Real Estate Information

A nonprofit organization called Homes for Our Troops will be breaking ground this week for a double amputee veteran from the Iraq war. The three day Build Brigade is to frame, side and roof the home as well as install windows and doors.

The Build Brigade date has been set for SPC Puertas
Please join Homes for Our Troops September 16, 17 & 18th for this 3 day event!

Build Location
Robert's Island Rd.
Orlando, FL 32832

If you are interested in helping, please contact Community Outreach Coordinator, Jessica Peck at jpeck@homesforourtroops.org

SPC Luis Puertas was left a double amputee after an EFP explosion in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 20, 2006. You can find out more about Puertas and the project and how to help at http://www.homesforourtroops.org/LuisPuertas

His story is best captured in his own words

Contact Erna and Sigurdsson, Realtor at The Viking Team, Realty at 407-670-8545 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here.

How to buy a home after bankruptcy or foreclosure

Going through a foreclosure or a bankruptcy is difficult process and is emotionally tolling. It takes time to recover from those and people who have gone through that have doubts about when and if they can buy a home again.

The good news is that you can buy a home again after going through that process. The bad news is that it takes time, persistence and will. It is possible to get back on the horse and become a homeowner again, by making a financial plan and stick to it. It doesn’t happen overnight, it is a good idea to see a qualified credit counselor or a financial planner to get the best advice for your situation to set a plan and goals to stick to.

Check periodically to see what’s in your credit report, www.annualcreditreport.com is the official site to view what is being reported at the three credit reporting agencies. If there is anything there that shouldn’t be there or is being reported incorrectly then you need to work on fixing it now, rather than later when it starts to affect your ability to obtain credit.

Keep some available credit open. Once you pay off a credit card, do not close that account. Part of what goes into your credit score is how much of your available credit you are using. If you start closing accounts as soon as you pay off the charge, then you could be hurting your credit.

Save regularly, by putting a little bit into savings every month, you are proving that you can plan and stick to it and it shows that you are planning ahead for the future. You can also use the savings that you accumulate towards a down payment on a home.

Cash is King. An old phrase, but still valid today. If you have the cash to buy a home, then you do not need a mortgage and therefore don’t have to worry about your credit and financial history.

Generally it takes years to be able to buy a home after a foreclosure or a bankruptcy. If you were able to do a short sale on your home and avoid a foreclosure, most often, it is about two years until you can buy a home again.

Contact Erna and Petur Sigurdsson, Realtors at The Viking Team, Realty at 321-263-5096 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here. 

I have had so many people ask me about how the twins first day of school went. Last week I wrote a blog about Back to School safety and the Florida State sales tax holiday as my twins Laura and Kathryn were about to start Kindergarten. I wanted to give you a quick update on how it went.

Both girls were decked out in Hello Kitty, with Hello Kitty Shirts, a Skirt with Hello Kitty on it and of course their brand new Hello Kitty backpacks. I drove them to their new school, Winter Springs Elementary School, home of the Kangaroos, and dropped them off with their teachers. Both girls had been in the Free Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program that is offered by Florida State to prepare children for entering into Kindergarten.

Laura was very excited to start learning. She quickly found her name at her seat and sat down to color.

As we said good bye to her, she let us know that she would draw a picture for us to bring home.

In another classroom, I said good bye to her identical twin sister, Kathryn. It was much harder for Kathryn to say good bye and I was met with a bit of resistance to leaving. I stayed with her until the bell rang and class was about to start. As I left she gave me a big hug and didn't want to let go. Oh, sometimes it is so hard to be a parent. I left hoping that both would be having a great time and making new friends.

We at The Viking Team, Realty hope that those parents who have kids in school had a pleasant first day of school and lots of hugs and kisses from the little ones when they came back home.

Contact Erna and Petur Sigurdsson, Realtors at The Viking Team, Realty at 321-263-5096 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here. 

