Happy Labor Day!

Let's get it... SOLD!

Did you know that 94% of buyers use the Internet to find their home & last year 64% of the sellers did NOT sell their house! Those numbers are not adding up because with today's technology you need a real estate agent that is current with today's trend...
Realty Executives provides us with all the tools we need to advertise and show your home to millions worldwide. We are connected with today's technology and we KNOW that buyers are searching on their computers, phones, and tablets through Google, Yahoo, Manta and more... We also know that in this busy world they are communicating via text messaging, social websites, and email. This is EXACTLY how we will reach buyers across the world too! I won't just put an Open House sign out front, I will provide detailed tours of your house 24 hours a day on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Blogger, & more... I will utilize Linkedin, Instagram, Stumblupon, Tumblr, Four Square, just to name a few as well. There is always 24 hour access on my website providing buyers with Details and Pictures of your Home, Neighborhood News, School Zones, as well as mortgage information and pre-approval help! I will share your listing information with Brokers, Realtors, and Investors worldwide. We all know we get just one chance when someone clicks on our website, but we have the Cutting Edge Technology to provide buyers with Everything they want to know then and there! www.ListingLakeMary.com

Is it Fashion or FO…?

Labor Day, celebrated in the U.S. on the first Monday of September, marked the traditional end of summer; where it was time to ditch the summer duds and dust off our darker-colored fall clothing. It’s back in the city, back to school, & onto a new fall wardrobe. That line in the “Dukes of Hazzards” always rings in my ear and makes me laugh… “Don’t ya know you’re not supposed to wear white after Labor Day!” It’s funny, but it makes ya think twice… For centuries, wearing white in the summer was simply a way to stay cool and with all the magazines centered in big cities and in northern climates the color white was considered a season! In the hot summer months, white clothing kept New York fashion editors cool, however, moving forward into fall with heavy rain and mud it was too risky for a white ensemble. Harper’s Bazaar & Vogue set the tone for our country and it became a fashion rule “NOT” to wear white after Labor Day!
Then in the 1920’s came along…. Coco Chanel who made white a year-round staple! Fashion rules are meant to be broken by those who can pull it off and white looks really fresh when people aren't expecting it. Today’s fashionista’s get as many ideas from blogs and friends as from magazines and Fashion Week and more people than ever are breaking the rule. Even etiquette author Emily Post gave us the go-ahead for wearing white after Labor Day! So we gave it a new name calling it Winter White! Whether it’s a color, a season, or a fashion statement… “Don’t ya know NOW… it’s ok to wear white after Labor Day!

Calling all House Hunters!

If you or a friend are looking to buy, invest, or sell a home, please use my site to assist you...!

http://kris-julian.com/ Just register by adding your name and email and this will provide you your own personal page! It will store all your favorites and alert you when something in your area comes on the market! Search for any type of property, anywhere, and when you see a property you like just click on the photo to view all the details! This also allows you to Inquire, Share it with a friend, Print, View the Virtual Tour, or Request a Showing!

Lake Mary Home Prices and Home Values

The Real Estate Market Reports are in for July 2012 & Lake Mary homes values were up again! Here are the results! - Up 0.1% compared to June 2012 and - Up 1.8% compared to July 2011 Currently the Average Home is valued at-$ 199,300

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one...” Mother Teresa

Please remember that there are so many kids in our local schools whose parents are having really tough times and are currently HOMELESS and in need of our help. There is a donation box located at my office at 3899 W. Lake Mary Blvd. Suite 123 in Lake Mary, for non-perishable food items and we will be getting them to the Seminole County school coordinator as soon as the box is full! Kind acts can be contagious, so pass it along... No one should ever go hungry!

Beautiful Home Office Inspirations...

Our "Book Club" choice this month is...

P.S. Everyone needs a Book Club they are simply the best...xo

Rezoning of Seminole County Schools

School leaders gave the go-ahead to pursue a massive rezoning of Seminole County elementary schools, as well as eventually rezoning the middle and high schools too. Officials are hoping to balance student enrollments between schools that are overcrowded and those that are far under capacity. The board agreed to start the process to rezone elementary schools for the 2013-14 school year, high school the 2014-15, and middle by 2015-16. The elementary schools in the Northwest Cluster at Sanford are overcrowded and need relief. Those include Bentley, Crystal Lake, Idyllwilde and Wilson. Farther south, Heathrow and Spring Lake elementaries have too many students, too. At the same time, some elementary schools such as Carillon and Layer are under capacity. Many of the county's 36 elementary schools could be affected as officials try to level out enrollments among schools. Lake Brantley High School is nearing capacity along with Seminole High, which currently has 3,300 students. While Oviedo High is only three-quarters full, but it's on the opposite side of the county. Among middle schools, Milwee, South Seminole, Millennium, and Sanford are overcrowded, while Greenwood Lakes is under capacity. They are hesitant to make changes for the middle- and high-schools because they want to put magnet programs into the equation. Suggesting duplicating magnet programs to both alleviate overcrowding and reduce transportation costs. Starting a second International Baccalaureate program in a high school on the east side of the county, for example, could relieve some crowding at Seminole High, where the county's only IB program is located. During the rezoning process, the board also wants to consider where new housing is being built in the county. They reported that about 3,000 housing units are in the works and could add an estimated 1,000 students. A planned Renaissance Charter set to open next year could move nearly 900 students from traditional schools, and three more charters are in the works as well. The board hopes to have the new zones agreed upon in place by mid-winter! While the elementary school rezoning will affect Sanford area elementary schools, they have no intention of dismantling racial equality in education that the clusters were designed to help promote. The two cluster zones were set up in the late 1990s as part of the district's efforts to get out from under decades-old federal desegregation orders. Parents have been able to choose among several schools, based on where they live. The clusters might go away under the rezoning, but officials say they want to work toward balancing students in county schools based on family income, rather than race.

