International Drive has always been a hodgepodge of interesting places. Some are great (Wet-n-Wild), and some are....well, they're just there (Discount Discount Shop). One of the staples of I-Drive for the past decade was Skull Kingdom, located near Kirkman Road. If you just moved to Orlando, you're out of luck as Skull Kingdom is no longer - I have video to prove it:



Sometime in the 90s, haunted houses started popping up all over the place, no doubt influenced by the success of Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights. Terror on Church Street ran throughout the year, and was hugely successful, so it only made sense that having the same concept on I-Drive (tourist capital of Orlando) couldn't fail. Skull Kingdom never had the same following as ToCS and many locals attribute it to the fact that its location made it an obvious tourist attraction, and that brought too much competition from the big hitters like Disney and Universal. Many locals tend to stay away from International Drive, so it never really had the fan base and repeat business that kept Terror on Church Street going.

Well, the little haunted house that could, can't anymore. It was recently demolished, and will be replaced by yet another discount t-shirt shop (yawn). So how many t-shirt stores does one town really need? What do you think? Are you glad to see it gone?

Tags: International Drive, orlando, attractions

This weeks zip codes: 32819, 32835

Houses

Residential activity July 27 to August 27

How many listings: 1,013
How many sold: 34
Average days on market: 122
Median sales price: $377,000
Median percent difference in listing/sold price: -4.4%
Average sales price: $494,714
Average percent difference in listing/sold prices: -4.9%

Features of Properties Sold

1 or 2 bedrooms: 2
3 bedrooms: 11
4 or more bedrooms: 21
Fireplaces: 14
Pools: 21

The most expensive house listed for $2,999,999. It sold for $2,646,913 after 107 days on the market. It was a 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath house, built in 1994, and has 7,000 square feet.

The least expensive house listed for $129,900. It sold for $119,000 after 13 days on the market. This was a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house, built in 1980, and has 1,140 square feet.

Source: The Orlando Sentinel

Tags: orlando, by zip

Welcome to Orlando, and welcome to this week's edition of the Carnival of Real Estate. We're honored to be hosting, and hope you enjoy.

The theme this week is trying to find the posts that would have the most success teaching Lauren Caitlin Upton about real estate. Who is this person, you might ask? Well, she's better known as Miss Teen USA 2007 Miss South Carolina. Still not sure who I'm talking about? Watch this:



There's a good chance Lauren will compete again, and if she does, we want her to be prepared in case she receives a real estate related question.

Here are the top 5 entries that will help her:

Best "Hidden" Advice

Sticking My Hand in a Hornets Nest - What a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Cindy Jones of Virginia Real Estate Talk helps Miss South Carolina steer clear of sticking her hand inside an actual hornet's nest, and also covers the topic of Realtors offering "Discount" services. Lauren, just to clarify... do NOT stick your hand in a hornet's nest, such as.

Best "What NOT to do" (besides the hornet's nest thing)

Don't Be a Donaghy - Daniel Rothamel from The Real Estate Zebra gives a great lesson on the importance of credibility, and how one person can ruin it for the group. Now don't be upset Lauren, you didn't ruin it for the group. Just read this post and be prepared for the next pageant. Us US Americans are all pulling for you!

Best Use of Pictures

Apples, Oranges, and The Cost of Different Heating Fuels - Sometimes pictures are the best way to get a message across, and the Asheville Mountain Real Estate Blog does a great job of taking a random subject like heating fuels, and makes it real estate related, and simple enough for any Miss Teen to understand. Heating fuels are used everywhere like such as, so this is a must read.

Most Memorable Post

Nope, Not Selling Our House. Not Even For 1000% Rate of Return in 2 Years! - Sometimes you read about something that just sticks with you. The Silicon Valley Blogger at The Digerati Life writes about taking a stance and refusing to give up where you live when approached by big business or the government. You won't soon forget this post, which is great for Lauren. She should have no problem remembering this topic if she's ever asked about it. Lauren, just so you know, the house in the picture is located in the Asian Countries.

Best Post That Will Probably Go Over Miss Teen's Head

What do I do if my Mortgage Lender Shuts Down? - John Barker at John Barker's Mortgage Blog touches on what to do if your mortgage broker shuts down. It's very insightful, and gives step-by-step instructions on what you should do if you're ever faced with this situation. Lauren, this might be a tough one for you to understand. If you're asked about this, just use the same answer you gave this year, but instead of saying, "Some people out there in our nation don't have maps," just take out the word "maps," and use "Mortgage Lenders," and you'll be fine.

Thank you to all of you who submitted posts to this edition of the Carnival of Real Estate, and thanks to CoRE for making this happen.

The 60th edition of the Carnival of Real Estate will be hosted by For Sale by Locals. To submit your blog article to the next edition, use the Carnival Submission Form.

Tags: CoRE

As the weather starts to cool, Orlando comes alive. There are so many Fall events, that we've decided to try to post a few here to keep you up-to-date. Watch for updates weekly, and bring your calendar - we'll try to help you fill it with Orlando goodness.

