5 Ways to Find Out if a Neighborhood is Right for You

When you’re looking at Orlando homes for sale online, it’s easy to create a short list of the ones you want to see – but how do you know if a neighborhood is right for you?

Your Realtor® will most likely suggest that you pick a home not just for its features, but for its location… and the neighborhood your home is in can make or break the way you feel about the house after 6 months, a year, or 5 years.

So how can you tell if the home you want is in a neighborhood that you’ll love?

5 Ways to Find Out if a Neighborhood is Right for You

While there’s really no substitute for spending a lot of time in a neighborhood (like visiting family or friends), there are five ways you can tell if a neighborhood will be a good fit for your needs:

Be sure about what you want.
Drive through at various times of day.
Talk to neighbors.
Do your homework on statistics and crime.
Make sure it has the amenities you want.

#1. Be sure about what you want.

What do you want from a neighborhood? Do you prefer a quiet, serene environment rich in natural beauty, or do you want a community that’s full of playing kids and backs up to a sandlot? Are well-spaced homes your goal, or do you want to live close to neighbors and meet new friends on every evening stroll?

The answers to those questions will help you narrow down your search to a few distinct neighborhoods.

#2. Drive through at various times of day.

Check out the neighborhoods you’re interested in early in the morning. Swing back through at lunchtime, and then again in the evening. If you’re up for it, drive through after dark. You’ll see who’s out and about, and when, as well as see how the neighborhood’s character shifts at different times of day.

#3. Talk to neighbors.

Don’t be afraid to stop and say hi when you see people outside. Let them know you’re interested in buying in the community and you’ll get plenty of information – if there are loud planes overhead, the HOA hasn’t repaired the entry gate in months, or there’s a neighbor who’s always throwing loud parties, you’re sure to hear about it.

#4. Do your homework on schools and crime.

Look at websites that provide you with information that real estate agents can’t. Look up schools that serve each community. Even if you don’t have kids, schools can be important – like when you’re selling to someone who does have kids. Look for crime reports, too, to see how close to home the nearest issues typically occur.

#5. Make sure it has the amenities you want.

If a playground, sidewalks and community area are important to you, rule out neighborhoods that don’t have them. You’re more likely to regret the neighborhood not having the amenities that you want a few years down the road, so look for them now.

Are You Buying a Home for Sale in Orlando?

If you’re looking for a new home for sale in Orlando, you’ll be happy to know that this community hosts dozens of fabulous events every month – there’s always something to do or see, especially around the holidays.

While you’re here, check out our:

Spotlight on Isleworth Country Club

Isleworth Country Club is one of the most desirable clubs in Orlando – not just for golf, but for its spectacular amenities and breathtakingly beautiful homes. If you’re considering buying a home for sale in Isleworth, here’s what you need to know.

Amenities at Isleworth Country Club

Isleworth Country Club offers family friendly amenities, such as its 89,000-square-foot, Mediterranean-style clubhouse. With a staff numbering more than 200 consummate professionals and several exclusive benefits, it may be the perfect place to put down roots.

Amenities at Isleworth include:

A tennis center. The tennis center features six Har-Tru clay courts, a Plexi Cushion court and a padel court.
A fitness center and spa. The fitness center is equipped with cutting-edge cardio and strength training equipment, and it offers several classes and one-on-one time with on-site personal trainers. The spa offers highly personalized treatments such as massage and facials.
Access to Lake Tibet Butler. The club offers more than 7 miles of shoreline on Lake Tibet Butler, providing members with opportunities to boat, fish, paddleboard and waterski from members-only docks.
Swimming. The clubhouse houses an infinity-edge resort-style pool that’s surrounded by comfortable daybeds, a splash pad for kids, and a poolside bar and grill.
Dining. Professional chefs at Isleworth’s numerous dining experiences concoct amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can enjoy international cuisine, seasonal ingredients and organic and vegan options.
Youth programs. The club offers several youth programs for kids and their families, including holiday celebrations, after-school programs and summer camp.

