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The Stern Group Experience

The Stern Group professional real estate services has been helping folks buy and sell residential real estate since 2004. A small office staffed with well-vetted professionals offers superior customer service and specialized marketing for a limited number of customers. Our longevity comes from the Five Star Service we offer. Customers can feel confident that their transactions are receiving the greatest possible attention and focus. It is their recommendations to others that has resulted in the growth of our business.

Linda A. Stern, Managing Broker BK3021611 State of Florida | 407.376.2434 | Linda@FlaOrlando.com

Knowledge is power. Let's learn more.

CLOSING COSTS FOR BUYERS

As a home buyer when you close on a home, a number of fees are due. The fees currently range from 2% to 5% of the total cost fo the home and can include title insurance, origination fees, underwriting fees document preparation fees and more. If you purchase a $250,000 home, for example, that amount could be between $5,000 and $12,500 in closing fees. Be aware, if you're in the market for a home above this price range, your costs could be significantly greater.

There will be lots of paperwork in front of you on closing day, and not enough time to read them all. Work closely with your real estate agent/broker, lender, title company rep, and attorney (if you have one), to get all the documents you need ahead of time.

hBottom line, reach out to your lender and local real estate professional to discuss the homebuying process to be sure you plan includes budgeting for what you need to purchase your new home - without any surprises!

4 EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE CURB APPEAL BEFORE LISTING YOUR HOME FOR SALE

With baby #3 on the way, we’ve decided our home is just too small for our growing family. We’ve loved our home and our neighborhood, but there’s no way five of us can fit into a 1200 square foot home and still be sane. Luckily, the inside of our home is in excellent condition with one-year-old carpeting, custom paint, and even upgraded counters. It’s absolutely beautiful inside! The yard, however, is another story...

Unfortunately, this is often the case. The money runs out before landscaping is ever completed or the landscaping already in place is just too hard to maintain. Not everyone has a green thumb, right?! It may not seem like that big of a deal since you don’t live in your yard. Maybe you’ll just let the next owner deal with it… But is that really the best solution? Your real estate agent informs you that even with an amazing interior, your house--if it sells--will come in at a much lower price than you had hoped. First impressions are very important, and the curb appeal of your home will be the difference between someone taking a look or driving by. So the bottom line is if you’re serious about getting top dollar, you may have to spend a few dollars first. When sprucing up your yard to appeal to prospective buyers, what are the most important areas to concentrate on?

1. YOUR LAWN

Prospective buyers will overlook a lot of landscaping issues if your yard is well-maintained. If it’s summer, they are looking for a well-maintained, freshly mowed, lush, green lawn free of dandelions and other weeds. If there are large dead spots, you’ll need to plant grass seed or sod to fill them in.

If you don’t have a green thumb, this is the time to call a professional lawn care service to get your lawn in parade-of-homes condition. A lawn service will be able to deal with your trouble spots and make sure that it makes a great first impression to those potential buyers.

2. YOUR FLOWER BEDS

When sprucing up flower beds, a little dirt under the nails is required--whether it’s your own nails or the teenaged neighbor’s nails--someone is going to need to get dirty. Weeding comes first. Next, comes fresh mulch, wood chips, or colored rock to spread across the flower beds for a clean, fresh look that will provide contrast to your main flower bed attraction: the flowers.

When choosing flowers, pick flowers that will bloom or stay bloomed throughout your projected timeframe for selling your home. Annuals are generally cheapest and stay bright and cheery through most of the growing season. If you already have annuals that have bloomed and dried up, replace them if possible.The splash of color that the flowers bring will go a long way in bringing beauty to your yard.

3. YOUR TREES AND SHRUBS

Trees and shrubs are additional areas where professional lawn care services can help. If you don’t think you can safely climb a ladder and handle a chainsaw in one hand while holding a branch in the other, you shouldn’t attempt to cut down dead or stray branches or shape scraggly bushes yourself. Instead, you should spend the money to stay safe and have the job done properly. Beautifully shaped shrubs and well-trimmed trees add an extra pizzazz and show prospective buyers that you care about your yard.

