This is just a reminder that the men of Grand Highway Baptist Church, will be meeting at Ay Jalisco in Clermont tomorrow night at 6:00. This men's outing is part of the Iron Man's Ministries that has been started at Grand Highway Baptist Church.   Ay Jalisco has great Mexican food and is located at 580 E. Hwy 50 Clermont, Fl. 34711. If you get lost and need to call, their number is 352-243-1360.   All men, regardless of belief or church affiliation, are invited to attend.   "Iron sharpeneth Iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" Proverbs 27:17 11/11/2009

I recently had the buyer for a house on 1566 Pier St., which is located in the Lakeview Pointe Subdivison in Clermont Florida. A couple days before closing, the title company called me and asked if I could find some information on the Home Owners Association. Since the house was bank owned, the listing agent had no information on the HOA. Looking online, I found nothing. Frustrated by the lack of information online, I decided to walk the neighborhood and ask the homeowners if they knew anything about the HOA. Fortunately, I came across a very nice lady who pointed me in the right direction. So, for those people living in Lakeview Pointe or considering a move into the Lakeview Pointe Subdivison, here is where you can find all of the information on your HOA. Lakeview Pointe Subdivision Le... 10/20/2009

What can $200,000 get you in Clermont, Fl.? Well, let me show you the house that we found for our buyer that they closed on today!!   1566 Pier St. Clermont, Fl. 34711. Lakeview Pointe Subdivision. 2900 Sq. Ft. Pool. $162,500. This was a Bank Owned home that we found a couple weeks ago. The buyers loved it, made an aggressive offer to the bank and we closed on it today.     One of the drawbacks of buying a bank owned home, is that sometimes the previous owner has taken all appliances. Still, they got a really good deal!       10/16/2009

I was talking to Carolyn McCracken over at The Angels of Mercy, which is a thrift store and food bank in Clermont, Florida. While I was there, two people came in that were in need of food. You hear on the news all the time about unemployment, homelessness, etc...but until it stares you right in the face, you have no idea.   While talking to Ms. McCracken, she said that food donations have been low this year and they haven't been able to help as many people as she would have liked. When I asked her how many The Angels of Mercy have helped in 2009, she gave me a sheet of paper...the numbers were eye popping. 3500+ individuals and 1000+ families have been helped in 2009. When I asked her what her range was, she said that she only services Clermont, Minneola, Montverde and Ferndale. I could... 10/12/2009

Sending a Shout Out to Lightning Robert Lyles and Ben Griffin of Micki Blackburn Radio located in beautiful Clermont Florida. I had the very special opportunity to be a guest on their Radio show on October 10th 2009 from 10 AM to 11AM.  They broadcast on WLBE radio and are also available on the internet. We discussed several real estate subjects including the $8000 tax credit and protecting homeowners rights.  Also, we discussed some of the finest listings in the area. Thanks again to my Ben and Robert!   Ray Levy www.lakecountyhomepros.com 352-978-8551   10/11/2009

The following information for the September 2009 Clermont Florida Market Report was compiled by Davis Signature Realty LLC using the stats provided by the Mid Florida Regional MLS.       After a slow August in which we only saw 87 homes sold, it was very good to see Clermont bounce back with 114 sold homes in September. This was the third best month we have had in 2009.       No surprise here, REO/Bank Owned/Lender Owned were the top sellers again this month. Regular non-distressed home owners have closed the gap a little. This is a GREAT sign for home sellers in Clermont, Florida.     The first 5 months of 2009 saw 473 homes sold in Clermont, Florida. The last 4 months have already seen 437 homes sold in Clermont, Florida. If you are sitting back waiting to buy, you may want to conside... 10/05/2009

       If you are driving down Hwy 27 in Clermont and notice some construction taking place in front of BJ's Wholesale, you may or may not be happy to know that that is going to be the new IHOP Restaurant.   I have asked a few people and most of them are pretty excited to be getting an IHOP here in Clermont. Personally, I was hoping for a Logan's, Texas Roadhouse or Longhorn Steak House.   If any representatives from those restaurants are reading this, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! Those places will do very well here. And while I'm making suggestions, Border's or Barnes & Noble, we are a fast growing city...WE NEED YOU HERE TOO!!!                         10/02/2009