Search for Isleworth homes for sale here:

Golf at Isleworth Country Club

Created by Arnold Palmer and enhanced by Steve Smyers, the golf course at Isleworth covers beautifully rolling terrain and generous greens in a picture-perfect setting.

Schools

There are several private schools within a short distance from Isleworth, including:

Baptist Temple School
Conway Christian School
Heritage Preparatory School
King of Kings Lutheran
Lake Highland Preparatory School
Montverde Academy
Morning Star Catholic School
Pace Brantley Hall School
Park Maitland School
John Vianney Elementary School
Margaret Mary Catholic School
Windermere Preparatory School

Are You Looking for a Home for Sale at Isleworth?

The homes for sale in Isleworth are single-family estate homes on private grounds. Many homes here are on lakefront property.

We can help you find your dream home in Isleworth – call us at 407-529-4621 to schedule a private tour of any listing in the area.

You can also explore:

Spotlight on The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Point

Spotlight on The Golden Bear Club at Keene's Point

The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Point in Windermere is a spectacular place to live and play – and it’s one of the most popular in the area for good reason.

About The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Point

Featuring a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, The Golden Bear Club borders the tranquil, beautiful Butler Chain of Lakes. Packed with phenomenal natural landscaping, including breathtaking oak and cypress trees, the club offers members unparalleled access to amenities such as:

Full golf course privileges
Full access to the golf practice facility
Advanced tee time booking
Four tennis courts (lighted)
Junior Olympic-sized swimming pool
State-of-the-art fitness facility with on-site personal training and classes
Indoor and outdoor dining
Members-only invitations to monthly events

Explore homes for sale in Orlando’s premier golf communities by clicking through the images below.

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Homes for Sale in Keene’s Pointe

If you’re searching for homes for sale in Keene’s Pointe, you’ll discover that this beautiful community at Windermere community is gated, private and exclusive. Many of the homes within the 16 neighborhoods feature lake access to Lake Tibet-Butler and Lake Burden. You’ll find playgrounds and parks, nature preserves and a wide variety of architectural design throughout. The neighborhoods, each with its own distinct feel and style, include:

Arlington. Arlington features 29 beautiful homes with large, deep porches, tall windows and beautiful horizontal siding and stucco finishes.
Bedford. Bedford, nestled between the 10th and 18th fairways, contains 61 distinctive homes featuring early American and old-world European architecture.
Brookline. Brookline’s homes line the shores of Lake Burden, and the neighborhood features a community park, community dock and private boat launch.
Cambridge. Cambridge, a 61-home village between the 13th and 14th fairways, features two-story homes with spacious front and back porches.
Grosvenor Pointe. Grosvenor Pointe’s estate homes offer views of the 9th hole and the Lake Butler-Tibet Nature Preserve and feature direct access to the lakes.
Hampton. Hampton is located between Lake Burden Park and the Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve and the homes feature a variety of distinguished styles.
Kensington. The custom luxury homes in Kensington are tucked between the 14th and 17th holes of the course, and homesites range from 0.3 acres to 1 full acre.
Lower Huntingdon. Lower Huntingdon offers its residents beautiful views of holes 6 through 8 on the course.
Lyndhurst. The Lyndhurst neighborhood at Keene’s Point backs up to the Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve and offers amazing views the beautiful fountain pond at its center.
Montrose. Located between Lake Burden Park and the Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve, Montrose is a beautiful, nature-friendly community.
Muirfield. Spectacular views of the course, the water and a gorgeous pond fountain characterize the spacious homes in Muirfield, which feature roomy three-car garages.
Northshore. Streets lined with mature magnolia trees and breathtaking views of holes 17 and 18 on the course, direct access to the water and more make Northshore at Keene’s Point truly spectacular.
Sommerset. Sommerset is located between Lake Burden Park and the Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve and features homes with traditional, classic architecture.
The Gardens. Infused with old-world charm, The Gardens is the newest addition to Keene’s Point. Homes here sit right on the lakeshore.
Upper Huntingdon. The beautiful, spacious homes in Upper Huntingdon offer lake views or views of holes 4 and 5 on the golf course.
Westlake. Westlake features two-story homes with swimming pools and spectacular outdoor living spaces on the lake, the golf course or canal.

