Online House Hunting

Is it difficult to buy a house in Florida right now? I know the housing market has declined.....?

And I've been looking at real estate in Central Florida, and am asking advice on good and bad locations, better schools, etc. and where's the best bang for my buck for around 80K in a 3 bed, and if lending is still tight there. Thanks! I have a 20K down payment and not real great credit, but not really bad, just not much of it.

Public Comments

1. You should not have any trouble finding what you want to buy. Financing should not be a problem either. This is a good time to buy. Rates are low and the housing market is in a slump.
2. If you already know the area you want to be in, that's a great start! It is definitely not difficult to buy a house in Florida -- in fact, you should have a wonderful choice of homes. Take a look at Realtor.com and just enter the information for area you want to live in. You will be able to do a broad search or a search that is tailored to your exact needs. You decide by choosing to enter very specific information or not. The site will not ask you to register or anything. It is the 'multiple listing' service for the area and will give you every house (pretty much) that is available to you. You will see pictures (often with outside and inside of the house), room sizes and all kinds of pedigree information. Each listing will provide information for you to contact a realtor when you are ready to take the next step. Spend some time navigating the site and look at it often for a period of time. It will definitely be time well spent. You will also find links to sites that will give you other information about the area such as demographics, schools, businesses, etc. Due diligence while you are alone and concentrating in front of your computer will give you just the information you need to do an intelligent, targeted search in person when you are ready!
3. There is a lot of real estate available in FL right now. FL is hard hit and has very high foreclosure rates. Check it out and do your research. Visit the neighborhood and schools at all times of day and night. Getting loan approval is not easy and requires good credit and down payment by buyers. Need 3.5% to 5% down and 10% is better--days of 0 down are gone.