The Windermere Real Estate Market Trends Report shows the average sales price was $599,897 in July 2020 compared to $591,670 in July 2019. Homes were on the market for an average of 49 days, compared to 60 last year. Homes sold for 97% of the list price.

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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The Kissimmee Real Estate Market Trends Report for 34741 shows 54 homes sold in July 2020 up from 52 in July 2019. The average sales price was $231,547 compared to $212,934 in July 2019 and homes were on the market an average of 48 days, compared to 57 days in July 2019.

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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The Celebration Real Estate Market Trends Report for 34747 shows 167 homes sold in July 2020 compared to 172 in July 2019. The average sales price was $371,150 compared to $294,074 in July 2019 and homes were on the market an average of 77 days, compared to 63 days in July 2019.

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!

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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For many families in the United States, it has become the norm for more than two generations to live under one roof as aging parents move in with their adult children. Not every house has the extra room, nor do mostly independent seniors care to downsize and live in one room with a half bath. While there are a few different solutions to the issue, there are many things to consider. 

• First and foremost, questions need to be answered: Is it possible to sell both homes and purchase one larger one? Are the in-laws simply wanting two rooms and a bathroom to themselves? Will the older parents sell their home and pay for an in-law suite to be built onto their adult children’s home? 
• Another solution could be that the older generation has the largest house, and the younger family could relocate. Again, everyone needs to be put into consideration, as this could uproot school-aged children, and even take the working adults further away from their jobs. 
• If a new house hunt begins, look for houses that have the potential to create a small apartment in the existing rooms, or have space to add an in-law suite. Another option is a duplex, so parents that are still independent can keep their own house, but have the family just a few steps away, just in case. 

• Building an addition onto any home requires some investigation to make certain your municipality will allow it, as it will almost be a separate dwelling. 

  Some of the needs and wants in an in-law suite include:
  – separate entry/locked entry from “other” dwelling
  – first-floor accommodations
  – full bathroom
  – kitchen essentials, as zoning codes allow
  – sitting room separate from sleeping area
  – wide doorways, no-slip flooring, handrails in appropriate areas 

• A garage, underused attic, or basement can be easily converted to a small apartment-like dwelling. Just make sure there is adequate natural lighting, as all of these can be dark spaces. Where lots of windows are not an option, adding skylights take care of letting some sunshine in. 
• One more option is building a cottage-type building on the property, as regulations allow.   

While finances are likely the number one factor for making the major decisions, family dynamics are another factor in this new living situation. Every family is different, and while some want their privacy and ask others to knock before coming into their “house,” some families will have an open-door policy, sharing meals and housework equally, and have their own little commune. No matter what the accommodations will be, communication is key to making certain a multi-generational home is for the best, as well as successful. 

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: familyeducation 

If you have an older home, there’s a decent chance that somewhere in the house you have at least one large, bulky wall-mounted mirror. While not all older homes will feature one of these mirrors, various types of mirrors do seem to come back into fashion again and again over time. Whether you’ve got a single large mirror mounted directly to the wall or mirrored panels that cover an entire wall surface, it’s important to remember that you still have options to update your home even if your mirrors have been around for decades.

Mirrors as Decoration

It’s not surprising that mirrors keep coming back into style as a form of home decoration. They capture the attention, and when done well, a mirrored accent can make a room seem all the larger and more impressive. Unfortunately, some mirrors can dull or become scratched over time, and whether it’s a matter of the glass aging poorly or the silvering of the mirror losing its luster, this can have a negative impact on the room as a whole. In some cases, the mirror glass may even become cracked in one or more places, which not only spoils the look but can also create a potential hazard that you have to keep people away from. Regardless of how time has affected the mirrors in your home, it should be obvious why proper maintenance is important.

Wall-Mounted Mirrors

One common type of mirror that you find in older homes is the wall-mounted mirror. Unlike more modern mirrors that use brackets or other mounting hardware to hold the mirror next to the wall, some of these older mirrors are actually attached directly to the wall with adhesives or other materials. Being adhered to the wall is useful insofar as it keeps the mirrors from shifting or becoming loose as time goes by, but it does limit your options when it comes to moving or replacing the mirror. These mirrors take some work to remove if you plan to redecorate, and the removal process often damages the drywall or paneling behind the mirror, so you will probably have to do some repairs once the mirror is free.

Mirrored Wall Coverings

Unlike single mirrors that are attached to the wall, mirrored wall coverings are often installed using a track system. This secures multiple mirrored panels without the need to adhere and line up each one. This doesn’t mean that you won’t find mirrored panel walls that are applied with adhesives, of course, but track systems are common, as the brackets used in track systems provide more stability. Brackets make removing or replacing panels easier, though the process can still leave some damage to drywall or other wall surfaces that will need to be patched later on.

Moving on From Mirrors

Regardless of the type of mirror that’s in your home, if you feel the need to remove it then you’ll have a little bit of work ahead of you. With adhesive-based mirrors, you’ll often need heat the adhesive around the edges first; this softens it and allows you to begin working the mirror loose. It may then be possible to pry the glass free, or you may need to work a piano wire behind the glass to separate the adhesive. Track-mounted panels are a bit easier to deal with since you can unscrew the brackets to remove the panels, then pry the tracks off the wall. Regardless of how you deal with the mirrors, be sure to use hand and eye protection and take your time to prevent potential injuries that might result from broken glass.

