Haile Plantation - Retreat Place is one of Gainesville FL's newer neighborhoods.   Built between 2005 and 2007, Haile Plantation - Retreat Place is conveniently located by the Publix shopping center and the Haile Plantation Country Club clay tennis courts.   Interested in learning more? Then please visit my full article, Haile Plantation homes: Retreat Place, which will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about this lovely southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood! 06/06/2010

Buyers Don't Give a Crap about How Much Debt You Have   For those with tender sensibilities, I would suggest clicking away to something more...ahem....diplomatic. However, for those who are not allergic to cold hard truths delivered in street language....welcome to my blog.   Here are 2 hard truths that you, as a potential homeseller, need to come to grips with if you plan on selling your home in this market (and by this market I mean Gainesville, FL....though the following truths apply to many other markets in the U.S. as well): 1) "I need to get X amount out of my house so I can pay off my debts." Dude.  Homebuyers do NOT give a crap about how much debt you have.  If you bought your home in 2005, 2006, 2007 -- what I've come to think of as The Magical Years -- you are screwed.  Okay? ... 05/27/2010

Haile Plantation homes: Carlton Court - Gainesville, FL   Featuring homes built between 2002 and 2004, the southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood of Haile Plantation - Carlton Court is eight miles from Shands and the University of Florida. Haile Plantation - Carlton Court is zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School.  Prospective residents of Haile Plantation in southwest Gainesville, FL are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to verify school zoning information.     Music: "L.O.R.D." by echoed     Browse Haile Plantation homes for sale Browse videos of Haile Plantation neighborhoods Follow gainesvillelife on twitter 05/23/2010

Haile Plantation homes: Sable Pointe - Gainesville, FL   The southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood of Haile Plantation - Sable Pointe was built between 2000 and 2003.   Sable Pointe is within walking distance of Haile Plantation West Park (formerly Hampstead Park) and Chiles Elementary School.  Located 8 miles from Shands and the University of Florida, Haile Plantation - Sable Pointe is zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School. Prospective residents of Haile Plantation are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to verify zoning information.     Music: "June" by Carosone     Browse Haile Plantation real estate Follow gainesvillelife on twitter 05/22/2010

Haile Plantation homes: Bueller's Way, Gainesville, FL   Haile Plantation - Bueller's Way was established in 1996.  Close to Haile Plantation West Park (formerly Hampstead Park), the southwest Gainesville neighborhood of Haile Plantation - Bueller's Way is eight miles to Shands and the University of Florida. Haile Plantation - Bueller's Way is zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School.  Prospective residents of Haile Plantation are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to verify zoning information.         Music: "Sweet Magnolia" by Calling Sister Midnight 05/17/2010

Haile Plantation homes: Albury Round, Gainesville, FL Welcome to Haile Plantation - Albury Round! Established in 1997, this southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood is eight miles from Shands and the University of Florida. Haile Plantation - Albury Round is zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School. Prospective residents of Haile Plantation - Albury Round are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to verify zoning information.     Music: "Rain Falls Soft" by Don Meyer   Don Meyer / CC BY 3.0   05/16/2010

Haile Plantation homes: William Kent Court - Gainesville, FL   Welcome to Haile Plantation - William Kent Court!  Established in 1997, the southwest Gainesville neighborhood of Haile Plantation - William Kent Court is just 8 miles to Shands and the University of Florida.  Haile Plantation - William Kent Court is zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School. Prospective residents of William Kent Court in Haile Plantation are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to verify school zoning information.     Music: "There" by admiralbob77 admiralbob77 / CC BY 3.0 05/15/2010

Mentone - Gainesville, FL   Welcome to Mentone! Established in 1996, the southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood of Mentone is six miles south of Shands and the University of Florida.  Mentone is a pool community which also offers its residents their own clubhouse, playground, and tennis and basketball courts.   The southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood of Mentone is zoned for Wiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Gainesville High School. Prospective residents of Mentone are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to confirm school zoning information.   Music: "My Resting Place" by admiralbob77 http://ccmixter.org/files/admiralbob77/26700 admiralbob77 / CC BY-NC 3.0 05/14/2010