This week:

Thursday September 13th

• Bill Cosby
  UCF Arena
  407-849-2020 or 407-839-3900
  8:00pm
  Tickets: $45.00, $55.00 & $65.00

Friday, September 14th

• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
  Magic Kingdom theme park
  2007 Sep: 14,21,28,30
  2007 Oct: 4-5, 8,11-12, 14,16,18,21,23,25-26, 28,30-31
  2007 Nov: 2
  407-934-7639
  7:00pm until Midnight
  $45.95 (ages 10 and up), $39.95 (ages 3-9)
• 
  
• Comedian Louis C.K.
  Universal CityWalk
  407-351-5483 or 407-839-3900
  7:00pm (doors), 8:00pm (show)
  $34.50

Saturday, September 15th

• Oktoberfest Orlando
  Location: Orlando Brewing
  407-872-1117
  6:00pm, 7:00pm (music starts)
  No Cover (food and drink available for purchase) $10.00 Commemorative Mug Available

Now get out there and have some fun!

Tags: Calendar, orlando, events

I tried to publish this yesterday, but ran into some problems, so instead of retyping the entire post, I'll just give you a quick explanation. Central Florida's beloved Cypress Gardens is going up for auction. Yep, it was beat up pretty bad from the hurricanes of 2004, and even though it was purchased for $7M by Georiga-based Adventure Parks Group, they can't seem to get their insurance issues handled.

If you'd like to pick up this 1939 theme park, mark your calendars for September 25th. Owner, Kent Buescher, said the park will remain open, that no employees will lose their jobs and annual passes will be honored. I have fond memories of this little theme park that could, and think everything will work out well in the end. Stay tuned for updates.

Related Items:

Cypress Gardens on Auction Block - Orlando Business Journal
Cypress Gardens Going to Auction - WESH2
Cypress Gardens Official Site

Tags: Cypress Gardens, Auction

A few people have asked me if I could include the high school football schedule for a few of the local schools. I decided the best way to handle this is with the entire list of Orlando area high schools. I'll update these each week. These are the games for this weekend, with two games tonight!

Tags: high schools, sports, football

Today's Orlando as You See it video comes from one of the most interesting places in town, that has since been demolished. Will's Pub was an artist's playground. The pub featured a two-room setup with pool tables in the front room, and a stage and plenty of seating in the backroom, which hosted many local bands, and poets. Will's Pub (aka Will's on Mills) had a poetry open mic night called Speakeasy, which was the longest running open mic night in Orlando. This video has great scenes from the pub, and reactions to the pub closing.

SPEAKEASY - Deleted Scenes

Add to My Profile | More Videos

For more info on Will's Pub, and their plans for the future, visit their myspace page.

Tags: Will's Pub, orlando

Shine up your ankle bracelets folks, 'cause KB Home has some exciting news! Their set to unveil the state's first Martha Stewart community - seriously.

You'll need to take a drive for this historic event, as the community is Deer Creek in Ormond Beach. I can't remember a time I was this excited. KB has teamed up with Martha Stewart in the past, and currently has four such communities nationwide, and has plans for a total of nine.

Deer Creek's Martha Stewart (it just rolls off your tongue) consists of 42 one- and two-story homes priced from $300,000.

So what does living in a Martha Stewart community get you? I have no idea, but I'll keep checking. I remember KB Home running a promotion two years ago for a Martha Stewart package that included a pre-designed options package, and...drum roll please...... A one-year subscription to Martha Stewart Living. I'll update this amazing story as details unfold.

Tags: orlando

If you live anywhere in southeast Orlando, you've no doubt heard the plans for Lake Nona. What might be the most anticipated project is the Lake Nona Village, a 70,000 square feet mix of retail, restaurants, and office condos, along with 22 residential condos, and 99 apartment units. The entire area takes up over 14 acres on Narcoossee Road. (MAP) Construction for the Lake Nona Village is scheduled to start next month.

I'm couldn't be happier about this news. I live on Narcoossee Road, and the closest shopping area is Waterford Lakes Town Center, or the Florida Mall, both being about a 30 minute drive. Of course, there's always the Saint Cloud Wal-Mart, but sometimes that just isn't enough.

Stay tuned for construction photos in the coming months. Construction will happen in 2 phases with the commercial space starting first, followed by the residential. If you're interested on getting on a waiting list for the residential projects, let us know, and we'll be happy to help you out.

Source: Orlando Business Journal

Related Links:
Project Developers: Van Metre Companies
Overseeing Leasing: Colliers Arnold
Community Info: Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

Tags: orlando, Construction, community

Bo Outlaw, the Orlando Magic's power forward, is helping out the Sanford community by donating $50,000 to convert an old Castle Brewer building into a library.

Bo says he knows and loves kids, and wants to help keep them out of trouble, WESH 2 News reported.

Bo's Place of Learning has 18 computers, tons of books, areas for recreation and tutoring, and will serve snacks.

This type of community service reminds me of the days Shaq was in Orlando. He would visit the local basketball court to play a few games with the neighborhood kids, and we loved it. We would plan our week around meeting up with Shaq. Bo's been in the league for 15 years, but it's pretty clear from his actions, he's still a kid at heart.

Here's a map of the location of Bo's Place of Learning. They had their grand opening on Thursday, August 30th.

View Larger Map

Tags: orlando Magic, community, sports