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Too see the full statistics reported from the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, click this link – http://www.orlrealtor.com/resource/resmgr/docs_market_pulse/marketpulse022012.html

On the same day that these statistics came out, there was an article in the Orlando Sentinel entitled, “Florida, Metro Orlando Not Easing Out of Foreclosures.”

It stated that the four county Greater Orlando area had a fifth largest number of recorded foreclosure filings in the nation during February.  Granted, this has been expected somewhat since banks had a freeze on foreclosure filings for a while.

At the same time, there has been a revamp of the HARP (Home Affordable Refinance Program) which is hoped to reduce Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac secured loans that might have possibly gone the route of foreclosure.

You can read the full article here – http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-orlando-foreclosures-20120315,0,3866809.story

For information on Orlando real estate and Orlando  homes for sale in addition to Orlando relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Orlando Realtor @ 407-463-1034.  Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI  -  http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/  -  407-463-1034

You can read Marc’s other blogs Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

Marc It Sold!

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There is a mixed bag of results.  While the Average Mortgage Rate remained low, hovering at 4%, the Total Inventory of homes available for sale decreased while New Listings, New Contracts and those Under Contract (Pending) increased substantially.  Sales closed during the month of January decreased substantially as well at 24% less than the previous month.  Like I said, a mixed bag, but it does look like we are pointed in the right direction as I’ve seen activity picking up a great deal in my personal business.

‘Normal’ home sales accounted for 36% of all sales.  The Average and Median Sales Prices did decrease, but at the same time the Average Sales to List Price ratio increased to 95%.  The average Days on the Market decreased as well with it being just over 3 months.

A couple of definitions are in order.  The median sales price means that 50% of the homes sold for more and 50% of the homes sold for less during a certain period of time – in other words, it’s the midpoint of sale prices.  So basically what this means, is that the median sales price is showing market activity in that it’s specifically indicating which price range is more active.

The average sales price, as opposed to the median sales price, is the total volume of sold properties divided by the number of properties sold.

The sales to list price ratio is just that, you’re dividing the average sales price by the average list price and coming up with a percentage that tells you how much of the list price the average homes sold for.

There needs to be a disclaimer here.  These stats are only as good as telling us what it being purchased and happening at a certain period in time.  Also, it needs to be fully understood that not only is real estate local, but it is hyper-local.  What this means is that the trends that we hear about are overall.  Let’s put it this way, what’s happening in one neighborhood may not be realized in the neighborhood next door.

Additionally, these are only monthly statistics and to get a better scope of what is happening, you need to look at a longer period of time.  More high-end homes might be sold in one month as opposed to another.  By looking at a longer period, you will get a better overall picture.  It is all relative and this has to be understood when utilizing these stats.

The Market Pulse provided by the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association can be accessed via this link:  ORRA Market Pulse for January 2012.

For information on Seminole and Orange County real estate and Seminole and Orange County homes for sale in addition to Seminole and Orange County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Seminole and Orange County Realtor @ 407-463-1034.  Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate,West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI  -  http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/  -  407-463-1034

You can read Marc’s other blogs Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

Marc It Sold!

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This would allow Armando’s, Chez Vincent (one of my favorite restaurants) and Hannibal’s on the Square to extend their sidewalk seating onto E. Hannibal Square closing the street between New England and Welbourne Avenues nightly from 5pm to 11:30.  The trial period is through April 29^th.  At that time, the commissioners will evaluate whether to continue the street closings or not.

For information on Winter Park Orange and Seminole County real estate and Winter Park Orange and Seminole County homes for sale in addition to Winter Park Orange and Seminole County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Winter Park Orange and Seminole County Realtor @ 407-463-1034.  Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate,West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI  -  http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/  -  407-463-1034

You can read Marc’s other blogs Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

Marc It Sold!

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It is a free Art & Music Festival for the whole family with children’s activities as well as concerts in the Eddie Rose Amphitheater.

The Expo runs from 10am to 6pm on both days with free parking available in the Altamonte Mall parking lot.

According to the promoters, “The Expo is organized to bring art and music together and enhance the quality of life inCentral Floridain ways that only come from art.”