I recently had the great opportunity to interview  former Florida Gator and Orlando Magic center Andrew Declercq.  Andrew was instrumental to the Gators trip to the Final Four in 1994. In 1996, he was drafted by the NBA's Golden State Warriors. "The Hammer" went on to have a 10 year career in the NBA with 5 of those seasons spent with the Orlando Magic.     1.) First things first. You are now a Clermont resident. I have to know,  how long have you been in Clermont and what attracted you to our beautiful city? My family and I moved to Clermont 2 years ago.  My wife and I have been driving through Clermont on the way to where I grew up in Clearwater since 2000.  We loved the lakes, hills and beauty of the city and surrounding areas.  It is still convenient to Orlando and the theme parks, ... 09/28/2009

This is just a little reminder that Grand Highway Baptist Church will be having their October Men's Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, October 10th from 8-9:30 AM. All men are invited to attend. You do not have to be a member or regular attender of Grand Highway Baptist Church to attend. This is a great time of food and fellowship. This is a FREE event. All you have to do is bring yourself and your stretchy pants, because there is a lot of food at it is a really great time.   For more information about Grand Highway Baptist Church, you can visit their website at www.grandhighwaybaptistchurch.com   I look forward to seeing you there!!! 09/27/2009

  I just got an email from my Pastor that the re-zoning for the 5 acre parcel that Grand Highway Baptist Church bought a few months ago has now officially been approved. The 5 acre parcel is located near the intersection of Hancock Rd. and John's Lake Rd. From my understanding, there is no timetable for building yet.   Currently, Grand Highway Baptist Church sits on about 2 acres of land and is located right on the corner of Citrus Tower Blvd. and Grand Highway.   For more information about Grand Highway Baptist Church, please visit their website at: www.grandhighwaybaptistchurch.com     09/23/2009

I was on my way to the office today and for some reason, I noticed the Citrus Tower standing tall above the hills and houses. I have been in Clermont, Fl. most of my life and I have seen the Citrus Tower thousands of times. Yet for some reason, it really struck me today and I just thought about how much I love living in Lake County. Sure, I have thought about moving out of state a couple times, but various circumstances always kept me here. I am very thankful that I never made the stupid decision to leave. I snapped a picture so that you can see what caught my eye today.     09/22/2009

Davis Signature Realty LLC has compiled the following August 2009 Market Report for Clermont Florida from data gathered from the Mid Florida Regional MLS.   For homes that have been sold, I used the dates between July 31, 2009 and September 1, 2009. Residential had 103 closed deals in August and Vacant Land had 4. The Commercial Market was non-existent in August.          I also wanted to see how the non-distressed properties were doing. You hear all the "experts" saying that if you aren't distressed, you won't be able to sell your home in this market. I used three categories: REO/Bank Owned/Lender Owned, Short Sales and Non Distressed. In the Mid Florida Regional MLS, there is a special provision for a listing if the home you have listed is REO/Bank Owned or a Short Sale. If there was ... 09/03/2009

I went to the Tower Eatery in Clermont Florida today for lunch. I was looking for a place where I could get a decent meal that abides with my P90X nutrition plan (for more on the P90X nutrition plan, follow my progress here: http://operationbodyrestoration.com).   I knew I wanted something with turkey, but the same old same old (subway, publix, quiznos, etc...) sounded boring. I had been in the Tower Eatery before and remembered they had some really good sandwiches at decent prices. Plus, I like to support the mom and pop places around South Lake County.   I snagged a menu to show you all what the Tower Eatery has to offer:   Next time you are driving by the Citrus Tower and you are having some hunger issues, stop by the Tower Eatery and support your locally owned restaurant.   Johnny D... 08/17/2009

What is a "Short Sale"? Am I eligible for a "Short Sale"? These are a few questions that I have been asked recently. Actually, ever since I became a Certified Short Sale Professional, I have been getting these questions ever more frequently. In short, a short sale is when the lender (bank, mortgage company, etc...) agrees to take a lower amount than what you owe to accommodate the sale. Why would the bank take a lower amount than what I owe? There are actually a few reasons:  Banks don't want your house. They don't want to foreclose on your home. There are a ton of legal fees that are involved in the foreclosure process. They don't want to get involved in the eviction process. They don't want to rehab the house. Have you been in any REO homes? Alot of them have been stripped and trashed... 08/13/2009

    I just got an email from a friend of mine that the Central Florida Kidfest & Family Expo 2009 will be Saturday, September 26, 2009 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. If you are like me, you probably have no idea what the Central Florida Kidfest & Family Expo is. I took a quick  glance at their website and found the following tidbits: There will be child safety highlights that will include: Fire Safety Demonstrations, Child Fingerprinting, Electrical Safety, Child Identification, Car Seat Safety, Firearm Safety, Swimming and Pool Safety and many more safety ehibits. There will be balloons, ice cream, cotton candy, funnel cakes, food, drinks, face painting (I think I will let my little girl get her face painted for the first time!), clowns and much more!!!   This event has FREE admission. For m... 08/12/2009

Mary Shanklin of the Orlando Sentinel had a very interesting article this morning titled "Unsold Mansions Bedevil Builders".  The article goes on to talk about home some custom home builders, who built extravagant "spec" mansions back in 2007, are now struggling to get their homes sold. She mentioned one home in Orlando's Baldwin Park that was originally listed for $4 million in 2007 is now currently listed at $2 million.   Her article made me think about the million to multi million dollar homes we have here in South Lake County. I was curious to see how many $1 million to $1 million+ homes we actually have listed in our area, how long they have been listed for (the longest was 1,739 days) and what they look like. Here is what I have found:   Currently, in South Lake County (Clermont, ... 08/06/2009

Has the market for luxury homes in Clermont Florida been picking up? Well, looking at a few stats from the Mid Florida Regional MLS, it appears that the Luxury Market may be starting to pick up a little steam. What is the Luxury Market? Well, if you google "Definition of Luxury Homes", it will give you this definition: "The real estate market niche targeted at the highest socio-economic group of consumers". Ok, again, what is the Luxury Market? My definition of the luxury market for this blog post is "any residential home sold for $500,000 or more". So, with a definition that we can actually understand, let's do a little research. Going back to 2007, there were only two homes sold in Clermont, Florida that were equal to or greater than $500,000. One home sold for $888,000 and the other ... 08/04/2009

Swing For Susan  Benefiting the Susan Weber Cancer Fund For more information &/or Sponsorship Opportunities, Contact: Patrick Buckles321-689-6220pbuckles@cokecce.comPlayer Registration FormTeam Captain:Name ___________________________________Address _________________________________City / State/ Zip Code_______________________Player 2) _________________________________Player 3) _________________________________Player 4) _________________________________Check enclosed for ______ @ $100 per playerHole Sponsorship @ $200 per holeI would like to sponsor ___ holesSigns to read:Please Make Checks Payable to: The Susan Weber Cancer Fund Please remit payment to: Patrick Buckles 2071 Applegate Dr. Ocoee, Fl. 34761 A special account has been set up at The First Green Bank in Clermont Florida.  Fo... 06/15/2009

Just wanted to send a little post out telling about my current experience with a short sale that I am working on. The owner is now Bank of America, who recently bought out Countrywide (Link). I brought a buyer who was willing, ready and able to purchase. We submitted an offer that was very close to asking and we submitted a pre-qualification letter with our offer. Three months later, we have still not heard from the seller. They keep telling the listing agent to call back later. Fortunately, my buyers are being patient. They understand that in order to get this particular deal, they may be waiting for 3 more months.    Are short sales a good deal? They can be, if you are patient. In my experience, you'll need to wait several months to close on a short sale deal. If you have that kind of... 05/20/2009

  As Davis Signature Realty LLC begins to deal with more and more buyers, some of which are for personal residence, some of which are investors, I am getting this question asked of me: What are those little A-Frame Houses in Clermont off of Hwy 27? Immediately, I know they are talking about Vacation Village. What is Vacation Village? Vacation Village is a small condominium resort located in the heart of Clermont. Being right off of HWY 27, you are just a short distance from Walt Disney World, Epcot, Universal Studios, Sea World and just about an hour away from Busch Gardens.   What types of amenities does Vacation Village to offer? Vacation Village offers the following: 1. Private Beach on Lake Louisa 2. Laundry Facility 3. Recreation Rooms 4. Heated Olympic Size Swimming Pool 5. Shuff... 05/07/2009