Heather the Realtor. Orlando & Lake Mary First Time Home Buyers & Luxury Homes

Sea World has just opened an all new water park called Aquatica. It's a first of it's kind. While you are here in Orlando why not find a perfect Vacation Home. The Orlando housing market has a 104% affordablity index. This means you can find amazing deals. I have some great units available, brand new construction, you can also rent these units out while you arent staying in Orlando and make a profit on your investment.

If you use my services to help you in finding a vacation, second or primary residency. I will give you 4 free tickets to aquatica or if you went with in 60 days of purchasing a home through me I will rebate your ticket price.

So what is the aquatica?

For information on buying or selling in Central Florida, Orange County and Seminole County, new construction or Relocation services contact your Lake Mary Real Estate Agent Heather Joubran @ 407-810-6304 or hjoubran@remax.net Seminole County consists of Lake Mary, Sanford, Heathrow, Longwood, Altamonte springs, Winter Springs, Oviedo. Orange County consists of Orlando, Downtown Orlando, Baldwin Park, Windermere, Apopka, Winter Park, Maitland, Disney, UCF, East Orlando, Lake Nona. I can help you with all your housing needs from Luxury Homes to First Time Home Buyers.

I have successfully helped over 100+ families buy or sell real estate.

Most of you that already live in the Lake Mary area have watched the construction along Markham Woods rd near the corner of Lake Mary Blvd. Some of us have even pulled over in awe of these Luxurious homes. Well your chance will soon be here to tour these homes or better yet if you are looking to purchase these homes are available and I can help you will additional information on each home available.

These homes feature amenties such as bowling alleys, resort style lagoon pools, butlers kitchens and luxury master suites. There will be 3 homes featured. Homes range from 10,000 to 17,000 sq ft and are priced up to $8.5 Million. Lake Club is a private enclave or large estate lots located across from Alaqua Lakes. The 2008 street of dreams will take place April 26th-June 8th. Tickets will be $15 on weekends and $13 during the week.

For information on buying or selling in Central Florida, Orange County and Seminole County real estate, new construction or Relocation services contact your Lake Mary Real Estate Agent @ 407-810-6304 or hjoubran@remax.net Seminole County consists of Lake Mary, Sanford, Heathrow, Longwood, Altamonte springs, Winter Springs, Oviedo. Orange County consists of Orlando, Downtown Orlando, Baldwin Park, Windermere, Apopka, Winter Park, Maitland, Disney, UCF, East Orlando, Lake Nona. I can help you with all your housing needs from Luxury Homes to First Time Home Buyers. services contact Heather Joubran, your

To learn more about Heather Joubran and her success helping families, visit her profile & CentralFloridaLuxuryEstates.com.

I have successfully helped over 100+ families buy or sell real estate.

On January 24, 2008 the city of Lake Mary had a grand opening of the all new Lake Mary Event Center. The event center is the center jewel in the all new downtown redevelopment. The center is an ideal location for business meetings, weddings, banquets and parties. The center is over 19,000 square feet and has stunning views of Crystal Lake. In addition to the large square footage of this facility there is an event lawn and ceremony site with abundant landscaping making it perfect for any outdoor functions. They also have catering services available. If you are interested in having a guided tour of the facility go to www.lakemaryeventscenter.com. I must say this is one of the most beautiful buildings and locations I have seen and it's in our own backyard here in Lake Mary, FL. Here is just another reason why real estate in Lake Mary, FL is sought after.

For information on buying or selling in Central Florida, Orange County and Seminole County real estate, new construction or Relocation services contact your Lake Mary Real Estate Agent @ 407-810-6304 or hjoubran@remax.net Seminole County consists of Lake Mary, Sanford, Heathrow, Longwood, Altamonte springs, Winter Springs, Oviedo. Orange County consists of Orlando, Downtown Orlando, Baldwin Park, Windermere, Apopka, Winter Park, Maitland, Disney, UCF, East Orlando, Lake Nona. I can help you with all your housing needs from Luxury Homes to First Time Home Buyers. services contact Heather Joubran, your

To learn more about Heather Joubran and her success helping families, visit her profile & CentralFloridaLuxuryEstates.com.

