Central Florida Real Estate; what YOU need to know!

Some information about Baldwin Park!!

Here is the Baldwin Park update for 9/16/2008!!

There are 163 single family homes, townhouses and condos
available for sale in Baldwin Park in the Orlando
and central Florida MLS as of the date of this posting.

• The low offering price is 225,000, which is DOWN from it's original offering price of $230,000!
• The high offering price is for a fantastic 7300 square foot estate -- $5,244,000 which is unchanged from when it first went on the market almost 2 years ago.
• 20 of these fine homes are in special circumstances: Either they are in pre-foreclosure, in foreclosure, bank owned, have an assumable mortgage, are fixer-uppers, or the owner will assist with financing and/or closing costs! There ARE GREAT DEALS to be found in Baldwin Park!
  

Baldwin Park has come a LONG way from when it was
a military installation. When the base was closed down in
1999, investors took over and the result is QUITE a transformation!

Downtown Orlando is just 2 minutes away and the Orlando
International Airport is 8 miles away. You will spend MINUTES,
not a half an hour or more driving to go dancing, shopping, out
to a picnic, the ballet or an Orlando Magic basketball game. There
is easy access to highway Interstate 4, Route 408 or Route 417
to get you anywhere you want to travel.

The Baldwin Park Community Network provides owners access to a
business directory, resident directory, calendar of Property Owners
Association events and parties, developer updates, club information,
current neighborhood news, classifieds, a photo gallery plus links to
recreation, shopping and others areas of interest.

Clubs in Baldwin Park currently include a Maj Jong & Canasta Club,
Sand Volleyball Team, Aviation Club, Book Club, Walking Club and more.
All clubs and organizations are sponsored by residents.

There are four major parks and recreational facilities in Baldwin Park:

• Cady Way Trail is a very well-known jogging and bike trail in central Florida that has over 50 miles of walking paths with benches and tranquil rest areas alongs its route.
• Blue Jacket Park, a 55-acre City of Orlando park, sports lighted baseball fields and concession stand, a track and field complex,tennis courts,  picnic areas with covered pavilions, two children's playgrounds, basketball courts, a great lawn for soccer and field games, fountain plaza and grand stairs. Reservations are made through the City.
• Enders Park is a recreation center for residents only that offers a state-of-the-art fitness room, a community gathering room, large pool and kiddie pool, playground and much, much more. Swimming lessons and fitness classes such as Pilates and yoga are available. This facility is access-controlled.
• Grace Hopper Hall is another beautiful residents-only recreational
  facility that offers many of the same features as Enders Park. Grace
  Hopper Hall is access-controlled and also home to the Property Owners
  Association office.

Not only are the community features excellent, but so are the schools!

• The Winter Park High School campus borders Baldwin Park.
• Audubon Park Elementary School is now located within the neighborhood.
• Glenridge Middle School borders Blue Jacket Park and is just a short walk for many residents.
  
• Excellent private schools are nearby, as are esteemed Rollins College in Winter Park and the University of Central Florida.

Here are some recent news articles and press releases about Baldwin Park:

• TenUnited Wins Top National Award for Baldwin Park 
  
• Medical offices also call Baldwin Park home 
• Baldwin Park Home To Nine Parade of Homes Winners   
• Baldwin Park’s Landscape Architect Wins Award  
  
• Baldwin Park is #1 in the Top 10 Urban Areas

This Baldwin Park Community information
and market update is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Apartments vs. Ownership

I just had a very interesting time at an apartment
complex today in sunny central Florida. These are NICE apartments!

• A one bedroom, one bathroom with a den included has 1000 square feet and rents for $900 per month, including cable TV with HBO; NOT including water and electric.
• Two bedrooms, two baths and a den has 1400 square feet and rents for $1100 per month including cable TV; electric and water not included.
• A three bedroom and 2 baths apartment with a den has 1550 square feet and rents for $1270 per month including cable TV but not including water or electric.

Those numbers are pretty respectable considering everything.

