Cape Coral Real Estate Blog

Came back last weekend from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with a medical team that provide services to patients and I translate.  Here are some of the pictures so you can take a look at it. 

Nationwide, 739,714 homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice during the quarter, or one in every 171 U.S. households.

Florida documented the nation's fourth highest state foreclosure rate in the second quarter, with one in every 78 households receiving a foreclosure filing during the quarter - more than twice the national average. Foreclosure filings were reported on 109,433 Florida properties during the quarter, the second highest total of any state and an increase of nearly 25 percent from the previous quarter.

The highest ranked Florida metro area was Fort Lauderdale, which ranked No. 6 with one in every 51 households receiving a foreclosure filing during the quarter

The numbers are different from those tracked by the Southwest Florida Real Estate Investors Association, which reported 7,000 foreclosure actions for the second quarter in Lee. For example, RealtyTrac reported 4,311 foreclosures in Lee for May. The association, which actually reviews the paperwork, not just the filings to remove duplicates and others, noted there were 2,450 foreclosure actions.

Soft housing sales, declining home values, tighter lending standards and a sluggish U.S. economy have left strapped homeowners with few options to avoid foreclosure. Many can't find buyers or owe more than their home is worth and can't refinance into an affordable loan

Economists estimated 2.5 million homes nationwide will enter the foreclosure process this year, up from about 1.5 million in 2007.

What's your opinion?

Basically credit scoring systems computes your score on the following variables:

i) payment history,
ii) balance you owe, and
iii) length of credit history

Improving your credit score involves focusing on each of these 3 variables.

Payment history - ALWAYS pay your bills on time. For the first time home purchaser, late payments will always play a major role in reducing your score

Minimize Debt - If you can pay in cash, then pay in cash. Grocery purchases are better off being paid in cash to avoid accumulating unnecessary increases in credit card balance. A low debt to credit limit ratio is important to keep your score high.

Length of Credit History - Do not apply for several credit lines at once. Stick to one or two and maintain them for a long time. Applying for several credit cards may give the creditors a red flag in terms of your capability to service your debt obligations.

Jorge Hernandez helped us in finding the homes of our dreams. We found Jorge thru the Internet and starting speaking with him two months before we actually came down from New Jersey to look at property. By the time my husband and I came down, I felt that we had known Jorge forever. Jorge showed us the home that we were dreaming off the second day that we were in town and made our whole transaction easier than we every thought.

Marlene and Wilber Hernandez, Cape Coral, Florida

I highly recommend Jorge to anyone that is looking to sell or purchase a property. Jorge is very knowledgeable of real estate and financing laws. If anyone is looking for a realtor, Jorge is the one that they want to call.

Rebecca Lime, Cape Coral, Florida

Jorge helped us so much during the purchase of our property that we recommended him to my mother and mother in law. They too used him to purchase their properties. He took care of the necessary paperwork and was on top of things.

Sindia and Alex Perez, Cape Coral, Florida

I would not work with any other real estate agent. Jorge helped me find a realtor in Miami that would assist me in selling my home so that I would be able to move to Cape Coral to be with my family and helped us with the purchase of our home. It could not have been easier.

Matilde and Sefarin Cintron, Cape Coral, Florida

Jorge spent time with us to help us find the right home for our extended family and recommended us to a realtor that would help us with the sale of our home in Miami. He’s professional, knowledgeable and very nice to work with. Jorge is now part of our extended family.

Jorge Luis Cabral and Yudisay Mendez, Cape Coral, Florida

As a first time homebuyer and working with government assistance plan, Jorge guided me thru the process. This purchase was a new construction and I did not know where to start, but with Jorge’s knowledge, I closed on my home for my children and myself.

Carol Thompson, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Bring your buyers to see this large, 4 Bedroom, 3 bathroom home in Lehigh. This home has room for a pool is located in a quiet area

Beds: 4 Baths: 3   Sq Ft: 2115   Yr: 2006

Listing #200838221    $109,500

Fort Myers, FL – Single-family home sales across the Greater Fort Myers area rose again in June for the sixth consecutive month, according to the statistics released by the REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc. Sales of single-family homes rose by 53.2 percent on a year over year basis, with the number of closed sales at 717 compared to 468 last June.

