Your new home’s closing is imminent, and the excitement of moving is mounting! Besides connecting utilities and updating your address, some things should be done at the new house as soon as possible. Follow these guidelines so nothing will be forgotten: 

• All of the entryway locks and/or keypad codes should be changed. Get a security system set up, and if there is one in place, reset it to default settings and customize it to your needs. 
• If you are a family with small children, have safety measures in place before everyone goes into the house.  
• Deep clean the new house, even if it looks clean. Save money by doing this yourself, or have a professional take care of this before move-in. 

• With a copy of the home inspection in hand, walk through the house and check for minor things that did not require repair by the seller. Have those minor things taken care of before they become major (and costly) things. 
• Painting, removing textured ceilings, and other small improvement jobs will be completed faster if done before all your belongings are in place.  
• Turn on all the appliances, familiarize yourself with the breaker panel, and locate the shut-off valves for utilities. 
• Measure windows and purchase blinds or shades if window treatments were not included in the sale. 
• Get to know your neighbors! Once you have moved in, introduce yourself by hosting a “front porch social” with simple snacks. Hang a banner or place a sign in the front yard asking them to stop by and say “hello.” 

As a homeowner, your to-do list is rarely going to be finished. While many tasks can wait until after settling in, others cannot. Taking care of these “little” things upon move-in will cement the “homeowner” feeling and start you on the road to pride in your home and protection of your investment. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Filing bankruptcy or losing your home to foreclosure does not mean the end of the road for financial success afterwards.  It can be scary to even think about buying another house, but it is not impossible! Check out these tips to help you back on your way to homeownership: 

• Probably the most important thing to do is to pay all of your bills on time and in full. This will get your credit score climbing back up to a number that will look good to lenders. 
• The bankruptcy process begins and ends with required financial courses.  Ask for a fee waiver so the added costs are not a burden. 
• If your last home went into foreclosure, there are waiting periods for applying for a mortgage: three years for FHA loans, seven years for Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac loans, two years for Veterans Affairs loans, three years for USDA loans, and other lenders have different waiting periods. 

• The homebuying process is different for those above-mentioned agencies when it comes to past bankruptcy. It simply depends on the type of bankruptcy filed. 
• Going through a short sale may be a different situation, but this process has a waiting period as well. The average wait time to apply for a mortgage is two to seven years. 
• Some financial institutions may ask for an explanation–in writing–about the situation that led to the foreclosure or short sale, as well as what you learned during the process.   
• Extenuating circumstances, such as a major illness or job loss, can make a difference in how long you have to wait to apply for a mortgage.  Be prepared with any paperwork that shows your loss of income or increase of debt. 

When you are ready to start house-hunting, find a RealtorⓇ that is experienced with assisting those who have experienced financial hardship and lost a home in the past.  They have a wealth of knowledge to help you every step of the way on the path to a fresh start! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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Photo credit: Dreamstime

It is not necessary to completely overhaul every bathroom in your home, remodel the kitchen, or put down new flooring to give your tired home a boost. Small, affordable improvements can get big results. 

• Decluttering every space in your home is probably the first place to start.  Getting organized is one of the best and simplest ways to improve your home’s look. Selling items on social media marketplaces or having a yard sale will also put money in your pockets for an added benefit! 
• A quick and easy fix-up for your interior is paint! Not only is it inexpensive, but it is also an easy DIY when you tackle one room per weekend. 
• After painting, why not add some crown molding? Purchase plaster-coated foam molding that can be cut with a handsaw and put into place with joint compound. 

• Spruce up your mudroom, kitchen, or bathroom floors with self-stick tiles. This type of vinyl flooring comes in many styles and colors, and you can create a pattern for some added style. 
• Simple kitchen updates can make a big difference:  a countertop makeover, new hardware for cabinets and drawer pulls, peel-and-stick backsplash installation, or new paint on the cabinetry. 
• While costing a bit more, if your bathroom needs a boost, ready-made sink cabinetry,  prefab tub/shower kits, or tub refinishing kits can be purchased at a local home store or online for thousands less than hiring a pro.  
• If a total exterior paint job is not in the budget, give the house a thorough pressure-washing and paint the shutters and front door. Brightening the landscaping with fresh mulch and seasonal annuals in containers are other dollar-saving ways to give the outside an update. 

Homeownership can be expensive, but your desire to make updates do not have to be.  If you are thinking of putting your house on the market soon, even the smallest improvements can make your home “show” better and sell faster.  Add some sweat equity, follow directions exactly, and many jobs can be done on your own.  Either way, you will benefit from the fresh, new look! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

Photo credit: HomeDepot

It sometimes takes a lot of work to get your landscaping just the way that you want it, but it’s worth it when you get to sit down and enjoy your hard work. The only problem is that sometimes it’s just too hot to spend much time out enjoying! This is especially problematic if your landscaping contains a lot of flowers that bloom during the summer months, since the cooler spring and fall won’t give you the same sort of satisfaction in your garden.

There are ways to make the heat more bearable, of course. A little bit of shade and a nice breeze can go a long way toward turning your landscaping or garden into a welcoming oasis for you to relax in. While there are a number of ways you can accomplish this, here are a few ideas if you find yourself unsure of where to start.

