The battle over No View at The Vue condos (downtown Orlando) continues this week as expected. Highwood wants to build a mixed use condo tower between Lake Eola and the Vue condominium, which, if they have their way, would be tall enough to prevent even top floor residents at The Vue from seeing the lake. Just a few months after the Vue's grand opening Orlando City Council approved the new building in September provided it would not exceed 20-25 stories (thereby only upsetting those owners with[...]
You know, I kinda figured I wasn't the only guy who was peeved at Hank Paulson's sudden decision to re-allocate the Troubled Asset Relief Program (lovingly known as the 700 billion dollar TARP). This week, Congress ran circles around Hank and Ben Bernanke and let the flaming arrows fly. As we expect, the fiery rhetoric accomplished dang-near nothing but satisfying the collective minds of the constituents that our loving Congressmen and Congresswomen represent. Chalk another one up to big[...]
Hot on the heals of the last Orlando home auction comes the latest in a series of opportunities to acquire Orlando property on the cheap - and not just condos. Set your alarm clock early on Saturday December 6th 2008 because check-in at the Marriott starts promptly at 8:00am - and the hammer starts hammering at 9:30am. Open house dates are 11:00am to 4:00pm on 11/22/08, 11/23/08 and 11/29/08. And you'll need all three dates if you want to check out all 250 homes! Auction reminder: $5k [...]
Need a weekend away or a beach getaway? Take a look at Longboat Key off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. It is only about a 2 hour drive from Orlando. The key is an 11 mile long barrier island that is surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota bay. You can find as much as you want to do on Longboat Key or as little as you want to do. Vacationers love the long, private beach for walking and getting away from it all. It really is a spectacular place to recharge your [...]
The Auction we hosted last Saturday, though a rude awakening for Banks, Builders and Sellers, proved to be a tremendous purchasing opportunity. With luxurious properties and prime lots selling for 25-50 “cents on the dollarâ€, well below replacement costs, the lucky bidders just couldn’t go wrong.  Several of the high bids did not meet the reserve amounts set by the seller, so it will not be clear for a few days how many properties will actually sell for the high [...]
As this weekend's auction winds down (see results above), Condo Metropolis is ramping up for another Orlando condo conversion auction scheduled for later this month at the World Center Marriott Resort. Villa Valencia has 142 condominium units that will be up for auction. For those that don't know it, the complex is on the east side of town near State Roads 408 and 417. The largest condo is about 1,227 square feet and in 2005 they sold for as much as $250,000. At the[...]
The deed is done, as they say. America has spoken and chosen a new Commander-in-Chief for our fine nation. And whether you want a high-five or a shoulder to cry on in the wake of that decision, there is no doubt that a new era is upon us, like it or not. No one knows exactly what Obama's election will be an omen of, but everyone wants to tell you their opinion. The fact of the matter is that opinions are like...well, you know exactly what opinions are like. And everybody's [...]
Condo Metropolis is launching a new Orlando real estate site and blog aimed at a different segment of the buying population - single family home buyers. Whereas CondoMetropolis.com specializes in Orlando Condo sales, the new site will provide Orlando home buyers with information on a wider segment of the market. "CondoMetropolis has been incredibly successful given the fact that we launched in the middle of an incredibly soft market - and are specializing in the area of the market that was[...]
Mirabella residences near Disney are now FHA approved - and they're one of only a few condo conversion developments in the Orlando to have accomplished this. So what exactly does that mean? Here are a few notes from the FHA's FAQ page: FHA-insured loans offer many benefits and a level of security that you won't find in other loans including: Low cost: FHA-insured loans have competitive interest rates because the federal government insures the loans for lenders. Smaller downpayment: [...]
Congratulations to my friend and colleague Chocky Burks who now holds the record for the most expensive listing ever sold in Seminole County. Ok, so it's not a condo but I couldn't resist. The buyer, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, has beaten me to the punch to be the proud owner of this extravagant estate. Being that it is my business to tour high end properties across the hemisphere, it isn't very often that a single house truly sticks out as a "must have" for me. For those of [...]