Florida Real Estate, Tourism and Immigration News

6 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3000 Square Feet

3000 sq. ft. 6 bedroom (or 5 and a Den) and 3 full bath. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances (yes the fridge too), W/D, alarm, rounded corners, 18x18tile in wet areas all for $239,990.

Please Click Here to make an enquiry on this huge home or call 0800 096 5989 (free from the UK) or +1 407 396 9914 from all other areas.

Do you have a BMA loan on your Florida Property?

The US dollar, as you probably know, has rapidly risen to a 6-year high against the pound – from $1.80 – $2.00 a few short weeks ago to the low $1.60′s at time of this email.

If you currently have a Sterling mortgage on your Florida home this could be an ideal time to re-finance it into dollars – and potentially reduce your Florida mortgage amount by 10-15%.

The mother of Lee Weaver, our Director of Operations, recently refinanced her UK mortgage, for example, and reduced the outstanding loan on her Florida villa by over $22,000.

from Mrs. Weaver’s note…

Thank you Chris and BHG for looking after my Florida interests all of these years and letting me know that it was a good time to consider changing the mortgage on my Florida home from pounds to dollars. I was fortunate with my home value to be able to include most of the costs in the process and still reduce my original US loan balance by just over $22,000.

A $200,000 mortgage taken out at $1.95 would reduce to $169,231 when converted back at $1.65. That’s over a $30,000 principal reduction.

To see if the time and circumstances are right for you, please give us call, or complete the short form by clicking the link below, for an evaluation of your current mortgage position and refinance options – as always, without obligation or cost.

This window of opportunity may be short and we are expecting a lot of inquiries so please provide as much information on the form as you can

http://www.britishhomesgroup.com/refinance-your-sterling-loan.php#refinance

Sincerely,

Christine Doran
General Manager
www.BritishHomesGroup.com

LAKE MARY, Fla. – The surge in luxury home sales is on — and while evidence is anecdotal, it is almost everywhere, says a seasoned real estate executive.
 
Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, a luxury home specialist that saw more than $1 billion in sales in 2005, said the housing sales will probably never reach that frantic pace again but sales of higher priced luxury and estate homes are showing marked signs of improvement throughout the area.
 
“More affluent home buyers are less affected by market cycles than mid-market buyers and sellers,” said Soderstrom.
 
“For buyers who are seeking homes priced in the $600,000 to $3 million range, a slow housing cycle can mean a discounted price, but it almost never means a ‘no sale’ of existing home.   In this market, financing is easier to obtain because buyers are usually more credit-worthy and present less risk,” Soderstrom explained.
 
Diane Travis, managing director of Stirling Sotheby’s West Central Florida region, seconded Soderstrom’s observations.
 
“Our Dr. Phillips gallery achieved over 65 showings on our listings in the last 12 days,” Travis said.
 
“On Jan. 14, we were flooded with buyer phone calls and had five high quality buyers walk into our real estate gallery in search of homes priced in the $500,000 to more than $1 million range,” she said.
 
“Activity in our Clermont real estate gallery has been equally as strong. In the past seven days, we reported 50 showings. We are starting to see some of our older inventory move as people begin to realize rates are still so low,” she said.
 
Linda Hutchinson, managing director of Stirling Sotheby’s Winter Park Real Estate Gallery, said three agents are currently writing contracts for sales of homes valued at more than $600,000 and all three expect to close in February.
 
Lissy Houseman, managing director of Stirling Sotheby’s Downtown Orlando Real Estate Gallery, said a wave of new buyers is eager to look at downtown Orlandohigh-rise condominiums.
 
“Since the first week in January, we have seen a steady flow of buyers focused on downtown Orlando high-rise condominiums,” Houseman said.
 
“On Jan. 18, we had three highly qualified walk-ins interested in purchasing immediately. The Vue on Lake Eola is currently the hottest high-rise condominium in downtown Orlando and we are currently negotiating three contracts there,” she said.
 
All that activity has had an effect on demand for single family homes in the downtown core, Houseman said.
 
“Three of our downtown listings have garnered offers in the past three days in the $1 million range,” she added.
 
“Buyers seem to be getting off of the fence and taking advantage of bargain prices. We’re projecting January sales between $8 and $10 million in our downtown gallery alone,” Houseman said.

What a great year it has been, this blog has gone from strength to strength and the exchange rate has become great for British buyers in Florida.

Why not start the new year with a great holiday home in the sunshine state?

Please click on the link below or call us on our freephone number 0800 096 5989.