Orlando Area Residential Real Estate Snapshot for June 2022

State of the Market

• Inventory increased by 41.2% from May 2022 to June 2022, with 1,586 more homes on the market in June compared to May. This is the second month in a row with a surge in inventory, following May’s increase of 44.2%.
• Inventory increased by 75.5% from June 2021 to June 2022, jumping from 3,098 homes in June 2021 to 5,437 in June 2022.
• June’s median home price was recorded at $387,000, an increase of 1.9% compared to May 2022; this sets a record high for the fifth month in a row. This is a 22.9% increase from June 2021 to June 2022, when the median home price was recorded at $315,000 in June 2021.
• Interest rates increased from 5.3% in May 2022 to 5.5% in June 2022. This is the highest interest rates in the Orlando area have been since November 2008.
• Overall sales in June 2022 decreased by 3.9%, with a total of 3,793 sales compared to 3,946 sales in May 2022. This is a 14.1% decrease compared to June 2021 when overall sales were recorded at 4,414.
• Homes spent an average of 20 days on the market in June, down slightly from May 2022 when the average was 21 days.
• New listings increased by 11.3% from May 2022 to June 2022, with a total of 5,367 new homes on the market in June.
• “A balanced housing market has a six-month supply of homes,” said Tansey Soderstrom, Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association President. “In June, with rising interest rates and surging inventory, we had over a one-month supply of homes for sale for the first time since February 2021. While it’s still a sellers’ market, we’re continuing to see signs that the market is starting to level out, which is good news for buyers.”

Market Snapshot

• Interest rates continue to increase as the average interest rate for June 2022 was recorded at 5.5%. This is an 87.5% increase from June 2021 when interest rates were at 2.9%.
• Pending sales decreased by 8.9% from May 2022 to June 2022 for a total of 4,231 pending sales.
• 23 distressed homes (bank-owned properties and short sales) accounted for 0.6% of all home sales in June 2022. That represents a 4.2% decrease from May 2022, when 24 distressed homes sold.

Inventory

• Orlando area inventory increased by 41.2% from May 2022 to June 2022 from 3,851 homes to 5,437 homes. Inventory in June 2022 was 75.5% higher than in June 2021.
• The supply of homes increased to 1.43 months in June 2022. This is the first time the supply has been over one month since February 2021. A balanced market is six months of supply.

• The number of new listings increased in June 2022 from May 2022 by 11.3% to 5,367 homes.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

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This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association and the Stellar Multiple Listing Service. Neither the association nor StellarMLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the association or by StellarMLS does not reflect all real estate activity in the market. Due to late closings, an adjustment is necessary to record those closings posted after our reporting date.

ORRA REALTOR® sales represent sales involving Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association members, who are primarily – but not exclusively – located in Orange and Seminole counties. Note that statistics released each month of be revised in the future as new data is received.

Orlando MSA numbers reflect sales of homes located in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties by members of any REALTOR® association, not just members of ORRA.

In most home buying situations, you are not only purchasing a house, but you are also buying the neighborhood. There are many factors you cannot control, but to avoid regrets, consider these five things while house-hunting: 

• Affordability: The mortgage payment is an important part of your budget, but keep in mind that property tax is normally added to your monthly loan payment. Property tax is based on the assessment value of the property. The assessment value depends on different factors, and the home’s location is number one. Ask your Realtor® for past tax information, but the house may be reassessed after closing.  
• How you live: Satisfaction with your home’s location will depend on the general area. Are you a pet lover with four dogs? You need a pet-friendly community. Is your family a large one with lots of noisy backyard activities? Look for active families in the neighborhood. Do you need close access to theaters, restaurants, or shopping? Your new home does not need to be a long commute to things you love.  
• Schools: Communities in a high-rated school district normally have homes with higher price tags. As a parent, buying a home in a good school district is an investment in your child’s future, and if you do not have children, it is a wise financial investment as your home should at least keep its value as time goes by. 

• Safety: Everyone wants to feel safe in their home. Several websites offer crime stats, but it may be best to contact local law enforcement for current information about the area. 
• Utilities: Is high-speed internet or natural gas available in the neighborhood? Does your water come from the municipal water supply or a well? Your agent should have all of this information for you but asking the homeowner if they are willing to share how much they pay in monthly utilities will help you plan your monthly budget. 

Performing some “home” work is probably the best way to learn more about a community. Drive through at different times during the day or take a walk and pay attention to the sights, sounds, and–yes–smells of the neighborhood. You will be spending a lot of time there and being content in your new home is the most important location factor of all! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

Photo credit: beautyharmonylife.com

Having a good HVAC system in your home can really help you enjoy your living space throughout the year. A solid system will keep your home cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and just plain comfortable throughout the full year. Proper maintenance can keep your HVAC system running smoothly for years, ensuring that your home’s internal climate stays exactly the way you want it as time goes by.

This doesn’t mean that things can’t be better, though. You may not realize it, but there are actually several ways that you can modify your HVAC system to improve performance and create a better overall quality of life for you and your family. Different systems may have different options available, and they can affect the function of your system in different ways.

Maybe you’ve just moved into your new home and you’ve got a patio of your very own for the first time, or maybe you’ve had one for a while and just didn’t know what to do with it. Patios are magnificently flexible spaces, if not a little boring by themselves. Think of your patio as a three-dimensional canvas that you can literally create anything on that you’d like. From tiki hot tub paradise to casual outdoor dining space, patios are only limited by your imagination. Here are some things to think about when you’re trying to dress yours up!