Florida Real Estate, Tourism and Immigration News

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  

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.”

-ends-

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

For the past several months everyone has been wondering whether real estate in Florida has hit bottom.  In the Orlando market, many indicators have worked toward most experts sending the message, "buy now, this is the best opportunity".  Foreclosures, REOs and Short Sales have driven real estate prices to all time lows in the Orlando market, however increasing demand will soon begin to change the picture. 

In August, the median home resale price fell to $200,000 paralleling 2005 numbers and the last bull run of home sales.  Although actual sales dogged last year’s pace by 23%, pending sales have increased for the fifth straight month in a row.  This means the sales gap will likely shrink by the end of 08.  Inventory declined weighing in at 5.6% less than August 07 and Days on Market shrank slightly to 113 days marketing the shortest DOM catalogued so far in 2008.

The Orlando real estate market, in comparison to the southern Florida markets, has generally faired a little better.  Orlando home prices and the overall cost of living are closer to the national average and the job market is holding up better.  This market will likely recover faster than those in South Florida counties.  The Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout should also weigh heavily into the equation for investors.  If banks aren’t lending no one can buy, the Fannie/Freddie takeover should help to re-energize the flow of home sales and interest rates will likely also go down. 

All indicators are clear, the low-point of the great housing bust in Orlando is here.  There has never been a better time to buy Orlando real estate – don’t wait! 

Find out how you can take advantage to obtain your Orlando dream home -

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

Orlando Area MLS Search

Some of the events happening here in Central Florida for the remainder of 2008 and early 2009.

WMFE-FM is a very popular station watched by many here in Florida. They serve an 11-county Central Florida area with non-commercial, non-profit, member-supported public broadcasting. They have been community owned and locally governed since 1965.

Today, Channel 24 is viewed each week by more than 476,750 television households. Likewise, 90.7 is listened to by more than 180,000 people each week.

They are also very popular among the British community here in Florida because they play a lot of the old and current British funnies…click the flag for a current look at what’s on.

Their website is also a great resource for upcoming Cental Florida events, favourite concerts and public apperances.

Visit http://www.wmfe.org and click on ‘View all WMFE Events’ for up to date schedules…

Here’s a quick look at some things to do, outside of the normal theme park stuff…

Sesame Street Live! in Orlando
When Elmo Grows Up! comes to the UCF Arena on Saturday, Sept. 20 …  and WMFE is the place to get your Meet and Greet Passes!
  
The High Kings
Enjoy Irish ballads in the intimate setting of WMFE’s Hugh F. McKean Public Broadcasting Center’s TV Studio when The High Kingstravel to Orlando on Saturday, Sept. 27
  
American Masters – Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends   
See Tony Bennett LIVE at the UCF Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 30  Tickets are limited, so be sure to pledge soon.
  
Gary Null: The Food Mood Connection 
Can’t get enough of holistic health guru Gary Null?  Join him for The Food Mood Connection lecture on Monday, Nov. 10 at WMFE’s Hugh F. McKean Public Broadcasting Center.
  
Celtic Thunder
Celtic Thunder is making their Orlando debut at the UCF Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 12, and WMFE wants you to be there!
  
Sarah Brightman: Symphony 
Everything about Sarah Brightman is multi-dimensional.  Now, enjoy her LIVE performance on Friday, Nov. 14 at the UCF Arena. Click here for more information.
  
Garrison Keillor, LIVE IN ORLANDO!
Host and writer of A Prairie Home Companionand The Writer’s Almanacheard on public radio stations nationwide, comes to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on Monday, Nov. 24
  
Rain: The Beatles Experience
Experience what Beatlemania was all about! Join RAIN as they cover the Fab Four, from their start through their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days.  Be amazed as they play the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. Tickets are exclusive!
  
Broadway’s Lost Treasures
In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime.  Come enjoy A Chorus Line at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009

Currency Update

If you think Sterling has had a tough time in the last couple of months look what happened in 1992.  Do the words "black Wednesday" ring any bells?  On 16 September of that year Britain’s Conservative government abandoned its attempt to keep Sterling in the European Union’s Exchange Rate Mechanism.  In the space of three months the Pound fell from $2 to $1.50.  What we are seeing at the moment is nothing like as bad as that, though it’s bad enough if you’re paid in Sterling.

They were worried about inflation back in the late eighties and early nineties; that is why Britain tried to attach itself to the low-inflation German Mark even at the cost of high interest rates and recession.  They (and that means every government and central bank in the world) are worried about it now, for different reasons.  Higher interest rates won’t bring down the price of oil.  Even less will they bring food prices under control.

They do however make people think, especially if they need to borrow money to do things:  Do I need that business meeting in the Far East?  That 17mpg Chelsea tractor?  More to the point, central banks normally have only one tool at their disposal to keep inflation on target: interest rates.  But they are not stupid.  Oil is not going to $300 a barrel because demand would quickly dry up.   UK house prices will carry on down because they went up too far and to fast.  Lower interest rates will make only marginal difference to either situation.

If this all sounds defeatist and pessimistic, bear in mind it is exactly the message we are hearing from the Bank of England.  As ever, there’s good news and bad news:  Inflation will peak before too long and Britain will – technically at least – go into economic recession.

So what will this mean for Sterling against the Dollar?

There, sadly, it looks at the moment like bad news and bad news.  After seven years of decline the Dollar was overdue for a break and at last it’s got one.  Having plunged to 2 per cent earlier this year US interest rates will not – barring economic disasters – go any lower.  The question is when they will go up.  UK rates ticked down to 5 per cent in April and – barring inflation disasters – they are not going up.  The question is how long it will be before they go down.  The alternatives for currency investors are clear: Get aboard the Dollar as it extends its recovery or stick with the Pound on its way down.

These things are never as cut and dried as they appear.  It would be no surprise to see a correction to the Dollar’s recent run of good fortune but that would not necessarily change the fundamental view.  If the US economy really has turned the corner, as  suggested by the consumer sentiment surveys, and if the UK economy really is heading for hell in the Old Lady’s hypothetical hand-basket, the Pound has further to fall against the Dollar.

How can you protect against currency Fluctuations? Take advantage of our Regular Payment Plan

Our 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. We 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.

We also offer the unique service of scheduling a Regular Payment Plan weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannually and annually. In addition we offer two payment options to suit your needs and requirements. To find out more about this service, click on the link below and register today. Alternatively contact us directly at the details below

https://members.tttmoneycorp.co.uk/OnlineExperience/OnlineTradingFacility/Application.aspx?rp=10003096