Highlands County Talk

5309 Surrey Lane - The Sebring Country Club Downs

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:16:59 -0600

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.5017

5309 Surrey Ln, Sebring, FL

Country Club Downs

2BR/2BA Multi-Family, 1 units

offered at $150,000

Year Built	2006
Sq Footage	1,624
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	1
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	Unspecified
HOA/Maint	$42 per month

DESCRIPTION

Townhouse in Exclusive Country Club Downs of Sebring, FL. Ready for you to move in to one of Sebrings top communities located next to the pristine Highlands Hammock State Park. Get your piece of the pie at an incredible price.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Walk-in closet
- Tile floor	- Family room	- Living room
- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator	- Stove/Oven
- Microwave	- Granite countertop	- Stainless steel appliances
- Washer	- Dryer	- Laundry area - inside
- Balcony, Deck, or Patio	- Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Guest parking	- Clubhouse	- Swimming pool(s)
- Tennis court(s)	- Golf course	- Lake

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Front View	Kitchen
Living Room	Shower
Master Bedroom	Laundry

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.5017

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Nov 6, 2009, 4:21am PST

Highlands County, FL - Real Estate Market Update 10/2009

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:06:43 -0600

It's already November, how could the last 10 months slip by so fast? It is true, times flies when you are busy and time has been lightening fast for us and, according to the lastest numbers for Highlands County, this holds true for many of our fellow Realtors.

93 sales in October, that's 30 more than in September, which wasn't a bad month either. Surprisingly, despite the increase in sales, there is a noticable decrease in distress sales. At the same time, the average sale price for all of Highlands County dropped by $7,000 and the average time it took to sell a home was only 135 days, compared to 148 in September.

We believe non-distress sellers have begun to realize that it only makes sense to put their property on the market if they are able to compete with the distress sales, which can be had at unbelievably low prices.

We can't wait to see what the end of the year numbers have to say!!!!!

Darrin & Andrea Mills
www.millsrealestate.net/blog

Short Sales in Sebring FL - why to use local professionals

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:41:56 -0500

Last week we were contacted by an absentee owner looking for a realtor in our area with a buyer for their bank approved short sale. The property is a beautiful townhouse located in one of Sebring's most prestigeous communities, The Sebring Country Club.

Upon speaking with the owners, residing in the Ft. Lauderdale area, we learned that they had hired a Ft. Lauderdale agent to list, market and sell the property. Also involved was a Ft. Lauderdale paralegal to negotiate the sale with the lender. The Ft. Lauderdale agent had found a buyer for the town house. There is no doubt in my mind that both the agent and the paralegal are highly regarded professionals even though the bank didn't approve the offer and the buyer ended up walking and purchasing townhouse. Sometimes things just don't work out, right?

We work with a local paralegal and closing agent to negotiate all our short sales and so far 100% of our short sale transactions have closed successfully.

Here's why using local professionals is always your best bet:

1. A local agent knows his local market. He or she will be able to defend the listing price with carefully selected comparables.

2. A local agent knows local buyers. He or she will be able to substitute a local buyer with another local buyer.

3. A local agent knows his fellow local agents. If he or she can't find a substitute local buyer, he or she will know which fellow agent has a local substitute buyer.

4. A local agent will likely have a trustworthy working relationship established with a local paralegal.

5. A local paralegal will have access to the local MLS to pull comps, listing history and whatever information the lender might require in order to approve a sale.

6. A local paralegal and closing agent will be able to close the transaction in the county where the property is located.

Legally, we are licensed to sell real estate in the State of Florida. This literally means we can list and sell property in Miami even though we are located in Sebring, about 2 hours northwest of Miami. Practically, is this a good idea? Probably not! We have no knowledge of the Miami real estate market. We are not familiar with local customs, we are not familiar with the local agents and other real estate related professionals. We also do not have the time and financial resourses to travel back and forth to Miami to service the listing.

We live in Highlands County. We know our market, we know our fellow agents and we know how to list and sell real estate in our area.

If you own property in Highlands County, consult local professionals!

Is your loan a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae and why you need to know this...

