Reef Sites coordinates are available for reefs located in Gulf of Mexico

Reef sites are set in the waters for great fishing in Gulf of Mexico.  One needs the coordinates to locate them. For those located off the shores of Lee County one can go to the following site provided.  http://www.news-press.com/article/20111112/BUSINESS/311120013/1067/nletter12/Boat-dealers-say-tide-may-be-turning?source=nletter-weather Sites are even named.

HARP Program looking to help out Homeowners

The HARP program (Home Affordable Refinance Program) has been less than stellar in impact in helping homeowners. On the National level the Obama administration has revamped it to address some of the issues and shortcomings.

Another program the HAMP also has had a limited impact in South Florida, with only about 33,000 permanent loan modifications for struggling homeowners. By comparison, there have been more than 200,000 foreclosure filings since 2007.

See below for links to a great article written by Florida Realtors .com which will catch you up to date. 

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• Florida Realtors News article Oct 27, 2011 (floridarealtors.org)

Short Sale for less than $50,000 on an Island!

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Your Credit Report is an important Asset

Image via WikipediaYour credit report can be an asset or a liability to you.  Leonard Baron writes in the Zillow blog that your credit report stays with you for life and it affects the interest rates you pay on all your loans and impacts car and health insurance premiums and sometimes whether you qualify fo a specific job. Click here to read full article posted in Zillow blog.

In SW Florida a credit report of at least 600 is needed to get a loan. One has to be careful of not getting to many credit checks done as I am told each time you have a credit check run it brings down the numbers on your credit report.  SW Florida includes Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Bonita Springs and N. Fort Myrs. 

What does "Active Contingent Short Sale" mean?

Many of our prospects get confused  when doing searches for homes in paradise. They  have trouble differentiating between listing types such as Active, Active Contingent, Active Contingent Short Sale and Pending.
Active is property is for sale
Active Contingent is an offer has been accepted but is subject to either the buyer or seller meeting a condition before sale can be completed i. e. buyer must finalize getting mortgage or seller must make a repair or escrow deposit being received by title company.
Active Contingent Short Sale is seller has approved but because it is a short sale (buyer owes more than listed price) and mortgage/note holder must approve the sale. This process can take 45-90 days or more.
Pending is sale has been approved by all parties and awaiting closing process to be completed, including title search.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call us at 239 574 7836

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Buying a Short Sale

I really would not shy away from buying a short sale unless you have to have a home right away.  Short sales are about 50% of our market.  A short sale is a seller that is selling a home at a price less than what they owe on their mortgage.  The seller will have to either bring money to the closing table or have a reason for a distressed sale. Seller and listing agent will do market research and come up with a price that they see that similar homes in neighborhood have sold for.  Sometimes agents will even under price the home to get a buying frenzy.  The seller will then pick the highest and best offer and submit it to the bank.

The bank may have several layers to go through before they will accept, counter or reject the offer.  This is what takes time.  Plus if there is a second lean on the process, this lean holder also has to go though the various hiarchy of the bank to make a decision.

Yes, this does take time but one will be getting a home that probably will have all the appliances, light fixtures, A/C in working condition.  Whereas foreclosures tend to be stripped and not in the best of condition.  

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• How to Negotiate a Short Sale (ellenshouse.wordpress.com)