Are You Looking for a Home for Sale in Keene’s Point?

If you’re interested in buying a home for sale at Keene’s Point, we can help you find one in any of the neighborhood’s beautiful neighborhoods.

Call us at 407-529-4621 to find out what’s available now!

Looking for something else? Check out:

Three Reasons NOT to Make Home Improvements Before You Sell Your Home

If you’re selling a home in one of Orlando’s premier golf communities, such as Alaqua Country Club, Isleworth Country Club or Sweetwater Golf and Country Club, or anywhere else, you probably know that making a few improvements can net you more cash at the closing table – but you may need to think again.

Three Reasons Not to Make Home Improvements Before You Sell Your Home

Before you spend any money improving your home, talk to your Orlando Realtor® about what’s best – there may be some really valid reasons you should skip the improvements and save that cash for your next down payment, instead.

#1: Not all improvements are really improvements.

Things like new countertops and hardwood floors are improvements… but repairing the roof or replacing the HVAC system don’t count. Those are routine maintenance issues that buyers expect, and while you may need to do those things, you need to know that they’re not likely to raise your home’s selling price.

#2: Not all improvements are created equal.

A major bathroom remodel can cost upwards of $30,000 – and a kitchen remodel can be even more. However, while you’ll likely get a pretty good return on your investment when someone buys, there are sometimes better ways to sell faster and for more money. Talk to your agent about which upgrades and improvements will justify raising your asking price and help you sell your home faster.

#3: Improvements may not be right for your area.

A home in a median-income neighborhood that has top-of-the-line appliances, a gourmet kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows can be tough to sell for many reasons. Your home has to “fit” in the neighborhood rather than stick out like a sore thumb, which means going all-out and decking out your home in hopes of attracting a buyer who ordinarily wouldn’t buy in the neighborhood is usually a bad idea. There’s a lot more than interior structure and amenities that go into a home’s price, and location is definitely one of them.

Are You Selling a Home in Orlando?

If you’re selling your home in Orlando, you deserve to work with a real estate agent you can trust to help you sell it quickly and at the right price. Our innovative marketing plans, which we adjust on a case-by-case basis, allow us to market your home to all the right buyers on all the right mediums, so call us at 407-529-4621 today to find out how we can help you get the best possible price for your house.

If you’re also looking for a new home, check out our:

Our goal at ABR Orlando is always to provide you with valuable information that can help you make better decision about your life choices and when we find a great resource, to present the information and introduce the firm or individual to you. We have a number of “White Papers” that you are free to request, please contact us at dave.hoyle@abr-orlando.com to receive a copy; or contact Michael Eastham directly at michael@Fellowshipia.com.

CEO

Michael Eastham, CPA, PFS, is the founding principal of Fellowship Financial Group in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Mr. Eastham has been involved in financial services for over twenty five years. He is an active member of the American Institute of CPA’s and has earned their Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) designation. He has a BBA in Accounting from James Madison University, holds a Series 65 & 63 securities licenses as well as licenses in Insurance and Annuities.

Mr. Eastham served as Chairman of the Leadership Seminole Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He teaches Adult Education courses and Continuing Education for CPAs, Financial Planners, Insurance Professionals, Attorneys and the Florida Association of Real-tors. Mr. Eastham is a published author and is a recognized expert in the areas of financial strategies, retirement planning and asset protection. He also hosted the financial radio show, ‘Your Home, Your Money’ for over 8 years.

