Monthly Archives: September 2008

High-end Orlando Homes Hold Value

West Orange County seems to be the place for high rollers in the Orlando real estate market. Keene’s Point, an elite-luxury community in west Orange booked more million dollar sales in the first half of 2008 than any other luxury community in the four county Orlando area. Keene’s Point is a Castle and Cooke Development located near Windermere. Of 140 homes that sold for more than $1 million from January thru June, 16 were Keene’s Point listings. The average sales price was $1.49 million.

A community called Alaqua Lakes located in North Seminole County stole second place with 11 sales over the $1 million mark. Another community located in West Orange County near Windermere, Isleworth (of Tiger Woods fame), topped the charts with not only eight homes sold but an average sold price of $4.5 million – the highest average sale price for all four Orlando counties: Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola. Although research shows that million dollar resales in the Orlando Metro real estate market are down 39% from last year (140 in 08 to 231 in 07) in the first half, average sales prices are actually up. In the million plus category the overall average sales price moved from $1.71 million to $1.78 million. The average price per square foot in this segment was also up from $343 to $346 per sqft.

Call British Homes Group Today for help with purchasing or financing your Orlando area dream home!

Orlando Area MLS Search

Top of the Drops from the Sunday Times

Recent Florida Property Auction News from the Sunday Times.

The Alhambra property from the upcoming October 25th auction was recently featured on page 2 of the Sunday Times in the UK as their ‘Top of the Drops’ home.

If you would like an opportunity to bid on this property, please click here to register and receive full auction details.

Download a Hammock Beach property brochure.

Sunday Times - Florida Property Auction - Top of the Drops

The Conservatory at Hammock Beach is a gated golf course community with 340 homesites. With vacant lots on the golf course as well as lots on the preserve, the views will be impeccable from every angle. The focal points of this exclusive community are the 18-hole golf course and the future nature conservatory. Designed by Tom Watson, the woodland style golf course is already gaining recognition throughout the community. With waterfalls, stone bulk heading, and a one-of-a-kind “island” hole, this course will surely be enjoyed for years to come. Residents can visit the glass-encased Conservatory, which features an abundance of tropical foliage.

Moneycorp – The Regular Payment Plan

How can you protect yourself from adverse currency fluctuations?

Take advantage of Moneycorps Regular Payment Plan (RPP) today.

Moneycorp and British Homes Group are delighted to announce a new Regular Payments service to enable customers of British Homes Group to make regular overseas payments. This service is available for any regular overseas payment including mortgage payments, pension payments and property maintenance. You may be feeling the pinch of the current credit crisis in Florida and may not see an immediate way to reduce your monthly mortgage payments.

Their RPP allows you to get a fantastic rate of exchange, low transfer fee and no receiving bank charges. You can pay by Direct Debit, and you’ll have the certainty of having a clear schedule of payments so you know well in advance when your payments will be made. They offer three easy options when making or receiving your overseas transfers.

Option 1—Fix the Sterling amount that you transfer each time. With this option you will know the cost of each payment. The US Dollar amount that you will receive will vary each time according to the exchange rate at the time of the transfer.

Option 2—Fix the US Dollar amount that you receive each time. With this option you will know the amount of US Dollars you will receive each transfer and the amount of Sterling will vary according to the exchange rate at the time of transfer.

Option 3—Fix the exchange rate on all of your payments. This option is the most popular as it gives you the peace of mind and security that your payments and exchange rates are fixed for all your payments. They also offer the unique service of scheduling a Regular Payment Plan weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannually and annually.

To find out more about this service, click on the link below and register today. Alternatively contact us directly at the details below

The service uses Direct Debit in the UK to collect your Sterling and automates the payment of money abroad.

For example compared to using your bank to regularly transfer money overseas, if you are sending just £500 per month abroad, the Regular Payment Plan could save you over £300 per year.

Also, compared to banks and other foreign exchange brokers, the Moneycorp Regular Payment Plan is the only service to offer plans on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual basis for maximum flexibility.