While the median price of a single-family home dropped by 34 percent to $158,000 compared to $239,500 a year ago, it is apparent that buyers are deriving solid value from the properties on the market. Pending sales are up 80.1 percent with 1379 single family homes pending compared to 762 in June 2007.

“Buyers are benefiting from an attractive selection of housing inventory from which to choose along with historically low interest rates. Sales demand in the Greater Fort Myers area is continuing to grow as housing prices return to a more affordable range,” said Ron Carpenter, president of the REALTOR® Association. "We are very pleased with the upward trend in home sales over the past six months and we're expecting that, as prices have become more reasonable, more buyers will realize that now really is a great time to buy a home."

This is a yearly event in the Cape and a great time for the whole family.

If you’re a fan of mangoes, the place to go in Florida this weekend is MangoMania.
I love mangoes mango ice cream, mango chutney, mango salsa and mango smoothies.

We have been in the Dominican Republic since May 31st and once again our team strongly impacted this Nation with the Compassion of Christ!!! We just returned to the States on July 3rd.

In 4 1/2 days of clinics our team of 93 accomplished the following;

 * Examined and treated over 2,200 people in the villages.

* Put eye glasses on over 300 people.

* Distributed over $750,000 in medicine, medical equipment, clothing, toys, school supplies, shoes, 15,000 toothbrushes, tooth paste and health & hygiene items to the people going through our clinics.

* We have prayed with each one of them and all received a personal presentation of the Gospel. The results were amazing - just over 1,640 people asked Jesus into their hearts!!!

* Once again, The Lord answered prayer with Miracle after Miracle! One deaf person now hears for the first time in their lives! One person could hardly stand without passing out from high blood pressure but after prayer she was dancing around the clinic singing praises to the Lord! Another little boy could not talk, has never spoken until our prayer team laid hands on him and suddenly he was shouting praises to the Lord with tears of joy running down his face - and he would not stop! An 8 year old boy was examined and our pediatric specialist said he wouldn't live without going through open heart surgery...they prayed for him and immediately something amazing happened - his heart began functioning properly - something impossible for a person with his condition! They checked him again at the end of the day - and they declared him HEALED by the power of God! GLORY!!!!

We did several surgeries in the clinics this year....one baby had an extra finger on each hand and an extra toe on each foot, and so did the mother! So, our surgeons did a wonderful job on both Mother and infant - removing the extra digit from their hands and feet.

A 26 year old mother brought her 3 year old son to one of our clinics. Both were crippled up with Rheumatoid Arthritis. The mothers hands were crippled and her right foot was turned inward as she walked on her ankle that was one large mass of an open wound. The 3 year old also had lupus and had the appearance of a 90 year old man. He could hardly walk and when he did, every step taken was accompanied with his screams of pain that I will never forget. Our Doctors treated both - we prayed over them and 4 days later we visited them at their home to find both mother and son walking and moving without pain! Glory to God!!! Below is a picture of them 4 days after visiting our clinic.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! Truly, these things do not happen without an army of warriors continually covering you with prayer! THANK YOU!

Thinking of relocating to Cape Coral this summer? Think again. The housing has never been so affordable and the school district in Cape Coral is one of the highest in assessments.

School grades are based largely on students' performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Of the 25 schools that serve Cape Coral, Pine Island and North Fort Myers, 16 received "A"s, accounting for 64 percent. Eight, or 32 percent, received "B"s. No Cape-area school experienced a grade drop.

School grades have become a shorthand way of labeling schools as good or bad. A-grade schools advertise that fact all year long to the community. Parents tend to be drawn to A schools during the school choice process in Lee County when they choose their school preferences for the next school year. Teachers at A schools, or those that improve by at least a letter grade, can receive state-funded bonuses. The state also gives these higher-performing, or improving, schools extra money.