Orlando, FL

Orlando Florida flat fee MLS frequently asked questions - for sale by owner

12-05-09

Rob Arnold, metro Orlando full service, investor friendly & foreclosure Realtor

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Office: (407) 389-7318

Mobile: (407) 375-4567
Secondary: (877) 389-7318

These are just a few questions about Florida flat fee MLS listings.

What exactly is the MLS? The MLS is a powerful tool that Realtors use to market properties. MLS stands for Multiple-Listing Service which is the computer database that Realtors use nationwide to list real estate. The MLS is owned by local member Realtor associations and is typically broken up into regions or counties. The Mid-Florida Regional MLS is the largest MLS in Florida and is shared by over 30,000+ Realtors in the Mid-Florida area including those in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Sumter, Polk, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Hardee, DeSoto, Western Volusia, and Eastern & Central Pasco Counties including the metro Orlando and metro Tampa areas. The Southeast Florida Regional MLS services the Southeast Florida and Treasure Coast area and is shared by some 25,000+ Realtors in Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Palm Beach County, Martin County, and St. Lucie County. The Northeast Florida MLS services Baker County, Bradford County, Clay County, Duval County, and Putnam County including the entire metro Jacksonville area. Some areas like eastern Volusia County including the Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach area, Brevard County, Ocala/Marion County, Alachua County, and Nassau County MLS's cover much smaller areas. Realtors who are members of these MLS's can view your property information and show your property to their customers. The general public does not have access to the MLS. Generally only dues paying Realtors have access to these databases, however MLS data typically uploads onto many other real estate websites.

What other websites does the MLS load onto? By listing your property in the MLS, your property is automatically loaded with a Standard Listing onto the most powerful real estate website in America, Realtor.com where millions of potential buyers can review your property's information. The MLS also automatically uploads onto many other internet sites like My Florida Home MLS.com, Orlando Sentinel.com MLS search (not their paid classified ads) for Mid-Florida MLS listings, AOL.com, Yahoo.com, MSN.com, Cyberhomes.com, SDRhouses.com, and many more similar real estate websites. You can see a detailed list of websites by clicking here. Being that these websites are owned by 3rd party companies, we only have limited control over the exact content uploaded onto these websites from the MLS. However the exposure that uploading onto these websites provides is unmatched by any non-MLS real estate service provider. Also the MLS rules strictly prohibit us from putting anyone's contact information (including names, phone numbers, email addresses, or websites) into the public remarks section and thus your contact information will not appear on these 3rd party websites - they will only show our contact information. So our promise to you is that we will always forward the contact information of prospective buyers directly to you.

Why would I do a flat fee MLS listing instead of selling as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO)? The answer is simple: Market Exposure. Most serious buyers are working with a Realtor to help them buy a house. The MLS database is used exclusively by Realtors to search for properties for sale in the area. Thousands of Realtors use the MLS every day to search for properties. The MLS automatically uploads onto many real estate websites and exposes your home to millions of potential buyers by virtue of these websites. Some 70%+ of all house buyers begin their search on the internet, and nearly 80% of all FSBO sellers end up hiring a Realtor to sell their house anyway. The cost to list in the MLS is only a few hundred dollars, and you get all that additional exposure. If you are considering using one of those FSBO or For Sale By Owner type services that charge hundreds or thousands of dollars upfront and do not even offer MLS exposure, you may want to strongly consider doing a flat fee MLS listing instead of or even in addition to those services.

Other traditional FSBO marketing includes store bought (often unprofessional) yard signs, newspaper ads (quite expensive), property flyers, posting on FSBO websites, open houses, etc. While all these things can generate leads and we certainly do not discourage them, the exposure they give you is limited at best and often produces dismal results. As we stated before, most serious buyers are working with a Realtor. Smart Realtors are going to make sure that their buyer is pre-approved to obtain a mortgage before they even start showing the buyer a house. That Realtor is going to want to know that they are going to get paid a commission prior to showing your house to their buyer. That is another feature of the MLS. By advertising in the MLS, you are offering broker protection by automatically offering a commission to all of the member Realtors. While there is no guarantee that the MLS will sell your house, it is definitely your best avenue for getting your property exposed to the greatest number of potential buyers.

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Avalon Park FL Real Estate - Residential House Sales in October 2009

12-05-09

Judy Chapman, REALTOR® ~ Short Sales / Luxury & Lake Properties

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Office: (407) 365-9090

Mobile: (407) 227-7763

Want to know what’s selling in your neighborhood? These statistics should give you a feel for the market value of your house.

Keep in mind that many of these sales are for Short Sales or Foreclosed/Bank-Owned properties. Under these situations, the Sold Price may be considerably below the Original List Price. Sorry to say, ‘distressed’ sales drag down the values of all the other homes in the neighborhood, whether or not they’re Short Sales or Foreclosures.

Street	Date Sold	Original List Price	Sold Price	Beds	Baths	Sq Ft	Pool
ATWOOD	10/05/09	$417,777	$360,000	4	4	3445	Y
HUGHES	10/30/09	$349,000	$325,000	4	3	3178	Y
LAKE LIVE OAK	10/23/09	$209,900	$201,740	4	2	2333	N
HIDDEN FOREST	10/29/09	$219,900	$217,500	5	4	2840	N

Properties have been listed and sold by various MLS members.

Data drawn from the My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service.

If you’re a homeowner who wants to sell your house, the following should give you a better understanding of the Orlando FL real estate marketplace.

Remember the old adage that ‘real estate is always local’. Your neighborhood may be different from the neighborhood just down the road.

Homes in Orlando are selling. In fact, they’re selling so well that thousands of homeowners just like you are moving out and moving on. Last year, 1,000 homes in Orange & Seminole counties sold every month on average. In 2009, monthly sales are averaging 1,600 homes. This represents a 60% increase! If the house down the street can sell in this difficult environment, so can yours.

