Believe it or not, planning a wedding and buying a house are two major events in your life that are very similar in nature. Since weddings have a lot of moving parts and, depending on the parents, can quite be expensive, it's always a good idea to meet with a wedding planner prior to actually planning the event. If you don't, it can become very overwhelming, and you may find that you don't have the appropriate resources to put it all together.

Well, when you're buying a house in central Florida, it's no different!

Since buying a house is typically one of the biggest investments that a person will ever make in their life, it's very important before you start the home search that you partner with a knowledgeable buyer specialist. Just like a wedding planner, a good buyer specialist will find out what's important to you when buying your home and can then put the proper resources in place to make it happen. They will also update you on the local Orlando real estate market, educate you on the local buying process, and have a list of trusted vendors which could be used during the closing process (i.e. home inspector, termite, home insurance, etc.).

Unfortunately, in the Orlando real estate market, some agents don't take time to sit down with their buyers prior to helping them with their home search. They typically just find out your criteria, put you on an email notification system on the web, and tell you to call them when you find something that you like. Then, they simply show you the house because they have the key to get you in.

On the other hand, when you partner with a good buyer specialist, at the initial consultation they will actually ask you the right questions to find out what's important to you about buying your next home. They will then find out the details of what type of home you are looking for and why those details are important to you. The buyer specialist will then start searching for that perfect house for you by setting up a search on the local MLS. Rather than having all of the new listings come to you, they look through them first to make sure they match your criteria; then, they will send it along. They will also talk to other agents about your requirements to try and find new properties that are not on the market yet. For example, if there is a particular neighborhood that you are interested in and there is nothing for sale that matches your criteria, they will call the homeowners in the neighborhood to try to find someone who may have been thinking about selling their house. 

The difference is clear: under the passive approach, you as the buyer are doing most of the work during the home search process, while with the aggressive approach, the REALTOR is actually doing the work in finding you your next home. Ultimately the aggressive approach will save you both time and money in the long run, plus a much better central Florida home-buying experience! 

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.

Since first impressions are everything in Orlando real estate, it is vitally important to spend time and money to ensure your home has the best curb appeal. This is very important for two reasons:

First of all, when potential buyers are looking at central Florida houses on the Internet, the picture they will see first is the one of your exterior of the home. Within a few seconds, buyers will be making decisions about your home based on that one picture. Even though your home may have a beautiful interior, if the exterior doesn't show well, the buyers won't even look at the additional pictures and may just move onto the net property.

Secondly, according to the National Association of Realtors, over 63% of potential buyers will do a drive by a property prior to scheduling a showing with their agent. The exterior of the house will serve as a snapshot to potential buyers of what's inside of the property; because of this, you want to make sure that you have great curb appeal that will entice them to want to come inside. 

Here are the Top 5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Curb Appeal:

1. Wash the exterior of the house: Soap, water or even a pressure washer can easily clean the outside of your home. Also, if the exterior paint is old and faded, a fresh paint job may cost you a couple of thousand dollars, but it could add $10,000-$15,000 more to the sales price for some homes. 

2. Maintain a well-manicured lawn: Cut back trees and bushes so that the exterior of the house can be seen. Add fresh flowers to the flower beds, make sure the yard is always cut, and plant some flowers to add color to the house. You could even add a flower pot by the front door.

3. Clean the roof shingles or tiles on the roof so they show well: Since replacing a roof can be very costly, it is important to have the roof look as good as possible so buyers don't cross your home off their list, thinking your home is in need of a new roof.

4. Clean the driveway & walkway: If needed, pressure wash the driveway, sidewalk, and walkway to the front door. 

5. Highlight your front door: One of the most important things you can do is make sure that the front door to your home shows well. The front door is the first thing that a potential buyer will see and touch prior to entering the house. How it looks and feels will resonate with them as they go through the house. If the door handle is tarnished or old, upgrade it. If the front door needs some fresh paint, paint it. You want their first impression of the house to be positive and not one of what else they need to do prior to moving into the house. 

Lastly and most importantly, it is always a good idea to partner yourself up with an experienced and knowledgeable Orlando REALTOR who can recommend you things that you would need to do to improve your home's curb appeal. If you don't, it could ultimately cost you thousands of dollars in the long run. 