My twin girls Laura and Kathryn are about to start their first day of school on Monday. It is a very exciting time for us, I feel like they have grown up way too quickly and I'm wondering where all that time went. It seems like only yesterday that they were newborns relying on me for their every need, now they are ready to start going to school and learn with a class full of other students.

It prompted me to find out information about safety issues and preparing myself for this big step. I wanted to share with you a few good articles I found about school safety and also remind you that this weekend is the tax free holiday, from August 12th through the 14th.

Article form SafeKids.org "Protect Kids as They Head Back to School"

Here are some simple reminders for drivers:

• Slow down and be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully
• Watch for children on and near the road in the morning and after school hours
• Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
• Put down your phone and don’t talk or text while driving

Reminder for your kids:

• They should cross the street with an adult until they are at least 10 years old
• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks
• Never run out into the streets or cross in between parked cars
• Make sure they always walk in front of the bus where the driver can see them

http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-spotlight/back-to-school-safety/ 

Then for the Tax-Free Holiday which usually spurs retailers to offer sales and incentives for shoppers to take advantage of the tax holiday and save money.

What the 2011 Florida Legislature passed is that: No sales tax shall be collected on the sale of clothing, wallets, or bags, including handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags, but excluding briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags, having a sales price of $75 or less, or on sales of certain school supplies having a sales price of $15
or less for the period beginning 12:01 a.m. on August 12, 2011, and ending at 11:59 p.m. on August 14, 2011.

“Clothing” means any article of wearing apparel, including all footwear (except skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates), intended to be worn on
or about the human body. However, “clothing” does not include watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, handkerchiefs, or sporting equipment.

“School supplies” means pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper,
markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, protractors, compasses,
and calculators.

For the complete list on Tax free status on items during this tax free holiday visit: http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/tips/pdf/tip11a01-03_list.pdf 

Contact Erna and Petur Sigurdsson, Realtors at The Viking Team, Realty at 321-263-5096 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here. 

The S&P rating for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been reduced from AAA to AA+, the reasoning behind this decision is long term debt as well as other subjective factors regarding the economy. This may have some effects on interest rates in the future, but probably not by much soon. It is hard to tell how this will affect future mortgage rates, but as rates today are already at a low, the increase may not be as detrimental. Currently the interest rates range from 4.5% - 5.5% for a 30 year mortgage.

Watch this video with NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun for more information

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sandp-to-assess-impact-of-us-debt-downgrade-on-local-and-state-govts-fannie-and-freddie/2011/08/08/gIQAJ72L2I_story.html

The Brevard Zoo is located in Brevard County at

8225 N. Wickham Road in Melbourne, FL

It is only about an hours drive from Orlando, it has many interesting animals and is an affordable option for an activity to do with the whole family. If you have an annual membership at the Central Florida Zoo, the reciprocal agreement between the two zoos allow you for 50% off the ticket price at Brevard Zoo.

Recently we took a trip with the twins to the Zoo and we wanted to share the fun with our readers. Here is our trip in pictures from the Zoo.

Laura and Kathryn try out grooming a goat at the Petting Zoo

At the petting zoo, Laura and Kathryn try to talk to the Alpaca's which they kept calling Llama's. They also petted their necks and hugged the Alpaca's.

When the girls saw this Hyacinth Macaw, they instantly thought of Blu, a Blue Macaw from the movie Rio

The Kangaroo found in the Australia/Asia exhibit is munching on it's food.

As the day wears on Laura gets a little tired and wants to be carried, but she is still excited to see animals and eagerly points them out as she is carried by Justin.

In the Africa exhibit we marvel at the White Rhinoceros as he bathes in his water pit. We were looking for the Giraffes, but the day was warm and they wander around. We will use that excuse to go back sometime soon. We had such a great time and hope that you will check out the Brevard Zoo sometime in the future as well.

Photo Credits: Justin Neal with TEST Productions

Contact Erna and Petur Sigurdsson, Realtors at The Viking Team, Realty at 321-263-5096 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here. 

