Hi Folks. Richard Zaretsky wrote apost earlier this week titled SHORT SALE MARKET EVOLUTION - GMAC SOLUTION TO FALSE BUYERS  If you haven't read it pop over and do so. Richard's post spawned an article by Bill J Archambault titled Successful REALTOR Or Failed Social Reformer. Bill's post got me thinking about this one. Funny how that works! Here is the language GMAC wants if you have a short sale with them as the lender: 2-3% earnest money must be agreeable to buyer. Contingencies must be removed 14 days after we issue approval letter and earnest money becomes non-refundable. If buyer walks, buyer and seller must agree in writing that earnest money will be wired to GMAC. GMAC is interfering with my listing agreement and interfering with a purchase agreement.  This is, in my opinion***, ... 02/14/2010

The New Year 2010 has started - and how did it start in Celebration: We barely had time to wish 2009 a farewell and to start thinking about 2010 as a wave of REO's (Bank owned properties) hit the MLS. All of a sudden, there were a few very low priced properties available to buy - without the hassle of the many Short Sales. A little Gold Rush started. At every REO I showed since January, I had the pleasure of meeting my fellow Celebration and out of Celebration Realtors with their Clients showing the same properties. This of course showed the buyers, that time is of essence and many of the REO's had multiple offers within days. So buyers, who would like to buy one of these homes, need to work very closely with their Realtors. The Realtor has to inform them the day the listing hits the ma... 02/03/2010

Hi folks. I was commenting on an article by Russell Shaw over at AgentGenius earlier and one person actually stated that instead of trying to solve the short sale issue we should be working on speeding up the foreclosure process. Speed up foreclosures? Sorry but I’m in the business of helping people salvage some of their credit and get out of a bad situation with the least amount of damage. Speeding up the foreclosure process helps nobody. Short sales fail due to: Lack of knowledge on the part of the agent. Contract prices that are too low. Not qualifying the seller at time of listing. Not setting realistic expectations. Impatience. Lenders are slow to respond due to: Multiple offers clogging up the system. Fake purchase contracts. Incomplete Short Sale packages. Fraudulent Seller fina... 12/28/2009

Celebration real estate is a broad mix of residential offerings including condominiums and townhomes, as well as terrace, bungalow, garden, cottage, village manor and estate homes. The architecture blends traditional, Southeastern exteriors with floor plans and interiors that are designed for modern lifestyles and tastes. Homes, most with welcoming front porches, encourage activity in the front yard. Most residences have rear access to the garage by means of a service alley. Community and architectural guidelines were developed by Urban Design Associates, in conjunction with Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Cooper. Celebration has won many awards in 1996 won the development of the year NAIOP Excellence award, in 1997 won the Grand Project Excellence award, in 1998 won the Award of excel... 11/30/2009

After a slight dip in August, September was one of the best months for sales in all of 2009.  Buyer demand continues to mount for the $8,000 tax credit.  You have to close by 11/30/09 so if you plan on buyng something and obtaining financing you need to get your offers in this week.  Otherwise you might miss the deadline. Remember that the end of November contains a bunch of days off for the long Thanksgiving weekend.                  191 Villa Di Este Terrace              5209 Vatican Avenue                    921 Jasmine Street 1.  191 Villa Di Este Terrace, Lake Mary, FL 32746.  This was a beautiful 2/2 with garage in the Notting Hill condo complex near Heathrow.  This bank owned REO condo sold with multiple offers and ended up selling for significantly over the asking price.  Still ... 10/06/2009

Thursdays Heritage Hall 1pm Duplicate Bridge (starts October 1) 5pm Free Intermediate Classes (October 15 – November 19) 7pm-Beginner Duplicate Bridge For more information or to register, please contact Margaret Cooke at mcooke1241@comcast.net. 09/17/2009

Highly recommended tennis pro!! Flexible times and court locations. Strong qualifications with competitive prices. Great for beginners, intermediate and advance children or adult. Private or group lessons. Mauro Wasserfirer: Brazilian junior national champion, University of Arizona four year starter, 3 years ATP tour and ten years of teaching experience. Call Mauro for details at 407-791-5195 or PM Angela to this post. 09/17/2009