Michael Eastham

Fellowship Financial Group
393 Center Pointe Circle #1461
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
Phone: 407.949.5888
Fax: 407.388.1056

michael@fellowshipia.com

White Paper – Understanding Required Minimum Distributions

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Fellowship Financial Group

What You Need to Know About Earnest Money Deposits

If you’re buying a home for sale in Orlando, Baldwin Park or Longwood (or anywhere else in central Florida), you’ll have to put down an earnest money deposit to show the seller you’re serious.

But what is earnest money, where does it go, and do you ever get it back?

What You Need to Know About Earnest Money Deposits

An earnest money deposit, commonly called a good faith deposit, is money you put down on a home to show a seller that you’re serious about buying. It’s not the same as your down payment; this is money that comes out of your pocket before you even obtain financing on the home. You include your earnest money with your purchase offer.

If you’re like most people, you need to know:

How much an earnest money deposit costs
Who holds your earnest money
What happens to your earnest money deposit when you buy – or don’t buy – the home

How Much Does an Earnest Money Deposit Cost?

You can expect to spend between 3 and 5 percent of the home’s purchase price on an earnest money deposit. Let’s say you’re making an offer on a home that costs $100,000. Your earnest money deposit should generally be between $3,000 and $5,000.

The amount you put down as earnest money can – and will – vary based on the home you’re buying, how much the house costs, and even the neighborhood it’s in. When you find a home you love, talk to your Orlando Realtor® about how much you should put down as an earnest money deposit – he’ll be able to give you the guidance you need.

Who Holds an Earnest Money Deposit?

You never, ever give your earnest money deposit directly to the seller, even if you’re buying a For-Sale-By-Owner home. Instead, you give your Realtor a certified check or money order. Your agent will then give it to his or her broker, or the seller’s broker, who will put it in an escrow account that nobody can touch. The seller can’t access it, and neither can you. The money sits in escrow until closing day.

What Happens to Your Earnest Money Deposit When You Close on the Home?

When you close on the home, your earnest money deposit still belongs to you. The money you put down will be applied to your:

Down payment
Closing costs
Other fees
Mortgage payments

The money never goes to the seller. You only needed to kick out some of your own cash to show the seller you were serious about buying his or her home; that way, the seller could be comfortable taking the home off the market and preventing other buyers from making offers on it.

What Happens to Your Earnest Money Deposit if You Don’t Buy the Home?

In some cases, you can back out of a real estate transaction with your earnest money intact. However, in others, you’ll lose your earnest money deposit to the seller.

Contingencies

If your agent has built contingencies in your real estate purchase contract, such as a financing contingency, an appraisal contingency or an inspection contingency, and one of those provides an “out” for you to back out of the deal, you should be able to keep your earnest money. Your agent will ensure that it’s returned to you as quickly as possible.

Some ways you can get out of a real estate purchase contract because of a contingency include a low appraisal, bad results in a home inspection, or a failure to obtain financing within a certain time frame.

No Contingencies

If you simply get “cold feet” and want to back out of the real estate transaction without a solid reason, the seller may be entitled to keep your earnest money deposit as compensation for having turned away other buyers who would likely have purchased the home.

The bottom line: Before you make an offer on a home and hand over your earnest money deposit, talk to your Realtor and be sure you’re making the right decision. You should be 100 percent invested in buying a home before you come up with an earnest money deposit.

Are You Buying a Home in Orlando?

If you’re thinking about buying a home in Orlando or any of the surrounding communities, we’d love to help you find something that’s just perfect for your needs.

Call us at 407-529-4621 or contact us online to tell us what you’re looking for. In the meantime, explore our:

New Tax Law Uncertainty: To Buy or Not to Buy

For Luxury Buyers, or those thinking about buying their Luxury Home, the new tax law creates some real problems. One such potential buyer voiced concerns: ‘The deductibility of property taxes, or lack of deductibility above $10,000 means it will cost a good deal more to own. In addition, the cap on the deductibility of interest on mortgages above $750,000 is an additional cost.’

