blog/web-journal

HIGHLANDS RESERVE

Here’s the completed look for our post of January 16.  Nice new feature for sure, and it certainly makes a statement.  This is something many subdivisions could do that would enhance their image.

Grand opening for the Super Target is slated for Sunday, March 8, 2009.  This will be a welcome addition for West 192 corridor. 

Location:  South side of U.S. 192 on the east side of the 429 Expressway.

Low rates combining with falling home prices are making homes more affordable;  however, only to those with substantial down payments.  Plus, underwriting requirements have really tightened up. Of the number of homes sold in December of 2008, better than 50% cost less than $174,500 nationwide.  This is a 15.3% decline from December of 2007 when the median price was $207,000. (National Association of Realtors)  Interesting to note too, that nearly 45% of these sales were ‘distress sales’ of some nature.

In the more immediate area though, as an example, the Davenport vicinity declined by an even higher amount, 15.7%  (Zillow Buzz – February 2009)

Where are we…?  Anyone’s guess really. 

On the positive side, there are sales taking place driven by investors with cash picking up bargains which is slowly picking away at the inventory.  On the negative side though, is the ‘shadow inventory’ of homes waiting to go to market, and the ‘ghost’ inventory of foreclosed homes owned by lenders sitting empty that are not on the market.

All indications are that we will be in this state for sometime to come.  For those selling, patience is paramount.  For those buying, the window will be open for quite awhile.

Quite the paradox…

SOAR WITH THE EAGLES

Ever thought about the experience of soaring… 

No excuses then… This great little airfield is tucked away in a very quiet scenic area less than 16 miles from Walt Disney World.  (20 minutes)

 
WAITING FOR A HOOK UP

No you can’t go it alone… unless you have a certified glider pilot’s license.  No worries… the individual that accompanies you will be a highly experienced pilot with thousands of hours in these planes.  (Safer than driving a car really.)

LIFT OFF

3,000, 4,000, or 5,000 feet; your choice.  Stay up for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, half an hour, an hour, or all day if you like.  Of course, as one might imagine, the price is based on time. So the longer you are up, the more it will cost unless you have friends that fly.  (And THAT will become a real possibility after your first flight!) 

Be prepared to be ‘hooked’… because once you’ve had the few minutes of the experience of flying one yourself, you will be back for more!  All you have to do is ask…

LAKE LOUISA & THE SKY

It’s simply fabulous… Give it a try…

Call 1 352 394 5450 for an appointment and directions, though getting there is very straight forward.  It’s just north of US 192 and west of HWY 27 a few minutes.  Nice to know that you will be able to fly once you’re out there.

Internet: Seminole-Lake Gliderport

LENNAR HOME BUILDERS

Easy to see this new construction coming down Westside Boulevard.  Again, even in a seemingly slow period, new starts continue to come out of the ground.

Always a popular choice for visitors looking for a good value Chinese restaurant in Kissimmee, you might be wondering what happened to the Ace Buffet which was located next to the Howard Johnson hotel on west US192 until it closed down last year. Well, it has re-opened just across the street in the Shoppes At Vista Del Lago and is now called The Chinese Super Buffet: 

In an ongoing effort to assist sellers in using every possible tweak to improve their chances for a sale, consideration should definitely be given to the following concept.

Tip 2: Cleaning & de-cluttering the property in the southeast generally will cost somewhere between $225 and $310 dollars or so.  The increase in price secured though these efforts though, will range between $1,550 and $2,130.  That’s a return on investment of approximately 595%.

Again, like tip number one (brighten up), well worth the effort…

While we are known as a full-service company, you might still be surprised at the lengths we will go to in providing customer service.  Just recently, one of our customers mentioned that he was looking for someone to remove a bees nest from one of the trees on his property.  Art and Stuart are fledgling bee keepers and immediately offered to do this for him.

The nest was quite high up. Difficult to see in this picture, but you get the point:

This is what the nest looked like from close up:

Art carefully sawed off the branch holding the nest and passed it down to Stuart:

It was then just a case of putting the nest into a box before transporting the bees to their new home in one of Art and Stuart’s hives:

All in all, it went very smoothly. No broken bones and no stings from angry bees. Art thought it was quite an anti-climax!.

GRAND OPENING – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Our post on July 7, 2008 showed the current state of construction at that point.  Opening day is now upon us, and this really good market will be open for business.

This new store is located north of U.S. 192 on Hwy 27 behind the Auto Zone at the traffic light at CR 474.  Drop in for a visit.

Open for several months now, The Stadium Bar And Chophouse is located on the left side of Old Town on US192, right next to Fun Spot. It offers an excellent sports bar and a separate full service restaurant. If you are looking for some of the best food in town with entertainment several nights a week it is definitely worth a visit.

Visit: http://www.thestadiumbarandchophouse.com/ for more information.

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