Port Orange, FL

1^st Time Home Buyers hoping to purchase a home and qualify for the tax credit have 23 days left in their shopping season. If you or someone you know is renting, there is no greater opportunity to own your own home than right now. I am recommending that anyone seeking to beat the November 30 tax credit deadling to be under contract by Septmber 30.

I can assist you in pre qualifying for a mortgage, and have you looking at homes the same day. Home prices are at 10 year lows, interest rates are at 10 year lows, and there is an $8000 carrot dangling out there for the tax credit. Seriously, does anyone need more convincing to at least give it a shot? I think we all know someone that has "been too busy" to look into it.

It's time to MAKE THE TIME.

If you know anyone purchasing a home, selling a home, or refinancing a current mortgage,

I am your one stop shopping choice. Sell your home with me today. Find out how your home can qualify to be featured on realtor.com.

As I was posting the price reduction to all my real estate blogs (using several is great for pushing your web site up the search engines!), for my real estate listing: Daytona Beach house for sale, within walking distance to the beach... as I got to my personal, Trulia real estate blog, I stumbled across a link that questioned the "walkability of the neighborhood". Well I can't say I've ever seen a web site like that before, so my curiosity was piqued. But not only am I a REALTOR®, I'm also a Daytona Beach native, so I already know the statistics and demographics of pretty much any neighborhood; such as whether or not it has sidewalks... how safe it is... and other factors you might want to know, if you like to walk for exercise.

So to do a test on the Walk Score web site, I used my home address as a test subject... and FYI, I live in a gated housing community in Port Orange... (10+ years ago, we knew we wanted to live in Port Orange; and we decided to buy a house in a subdivision, within another subdivision.)

Now before I tell you my own neighborhood's walking score, let me provide a few more details about Port Orange. The whole city of Port Orange has sidewalks on both sides of the street in almost every neighborhood; and even along the sides of the busiest roads! It also has doctors, all sorts of shopping, banking, restaurants, etc., within walking distance of almost every community in the city. It also bears mentioning, the motto for Port Orange is "Unique by Choice, Not by Chance". Needless to say, a LOT of thought has been put into the planning of this beautiful city. Oh, and on a personal note, I frequently walk several miles at a time, sometimes late at night, without a care in the world.

Now to get to my neighborhood score... I input my address and discovered we had been given one of the lowest possible scores. Well, to put it bluntly, that is absurd! So what the heck is the criteria for these supposed walking scores!? I'll let you see for yourself. Just follow the links below. Because the irony gets even better... Check this out!

At the top of the web page, there are links about the sit that say "How it Works" and "How it Doesn't Work". Excuse me for thinking this but if you have to post a link on your own site, that tells you how it goes wrong, you have a serious problem with your system.

So to finalize this, I'm interested in what kind of results you get when you run your own walkability tests. I'm not going to list all the criteria from the How it Works, and How it Doesn't Work links. I'll let you check it out for yourself. And then, I'm VERY interested in what kind of results you get. Run your own little tests, and let me know what you think.

Is the Neighborhood Walkability Score a legitimate test, or a malfunctioning piece of crap? As Broker Bryant would put it... What Say Ye?

*This post is written and copyrighted by Lisa Hill, The Smart Choice logo, and House logos are also copyrighted by Lisa Hill.

It's time for another Wordless Wednesday post... with a few words ;-) I almost forgot about this photo. I just wish I could send the overpowering fragrance through the monitor, along with this photo. It's incredible! So incredible that if I bring a few inside, I can only place one in a room, at a time! So you'll have to imagine that part. And I hope you enjoy the photo =)

If you're considering a move to the Daytona Beach and/or Port Orange area, Lisa Hill is a Daytona Beach native! I have experience selling real estate in every city in East Volusia County and beyond. I live in Port Orange, and I love it! I also have family in this area. My family is at least 6 generations deep in Floridians =) So if you're considering a move to anywhere in Florida, feel free to contact me. If I particular city is too far for me to help you, there's a good chance that I know REALTORS® in those other cities, and I'll be happy to refer you to an excellent REALTOR® there!

For real estate information on the Daytona Beach area, visit my web site at www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com. And for you Port Orange fans and residents, I have a special section of my site just for you. You can get directly there by way of www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com.

View my Featured Listings from the Daytona Beach Area Realtor Association and Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

Search Florida REALTOR® and MLS listings here.

Make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs!

*All content is owned and copyrighted by Lisa Hill. Do Not Copy!

I just closed a loan for a VA Buyer that got a great deal! He used a 100% finance VA Loan. I consulted with his agent and we asked for the maximum 4% seller concessions to help with his closing costs. He was a 1st Time Home Buyer, and is a long haul truck driver. He was only in town for a few days during the whole transaction, yet we were able to work together to get his deal approved and closed in just 45 days.

There were many days when we were burning up the blackberry lines to get info back forth. He was a great buyer, and did a great job of finding libraries and fax centers to print, sign , and return pertinent docs. Constant communication was the key to meeting all terms of the contract.

The best part of the deal? There were many.

He got a home for less than the appraised value.

He got the $8000 tax credit as 1st Time Home Buyer

He got a great rate on a VA Loan

The VA Loan did not take a long time to close

He only had to bring $8 to closing.

He did put $1000 down on contract which was used to doc stamps, intangibles, and a couples fees.

I worked this deal as a loan officer and was referred the loan portion from a GREAT LOCAL AGENT who is not the least bit concerned that I am also a real estate agent. We have a great partnership as loan officer - real estate agent, and work together to promote our businesses. I realize that there are many agents that would not choose to work with a loan officer that is also an agent. I wanted to show that these partnerships can work out well when proper expectations are set to creat win-win situations. You just need to find the right partners. Honesty, integrity, and hard work still count for something.

Speechless Sunday Photo in Port Orange FL by Lisa Hill, Port Orange REALTOR® and local native.

To buy or sell Port Orange real estate, visit www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com.

Buy Port Orange real estate << click here.

Sell Port Orange real estate << click here.

Make a Smart Choice and move to Port Orange FL, to enjoy beautiful sunsets like this, with a rainbow of color, almost every evening. Or even better, buy an oceanfront condo or house and set on your patio or deck with your morning coffee, or get your daily exercise with a brisk walk on the beach, and take in our spectacular morning sunrises over the Atlantic Ocean.

*All material in this blog is owned and copyrighted by Lisa Hill (with exception of the preceding, black and white copyright logo).