Are you thinking about opening your own mom and pop shop in Orlando?

Are you thinking about opening your own mom and pop shop in Orlando?  Orlando is one of the cheapest places to open a business according to a report from the Miami Herald.

Discussing research conducted by BizCosts.com, Orlando ranks at the top as the cheapest place to set up a business.  When you take this information into consideration with the fact the homes are being offered for sale at the lowest prices seen in some time; it may be time to consider owning a home and starting your business in the Orlando area.

Your heating system could leave you out in the cold.

This was the subject line of an email I received from American Home Shield.  This winter has seemed to me to be colder than the winters of the past few years.  It would seem reasonable to think that most buyers do not give much thought to the heating system of a house they are considering purchasing.

That is why a home warranty is important. For those just in case times that arise. The email went on to state what should be fairly obvious; "Did you know that Home Insurance does not cover your home from major appliance breakdowns?" If you were not aware, you are now.

You might want to consider having a home warranty on your home.  You can visit this link to get a free quote.

REO or Short Sale?

Buyers today have many homes to choose from with the majority of the homes being offered for sale in our area either REO or short sale listings.  Determining which homes to preview and make offers on will depend on many factors.  Potential homebuyers will want to consider everything before making an offer.

With an REO listing you can reasonably expect a closing within 30-45 days, depending on your choice of financing and other contingencies. Often times there are multiple offers, and banks will select the highest and best.  It is usually not disclosed how high other offers on the home are, so for that reason you should always make the very best offer price you are willing to pay for the home.  In certain areas and situations REO houses will sell for higher than asking price.

With Sort Sale- bank approval may take from 1 to 4 months, depend on many different factors that you have no control over, with no guarantee that the bank will approve the short sale terms.  If you are limited by time you might wish to look at Foreclosed houses.

Talk to one of our agents to determine the best homes for you to be viewing.   We can help take your criteria and match it up with the very best homes for sale throughout the area.

Equifax, TransUnion and Experian credit scores for December 2010 may have changed.

I receive a lot of emails with subject lines similar to what I used as the title of this post, from companies alerting me that my credit score may have changed.  I am assuming the goal is to get me to click on the link and then pay for a credit report through their company in order to check on my credit score.

Everyone should be concerned about their credit score and what their credit report contains.  The economy over the last few years has no doubt resulted in more than a few consumers getting a few dings on their report.  You should check your report regularly.  Did you know that you are entitled to a free credit report?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.  The official site to receive your free credit report is www.annualcreditreport.com/.

Photo credit by Don Hankins

QR Code Displays Our Branch Office Real Estate Listings

Throughout the years real estate agents have relied on classified advertisement, open house advertisement, books and magazines designed to promote their real estate listings and now we can add the QQ Code to this mix.



The QR Code displayed here contains all of our office's real estate listings.  If you have a smart phone you can download a free application to read the code.  You can then use the same cell phone to call me and schedule a private viewing of any of the homes listed.

Have fun!

Commercial rental space available throughout Central Florida.

We have commercial space available throughout Central Florida.  Please contact Jayci Grana for details (407) 629-6643 office or (407) 375-4443 cell.

1. 8235 Championsgate Blvd., Davenport, FL
Tenant responsible for janitorial for 1808 sqft, phones, data lines and security system. CAM includes electrical, water/sewer utility, taxes, exterior building insurance, bathroom janitorial and grounds maintenance.
Suite 2, 1923 sqft @ $14.00 per sqft + $2.50 per sqft CAM or $2,644.13 + 7% sales tax of $185.09 = $2,829.22 per month.
The office square footage will include 1808 sqft plus 373 sqft share of the common area.

2. 2035 Howell Branch, Maitland, FL
Tenant responsible for electricity service, share of dumpster and security system
Suite 2, 1378 sqft @ $11.50 per sqft or $1,320.58 + 7% sales tax of $92.44 or $1,413.02 per month.

