I'm loading up the family truckster, and heading out of Orlando. I'll only be gone for a (much needed) week, but I'll still have my phone on me, and will be checking my email. There will be no new blog posts until I get back.

So good ol' State Farm Florida Insurance Co. decided that it would drop about 50,000 of it's 1 million homeowner's policies starting January 1st, according to an Orlando Business Journal report. It seems some of these cancellations might not happen with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation checking on the consistency with Florida law.

So will you be affected? Well, State Farm is looking at homeowners with high risk of hurricane losses. So, if you live near open water, you might want to call your agent and see how your policy will fare. I think we're safe in Orlando, but you can never be to careful when making sure you have coverage.

Tags: orlando, State Farm

This weeks zip codes: 32812

Houses

Residential activity June 4 to July 4

How many listings: 284
How many sold: 15
Average days on market: 96
Median sales price: $257,000
Median percent difference in listing/sold price: -1.1%
Average sales price: $300,260
Average percent difference in listing/sold prices: -3.2%

Features of Properties Sold

1 or 2 bedrooms: 1
3 bedrooms: 8
4 or more bedrooms: 6
Fireplaces: 4
Pools: 3

The most expensive house listed for $750,000. It sold for $720,000 after 42 days on the market. It was a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house, built in 2001, and has 3,300 square feet.

The least expensive house listed for $199,000. It sold for $180,000 after 48 days on the market. This was a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house, built in 1967, and has 1,512 square feet.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

Tags: orlando, by zip

Have you ever wondered where the most expensive neighborhoods are in Orlando? Thanks to Zillow, you can now search any city and view a real estate heat map. I did the dirty work of grabbing a shot of the Orlando real estate heat map, and that's what you see here.

All the usual suspects are heated up: Lake Buena Vista, Dr. Phillips, Isleworth, Lake Nona, Downtown Orlando, and Heathrow. I was a bit surprised to see a few yellow and red dots showing up in places that I wasn't even aware existed. Was anyone else surprised by anything on this map? Let me know in the comments.

Tags: trends, orlando, heat map

This weeks zip codes: 32707, 32708

Houses

Residential activity May 27 to June 27

How many listings: 785
How many sold: 62
Average days on market: 67
Median sales price: $259,500
Median percent difference in listing/sold price: -2.1%
Average sales price: $281,228
Average percent difference in listing/sold prices: -3.7%

Features of Properties Sold

1 or 2 bedrooms: 10
3 bedrooms: 31
4 or more bedrooms: 21
Fireplaces: 28
Pools: 28

The most expensive house listed for $675,000. It sold for $640,000 after 49 days on the market. It was a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath house, built in 1994, and has 3,423 square feet.

The least expensive house listed for $120,000. It sold for $120,000 after 38 days on the market. This was a 2 bedroom, 2 baths house, built in 1986, and has 1,144 square feet.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

Tags: orlando, by zip

If the Kwik-E-Mart doesn't have you running to buy real estate in Orlando, here's one that will surely get you to become a resident. Chalk this up to rumor at the moment, but former Orlando Magic player, Shaquille O'Neal is reported as saying he is considering running for sheriff of Orlando!

O'Neal states,

"I probably will run for sheriff in Orlando or Fort Lauderdale."

At seven feet tall, I wouldn't mind seeing this become a reality. I have fond memories of living in Windermere when I was young, and Shaq was new to town. He'd drive up to the local basketball court (yes, there was only one) in his purple Hummer, and challenge all of us to a game. It was usually about 10 of us against him, and he had no mercy on us. We never won, but he was amazingly friendly.

The fact that O'Neal would be coming to Orlando without the political baggage most have, is reason enough to think this might be a good idea. I'll keep you posted as the news breaks.

Story courtesy Sun Sentinel

Tags: Shaquille O'neal

So you say you need one more reason to buy real estate in Orlando?

A few Orlando 7-11s are converting to Kwik-E-Marts to promote the release of the new Simpson's Movie. In case you don't live in the Orlando area, and you can't live without seeing a real-life Kwik-E-Mart, these videos are for you.

Orlando's Own

Simpsons Kwik-E-Mart Store Orlando Florida Tour part 1 of 3


Simpsons Kwik-E-Mart Store Orlando Florida Tour part 2 of 3


Simpsons Kwik-E-Mart Store Orlando Florida Tour part 3 of 3


The best I can tell, and I'm about 99% sure, this is the Lake Buena Vista 7-11. You can see the location on This Map.