Reflecting on the Job

Sometimes, remodeling projects involving older mirrors can be a bit much to tackle as a DIY affair. Fortunately, there are a number of skilled pros out there who can help you either update your mirrors or replace them with something a bit more modern. Sign up for a free HomeKeepr account today to find the pro that you need to get the job done.

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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By: Homekeepr, Rob Morelli

Summer is here and that means grilling out, fun in the sun, cooling off in the pool, and mowing grass! If that last activity causes some angst, you are not alone! There are ways to keep your lawn looking great without filling so many of your precious hours at home with yard work! 

• Planting the right grass:  If you are planning on creating a lawn, whether by sodding, plugs, or seeds, find the type of grass that will grow best in your region for best results.   
• Water correctly:  Not sure how much water your sprinkler is delivering? Set out tin cans (tuna cans work well) and keep an eye on their water level.  You will soon figure out how long you need to leave the water on for your grass to get what it needs (about 1-2 inches per week). 
• Feed less often:  Applying fertilizer twice per season is best:  Spring and mid-Summer. Fertilizing too much will cause growth, which causes more mowing!  Spread fertilizer when the grass is dry, so the grains do not stick to damp blades and burn the plant. 

• Maintain the mower:  Keep your mower’s blades sharp, as a dull blade leaves a jagged edge, which causes yellowing, and the need for more water. 
• Know the magic number:  Different grasses require different cutting heights, and no more than one-third of that optimum number should be cut each time you mow. 
• Let it grow:  Want less weeding and watering to do in your manicured lawn? Longer blades not only help shade the soil and retain moisture, but they do not allow weeds to get sunlight, or at least keep their growth to a minimum. 
• No raking needed:  Using the mulching feature as you mow will allow the clippings to be cut well enough to leave on the lawn and become fertilizer as they decompose. 

Lawn maintenance does not have to take up all your free time each weekend.  Taking more time to relax your habits for yard work will allow more time for relaxing in general so you can enjoy the yard you have put time and energy in! 

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: energy.gov

Buying a home is fraught with all kinds of peril, from home inspections that go terribly awry to negotiations that seem to go on forever and hinge on every little detail. But once you’re through all of that, you’re basically in the clear, right? For some buyers and sellers, maybe not, but title insurance can smooth out the rest of the bumps.

What Is Title Insurance?

There are two types of title insurance: the kind designed for lenders and the kind designed for owners. If you’re buying a home with a mortgage, you’ll automatically have to pay for lender’s title insurance. It protects the bank if things go really haywire. Owner’s title insurance is often optional, but it’ll protect you as a buyer or seller should a title problem appear.

Title insurance starts with a title search, which is performed by an expert in examining titles and other real estate related documents. They comb through the historical records, looking at every transaction for clues that there might be a risk that someone could claim ownership of your current or future property. Usually titles are clean, meaning there’s no significant risk that you’ll be going to court to buy or sell the property, but once in a while there’s a title cloud.

Title clouds can include things like mechanics liens, improperly executed wills and estranged spouses who haven’t signed off on a sale at some point. The point of a title search, basically, is to uncover anyone who might be able to sue for ownership.

How Does Title Insurance Help?

Owner’s title insurance helps in a couple of ways. First, the thorough title search required by the underwriters ensures you absolutely can legally buy and sell the property without any hitches. That’s really important in securing your financial future. Second, the insurance itself helps make the title right if a cloud is discovered later by a different title search.

A few examples of how title insurance can fix a clouded title include:

• Arranging the purchase of land to make the property whole. In areas where there are lots of older homes and structures that may have been built overlapping adjoining property, it’s not uncommon to see a clouded title involving a small strip of land the owner of the property long believed to be theirs. In these situations, the title insurance can help with the cost associated with suing for title to that strip of land, or buying it from a neighbor, to make the property whole.

• Covering the expense of collecting the proper signatures and recording documents abandoning ownership rights. Sometimes heirs (or additional owners) are uncovered for properties that have long been thought to be done and dusted. It’s not an everyday thing, but when it happens, it can be very difficult to fix without a lot of help. For example, there might be an estranged spouse who still happens to be legally bound to the property, or a family member who had no idea they inherited part of an estate that was settled without their input.

• Settling unpaid taxes, liens and other surprise debt. Title clouds aren’t that common, but they do happen, and when they do, unpaid debts are often the problem. That might be a mechanic’s lien that was forgotten about, back taxes that someone who inherited a property weren’t aware of or other sorts of assessments that no one has documentation on. When this happens, the situation will dictate whether the seller of the property has to pay the debt, but it’s the title insurance underwriters’ jobs to make sure that there’s no debt outstanding when a home is bought or sold.

Should You Get Title Insurance?

