Lee's Blog: All Categories

Believe it or not, it's a great time to buy real estate in Orlando. Prices are down, inventory is up, and we're on the cusp of one of the greatest real estate buying opportunities in recent history.

When the real estate bubble burst, Florida was one of the hardest hit states in the country. Because of this, there are many home sellers - I'd say about 1 in 10 - who are still clinging to the home prices of a few years ago and refuse to compete with the market. That's why you see many homes on the market  for a year or longer. But every day, more and more sellers are realizing that in order to get their house sold, they need to drastically reduce prices. Roughly half of the listings in Orlando have been on the market for four months or less, and these are…

According to Zillow.com's recent Real Estate Market report, more than a third of homeowners in Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties who bought homes in the last five years are now owing more than their homes are worth. For those who bought homes at the peak of the market in 2006, that number jumps up to a whopping 72%, and 66% for those who bought last year. So far in 2008, nearly a third of buyers who bought homes during the first half of the year are also facing negative equity. What this means is that the prices of the market are currently back down to the 2004 level.

At this point, I probably don't have to tell anybody that falling home values are at the very center of our tumbling economy. Without equity, homeowners are having trouble…

Although Winter Park is known for its safe and peaceful neighborhoods, no city is crime-free, unfortunately. In an effort to help residents and visitors of Winter Park better protect themselves, the Winter Park Police Department has recently added a fantastic new resource to its website called Crime Mapping.

With Crime Mapping, users can view all criminal activity that has taken place during a specific time period or with a particular street location's area. Crimes can be filtered by degree of offense and detailed information can be view on every crime. The map shows all property crimes, person crimes, miscellaneous crimes and arrests - everything from homicides, robberies, battery, assault and sexual offenses to noise complaints and vandalism.…

You don't normally see this side of me on my blog, but I'm going to get it out of my system and get on with selling real estate.

Sometimes the actions of some other agents in this market baffle me.

Recently I've been working with a great out-of-town buyer looking for a home with a starting price of $1,000,000. Every time I browse the MLS for this price bracket, I'm floored by the lack of professionalism that many agents are showing when they try to sell these beautiful houses. I can't believe how many listings I've gone through that don't have any pictures! Or how many don't bother to spend money on a virtual tour! A multi-million dollar home and you can't put together a virtual tour? Even worse are agents who don't even put any remarks, or if they do…

The Timacuan community in Lake Mary is a beautiful golf community. I've always known that it was a great place for people who aspired to be homeowners, but I never realized it was such a great place for people who aspired to be golf champions!

The Mike Bender Golf Academy at Timacuan Golf Club was named one of the Top 25 Golf Schools in America by GOLF Magazine! This is the only official ranking of golf schools in existence and it's exciting to have one of the best right in our backyard! The magazine states that the academy's "highly trained staff provides off-the-charts attention to small groups." In fact, one of the instructors is Mike Bender himself, ranked as one of the Top 10 Greatest Instructors in America by Golf Digest magazine.

The average price…

If you see an offer for a rental property at a very low rate, think twice!  

In our office just last week, we found an ad on the internet for a rental at a very low rate. The advertisement asked prospective tenants to drive by and take a look inside the vacant property. If they liked what they saw, they were to send an $800 deposit and another $800 for the first month's rent and then they would receive the keys in the mail. Funny thing was, this "rental" property was one that we had listed for sale! This guy had no intention of renting his home out to anybody. He wanted to get some quick cash, sell his home, keep all the money for himself and run off somewhere. We reported him to the FBI but who knows how many renters got suckered in by his scam before…

In continuing my little blog tour around Casselberry's beautiful Lake Howell communities, I now come to one of the best - Lakehurst.

This gated community is only a few years old and has many of the most sought-after features that buyers look for in their new homes. Each large house makes great use of space, light, and open floor plans to provide luxurious living spaces. The community itself is laid out beautifully and features a playground and water access to Lake Howell. The lake itself is semi-private - only residents of the surrounding communities are allowed to use the lake - keeping it more peaceful and clean than many other lakes you'll find in Central Florida. Most of the homes in the community back to one of several retention ponds, giving you…

Looking for a wonderful townhome that has access to a semi-private ski/fishing lake for under $200,000? It's a hard commodity to get these days for an affordable price, but that's just what you'll find at Lago Vista in Casselberry. 

This great community offers two and three bedroom townhomes up to 2,000 square feet, some with complete garage and others with a carport. The community features a pool, tennis courts, a dock and lake access to beautiful Lake Howell.

Plus, the HOA fee is nice and low, currently at $165 per month. When it comes to great places to live, it's another of Casselberry's overlooked gems.