Winter Springs, FL

Pretty wild title - I know.

But yes if you own a house or know about a house in Central Florida that has been damaged by a sinkhole or similar settlement damage, I am the one you need to talk to. I've bought several of these home over the last few years and am interested in buying more. If you are a Realtor I will be more than happy to pay you a commission if you bring me a lead on a sinkhole damage home that I end up buying. Additionally I have connections with several investor-buyers, contractors, and others that specialize in these properties.

Now if the home is 10 feet underground and split in half, I won't be interested in it. But if it settled, has stair step cracks, and the insurance company has paid out a claim on it, I will be interested in talking to you. Bring me your leads on these sinkhole properties.

Because Florida sits on top of a huge underground aquifer, the entire state is susceptible to sinkholes. Cities that are common with these sink hole problems include ones around the Wekiva and St Johns River areas including Apopka, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Winter Springs, Casselberry, Orlando, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Winter Park, Maitland, Deltona, Debary, Orange City, and Kissimmee to name a few places.

You keep the sinkhole insurance money and I or one of my buyers will do the fix up. Next time you hear the word "sinkhole" in Central Florida make sure that my name is the first one that comes to mind.

Check out the sinkhole page of our website: We Buy Houses Florida with sinkholes. And even if the house doesn't have a sinkhole but has some other problem like an estate sale, fire damage, termites, tenant problem, code enforcement liens, etc. make sure to contact me. As long as the price is reasonable (and it better be very reasonable in today's market), I or one of my investor-buyers can get the deal closed in less than 30 days for all cash.

Rob Arnold - one of those We Buy Houses Cash guys in Central Florida for going on 17 years now. Sell sinkhole house Orlando Florida to me.

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(Copyright © 2009. Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rob Arnold - Your full service and investor friendly Realtor ® in Orlando and Central Florida.

407-389-7318 / 1-877-389-7318 www.SDRhouses.com We Buy Houses Florida

We sell foreclosure, short sale, and bank owned REO house home throughout Central Florida, metro Orlando, and the Space Coast. We sell and list Central Florida real estate and Orlando real estate. Free list of foreclosure and short sale houses available. Our firm also provides flat fee MLS listings, For Sale By Owner, and menu-based services in most parts of Florida.

Tucked away off State Road 434/419, the gated community of Parkstone was developed entirely by Centex from 2000 - 2003. The subdivision is comprised of 400 homes, ranging from modest-sized ranches to roomy two-storeys. Many lots have pond views while a select few back up to Lake Jessup and its bordering conservation/wooded beltway.

Watch out for alligators, but as soon as you sight one, call animal control!

Located close to the Greeneway (417) Tollway and taking advantage of the top-rated Seminole County Public School system, Parkstone is popular on many fronts.

For one thing, you can sell your lawnmower since HOA dues include all lawn, tree, and shrub maintenance, leaving you time to enjoy the many community amenities.

Community Pool

Tennis and volleyball courts

Tot Lot

Private boardwalk and fishing dock that access Parkstone’s backyard neighbor of Lake Jessup.

Just down the road from this exclusive community, Winter Springs Town Center will delight Parkstone residents with nearly 40 merchants including Publix supermarke.

For outdoor activities, take advantage of Cross Seminole Trail, which offers nature enthusiasts everything from hiking to biking to skating and horseback riding.

This well-planned community doesn’t get much better!

Of the homes that have sold so far in 2009, 60% are ‘distressed’ properties in some stage of foreclosure. This explains why prices continue to decline at an unprecedented rate.

Average Price per Square Foot, though, is exhibiting some indirection. Could this indicate a bottom? Only time will tell.

Orange & Seminole Counties

Single-Family Homes

Average Price Per Square Foot

Source: Trendgraphix, Inc. and My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service. Reports based on sales data available for the most recent month of activity.

The following are the market sales statistics for Winter Springs, Seminole County, Florida for June 2009. Winter Springs is made up of the zip code 32708. For purposes of this analysis we are only splitting the data according to single-family homes vs, condominiums, townhomes and villas.

A couple of definitions are in order. The median sales price means that 50% of the homes sold for more and 50% of the homes sold for less during a certain period of time - in other words, it's the midpoint of sale prices. So basically what this means, is that the median sales price is showing market activity in that it's specifically indicating which price range is more active.

The average sales price, as opposed to the median sales price, is the total volume of sold properties divided by the number of properties sold.

The sales to list price ratio is just that, you're dividing the average sales price by the average list price and coming up with a percentage that tells you how much of the list price the average homes sold for.

There needs to be a disclaimer here. These stats are only as good as telling us what it being purchased and happening at a certain period in time. Also, it needs to be fully understood that not only is real estate local, but it is hyper-local. What this means is that the trends that we hear about are overall. Let's put it this way, what's happening in one neighborhood, may not be realized in the neighborhood next door.

Additionally, these are only monthly statistics and to get a better scope of what is happening, you need to look at a longer period of time. More high-end homes might be sold in one month as opposed to another. By looking at a longer period, you will get a better overall picture. It is all relative and this has to be understood when utilizing these stats.

Single-Family Homes

51 homes sold during the month of June.

The average sales price is $235,935 with 179 days on the market.

The median sales price is $220,000.

The sales to list price ratio is 93%.

The most expensive home sold for $538,750 and was on the market 361 days

The least expensive home sold for $49,000 in North Orlando after 249 days on the market.

The average sales price for the same period a year earlier was $269,541 with 139 days on the market on 22 sales, an increase of 132%.