As with anything in the real estate market, you should consult with your real estate agent, mortgage lender and closing company or attorney before you refuse title insurance, but it can be your decision to reject it in many cases. For a small one-time fee, though, knowing that you’ll be covered should something unexpected crop up during your ownership is a great relief. Create a HomeKeepr account today to find all the home pros you could possibly need to help navigate difficult homeownership obstacles like title insurance with confidence!

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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By: Homekeepr, Rob Morelli

Assuming home buyers are happy with three bedrooms, one and a half baths and a decent kitchen may take your house to sell a bit longer.  Today’s buyers are highly likely to have specific desires in a new home. Are you ready? If not, let this be your guide to getting your house in ready-to-sell shape! 

• Energy Efficiency:  Energy-Star windows, smart or programmable thermostat, LED lightbulbs and full-house water heater are all attractive to buyers who are concerned about energy costs as well as those concerned about going green. 
• Home office:  If there is no room in your house that is a dedicated home office, create one!  Stage a space in the kitchen or living area or smaller bedroom with what appears to be a working spot. 
• Upgraded kitchen and bathrooms:  While completely renovating these rooms are a possibility, it may not be in your budget. Take a good look at each, and decide what wallet-friendly projects will make them look new: painting kitchen cabinets, new stainless appliances; in the bathroom, new faucets, lighting fixtures, or add pizazz by framing a mirror in glass tiles. 

• Dining space:  An eat-in kitchen or open-flow kitchen and dining room are what many are looking for, especially families. Kitchen islands with seating will suffice when the budget does not allow for creating space for a dining table in the kitchen. 
• Organized storage:  Buyers want homes with ample storage. While you can’t create space, you can build space in closets and the laundry room by adding shelving or pre-fab storage systems.  
• Hardwood flooring:  While not an inexpensive project, consider putting hardwoods or less costly engineered wood in the entryway and living space. 
• Security:  Front-door video cameras, plenty of outdoor lighting as well as smart lighting features are all great for starters.  

While not every house hunter is looking for all of these, upgrading a few things will likely get their attention! Talk to your Realtor® about who is looking for a home in your location; they will have recommendations on the best changes that need to be made for your house to sell! 

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: USAToday

There’s nothing like a glass of cool lemonade on a hot summer day, unless of course the reason it’s so hot is that your air conditioner needs to be replaced. In that case, a new air conditioning system is pretty much the best thing ever. Maybe yours has lived a long and full life and is ready to be replaced, or perhaps you’ve added on to your home and need a solution for cooling that EZ Bake Oven you’ve created. In either case, installing a new ducted air conditioning system or plopping a window unit into the nearest window aren’t your only choices. You could go with Door Number Three: the ductless mini-split system.

What is a Ductless Mini-Split System?

Ductless mini-splits are air conditioning systems that are made to cool (and sometimes heat) smaller spaces. They can work together to improve climate control in entire homes and can even replace a traditional ducted system. Much like a central air conditioning system, there are two parts: the condenser, which is installed outside, and the inside air handler.

The main difference from traditional systems is that they don’t use ductwork, so they eliminate a ton of temperature loss that would normally occur in your crawlspace or attic. And unlike a window unit, a ductless mini-split system can be hung out of the way of windows, since it only requires a three-inch hole to run the refrigerant lines and electrical controls.

Advantages of a Ductless Mini-Split System

There are a lot of reasons to love a ductless mini-split, but energy efficiency has to be up there among the top. These systems can have SEER ratings of around 28, which is substantially more efficient than a ducted system’s 13 SEER national minimum requirement. Of course, a ducted system’s rating will vary by unit, but generally speaking, the higher the SEER rating, the higher the price tag.

Ductless mini-splits systems also boast these advantages over a traditional central HVAC system:

• More precise control of room temperatures. Mechanically, one of the most important differences between ductless mini-split systems and traditional systems is that mini-splits are controlled by an inverter system that allows your heat or air to come out of the air handler at the temperature you set. This is different from a ducted air conditioner that only blows air at one temperature, constantly switching on and off to maintain room temperatures.
• Ability to set room temperatures independently of one another. Although zoning is possible with ducted systems, it can be costly to install and is not a reasonable solution for many rooms that need different temperatures. This is especially a concern in multi-generational households or those where the home heats or cools irregularly throughout the day. With a ductless mini-split system, you can set the living room to stay a constant 72 degrees despite the heat baking your picture window, without your office having to become an ice cave. Everybody wins!
• No more dirty air cycling endlessly. Ducts are filthy, there’s no question about it. This is just an inevitable side effect of their design, especially in an older house that’s had decades or generations to collect substantial amounts of dirt in the home’s ductwork. Ductless mini-splits are just that: ductless. Each unit has its own filtration system, and there are no ducts for dirt to settle in, keeping room air significantly cleaner all the time.

When Not to Split?

Not every house is going to be a great candidate for a ductless mini-split system, no matter how awesome they seem. Newer homes with highly efficient central HVAC systems that are in great shape or those that don’t generally have a lot of temperature differential across the structure likely won’t recapture the cost required to install these systems.

However, if you’re not sure if your home can benefit from a ductless mini-split system, you can always consult an HVAC expert for more specific recommendations. Sign up for your free HomeKeepr account to find the professionals you need.

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!

By: Homekeepr, Rob Morelli