Noted Economist Expresses Concerns:

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, a research firm, estimates that in the New York metropolitan region, some counties could see prices 10 percent below where they would have been without the tax bill by the summer of 2019. The median U.S. county will see a decline of 0.8 percent, he predicted.

“House prices suffer under the tax plan,” Zandi wrote in a recent analysis. “The impact on house prices is much greater for higher-priced homes, especially in parts of the country where incomes are higher and there are thus a disproportionate number of itemizers, and where homeowners have big mortgages and property tax bills.” –Washington Post

Now if Mark Zandi thinks that this will impact the New York market, can Florida’s luxury market be far behind in terms of feeling the impact. In the Orlando area luxury market were properties routinely go for $2,000,000 and up and property taxes are dramatically above the $10,000 cutoff, rest assured that there will be an adjustment process.

Some may say that those rich 1% types pay cash, so this won’t bother them, ya know. You might be surprised that almost 50% of the luxury homes above $2,000,000 during the past year were purchased with mortgages.

Three key provisions

After weeks of constant revisions, the final tax bill ended up with three key provisions affecting homebuyers:

A lower cap on mortgage interest deductions, reduced state and local tax write-offs and an increased standard deduction. Borrowers buying homes after Dec. 14, 2017, can only deduct interest paid on up to $750,000 of home mortgage debt, vs. $1 million for homes purchased earlier. Buyers getting a mortgage of $1 million or more will pay about $3,000 to $4,000 a year more in federal taxes, depending on their individual tax rate.
But the tax hit is compounded by a new $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes, including property taxes. You can not throw a cat in Winter Park or Windermere and Dr. Phillips without paying significantly more than $10,000 in property taxes.
The third provision — the doubling of the standard deduction — will significantly reduce the number of households who take advantage of the mortgage interest and property tax deductions by itemizing on their tax returns, some economists said. “There will be people who say, ‘We don’t have to buy. We’ll continue to rent,’” said Oscar Wei, senior economist for the California Association of Realtors. “It will definitely disincentivize people from buying a home.”

If you have questions concerning your personal situation, please contact me, David Hoyle at dave.hoyle@abr-orlando.com and be sure to visit our web site www.abr-orlando.com.

5 Ways to Find Out if a Neighborhood is Right for You

5 Ways to Find Out if a Neighborhood is Right for You

#1. Be sure about what you want.

#2. Drive through at various times of day.

#3. Talk to neighbors.

#4. Do your homework on schools and crime.

#5. Make sure it has the amenities you want.

Are You Buying a Home for Sale in Orlando?

Spotlight on Isleworth Country Club

Amenities at Isleworth Country Club

Search for Isleworth homes for sale here:

Golf at Isleworth Country Club

Schools

Are You Looking for a Home for Sale at Isleworth?

Spotlight on The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Point

About The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Point

Homes for Sale in Keene’s Pointe

Are You Looking for a Home for Sale in Keene’s Point?

Three Reasons NOT to Make Home Improvements Before You Sell Your Home

Three Reasons Not to Make Home Improvements Before You Sell Your Home

#1: Not all improvements are really improvements.

#2: Not all improvements are created equal.

#3: Improvements may not be right for your area.

Are You Selling a Home in Orlando?

White Paper – Understanding Required Minimum Distributions

What You Need to Know About Earnest Money Deposits

What You Need to Know About Earnest Money Deposits

How Much Does an Earnest Money Deposit Cost?

Who Holds an Earnest Money Deposit?

What Happens to Your Earnest Money Deposit When You Close on the Home?

What Happens to Your Earnest Money Deposit if You Don’t Buy the Home?

Contingencies

No Contingencies

Are You Buying a Home in Orlando?

New Tax Law Uncertainty: To Buy or Not to Buy

Noted Economist Expresses Concerns:

Three key provisions

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