Angela Elliott, REALTOR® C21 Classic Properties ~ Gainesville, FL Real Estate

Chutnees is a fabulous Indian Restaurant in Gainesville, FL that features traditional Indian Cuisine in an elegantly decorated setting (click to view interior restaurant shots).

Location:

Vegetarian Entrees start at $7.95

Other Entrees start at $14.95

Appetizers include traditional favorites such as samasos and dahi wade, or more unique plates such as the Tandoori chicken pizza or chicken spring rolls served with chutney.

Chutnees offers an extensive selection of - what else!- chutney. I usually get the tamarind chutney, but the mango chutney (mangoes simmered in sugar syrup & lemon juice) or pomegranate chutney (pomegranate pureed and flavored with ginger, cumin and red pepper) is a welcome departure.

Whenever I go to Chutnees, I usually get take out. I usually get take out from restaurants anyway, as I enjoy eating in the comfort of my own home with a nice beer in hand. I always get the same thing. I am the type to stick with the things I really really enjoy. Let me unveil my feast!

I always get the Saag Paneer, Basmati rice, and Garlic Naan. Saag Paneer is homemade cheese simmered with seasoned pureed spinach and tomatoes. It is fabulous coupled with the garlic naan, which is traditional unleavened flatbread baked in the tandoor oven (which was imported by the owner from India!). The Basmati rice is complimented by the onions, garlic and ginger that is added. It is garnished with cilantro, but as I'm not a cliantro fan, I request that it not be added.

This is the meal I typically enjoy, although the yellow lentil daal is another of my favorites and I will get that too if I am especially hungry. :) Another thing that I highly recommend is the mango lassi, which is a refreshing drink of mangoes, yogurt, ice, and a little sugar. It is the perfect match to the medium heat of the saag paneer, and very cooling. Chutnees will prepare your dish to the level of heat you wish. I usually prefer the saag panner without heat ("single chilli hot"), because I feel the addition of chillies to the dish really alters the flavor. The homemade cheese in the dish has a fantastic flavor and texture.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Chutnees friendly staff is eager to serve you from Tuesday-Sunday starting at 4 p.m. for dinner until 9:30 p.m. Please do not miss their sumptuous lunch buffet which is offered 11:30 - 3:00, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday only. This is an excellent way to try the flavors of India! The lunch buffet offers moist tandoori meats, daal, rice, and a variety of other dishes for you to try. Dinner is served from 4-10 on Friday & Saturday and from 4-9:30 on Sunday. Chutnees is closed Mondays.

Chutnees Map

*Make sure to visit my Article Index for more Gainesville Restaurant Profiles, Gainesville real estate and other Gainesville Info.*

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Angela Elliott is a licensed Florida REALTOR® with Century 21 Classic Properties in Gainesville, FL. Please visit my profile for more about me and browse my Gainesville, FL real estate website for additional Alachua County information and listings. Your phone calls are always welcome at (352) 256-7038 as are your e-mails to angela.elliott1@century21.com.

Why rent when you can own? This end unit Gainesville townhouse is move-in ready with brand new carpet and paint, kitchen cabinets and counters updated in 2005, an approximately 3 year old roof, 2 years new washer & dryer, and new tile in kitchen area.

Each bedroom upstairs has its own half bath (including vanity/sink/mirror/toilet. The bedrooms share the tub and shower Jack and Jill style. There is also a half-bath downstairs.

The location is fantastic: only about 2.5 miles to UF or SFCC, on Gainesville RTS city bus route, low association fees at only $127/month. Property manager says NO PET RESTRICTIONS! Community has a clubhouse and pool and is close to shopping and restaurants.

Seller will consider contributing towards a portion of buyer's closing costs or give an appliance allowance with a full price offer. 1 year buyer's Home warranty through Service Plan of Florida provided. One of the most competitively priced units in NW Gainesville considering the updates and the great location.

Please visit my article about how a less expensive listing price DOES NOT equal a less expensive mortgage payment! The more expensive unit I referred to was this one. When the lender did a mortgage calculation for my customers, INCLUDING estimated real estate taxes, the association fee, and mortgage insurance, at a close to 6% interest rate, my customers were looking at $960/month, which is competitive for this price range. Seller owned for 16 years and had homesteaded taxes for low taxes to this day. The $960 includes the higher tax estimate for when the unit is reassessed for 2009.