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.

It is so exciting when a buyer finds a home they fall in love with and puts a contract on it! When an offer turns into a contract, the buyer will have to write a check for a deposit at that time, which can be cashed and used at the closing. What many buyers don't realize is that during the closing process, their deposit money could be at risk if they are not paying attention to the timelines of the contingencies that are in their contract. 

In the state of Florida, there are three main contingencies which you need to stay on top of during the closing process: 

The Inspection Contingency: This is the period of time you have to do the inspections of the Orlando property. It is also known as the inspection period. Since the time period is negotiable, it typically varies between 5 to 15 days from the effective date of the contract. Basically, you are able to do any type of inspections you want for the property during that time period; however, the property has to be left in the condition it was in at the time of the contract. These inspections typically consist of a home inspection as well as a termite inspection, but they could also include a septic and well inspection. Also, keep in mind that the buyer would be paying for all of the inspections, not the seller.

By the end of the inspection period, the buyer has to make some decisions depending on the type of contract they have on the home. Since most REALTORs in Florida use an "As Is" contract, we will focus on this type of contract.

With an "As Is" contract they would need to let the sellers know by the end of the inspection period if they are moving forward with the contract or backing out. They could also ask for some repairs on the property; however, per the contract, the seller would not be required to do them. If they decide to back out of the contract, they would be able to get their deposit back, but they would not be refunded for the money they spent on the inspections. If they wait until after the inspection contingency period to back out of the contract, they would, unfortunately, lose their escrow. Always make sure that you understand when the inspection ends!

The Appraisal Contingency: This is usually performed after inspections and is usually within the 2nd or 3rd week of the contract. If the appraisal comes in at or above the contracted price, the purchase can proceed to move forward with the lender. However, if the appraisal comes back lower than the contracted price, the buyer could back out of the contract and get their deposit back. Since the buyer is responsible for the payment of the appraisal, it is important to be partnered with an experienced REALTOR who can make sure you are not wasting your time on an overpriced listing prior to going under contract. 

The Financial Contingency: The last and typically the longest contingency is the financial contingency, which is typically 30-45 days from the effective date of the contract. This is the period of time that the buyers have to receive a commitment letter from their lender stating that their lender will be providing them with the funds necessary to purchase the property. During this period of time, the buyer will be working closely with the lender to provide them with the paperwork needed to process the loan. 

This is also the period of time that the appraisal would take place on the property. If the buyer is unable to get the loan prior to the end of the financial contingency, they would be able to get out of the contract and get their deposit back. However, if it is after the financial contingency they would, unfortunately, lose their deposit. 

If the buyer is purchasing their Orlando home with cash, there is no financial contingency within the contract. 

All in all, the most important thing you can do as a buyer is make sure you are working with an experienced and knowledgeable REALTOR who is able to take care of all of the transnational deals so you don't get into a situation where you are able to lose your deposit. Working with the wrong agent could cost you thousands of dollars if they fail to keep you informed and on top of all of the contingencies within the contract.

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.

When you decide to sell your Orlando home, one of the biggest decisions you have to make is which REALTOR you are going to partner up with to get it sold. Since choosing your REALTOR can either save you time or cost you thousands of dollars, it is very important to pick the right one. Experience shows a common mistake made by sellers is choosing the agent who promises them the highest price without any recent comprehensive reports or analysis done to support that number.  

So why would a central Florida REALTOR do this? The main reason is that they know if they promise you a higher amount than other agents, it increases their odds of winning your business. Once they get you to sign their listing agreement for either 6 months to a year, they know that over the course of the agreement, they will convince you to continue to lower your price on the home because you need to sell. In the real estate industry, it's called "Buying Listings" when a REALTOR does this. Unfortunately, when a seller overprices their house, the statistics show that it takes twice as long to sell and it sells for 4% less than homes which are priced accurately. So, as the seller, you get hurt while the agent still gets their commission. 

