Increases in the median sales price of both bank-owned homes and short-sale homes have helped Orlando’s overall median home price increase for the third consecutive month, to $115,000!

Members of the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association reported an increase of 32.74 percent on completed home sales from April 2009 to April 2010. In addition to this great news is the fact that the number of new contracts filed in April 2010, is an increase of 53.02 percent over April of last year!

Another indicator that the real estate market in Florida is improving is that there are 86.18 percent more homes (10,832) under contract and awaiting closing in April of this year than in April of last year (5,818).

Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association Chairman of the…

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If you thought that the idea of real estate being a great investment was a thing of the past, think again.  The fact that the home prices are so low and rent has not dropped to match, investors are beginning to come back.  Another interesting change is that there is an increase of buyers paying with cash.

The share of home sales involving all-cash transactions was 26 percent in January, up from 18 percent a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors.  The reason for investors paying cash is largely due to the fact that they can avoid paying interest charges on loans and get a larger return on their investment.

National Association of Realtors data shows a pickup in investment activity. Home purchases made by investors climbed to 17…

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Members of the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association filed 4,043 new sales contracts in the month of February, the greatest monthly tally since 2005!  That is a jump of 66.1 percent from last February’s numbers. 

“The new-contract statistic is an important indicator to consider in our current market, as it reflects real-time buyer interest. I expect activity in this category to continue to pick up into late spring as buyers take advantage of the tax credit before its April 30 deadline”, said ORRA Chairman of the Board Kathleen Gallagher McIver, RE/MAX Town & Country Realty. 

More good news:  the median price of all existing homes combined sold in February 2010 increased 7.06 percent from January 2010.  February’s median price was $109,200, which includes…

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Vacation-home sales recovered in 2009 while investment sales fell sharply, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

NAR’s 2010 "Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey," covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2009, shows vacation-home sales rose 7.9 percent to 553,000 last year from 513,000 in 2008, while investment-home sales fell 15.9 percent to 940,000 in 2009 from 1.12 million in 2008. Primary residence sales rose 7.1 percent to 4.04 million in 2009 from 3.77 million in 2008.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said, “The typical vacation-home buyer is making a lifestyle choice, with nine out of 10 saying they intend to use the property for vacations or as a family retreat. Investment buyers primarily seek rental income, with…

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For the first time in years, the number of people facing foreclosures is declining.  This means that the end of the crisis is in sight.  There is a long road back to stability ahead of us, but it does not look like things will get worse. 

This long road ahead is due to the fact that the housing values have dropped to roughly half of their peak.  These deeply discounted houses will put pressure on home prices for years to come.  Mike Larson, a real estate analyst with Weiss Research said, “Housing is on a path to recovery but it’s going to be a very long, gradual process.”

The good news is that it has begun to change.  The percentage of borrowers who missed just one payment on their home loans fell to 3.6 percent in the October-to-December quarter from 3.8…

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Sales of existing single-family homes in Florida rose 44 percent in fourth quarter 2009 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®. A total of 43,926 existing homes sold statewide in 4Q 2009; during the same period the year before, a total of 30,610 existing homes sold. It marks the sixth consecutive quarter that Florida has seen higher existing year-to-year home sales, according to the state association.

Statewide sales of existing condominiums in the fourth quarter rose 93 percent compared to the same time the previous year. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter for increased statewide sales in both the existing home and condo markets compared to year-ago levels.

To gain insight into…

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Here’s something we can all be cheer about – Florida home sales are up and have been increasing steadily each month for the past 15 months!

2009 Florida Realtors President Cynthia Shelton states that, “Housing affordability is at its peak and the highest on record: Along with still-low mortgage rates, it means that the buying power of a typical family has never been better.” Interest rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.88 percent last month, a significant drop from the average rate of 6.09 percent in November 2008, according to Freddie Mac. Becoming a homeowner is now easier than ever!

The news is not only good for buyers, but also sellers are finding it a good opportunity as the market is beginning to balance.

The National…

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Orlando Florida (December 3th, 2009) – Carlos German & Team, with Orlando Classic Homes, announced today, the official launch of their new state-of-the-art real estate website for buyers and sellers in the Disney World Orlando area, www.CarlosAndTeam.com. The new website provides visitors with powerful tools to narrow down their search and find properties with improved ease of use.

“We really wanted to provide the most powerful real estate search in the Disney area and I think we’ve achieved that,” .said Carlos German, Realtor®, ABR®, e-PRO® and Team leader at Carlos German & Team

The website provides access to the entire database of MLS listings in Orlando, Kissimmee, Davenport, Clermont, Haines City, Windermere and surrounding areas. It also allows…

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Hello and welcome to the all new blog of Carlos German and Team! In this space, you will find the latest and greatest news and tips about the real estate market in central Florida, and especially the Disney World area.

Who Are We?

Carlos German & Team is a real estate team that specializes in the sale of property around the highly desirable, Central Florida and Disney World areas. We work with new, resale and foreclosure properties in vacation, residential and golf communities near Disney World in Orlando.

Why Should You Read This Blog?

You should read this blog if you want to stay up to date with the real estate news and market conditions around Disney World in Orlando. National news outlets tend to talk about market trends after research groups…

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