The only thing is:

• All the money going toward rent is out the door to the property
  owner(s),the renter does NOT see any benefit monetarily.
• You CAN PURCHASE condos AND homes with the SAME numbers if
  you let a professional real estate agent help you find what
  you are looking for. (You will be putting money away in the form
  of paying down the mortgage note....... that is money YOU KEEP!!)
• Letting a licensed real estate agent help you find a condo or
  home to purchase so you can PUT AWAY MONEY for the future
  can cost you NOTHING for his/her services! (Did you know that??)
• If (WHEN) your rent goes up, you do NOT get a portion of that
  increase back...It ALL goes to the owner(s) pocket. (When the
  value of your home goes up, YOU POCKET the increase when
  you sell it!)

All in all, I spent over two hours there talking with the apartment sales person
and following her around as she "showed" the model I was interested in. In my head
I kept thinking..... "I can afford something like this AND BUY IT.... and I will have my
money growing in two different ways:"

• A "Savings Account" in the form of the equity build up in my property
  as I pay the mortgage off.
• An "Investment Account" as the value of the home increases over time.
  

Seeing as the Orlando and central Florida
real estate market is starting to bounce
back, NOW is the RIGHT TIME to invest
in YOUR future!

Don't wait till rates go up higher and
the asking prices start to rise again.

Here are some MORE numbers for you:

• There are about 18,300 homes for sale in the Orlando and central
  Florida MLS; this is about 1,000 LESS homes than were for sale this
  time last year. More people have jumped into the homeowners boat!
• MOST homes for sale that resulted in closed sales are in the $200,000 
  to $250,000 range. With the median Florida home income of $51,700 
  ALMOST ANYONE CAN (with good credit) buy a home in this price range,
  according to statistics for this month.
• Most condos that have changed hands are in the $100,000 - $140,000
  price range; WELL within the affordability of ANYONE with the median
  Florida family income. For the past five months, condos priced in this
  range made up the bulk of all condo sales. Just think of living in a
  nice apartment complex, BUT YOU OWN your unit -- now you can
  understand why these properties are selling!!

Just to let you know, I DID NOT sign a lease with the sales person.....
I am going to PURCHASE MY property, NOT RENT....and MAKE MY MONEY
WORK FOR ME (in TWO WAYS).

Are YOU ready to join the growing legion
of new Homeowners in central Florida?

If so, just contact us:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
"The Knights Team" Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Lake Nona..................what a treasure in central Florida!!

Here is the Lake Nona Market Report for 9/3/2008!!

There are 101 homes and estates for sale in Lake Nona.

• The LOW price for these homes is $187,600, which is DOWN about $5,000 from $192,700.
• The HIGH asking price in Lake Nona is $7,695,900 which unbelievably is UP from the properties original asking price of $7,295,000..... Can you believe it???
• 22 of these fine homes are in the following circumstances:
  They have assumable mortgages, are bank owned, are fixer-uppers, are in foreclosure, or pre-foreclosure, owner will consider financing AND / OR will assist with closing costs,
  
  THERE ARE GREAT DEALS OUT THERE IN LAKE NONA!!!
  

Lake Nona is known for its many amenities:

• Lake Nona Town Center -- An open air mall that is 1,000,000
  square feet of upscale retail shops, fashion boutiques, department
  stores, restaurants and a cineplex.
• The 600 acre Lake Nona Science and Technology Park -- which
  includes the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and
  Healthcare, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, University of
  Florida Reasearch Center, Orlando VA Medical Center, and the M.D.
  Anderson Cancer Research Center.
• The four communities of Lake Nona: The Waters Edge -- With a boat dock
  boat storage and more, this community has homes starting at $298,000.
  North Lake Park -- Includes a YMCA and "A" Rated Elementary School all
  under one roof. Village Walk  -- This community won the 2007 Parade of
  Homes Community Award. Quaint bridges to walk on connecting to the
  town center, a fitness center, cafes, and more are why! Lake Nona Golf
  and Country Club -- Featuring a Tom Fazio professionally acclaimed golf
  course, this community has a fitness center and much, MUCH more!!

Extensive care has been taken to include walking trails all through out the community. Nature is NOT something to be pushed aside in lake Nona, but something to be celebrated! 

Over 40 percent of Lake Nona is open space...which leaves You free to bike, ride horses, rollerblade, hike, jog, run or just observe nature in its unhurried setting.