For more  information click on this link Uptown At Expo.

For information on Altamonte Springs and Seminole County real estate and Altamonte Springs and Seminole County homes for sale in addition to Altamonte Springs and Seminole County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Altamonte Springs and Seminole County Realtor @ 407-463-1034.  Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI  -  http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/  -  407-463-1034

You can read Marc’s other blogs:  Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

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For information on Apopka and Orange County real estate and Apopka and Orange County homes for sale in addition to Apopka and Orange County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Apopka and Orange County Realtor @ 407-463-1034.  Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate,WestVolusiaCounty andSouthLakeCounty.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI  -  http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/  -  407-463-1034

You can read Marc’s other blogs:  Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

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Advanced Placement allows high school students to pursue college-level studies earning college credit while still in high school.

According to the Orlando Sentinel article, “The Seminole County school district was one of five, and the only one in Central Florida, with at least 30 percent of its graduates leaving high school with a passing AP score.”

The report itself mentions that,Floridaremains the only state in the nation with a relatively large population of Hispanic/Latino graduates — nearly one in four graduates is Hispanic/Latino — that has achieved 100 percent AP equity and excellence for that population.

Read the Orlando Sentinel article and the College Board 8^th Annual AP Report to the Nation as well as the press release.

For information on Seminole County real estate and Seminole County homes for sale in addition to Seminole County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Seminole County Realtor @ 407-463-1034.  Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate,WestVolusiaCounty andSouthLakeCounty.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI  -  http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/  -  407-463-1034

You can read Marc’s other blogs Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

Marc It Sold!

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Forget about the past. It’s over and done with and no matter how much rumination you do about it, it won’t change the present.  This is the here and now.

OK, so let me take a step backward for a moment.  Let’s not totally forget about the past, just the learn and remember the lessons that it has taught us.  Now move forward!

We will most likely not see a real estate market like we’ve dealt with for the past 7 years.  With that said, real estate is and always has been cyclical.  There is an 18-year cycle to real estate, with the exception of the WWII time period.

Every depression is preceded by a boom of which real estate dominates.

So, of course, the question is when will this end?  When will housing values begin to increase?  A crystal ball is a wonderful item, but since the one I have doesn’t appear to work well….

In a perfect world…well this probably wouldn’t have happened.  What I’m trying to say is this.  There are many factors that will contribute to the when and where.  Right now with the price of oil, and therefore, gasoline being so high is a major contributing factor.  That will contribute to the lengthening of this recessionary cycle as well as some major global events.

But history indicates that a balanced market is on the horizon. We are already seeing some improvements, albeit not very dramatic or maybe even permanent.  But they are steps in the right direction.

OK, so enough doom and gloom.  The fact is that everything is relative.  Homes bought and sold in today’s market are equivalent.

Mortgage rates are still quite low.  We will not, or hopefully shouldn’t, see some of the mortgage products that were out there where we could purchase property with basically no documentation.  Unfortunately, we appear to have very short memories, so….time will tell.

Now on the bright side, unemployment is down and tourism, or at least the hotel occupancy rate, is up having hit a 3-year high.  These are some key factors in the Greater Orlando area which has a tourist economy.

The facts are that the month over month figures show that the number of sales are up as are the average and median sales prices.  Also, the inventory has been reducing and in greater numbers as each month passes.  The unfortunate item is that foreclosures and short sales still dominate the market, but this too shall change as well as we progress.

And that’s what it all comes down to – Progress – a movement toward a goal.

As always…Marc It Sold!…and have a great day!!

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A seven letter word, yet powerful in it’s own right.  Aretha Franklin said it so well in the song, Respect.  There are many levels and kinds of respect .  You may respect someone for a variety of different reasons and this could be considered esteem or admiration.  A butcher may have respect for their knives while a mountain climber for the elements.  Take for instance having respect for someone’s rights or that of a judge or court.  This may be considered deference, but it is nonetheless another form of respect.

Unfortunately, there are too many that feel that respect is a right.  It isn’t – it’s something that is earned.  It’s intangible, but at the same time, very real!  Before you can show respect for others, you must first have respect of yourself.  Conversely, for others to show you respect, you must respect others as well.