Haile Plantation homes: Founders Hill - Gainesville, FL       Welcome to Haile Plantation - Founders Hill!  Established in 1983, the southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood of Haile Plantation - Founders Hill is seven miles from Shands and the University of Florida.  Haile Plantation - Founders Hill is zoned for Wiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School.  Prospective residents of Founders Hill in Haile Plantation are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to confirm school zoning information.       Music: "Summer Dance" by Pitx   Pitx / CC BY-NC 3.0 05/14/2010

Question from an Agent: I think I put myself in a pickle would like to know how to avoid it next time. First lien holder gave me a price and a net they would allow. OK, I got the price and the first got over the their minimum net they said they had to have. So with that the HUD I offered the 2nd what ended up being 12% of their loan. (76K loan we offered 9600.00) They want 15K are saying it is final and I don't know if the first will give it up. It is HSBC and I was operating on what I had heard and that was that they would take 10%...clearly I have bad information. Any suggestions on this one? What would have been a better approach...offer to the 2nd on a different HUD a smaller amount to start? I used the same HUD to present to both, getting the firsts approval first. Bonnie Adamson. ... 05/13/2010

Haile Plantation homes: Katelyn Lane - Gainesville, FL   Welcome to Haile Plantation – Katelyn Lane! This southwest Gainesville neighborhood within the Haile Plantation community was built between 2001 and 2003. Homes range in size from 1900 to 3500 square feet. Zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School, Haile Plantation – Katelyn Lane is only 8 miles from Shands and the University of Florida. Prospective residents of Haile Plantation are encouraged to call the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to verify school zoning information.   *Originally posted at http://haileplantationrealestate.com     Music: "Just What I Could Be" by unreal_dm unreal_dm / CC BY 3.0 05/12/2010

First of all, if you don't have a website, get one! (If you have one already, skip the next paragraph.) What are you waiting for? All your marketing dollars are not being used to their fullest without a website for your potential customers to visit and contact you. If you're an agent, your broker site is not good enough. You need a personal site so you know that when you give out the address, you will be the person they contact. We know that over 80% of real estate buyers use the internet to research their purchase before talking to an agent, by not having a website you may be limiting yourself to only 20% of the market! If you are buying print advertising, but not web advertising you need to get your priorities straight! Web advertising is cheaper, easier to track your return on invest... 05/11/2010

One of my friend's house recently got foreclosed upon. I never listed the house. I didn't really want the listing because it was worth $80,000, had two mortgages, and it was my friend's house. This is a pretty close friend and my friendship is more important than making a couple bucks. The REO agent contacted him. Fannie Mae is willing to pay him $2,000 to move out. However, the agent has to give him the $2,000 upfront and then wait 6-8 months to be reimbursed. She told him she didn't have the $2,000 right now, but has a closing coming up and should have the money then. This agent is still waiting for reimbursements on other listings. The house will probably sell for $80,000 at a 3% commission. She'll make $2,400. But, this agent is going to have to give her entire commission check to t... 05/10/2010

Short sales are frustrating sometimes. If you miss any costs, you often end up paying for them. The most common missed costs are property taxes, Homeowner's Association Fees, and judgments or liens. What happens when you get to closing and there is an extra 2K that has to be paid? Does the seller want to pay it? No. What about the buyer? No again. So who ends up paying for it? Their agent does. You don't want to spend another month re-negotiating the short sale. Here are 3 things you need to do to avoid having to give up commission at your next closing. 1. Get updated payoffs on everything when you start the short sale. The title company needs to do a title search. Have them obtain payoffs on the Homeowner's Association. 2. Prorate everything 5-6 months in the future. It can take longer... 05/06/2010