So, the next time you are thinking about selling your home, don't fall for this trick. Make sure you choose the best Orlando agent rather than the one who just tells you what you want to hear. Also, when they are providing their pricing options, make sure their competitive market analysis supports the final number. If it doesn't, then it's best for you to move on to another agent. It's always more important to find an agent who can consult, negotiate, and organize the marketing of your home rather than an agent who tells you that the price that you want is the price you can get. 

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.

When you are purchasing an Orlando home, it can often be difficult and stressful to write a winning offer. Multiply that stress level by 10, when the dream home you are madly in love with has multiple offers on it from other buyers! The good news is that there are some things we do with our buyers to help them win the contract on their dream central Florida home.

First of all, before you write an offer, you need to know if there are already multiple offers on the property. Knowing this up-front will help you determine how aggressive you would need to be in writing your offer. If there are multiple offers here are some things we recommend:

1. The first thing we recommend is using an "escalatory clause" in their offer. An escalatory clause will allow you to put a certain purchase price on your offer, but it also states that you agree to a certain dollar amount over the highest bidder and only up to a certain price point. The upper price point has to be the number that you would be comfortable going up to -- one you would not feel bothered with if you lost the home or if it sold for more than that price. For example, let's assume that you are writing an offer for a home listed at $200,000. On your offer, you put a purchase price of $200,000; however, you also have an escalatory clause that states you are willing to pay $1,000 more than the highest bidder up to $210,000. If the highest offer comes in at $205,000, rather than you losing the deal to another buyer, you win it with a purchase price of $206,000! Since most REALTORS don't use the escalatory clause, we have found that if we come in with an aggressive price and use the escalatory clause, our buyers typically win the contract! 

2. We also recommend putting down a large escrow to show the sellers that you are a serious buyer. Of course, it depends on the price of the house, but a $10,000 escrow will say a lot more to a seller than a $1,000 escrow. If you look like a serious buyer to the sellers, they will be more willing to negotiate with you to put the deal together. 

3. We would also recommend writing a clean offer with some items that would make it stand out from the rest:

• A short inspection period
• A shorter financial contingency if your lender is able to do so
• No home warranty
• No sales contingency (you have to sell your home first before you buy it)
• No seller concessions

4. The last thing we recommend our buyers to do to win the contract is to write a "boost letter" to the sellers. In the letter, the buyers can share how much they love the house and how it would be perfect for their family. In many cases, it is important to the sellers that they find a family that will be able to make memories in their home just as they did. This is probably one of the most crucial things you can do to win the contract!

Lastly and probably the most important, make sure you partner with the right REALTOR. Over the ten years of being in business, we have seen many buyers lose out on getting a home because they were poorly represented by their real estate agent. So, when you are buying a home, always make sure that you take the time to find the right REALTOR, with the experience and expertise to not only help you find a home but who will also help you win when there are multiple offers on the table.

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.

Once you find a central Florida home that you fall in love with, you need to make sure that your first offer to the seller gives you a high probability of getting the home. You don't want to submit an offer that may insult a seller or not make you seem like a serious buyer. You also don't want to offer too much for the Orlando property if you could have possibly gotten it for a better price. 

Before you write an offer, you should consider the following 3 things: 

1. The first thing you need to understand is how the home is priced compared to recently sold properties in the surrounding area. Your REALTOR should be able to provide a market analysis for you, which will show you if the home is priced below market value, at market value, or above market value. Depending on how it is priced, it will help you determine what price point your first offer should be. 

2. You will also need to understand how long the property has been on the market. If it just came onto the market, your starting price may be a little bit higher compared to a house that has been on the market for the past 6 months. We typically find that the longer a home is on the market, the stronger the motivation of the seller may have in getting it under contract. 

3. Additionally, you will want to consider the condition of the property, If the property needs a lot of work and it is not priced appropriately, you could account for this on your initial offer. This doesn't mean that if a house has a tiled house and you want wood floors you can abstract the cost to install the wood floors for the price. It means if a house needs a new roof, AC, or anything else, these items should be considered if they are not already accounted for in the price. 

Lastly and most importantly, if there are multiple offers on the home you are wanting to purchase, all bets are off. In these types of scenarios, you will need to put your highest and best offer upfront in order to help you win the contract. 

