Keshia Torruella's Blog

Are you thinking about putting your home on the market? Maybe your home has been on the market and you’re getting the traffic but just not getting the offers. Well I can help. Homes are selling! They have to be priced right, have proper marketing campaigns and they have to be staged well and have curb appeal. Is it wise to invest in your home in a down market? The answer is yes. Small investments of $1000 or less to paint, add flowers and mulch to the from yard, change out cabinet hardware and fix things that are broken, will set you home apart from the ones that are price according to your home. A clean tidy home appeals to the customer looking for a move in ready home. But maybe your kitchen and bath are outdated! These areas of the home typically are what sells the home. The return of investment  for a Kitchen is 80%-100%,  the return of investment on a bathroom remodel is 80%-90%. So if you spend $5000 on your kitchen you can expect to get at least $4,500 of that money back, if not all of it. So what does this mean in terms of selling the home? Well it’s obvious; you will attract more buyers willing to pay a higher price for your home. But spending too much money can be deadly! Understanding what the market value on your home is important to understanding exactly how much money you should invest!

We are giving a free staging consultation. Allow us to come in provide a free consultation of how to sell your home in 45 days!

“Ring, Ring this is Keshia Torruella, how can I help you make your dreams come true”, I answered the phone. “Hi, I want to buys a home here in Orlando, but I don’t know where to start?”

I think that this is probably my favorite call! Calls from First time Home Buyers. I can remember buying my first home and understanding that there were three things that I had to do before looking at a home. The first Understood how much I could spend on a home, the next was understanding where my credit was and the final one, which is almost always missed, is understanding my budget and living as though I was in the home now.

I will began a series on each of these items. And I will break down the unknowns that face many first time home buyers. If you follow this in 6 months you will be prepared to begin looking for a home with a hefty down payment.

I have been working with a client for 6 months, and I would have to say she is the fussiest woman that I know. One day she met me at a house, in her new pink Liz Claiborne suit and her big brim hat with white and pink roses on the side, she looked as though she was ready for the Derby. “This house just won’t do” she stated. “But Ms. Blanch we haven’t even seen the inside!” I cautiously stated. “I’ll have you know that if the home is not facing south, it just won’t due”. Now I want you to know that I have had customers, that won’t accept a home without a pool or a home that only has three bedrooms, and I have even had a home rejected because the carpet was green, however this one was new! “I’m planning a perfect garden”, she stated and you my dear had better get on your P’s and Q’s concerning knowing your clients”, she then abruptly canceled our appointment and stated, “Call me later with the new batch of homes”. Well I was a little taken aback by her abruptness, but tickled by her nature. That night I research 8 homes that fit her descriptions. Understand that I have worked for months with this behavior and had finally figured out everything that made her tick. After I sent her the new homes I almost didn’t think she would call. We had gone on several appointments, and I can’t remember one home that she remotely liked.  At times I questioned my ability to take care of my customer, am I listening to her carefully? Did I really pay attention to what she was saying…or not saying? “Ring, Ring, This is Keshia” I said in my normal cheerful voice. “This is Ms Blanch” she stated in almost a European Accent, which was weird because she was from Kansas. “My Dear, I have had 9 Realtors, they have always let me down, they don’t listen, they never send me the houses that I want and eventually they all just stop taking my calls”.  I have to tell you that working with Ms Blanch was an ordeal in itself, she usually kept me on the phone for at least 30 minutes, and she only wanted to spend $100k for a $200k home. She then asks me “Why do you do this?” Well after preparing myself for her aggressive nature before every call and meeting, I was slightly taken off guard by the question. “The first time I sold a home, I watch the eagerness of the wife and the confidence of the husband, and the sheer Joy of the children, and realized that I was a part of a magnificent moment in their lives. I had touched them in a way that made me happy every time I thought of it; I do this to help dreams come true!” There was a silence on the phone and then she stated “Well then, when are we going out to see these homes, I think I want to see the ones in the 300k range, I’ve been listening to what you’ve said and your right, if I want to get everything that I want, I need to be realistic, I’m forwarding you my new bank preapproval letter!”  From that moment I have taken my time to understand each of my clients needs and I look forward to becoming the gate keeper to their dreams!

Every day that I wake up, my mind is always wondering, whose dreams will I make come true today!

I have had the incredible honor of becoming the newest member of the Lake Community Action Agency Weatherization program. I am an Inspector with the program. While Living Green and making  sustainability apart of my lifestyle, I am excited to have the opportunity to offer weatherization to low income family in desperate need of help with their electric bills.

What Is Weatherization? Weatherization is the practice of protecting a building and its interior from the elements, particularly from sunlight, precipitation, and wind, and of modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize

Weatherization has become increasingly high-profile as the cost of home heating has risen. The US Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) was created in 1976 to help low-income families reduce energy consumption and costs. WAP reaches across all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Native American tribes. The goal of WAP is to assist low-income families by reducing energy bills and decrease dependency on foreign oil by decreasing energy use.

How are we helping the community? refrigeration and Air conditioning units. Each of these items are evaluated and completed based on the need of the home.

I really look forward to offering this service to the wonderful people of Lake County as well as contributing to living in a greener word.

For More Information please visit the website:

http://www.lakecaa.org/CommunitySvcsDetails.asp?ID=2

Existing single-family home sales in Orlando grew by 7 percent in August 2010, compared to one year ago, although values decreased, Florida Realtors said today in a report. A total of 2,289 single-family homes sold compared to 2,134 in August 2009.

Orlando’s median sales price for existing homes last month was $128,400, representing a decline of 11 percent from $144,200, where it stood one year ago.

Existing condominium sales were much better, increasing by 59 percent. In August 859 units were sold in August 2010, compared with 541 in August 2009. Condominium prices declined by a mere $600 or 1 percent, from $49,900 in August 2009 to $49,300 last month.

Statewide, 13,997 single-family homes sold in August, 89 more than the 13,908 in August 2009. Florida median home prices were $134,000, a decline of 9 percent from $146,500 recorded one year ago.

Florida’s condominium sales were 5,706, up by 22 percent from the 4,662 units sold in August 2009. However, median sale prices were $81,600, compared to $107,200 one year ago, a decline of 24 percent.

Year-to-date, state-wide single-family home sales grew to 117,974 in August 2010 compared to 104, 228 in August 2009, an increase of 13 percent. Year-to-date, values declined to $137,600 compared to $143,700 one year ago, a decline of 4 percent.

Similarly, year-to-date state-wide condominium sales increased by 42 percent, from 34,547 to 49,144 or 42 percent. However, prices dropped from $109, 900 in August 2009 to $94,300, or 14 percent.

This was posted by Orlando Loop.

Have you looked at your credit and do you understand your score? If you have and the score is lower than a 620, do not fret! Here are a few things that you can do to bring up your score tremendously!

1. Pay off any deficiencies, there should be no outstanding balances on your report.

2. Send in a waiver requesting that no inquiries be made to your credit report without your permission

3. You must have diversified Credit. You need at least 3 credit cards, a student loan and car or Mortgage that have been kept current.

Next week I will go into detail on each item and why they are important and the impact to your credit! Understand that we will get you prepared to buy a home and nothing is impossible! For more information or a copy of my credit repair report click here:

http://ktorruella.mfr.mlxchange.com/?Page=19783865