Johnny Davis

I was on my way to the office today and for some reason, I noticed the Citrus Tower standing tall above the hills and houses. I have been in Clermont, Fl. most of my life and I have seen the Citrus Tower thousands of times. Yet for some reason, it really struck me today and I just thought about how much I love living in Lake County. Sure, I have thought about moving out of state a couple times, but various circumstances always kept me here. I am very thankful that I never made the stupid decision to leave. I snapped a picture so that you can see what caught my eye today.

Here are 7 TRUE/FALSE about Short Sales in Lake County Florida. The short sale process is not known by a lot of Lake County Florida residents, which is not really surprising. However, we must educate ourselves on short sales because they are prominent in the market today and they are here to stay. Hopefully this will help dispel some of the information that a non-certified short sale professional has told you.

1. My credit will not be affected by a short sale if I help the bank find a buyer.

FALSE. Your credit will be affected by the short sale process, but not as drastically as a foreclosure will. According to RealtyU, 2-5 missed payments (which could be the short sale length, if you hire the right agent) could affect your score 30-60 points. If you go the foreclosure route, expect a hit of 140-200 points.

2. I lost my job and I am suffering from a divorce. I should be eligible for a short sale.

TRUE. A short sale is very possible when you are suffering from a hardship. However, that hardship must be proven and it must be in written form. A handwritten explanation is always better than a typed explanation.

3. I just re-financed my home and used the cash to buy myself a boat. I now can't afford my payments. I am still going to be eligible for a short sale.

FALSE. Refinancing and buying a boat is not a hardship. Lenders have caught on to those people who are cashing out and then claiming they can't make their payments.

4. I just took a loan out against the property a couple months ago. Things didn't work out as planned, but I doubt the bank will let me negotiate a short sale with them.

TRUE. If you have taken out a loan recently against your home, the lender is not likely to allow you to negotiate a short sale.

5. I am 50 days from foreclosure. A short sale is not likely for me.

TRUE. It is definitely not likely if you are less that 60 days from foreclosure. Not impossible, but to be honest, it is really not likely.

6. I'll just call the bank and negotiate my own short sale. I don't need a real estate agent to handle the short sale for me.

TRUE. You don't need a real estate agent to handle your short sale for you. What you need, is a Certified Short Sale Professional. Do you know anything about the process? Do you know all of the items that are required when submitting your short sale application? If you are thinking about a short sale, chances are, you are already stressed. Don't further stress yourself by trying to handle a short sale. Let a professional handle it for you.

7. There aren't any short sale professionals in my area of Lake County Florida.

FALSE. Davis Signature Realty LLC is a Certified Short Sale Professional. We can handle short sales in all of Lake and West Orange County. If you are in a location other than Lake and West Orange County, give me a call anyways. We are referral partners with many agents all across the country. We can help you find an agent in your area. www.davissignaturerealty.com

What improvements should I make before I sell my house? If I replace the appliance in my kitchen, will I get a decent return of investment? I'm not a handyman, what are some easy things I can do to help sell my house?

If you are looking to sell your Clermont Florida home or have already sold your Clermont Florida home, chances are, you have asked yourself these questions. I found a pretty interesting tool on the Home Gain website that will help you evaluate what home improvements you should do, what the average costs to do those improvements are, what the average return of investment will be and what the average increase in selling price will be. I am not sure where Home Gain got the numbers they got, but I will show them to you and give my opinion on a few of the improvements.

Recommended Home Improvements

1.) Clean & De-Clutter. This is a pretty easy one to do. Pick up all of the "extra" stuff lying around the house. If you have kids, make sure all of their toys are put away before your potential buyer comes through the house. Cleaning and de-cluttering is also a great way to make some extra cash. Place your unwanted items on Ebay or Craigslist. If you aren't Internet savy are don't have a digital camera, simply have a garage sale.

Average Cost to clean/de-clutter: $226. Increase in selling price: $1384-$1798. ROI: 605%

Obviously, you could do this alot cheaper than the average price of $226. Home Gain has accounted for the fact that some people will rent storage units.

2.) Staging. I already know what you are thinking. Alot of those "Flip this House" and "Flip that House" television shows hire stagers that come in and re-decorate the whole house. You don't have to do that to make a significant difference to your house. You can buy some fresh flowers, buy a new welcome mat, go to a thrift shop and buy some decorative art or buy a glass bowl and always keep some fresh fruit in it. You can then place the bowl in the center of your dinner table or on a counter somewhere. Don't let the fruit go bad though. Nobody wants to look at a brown banana.

Average Cost: $380. Increase in selling price: $1878-$2350. ROI: 456%

3.) Lighten and Brighten. On their list of things to do, they don't mention painting the interior. Let me tell you this: You don't have to paint your interior, but I would highly recommend it. Not only will new paint give the home a newer, fresher feel, but it may also take away some of the odors that you didn't realize your home had. Change out the switch plates, they are really cheap at most hardware stores and simple to install. Replace all blown out light bulbs. Nobody wants to walk into a dark room. Also, open the blinds to allow more natural light to be in the rooms. This is a HUGE factor that alot of sellers overlook.

Average Price: $295. Increase in selling price: $1152-$1538. ROI: 355%

4.) Yard. Home Gain says to hire a gardener or landscaper. You don't have to do this. The yard is simple. Keep it cut. Keep it trimmed (hedges, bushes, trees, etc..). Pickup the trash and pick up all of your yard gnomes, especially if they look anything like Goosebumps: Revenge of the Yard Gnomes.

Average Price: $445. Increase in selling price: $1568-$1974. ROI: 298%

I don't agree with these numbers. You should be maintaining your yard anyways, so it should be expensive to keep it cut and trimmed. Your total investment should just be sweat equity.

5.) Plumbing & Electrical. Things could get really expensive here. Plumbing and electrical problems are one of the reasons I suggest my sellers get a home inspection BEFORE they sell. You don't want these issues coming up after you have received a contract. Some stuff is easy and you can do it yourself: fix leaking faucets, buy some drain-o and make sure all drains are clear, make sure your toilet isn't always running, etc...these are just a few things that you can do yourself to make your home a little more attractive.

Average Price: $471. Increase in selling price: $1216-1624. ROI: 201%

These are just a few things that you can do to spruce up your home. Hope this helps you decide how to spend your money!!!

While on Facebook, I received a notification from the Florida Association of Realtors asking me to contact my congressmen and women and ask them to extend and expand the Homebuyer Tax Credit.

I am assuming that alot of people, whether you are a real estate agent or a buyer looking to purchase, don't know how to contact their representatives. I found a website called the Congressional Email Directory, that will help you find the names and contact email address that you are looking for.

It is very important that we make our voices heard. Without this extension, the real estate market could come to a screeching halt again. Good luck to you all of you who are going to take action. I am very interested to know how some of our congressmen and women respond. Feel free to post their responses in the comment section.

Davis Signature Realty LLC has compiled the following August 2009 Market Report for Mascotte Florida from data gathered from the Mid Florida Regional MLS.

August was not a good month for sellers who were not in a distressed situation. Of the 9 homes that sold in August 2009, 6 were either REO, Bank Owned or Lender Owned. 2 were completed short sales and only one was by an owner in a non-distressed situation.

The average sale price for Mascotte in August 2009 was $84,811.00. The average amount of square footage sold was 1466 sq. ft.

Here is the real estate sold trend for Mascotte, Florida for all of 2009: