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Robert Shiller Calls for Bold Thinking on Housing
2007-11-30 19:19:00
Robert Shiller wrote in a recent article for the NY Times, “WE have to consider the possibility that the housing price downturn will eventually be as big as that of the last truly big decline, from 1925 to 1933, when prices fell by a total of 30 percent. This crisis should be an occasion for ...
More About: Calls , Housing , Robert , Thinking , Robert Shiller

The Withers-Maguire House
2007-11-29 18:26:00
The Withers-Maguire House located on Bluford Ave. in downtown Ocoee is one of the oldest homes in the area and on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1888 by Brigadier General William Temple Withers of the Confederate Army. The home was built in a 19th century architectural style called Gothic Stick ...

Words of Inspiration from Steve Jobs
2007-11-29 04:42:00
I noticed this speech made by Steve Jobs at a graduation ceremony for Stanford University on the Phoenix Real Estate Guy blog and just had to share it although it’s a little on a tangent. We all get sidetracked by things that happen in our lives and at least for myself, speeches like this one ...
More About: Steve Jobs , Inspiration , Words

Intermezzo at Rialto to Be Built as Apartments Instead of Condos
2007-11-27 22:04:00
The Condo Metropolis blog reports that the developers of Rialto have decided not to build condos and are replacing them with apartments. On November 5, Marcus Burke wrote in a post entitled Orlando’s Buyer Market: Game Over that ” in the Dr. Phillips area, the developers much hyped Intermezzo at Rialto shut down the sales center last week and will now build apartments instead of condos”. I tried reaching the sales office to confirm but was transferred to 3 different people and never actually got an answer. If anyone has more info on this news, please make a comment.
More About: Apartments , Mezzo

PGA Q School at Orange County National
2007-11-27 15:52:00
The final stage of the 2007 PGA tour Q School gets underway at Orange County National in Winter Garden on November 28 and finishes on December 3. Both the Crooked Cat and the Panther Lake course will be utilized for the event and will provide a stern test with both courses stretching about 7,500 yards. Notable local golfers fighting to finish in the top 25 out of the field of 166 players to qualify for the PGA tour include Lee Jansen, Steve Lowery, and Skip Kendall.
More About: Orange County

A Car Crashes Into a Gotha Home
2007-11-26 19:57:00
Early this afternoon, a local elderly couple lost control of their car and crashed into the front porch of a home on Hempel Ave. in Gotha belonging to Gary & Vivian Meredith. The car ruptured a natural gas line, ran through a fence, missed a maze of large oak trees, and slammed into the porch. The porch sustained significant damage and the driver and passenger were taken to a local hospital. Early reports indicate the driver suffered from a pre-existing medical condition. The WESH TV news coverage below takes about 30 seconds to load and preceded by a short commercial. http://www.wesh.com/videofiles/14694157/p laylist.asx?qs=t;speed=high;adtarget=inli ne
More About: Home , Crashes

2007 Sales Statistics for Stonebridge
2007-11-26 17:29:00
As of the date of this report, 23 sales have taken place in Stonebridge (Stonebridge Place, Stonebridge Lakes, Stonebridge Commons) subdivision located off Arnold Palmer Dr. in Metrowest with an averages days on market of 150 days and 145 properties currently still for sale. 10 townhouses have sold in 2007 at the Stonebridge with an average price of $261,700 and median price of $244,000. The highest sale price was $340,000 and lowest sale price was $195,000. The average price per square foot was $155.41. The most recent sale took place on September 20, 2007 at the Vistas at Stonebridge Place for $214,900. You have to look way back to May to find the most recent sale for a Mandalay townhouse at Stonebridge Commons which sold for $313,000 choreographed by yours truly. 9 condo sales have taken place in 2007 at Stonebridge with an average price of $178,900 and average price per square foot of $150.40. Sale prices ranged from $140,o00 to $215,000. The bulk of the sales took place in the...
More About: Sales , Statistics

The Homes of Billionaires
2007-11-26 15:59:00
Forbes Magazine takes a look at the homes of billionaires and finds that they typically like to stay close to where they grew up. Billion aires such as Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Warren Buffet have all remained in their home towns. Microsoft’s Paul Allen still lives with his mom albeit on a gigantic estate where they probably don’t run into each other that often, Bill Gates had numerous secret passageways built into his home, and Warren Buffet still lives in a home in Omaha that’s only valued at $500,000 to $750,000 because he says he likes living like he did in his 20’s. The interview below takes an intriguing look at these billionaire’s homes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRrRRSNOd4 Y
More About: Homes , Aires

Remodeling Online Releases 2007 Cost vs Value Report
2007-11-25 14:57:00
Remodeling Online just published their Cost vs Value Report for 2007 online and here are the results for the Southeast region of the country. The site is a great resource for remodels, replacements, or additions to a home and there’s plenty of helpful articles. Here in Central Florida, remodeled kitchens and baths tend to give the most return on investment.
More About: Remodeling

Is Home Staging Worth It?
2007-11-23 20:55:00
Home sellers often wonder if paying for a service to stage their home is worth the money. According to the statistics from stagedhomes.com, staging results in a sales prices that is on average 6.9% higher and with 50% less time on the market. The findings here probably have some bias but there has not been too many studies conducted to give a valuation to staging. Staging services can range from adding simple accessories and rearranging furniture to renting large scale furniture pieces. They declutter and unpersonalize to create a place where it’s easier for prospective buyers to imagine themselves in the home. Essentially, stagers work with a person’s time frame and budget to transform a home to appeal to the most number of buyers at a cost typically between $500 to $2,000 and the process does not take a long time. It only adds a small amount to the costs of selling a home with the potential of huge benefits from a higher price and quicker sale. There are countless num...
More About: Home , Worth , Wort

Kohler DTV Shower Controller for Luxurious Baths
2007-11-21 17:56:00
Here’s a gadget for the techie control freak luxury home buyer that is just cool. The Kohler DTV is a touchscreen interface for the shower that controls the temperature and up to 8 shower components. It eliminates the need for multiple valve handles so it really does streamline the look of any shower and comes in a chrome, nickel, or bronze finish. It would typically see installation in a shower with multiple shower heads which is becoming all the rage in luxury homes. The DTV at about $1,000 per controller along with the recently released Kohler Shower Tiles is perhaps just the thing to transform the master bath into a true retreat.
More About: Controller , Roller , Luxurious

West Orange High School Christmas Tree Sale
2007-11-21 16:02:00
West Orange High School is holding a Christmas tree sale to raise funds for the baseball and lacrosse team beginning Thanksgiving Day until December 23rd at 2167 Windermere Rd., Windermere, FL 34786. Both teams need to replace dated equipment and could really use the support from the community. Coach Marlo (baseball) & Coach Baker (lacrosse) created a fun program to work with student-athletes by selling fresh Frasier Fir Christmas trees & wreaths from North Carolina. They will also have a selection of locally grown red, pink & white poinsettias. Shoppers will enjoy complimentary cider, hot chocolate or warm coffee & holiday music. Over 300 trees will be on display in stands & an additional 1,700 trees will be available so get out and support the Warriors. View Larger Map
More About: Sale , High School

Levitt and Sons Files for Bankruptcy and Suspends Building in their Existin
2007-11-21 05:44:00
The Fort Lauderdale based home builder Levitt and Sons who is the 50th largest home builder in the country filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Broward county on November 9, 2007 with assets under $1 million and debts totaling over $100 million. Levitt recently defaulted on loans of $300 million from Bank of America and Wachovia according to SEC filings. They are holding about $18 million in deposits from over 600 customers who have no idea if their home will ever be built and whether or not the they will ever see their deposits again. Currently Levitt and Sons is building in the Cascades at Groveland and Hartwood Reserve in the Clermont area and Jessup’s Reserve in Winter Springs. Their completed communities in Central Florida include Summit Greens in Clermont, Avalon Park in SE Orlando, and Summerport in Windermere. They have suspended building and home buyers need to call 877-538-4889 for information about the status of their properties according to their website. ...
More About: Building , Bankruptcy , Files , Bankrupt

PROBLEM: FeedMedic Alert for http://feeds.feedburner.com/HojinsSouthwestOrl
2007-11-12 12:03:00
FeedBurn er had trouble retrieving your Source Feed: http://sworlandoblog.com/feed/ The error message is: Error getting URL: 500 - Internal Server Error Actions you can take: Validate your Source Feed with Feed Validator. This service provides additional detail about the problem, and how to repair it. Resync your FeedBurner feed once you have repaired the source feed. Contact FeedBurner for help with your feed if all else fails.
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