In order to set-up your plan, or to find out more about this fantastic service from British Homes Group and Moneycorp please contact Moneycorp on +1 321 559 1050. Alternatively, click here to go to their website.

Kind regards,

British Homes Group and Moneycorp

Orlando Real Estate Auction Educational Seminars

In the Orlando Florida real estate market there are some of the best bargains to be had in years. So where should buyers go to find the best possible deals? To auction! That’s right, often times auction properties can be half price or less off of current real estate values. Online real estate auctions can be daunting however – how do you buy safely and how can you be certain that what you are buying really IS a bargain?

The British Homes Group is collaborating with Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty (Florida’s affiliate of Sotheby’s in the UK) to educate British buyers of Florida real estate about the process behind online real estate auctions and answer all the questions potential buyers may have.

British Homes Group and Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty will be hosting two complementary Internet auction seminars – October 7 and October 21 at 19:00 GMT.

The next auction is to be held on October 25th and will feature a selection of properties developed by Ginn Resorts including: Reunion Resort, Bella Collina Golf Club and Hammock Beach Resort. All properties are in or near Orlando.

Please visit the BHG website to find more information about the Florida real estate auction educational seminars.

Call British Homes Group Today for help with purchasing or financing your Orlando area dream home!

Orlando Area MLS Search

Fall Brings Orlando Vacation Deals

When the kids head back to school, theme park numbers naturally decline. With cooler temperatures in the Orlando area come some great values. There’s a myriad of activities for children AND Adults this fall season in Orlando!

Orlando Lodging Deals
There are always deals to be had at Orlando hotels along International Drive near the theme parks but this time of year you’ll find some exceptional rates. Right now some hotels are offering the lowest rates to hit Orlando in awhile. Internet pricing is especially attractive and most hotels will honor a published online price even if the special may have passed their desk. Try Orbitz.com for some great specials. The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau is also sponsoring Endless Summer through November 15th where you can stay for 2 nights and get the third night free.

Orlando Dining Deals
September is "Magical Dining Month" for some eateries in Orlando. Often times you’ll find low-season perks like the above where participating restaurants serve delicious three course meals for anywhere from $19 – $29. More than 50 area restaurants are participating this September. You’ll find more information and a list of participating restaurants on the Orlando Magical Dining website.

Orlando Entertainment Specials
Discounts sometimes come in unexpected places for the Orlando attractions. Day ticket rates for Disney are a whopping $79.88 these days so any deals are appreciated. Sea World visitors normally pay $74.50 for admission however AAA and AARP members will get a discount. Southwest Airlines Frequent Fliers are being treated to a 20% discount through December and Sea World visitors can re-use a single day ticket for a second day if they return within a week. SkyVenture, a free-fall parachuting simulator offers $8 online discount coupons and at the beautiful Harry P. Leu Gardens $7 admission will also get you an evening movie on the lawn.

Bottom line – there are lots of deals to be had. Make sure you do a thorough Internet search before offering to pay full price. Often times you can find special discount coupons or online rates that hoteliers may be willing to honor by phone. So come on out and enjoy the fall value season in Orlando!

Disney Opening two new Resorts

Disney Castle

Disney announces plans for two new timeshare resorts.

Bay Lake Tower will be at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and the Treehouse Villas will be at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa near the Magic Kingdom.

Disney’s Vacation Club has now grown to nine resorts with over 350,000 members!

The 15 storey, 300-unit Bay Lake Tower, will have a fifth-floor pedestrian bridge linked to the Contemporary Resort and will be within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom.

Bay Lake Tower will begin at $18,000 (about £10,000).

The 60 elevated homes comprising the Treehouse Villas will be built as a new phase of the Saratoga Springs resort near Downtown Disney. A sales date and prices haven’t yet been set.

Sales will begin on Sunday at Bay Lake Tower, with the first offers going to existing Vacation Club owners.

