orlando real estate: There's 3.7 Million Homes For Sale. Is Yours Standing Out From The Crowd?
- 07/21/11 01:41 AM
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, there are more than 3.7 million homes for sale this month. If your home is among them, are you doing what it takes to stand apart from the crowd?
This 4-minute piece from NBC's The Today Show pulls no punches. It's titled "5 Mistakes Sellers Can't Afford To Make" and it covers falling home prices, buyer mentality, and ....
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There's 3.7 Million Homes For Sale. Is Yours Standing Out From The Crowd?
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orlando real estate: Calculating Loan-to-Value (LTV)
- 07/18/11 01:17 AM
Understanding the definition of Loan-to-Value (LTV), and how it impacts a mortgage approval, will help you determine what type of loan amount and program you may qualify for.
Since the LTV Ratio is a major component of getting approved for a new mortgage, it's a good idea to learn the simple math of calculating the amount of equity you may need, or down payment to budget for in order to qualify for a particular loan program.
The LTV Ratio is...
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Calculating Loan-to-Value (LTV)
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orlando real estate: Retail Sales Rise For 12th Straight Month In June
- 07/18/11 01:10 AM
The American Consumer will not be deterred.
Despite worsening jobless figures and an increase in the Cost of Living, Retail Sales are climbing. In June, for the 12th straight month, retail receipts rose, excluding cars and auto parts.
Analysts expected no change from May. Instead, receipts topped $321 billion -- an all-time record.
For home buyers and would-be refinancers in Longwood , this is a bit of unwelcome news. Mortgage rates are rising in....
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Retail Sales Rise For 12th Straight Month In June
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orlando real estate: For The 9th Straight Month, Foreclosure Filings Fall
- 07/15/11 01:20 AM
For the 9th straight month last month, foreclosure activity slowed.
According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, the number of foreclosure filings dropped 29 percent nationwide on an annual basis in June. The phrase "foreclosure filing" is a catch-all term, comprising default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions.
June marked the ninth consecutive month of sub-300,000 filings after....
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For The 9th Straight Month, Foreclosure Filings Fall
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orlando real estate: 5-Year ARM Falls To Historic Lows
- 07/14/11 02:35 AM
The interest rate differential between fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages continues to widen and has now reached historic levels.
There's never been a better time to lock an ARM.
According to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, homeowners in Orlando who lock their mortgage rate today will save 129 basis points on rate, on average, by choosing a....
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5-Year ARM Falls To Historic Lows
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orlando real estate: Pending Home Sales Unexpectedly Spike In May
- 07/14/11 02:30 AM
The summer housing market is heating up.
According to data from the National Association of REALTORS®, the Pending Home Sales Index smashed analyst expectations, jumping 8 percent on a monthly basis in May.
Wall Street calls were for an increase of just 0.5 percent.
It was a surprise result that, coupled with....
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Pending Home Sales Unexpectedly Spike In May
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orlando real estate: Home Values Climb 0.8 Percent In April
- 07/14/11 02:29 AM
Maybe homes in Longwood are holding value better than we thought.
Between March and April of this year, home values rose 0.8 percent nationally, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Home Price Index. It's the index's first month-to-month improvement since May of last year.
Values are down 19 percent since peaking 4 years ago.
Private-sector data affirms the government's report.
Tuesday, the S&P's Case-Shiller Index also showed home values higher by 0.8 percent in April, on a monthly basis. Led by Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, 13 of the Case-Shiller's 20 tracked markets showed improvement in April.
In March, … (0 comments)
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orlando real estate: Fed Minutes Hint At New Economic Stimulus
- 07/13/11 07:30 PM
The Federal Reserve released its June 2011 Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes Tuesday. It contained no surprises and, as such, mortgage rates in Florida have idled in the hours since.
The Fed Minutes is published 8 times annually, three weeks after each scheduled Federal Open Market Committee meeting. It's the official log of the meeting's conversations and debates.
The Fed Minutes is the lengthier companion piece to....
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Fed Minutes Hint At New Economic Stimulus
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orlando real estate: What Is Annual Percentage Rate (APR)?
- 07/13/11 07:06 PM
More commonly called APR, Annual Percentage Rate is a government-mandated mortgage comparison tool. It measures the total cost of borrowing over the life of a loan into dollars-and-cents.
A loan's APR is printed in the top-left corner of the Federal Truth-In-Lending Disclosure, as shown above. When quoting an interest rate, loan officers are required by law to disclose a loan's APR, too.
APR is meant to simplify the process of choosing between two or more loans. The theory is that the loan with the lowest APR is the "best deal" for the applicant because.....
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orlando real estate: Removing Stains On Walls : Crayon, Mildew And More
- 07/13/11 05:11 PM
Painting rooms in a home can be a do-it-yourself project. Armed with paint, tape, tarp and some brushes, there's nothing you can't re-color.
While some rooms call for a complete sand-down, there are some that don't, and for those, Rule #1 is that your walls must be stain-free before adding the next coat of paint.
Stains can come in all varieties and the most basic stains....
