Joellen Stranger-thorsen

I do not see this property for sale as the link appears to be informational only. There are other homes in this neighborhood for sale . Contact me if you would like information and photos on those. - Wed Oct 1 2008, 18:58

Unfortunately I do not know of any way to find out that answer today. My children don't attend Round Lake but I assume you would go into the school office tomorrow morning and find out what class your child is assigned. If you are unable to accompany your child to school tomorrow I would call the school at 7:00 AM and see if you can get the information for your child. I would also ask for specific directions on getting to the classroom. There are usually numerous adults around to assist the students in getting to the proper place safely.

Welcome to Lake County and I hope your child has a great first day of school. - Sun Aug 17 2008, 11:33

I agree, your new agent should be dealing with this unprofessional and spiteful agent. (Your new agent may need your assistance in documenting the events.) The direct feed, as long as it is being advertised truthfully, is exposure; so I wouldn't be concerned with that. If there are other sites with advertising write them down and in writing to the agent's broker ask them to be removed. If the agent still says the home is not for sale then I would document everything and report her. What she is doing is unethical. - Wed Aug 13 2008, 04:39

Beverly,
Although a process, when I need deed restrictions I go to Lake County Public Records search through the Lake County Clerk of Courts web site. You can print them from there. Another option is to call the HOA management company or HOA president and pay for a hard copy. - Tue Jul 29 2008, 08:26

Bev,

I am going to be extrememly blunt. Your house is not worth the price you have it listed. If you want to sell and sell it now drop your price considerably. You have a non-working A/C which has not been working for quite some time and therefore there may be other issues that need to be addressed. (Think mold.) You state below there are about $15,000 in repairs. I think your estimate is low and as an investor I would look at that number and add money in for updating.

According to MLS no homes have sold in your neighborhood since January 1, 2008. I did not check public records but I will just to see what your true market value is (and then I will reduce that amount by the expected repairs.)

Your video is out of focus, dark and does not show the home well. (There are also typos in your titles.) You need to add some curb appeal. In your video the home is uninviting from the street. Inside the home there are bare bulbs in one of your light fixtures and there is no warmth. I would suggest you hire a professional stager to stage your home.

A buyer wants to be able to walk in a home and live there. There are few buyers who want to put work into a home right off the bat, especially to the tune of $15,000 plus. In order to get your home sold it has to be the best value in the neighborhood and meet the buyer's needs. Your home will not be the best value if considerable work has to be put into it.

The bill congress passed is not going to have a dramatic effect on the market anytime soon. If you are waiting for the market to start going up again you are looking at least six months out. That is my opinion only and I would love to be proven wrong, but there is still a huge inventory to work through and get sold.

There are companies that buy houses for investment, but you most likely won't get the price you are looking for. (I am thinking along the lines of the companies like We Buy Ugly Houses.)

If you truly look at the numbers in your neighborhood; homes priced at the range you mention below have not sold and have been languishing on the market for over 200 days. With no comparable sales in your neighborhood (and I am not familiar with Fruitland Park so I cannot find another comparable neighborhoods) I would estimate the true value of homes in your neighborhood at $140,000 to $160,000 and therefore your home being in disrepair should be priced around $120,000.

If your appraisal is older than three months your appraisal is far too old to state "priced way below appraisal." The market has changed considerably.

My advice to you would be: 1. Hire a hands on professional agent who will help you get your home ready for sale and then price it accordingly and market it aggressively. You might be able to find a company that would repair your a/c on a payment plan with the balance due at closing. (These are rare but you have a better chance of selling the home if the A/C works.) 2. Get a handyman to replace cabinet doors and all other minor repairs. 3. Add some color to the landscaping (container gardens would probably be the easiest and most dramatic.) 4. Redo your video and marketing to show the home in its best light. And most importantly 5. Price it accordingly.

Good luck to you. - Mon Jul 28 2008, 06:23