-60 real estate agents as well as being an active real estate investor in the Central Florida community, I am in a position to see a lot of heartache and problems in so many people that I come in contact with; heartache both personally and financially. Many real estate agents and … (0 comments)
central florida realtor: My Top 10 Favorite Lease Clauses - Part 2
- 11/20/07 02:05 AM
Every single one of these clauses is the result of some problem that came up during the term of a lease. After that problem was resolved I made sure that all of my future leases covered that particular issue. Well, here is the second half of tonight's top 10 list of favorite clauses to put in a lease. The first half of the list can be found at this web link. *CLAUSE 6: The following appliances and furniture: are the property of the Landlord and are loaned, not leased, to Tenant. Maintenance and repairs to appliances and furniture are the responsibility … (5 comments)
central florida realtor: New property listing -- seller financing in Orlando -- OFF MARKET
- 11/19/07 05:06 AM
Here is the latest listing for sale. This one is a flat fee MLS listing that we listed last week. I have a few more coming online shortly, but they came in over the weekend and we are still working on them. If you would like to show this property or see inside, just call me.
909 Vista Palma Way, Orlando, Florida 32825. 4 bed/2 bath/1-car garage block house. Located in Southeast Orlando. BIG 5% COMMISSION to cooperating brokerages. MLS# o4813777 . Come see this comfortable 4 bedroom house, centrally located, and walking distance to the local college, with ceramic floor, fenced backyard, and … (0 comments)
My thoughts on the real estate industry, real estate investing, rental properties, mortgages, listing houses in the MLS, government and legislative issues affecting real estate brokers and investors. Serving metro Orlando & most of Florida.
Rob Arnold - ABR, CPL, CRB, GRI, PHP - Managing real estate broker, Notary Public
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational, entertainment, and yes blatant advertising purposes. Read it at your own risk and enjoyment :-) It is not meant to be construed as legal or financial advice. These are my personal views and opinions only. Regarding any properties advertised on this blog site - all information is deemed reliable but is not warranted nor guaranteed - price, terms, and availability are subject to change without notice.
The first of several threatened lawsuits has been filed to challenge the new proposed property tax amendment. A detailed article was in yesterday's Sun Sentinel. Basically this is much of the same group that filed a similar lawsuit earlier in the year representing vacation homeowners from Alabama & Georgia who owned property in the Florida panhandle. The previous lawsuit was thrown out by the courts and the dismissal was affirmed on appeal. This is a new challenge.
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