Taylor Morrison Homes – Homemade Memories Contest

Taylor Morrison Homes is currently in the final days of their Homemade Memories Contest. The winner of their video contest will receive one year of mortgages payments and you can also to win a year of mortgage/rent payments [$18,000] by registering and voting for one of the entries.

My friends and Altamonte Springs, Florida residents are one of the ten National finalist with their video “Memories Made From Scratch” [Week #2 - second from the left on the Taylor Morrison Site]

Here’s their video… “Memories Made from Scratch”

Vote Today For Week #2!

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test [FCAT] is the foundation of the statewide education assessment and accountability program.  The FCAT results translate for the public the “education health” of Florida Students and hold school districts accountable for their progress.

Many homebuyers with children consider FCAT school grades in their decision process, often looking for homes within specific school zones.   Homeowners often perceive an increase in value of their home due to highly ranked schools and promote their zoning when selling and consider it a benefit of the property.

What the FCAT means to the Seminole County Real Estate Market…  Good grades really do matter, not just to students, but to Seminole County homeowners and homebuyers.

Seminole County Elementary Schools

Altamonte Elementary School:  A

Bear Lake Elementary School:  A

Bentley Elementary School:  B

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It’s that time again Football Fans!

It may be in the 90’s as of the date of this post, but it’s time for the annual fall High School right of passage…

Friday Night Lights!

Who needs a tv show when you can go out and support your home team. Attend a game this fall and see some of the areas top student athletes compete for the bragging rights against their county rivals.

Lake Mary High School Football Schedule 2010

August 20th  ~  Red/Gray Game  ~  @Home  ~ * 6pm

August 27th  ~  West Orange Kickoff Classic  ~  @Home ~ 7:30pm

September 3rd  ~  Hagerty High School  ~  @Home

September 10th  ~  Lake Howell High School  ~  @Lake Howell

September 17th  ~  Oviedo High School  ~  @Oviedo

September 24th  ~  University High School  ~  @Home

October 1st  ~  Deltona High School [Homecoming]  ~  @Home

October 8th  ~  Seminole High School  ~  @Seminole

October 15th  ~  Freedom High School  ~  @Home

October 22nd  ~ Lyman High School ~  @ Lyman

November 5th  ~  Lake Brantley High School (Senior Night)  ~  @Home

November 12th  ~   Winter Springs High School  ~  @Winter Springs

*All Games Kickoff at 7:30pm except for the Red/Gray Game

Click here for a map to Lake Mary High School

Search for homes in the Lake Mary, Florida High School District

What’s selling on the home front in Lake Mary, Florida?

The majority of the home sales in July were distressed properties, 26 of the sales were condos, 5 townhouses and 45 single family homes.

Lake Mary Townhomes

Least Expensive Townhouse Sale:  Heron Bay in Greenwood Lakes $140,000 ~ 3 Bedroom / 2 Bath ~ 1,561 SF of Living Space @ $89.69 per/SF

Most Expensive Townhouse Sale: Fountain Park  $269,000 ~ 4 Bedroom / 2 Bath ~ 2,087 SF of Living Space @ $128.89 per /SF

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2010 Lake Mary Schools FCAT Grades

After much controversy, two audits and continuing objections of educators, the State of Florida released the 2010 FCAT results this week.

Seminole County Schools routinely rank high in the State of Florida and Seminole County High Schools currently rank in the top 3% of all High Schools nationwide in the annual Newsweek Magazine poll.

The High School Grades which include a factor for graduation rates have not been released at the time of this post, but will be available in an update as soon as they are published.

Lake Mary Elementary Schools

Crystal Lake Elementary School:  A

Heathrow Elementary School:  A

Lake Mary Elementary School:  B

Lake Mary Middle Schools

Greenwood Lakes Middle School: A

Millenium Middle School: A

Markham Woods Middle School: A

Resources & Links:

For detailed information about FCAT School Grades, Please visit the Florida Department of Education Website.

Search for homes in Seminole County & Lake Mary

If you are interested in having your children attend a specific school, please email me at Debbie@MoveToLakeMary.com for a personal, customized home search for your school of choice.

Lake Mary Homes For Sale

Homes & Condos for sale:  387
Properties listed as short sales: 107 or  28%
Bank Owned/REO Properties:  26 or 7%

Same stuff, different month… The Lake Mary inventory of homes is almost unchanged after the month of July, just one less house for sale and the percentage of distressed properties remain the same .  As we see the Summer Buying Season [the time when families typically move to have a lesser impact on their school aged children] come to a close we will really start to get an accurate picture of where the real estate market is and how much of an impact the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit affected the market these past few months.

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Super Size Me?

Not so fast, the McMansion’s days are numbered.

The size of the new single family homes declined in 2009, dropping to an average of 2,438 square feet, which is still considerably larger than the home my husband grew up in with his 3 siblings that was a mere 1,450 square feet, but smaller than many of the 3000+ square foot behemoths that seemed to dominate the neighborhoods under construction during the “housing bubble” when bigger was often equated with being better.

Seeing now that many developers have revamped their original offerings and have opted to build smaller homes at a less expensive price point in order to stay afloat in the “New Economy” makes me hopeful that we’ve learned something during this economic downturn.