Lake Nona has over 1000 acres of parks to enjoy family and freinds with. There are even two dog parks just for your four footed pets! There is an Aquatic Center and an Equestrian center....weather you want to swim or go for a brisk ride on a horse, Lake Nona has it all!!

To get FREE access to the Orlando and central Florida MLS to see current
homes for sale, just click on this link!

This Lake Nona Market Report
is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

The Hunters Creek Market Report as of 8.29.2008

Here is the Hunters Creek Market report as of 8/29/2008.

A WHOLE LOT of activity has been happening in the month since I last reported!

• There are only 168 homes for sale, DOWN thirteen homes from 181 properties on the market last month; HOMES ARE SELLING OUT THERE!
• The high asking price for those homes still on the market is still $719,000 as it was last month.
• The low asking price is $189,900, which is DOWN $10,100 from the previous low asking price of $200,000 last month!
• 35 of these properties are in special circumstances: They are either bank owned, in pre-foreclosure, in foreclosure, fixer-uppers, owner will assist with closing costs, owner will consider financing the mortgage, or a combination of these situations..... there are a BUNCH of GREAT DEALS in Hunters Creek right here and NOW!

I have posted several other blogs about the conditions of the Hunters Creek area:

• Central Florida Real Rstate Happenings.... Hunters Creek Market Report for 7.15.2008
• Central Florida Real Estate Happenings -- Hunters Creek homes for sale as of 3.5.2008
• Central Florida Real Estate Happenings -- Hunters Creek homes for sale as of 1.29.2008
• Central Florida Real Estate Happenings -- Hunters Creek, Florida Homes for Sale as of 1.04.2008

I have the recent central Florida 4 county statistics here also for you to view. You will see a trend that is taking hold on the Orlando and central Florida real estate market, just take a look:

• Central Florida Real Estate Happenings --- The Market report for central Florida July 2008

You will see The Knights Team has been on top of what is going on in the central Florida real estate market for quite a while and we have the news about it for YOU every month!

Hunters Creek is right on the border of Orange and Osceola Counties,
convieniently located near Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and
downtown Orlando. Routes 528, and 417 are just a minute or so away,
so you can get ANYWHERE in central Florida FAST!

This is a community that prides itself on excellence and professionalism,
from the landscaped medians with palm trees and flowers, to the types of
businesses in the area:

• Target Retail Super Center
• Publix Grocery store
• The Loop and The Loop West with all upscale retailers
• Numerous casual and some fine dining restaurants

Hunter Creek schools are consistently ranked at or near the
top of the scoring system for Florida schools. You know your
children will be getting a GREAT education when they attend
schools in the Hunters Creek area.

This post about Hunters Creek real estate
for sale is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Central Florida real estate is taking off!!

Well, things keep getting better and better in central Florida!

• The median home asking price has declined to $207,500 from last months $216,000. (It is 17% lower than last year at this time.)
• The affordability index rose to 103.8% which means the median Florida home income has MORE than enough to afford a home in central Florida.
• The July 2008 inventory of homes is 4.9% lower than it was last year at this time.
  (That means there are FEWER homes on the market than last year.)
• Since January the supply of homes for sale has been decreasing steadily resulting in 46.2%
  less homes on the market. Eventually, this will lead to a balancing of the real estate market in central Florida.

I have posted several blogs about what has been happening in the central Florida real estate market:

• Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... The market is slowly turning around...

• Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... 3 County April 2008 statistics

• Central Florida Real Estate Happenings -- The 4 county area statistics for January 2008

So, as you can see, things ARE getting better in central Florida real estate!!

This blog was brought to you by:
Alexander Harb, PSEM®, E-Agent®

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Central Florida developer caught.....

A central Florida developer is out on bond
because the FDLE says his company defrauded
investors and would be home owners of over
$24 million dollars in deposits.

