Front Porch Wisdom

 

It’s that time of year and the weather is just stunning here in Central Florida. Orlando greets spring with wind and warmth and oak leaves falling everywhere…it’s truly a breath of fresh air. But what spring always reminds me of is front porch living. When I was growing up – our front porch was a happening place. It is where all serious family discussion went down, it is where boys and girls held hands and fell in love, and it’s where life blossomed. My grandmothers, my aunts, my own home all had front porches and they were such a source of stability and of harmony and of hope. Sitting on a front porch swing is similar to having a welcome mat to the world. It harkens back to a time when people slowed down, when families sat down for dinner and when TV was not the center of the universe. Nature and swing-time on the porch was quite simply the best time of the day.  I remember when I was pregnant with my first daughter and they taught us in Lamaze to go back  in our minds to the most relaxing place in the world and all I could think of was that swing. Hours, and I mean hours of sitting with my Dad or Mom (or both) talking about everything in the world. Hours watching the leaves fall, the cars go by and the dogs sit in the yard. It was glorious indeed. I hope all of you will find time to sit on your front porch this spring and take a break. Believe me…it’s time well spent! 

PS: Front porches are STILL great selling features for any home!

What’s In A Name?

 

by Linda Hutchinson

Florida Today reports that people sometimes make home selections based upon the names of the streets. Flowers are popular while street names like “Soggy Bottom” are not highly regarded. The article found here notes the real importance of street names in a variety of arenas, including ease of access for the fire and police departments as well as plain likability. This article is so dead on…and I don’t mean dead end. I have had a lot of buyers who would not live on certain streets because they didn’t like the name. One client thought Harmony Lane was just too cute. I also had a customer who would only buy a house where the house numbers totaled seven. Fortunately, I found her a house with the numbers 421 and she bought it! You never know what will help a home sell but names (and numbers) do make a difference!

 

Photography – What You Need to Know to Sell Your Home!

by Linda Hutchinson

Home photography makes a great difference when it comes to attracting buyers to your home. For the record, Sotheby’s research reflects that buyers require a minimum of six photos to hold their interest as they view homes over the internet. With over 80% of the public starting their home search online, it’s important that home photography be of the highest quality with multiple photos of the home available to internet users. It’s a whole new world out there in real estate sales! Great tips on home photography here.

Sinkholes, Sharks, & Alligators… Welcome to Florida

by Linda Hutchinson

Right next to sinkholes is the fear of sharks and alligators in Florida. The reality is that sinkholes don’t happen that often, sharks rarely attack our swimmers and alligators are afraid of humans. But for some reason, one of the first things that new residents ask is “have you seen a live alligator”? For the record, I have. It lives in the lake behind my house. We tend to have a mutual admiration relationship and we keep our distance. He does not come up to the back door nor does he come into the yard. I just see him floating in the lake from time to time to remind me that wildlife in nature still exists just as God intended!

Barking Dog Ordinance?

by Linda Hutchinson

The city of Mount Dora is considering a change in their noise ordinance regarding barking dogs and the disturbance they create. (The full story can be found here)

I can honestly say that, as the owner of three dogs, I love dogs more than most people. But I will also tell you that incessant yapping by a neighbor’s dog is absolutely one of the most irritating sounds (right next to the noise emitted by car boom boxes). It is a shame that we can trust our neighbors to keep their dogs under control and we have to enact laws to make it so. For the record, a dog that barks can “kill” the sale of a home. No one wants to live next to that kind of noise.

Do Falling Leaves Mean Falling Prices?

by Linda Hutchinson

It’s fall y’all and the leaves are starting to turn. Pretty soon they will be falling in preparation for winter.But real estate in Florida had an early fall. I’m sounding the warning for you buyers out there….START TO BUY. I mean it. START TO BUY. Real estate agents AND Sellers are figuring out that lowering prices is not working. Eventually, these same people are going to simply get fed up and stop the drop.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? The end of year approaches which also means the best opportunity for (a) great interest rates (b) concession from Sellers (c) best home prices (d) end of year tax deductions and motivated sellers, agents and lenders. BUYERS HAVE NEVER HAD IT THIS GOOD and yet there seems to be a wait and see attitude. Amazingly, BUYERS seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Well…It’s dropped and it’s kicking you in the teeth. For the smart BUYER – they will make the move NOW. Wait much longer and you are going to see some very serious sellers WAKE UP and start increasing their prices as interest rates drop.

Nothing stays the same forever. Change is a constant in real estate. Mark my words…I’m certain of this!

Builder Will Check Orlando Neighborhood for Bombs

by Linda Hutchinson

If you’ve been following the news in Central Florida for the past month or so, you’ve heard about the unexploded bombs from World War II found in a pasture less than 1/2 mile from Odyssey Middle School in southeast Orange County. This article in the Orlando Sentinel indicates that residents of two nearby neighborhoods will have the ground under their streets, sidewalks, and yards scanned, and any unexploded ordinance disposed of, courtesy of Lennar Homes, who originally developed part of the 950-acre Vista Lakes community.

I’m glad to hear that Lennar is taking responsibility for fixing this problem particularly since they don’t really know how much it will cost to fix this problem. The residents of those neighborhoods deserve peace of mind, and this seems like the first step toward regaining it.