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:47:20 -0500

Is your loan a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae and why you need to know this:

Many homeowners who are able to pay their mortgage on time feel they are stuck in their home forever because they are not able to sell it for market value nor are they able to refinance and take advantage of today's low interest rates because their home is worth less today than what they paid for it initially.

The Making Home Affordable Program gives eligible homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac the opportunity to refinance into more affordable monthly payments.

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac provide "Loan Look Up Tools" on their websites for homeowners to check if their loan is owned or guaranteed by either of the companies:

Freddie Mac Loan Look Up Tool
Fannie Mae Loan Look Up Tool

WHAT? Buyer Agents work for FREE???

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:31:23 -0500

What? Buyer Agents work for FREE?

This question comes up quite often when working with buyers, especially if they are from out of town or from out of state. Now before we go any further, let me say this:

Every state has their own rules and regulations regarding buyer agents and listing agents.
Every region within every state might have its own customs regarding many things pertaining real estate.

This is how it works in Highlands County, Florida:

Generally, buyers do not pay their buyer agent! The buyer agent gets a percentage of the commission the listing agent earns from the seller.

Let's say you are from up north and are looking to buy a retirement home in Highlands County Florida. You call us up and we discuss your wants and needs. After we have identified several properties that are of interest to you, we go out and take a look at them. As I have said in an earlier post, we are not limited to our own listings or office listings. We will show you any home for sale through any agent and any office. Now, once we have found your dream home and have written up an offer that was accepted by the seller, we move towards the closing table. You will not have to pay us a dime! Our services are completely FREE to you, the buyer!
The listing agent offers a split of their commission to acooperating broker once they enter their listing into the MLS. This is how the buyer agent gets paid. It will show up on the top portion of page 1 on the final closing statement and it will be paid out of the seller's proceeds.

Now it makes even more sense to call us to help you find that dreamhome in Highlands County - it doesn't cost you dime to work with a pro!

Showing ALL the listings - Not just your own!

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:26:59 -0500

We are often puzzled by how little the general public appears to know about how the real estate business works. Many buyers seems to believe that any particular agent will only show them his or her own listings or at best; all office listings. It also appears that many sellers believe that their listing agent should be the one to sell their home, not a cooperating agent.

We do not know how other agents work but here's what we do:

Example: A younger couple calls us to help them find a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage home for under $150,000 in Sun'n'Lake of Sebring. Yes, our own listings come to mind first. That's because we know them better than any other listing within our office and within our MLS. If we do have a listing that matches the buyer's criteria and we believe could be of interest, it goes on the mental list. Next are our office listings. We know these listings from caravans and from talking to the agents in our office. Again, if there are office listings that matches buyer criteria, the go on the mental list as well. Thirdly, we check the entire MLS. Our search reveals 30 listings that match the buyer's initial criteria. We invite the buyer's to meet us at our office so we can go over some more details and try to narrow down the search a bit more. After we have weeded out homes that are not of interest to the buyer, we grab our list of finalists and start making phone calls to arrange for showing appointments. If our own listings or office listings are among the finalists, that's great. If not, then it doesn't make a difference either. Why? Because it doesn't matter to the buyer whether their next home was listed by ERA or Remax or ABC Realty. Therefore, it doesn't matter to us! Yep, it's that simple!

A few months ago we worked with a young couple that made an offer on one of our listings. Because it was a short sale and because their living arrangements were really just temporary, they decided to abandon their offer and find a "regular" home for sale that could close faster. Honestly, we felt early on that those buyers weren't likely to wait through the short sale process and we knew they needed a quicker solution. They were surprised when we didn't mind showing them other homes. They were surprised that we showed them all the homes their previous agent for whatever reason refused to show them.

Just yesterday, we received a call from a buyer who had an offer in with another agent on one of our short sales. Because they couldn't match the bank's counter offer, they decided to let it go and find another home. Because we are in the business of selling homes, we gave the buyer's agent a list of similar homes we had listed within the same neigbhorhood. The buyer didn't know about any of these listings until they called us up yesterday. We will show them ANY listing that meets their criteria and it won't matter to us which sign is in the front yard. It's not about us, it's about the client. Always!