4. SPECIAL YARD FEATURES.

You may have special features in your yard such as planters, waterfalls, and ponds. If these features don’t add much to your overall landscape design, you may want to consider removing them altogether. If they were hard for you to keep up, they may be hard for future owners as well. In fact, these types of features sometimes turn future owners away for fear of future upkeep.

If these features add beauty and personality to your yard, refill planters with fresh plants after cleaning out the dead material, make sure waterfalls are clean and functioning properly, and be sure that ponds are clean and stocked with fish if desired.

You may also have playground equipment in your backyard. Ask your real estate agent on advice concerning whether or not playground equipment should stay or go; it may be that future owners will welcome it, but there is also a chance they won’t. The final decision will most likely depend on its condition. If it is rundown or detracts from the home and the rest of your yard, consider taking it down and moving it to your new house where your own kids can continue to enjoy it for years to come.

Getting your lawn professionally taken care of, sprucing up your flower beds, trimming your trees and shrubs, and taking a hard look at any special features in your yard are great places to focus your attention when trying to sell your home. None of these fixes require major changes nor are they too expensive, but taking the time and money to focus on them will go a long way toward increasing your curb appeal and helping you sell your home faster and at a more competitive price.

Sept. 6, 2023

Fla. Insurance Commissioner’s order prevents insurers from cancelling or issuing non-renewals of customers’ policies until Oct. 31 in areas affected by Hurricane Idalia.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky on Sept. 1, 2023, issued an order that will temporarily prevent property insurers from dropping customers in areas affected by Hurricane Idalia.

The order prevents insurers from canceling or issuing non-renewals of policies until Oct. 31 in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union and Wakulla counties.

Among other things, the order also addressed issues related to handling claims from Idalia.

“Given the strength and size of Hurricane Idalia, its catastrophic effect on Florida and its impact on hundreds of thousands of policyholders, the Office (of Insurance Regulation) expects all authorized insurers, surplus lines insurers and regulated entities to implement processes and procedures to facilitate the efficient payment of claims,” the order said. “This includes critically analyzing current procedures and streamlining claim payment processes as well as using the latest technological advances to provide prompt and efficient claims service to policyholders.”

Idalia made landfall Aug. 30, 2023, in Taylor County as a Category 3 hurricane after moving north through the Gulf of Mexico.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN APPRAISAL AND A HOME INSPECTION? 01/20/2023 Linda Stern

What's the difference between an Appraisal and a Home Inspection? I get asked that question a lot. The differende is simple. An appraisal is an opinion of value based on a site inspection at any given time. Appraisals can change for many reasons including improvements or destruction of the property, market conditions, etc. A Home Inspection is one mans opion of issues that could or should be corrected after a complete site inspection. Home Inspections can sometimes but not always include such things as a pool, pool equipment, etc. Have questions? Give us a call, text or email. LInda Stern, Broker Linda@FlaOrlando.com, 407.376.2434 call or text

ARE YOU READY TO BE A LANDLORD?

02/24/2023 Linda Stern

One of the sure ways to create wealth over time is real estate. Sure, there are valuation ups and downs along the way but overall real estate can be a good investment. But owning rental property also means you're a landlord. Are you ready for that?

Many who are first time landlords often do so by accident. They buy a home, live in it and later decide to buy another place to live, keeping the previous property and renting it out. When renting a home you not only gain the appreciation of the property over time but also means you have tenants.

Having tentants means due diligence. You'll have to advertise the property and screen propective tenants by requiring an application along with permission to run a credit report. Those with a responsible credit history will likely make for good tenants. "Good" also means paying rent on time.

Another issue will be taking care of tenant/p problems. At any time you could receive a call from a tenant telling you that the water heater has sprung a leak. To avoid such circumstances you can hire a property manager who generally charges about 10% + of the monthly rent.