The Mid Atlantic East Group, parent company of the the British Homes Group Florida has been offering zero down, 100% financing at the Disney Vacation Club for British buyers for over 15 years. The unsecured loan is through a British based bank and has grown in popularity over that time to cover most of the top Resorts in the Orlando theme park areas.

More information on the Resorts covered and financing programme can be found here:

100% British financing for Disney Vacation Club or call 0800 096 5989 and ask for Tammy.

Florida Real Estate Auction – Saturday 8th November

Auctions offer best opportunities for Florida Real Estate Bargains!

“How to buy at auction” on-line seminars Tuesday October 7th and 21st at 7pm UK time.

Next Auction – November 8th, 2008

Top quality homes in Florida are at their lowest price right now, but to secure an even better bargain you need to go to auction. Auction properties can be half price or less off current values.

For some Brits, however, bidding for a luxury home over the internet can sound daunting. The on-line auction route is a quick and definitive route to buying a home and also saves money on airfares. But how do you do it safely? And how can you be sure that what you are really buying is a bargain?

In order to help British people through the auction maze, the Orlando-based British Homes Group, (www.britishhomesgroup.com) in collaboration with Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, the Florida affiliate of Sotheby’s in the UK, is hosting two complementary internet auction seminars on October 7 and 21 at 19.00 GMT.

The purpose of the British Homes Group “webinars” is to explain the process and answer all the questions potential buyers might have. BHG will also feature a selection of quality Florida holiday homes and other investment properties in the Orlando area that will be auctioned by Stirling Sotheby’s on November the 8th. A free booklet – “A guide to Florida On-line Property Auctions” can also be downloaded.

Bill Cowie, director of British Homes Group says: “These auctions are not a dumping ground for private owners to offload secondary real estate rubbish. In this market they are also a sales platform for top US developers to turn their newly completed luxury homes into much-needed cash. As a buyer you need to be aware. The first step is to make sure you are dealing with reputable companies, get prepared and familiarise yourself with the procedure. Then if your bid is successful, it may turn out to be the quickest, most hassle-free and best investment you’ve ever made.”

British Homes Group is an Orlando-based, UK-staffed estate agency and mortgage brokerage company specializing in finding and financing Florida holiday homes and investment properties for UK residents. BHG is a “one stop shop” for all things Florida property and prides itself on offering advice and guidance with no pressure on people just enquiring about the market.

BHG has assembled a team of totally objective professional advisors on all subjects including UK and US law, immigration, tax, insurance and who will guide people through all aspects of buying a home in Florida, from on-line auctions through to buying furniture and sourcing decorators or interior designers.

The next auction on 8th of November, will feature a selection of properties developed by Ginn Resorts (www.GinnResorts.com). Ginn Resorts is a premiere US developer with many resort communities throughout the south-eastern US and Florida. The featured properties are at:

1. Reunion Resort near Orlando (www.ReunionResort.com)
2. Bella Collina Golf Club near Orlando (www.BellaCollina.com)
3. Hammock Beach resort on the Atlantic coast, east of Orlando (www.HammockBeach.com)

In a previous auction, and reported on by the UK’s Daily Telegraph, Sheila Harrison of Luton, Bedfordshire snapped up a new three-bedroom apartment at Lely Landings in upmarket Naples, West Florida for £100,000 ($200,000). The list price was double that at $399,000 and a near identical apartment at Lely Landings was independently valued in November 2007 for $397,000. Brian and Debbie Gill from Leamington in Warwickshire successfully bid $270,000 (£135,000) for a 6th floor three bedroom apartment at Oceanwalk Condominiums on the south beach area of New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Lee Weaver, Director of Operations of The British Homes Group, says: “In all our many years helping UK buyers find Florida dream homes, there has never been a better time for Brits to buy in Florida. With high supply of properties and low demand from locals, and the difficulty of getting credit here, the market has never been so full of bargains. The dollar has strengthened against the £ in recent weeks but still presents excellent value for buyers from the UK and Ireland.”

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For further information please go to: www.britishhomesgroup.com/florida-property-auctions.php Or call freephone 0800 096 5989 or (+1) 407 396 9914