$79,900 in Avon Park, Cute as a button Starter Home

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:25:01 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

314 E Pine St, Avon Park, FL

Cute as a button - Short Sale

3BR/1BA Single Family House

offered at $79,900

Year Built	1935
Sq Footage	1,378
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1 full, 0 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	3 Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	13,500 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Cute as a button, 1935 charmer in the heart of Avon Park, only 1 block from Lake Verona. Subject to Short Sale.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Hardwood floor
- Family room	- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven	- Microwave	- Laundry area - inside
- Balcony, Deck, or Patio

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Cracker Style Frontporch

- Metal Roof

- Lots of upgrades and improvements

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 2, 2009, 1:16am PDT

4 bedroom Starter Home - $105,000 - Sebring FL

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:11:31 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

4000 Loretto Ave, Sebring, FL

Short Sale

4BR/2BA Single Family House

offered at $105,000

Year Built	2007
Sq Footage	1,648
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	20,000 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Great starterhome in Sun'n'Lake of Sebring. Spacious floorplan, almost new condition. Subject to Short sale

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- High/Vaulted ceiling	- Living room
- Breakfast nook	- Dishwasher	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven	- Microwave	- Granite countertop
- Laundry area - inside	- Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Swimming pool(s)	- Tennis court(s)	- Golf course
- Lake	- Playground

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- cathedral ceilings

- 4 !!! bedrooms

- almost new condition

- pleasing floorplan

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 2, 2009, 12:55am PDT

...handing over that key! Priceless!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:29:22 -0500

Most of our closings are mail-outs and we hardly get to see the closing table. Yesterday, I had the honor of taking some very dear clients to the closing table and hand them the key to their new home. Priceless!

It had been a very eventful transaction from the time we first met with Paul & Judi. They made an offer on one of our listings, a short sale in a very active and well kept adult community in the heart of Sebring. They loved the home and they were very familiar with the neighbors. In fact, the neighbor across the street from our listing called Judi on the phone the second my husband Darrin put our sign in the frontyard. Goes to show that sign in the front yard IS important!

Paul and Judi were in the process of selling their previous home and the offer we wrote was not only contingent upon financing but also on the sale of their home. We submitted to the lender an addendum of removal of "sale of home contingency" after their home sold. Soon thereafter, our clients grew impatient with the short sale process. They had moved in with Paul's lovely Mom and not knowing whether or not the sale would be approved and how long it would take made them antsy.

We started looking at other homes, priced within their range and without the short sale waiting time. Why do they call it s-h-o-r-t sale anyway? This is a rhetoric question! After we had looked at a number of homes, Paul and Judi zeroed in on a lovely 2 bedroom home in a nice neighborhood. The privacy fenced yard was perfect for their two little dogs and what do you know...the screened lanai had a doggy door, perfectly sized for the bubbly pooches. We wrote an offer after getting a release from contract on the previous home.

The initial offer was countered by the sellers and after some soul searching, our clients accepted the seller's counter offer. Paul and Judi were happy and so were we! The home appraised for purchase price, homeinspection only revealed some minor issues, no termites found - ready to close!

We're happy to see our clients move into their new home. We're happy to see them excited and we're happy we were able to help them along the way. We will miss them and we hope Judi will continue emailing with us. Btw, if you are in Highlands County and looking to get beautified, stop by Judi's Place of Hair and Nails, 271 US 27 N (inbetween Highlands Today and the Chamber of Commerce). Call ahead for an appointment: 863-382-9911

The Little Realtor that could...

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:49:58 -0500

... fix an old air conditioner and save the deal!

Older home, fair market sale, USDA loan.

After the first offer was rejected by the seller, the second offer came in considerably higher but the home didn't appraise for that much. Seller agreed to reduce the purchase price to the appraisal amount and to pay 6% in seller's concessions (which really hurt!).

The inspection day revealed that the A/C is not functioning and the loan cannot close unless we have an A/C in working condition at full capacity. The buyer agent had an A/C specialist look at it to give an estimate of repairs: we need a completely new unit! $3,000! That's $3,000 the seller didn't have. We couldn't reduce the purchase price, which both parties would have agreed to do, because the loan wouldn't close unless there's a working A/C. Now what?