Come again!

Tags: general

We've decided to hold a contest of sorts. The purpose is to feature a picture of something or somewhere in Orlando, or anywhere in Central Florida, that is easily overlooked, but worth seeing. I have started a Flickr Group to allow you to easily add your pictures to the photo pool.

We will pick one picture each week to feature on this site. The picture needs to be something people can see in or around Orlando, so make sure you add the location in the description, or geo-tag the photo.

Join the Flickr Group

Examples could be walking paths, buildings, signs, parks, a bench, a house, or anything else that is easily overlooked. Make sure you join the group, and start adding your photos to the pool. Contest will start next week, and run indefinitely.


Plaque on walkway in downtown Orlando near Church Street.

Tags: Contest, photos

It's that time of the month again, the time we run down the latest stats for the Orlando Real Estate Market. These are the June figures that reflect data from May. So, how's the market, you ask? You be the judge:

Average Monthly Mortgage Rate in Orlando

It looks like we're seeing mortgage rates level out. They're up an insignificant .01% from April, but we haven't seen much movement since January 2007.

Inventory in Orlando

Inventory is the number of homes that are for sale in Orlando. The continued growth trend means more homes are coming on the market than are selling. This is a good indicator that it's still a strong buyer's market. More inventory means more people competing to sell their homes, which in turn, leads to large incentives.

New Listings in Orlando

This is the number of people that just put their property on the market in Orlando. We usually see an upswing in these numbers during the Summer months, as families will often move while their children are out of school. If you look at the numbers from a year ago, you will see the typical drop from August to September.

New Contracts in Orlando

This is an important number. These are the homes that have sold in Orlando. The chart still shows lower sales numbers than we were hoping, but it seems to have leveled out instead of the almost steady decline we've seen over the past year and a half. The lower this number is, usually results in a higher inventory number.

We have a page dedicated to showing these numbers, so if you're interested, you can bookmark our Current Market Conditions page as a quick reference guide to the Orlando real estate market.

If you have any questions about these graphs, feel free to drop me a line in the comments section, or email me, and I'll do my best to answer your questions.

Tags: stats, Market Conditions

Orlando's real estate market isn't pretty. If you could summarize the conditions, it would look like this:

• Orlando's problem real estate: Low end condos.
  
• Where have the values leveled out? Established neighborhoods.
  
• What Orlando real estate is rising? Lakefront properties.

It's not all doom and gloom, but Central Florida underscored a trend that started around 2005, when high insurance and property taxes slowed down the sale of coastal properties.

Even with the differences between inland and coastal areas, Orlando appraisers said the tax rolls for 2006 show the beginning of trends that have grown during 2007.

"Orange County's growth in real-estate wealth was due primarily to $5 billion worth of new construction,"

said Property Appraiser Bill Donegan.

Most of Florida has seen a tremendous growth in property values recently. The slowdown of that trend comes at the same time cities and counties are beginning to wrestle with state-mandated tax cuts.

Donegan also stated,

"Central Florida's elected property appraisers reported what real-estate agents have been saying for months -- sales are down, but prices have not dipped much in established areas. While "Price Reduced" banners are popping up on residential real-estate signs, house values in long-standing subdivisions are holding steady so far."

Source: OrlandoSentinel.com

Tags: orlando, Market

I really should have posted this sooner, but I guess it's better late than never. If you and your family are looking for a spot in or around Orlando to view fireworks, I've got you covered. Here are the top 5 locations for your fourth of July fun tomorrow.

1. 

   Walt Disney World

   When it comes to fireworks, nobody does it like Disney! And if you think you've seen Disney fireworks, you have seen anything until you see their display for Independence Day. A few times a year, Walt Disney World does what they call, "perimeter" fireworks. This means that the normal show is going on, but then they shoot fireworks off from 6 other locations around the park (this is true for Epcot too, but not sure about Disney MGM). You are completely immersed in mind-blowing fireworks. All three parks have incredible displays, but I was unable to locate the times. Local Tip: Fireworks look amazing atop the Contemporary Resort. It's not always easy to get there, but if you can...do it. Another AMAZING location to see the show is from a parking lot of an apartment complex I briefly lived in. This location will get you closer than if you were actually in the park! On the map, I've included a marker for the parking lot, and a marker to show you where the fireworks are shot off from. Here's a link to the map: Perfect Spot.
   