Hi folks. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that we are 3 years into this drastic market decline. I was reading through some of my older articles this morning and found this one written in late 2006. Real Estate is about people, not money! Part 2 Today I met with another pre-foreclosure Seller. I sure am getting a lot of these lately. Anyway, I spoke with this gentleman yesterday and could tell he was really stressed out. Life had dealt him a bad hand this year, health wise, and he has found himself disabled and unable to make mortgage payments. In fact, he hasn’t made any for 5 months. His wife has just started back to work, so they are now in a position to start making payments, again. So that’s a good thing. I’m writing this post to bring to your attention “predatory lenders” and ... 08/28/2009

Working Short Sales is certainly not a glamorous job. Short Sales don't pay very well (at least in my area). Short Sales are hard work. Short Sales can be very frustrating. Short Sales take a long time to get approved and closed. Would I still work Short Sales if I had it to do all over again? Absolutely!!!! And here are a few reasons why.......... My husband and I currently live just outside of Manchester, New Hampshire.  We owned a house in Haines City, FL that we’d been trying to sell for over two years, but to no avail.  After having it listed with three different agents with not so much as a single offer, our next option was foreclosure which would have devastated our credit!   While doing a search online, I stumbled upon Bryant’s website which talked about alternatives to foreclo... 08/25/2009

  Hi folks. I just read this and had to share...... "Unfortunately, the “Big Three” credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – have issued new guidelines that allow lenders to report new mortgage loan modifications as “partial payment status,” a designation that could lower an individual’s credit score by more than 50 points." It's my opinion that being penalized for doing a loan modifcation is just BS to the nth degree! It's like why bother? Why not just go ahead and do the short sale and move on with your life? What will they think of next? Bryant TutasBroker/OwnerTutas Towne Realty, IncLicensed Florida Real Estate Brokerhttp://CentralFloridaShortSales.com http://ShortSaleSuperStars.com ***The content of this blog is solely my opinion*** Copyright © 2009 http://www.brokerbry... 08/20/2009

Hi folks. Allison Stewart wrote a very good post this week titled WALK THIS WAY... CAN BUYERS JUST WALK AWAY FROM A CONTRACT?. Allison’s post is talking about Buyers who feel they can just walk away from a Short Sale transaction and get their deposit back because they are just tired of waiting. They feel the contract is not binding.Here is my opinion on why Buyers feel this way. They are misinformed. A Short Sale contract is no different than a regular contract with the exception of the 3rd party approval contingency. This contingency is related to the Lender approving the “Short” NOT approving the contract. The lender has no authority to approve the contract since they are not a party to the contract. They do however have the authority to approve or disapprove the Seller’s request for ... 08/15/2009

This is the best secret -- Breakfast is being served with FREE Barnie's coffee with any full breakfast & they have a new happy hour menu. 05/29/2009

Parents are justifiably concerned that their children are spending countless hours playing video games, texting their friends, and chatting on public websites. Recent studies have confirmed that media saturated kids are losing their ability to socialize and interact face-to-face with family members, teachers, and even friends. Now you can have your children join Dr. Rebecca Taylor and the Hearken International staff for a fun and exciting faith-based camp here in Celebration. Through tons of fun activities, your kids will learn how to reconnect with your family and the world. Highlights include: * Essential skills for active listening * How to solve problems and be constructive during conflict * The reward that accompanies honor * How to read body language * Guidelines for introduction,... 05/29/2009

Selling a woman's 18 speed, Roadmaster, regular bike. It needs work on one brake and tire. The Roadmaster is a Wal Mart or Target brand. I bought it used a year ago now want to upgrade to a cruiser. Asking only $10 OBO. Come and get it this weekend!!!!!!!! Call me at 717-951-9099 or e-mail. 05/27/2009