Not only am I married to Mr. Right, I'm also married to Mr. Fix-It, both the same person, which happens to be my partner in crime as well! Friday night, hubby and I went out there to take a look at the A/C. Our own blew out just a few months ago and he was able to fix it with a few new parts. After some thinking, my husband decided that if the thermostat panel doesn't work, the A/C can't work either and maybe all we need is a new thermostat panel. $15 at Home Depot. No, Mr. Right/Mr. Fix-It is not an A/C repair man!

Saturday morning he installed the new thermostat panel and voila! The A/C is working and at full capacity!

We are now awaiting another inspection!

Lakefront Home with Guest House - Short Sale

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:39:39 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

Lake Josephine Drive, Sebring, FL

Completely updated Lakefront Beauty!

5BR/4BA Single Family House

offered at $244,900

Year Built	1984
Sq Footage	3,259
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	4 full, 0 partial
Floors	2
Parking	4+ Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	0.927 acres
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

This lakefront, cedar of redwood home sits on just under 1 acre on beautiful Lake Josephine and has just been extensively remodeled and updated. The main house has 4 bedrooms/3 bathrooms with a large living/dining area featuring a stone fireplace. Family room overlooks lake. Oversized kitchen has a center island. Separate guest house has a full bath as well as a loft for your guests to sleep. Guesthouse would also make wonderful inlaw apartment. This is a short sale. Listing price may not be sufficient to pay the total of all liens and costs of sale, and sale of property at full list price requires approval of seller's lender. Allow 45 to 60 days to close. Proof of funds required with all offers.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- Family room	- Living room	- Dining room

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Guest House w/ loft and bathroom

- Lakefront w/ FREE sunsets

- Oversized kitchen w/island

- floor to ceiling stone fireplace

- 2 story home

- Extensively remodeled and updated

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 10, 2009, 5:05am PDT

Lakefront Getaway

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:14:32 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | 863.202.0729

1718 Sentinel Point Rd, Sebring, FL

Fisherman's Getaway!

2BR/1BA Single Family House

offered at $199,900

Year Built	1961
Sq Footage	745
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1 full, 0 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	4+ Uncovered spaces
Lot Size	30,400 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Always been dreaming about a romantic little getaway place by the lake? Here you go: Surrounded by granddaddy oaks for lots of privacy, boat dock, fireplace, eat in kitchen, hookups + septic for RV.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- Tile floor	- Living room	- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven	- Washer	- Dryer
- Yard

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Boat dock

- Fireplace

- Electrical hookups for RV

- Small septic tank for RV

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 10, 2009, 2:57am PDT

Fisherman's Ultimate Dream!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:52:12 -0500

Darrin & Andrea Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | mills@millsrealestate.net | 863.202.0729

2608 Pine Needle Drive, Sebring, FL

Fisherman's Ulitmate Dream!

3BR/2.5BA Single Family House

offered at $469,000

Year Built	2006
Sq Footage	2,967
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	Unspecified
Parking	4 Car garage
Lot Size	0.258 acres
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Privacy, breath taking lakeviews, 3 lakes in one for under $470,000. This is every Fisherman's ultimate dream! Fish all day long in 3 lakes, store all your toys in your giant 4 car garage, enjoy the breath taking views of Lake Josephine. Wood floors, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, energy efficient gas stove.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- High/Vaulted ceiling
- Walk-in closet	- Hardwood floor	- Tile floor
- Living room	- Dining room	- Dishwasher
- Refrigerator	- Stove/Oven	- Microwave
- Granite countertop	- Stainless steel appliances	- Washer
- Dryer	- Laundry area - garage	- Balcony, Deck, or Patio
- Yard

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Metal Roof

- Lake frontage (3 lakes, not just 1)

- Boat slip for two boats

- Electric boat lift

- gas stove

- 4 car garage for all your toys

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Contact info:

Darrin & Andrea Mills

ERA Advantage Realty

SL3189945

mills@millsrealestate.net

863.202.0729

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 10, 2009, 2:33am PDT

Short Sale buyer MUST submit pre-qual letter from Bank of America

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:56 -0500

What is that supposed to mean? My buyer wants to make an offer on this short sale and the listing agent states in the MLS and I quote: "Bank of America pre-qualification needed for all offers. Free appraisal and credit report if buyer finances through Bank of America Home Loans."

