Real Estate Blog - Orlando Real Estate Articles

What’s new at CarlosAndTeam.com!

As you’ve probably seen, we have made some upgrades to our website. The new features had actually been in the works for about five months as nothing we do here at Carlos German And Team is taken lightly. Our online presence has really been a hit with customers and we didn’t want to take away the things you already love but we certainly wanted to make sure we stayed on the leading edge. However, in order to do that, some upgrades had to be added to our website to make your experience much easier than it has ever been.

Not only that, but there were many upgrades that needed to be done behind the scenes for performance, management of listings, management of inquiries, leads, follow up emails, property emails, etc. In the end, what we have today is a…

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Florida Cities Top List Of Largest Year-Over-Year Increases In Average List Price

Prices are rising in Florida: Florida cities have had the largest year-over-year increases in average list prices, according to the latest real estate data from Realtor.com. Florida cities make up 9 of the top 10 places for highest year-over-year list price spikes, based off of August data of 2.2 million listings in 146 markets.

Nationwide, the average list price is $320,325, up 2.36 percent year-over-year.

Here are the top 15 cities boasting the highest percentage of year-over-year increases in average list prices.

1. Miami
Average list price: $640,332
Year-over-year increase: 27.4%

2. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla.
Average list price: $443,570
Year-over-year increase: 26.27%

3. Central-Fla.-RSA
Average list price: $405,809
Year-over-year increase: 19.41%

4.…

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Foreclosures the Lowest in Over 3 Years

News gets better in the housing market as foreclosure filings dropped to over a three year low in April.  This is great as fewer home owners are losing their homes. It is said that the slowdown is coming from delays in processing foreclosure paperwork but optimists believe the end of the crisis may be near as inventory level reduces and sale numbers rise in many areas of the country.

The numbers don’t lie.  Foreclosure filings (notices of default, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions) sank 34 percent from a year ago last month, making the lowest it’s been since December of 2007.  8.6 percent less homes were repossessed in April than in March and that’s a 32 percent drop from last September’s high point.

Hope of improvement is present; with the…

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Real Estate Market Looks Bright In Orlando

The market may be struggling to recover in America overall, but there are a few markets that are currently seeing good conditions for buying and rising sales. We're happy to say that Orlando is improving faster than most places, and it looks like a great time to buy.

Consider the facts: According to the Florida Realtors latest housing figures, home sales increased by 12 percent in March compared to last year with over 18,522 total homes sold across the state. Condo sales are doing even better and are up 24 percent across the state in the same period. Seventeen metropolitan areas reported higher home sales.

But, even though sales are up, it's an excellent time to be a buyer because prices are down from last year. The median price for homes in March…

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Interest Rates Going Up, Down, Sideways?

So what has been going on with interest rates lately? It is important to know that according to all relevant surveys and expert opinions, mortgage levels will see little change in the current rates. The 30-year fixed mortgage rates tend to fluctuate in unison with the yield on the ten-year treasuries. This is not to be confused with the Prime Lending Rate that typically receives the most press. Ten-year treasuries are used to partially fund the national debt in the United States. Since the debt continues to grow, we have to continue to attract more overseas capital to fund our debt. When this capital starts to seek other safe havens and begins to dry up, the interest rate on the ten year notes start to climb in an attempt to attract more capital. The old…

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Upswing on Vacation Home Purchases

At last there are rebounds in the real estate market… Vacation Home sales have been reported at soaring levels that have not been seen since the days of the housing boom, according to The Wall Street Journal. Deep discounts and cash purchases are the reason according to analysts, in various areas across the country, and certainly the rise has been felt here in Florida.

What does that mean for you? It means that now is the time for ACTION. If you are looking to buy or wanting to sell Vacation Properties, then we should be talking today.

Sales across Florida are rising, for example in Palm Beach there has been a nearly 40 percent increase over the past year from 2009. Buyers are coming off the sidelines and stepping up to the plate to take advantage of…

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Improve and Protect your Credit Score

Every day, we are bombarded with loud advertisements telling you ways of attaining your score and offering services to improve it if it is unfavorable. What does this all mean? Where can you turn to get sound advice? Many do not know, but the federal government has agencies, bureaus and commissions to handle and address any issue, including consumer credit.

Although the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is not mentioned in any of those ads, it does provide the most comprehensive source of information to help you unravel the many mysteries associated with your credit score and the legitimate steps you can take to correct bad credit. Until you view all of the information the government has to offer, here are some helpful tidbits to get you going.

To be clear, …

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"Oh There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays!"

The message from this classic holiday favorite is so very true. Each of us at Carlos German & Team know that our mission is to help you and your family find that one special place to call home, or a home away from home! It is so heartwarming at this time of year to think of all the families we have worked with who are happily creating new memories to cherish for years to come. We would like to wish you all the warmth and joy that this holiday season brings! It is a pleasure and a privilege to help each of you open the door to your home and we thank you for your business as we wouldn’t be here without you.

“If you want to be happy in a million ways…” we are here to help! This time of year there are indeed millions of ways to help those in need and we hope…

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What Canadians Need To Know About Buying Real Estate In Florida and The United States

You wouldn't believe how many questions I receive from Canadian residents interested in purchasing properties in Florida and other parts of the United States. There are certain things to consider as a Canadian resident interested in purchasing property in the US, but they aren't anything that can't be overcome without some help from your realtor.

• One of the questions that frequently comes up is simply "Can a Canadian resident like myself purchase a house in the US?" Yes. You pay for the house and receive a title, just like with any local purchase. Residents of Canada interested in financing a home in the United States as opposed to paying cash, should look towards Canadian banks that have branches in the United States.


• Another concern many Canadian…

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You Don't Have To Be Rich To Own An Orlando Vacation Home, Not In This Market!

We are in interesting economic times. You can’t turn on a national news network without hearing the talking heads go on about the economic downturn, soaring national debt and the unemployment rate. But the news is not all bad!

The housing market crash has caused real estate prices and mortgage rates to be at an all time low! Now is truly the time to look into purchasing a vacation home. There are plenty of beautiful vacation condos in the Orlando area selling for only $50 thousand. Luxury homes in gated resort communities have for sale signs in their lawns and price tags as low as $100 thousand.

The obvious reason to purchase a vacation home is to have a beautiful location to kick back and relax. But there’s actually more to the picture than this. Prices…

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