• David N. Weiker said that many things
  contributed to his companies bankruptcy.
  (I would LOVE to hear some of his "reasons").
• Money that was supposed to be in escrow
  was "used" to pay for contractors that never
  finished and in some cases NEVER even started
  the process of constructing homes to be built.
• Over 580 people lost money on these deals
  ranging from locations as far away as Great
  Britan, Norway, Scotland and Belgium. In the
  United States -- Massachusetts and Florida
  residents were stung among others.
• FDLE officials said they have not found the
  missing money (It SHOULD be in escrow
  accounts, properly accounted for, shouldn't it?).
• David Weikers past was found to be the
  evidence that will likely put him behind bars
  for a LONG long time. Eight or nine homes
  were to be built by another company Mr. Weiker
  owned and operated back in 2001. Home buyers
  had to finish building the homes they payed
  Mr. Weikers company to build, causing the would
  be owners back then to lose many thousands of
  dollars in the process.
• Escrow money was disbursed to Weikers adult children
  to pay for their rent, money was used to purchase
  a spa for the Weikers home, and to pay for
  medicines and medical treatments. As far as I
  know, according to Florida real estate laws and
  practices, NONE of that money is to be used for
  ANYTHING other than the building of, or financing
  (down payments for mortgages) of the homes that
  were to be built.

I for one am GLAD the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement is on the job....

That is part of the duty of that Dept. of our government.

3 county central Florda real estate statistics...

Here are some statistics to back up what I
have been saying all along:

The central Florida real estate market is going to
come down gently and the bounce right back.

February, March and April 2008
Single Family Active Listings totals:

• 19,531  (Feb 2008)

• 19,197  (March 2008)

• 19,051  (April 2008)

That is not a BIG  trend, but the number 
of active Single Family Home listings is
headed DOWN-WARD.

Here is more factual hard data for you:

February, March and April 2008
Duplex, Townhome and Villa Active
Listings totals:

• 2,211 (February 2008)

• 2,100 (March 2008)

• 2,075 (April 2008)

Again, not a BIG slide, but the numbers
speak for themselves.

And the TOTAL number of Active Listings
for the three month period:

• 25,984 (February 2008)

• 25,472 (March 2008)

• 25,436 (April 2008)

Clearly this shows a trend......

Are you seeing what I am seeing?
Are YOU going to miss out on the falling prices and good mortgage rates?

The 80/20 Rule and why I LOVE it!

Hey there!! Have you ever heard of the 80/20 Rule?

Here is a post from Elizabeth Nieves about it.

In theory, the rule says that "80 percent of a given
group of people will do 20 percent of the work given
to it...and 20% of the group will do 80% of the work."

This theory is based on solid scientific observations
over many, many years.

I have my own piece of data to add to this theory!

Just this past weekend (Memorial Day weekend) I
obtained a buyer who is very interested in purchasing 
central Florida real estate to rent out to tenants as
an investment. He has very specific parking needs for
the property, since he will be renting this prospective
home to college students.

I found several properties on the local Orlando MLS
and proceeded to run down the features with my buyer
and we picked out the best ones that would fit his needs.

I called the listing agents of those properties on Saturday
of the holiday and fully expected to have several voice mails
on my phone on Tuesday; they MIGHT be getting paid in
about 3 weeks, right?

NOW, bear in mind, the commission on these properties varies
between $4,350 to $6,000 PER AGENT. So, I ask you.......

Why did only ONE agent out of a total of four have any
kind of answer for me on Tuesday about the parking
restrictions or rules based on the HOA covenants?

AND why did I have NO voice mails from any of the
agents on my phone when I checked it after doing
other things this morning?

When I take a listing, if I have a Home Owners
Association covenant to deal with, I HAVE A COPY in
my file for the listing, along with the other paperwork
needed to CLOSE a sale on the home.

Why, when dealing with such an important issue as
the sale of  hundreds of thousands of dollars in value for
a property, do agents sit by and do almost NOTHING to
get the job done?

This situation  - Data if you will - fully supports the principle of 80/20.

Only 25% of the agents I called had ANY of the information my buyer
needed on the listings they had for sale. This fully supports that principle...
sad but true.

That is why I am a member of the The Ninety-ninth Percentile group
in ActiveRain©..... so many agents just don't get it.....

If you put that principle to this network, fully 72,000 members in
this network are doing almost nothing to their blogs or profiles. The
other 16,000 or so members are getting leads, Google juice and
great SEO for their marketing efforts.

