Real Estate Information | Page #23

Real Estate Information

Thinking about buying a second home in Orlando? You’re not alone. People buy a second home in Central Florida for a variety of reasons. Some buy a home as an investment, and rent it out as a vacation property. Others buy a second home prior to retirement, with the goal of living there once they finish working full-time.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to buy a second home, it’s worth the investment to hire a real estate agent to help you locate and purchase a property. Here are a few reasons why:

Fiduciary responsibility. When you hire a real estate agent, that person will look out for your best financial interests. This is especially important when you’re buying a second home. As with your primary residence, there are a lot of costs that go into…

Many Canadians and residents of states like New York, Michigan and Ohio spend their winters in Orlando every year – trading in the cold and snow for Florida’s balmy breezes and warm sunny skies. If you’re one of these “Snowbirds,” you know that Orlando has a lot to offer, including world-class theme parks, championship golf courses, fine dining and exceptional shopping. 

Renting a home may seem like a good option for part-time residents. But it may wind up costing you more in the long run. Here are a few reasons why snowbirds should consider buying a second home in Orlando instead of renting one. 

1. No Surprises – A typical snowbird can spend upwards of $15,000 to rent a home for 3-4 months out of the year. Besides the cost, the downside of…

If you’re in the market for a second home in the Orlando area, this is a good time to look at vacation properties. Over the last few years, buyers from Canada, Great Britain and elsewhere in Europe purchased second homes to use for vacations and as rental properties. Now, many of them are selling those homes and condos, and they're willing to negotiate with buyers to make a deal. 

Many people who buy an investment home in Florida do so for a number of reasons. Some buy a second home to use as a destination for family vacations, some buy a home to provide additional income as a rental property, and others buy strictly as an investment, since real estate generally increases in value.

Non U.S. residents who buy a property in Florida are, in effect,…

November 'numbers' from the Orlando resort area...

The median price of an Orlando resort area home was down 0.4 % from October at $165,993 from $166,656 but still remains 2.8% higher than the $161,375 median price of November 2014. During November 262 homes changed hands which was 33 less than in October when 295 sold but 13 higher than the corresponding month total last year. The average days on market that a home took to sell was down 2 from October at 130 while the average price that a home achieved at closing compared to list price remained unchanged at 96.6%. The markets overall inventory level increased by a net 13 homes during November to 1876 listings and also rose by 218 homes when compared to the November 2014 total of 1658. Further inspection…

MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service.  It’s a live, online database of homes for sale in the United States that is compiled by local real estate agents. Think of it like a giant property warehouse. When property is available for sale, it goes into the warehouse. When the property is sold, it gets removed from the warehouse.

The MLS actually got its start in the late 1800s, when real estate brokers gathered at the offices of their local associations to share information about the properties they were trying to sell. These brokers agreed to compensate each other, any time one of them helped to sell a property to another broker – and thus, the first MLS was born!  

Today, there are hundreds of MLS organizations doing business all across the country.…

Are you interested in buying an Orlando vacation home that you can rent out for a month, a week or just one day? Many travelers to the area find that renting a fully furnished single-family home is more affordable than staying in a hotel. As the owner of a vacation home, you can apply that rental income towards your mortgage payment or use the additional income as you see fit.

(STR) Short-Term Rental Near Disney

The best place to look for a short-term rental vacation home to buy is near Walt Disney World in Lake, Polk and Osceola counties. It makes sense if you think about it. Most visitors to Orlando come for the theme parks, so it’s only natural that they would want to spend the night nearby. It's important to be aware that not every Home Owner…


Does your idea of paradise include eating a cheeseburger, sipping a margarita and splashing around in a water park? If so, you may want to consider buying a vacation home in the Jimmy Buffett-themed resort community that’s coming to western Osceola County. 

Inspired by the casual, laid-back style of the singer/songwriter, MargaritaVillage will feature more than 1,000 vacation rental homes, timeshares and condos on 300-acres south of US 192 and State Road 429 in the Four Corners area. The resort community will be home to another Margaritaville Hotel, as well as a slew of amenities including an arcade, spa, planetarium, fishing school, paddle boarding, kayaking, a 12-acre water park, and a man-made swimming lagoon. A 200,000 square foot retail village…

The October Team Donovan community reports have now been updated and are available from the following link:

                                                                                Community Report

Orlando vacation home

Are you in the market for an Orlando vacation home? It’s important to do your homework when choosing a real estate agent to help you find a property. Not all agents are the same. Here are a few tips to help you pick a real estate professional who will help you get the best property for the best price.

Experience Counts 

Find out how long the real estate agent has been in business. If it’s less than five years, they’re still learning the ropes. That doesn’t mean they won’t do a good job. But it’s in your best interest to find an agent who is actively engaged in a particular area and price range.  This way the real estate agent can demonstrate what kind of market presence they have. An experienced agent will also have connections to mortgage lenders,…