Orlando Housing Market Report - July 2012

Pre Approval Letter's are a MUST!

You have to submit a pre-approval letter with any offer you are going to make. The inventory is low, the bids are higher, and the competition is tough! So make sure you get your pre approval letter prior to falling in love with a property or you will be disappointed! Contact: Bill Siegrist Mortgage Consultant - Shareholder FBC Mortgage LLC Phone: (407) 221-0674 Fax: 866-526-5815 bsiegrist@fbchomeloans.com www.billsiegrist.com

What is Amendment 4?

It is a constitutional amendment on Florida’s ballot this year. This proposal will lower property taxes for new home buyers and spur much-needed economic growth in the housing market by offering a healthy new exemption for first-time home buyers. Amendment 4 will also protect working families, small businesses and homeowners from unfair and unexpected tax increases by helping to stop “recapture,” a tax gimmick that increases property taxes even when property values decline. Finally, Amendment 4 will lower assessment increases on non-homestead properties from a burdensome 10 percent to a more reasonable 5 percent. Bottom Line Amendment 4 creates an additional homestead exemption for first-time home buyers for 5 years. Amendment 4 protects Floridians from increased property taxes when their property values have declined. Amendment 4 lowers the maximum yearly assessment increase on non-homestead properties from 10 percent to 5 percent.

The Riviera in Lake Mary

I'd love to show you around the Riviera where you can get all the benefits of home ownership without all the responsibility of a house. This community features unique 3-story town-homes with garages for under $200,00.00. Highlights include a quaint community of only 39 town homes, a community pool, and cabana! Centrally located in highly desirable Lake Mary with easy access to major roadways including I-4 and SR 417 just 15 minutes to Sanford International Airport and 20 minutes to Downtown Orlando. This beautiful City of Lakes is filled with Shopping, Restaurants, Entertainment, Walking and Biking Trails, & so much more... Schedule a viewing with me today...! krisjulian@att.net

National Night Out 2012

Date: Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 Time: 6pm - 9pm Location: Central Park

Looking to decorate or update a room...? You have to check out HOUZZ...

With all of today's technology there is an endless supply of resources on the web to gather ideas and learn anything from remodeling, home design, landscapes, and/or... do it yourself projects galore! The largest collection of interior design and decorating ideas are available on HOUZZ @ www.houzz.com not only does it provide helpful tips, but it also offers referrals in your area, professional answers to your questions, and a type of wish list you can keep on the site when you see something you want to save for your next project. Houzz has the latest social features including the ability to visually follow the activity of design professionals, photo recommendations, and helpful green tags within the photos that provide detailed product information. The Houzz website is attracting more than 2.5 million monthly homeowners and professionals who are engaged in remodeling projects, resulting in more than 50 million page views a month. In addition to the web site, one million homeowners and professionals have downloaded the iPad app, giving it more than 15K five-star reviews and generating more than 100M app page views every month. Houzz was founded proudly by a husband-and-wife team Alon Cohen and Adi Tatarko and I am a huge fan of this site! You can check out my favorites at http://www.houzz.com/user/krisjulian or log in and create your own!

Jus sittin' here dreaming... I was here on this rainy Sunday afternoon...

Thanks to... Architecturefanatsy.com http://www.facebook.com/architecturefantasy

June 2012 Recap... Buyers are Eager!

Is it a sellers market again...? 44% of Orlando buyers paid the listing price or above! The stats are in and 27% of the homes sold were Normal Sales, 60% were Foreclosures, and 48% were Short Sales. There were 2,449 Homes Sold in all! GOOD NEWS... it looks like the market is continuing it's upward trend!

Homes have Potential by your own Design!