If you are reading this post and up to this point have done almost
nothing to advertise yourself in this network, I encourage you to
become part of the 20% who DO SOMETHING to make their marketing
work!

The central Florida real estate market is coming around

Just as I have stated in past posts, in defiance of
what the media is pushing on the unsuspecting
populace:

• The central Florida real estate market is going to come down gently and the bounce right back.
• The three County central Florida statistics for
  February, March and April of 2008 show life in the market coming back.
• May 2008 shows the SAME trend as the three previous months!

Here is MORE hard data showing the above statements to be true!

• The Orlando Regional Realtor® Association
  reports a steady, yet modest "month-to-month
  increase in the number of home sales, an increase
  in the number of contracts pending, and a decrease
  in the amount of inventory. "
• As a result of the increasing demand, median sales
  prices "of a home in the Orlando area in May rose to
  $214,000, a 1.42 percent increase over the April 2008
  median of $211,000. "

• Also inching upward, "the area's average interest rate
  was 5.94 percent in May 2008, up from 5.77 percent
  in April."

Buyers, get your finances in order, the time is NOW to purchase
a central Florida real estate property.

Single Story For Sale in Academy Cove

• 2,630 sq. ft., 3 bath, 4 bdrm single story - MLS® $429,000 - Excellence and Luxury

Academy Cove, Altamonte Springs  -  This is a newer custom home built in coveted Academy Cove.

Some of the features include:Granite Counter tops, stainless steel appliances, 42" solid wood cabinets, 18" scalloped edge Italian tile, 6" baseboards, Mohawk Frize carpeting, crown and chair moldings, cathedral ceilings and much, much more!!

There is so much to enjoy in this home you will just have to visit it and see for yourself.

The home features 3D energy saving tinted glass in all windows and in the French doors leading out to the pool and an invisible fence for your dog.

Property information

Single Story For Sale in Sherwood

• 1,600 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm single story - MLS® $249,900

Sherwood, Orlando  -  A huge kitchen w/ huge eating area, En Suite Master Bath in MBR along with more await you in this best of the subdvision home.

You'll love the screened porch and fenced yard too. Eastwood is proud to offer A rated schools, great golf, many community amenities w/ low HOA fees and easy access to major roads and Waterford Lakes Shopping nearby.

The home has a stone exterior which stands out distinctively in this neighborhood. Updated lighting and ceiling fans too as well as tile in all the wet areas. Don't wait to make this your new home. With mortgage rates coming down, now is your time to buy.

Property information

Single Story For Sale in Lake Down Crest

• 2,992 sq. ft., 3 bath, 4 bdrm single story - MLS® $730,000

Lake Down Crest, Windermere  -  AMAZING VALUE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL 1.4 ACRE ESTATE LOCATED IN ONE OF WINDERMERE'S FINEST GATED COMMUNITIES! SWEEPING CIRCULAR DRIVE, MATURE LANDSCAPING AND PORTE COCHERE ENTRY MAKE A LUXURY STATEMENT!

HOME IS VERY CLEAN AND USED ON OCCASION AS A VACATION HOME ... GREAT CONDITION. SELLER OPEN TO NEGOTIATE ALLOWANCES FOR NEW KITCHEN APPLICANCES & GRANITE COUNTERS. BRING AN OFFER! PREQUAL LETTER PLEASE!

Property information

Single Story For Sale in Avalon Park

So Much to See!

• 2,474 sq. ft., 4 bath, 4 bdrm single story - MLS® $394,900 - Elegance and Quality

Avalon Park, Orlando  -  Your Dream Home Awaits you when luxury abounds in this true 4/4 with everything!

This waterfront property has hurricane shutters, 10 & 12' ceilings, custom closet systems including pantry, 3 car garage w/ custom finished floor, home theature surround sound.

This home is in a gated community, it has 4 zone A/C, custom closet systems in MBR, walk in closets and pantry, xtra shelving in all closets, silestone counter kitchen, office/4th BR w/ private access, ceiling fans, intercom, 2 att. garages, tile inlays and more!

Property information