Orlando Real Estate Blog | Sellers Education Library | Team Donovan

***Published on 1st September 2026***

August 'averages" from the Resort Area Market... 

August's median price was unchanged from July at $380,000, and down 2.6% from the corresponding month in 2025, when the median price was $390,000. The average number of days it took for a home to sell and close in August was 146, the same as July and 15 days higher than a year ago. The average number of days a home spent on the market over the last 30 days was 104, compared with a 105-day average over the past 12-month period. The overall resort area saw 308 closings in August, down from 373 in July but above the 291 recorded in August 2025. The number of homes recorded as Pending — under offer/contract — totalled 522, the same as last month but above the 499

Team Donovan Investment Opportunity

82-Unit Newly Built Townhome Community Offered for $32.9 Million Near Walt Disney World

A rare opportunity to acquire an entire completed Central Florida community — 82 townhomes, 13 buildings, amenities, infrastructure and land in a single transaction.

Request Investment Package Call James Donovan 82 Townhome Units 13 Completed Buildings 124,874 Residential SF $32.9M Guide Price

Team Donovan is pleased to introduce a unique 82-unit investment opportunity in Davenport, Florida, positioned within the rapidly growing Walt Disney World, ChampionsGate and Reunion corridor.

Offered at a guide price of $32.9 million, the newly constructed…

Published August 13 2026

Floridays Resort Orlando Launches a Unit Renovation Programme — What Owners Need to Know

Floridays Resort Orlando has announced a unit renovation programme for owners, beginning with a Basic Package priced at an estimated $13,200 for a two-bedroom suite and $14,900 for a three-bedroom suite. The announcement went out to owners from the resort's Owner Services team, and the package covers a full interior refresh of the unit — countertops, lighting, paint, hardware and life-safety upgrades — with all materials, labour, taxes and freight included in the quoted figure.

For the 432 condo-hotel suites at Floridays, this is a significant announcement. Here is what is in the package, what it costs, and what it may mean for…

Published August 11 2026

The One Big Beautiful Bill & Orlando Vacation Homes: What 100% Bonus Depreciation Means for Buyers

Signed into law on July 4 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) — widely known simply as the “Big Beautiful Bill” — made the most significant changes to US real estate taxation in nearly a decade. For buyers of vacation homes and short-term rentals in the Disney corridor, one provision stands above the rest: 100% bonus depreciation is back, and this time it is permanent.

Below is a plain-English guide to what the bill changed, how it applies specifically to resort-area homes in communities such as Reunion Resort, ChampionsGate, Windsor Hills and Emerald Island, and what overseas buyers need to know. As always: we…

Seller Net Sheet Calculator: Know Your Net Proceeds | Team Donovan

Know Your Bottom Line: Introducing Our Seller Net Sheet Calculator

Selling your home is one of the biggest financial transactions of your life. But between commission, taxes, insurance, and closing costs, it can be hard to figure out exactly what you'll walk away with. That's why we built the Seller Net Sheet Calculator—to give you instant clarity on your net proceeds before you list.

Launch the Calculator

Why Transparency Matters in Your Home Sale

When you're selling your home in Central Florida, there's a lot happening behind the scenes. Property taxes, title insurance, documentary stamp taxes—the list goes on. Many sellers are surprised when they reach closing…

Published August 5, 2026 • Financing & Mortgage News

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Condo Loan Changes 2026: What Orlando Vacation Home Buyers & Sellers Need to Know

If you're buying or selling a condo in the Orlando vacation home market, the rules for conventional financing just changed — in a big way. On March 18, 2026, Fannie Mae (Lender Letter LL-2026-03) and Freddie Mac (Bulletin 2026-C) announced coordinated updates to how condominium projects are approved for conventional loans. The biggest of those changes took full effect on August 3, 2026.

Some of these changes are genuinely good news for buyers of resort condos near Disney. Others mean more paperwork and more scrutiny of the condo association itself. Here's everything explained in plain…

July "numbers" from the Resort Area Market...

A home that closed in July achieved an average of 97.2% of its listed price, marginally up from June but down from the 97.9% level achieved 12 months ago. The resort market registered 373 closings in July, up from 369 in June and 342 in July 2025. The July resort-area median price was $380,000, unchanged from June and below the July 2025 median price of $395,000. The average number of days a home spent on the market during July was 104, compared to an 84-day average 12 months ago, while the average days to close stood at 146. The total number of homes recorded as pending — under offer/contract — stood at 522, down from 581 last month but little changed from the 519-home pipeline recorded 12 months ago.…

Legislation & Ownership Costs

What Amendment 3 Actually Means for Your Orlando Vacation Home

Published 29 July 2026  ·  Team Donovan

Half a dozen owners have forwarded me the same article this month, usually with some version of the same question attached: is my tax bill about to be cut in half?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is more interesting, and there is one part of it that genuinely matters if you are buying or selling in the resort communities this year — though it isn’t the part being written about.

What is on the ballot

In a special session at the start of June, the Florida Legislature put a property tax amendment in front of voters for 3 November. It needs sixty per cent to pass. The headline provision raises…

Why Some Emerald Island Homes Sell in Eight Days — and Others Sit for Two Years

By James Donovan, Broker/Owner, Team Donovan · Figures as of 15th July 2026

There are two five-bedroom homes on La Isla Drive, a few doors apart. Same builder, same 2,317 square feet, same pool, same gate, same three miles to Disney.

One of them sold this March for $490,000. The other has been on the market for 766 days — over two years — asking $460,000. Less money. Still there.

If you own at Emerald Island and you are thinking about selling in the next year or two, that is the only thing worth understanding about this market. It is not really a market where homes sell slowly. It is a market where homes either sell quickly or barely sell at all, and which of those…

Published July 1st 2026

June "numbers" from the Resort Area Market...

June's median home price came in at $380,000, down 0.2% from May and 1.3% lower than the same month last year, when the median stood at $395,000. The average time for a home to sell and close during June was 145 days — unchanged from May but 10 days longer than a year ago. Homes that came to market over the last 30 days spent an average of 96 days listed, comfortably below the 104-day average recorded over the past 12 months. The resort area recorded 369 closings in June, up from 349 in May and ahead of the 329 closings seen in June 2025. Pending sales — homes under offer or contract — totaled 581, slightly below last month's 604 but above the 535 recorded in June of last year.…