The month to month changes show an increase in the average sales price of 17% and an increase in the median sales price of 49%. Yet, there was an increase in sales volume of 122% with a 1% decrease in the sales to list price ratio.

Condos, Townhomes & Villas

8 homes sold

The average sales price is $120,207 with 123 days on the market.

The median sales price is $124,000.

The sales to list price ratio is 91%.

The most expensive townhome sold for $155,000 in Harbor Winds and was new construction.

The least expensive townhome sold for $78,000 in the Highlands after 237 days on the market.

The average sales price a year earlier was $166,507 with 85 days on the market on 5 sales, a 60% decrease.

The month to month changes show a decrease in the average sales price of 21% and a decrease in the median sales price of 18%. There was an increase in sales volume of 700% with a 7% decrease in the sales to list price ratio.

For information on Winter Springs and Seminole County real estate and Winter Springs and Seminole County homes for sale in addition to Winter Springs and Seminole County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Winter Springs and Seminole County Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI - http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/ - 407-463-1034

You can read Marc's other blogs Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

Marc donates 10% of his net proceeds to Hospice of the Comforter.

Marc It Sold!

The terms Distressed Sales or Distressed Properties are often used to describe houses facing various stages of foreclosure.

Usually, such houses are sold at steeply discounted prices, and because they are, they have a damaging effect on the market value of all the other homes in a given neighborhood or community.

The following ‘distressed’ properties have recently been sold as REOs or Short Sales.

Street	Date Sold	List Price	Sale Price	Beds	Baths	Sq Ft	Pool
Bahama	06/19/09	$249,900	$247,000	4	2	2619	Y
Seneca Meadows	06/05/09	$279,900	$292,900	5	4	3474	Y
Tuscora	05/29/09	$265,000	$240,000	4	2	1938	Y
Bear Creek	05/27/09	$439,000	$405,000	4	2	3440	Y
Deer Run	05/21/09	$215,900	$220,000	3	2	1962	Y
Trotwood	05/20/09	$219,000	$219,000	3	2	1927	Y
Verandah	04/29/09	$310,000	$310,000	5	3	3542	N
Cheetah	04/24/09	$245,000	$245,000	3	2	2135	Y
Wescott	03/27/09	$299,488	$295,000	5	3	2465	Y
Little Creek	03/13/09	$204,000	$202,000	3	2	1552	Y
Vistawilla	02/20/09	$304,900	$285,000	5	2	3451	Y
Augusta National	01/29/09	$200,000	$183,000	3	2	1378	N
Moss	01/15/09	$400,000	$365,000	4	4	2918	Y
Winding Waters	01/05/09	$279,900	$248,500	4	3	2361	Y

Properties have been listed and sold by various MLS members. Data drawn from the Mid-Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service. This report is valuable for estimating current market values in the designated community or subdivision.

‘REO’ stands for Real Estate Owned. REOs are properties that have already been foreclosed and are now owned by the bank.

A Short Sale is a property where the original purchaser of the house still has legal ownership but may be in foreclosure (final judgment rendered), pre-foreclosure (served with notice to foreclose), pre-foreclosure (delinquent on mortgage payments), or pre-pre-foreclosure (will soon default unless the house is sold soon).

What is a Short Sale?

A Short Sale occurs when market conditions make it impossible to sell a house at a price that allows the borrower to pay off the mortgage loan and associated closing costs in full. In these cases, the mortgage lender must agree to Short Sale terms before a house can be sold. Why? Because the payback of the loan will be ‘shorted’ a significant amount and the lender will be forced to take a loss.

Understanding How a Short Sale Can Often Help

Mortgage lenders must cooperate with borrowers in order to facilitate a Short Sale. Doing so helps them avoid the even higher costs associated with foreclosure proceedings.

Selling a house as a Short Sale can be complicated and time-consuming. The same proof of financial condition submitted when the homeowners first took out their home loan must be submitted anew in order to successfully settle the loan under Short Sale conditions. Lenders must evaluate each Short Sale on a case-by-case basis, and the approval process can often be long and frustrating ... or sometimes short and sweet.

Once a purchase contract is being considered for a Short Sale, foreclosure proceedings, if there are any, can usually be put on hold.

In order to approve a Short Sale, lenders take into account several factors, among them the borrowers’ personal and financial situation, local real estate conditions, the market value of the house, and the strength of the purchase contract. Borrowers must also make a convincing argument that they —

• Cannot keep up with loan payments due to unemployment, job relocation, divorce, medical expenses, or other long-term financial crisis
• Have no choice but to sell their house
• Can’t repay the loan in full given current market values

The Process of a Short Sale

Homeowners must jump through a few extra hoops, but these extra tasks are no more difficult than the process they originally went through to purchase their house.

• Put House on the Market - Because the borrower’s lender must validate that the house was marketed and contracted at arm’s length, a homeowner cannot sell the house on his own but must list it with a real estate broker.
• Short Sale Package - Once a Sale & Purchase Contract is finalized, homeowners must assemble personal financial information that will be submitted to their lender in support of making a Short Sale claim.
• Selling & Marketing Package - Your real estate agent should put together a Market Report reflecting the selling circumstances of the house as well as the real estate conditions of the neighborhood and town.
• Lender Approval - After the lender has received everything, they will order a Broker’s Price Opinion, which is an independent determination of the house’s market value. Then, after evaluating everything, the bank will make a decision.

As difficult as a Short Sale may be, it’s important for homeowners to be prepared for anything and to proactively deal with any problems that come along. It’s also important for them to contact an attorney and/or tax accountant to give them consul and aid in the Short Sale process.