Today, more than ever, homebuyers are conscious of the costs associated with owning a home.  Questions about utility costs and taxes dominate my conversations.   I’ve noticed many new buyers entering the market place don’t want to purchase at the top of their “price range”.  The realistic buyers of today work backwards into what size home they can afford, based on the real cost of ownership (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance and utilities).

Some economists say that we’ve had a fundamental reset of the economy, I think many out there have had a fundamental reset of the American lifestyle.

Homes For Sale in Seminole County

Homes & Condos for sale:  3,596
Properties listed as short sales: 1134 or  32%
Bank Owned/REO Properties:  462 or 13%

Seminole County Homes Under Contract

Homes & Condos under contract:  1,869
Short Sales:  1079 or 58%
Bank Owned/REO:  396 or 21%
Distressed Properties make up 79% of the homes under contract.

Seminole County Home Sales

May Home Sales:  541
Short Sales:  92 or 17%
Bank Owned/REO: 220 or 41%

Home Sales in Seminole County, Florida

Seminole County Real Estate Market Fact:  58% of the homes sold in Seminole County, Florida during the month of May were distressed properties.  Seminole County includes the cities of Lake Mary, Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Winter Springs, and Oviedo.

What Seminole County’s Real Estate Statistics mean to homebuyers…   There continues to be a large percentage of foreclosures and short sales entering the marketplace and understanding the specific challenges to purchasing those types of properties in advance, will save you heartbreak and frustration in the long run.  Some of the most knowledgeable REALTORS who are successfully completing short sales are Certified Distressed Property Experts or CDPE’s, so if you are thinking about buying a short sale, make sure your agent is a CDPE.

Real Estate Market Trends and The Seminole County Homeowner… Most homeowners are surprised to find out that their home’s market value has possibly returned to what it was in 2003/2004 or “pre-bubble” pricing.   The impact of short sales and foreclosures has had on the market is quite dramatic and is on a town by town and neighborhood by neighborhood basis.  For more information about the value of your home, please visit our website for a free home valuation.

Lake Mary Homes For Sale

Homes & Condos for sale:  417
Properties listed as short sales: 109 or  26%
Bank Owned/REO Properties:  42 or 10%

The inventory of homes available for sale in Lake Mary continues to stabilize with little to no change in the quantity or the percentage of distressed properties in the marketplace.  As we enter the “Summer Buying Season” we will be watching to see if the demand increases and waiting to see if more homeowners who are not in distress consider selling their current property and move up or downsize.  We’ll be watching…

Lake Mary Homes Under Contract

Homes & Condos under contract:  209
Short Sales:  112 or 54%
Bank Owned/REO:  46 or 22%
Distressed Properties make up 76% of the homes under contract.

Lake Mary Home Sales

May Home Sales:  65
Short Sales:  8 or 13%
Bank Owned/REO:  31 or 48%

Home Sales in Lake Mary, Florida

Lake Mary Real Estate Market Fact:  61% of the homes sold in Lake Mary, Florida during the month of May were distressed properties.

What May’s Lake Mary Real Estate Statistics mean to homebuyers…   There continues to be a large percentage of foreclosures and short sales entering the marketplace and understanding the specific challenges to purchasing those types of properties in advance, will save you heartbreak and frustration in the long run.  Some of the most knowledgeable REALTORS who are successfully completing short sales are Certified Distressed Property Experts or CDPE’s, so if you are thinking about buying a short sale, make sure your agent is a CDPE.

Real Estate Market Trends and The Lake Mary Homeowner… Most homeowners are surprised to find out that their home’s market value has possibly returned to what it was in 2003/2004 or “pre-boom” pricing.   The impact of short sales and foreclosures has had on the market is quite dramatic and is on a town by town and neighborhood by neighborhood basis.  For more information about the value of your home, please visit our website for a free home valuation.

In today’s Lake Mary real estate market it’s all about value for homebuyers…  Where are Lake Mary homebuyers finding the best deals?  Check out these neighborhoods to find out…

#1 Notting Hill Condos with condo 20 sales in April

Most Expensive Notting Hill Condo Sale:  $111,000:  3 Bedroom/2 Bath with 1,731 sf of living space

Least Expensive Notting HIll Condo Sale:  $46,500:  1 Bedroom/1 Bath with 951 sf of living space

#2 Heathrow with 11 home sales in April

Most Expensive Heathrow Home Sale:  $1,800.000:  Pool, 6 Bedroom/6 Bath & 2 Half Baths with 8,749 sf of living space

Least Expensive Heathrow Home Sale:  $178,900: 2 Bedroom/2 Bath with 1,260 sf of living space

#3 Greenwood Lakes & The Crossings with 8 home sales

Most Expensive Greenwood Lakes & The Crossings Home Sale –  $266,00:  3 Bed/3.5 Bath with 2,228 sf of living space

Least Expensive Greenwood Lakes & The Crossings – $142,500:  4 Bed/2 Bath with 1,744 sf of living space

#4 Chase Groves with 5 home sales

Most Expensive Chase Grove home sale – $175,000:  4 Bed/2Bath with 1,861 sf of living space

Least Expensive Chase Grove home sale – $ 142,000:  3 Bed/2 Bath  with 1,592 sf of living space

#5 Regency Park at Lake Mary with 5 condo sales

Most Expensive Regency Park condo sale – $60,000:  3 Bed/2 Bath with 1,100 sf of living space

Least Expensive Regency Park condo sale – $24,000:  1 Bed/1 Bath with 588 sf of living space