Christine Bohn, Gainesville, FL Realtor®

Here is a great iPad/iPhone app for anyone looking at homes for sale in the Gainesville area and curious about what schools serve the neighborhood. We are always looking for cool apps for our mobile devices and this is great for home buyers. I was at a Tech Tools seminar and learned about a great app called GreatSchools Finder. It is available for FREE at your iTunes App Store.

If you are a home buyer, or home hunter in Gainesville Florida- you will like this app. When you drive through a neighborhood and wonder what schools serve that area, this "GreatSchools Finder" app will give you an instant answer to that question. No more guessing! Every school nearby will be displayed and provides a community rating. Don't you like instant info at your fingertips? If, I am out showing homes to buyers, this will be a quick easy way to answer questions about the neighborhood schools.

Check out the GreatSchools Finder app gives each school a rating, and includes all schools - private or public.

I love finding cool apps for my iPhone and iPad!!

If you are starting to watch neighborhoods and need a Gainesville Realtor® to find your next home, just give me a call !

Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk

When buying or selling a home, condo or vacant land in Gainesville and Alachua County, it is customary for the SELLER to select the closing agent in your real estate transaction. Please note that this is standard for Alachua County, and other counties in Florida may be different.

Since it is the sellers burden(and expense) to provide the buyer with clear title via an Owners Title Policy - it is therefore the sellers choice. Normally, per our Florida Contract, the buyer will require the seller to provide title insurance to the buyer prior to closing.

Sellers may select a personal real estate attorney or a title company. The buyers' lender will coordinate the loan package and mortgage title policy with the sellers' closing agent. If the seller selects an attorney, that attorney represents the SELLER. If a buyer chooses their own real estate attorney, then their attorney must coordinate the transaction with the sellers attorney and/or title company.

Curious about homes for sale? Here's direct access to Search Homes for Sale in Gainesville FL & Alachua County.

Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk

Gainesville Home Buyers often wonder what is Pre-Qualification and Pre-Approval? Normally, when a home buyer starts house-hunting in Gainesville and Alachua County, it is best for them to get pre-qualified with a local mortgage lender. Often the two different terms that are used during a loan inquiry and application. I wanted to get a good description of the two terms for people that are starting to buy a home in Gainesville.

I asked Leslie Remy at HomeBanc to give me a step by step description of the two terms: Pre-Qualification and Pre-Approval. I'm hoping you will find these explanations helpful!

What is a prequalification?

A prequalification is a very basic look at a consumers income and credit to determine if they will be able to qualify for a mortgage loan. It consists of looking at the potential borrowers credit and income to see if credit scores meet the guidelines and also to see if their debt to income ratio will fit the guidelines.

When I look at a potential buyer for a prequalification I dig a little deeper to find out how long they have been on their job ( a very important factor) and if they are salaried, hourly, commissioned or self employed. I also inquire to see if they have down payment money. Another important factor is whether or not they are paying or receiving child support.

If accurate information is received then you will most likely have an accurate approval that will get you to the closing table.

What is a preapproval?

A preapproval is all of the above plus completing the loan application. Once the loan application has been completed it is run through the DU (desktop underwriting ) system. You will instantly know if you have an approval or not. Always remember garbage in is garbage out. To back that up I always like to get bank statements, paystubs, W-2’s and tax returns… two of everything. I generally will never give a preapproval for a self employed borrower without analyzing the tax returns.

**** Thanks to Leslie Remy at HomeBanc for this home loan information for buyers in Gainesville Florida.

Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk

The Gainesville Chamber of Commerce members have voted and given The Perry Family the highest award for their video submission for Life in Gainesville!

The video contest's purpose was to express the benefits of living in beautiful Gainesville, Florida.

Congratulations to the Perry Family! So, take a look at " Gainesville: Come See For Yourself "

And, you know I am always telling you.....Gainesville is a great place to Live, Work and Play!

Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk

The Florida area was one of the hardest hit by the downturn in the economy and other conditions, such as rising unemployment. The good news is that in the last part of 2011 and going forward, the economy unemployment is starting to go down in a few areas. Gainesville is one of the Florida communities that have shown marked improvement in unemployment.

Florida unemployment dropped below the 10% level in 2011, the lowest since 2009. The Gainesville area in particular, including Alachua and Gilchrist counties, has a jobless rate of 7.7 percent as of the close of 2011. The state of Florida has dropped from 10 percent unemployment in November 2011 to 9.9 percent in December 2011. These rates come from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Due to this drop in unemployment and an overall improvement in the economy, the real estate market in Gainesville could stand to see some effects. More job growth in certain sectors is starting to translate into the possibility of improved home sales and less days on the market for homes.

Gainesville has seen a significant improvement in the residential real estate market in a number of areas recently. In the last quarter of 2011, the number of closed sales steadily increased in an upward trend through October, November & December. Days on the market (DOM) for a listing steadily decreased throughout the quarter from a high of 179 in October to a low of 96 days at the end of December. Pending sales enjoyed continued growth as well from a start of 108, a slight dip to 99 in mid-quarter, to a high of 155 by the end of December 2011.

Playing along with lower rates of unemployment locally, buyers could be swayed back into the market by rising rental rates and lower mortgage rates. Gainesville apartments continue to jump, accruing a $130 increase in average rate in 2011. Mortgage rates being at record lows can also be a prime factor, especially considering the rental rates are going in an opposite direction.

In the year of 2011, the state of Florida gained 114,600 jobs overall and this is the best showing the state has had since January of 2007. This is ahead of the national pace of 1.3 percent for the U.S. overall. In 2011, Florida added 7,300 jobs in the months of November and December alone.

This upward trend looks promising to support the growing Gainesville economy as well as the possibility of the local real estate market. As this trend continues, more improvement looks to be the result as 2012 progresses.

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**Contributor for this post: Special Thanks to Emma Crawford, a creative writer from Murray State University. As an aspiring writer who specializes in writing about travel destinations and tourism.

Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk