How Property is bought & sold in the US and what co-broke means.


The process of buying property in the US is quite a bit different than the buying process in the UK. In the US all Real Estate Agents who sell to the public by law have to be educated in core law and licensed to sell Real Property. Only licensed Real Estate agents can show and/ or make offers on other Real Estate Agencies Listings, the fact is 90% of home listings sold in the US are sold by Real Estate Agents from different Agencies. This is possible because the Realtor's Association has 1 database for each region throughout the whole United States, we call that database the  MLS - "Multiple Listings System"  it's a system/ database where licensed estate agents pay a membership fee to see every home that is For Sale the minute it comes on the market, in our case the State we sell homes in is all Florida but we focus specifically in the Disney Area. The MLS requires us to pay dues annually, comply by their rules of ethics and demands that all Realtors stay up to Date with core laws with continueing education. The Realtor's Association requires all Realtors to put on all information about a new home listings on the MLS within 48 hours so all licensed agents can see the property with details to send by email to their clients/ buyers for a possible showing of the home that may lead to an offer. This system allows us Realtors to be able to show you any home For Sale in Florida, the process is a co-broke system meaning that someone years ago thought estate agents who had more properties to show to their customers are more productive for both buyers and sellers. Commissions are standard and predetermined before the home listing ever hits the market so agents will never negotiate commissions with each other, commissions are posted on every MLS home listing and are split between the 2 agencies and paid by the seller once the home sale is completed/ CLOSED. Buyers do not pay for our services, every UK client we've had loves our system because it eliminates selling, you tell us what price range you are in, how many bedrooms, the type of property right down to the Street you wish to live on we can show you everything on the market For Sale to you on our computer or sent to you by e-mail first then if you liked 1 or 12 homes we will arrange a time and Day to go see them in person.

Again sellers pays Realtor's commissions, as our buyer we work for you showing you what true market value is on the home or homes you like..

All of the builders work with us the same way, so if you are looking for a new home we can show you any new home, any home in the process of being built or we can look at the perfect lot to have your home built on. Realtors are the gear that put new home sales in motion, builders send us all of their product, pricing etc..on a regular basis.

Finance is available, right now the lenders require 30% down up to 30 year mortgages with low %.

The average time it takes from accepted offer to ownership /close on a property is 45 days for a mortgaged buyer, 10 business Days ( if chosen ) for cash on a resale 2-3 Days on an already built New Build and you don't need to be here to sign paperwork as it can be done back in your Country thanks to the Internet, E-signing, FedEx, UPS & Bank Wires.

Before scheduling an appointment get to know us first by reading our testimonials

We are here to answer any questions you may have about the process!

- BBC NEWS

- US Immigration info

- US Tax ID

 Arriving to Orlando International Airport         

WINDSOR HILLS RESORT

Why? It's the closest Pool Home Resort to Disney World, water slides, nice clubhouse.

Please click on each of the links to view all the homes for sale in each subdivision.

We have included 2 prestigious communites called Celebration and Reunion and our top subdivision choices in Kissimmee, Davenport and Orlando.

You can choose between 3 types of Property...

Pool Homes, these can be Villas / Houses between 1 and possibly 3 stories.

Townhomes or as British or Irish would call them Terraced or Detached Houses which either have a small private pool or no private pool and vary between 2 or 3 stories.

Condos or as British or Irish would call them Flats or Apartments, these are always 1 level with no private pool.

This is your chance to see every home, townhome or condo for sale in these popular areas near Disney World!

The area you like isn't listed? No problem, you can still use the form at the bottom of the page and request to see everything for sale in your criteria.

Reaching Out to us

So you are thinking about buying a home near Disney and you landed on this website.

Realtors Jane & Alan LaFrance have been sitting in front of their computers for hours punching each other in the arm waiting for someone from the UK to reach out to them for help.

If you like the Bold get the seller in the headlock to submission kind of approach than ask for Jane

If you like the Soft shucks kind of approach who stands quietly in the back ground while you take everything in than ask for Alan

First Step

You've reached out, you have a price point, you may already know of the area or even the subdivision you want to buy in and conveyed it to Jane or Alan. They have sent you a bunch of properties to look over based on what you told them, this is the time to think of what you want. Maybe your price point allows you a bigger home than you thought, a home closer to Disney than you thought you could afford so simply have Jane or Alan change the criteria to look at other choices.

What is important to you?

Maybe you have a bad knee so a ground floor master suite is important to you.

Maybe eating out is important so you may want a home close to the restaurants.

Maybe you like new, there are a lot of new communities being built.

Maybe you are a sun worshipper, South and West facing pools get the most sun.

Maybe it's about price and you wouldn't mind driving 20- 30 minutes to Disney for a lesser price.

Just let Jane or Alan know what is important to you.

You've narrowed down the properties and you arrive next week.

Look at your upcoming schedule while in Orlando and pick a Day or 2 to go around looking at what you chose.

Be aware because many of the homes you chose in the vacation rental district there is a chance vacationers may be occupying them when you are here to look and we as Realtors can-not bother guests. So make a good list knowing you maybe able to see 90% of the homes on that list. Jane and Alan are very good about making sure you see a home with the same floor plan in the same neighborhood if they can-not show you one that is occupied. If you are only looking into a few neighborhoods in the same area seeing 12 - 14 homes is a breeze in around 3 hours. If you are not sure of what area you want to be in seeing 12 -14 homes is a Day's work for for you than Jane & Alan because you're doing all of the thinking.

Jane or Alan are happy to pick you up at your Hotel or Rental

Let them do the driving, this way you get to pick their brains between showings. If you prefer to drive and follow it is no problem, it will give you and the family some precious time together to pick on Alan's skinny legs in the privacy of your own car if you chose him.

You found the right home for you. 

It's time to make the offer, Jane and Alan like to educate their buyers meaning when you find the right one they prefer to send you what has sold in that neighborhood recently, what is for sale in that neighborhood to see if the seller's asking price is in line or high.

The offer

All offers are in writing, they are done on a Florida State FAR/BAR contract and there are 2 types more commonly used, a regular contract and an AS IS contract. Since the crash most listing agents request an AS IS contract, you as a buyer are protected on both but an AS IS in simple terms means the seller isn't going to fix little items found on an inspection. Yes if it's an expensive structural or functional item that needs to be fixed or replaced found on your inspection/ survey report the seller would be foolish not to fix it for you because if you walk away ( which you can ) the same flaw will be found by the next buyer's inspection/ survey report.

Time tables are important and now in play

This is when Jane and Alan shine above the rest, they know how to communicate, they take you 1 step at a time making sure you do what you need to do within the time tables written into the agreement and more importantly make sure the knuckelhead Realtor representing the seller on the other side of the contract does what they are supposed to be doing so we have a smooth transaction with no surprises ( Maybe knucklehead is harsh but to be determined).

1st) You will have 3 Days to send over the refundable escrow/ good faith deposit ( usually $5k ) to the title agency who in Florida the seller or more than likely the knucklehead seller's agent will pick. Title agencies work for both parties, they do the payoffs, transfer of title, deeds etc. like a lawyer/ solicitor does buy they do not advise or disclose information from 1 side to the other. Title agencies follow the rule of the contract,, what we've written and what was agreed between buyers and sellers.

2nd) We will have on average 15 Days to have an inspection/ survey of the home performed ( not a problem they can set it up) the inspector will need to be paid before the inspection, it ranges from $300 -400 depending on the size of the home.

3rd) If you're financed, a contract will be sent to your lender so they can set up an appraisal, the lender will want a termite inspection done ( another $100 more ). We have mortgage lenders who finance UK citizens on-line.

4th) The inspections/ surveys came out acceptable, the finance is all set and you are 1 week from taking ownership. This is the time Jane or Alan has sent you the utility company information to set up utilities in advance, if the home is a vacation rental Jane or Alan has already sent you a or some property managers to interview and have set up. If there are owner bookings going to you the new owner an arrangement has been made to transfer information and monies agreed upon during negotiaions.

5th) The Day before closing/ taking ownership, if you will not be here at closing which is common, Jane or Alan will do the final walk through of the home for you to be sure if it's a new home the builder finished everything the way it was agreed, the cabinets are the right color, the flooring is correct to the contract etc... If it is a re-sale home and was being sold fully furnished they will make sure everything is there the way you saw it and if not in either case new or used we can stop the closing until the builder or re-seller makes it right or walk away with no penalty.

Time Periods from accepted offer to Closing / Taking Ownership

Foreign national financed buyers,  it will take between 45 -60 Days to close/ take ownership. If you are American around 30 -35 Days. Contracts for financed buyers are subject to actually obtaining finance ( if the lender can not commit to lending you the money within the time frame listed on the contract the buyers escrow deposit will be returned to the buyer ) and inspection/ survey approval ( if the survey of the home shows structural or functional defects found by the inspector that the buyer is not comfortable with the buyer can cancel the contract retaining their escrow within the time frame written in the contract ).. If you are a cash buyer you could close as early as 10 Days, inspections/ surveys can be done within 5 Days with your approval. Cash buyers contracts are also subject to inspection/ survey approval.

Home Warming Gift

If Thank you gifts are a big deal to you at closing and you don't know which one of these two Realtors to choose, Alan has closet full of Fruitcakes he swears his sold clients love for home warming gifts.

After 17 years of selling hundreds of vacation homes near Disney

we finally found a property manager who

puts our owners and their bottom line 1st before their own.