Condo, Townhome, ½ Duplex - Statistics as of Thursday, April 30, 2009 There are 288 active properties for sale on the Active list in Celebration. There are currently 288 of the Active, For Sale, properties in Celebration on MLX 181 or 63% are categorized as single family homes 107 or 37% are other (ie: condo, townhome, ½ duplex), herein after, known as Properties. Celebration, Florida April 2008 107 Properties are currently for sale, Active 33 Properties are currently Pending sale 8 Properties were Sold 107 Properties are in the Active, For Sale, category. Of the 107 Properties………….. 25 have 1 bedroom 39 have 2 bedrooms 37 have 3 bedrooms 5 have 4 bedrooms 1 have 5 bedrooms 5 located in Artisan Park or Area 5 19 located at Carlyle 25 located in Georgetown 1 located in Mirasol 13 located... 05/27/2009

Yesterday was 'the best day ever' according to my son John and his friend, Cameron. We headed out early for the Celebration Exotic Car Show, benefiting Disney's Make A Wish Foundation. Exotic cars from all over the country gathered on the streets of downtown Celebration to exhibit, be judged, and awarded. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Lotus, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Bugatti and DeLorean were among the cars exhibited. There were also some celebrity movie and TV cars: the Monkeemobile, the car from The Munsters, Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, Back to the Future and Dumb and Dumber's Lamborghini. But that's not why we we were there. We were there for the Ferraris! And we were not disappointed! John's favorite car, the Ferrari F50 was there - a yellow one, only one o... 04/19/2009

Good Morning!It is Easter in Celebration, FL., the birds are chirping, its sunny and warm and beautiful outside. (Well, it is beautiful most of the time here – but Easter makes it even nicer!)People are out looking at the homes for sale here in Celebration and the surrounding Central Florida area… and there is no better time of the year and no better time in our economy than right now to be searching for a home for sale. The down turn in our economy has created the perfect storm here in Florida. It has reduced values to the point that you can own a larger home and pay even less. With interest rates at a 50 plus year low the monthly payment on your home is going to be even more affordable. OK… I am stating the obvious but let’s look at a few things that are holding some people back when ... 04/11/2009

Spring MINI 6 Week Session: April 20th-June 1st 2009 Register Today for one of our fun-filled gymnastics classes! Monday 5:15 - 6:15 Jr/Sr/Open Gym Tuesday 4:30 - 5:15 Kinder Gym 4:30 - 5:30 Jr/Sr/Open 5:30 - 6:15 Kinder Gym 5:30 - 6:15 FULL Mini Gym Wednesday - AM Class 9:00 - 9:35 Parent-Tot 9:45 - 10:20 FULL Parent-Tot Wednesday 12:30 - 1:15 Mini Gym 1:15 - 2:00 Mini Gym 3:15 - 4:00 Mini Gym 3:15 - 4:00 Kinder Gym 4:00 - 4:45 Kinder Gym 4:00 - 5:00 Jr/Sr/Open 5:00 - 5:45 FULL Mini Gym 5:00 - 5:45 FULL Kinder Gym 6:00 - 6:35 Parent-Tot 6:00 - 6:45 Boys Rough and Tumble Thursday 6:00 - 7:00 FULL Jr. Gym 6:00 - 7:00 FULL Sr. Gym 7:00 - 8:00 FULL Cheer Tumble 7:00 - 8:00 Strength&Condition Class Descriptions and Pricing (based on a 6 week session) Parent-Tot - Ages 18 Months - 2 1/2 Year... 04/01/2009

Visit www.osceolasheriff.org Teen Driver Challenge on the left hand side. Teen Driver Challenge The Osceola County Sheriff's Office now offers a program to help teens become safer drivers. The Teen Driver Challenge consists of two training days totaling twelve hours. The first day includes a four-hour block of instruction in the classroom while the second day is an eight-hour block on the driving range. The program is offered free of charge to students living in Osceola County. Or you can call Teen Driver line at 321-697-4436. They have a class this Friday night and Saturday. 04/01/2009

  Final plans are being made for the Passover Seder on the second night of Passover, April 9th, at 6:30 pm. TooJays catering will be supplying the food and head count is needed to be finalized. Please don't delay in getting your reservations in. Please see www.jewishcelebration.org for registration and more details. 04/01/2009