We take too much for granted in our daily lives and this includes the people around us.  I believe that a strong ingredient of respect is that of common courtesy.  Being courteous to others is not only respectful to others, but it directly reflects on you as a person. It means putting yourself in the other persons shoes instead of thinking of yourself first.

This reminds me of the “ME” generation of the 80’s where it was all about me, me, me!!  Personally, I could never understand that concept, yet I know of others, that still to this day, feel that it is all about ‘Me!’  Unfortunately, I always found this somewhat distasteful.  I may be wrong, but as much as I can respect someone’s viewpoint, I also find the ‘me’ thing as a lack of respect of others.  I don’t see how the two can co-exist.

I can go on and on with this topic, but it all comes down to that we have to learn and in some cases relearn what respect is.  I’m not saying to always put yourself in the backseat, so to speak.  You have to take care of yourself, but not at someone else’s expense. How can someone respect themselves while doing so?

Maybe I’m crazy…OK, let me rephrase that…I know I’m crazy and others with attest to this, but I also firmly believe that if you give common courtesy and respect you will get back an abundance of it.  It is not just a concept, but a way of life. Imagine what a better place this would be if we could all understand those two simple concepts and put them into actions.  Some may say I’m being a Pollyanna, but maybe if we all just started with someone….who knows how large this could grow!

As always….Marc It Sold!….and have a great day!!

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There comes a time at some point and for whatever reason that we may feel it is time to reinvent ourselves.  We all do it, even if we think that we don’t.  Of course, a lot of introspection comes with this.  This time of year and especially during the holidays, for most Easter and Passover, generally bring on a reflection of our lives – where we’ve been and where we are going.

‘Reinventing’ ourselves has become a buzz word as of late.  I’ve heard so many use it.  Some have called it a transformation.  Yes, I’m sure it is a sign of our times.  There is a lot of uncertainty out there.  We may be concerned about our job, our finances, where we are going – in short, OUR FUTURE!!

As I stated, a lot of introspection is needed now.  I obviously came to this crossroad as well.  How I got here probably differs from many for we all take our own path, but here I am, or I should say was.

I’ve been a licensed Real Estate and Mortgage Broker for almost 12 years.  I love what I do!!  I consider what I do as helping people achieve a goal and that is so rewarding to me.  I do not have an issue with change and actually embrace it!  I sometimes consider it a challenge and that is good for the mind, nevermind body and soul.

We all know, or should know, what has been occurring in the real estate and mortgage industries.  The news if full of it.  It has affected many of our lives greatly.  This is what has led to my questioning where I stand.  What should I do?  Where should I go?

After searching several different avenues and looking at some of the opportunities out there as well as the ones that I could create.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t want to be anywhere else.  I already love what I do.  I never wanted to fully leave real estate.  In fact, a very close friend and client said to me the other day, that real estate and I were made for each other.  I know that I’m good at what I do and, no, I’m not being an egotistical bastard.  But this compliment did make me think and helped in my reevaluation.

In fact, I’ve been very lucky throughout my life to have always loved what I was doing.  Unfortunately, too many can not say this, so I know that I’ve lived a very fortunate life!  What probably helps most, is that I have a very supportive partner.

If you are embarking on a reinvention or transformation – remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day!  In other words, you need to need to be patient with yourself and have a plan.  All this is for naught without some sort of plan.  Look at where you want to go and then look at what will it take to get there.  Do research, just don’t do this willy-nilly.  Otherwise you are setting yourself up for disaster and defeating your own purpose.

This is a new path that you are taking.  It involves many aspects of which education is a very important one.  But remember – life is an education.  School is not out yet.  That doesn’t happen until you take your last breath.

No matter what obstacles we’ve seen or are in our way, all we should be doing is looking forward.  This is not to say forget the past.  Otherwise you lose the lesson.

Believe in yourself – remind yourself of all your personal accomplishments.  At the same time, be true to yourself.  Don’t try to make something of yourself that you are not.  Not everyone is an entrepreneur.

Good luck on your journey!  You’re not alone!

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