August 30, 2008, Sanford, FL.

Yes, it’s gotten that bad, our neighbor right next door got her back bedroom wet this morning, and it’s over part of our seawall.  The Seminole county sheriff brought out their army trucks and a big flatbed full of sandbags.  They had our road blocked off from “sight-seers” and there was a helicopter going over head announcing to the neighborhood.  It was kind of like martial law!  It’s still supposed to keep rising between now and Tuesday, and today it rained all day, so that didn’t help.  If we get another storm we’re toast!  We brought home some boxes just in case we need to move some of our stuff quickly.  Too bad all of our rentals are finally full!  When people drive down the street, it pushes a wake and waves up into our yards/driveways.  We’ll put our sandbags out tomorrow.  Tim found a bunch of little grass shrimp and crawfish in the driveway, one had babies with her.  We also have tadpoles in our driveway!

SOLD!!! Call me for others available!

This Bank Owned Three Bedroom, 2 Bath with a 2 car garage and 1410 square foot under A/C.  It is priced W-A-Y less than similar homes in this great Casselberry neighborhood.  Close to schools, major roadways, and shopping.  Call Andy at 407-842-7700 for more information.  Or drive by 1025 Crystal Bowl Circle and THEN call me!

SOLD!!! Please call me for others!

This is an awesome 5 bedroom, 2 full bath and 2 half bath home with 3,163 ft. under a/c. In the gated community of “Preserve at Astor Farms” it overlooks a small pond. This house has every upgrade you could want including stainless steel appliances, butler’s pantry, cherry wood cabinets, double oven, paver driveway and more!

This house was taken back by the bank after a foreclosure, and the bank’s loss can be your gain! Call Andy at 407-842-7700 to see your dream home today! Lowest price in the neighborhood for this much square footage!

I know it’s not technically Seminole County, but I have 4 houses in Errol Estates Country Club that you or a friend might be interested in. All 4 homes are only about 2-3 years old, one is a 2,800 sq ft 4 bedroom, 3 bath and the other 3 are 3,233 sq ft 5 bedroom, 3 baths.

Prices range from $259-279-289,000 depending on the size and the amenities each property has.

These are all pre-foreclosure and short sales, which means whatever you offer on the property will have to be approved by the bank.

For more info or to schedule an appointment, call Andy at 407-842-7700

That’s exactly what my clients Tricia & Jim just did!  They are newlyweds and wanted to get out of the apartment complex they were in.  When things broke, the manager would never fix them, so Jim figured if he was fixing things anyway, it might as well be on his OWN house!

I was able to help them find a beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath in a great neighborhood in Longwood.  It has a big 2-car garage, a family room, a living room, a formal dining room AND the kitchen had already been remodeled! It was bank owned and it needed a little bit of cosmetic work like some paint, carpet, and the shower redone, but overall it passed the home inspection and termite inspection with flying colors!  In the end, they should have well over $50,000 in equity!  And we even got the Seller (the bank) to pay $6,000 of their closing costs for them!

Would you like me to help YOU find a house like that in Seminole County?  I specialize in finding your next home at great discount prices.  My background in the Foreclosure industry for almost 10 years has given me great insight into how the banks think and that lets me find the best deals.

Call me today to schedule a consultation over the phone.  It will cost you nothing but could make you thousands when you buy a home (just ask Tricia and Jim and their $50,000 +++ equity!  They could actually re-sell that house right now and make money…but I don’t think they’re going to!)

Andy Tolbert

407-842-7700

p.s. I’m the one in the light blue shirt in the picture!

Yes, it’s official, yesterday Governer Crist and other lawmakers decided to NOT let criminals with certain crimes on their records get a mortgage broker’s license. WOW! We are such a progressive state (that’s sarcasm by the way!)

Florida has always had a policy on this. Way back when I got my license (I think ‘96?) I had to go to the police station and have my fingerprints taken, supposedly for a background check. And yes, thank you, I passed! And so did my husband, Tim.

Would you, and should you, trust someone that is a former bank-robber or drug dealer with your most private information (including your social security number, bank accounts, etc.)?

Absolutely NOT. I firmly believe that there is nothing wrong with interviewing your mortgage broker or real estate agent and find out if THEY are the right ones to be working with. Go ahead. I’ve got nothing to hide!

Here’s a link to an article about this topic: http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n1-081308.cfm

Ready to buy a foreclosure bargain house in Seminole County? Call me today and let’s see if we will be able to work together! Yes, it’s a 2-way decision!

I get this question all the time, and there’s a lot of misinformation floating around out there, so I decided to get you some clarification.  This is as of 8/1/08 guidelines.

Please note, this is Fannie Mae’s Guidelines, so FHA, VA, and other types of loans will differ.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (liquidation):  4 years from the discharge or dismissal date

Chapter 13 (repayment plan):  2 years from discharge (paid as agreed) or 4 years from dismissal (kicked out)

Extenuating Circumstances: reduced to 2 years.

Multiple Bankruptcies:  5 years (exceptions may reduce it to 3 years)

Foreclosure:  must wait 5 years from the date of completion, and then from years 5-7, must put minimum 10% down and must have a credit score of 680 or more.  Primary residence only.  (extenuating circumstances can reduce it to 3%)

Deed-in-lieu-of-foreclosure: must wait 4 years from the date you deed property back to lender.  Then from year 4-7 may require a larger downpayment. (extenuating circumstances: reduced to 2 years, but still may need larger downpayment from year 2-7)

Short Sale / pre-foreclosure sale:  2 years with no additional requirements or guidelines. (no extenuating circumstances)

As you can see from the guidelines, a short sale is better than a deed in lieu, and a deed in lieu is better than a full-blown foreclosure.

Hopefully this will help folks out who are facing tough decisions.

Here’s a link to see the actual FNMA guidelines that were released.

AndyTolbert

Now THAT’S a headline for you!

WINK News out of Fort Myers Florida obviously wants to draw your attention to the plight of the neighborhoods with abandoned houses with pools that may become breeding grounds for mosquitos.  I’m sure we may have the same concerns here in Seminole County when it comes to foreclosure houses.

Here’s the thing though, they made a big deal about it, but when the inspector actually looked, out of 100 “problem homes” there was only ONE that was a breeding ground.  Is the whole Florida Foreclosure Home Crisis getting blown out of proportion?

Yes, it’s just another sign of the times…

Here’s the link to the article if you want to see the cute fishy that eats the mosquito larvae!  http://www.winknews.com/news/local/26844234.html

See you next time.

Do you believe it? According to an article in the Orlando Business Journal, so far this year (Jan-July) 4.83 out of every 100 homes in Florida has had a filing already this year!

That’s almost 5%!  That’s about 1 out of every 20 homes!  How many does that mean are on your street?

Wow.

While I hate what is happening (in many cases to good friends of mine!) It does make a huge opportunity for you to buy a foreclosure home in Seminole County Florida!

The Seminole County Florida real estate market has always been and will continue to be very desireable, even in this market.  Are you ready to buy?  Check back to this new resource regularly and see what we have in store for you!

Andy Tolbert

p.s. Tell a Friend!

oh, p.p.s.  Here’s the link to the OBJ article: http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/08/11/daily7.html?f=et70&ana=e_du

This site is the sounding board for the Seminole County Foreclosure Market, including available properties and statistics.

Authored by Andy Tolbert, the Florida Foreclosure Expert, and Tim Tolbert, Mortgage Finance Expert, who also just happen to be  15-year Seminole County residents AND Florida natives!

Check back often to see what’s happening in your own backyard (or let me help you FIND your own new backyard!)