I have successfully helped over 100+ families buy or sell real estate.

So you want to know what the real estate market looks like. Well the numbers are now available.

Inventory increases as sellers who waited out the holidays place their homes on the market

The multi-month decline in the number of homes available for purchase in the Orlando area reversed its trend in January, when 1,426 homes were added to the inventory. January historically sees an upward spike in inventory as a result of owners who hold out until after the holidays to put their homes on the market, explains the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.

The median sales price of a single-family home in the Orlando area in January 2008 dropped in one month by 1.22 percent ($2,750), from $225,000 in December 2007 to $222,250. The median sales price for January 2008 is 11.06 percent below that of January 2007 ($249,900).

The decrease in the median home price to $222,250 means that the area’s affordability index continues to improve – in January 2008 the index jumped again, to 104.9 percent. (An affordability index of 99 percent means that buyers earning the state-reported median income are 1 percent short of the income necessary to purchase a median-priced home. Conversely, an affordability index that is over 100 means that median-income earners make more than is necessary to qualify for a median-priced home.) Buyers who earn the reported median income of $51,392 can qualify to purchase one of 7,713 homes in Orange and Seminole counties currently listed in the local multiple listing service (MLS) for $233,140 or less.

The first time homebuyer affordability index climbed in January as well, to 74.6.

The number of sales in the Orlando area declined by 48.54 percent in January 2008 compared to January of last year (756 to 1,469), and the number of sales that took place in January 2008 also decreased over the number of sales that occurred in December 2007 (1,076). The number of homes under contract increased from December to January by more than 200.

Homes of all types spent an average of 120 days on the market before being sold in January 2008; the average home sold for 94.21 percent of its original asking price. In December those numbers were 113 and 92.75 percent, respectively.

The majority of single-family homes (142) that changed hands in January 2008 were sold for between $200,000 and $250,000. Another 85 homes sold in January for between $250,000 and $300,000. Two hundred sixteen homes sold for less than $200,000 in January, and 186 sold for more than $300,000. On the far ends of the scale, 18 homes were sold for $1 million or more while only four homes sold for less than $50,000.

Inventory

There are currently 25,724 homes available for purchase through the MLS. Inventory increased by 1,426 homes in January 2008, which means that 1,426 more homes entered the market than left the market. During the holidays, inventory had remained steady and even dropped by as much as 1,874 homes in one month (December). Compared to last year, the January 2008 inventory level (25,724) is 21.00 percent higher than it was in January 2007 (21,266).

The inventory level reflects a 34.03-month supply at the current pace of sales.

• Price: "Price solves everything. Price is always king. Price solves location problems. You can have a train running through the back yard and if the home is priced with that in mind, it will sell. (Im not so sure about that, not when buyers have thousands of homes to choose from)
• Entice Realtors with money: Increase Realtors' commission and offer selling bonuses. "So if you're going to be offering your listing to the Realtor population, you want to offer them something to get them to show your listing over the competition – and it's money.(Sad to say but true)
  
• Entice buyers with money: Help pay buyers closing costs "Most buyers today are struggling to get the down payment, to get another 3 to 6 percent for closing costs -- they don’t have it. So somebody has to pay for it in order to get it done. (Great incentive to offer)
  

• Avoid custom upgrades: Wine cellars and saunas might sound good for you, but not for others.
• Don't over-expand: It's not worth outdoing neighbors with additions unless you plan to stay put for a long time.
• Avoid changing a room's function: Keep kitchens as kitchens, and bathrooms as bathrooms. They were built that way for a reason.
• Don't neglect maintenance: Clean the gutters, trim shrubs, check for termites. Annual maintenance pays back when you sell.
• Have a home inspection: Having a home inspection and repairing those items upfront will mean no surprises to the buyer and most likely will help the home show better.