A Quick Note: I had a few people ask me if they could get in contact with Matt Vernon. We talked with him at length about the problems BOA is having with their short sales. He is well aware that they do have problems. He is working to fix them. The problem is that it takes time to change the direction of a ship as big as BOA. Isn't it pathetic that lenders won't give us a copy of the BPOs? Wouldn't it be helpful if we could get an actual, complete copy of the BPO? Here is a new strategy you can use to get a complete copy of the BPO. A complete copy of the BPO will make it much easier to hold BPO agents accountable. We are going to use this to get copies of the BPO on all of our short sales. Here is the step by step strategy: 1. Request a complete itemized payoff from the foreclosing law... 05/04/2010

Haile Plantation homes: The Grove - Gainesville, FL   Welcome to Haile Plantation - The Grove!  Established in 1984, this enclave lies within the Haile Plantation - Evans Hollow neighborhood in southwest Gainesville.  Haile Plantation - The Grove is zoned for Wiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School. New and prospective residents of Haile Plantation should contact the Alachua County School District at (352) 955-7700 to confirm school zoning.  Less than 8 miles to Shands and the University of Florida, the southwest Gainesville neighborhood of Haile Plantation - The Grove offers easy access to the Haile Plantation pasture and community garden.       Music: "Summer Dance" by Pitx Pitx / CC BY-NC 3.0   View other videos of Gainesville, Florida and surroundin... 05/03/2010

Haile Plantation homes - Evans Hollow - Gainesville, FL   The southwest Gainesville neighborhood of Evans Hollow in the Haile Plantation community was established in 1984.  Ranging in size from 1300 to 3200 square feet, homes in Haile Plantation - Evans Hollow were built between 1984 and 1988.  The Haile Plantation - Evans Hollow neighborhood is zoned for Wiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School.  New and/or prospective residents of Haile Plantation should contact the Alachua County School District Zoning Office at (352) 955-7700 to confirm zoning information. Residents of Haile Plantation - Evans Hollow enjoy easy access to the Haile Plantation Village Center and the Haile Plantation Country Club.   The southwest Gainesville neighborhood of Haile Planta... 05/03/2010

Haile Plantation homes: Laurel Park - Gainesville, FL   Welcome to Haile Plantation - Laurel Park! This Haile Plantation neighborhood located in southwest Gainesville FL was established in 1981.  Homes in the Laurel Park neighborhood of Haile Plantation were built between 1981 and 1989 and average in size between 1200 and 2200 square feet. Haile Plantation's bike trails run directly through the Laurel Park neighborhood, providing residents with easy access to miles of trails.  This Haile Plantation subdivision is within walking distance of Wiles Elementary School and Kanapaha Middle School. Zoned for  Wiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School,  Haile Plantation - Laurel Park is only 7 miles to Shands and the University of Florida in Gainesville.   04/28/2010

I typed this up a few weeks ago after watching the webinar. I think we have a friend in Matt Vernon. But, what is up with him saying the following? "This is a visible effort on BOA's part to build a bridge with the real estate community." My notes: What does he mean by "bridge" with the RE community? Then, Vernon said the following: "We have redefined our customer, balancing the experience that they and you have as business partners, with the fiduciary duty to the investor." "We are balancing the velocity of decision making with the quality of that decision." "Process excellence." "People, process, and technology." My notes: I did notice that they mentioned Fiduciary Duty a lot. That is a touchy subject and just confirms my earlier thoughts. They have a huge fiduciary duty to their inve... 04/27/2010

I find it interesting that negotiators almost always counter at the BPO price. It's what their boss at the short sale department instruct them to do. I think the investors also like the files handled that way. However, it does not mean that is their final offer. It just means that is their initial counter. Usually, if the negotiator does not tell you the BPO amount, you can guess that the BPO came back where they are countering. Here are a few guidelines for what different investors are actually willing to accept on a short sale. Fannie & Freddie will go as low as a net of 75% of the BPO. This sometimes happens in Florida and other states where the market has dropped a bunch. If the home is not in those areas, they will accept somewhere around 85%. VA has a standard net that is 88.13% o... 04/27/2010