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Removing Stains On Walls : Crayon, Mildew And More
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orlando real estate: Why Do I Need To Pay A VA Funding Fee?
- 07/13/11 04:43 PM
The VA Funding Fee is an essential component of the VA home loan program, and is a requirement of any Veteran taking advantage of this zero down payment government loan program.
This fee ranges from 1.25% to 3.3% of the loan amount, depending upon the circumstances.
On a $150,000 loan that’s an additional $1,875 to almost $5,000 in cost just for the benefit of using the VA home loan.
The good news is that the VA allows borrowers to finance this cost into the home loan without having to include it as part of the closing costs.
For buyers using their … (1 comments)
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orlando real estate: Mid-Year Review : Were The Experts Right About The Market?s 3.7 Million Homes For Sale. Is Yours Standing Out From The Crowd?
- 07/13/11 02:02 AM
The year is half-over. It's an opportune time to take stock of analyst predictions made at the start of the year, and to recognize that the "experts" can be wrong as often as they are right.
For as much experience and authority an expert brings to the conversation, though, nobody can....
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Mid-Year Review : Were The Experts Right About The Market?s 3.7 Million Homes For Sale. Is Yours Standing Out From The Crowd?
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orlando real estate: Economy Expected To Have Added 80,000 Jobs In June
- 07/08/11 01:18 AM
Friday morning, at 8:30 AM ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its June Non-Farm Payrolls report. If you're currently shopping for a mortgage, or floating a mortgage rate, be prepared. Mortgage rates can change following the monthly report's release.
Often, by a lot.
More commonly called "the jobs report", Non-Farm Payrolls reports on the U.S. workforce by sector, summarizing its findings in terms of total workforce size, and as a....
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Economy Expected To Have Added 80,000 Jobs In June
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orlando real estate: What To Know Before You Move To A New Neighborhood
- 07/07/11 01:18 AM
As home buyers in the Longwood area , we tend to research homes a lot. We look at square footage; at upgrades; at landscaping; at community statistics; and, at every other "number" on which we can get our hands.
But those are just statistics. What about the home's "feel"?
In this 5-minute piece from NBC's The Today Show, you'll learn a dozen complementary home-shopping techniques to help you review and evaluate a home for...
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What To Know Before You Move To A New Neighborhood
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orlando real estate: This Summer, Cool Your Home For Less Money
- 07/07/11 01:11 AM
According to ENERGY STAR®, the typical household spends close to $2,000 per year on heating and cooling, and up to $600 of those costs are a waste; the result of energy inefficiencies in every U.S. home.
With the hot months of July and August ahead of us Orlando in , therefore, consider these simple-to-follow, cost-saving tips for keeping your home cool. None are expensive and each can yield quick results.
First, convert your home's light bulbs to....
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This Summer, Cool Your Home For Less Money
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orlando real estate: Top 25 Least Expensive U.S. Cities
- 07/05/11 01:50 AM
A report issued Monday by the U.S. government showed core inflation rising 2.5 percent in the last 12 months for its biggest one-year gain since January 2010.
Everyday living is becoming expensive, it seems.
But there are some U.S. towns in which the cost of living remains affordable -- and downright cheap -- as....
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Top 25 Least Expensive U.S. Cities
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orlando real estate: How Do I Clean Up A Broken Compact Fluorescent Bulb?
- 07/05/11 01:50 AM
Compact fluorescent light bulbs are widely praised for their energy-efficiency and relatively low price points. However, unlike traditional light bulbs, they pose a specific health risk to humans and pets.
Most compact fluorescent light bulbs are loaded with mercury vapor and mercury is poisonous -- even in...
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How Do I Clean Up A Broken Compact Fluorescent Bulb?
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orlando real estate: Renting vs Buying A Home
- 07/05/11 01:43 AM
Buying a home versus renting is a big decision that takes careful consideration.
While there are several biased sources that can make arguments for or against owning a home, we've found that most home buyers base their ultimate decision on emotion.
Yes, there are.....
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Renting vs Buying A Home
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orlando real estate: What You Need To Know About The Home Inspection Process
- 07/04/11 02:49 AM
Congratulations on finding a house!
You now have only a few days from when you signed the purchase and sales agreement to have a home inspection.
Chances are your real estate agent made the offer contingent upon a satisfactorily home inspection and obtaining mortgage financing.
What Is A Home Inspection?
According to Wikipedia, a home inspection “is a limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home, often in connection with the sale of that home. This is usually conducted by a home inspector who has the training and certifications to perform such inspections.
The inspector prepares a written report, often … (0 comments)
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orlando real estate: A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (June 22, 2011 Edition)
- 07/04/11 02:49 AM
Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent.
The vote was 10-0 -- the fourth straight unanimous vote for the nation's Central Bank.
In its press release, the FOMC said that the economy is recovering, although "somewhat more slowly" than what was expected. Labor markets have been weaker than anticipated and the Fed believes that is, in part, a result of higher food and energy costs, and....
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A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (June 22, 2011 Edition)
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According to the National Association of REALTORS®, there are more than 3.7 million homes for sale this month. If your home is among them, are you doing what it takes to stand apart from the crowd?
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