Take advantage of the market and find a lower priced home that can be transformed into your own dream home by half the cost! A fixer upper has the potential to become anything you want it to be. That's the glory of a lower priced home, you can actually get exactly what you are looking for by your own design and increase the value when it's time to sell! Get a vision of exactly what you want and then start looking for the base of the design. Whether it's as simple as landscape or changing the entire structure, just think outside the box. Start by finding the area you want to live and make sure the changes are going to be approved by the Homeowner's Association. Then negotiate the price based on the task at hand, however, keep in mind most fixer uppers are sold "As Is" and the price is already taken into consideration. Do your homework and get your estimates for the renovation ahead of time to make sure you are staying within your budget, don't get over your head with renovating costs and find that you can't complete the job. Also, pace yourself, fixer uppers can't be done in a day so pre-plan the projects in the priority in which they need to be done. Finally, save time and money and get the family involved, it's a great bonding and learning experience for all! Here are some amazing transformation pics of homes built many many years ago that look completely modern and brand new! There are a ton of areas in Central Florida that truly have great potential to becoming transformed and I would be more than happy to help you get inspired to create your dream home too...! Check out these BEFORE & AFTER...

REGISTER TO VOTE!

Monday 08/06/2012 is the deadline for Florida residents to register to vote in the upcoming state primary elections or change their party affiliation. The state's primary for U.S. and Florida House and Senate elections will take place on Aug. 14. Only residents registered with a political party can vote in their party's primary. Residents must be 18 or older, be a U.S. citizen and live in Florida in order to qualify to vote. Some locations will stay open late Monday to register voters. Here are links to the Supervisor of Elections websites: http://www.voteseminole.org/ http://www.ocfelections.com/ http://www.volusia.org/elections/ http://www.voteosceola.com/en/ If you aren't currently registered to vote, or know someone who hasn't registered, please do so as soon as possible so you will be able to participate in all the upcoming elections. You can check your voter status here: http://registration.elections.myflorida.com/CheckVoterStatus Here are some links I found where you will be able to register... http://election.dos.state.fl.us/pdf/webappform.pdf http://www.rockthevote.com http://GottaRegister.com/

Brand New Condos on the Fairway!

Florida's Tax Free Weekend for 2012 is back!

If you are looking for a way to save a little money on back to school purchases, then the tax break can help you out. Starting at 12:01 a.m. on August 3rd until midnight on August 5, 2012, the Florida Department of Revenue is offering a three day, tax free shopping spree on selected articles of clothing, wallets, backpacks and much more. Included in the list: Clothing and related items with a sales price of $75 or less, School supplies with a sales price of $15 or less, however, Books are not exempt from tax during the 2012 Sales Tax Holiday. The tax savings is only for individual exempt items priced $75 or less. This means that a jacket priced at $80 is not tax exempt, but the purchase of 2 jackets priced at $70 each, are tax exempt. Selected school supplies priced $15 or less are tax exempt. There are no restrictions on the number of eligible items you purchase at one time or during the tax exemption period. Happy Shopping...:) Summer is winding down...;(

How To Bid On A House And Win Written by Jennifer Dollar

There is an art to bidding on a house and winning. If you learn this art, then you can increase your chances of getting that coveted winning bid and having your new home. For all you know, these tricks could be all that stands between you and buying a home of your dreams. Get An Agent This one is self-explanatory. When you have a good agent, they can tell you what you need to know, and they can skillfully handle the bidding process. At Realty Executives, we have experienced realtors you can trust to guide you through this process and to give you the best chance of getting the winning bid. Offer As Much As You Can Offering as much as you can is the best way to increase your chances of winning a bidding war. Money talks and higher offers are obviously going to draw more attention. At the same time, you want to know your limits. As much as you want to offer as much as you can within reason, you don't want to make an offer that is out of your price range. Know your limit and stick to it, even if things get emotional. Put Down A Big Deposit Putting down a big deposit goes with the previous trick of offering a lot. A bigger deposit is a way to make yourself stand out and shows that you aren't playing around. More is better. This amount can range from $5,000 to $10,000 or as much as 5-10% of the listing price. A big deposit always makes a good impression. Get Preapproved You want to get preapproved, and you want to include the preapproval letter to show the seller that you mean business. The seller wants everything to go smoothly just as much as you do, and this letter will inspire confidence. Showing that you are preapproved lets a seller know that you are a serious bidder. Skip The Home Inspection This option is not advised in most cases, but it is an option. Skipping the home inspection is risky but does appeal to sellers. Fewer conditions make your offer more attractive to sellers, but skipping the home inspection does mean that you risk buying a new home that needs major repairs. Consider A Personal Note A personal note that states what you love about the house can help to separate you from other bidders in a positive way. You can also share this information if you meet the seller face to face, but a note is often a less obtrusive way of doing it if you and the seller don't connect in person. Offer A Quick Closing Date A quick closing date is one more way to speed up the process of buying a home. It's a nice gesture that says you want the house, and you don't want to prolong the process. Sellers like that. These are several tactics that you can use to bid on a house and win. They help you to show that you are serious and can help sellers see you as more than just another anonymous bidder. If you want to bid on a house and win that new home, then that is what you have to do.