How Many Homes for Sale in Lehigh Today

Snapshot of Lehigh Acres for today:

2714 homes/condos for sale in Lehigh Acres through the MLS system.

Average Days on Market: 117

Average sale price: $213,645

Average sq ft: 1592

Average breakdown is: 3 bedroom, 2 bath

Remember this does not include the "for sale by owners". If you are in the market to buy, this certainly is the place with an approx .067 of the homes in Lehigh Acres are on the market through the MLS service.

This is a lot to sort through. Now more than ever, you really need a Realtor to help you weed out the really great homes that meet all your needs, wants and desires. Call us today or check out our website at www.aaarealtyllc.com

Police try to save a Mannaquin

I just read about an incident in Auburn WA that left me laughing this morning so I thought I would share it with you.

A police officer saw what he thought was an ill person as a passenger in a vehicle traveling in an HOV lane. Because of his concern, he pulled the car over and the person driving as a passenger was not a person at all but instead was a mannequin. The driver was using this unsuspecting retired from Macy's doll as his passenger so he could drive on the HOV lane. Well the driver got what the officer thought he had coming- a ticket for driving in the HOV lane. I personally thought the guy should get off with a warning just for being so creative but who am I.

So for any of you thinking about trying something like this, don't do it or maybe just use make-up so the mannequin doesn't look ill.

Are you facing Foreclosure?

We have seen a huge increase of foreclosures in our market here in South West Florida. Cape Coral being the number 1 and Lehigh Acres close behind. What is the cause of all these foreclosures. In most cases people owe more than the house is worth now that prices have dropped. These people most likely financed with 100% loans with a 3/1 arm. The prices have gone up because of the arm and now they can't afford the new payments. When originally getting these loans the thought was; I will refinance before the rate goes up. It was a great thought but no one knew that prices would drop and it would be impossible to refinance when you owe more than the house is worth. Very sad situation.

Is there any help? There are some avenues that you can try if you find yourself in this situation. We will cover them breifly here but we encourage you to contact us for more information to see if your situation could be handled within the terms we discuss.

1. You can talk to your lender and explain the situation to them and show them how you cannot afford the payment but would like to see if they can reduce the interest rate. This has been done but in most cases, don't count on it. It is a long shot.
2. You can hire a specialist in dealing with these situations (some real estate brokers or realtors may handle these) and let them work out a plan to try and get your lender to either do as #1 suggests or a short sale or deed in leu of foreclosure. Please understand that there is no guarantees with trying this method but your chances are much greater when you use these specialists. They know what the lenders want to know and how to present it to them. The only drawback is this is not done for free. You are already in a negative financial situation and you have to spend money here ( usually from $500-1,500) and there is no guarantee it will work. You have the most chance using these specialists but you have to be able to pay the fees that go along with it.

If you feel like you want to pursue one on these avenues with us, you can contact us for a free phone consultation. Call us at 239-368-8520 for more information. Also check us out at our website at www.aaarealtyllc.com

School Scores In

I was surprised by the 2007 rankings of of schools in Lehigh Acres. I have listed them below for your convenience.

Lehigh Elementary School - B
Sunshine Elementary- A
Veteran's Park Elementary- A
Mirror Lakes Elementary - B
Gateway Elementary - A
Gateway Charter School - A

We are pretty impressed with the scores for Lehigh's Elementary schools. I think that it shows a great improvement in some schools and a continued greatness in others. You really can't go wrong in any of these schools as even a B is a good school. Way To Go Lehigh. Keep up the good work!