The key is to make sure that you are working with an Orlando REALTOR who has the experience and expertise to advise you on how to make that "winning offer." There are many deals which are lost because the buyer did not receive the best advice from their agent. 

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.

When you are trying to get your Orlando house in top showing condition prior to listing it with a REALTOR, it's important to have the inside of the house staged to impress. Staged homes consistently sell for more money and take a shorter period of time to get under contract than non-staged homes. This doesn't mean that you have to hire a stager; most of the things that are required you can do yourself. Just follow the 3 D's of staging to get your house in top showing condition:

Declutter: You will want to remove all of the extra clutter in each room to show as much space as possible. The more space you can show, the larger the rooms will look to Orlando buyers on the Internet and in person. 

Deodorize: If you have pets, you want to make sure that your house doesn't smell like them! If you have carpet, make sure that you get them steam-cleaned prior to putting your house on the market. Also, it's beneficial to have a plug-in air freshener near the front door -- that way, when a buyer first comes in, it appeals to their senses in a positive manner! (Cinnamon and French Vanilla are the recommended fragrances.) Even if you don't have a pet, having an air freshener by the front door wouldn't be a bad idea.

Depersonalize: Take down all personal pictures around the house, especially on the refrigerator! You want to make it easy for the buyers to picture themselves living in your house. If you keep the pictures up, it will make it a lot harder for them to do that. Therefore, we recommend taking the personal pictures down. It will also allow the buyers to be able to focus on your home and not on your pictures as they walk through your property.

Lastly and most importantly, make sure that you are partnered with an experienced central Florida REALTOR who is able to recommend the things that you would need to do to get your house in top showing condition. You don't want someone who will just tell you what you want to hear! You want an experienced and knowledgeable REALTOR who will tell you what you what recommended changes to make, no matter how "painful" it may be.  

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.

The number one question we get asked by Orlando homeowners is what would they need to do to get their home sold for top dollar and within a short period of time. Our answer is always the same: PRIOR to having the pictures taken of your house and PRIOR to putting your house on the market, take the time to get your house in top showing condition. First impressions are everything on the Internet, so take the time to get it right before you put it on the market.  

Curb appeal:

Since the exterior of the home is the first picture buyers are going to see, it's imperative that you invest time and money into making your house stand out from the rest. When the buyers are looking online (95% of home buyers do), and if they don't like the exterior of the home, they will skip your listing and move onto the next home. So, even if the inside of your central Florida home looks spectacular, they will never see it if your curb appeal is not up to par. Whatever changes you do decide to make, make sure that your home has great curb appeal!

Make sure the inside of the home appeals to the masses:

In order to drive as much traffic as possible through your front door, it's important that you have the interior of your Orlando home appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. This means that it can't only appeal to you and your taste! This is done by neutralizing the colors of the house to a soft earth tone color (preferably light beige). You don't want any bright colors or even dark colors throughout the house. The bright colors will scare buyers away, while the dark colors will make your rooms look smaller than they actually are.  

You will also want to take down any artwork or personal items that may not be appealing to the majority of buyers, such as particular sports team memorabilia or personal photographs. Remember: the more people your house appeals to, the higher your home will sell for compared to other homes!

Staging your home to sell:

Lastly, you must take the time to stage your house so when people see it on the Internet or when they come through the property, they will be more likely to fall in love with it. This doesn't mean that you have to pay someone to come to the property to stage it for you. Much of the staging you can do yourself by de-cluttering all of the rooms and taking down personal pictures.

The Bottom Line:

The bottom line is this: for all of the blood, sweat, tears, and money that you put into your house to get it in top showing condition, you will get it back four-fold on the price! Isn't that what you are wanting to accomplish anyway?

For more information on this or if you need trusted realtors to represent you, feel free to Contact Us, and we would be more than happy to assist you. "Get Real Estate Smart" with The Millers!

The Miller Realty Group is a successful real estate team who provides real estate solutions for residential homeowners in the metro Orlando real estate market, including Lake Mary, Longwood, Heathrow, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, and surrounding cities. Founded in 2006, The Miller Realty Group has transformed themselves into one of the top real estate teams in Central Florida.