   
2. 

   Universal Orlando

   Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk also do the night up right. This show is always a hit because they start the show for each park at approx 9:50pm. The sky is illuminated as all three sections of Universal Orlando simultaneously celebrate the 4th with their display. Sorry folks, I don't have any special places to view these shows.
   
   

3. Fireworks at the Fountain, Downtown Orlando

   Free - Join the Mayor at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando (Map) for a spectacular display. Fun, Food, and games from 4pm to 10pm - Fireworks show starts at 9:15pm. Viewing is good anywhere around the lake, but this event is always very crowded, so plan accordingly. I recommend bringing a blanket, and set up camp pretty early, and just have one member of your party always there to man it.
   
   

4. Celebration at the Lakefront

   Free - No, we already talked about that lakefront, this is the other one - the one in Saint Cloud. East Lake Toho (Map) is a fun place to be on the 4th. As a matter of fact, it's where I'll be (I'll be one of the ones in the Ekday hats). The fun lasts from 10am - to 10pm, and the fireworks show will leave you speechless. Come join me for a day, and night, of fun.
   
   

5. Red, Hot, and Boom!

   Free - This has been a family favorite for years. Located in Uptown Altamonte (Map), the festivities start at 4pm and the fireworks display is at 11pm. As always, music is provided courtesy of Orlando's own XL 106.7.
   
   Any of these will provide you and your family and friends a great night of entertainment. If you visit any of these, let me know how you liked it in the comments. Have a safe and fun Independence Day!
   
   
   
   

   Tags: holiday, orlando, lake eola, disney, universal studios

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This weeks zip codes: 32811, 32809

Houses

Residential activity May 13 to June 13

How many listings: 411
How many sold: 23
Average days on market: 82
Median sales price: $180,000
Median percent difference in listing/sold price: -5.2%
Average sales price: $233,665
Average percent difference in listing/sold prices: -8.3%

Features of Properties Sold

1 or 2 bedrooms: 1
3 bedrooms: 15
4 or more bedrooms: 7
Fireplaces: 2
Pools: 3

The most expensive house listed for $1,200,000. It sold for $965,000 after 311 days on the market. It was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house, built in 2001, and has 2,584 square feet.

The least expensive house listed for $150,000. It sold for $105,000 after 105 days on the market. This was a 4 bedroom, 3 baths house, built in 1966, and has 1,394 square feet.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

Tags: orlando, by zip

We hinted in my previous post that I will be working on making ekday.com, iPhone friendly. I'm going to list a few of the features I'll be adding, and I'm going to ask you to leave ideas in the comments section. Here are a few ways I envision EKDAY working on Apple's iPhone:

• Adding a script that will determine if you are using an iPhone. If you are, and you view our blog, it will switch you to the iPhone version which will be identical to the original, but it will be formatted to fit perfectly on the screen
  
• Listings: We will try to make all listings formatted for the iPhone. We always use a google map link in our listings, and we'll try to have the link open in the iPhone's Google Maps app, allowing you to enter your current location, and have directions to the listing you'd like to see.
  
• Redesign: we're thinking it might be smart to have a total redesign of the site for the iPhone. We want it to be light on the graphics fr times you're using EDGE, and provide a simple way of navigating the site.
  
• Scheduling / Calendar app: We're working on a way to schedule open houses, and have a link that will add the event to your iPhone calendar, with a location that can be used on the Google Map app.
  
• Map Search: I have no idea if we can get this to work, but we have the tools, and we're hoping to make a map search option. The hope is to allow you to view a map, and it will include pins for all of our listings. You will then be able to click on a pin for more information, and directions to that listing.
  
• Videos: We have a few commercials, and they look incredible on the iPhone. I haven't tried viewing them on the iPhone through Safari yet, but we're working on a way for them to work. This is just for fun, so it's on the bottom of the stack for now.

That's it for now. Please leave comments on what you'd like to see in an Orlando Real Estate app. We want to provide you with something you can use, and in following in the EKDAY tradition, we want it to be simple and fun to use. We'll keep you posted on our progress.

Tags: iphone, orlando