3. 1425 W. Hwy 434, Longwood, FL
Tenant Responsible for electric, phone, alarm, janitorial service, share of dumpster, and data lines.
CAM includes water, grounds maintenance, building insurance and property taxes.
Suite 102, 2087 sqft @ $10.50 per sqft + $2.00 per sq ft CAM or $2,173.96 + 7% sales tax of $152.18 = $2,326.14 per month.
Suite 121, 1798 sqft - coming available January 2011

4. 1950 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy., Kissimmee, FL (In Watson Realty building)
Tenant responsible for security system and share of dumpster. CAM includes electric, water, yard maintenance, building insurance and property taxes
Suite 3, 1431 sqft @ $15.00 per sqft or $1,788.75 + $2.50 per sqft CAM or $298.13 + 7% sales tax of $146.08 = $2,232.96 per month.

5. 1515 Michigan Ave., Kissimmee, FL
Tenant is responsible for janitorial service, telephone/data lines and share of dumpster.
Floor Plan available upon request. CAM includes electric, water and security alarm monitoring.
Suite 11, 225 sqft 1 office - $23 per sqft + $2.00 CAM + 7% sales tax
Suite 13, 164.33 sqft 2 offices - $18 per sqft + $2.00 CAM +7% sales tax
Suite 15, 90 sqft 3 offices - $13 per sqft + $2.00 CAM + 7% sales tax
Suite 16, 85.31 sqft 4 offices - $10 per sqft + $2.00 CAM + 7% sales tax

Harbor House of Central Florida

Watson Realty's Kissimmee office worked together to donate cash, and much needed supplies to the Harbor House of Central Florida which operates a local shelter providing support of women and children in the area.

The donation drive was organized by Ilana Goldstein and resulted in many items being collected as seen in the photo plus a baby stroller, high chair, cloths, and bassinet.

Real estate school during 2011

Watson Realty will be offering the following real estate pre-licensing schools throughout the Central Florida area during 2011.  Please email or call me to receive a registration package.

Champions Gate

8235 Champions Gate Blvd. Davenport 33896

Jan. 5th – Feb. 23rd Monday & Wednesday 6 PM to 10 PM

Oviedo

2100 Alafaya Trail in Oviedo 32765

Jan. 10th – Feb. 10th Mon. Tues. & Thurs. 6 PM to 10 PM

SOUTHWEST ORLANDO

7601 Conroy Windermere Road Orlando 32835

Jan. 12th – Feb. 14th Mon, Wed, & Thurs. 6 PM to 10 PM

PORT ORANGE

808 Dunlawton Ave. in Port Orange 32127

Feb. 21st – March 24th Mon. Tues. & Thurs. 6PM to 10PM

2011 classes are available at the cost of $99.00 for the class + $70.00 for the new text book, material, supplies and class exam. (Schedule subject to change)

Would you rate your home a 10?

On a scale of 1 - 10, 10 would be the very best number rating you can receive.  Sometimes referred to as a perfect 10, this number is often associated with a sport like gymnastics or  used to describe people.  Earning a perfect 10 is not limited to people or sports.  You can rate almost anything from 1 - 10, including your home.

The Census Bureau's 2009 American Housing Survey reports that 28% of householders rated their home a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.  Knowing that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, each of us will have our own reasons to rate our home a 10.  Perfect landscaping, the architectural style, the location, or the memories created in the home could garner it a 10 rating in the home owner's eyes.

How would you rate your home?  What makes it perfect to you?

photo credit by woodleywonderworks

Bank of American statement on stopping foreclosure sales.

Bank of America released the following statement on Friday, March 8th regarding their decision to stop foreclosure sales throughout the country.

“Bank of America has extended our review of foreclosure documents to all fifty states. We will stop foreclosure sales until our assessment has been satisfactorily completed. Our ongoing assessment shows the basis for our past foreclosure decisions is accurate. We continue to serve the interests of our customers, investors and communities. Providing solutions for distressed homeowners remains our primary focus.” Link

While the long term impact remains to be seen, initially the stopping of foreclosure sales has placed many homebuyers in a distressed situation with closings postponed and dates extended indefinitely while everyone waits for the lenders involved, including Bank of America to resolve the processing issues.