Florida Realty Resource Blog

Working to have a safe Florida home environment is important to everyone.  We want our children to have safe water, clean air, fresh food and a healthy earth for their future.

One area where you might consider decreasing your impact on the environment is in your own home construction.  There are several ways you can have a safe and clean green home construction.

• Find a “green” builder to help with your Florida home.  Search the Internet for professional green builders.  It takes a special contractor to coordinate the elements of home building to ensure maximum energy savings.  Buying green materials is just one step toward having a green home.  To achieve ultimate efficiency, the different structural parts of plumbing, electricity, gas lines, and framework need to be coordinated.
• Buy green materials from different vendors.  Shop around to ensure you are getting the best deal.  One vendor may sell stone at an exceptional price, but his timber may be overpriced.  Natural supplies can be in short availability in some areas.  Natural builders and vendors are working together to build a greener home construction industry, but it is still a business.  It is your responsibility as the homeowner to make sure that you are getting the best deal.
• Continue the "green" theme with your home decorations and furnishings.  The construction of your green home saves resources and energy.  You can reduce your impact on the environment even further by using energy saving appliances, eco-friendly interior paint, and sustainable wood flooring in your home.

Building your Florida home using green construction is a great start to a cleaner, brighter future. 

We can help you learn more about green home construction options.  Call us at 407-876-5771 for more information.

Even those with a steady job and sufficient income are cautious about signing their mortgages for Orlando homes for sale. They realize that signing mortgages set them up with payments for a significant amount of their lifetimes. Others worry, especially now, about losing their jobs in an unstable economy. The “what if” game begins, and potential homebuyers know that, if they lose their job, there’s a very real possibility they might lose their home.

Job-loss mortgage insurance gives homebuyers a “fallback plan” should they ever lose that stable income. It’s a definite relief to many who want to buy Orlando homes for sale, but can job-loss mortgage insurance really help homeowners? Or, is it just another way to swindle the innocent out of hard-earned money?

What is it?

Job-loss mortgage insurance is exactly what it sounds like. Some insurance companies offer an insurance plan to help you pay your monthly mortgage payment should you lose your job. Although it’s been around for years, the big companies, such as Bank of America and GE Casualty, have begun picking it up in the past 10 years,.

How does it work?

Job-loss policies pay all or part of your mortgage payment if your job loss is involuntary, and some pay if you become medically unable to work. Policies vary depending on the provider, but most go into action after a month of unemployment. Most also have a wait period which means they won’t pay out during the first six months after you've purchased the policy.

Maximum monthly benefits, what the policy covers and whether you have to be receiving unemployment benefits are just a few things to look over while researching providers. As usual with anything insurance, make sure you read the fine print.

Is it worth it?

A lot of financial advisors say not to bother with the job-loss mortgage insurance. Take the money you’d be spending on insurance and build a savings account to hold six months worth of payments. However, many first-time home buyers have depleted their reserve funds just to get the house, and may not have the money to put aside.

My advice to you…

If you’re interested in buying one of the Orlando homes for sale, but you're worried about your job stability, look into job-loss mortgage insurance. Once you have the facts, policy information and coverage costs, figure it into your finances (payments for coverage vs. building a six-month fallback account) and decide what’s best for you.

If you’re looking for a beautiful home at a price you can afford, we can help. Call us at 407-876-5771 for more information.

You’ve reached that time in your life where you’re ready to buy Florida real estate.  Even though the mortgage approval process can be intimidating, you can get yourself ready to apply for a loan.  These are the first steps to buying your home:

Make a List

First, make a list of your finances.  Include all your income, and factor in your normal monthly debts.  Miscellaneous bills, like your daily coffee or weekly magazine, should be listed too.  Write down everything that you spend each month.

Calculate what 28% of your income is.  Most loan officers recommend not spending more than 28% on your housing costs.  You may not want to take on a mortgage loan for the maximum amount offered without consulting your list to see what money is actually available for you to spend.

Decrease Your Debt

Once you’ve have detailed your finances, it's time to make a budget.  A good budget can help you eliminate wasteful spending which will allow you to pay off more of your debts.  When planning your budget, don’t forget to include some personal money. 

Start with the small debts first.  Pick the credit card with the highest interest rate and smallest balance and work from there.  After one debt is paid off, use the extra money that you’re saving from the first card, and pay off the next.  This way, you should be able to pay your balances down quickly.

It only takes a couple of months of good payment practices to begin to see your credit score go up. With a good credit score, you can get a better interest rate.  This will save you thousands of dollars in mortgage payments over the life of the loan.

Save For the Down Payment

You’re ready to start saving for the down payment on your Florida real estate.  It has to be paid up-front at the loan closing, but sometimes the seller will pay the closing costs.

If you’d like more tips on how to buy Florida real estate, subscribe to this blog.  It's free and easy.  Just enter your email address in the subscription section, and you'll automatically receive tips like this in your email inbox a couple of times a week.