Home builders in the Orlando area of Central Florida are starting new developments, knowing that the slump is almost over.  They want to make sure that they will be ready when the market wakes up.  Today they are offering homes at a very affordable price with the purpose of keeping their building machine up and running.

For example David Weekley Homes is building new homes in Orlando. This tropical locale is a major tourist destination with beautiful beaches and an array of attractions. They offer beautifully-designed homes that combine style and comfort. In addition to elegant and innovative design, David Weekley homes boast classic exteriors and spacious interiors designed for the way you live.

As one of the largest Orlando home builders, they offer wide variety of floor plans and exteriors. They can help you customize your new home with an extensive selection of finishes, including flooring, paint colors, countertops, appliances, kitchen and bathroom fixtures and more.

Contact us as the Viking Team, Realty ( www.TheVikingTeam.com ) and allow us to show you and your customers New Homes in Orlando.

Craigslist Scams

In  light of recent occurrences relating to unauthorized posting of  listings on Craigslist by someone other than the listing agent, we would like to remind those who are looking to buy or rent Real estate to be careful.

We have seen properties that are currently listed as for sale being put on Craigslist listed as rental properties by scammers and usually listed at much lower value than the normal rent price in the area.

Keep in mind that scammers may be looking to get your personal information as well as your money.

Craigslist has a section on their site about scams and how to avoid them.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.

A recent article shows an example of this problem http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110606/NEWS/106060322/Growing-online-scam-uses-legitimate-sale-home-listings-trick-renters?odyssey=mod%7Cmostcom 

Contact Erna and Petur Sigurdsson, Realtors at The Viking Team, Realty at 321-263-5096 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here.  

Legoland will soon be opening in Central Florida, it will be a nice addition to the other theme parks that we already have. Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Wet'N'Wild are already popular destinations for tourists and locals alike.

From the Legoland web-site "LEGOLAND^® Florida, opening October 2011, is a 150-acre family theme park located in Winter Haven, just 45 minutes southwest of the Orlando theme parks or downtown Tampa. The Park will offer interactive attractions, family rides, shows, restaurants, shopping and beautiful landscape specifically geared for families with children ages 2 to12."

We have included a video on LEGOLAND for you to see for yourself how fun this park will be.

For more information and find out how to buy tickets, visit LEGOLAND's web-site.

Contact Erna and Petur Sigurdsson, Realtors at The Viking Team, Realty at 321-263-5096 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here. 

Our US Soldiers have fought hard to defend our country and the VA Loan program is out there to help them with purchasing a home. We encourage Veterans to take advantage of this program and not to be discouraged by myths that are out there about the program. A VA Loan is a guaranteed loan by the US Government, which guarantees 25% of the loan and NO Downpayment is required.

Common myths about the VA Loan:

Myth: Interest rates are higher on VA Loans

Fact: Interest rates are very competitive and you can choose any lender to work with.

Myth: VA Loans take too long to process *Government Red Tape*

Fact: VA uses an electronic system to verify qualifications and responds within a reasonable time frame. They are also very good at communicating with Veterans and if you work with a Realtor, the Realtor can help you through the process.

Myth: VA Appraisals take too long.

Fact: The VA has strict time standards for appraisers to complete their work and turn in the appraisal.

Myth: VA Loans are *not* assumable.

Fact: VA Loans are assumable.

Myth: You can not buy a home using a VA Loan with a person outside of your household.

Fact: You can buy a home with a VA Loan with people other than your spouse, parent or children, but your VA Loan guarantee will only apply to your portion of the loan, therefore if you buy it with one other person, the VA Loan will be 50%.

If you have questions about VA Loans and purchasing or selling a home with a VA Loan in the Central Florida area, feel free to contact us with your specific situation.

Contact Erna and Petur Sigurdsson, Realtors at The Viking Team, Realty at 321-263-5096 for help buying or selling a home in Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Seminole and Orange County and the surrounding areas of Central Florida. To Search For Homes For Sale in Central Florida Click Here.