Also visit the article for purchasing real estate for your son or daughter who will be attending UF or SFCC to see why it makes sense to buy instead of rent (for yourself or a family member!!)

Angela Elliott is a licensed Florida REALTOR® with Century 21 Classic Properties. Please visit my profile for more about me and browse my Gainesville, FL real estate website for additional Alachua County information and listings. Your phone calls are always welcome at (352) 256-7038 as are your e-mails to angela.elliott1@century21.com. A portion of all my closed sales will be donated to the Alachua County Humane Society!

Dear Parents,

Congratulations on your son or daughter being accepted to the University of Florida! Now comes the stressful part: Moving them and all their worldly possessions up here! When it comes to living arrangements, the most common options are

• 1st year in the dorm

• RENT

• BUY
  

Now, you may have had a fleeting thought about purchasing real estate in Gainesville, but dismissed it as a hassle. I'm here to hopefully help you reconsider it as a solid financial decision. Why is now the time to buy in Gainesville, FL? Let me run down some reasons why you want to entertain this thought for your relocating child:

1. Interest rates are still low

2. Gainesville tops the list of 7 most recession proof places to retire

3. Gainesville voted #1 city to live in the nation for 2007 by Cities Ranked & Rated

4. Gainesville has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Florida

Now, for those of you that have read my blogs, you've seen these reasons listed several times and I know I sound like a broken record. But they needed to be cataloged again for the benefit of the savvy parent reading this blog to highlight the current picture and the truth about Gainesville.

Moving on. Hopefully these continued accolades about our area has helped combat some of the media nonsense about the real estate market that is discouraging you from purchasing. Gainesville is hanging in there and continues to be a desirable place to live, work, receive education and retire.

My biggest argument for buying instead of renting is thus, a simple math calculation:

Your child will presumably be here for at least 4 years. Even if you can find them a rental for $700/month, we are talking $8400/year for a total of $33,600 in the landlord's pocket after the course of 4 years. Now, if that money was contributed toward a mortgage payment instead, you would be building equity versus throwing money down the drain.

Even if the mortgage payment is $1000/month (including real estate taxes and insurance/Association fees if CONDO) and you spend a little more to own, you'd still come out ahead, even if you only broke even on your investment when you go to sell after 4 years. Breaking even (after any expenses accrued in the sale of the property) means that your child lived for FREE for the entire time they were in school.

Add to the mix the possibility of having a roommate or two to contribute toward or darn near pay your mortgage payment and you're REALLY on fire!

Curious about what's on the market in Gainesville that just might overshadow that apartment idea you've been looking at? Contact me for a free MLS search. There are quite a few townhomes and condos under $120,000 on the market right now that I'd be happy to send over so you can see what might not end up costing much more than a rental (depending on your credit eligibility, current interest rates, and down payment amount of course).

Consult a local lender to get pre-qualified and find the best loan program and interest rate for this endeavor. If using an FHA loan program for the purchase of this property, please make sure to stop by my FHA approved condos article.

Angela Elliott is a licensed Florida REALTOR® with Century 21 Classic Properties in Gainesville, FL. Please visit my profile for more about me and browse my Gainesville, FL real estate website for additional Alachua County information and listings. Your phone calls are always welcome at (352) 256-7038 as are your e-mails to angela.elliott1@century21.com. A portion of all my closed sales will be donated to the Alachua Co. Humane Society (View my mission statement).

This article is written with Florida residents in mind. Laws vary from state to state and it is highly advised that you consult an attorney and CPA regarding how the following options can affect you.

Short sales vs. foreclosures: A lot of consumers don't understand the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure. This article is intended to help shed some light about the difference between the two and answer questions you might have about the process.

SHORT SALE: With a short sale a settlement is negotiated between the parties involved, like a "regular" sale. The liens on the property are negotiated with the 1st lien holder taking precedence. When doing a short sale, the seller's credit is typically bruised versus totally destroyed, at which point the seller may be able to buy again in as little as 2 years. There is debate about how a short sale vs. foreclosure affects the FICO (credit) score, but this is simply my understanding.

As a seller, listing your property in a short sale capacity can actually be beneficial in a number of ways. If you have a real estate professional that can facilitate the short sale with and for you, you may experience less worry, avoid bankruptcy, have a transaction that is relatively smooth and be able to stay in the property longer while sorting things out. You will not have any proceeds, but in most cases you won't have any deficiency judgments either, which should be a huge weight off your shoulders.

"Why would a lender want to negotiate a short sale?"