Make sure you are prepared for unforeseen circumstances that arise. Your realtor can assist in anwering any of your questions. Give us a call at 407.376.2434 or email at Linda@FlaOrlando.com

Residential Real Estate Outlook Orlando Metro 2023 | 01/02/2023 Linda Stern, Broker

With the new year upon us, many homeowners have asked about what's to come in real estate. Will my home lose value, will there be any appreciation, will buyer's be able to afford a mortgage? Don't despair. We are constantly accessing the market to keep you informed.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the Orlando Metro (Orlando, Kissimmee, Daytona Beach) will survive. It will not be another 2008. The stats show that residential sales volume will decline but only by about 8.5%. And expect prices to rise overall by 2.9%. Doulbe digit appreciation is gone for now but no one ever expected it to continue forever. 2.9% is not bad with the state of the national economy.

Although interest rates have risen over the past year, the rates are still affordable for most buyers. Those first time home buyers are too young to appreciated 5 or 6 % interest rates but we are nowhere near the 9 or 10% that many of their parents were faced with when buying their first home. Adjustable rate mortgages are an option in the short term and homeowners can always refinance at a later date.

All in all, we are optimistic about the coming year. If you've thought about selling, give us a call. We have exclusive programs that may be of interest to you. Our job is to help you reach your objective. Here's to a bright and prosperous 2023!

Should I Hire an Interior Designer | 01/09/2023 Linda Stern, Broker

Whether you’re moving to a new home or considering a refresh or remodel for your current one, you might be asking yourself whether or not you should hire an interior designer. A designer is someone who can create a beautiful space, but this scenario isn’t for everyone.The following are considerations and both pros and cons that come with working with a designer.

What is Your Budget?

Budget will have to be the biggest consideration when you think about whether you should hire a designer. Designers are not cheap, particularly when they’re experienced. If you’re doing a remodeling project or moving into a new home, you have to think about the significant costs a designer can add to your overall budget.

Some designers will charge a flat fee. Others will charge by the hour.

Some designers will make purchases on your behalf and charge a percentage on each item they buy.

What Services Do You Need?

Designers can do a lot of different types of work, and they may have varying areas of specialty. Services many designers offer can include design consultations, space assessment and space planning. Designers may offer purchasing and procurement or full-scale project management if you’re doing a remodel or custom build.

Some designers won’t work with you unless you’re paying for their full services, but others will charge by the hour and work with you on an as-needed basis.

Do You Have a Distinct Style?

When you hire a designer, even if their vision is similar to your own, ultimately they’re bringing their personal style to your home. Some people like this, but if you have a style that you prefer or a vision, you might be better off doing things yourself.

If you’re someone, on the other hand, who’s indecisive and takes a long time to figure out what you like, a designer can actually end up saving you time and money. They can become someone who guides your decisions.

Some people love to make decisions and find that it’s easy for them to do so, and if you’re that person, you could find it hard to work with a designer. On the other hand, if you’re someone who’s overwhelmed by choices, a designer can be well worth their fee.

You may find that a designer doesn’t create a space you feel reflects who you are. A good designer will work with you to learn about your family, your priorities, and how you use spaces, but still they may not capture these elements as you would.

Are You Patient and What are the Alternatives?

An interior designer can help you figure out the logistics of home design that you might not otherwise think about. They do tend to take their time with projects, however. Good design can take time, and designers will often carefully select items, and they may opt for custom pieces as well. If you want to work quickly, it’s unlikely a designer will be the best choice.

You might instead pick all of your items online or from a local store so that you can bring everything together at once rather than piece by piece.

For some people, hiring a designer is absolutely the best option. It makes things easier for them and helps ensure they get a beautiful and cohesive space. For other people, a lot of the fun of a home project or buying a new home is decorating it and personalizing the space, so you have to decide which category you fall into. You may even want to consider someone who will use the furniture and items you already have to Redign your space. Sometimes we just can't see the forest for the trees. Just because your sofa has always been in the same place doens't mean it won't work in another. A Redign expert can save you time and money and give you a whole new look!

In any case, enjoy the process. You'll love the new look!

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