What if my buyer doesn't like to do business with Bank of America? What if my buyer has a pre-qualification from his own lender/bank already? Not good enough? Will you not present the offer and discriminate against my buyer if the pre-qualification is not from Bank of America?

Are you seeing this in your MLS as well? Is this STEERING?

Surviving the Recession - Money Saving Tips from Your Highlands County Realtors - Part 2

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:32:19 -0500

Surviving the Recession - Money Saving Tips from Your Highlands County Realtors - Part 2

In a previous post I talked about how to save a considerable amount of money on your electricity bill. Saving money on your energy bill is not only good for your wallet, it's also good for the environment! That's Two for the price of One.

Today, I would like to talk about saving money on your food bill. We all have to eat. Unlike other expenses, such as cable tv and gym memberships, we can't just give up eating. Eating healthy is an important topic these days and I have quiet a few tips that will save you money AND have added health benefits. Another Two for the price of One!

Dine In - it saves gas money, time, the restaurant's overhead, and the tip for the waiter and there's two ways to do it:

1. Purchase frozen pre-cooked meals . With pre-cooked meals, you save time by not having to cook it from scratch. Every grocer carries a wide variety of frozen meals and I don't mean boring tv-dinners. Give Bertolli a try. Stouffer's make a delicous family lasagne to feed 6 for around $8. Add a tossed salad and jello for dessert, voila! Dim the lights, put a fancy table cloth on the table, top it with your best dishes and enjoy the meal!

2. Cook it from scratch. Get your cookbooks out and if you don't have any or need more inspiration, check out AllRecipes.com. You will be amazed at the wealth of information: Recipes, how to's, videos etc. It doesn't get any better. You can even save your recipes in your on-site recipe box. Give it a try! Cooking from scratch is more time consuming than using frozen meals but how about making it a family affair? Have your kids chop the veggies, have your spouse fire up the grill while you take care of the side dish and dessert. It's quality time you can spend with your loved ones. There's another Two for the price of One!

Generic brands - I don't compromise when it comes to ketchup. It has to be Heinz! With everything else, I purchase the store brand or generic brand whenever possible. On average I save around $15 per week with generic brands. That's $ 780 per year. One great example: Oil of Olay Night Time Firming Cream is $11. WalMart's Generic brand is $5 and it has exactly the same ingredients!

Left Overs - purchase a couple of cheap plastic containers (it does not have to be TupperWare!) and save the left overs. Chicken legs make a great salad if you pick the meat off the bones and add mayo and some of your other favorite ingredients. Leftover potatoes make a breakfast dish: slice, add some onion, fry with cooking spray and pour two beaten eggs on top. Add some of the left over meat from last night too! Cook down that bone from your ham, add a variety of dry beans, tomatoes, veggies - voila, you have bean soup! I freeze left over gravies for another meal. You can do the same with left over veggies.

Sales - check those fliers from your grocer for items that will on sale. It pays to compare sales and use coupons if you have them. Plan your weekly meals with the sales flier in mind. Yes, this means trips to several stores but you might be able to combine the trips with other errands.

Dine Out - if you must dine out, and there's really nothing wrong with it - take advantage of the deals many restaurants offer now: My husband and I went to Chili's a while ago and tried out their $20 deals. We shared the appetizer, each had a great entree and then shared the dessert (which was plenty for both of us). All for $20! Last summer, we took advantage of McDonald's 59 cent cheeseburger deal. Now some might argue that going to McD's isn't dining out, especially if it's drive-thru. We still got a great deal (we oven baked our own fries and had our own iced-tea for less than $1 per glass).

Buying Bulk - if you have the extra freezer space, buy meat in bulk. Check Costco and Sam's Club for specials. Example: we'd buy a whole tenderloin and get 4 meals out of it: pork roast, pork stew (no different than beef stew!), pork steaks (no different than beef steaks!) and stir fry. We'd cut the whole tenderloin in sections to go into the freezer. To save time, you can season the meat before you freeze it. All you have left to do is thaw and cook!

Last but not least: have a list! - Write a list of all the items you NEED and stick to it. You will not be so tempted to pick up 10 other items you didnt' really need.