What’s the long-term outlook for the Orlando FL real estate market? Prices have leveled off in recent months. Even so, due to rising unemployment and foreclosure/short sale saturation, it will probably take several years — perhaps as long as a decade or more — for home prices to completely recover.

What about homeowners who are having difficulty keeping up with mortgage payments but can’t sell because their house is worth less than the amount owed on their loan? There are several solutions, but the way a Realtor^® can help is by selling the house as a Short Sale.

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Avalon Park Beauty -- Don't Miss Out $200K

12-04-09

Rick Belben - Orlando Real Estate - RE/MAX Gold Partners

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Mobile: (407) 341-1706

Rick Belben | RE/MAX Gold Partners | (407) 341-1706

14728 Royal Poinciana Dr, Orlando, FL

Avalon Park Beauty!

3BR/2.5BA Single Family House

offered at $200,000

Year Built	2005
Sq Footage	2,814
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	2
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	5,688 sqft
HOA/Maint	$83 per month

DESCRIPTION

Move right into this Avalon Park Beauty that Shows True Pride of Ownership throughout the home. The Large Gourmet Kitchen is a Chef's Delight featuring a Built in Double Oven, Cooktop, Corian Counters, 42" Cabinets, Cooking Island, Built in Desk and a Butlers Pantry! Formal Living Room! Formal Dining Room! Very Open Floorplan. Upstairs BONUS ROOM is Great for additional Family Room, Office or Play Area. Large Master Suite with Oversized Closet, Master Bath with Jetted Tub, Separate Shower and Double Vanity. Just minutes to Downtown Avalon Park, Shopping, Restaurants, YMCA and Medical Offices. Close to the 408 and 417. Convenient to UCF, Research Park, Siemens and Lockheed Martin. Minutes from the Waterford Lakes Town Center. This is not your typical short sale - Don't Miss Out on this Great Opportunity.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Walk-in closet
- Family room	- Living room	- Bonus/Rec room
- Dining room	- Breakfast nook	- Dishwasher
- Stove/Oven	- Microwave	- Attic
- Laundry area - inside	- Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Swimming pool(s)

- Tennis court(s)

- Playground

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 1
Photo 2	Photo 3
Photo 4	Photo 5

Contact info:

Rick Belben

RE/MAX Gold Partners

(407) 341-1706

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Dec 4, 2009, 10:07am PST

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Bella Vida in East Orlando FL (32828) - Residential House Sales in October 2009

12-03-09

Judy Chapman, REALTOR® ~ Short Sales / Luxury & Lake Properties

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Office: (407) 365-9090

Mobile: (407) 227-7763

Want to know what’s selling in your neighborhood? These statistics should give you a feel for the market value of your house.

Street	Date Sold	Original List Price	Sold Price	Beds	Baths	Sq Ft	Pool
BELLA VIDA	10/23/09	$304,050	$310,040	5	4	3380	N
MONTESINO	10/26/09	$238,740	$247,370	4	2	2892	N
MONTESINO	10/22/09	$235,080	$247,520	5	3	2645	N
BELLA VIDA	10/16/09	$232,710	$230,000	4	2	2645	N
MONTESINO	10/29/09	$219,900	$225,000	4	2	2880	N

Properties have been listed and sold by various MLS members.

Data drawn from the My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service.

If you’re a homeowner who wants to sell your house, the following should give you a better understanding of the Orlando FL real estate marketplace.

Remember the old adage that ‘real estate is always local’. Your neighborhood may be different from the neighborhood just down the road.

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Vista Lakes Real Estate (32829) - Short Sales in October 2009

12-02-09

Judy Chapman, REALTOR® ~ Short Sales / Luxury & Lake Properties

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Office: (407) 365-9090

Mobile: (407) 227-7763

Don’t lose your home to foreclosure. These smart homeowners didn’t. Instead, they put their home on the market as a Short Sale.

Street	Date Sold	Original List Price	Sold Price	Beds	Baths	Sq Ft	Pool
Chapledale	10/13/09	$104,000	$117,000	3	2	1712	N
Tivoli Villa	10/30/09	$119,900	$105,000	3	2	1479	N
Bristol Channel	10/23/09	$135,000	$104,000	2	2	1232	N
Mooreshire	10/27/09	$149,900	$114,000	3	2	1473	N
Saddle Creek	10/07/09	$249,900	$110,000	3	2	1470	N
Havasu	10/05/09	$129,900	$132,500	3	2	1409	Y
Hastings Beach	10/14/09	$158,000	$147,500	3	2	1502	N
Palisades Beach	10/30/09	$219,900	$175,000	4	3	2244	Y
Currituck Sound	10/09/09	$230,000	$200,000	4	3	2588	N
Warwick Shore	10/06/09	$350,000	$350,000	5	4	3904	N

Properties have been listed and sold by various MLS members.

Data drawn from the My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service.

Because the payoff of a loan will be ‘shorted’ by a significant amount, the mortgage lender must approve a Short Sale. Handled properly, the likelihood of successfully selling your house as a Short Sale is high. Once the Short Sale is behind you, you can often get on with your life with hardly a backward glance.

A Short Sale is nothing more than putting your house up for sale in the usual manner, waiting for a qualified buyer just like any other home seller would, facing a few extra hurdles, filling out additional paperwork, waiting a bit longer for the closing to take place, and finally moving out and moving on.

Real benefits come with selling your house as a Short Sale. Among them are: 1) substantially reducing or completely eliminating financial liability, 2) minimizing damage to your credit rating, 3) emerging from bad credit quicker than you would with a foreclosure, and 4) having a sense of satisfaction that you’re taking care of the problem proactively and responsibly.

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