• It costs the lender a lot of money to go through the full blown foreclosure process. It also takes a lot of time, and as you know, time is money as well. The lender will ultimately list the property after getting a broker price opinion (BPO) after the foreclosure anyway. Also, it is extremely distressing for the seller to face foreclosure and sometimes that distress manifests into anger to which the result amounts in thousands in property damage. The lender will usually spend some money on repairing anything necessary to get the home in saleable condition as well, which is just an additional expense. Attorney's fees are also typically accrued. Doing a short sale reduces the lender's non performing asset inventory and nets the lender the same or more $$ than foreclosure.

Essentially, a short sale saves the lender the time and expense of completing a time consuming and expensive foreclosure. Hopefully the real estate representative has talked with the seller about the benefits of choosing to go through a short sale versus being foreclosed on and the seller keeps their home in a clean and marketable condition to help facilitate a transaction as well. The lender prefers the property to be listed, clean, marketed and sold and as long as the real estate rep has prepared the file properly for the lender, the process should be very smooth. It does take some time to a)get a buyer and b)negotiate the sale, but lenders much prefer this method.

"But I can't afford to pay a commission."

• You will not be responsible for paying a commission. With a short sale, the bank will decide how much they are willing to lose. You will not be receiving any proceeds from the sale or we would not be doing a short sale.
  

"I'm not yet behind in my mortgage payments. Can I do a short sale?"

• Yes, yes and yes! If you can prove a coming hardship/compromised financial position, you can list your property as a short sale. Your Realtor will help you determine if you will have the ability to list the property "normally" and avoid a short sale, but if the threshold to which you will need to do a short sale is close to your listing price/market value, you may need to do a short sale. (Ex. you owe $265,000 but your market value is only $270,000 and you cannot pay the commission + closing costs as you don't have access to additional monies, it may be good to do a short sale.)

FORECLOSURE:

"Why don't I just let them foreclose on me?"

• There is speculation that when you choose foreclosure over short sale, your credit is ruined. You most likely won't be able to buy again for at least 7 years. You will have to deal with attorney's fees. There will be a court settlement versus a negotiated settlement. If you have additional lien holders, they may sue to garnish your wages so they can get their money. In a short sale the additional liens are negotiated.
  

If you currently have your home listed as a short sale DO NOT FILE BANKRUPTCY, doing so halts the entire process!

Feel free to ask any questions you may have here!

**It is always advised that you seek the advice of your CPA or attorney when it comes to the tax implications of doing a short sale or foreclosure. Also read this article about mortgage debt forgiveness off the IRS website, which should provide some additional clarification on the taxes (or lack thereof).

Having the assistance of an attorney during this procedure is absolutely paramount. Aside from a full hardship package which will include things like your financials, pay stubs, a hardship letter written by you as to why you can no longer make your payments, etc., the bank will also want to see not only an offer and buyer pre-approval letter, but they will want to see a pre-HUD submitted with the offer. The attorney can prepare this. Some attorney's will agree to be paid by the lender at closing.

Angela Elliott is a licensed Florida REALTOR® with Century 21 Classic Properties in Gainesville, FL. Please visit my profile for more about me and browse my Gainesville, FL real estate website for additional Alachua County information and listings. Your phone calls are always welcome at (352) 256-7038 as are your e-mails to angela.elliott1@century21.com. A portion of all my closed sales will be donated to the Alachua Co. Humane Society (View my mission statement).

Welcome to Gainesville, FL, where the multitude of live oaks whisper secrets from their moss draped boughs, if only you take the time to listen. We're a small college town with big city amenities and, I think you'll agree, BIG BEAUTY. From bahia pasture to hardwood forests, to our magnificent sunsets and beautiful UF campus, Gainesville harbors plenty of scenic vistas, parks, hospitals, golf courses, restaurants and entertainment. Below are a few shots from the Gainesville area countryside and out-lying areas, as well as Downtown Alachua (which sits just to the northwest of Gainesville). Please enjoy and be sure to visit my article index to view my area slideshows!

Angela Elliott is a licensed Florida REALTOR® with Century 21 Classic Properties in Gainesville, FL. Please visit my profile for more about me and browse my Gainesville, FL real estate website for additional Alachua County information and listings. Your phone calls are always welcome at (352) 256-7038 as are your e-mails to angela.elliott1@century21.com. A portion of all my closed sales will be donated to the Alachua Co. Humane Society (View my mission statement).