Real estate In Orlando
If you are considering purchasing a property in Orlando We have some information and resources that may be of use to you. Whether you are planning to purchase a home you hope to relocate in to, a vacation property in_Orlando or perhaps even an investment property, the information here will help you feel confident as you gain valuable knowledge about the real estate market in Orlando area.
A little about Orlando
The city of Orlando is a major city in central Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida. According to the 2000 census, the city population was 185,951. A 2006 U.S. Census population estimate gave the city population as 220,186 [1], making it the sixth largest city in Florida. It is also the principal city of Greater Orlando. The Orlando-Kissimmee MSA is Florida`s third-largest metropolitan area, behind Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater.
Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, which is the second largest university in Florida in student enrollment and has the 6th largest enrollment in the nation.
The city is best known for the many tourist attractions in the area, in particular the nearby Walt Disney World Resort, which is located in Lake Buena Vista about 20 miles (32 km) south of Orlando city limits via Interstate 4. Other notable area attractions include SeaWorld and Universal Orlando Resort.
The region sees an estimated 52 million tourists a year. Orlando has the second largest number of hotel rooms in the country (after Las Vegas, Nevada), and is one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions with the Orange County Convention Center, the country`s second largest in square footage.
It is also known for its wide array of golf courses, with numerous courses available for any level of golfer. Despite being several miles away from the main tourist attractions, downtown Orlando is undergoing major redevelopment with a number of residential and commercial towers.
It is now official that Orlando will build a new performing arts center, Orlando Arena, and a refurbishment of the Florida Citrus Bowl after the final vote was complete on July 27, 2007 with the final results being 5 to 2, in favor of the 1.1 billion dollar project. Its symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola. The current mayor is Buddy Dyer.
Buying a house in Orlando
Buying a house is an important time in one`s life, and it is not so easy as it looks. Apart from arranging finance, it involves many other considerations including legal and emotional considerations.If you are considering buying a home in Orlando or the serounding area it is a good Idea to look at all information available information on price, amenaties,areas, and proximity to the things that are important to you. Other important things to consider might be, public bus or subway accesibilty, weather, and recreational venues.
If this will be your first home, strongly consider attending a free first-time buyer`s seminar before house shopping. Your loan officer might be able to recommend a seminar in the Orlando area
Buying a house in Orlando the simple way
Many people dream of owning their own home in Orlando buying a home you can be happy in requires deligence and follow through to get the right home. An experianced agent can help make the process go more smoothly.
obtaining the assistance of a an agent who specializes in real estate in the The area is always the best think you can do, even if it seems that by not enlisting the services of an agent you are saving money, in actuality by not being represented by an agent, you are open the door to many possible promlems such as apporpriatly determining the value of a property and related documentation require the knowledge and experiance of an expert.
The Multiple Listing Service
Check out the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) for the Orlando area and you can search properties in the area to get a grasp on what is available.
History Of Orlando Florida
Some historians date Orlando`s name to around 1837 when a soldier named Orlando Reeves allegedly died in the area, during the war against the Seminole Indian tribe. It seems, however, that Orlando Reeves (sometimes Rees) operated a sugar mill and plantation about 30 miles (50 km) to the north at Spring Garden in Volusia County, and pioneer settlers simply found his name carved into a tree and assumed it was a marker for his grave site. They then referred to the area as "Orlando`s grave" and later simply "Orlando." During the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Army established an outpost at Fort Gatlin, a few miles south of the modern downtown, in 1838. But it was quickly abandoned when the war came to an end.
Prior to being known as its current name, Orlando was known as Jernigan, after the first permanent settler, cattleman Aaron Jernigan, who acquired land along Lake Holden by the terms of the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. But most pioneers did not arrive until after the Third Seminole War in the 1850s. Most of the early residents made their living by cattle racing.
Orlando remained a rural backwater during the American Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Union blockade. The Reconstruction Era brought a population explosion, which led to the city`s incorporation in 1875. The period from 1875 to 1895 is remembered as Orlando`s "Gilded Era," when it became the hub of Florida`s citrus industry. But a great freeze in 1894-1895 forced many owners to give up their independent groves, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons" which shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County. There are a couple of notable homesteaders in the area. First is the Curry family.
On their property in east Orlando there was the Econlockhatchee River and every time it had to be crossed the settlers would "ford the river". This leads its name to one of Orlando`s roads, Curry Ford Rd. Also, just south of the airport in the Boggy Creek area was 150 acres of property homesteaded in the late 1800s by the Ward family. This property is still owned by the Ward family and can be seen from flights out of MCO southbound immediately on the south side of SR-417.
Orlando, as Florida`s largest inland city, became a popular resort during the years between the Spanish-American War and World War I. The city was also host to several sanitariums, which serves as the basis for its hospitals today. In the 1920s Orlando experienced a large housing boom. Land prices soared. During this period several neighborhoods in downtown were constructed leaving behind many bungalows. The boom ended when several hurricanes hit Florida in the late 20s and by the depression.
During World War II, a number of Army personnel were stationed at the Pine Castle AAF. Some of these servicemen stayed in Orlando to settle and raise families. In 1956 the aerospace/defense company Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) established a plant in Orlando.
Pine Castle AAF was transferred to the United States Air Force, and in 1958 it was renamed McCoy Air Force Base after Colonel Michael N.W. McCoy.
Orlando is close enough to Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Kennedy Space Center for residents to commute to work from the city`s suburbs. It also allows easy access to Port Canaveral, an important cruise ship terminal. Because of its proximity to the "Space Coast" near the Kennedy Space Center, many high-tech companies have shifted to the Orlando area. Perhaps the most critical event for Orlando`s economy occurred in 1965 when Walt Disney announced plans to build Walt Disney World.
Although Disney had considered the regions of Miami and Tampa for his park, one of the major reasons behind his decision not to locate there was due to hurricanes. Orlando`s inland location (although not free from hurricane) would not expose it to an increased threat like coastal locations. The famous vacation resort opened in October 1971, ushering in an explosive population and economic growth for the Orlando metropolitan area, which now encompasses Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties.
As a result, tourism became the centerpiece of the area`s economy and Orlando is consistently ranked as one of the top vacation destinations in the world, now boasting more theme parks and entertainment attractions than anywhere else in the world. Another major factor in Orlando`s growth occurred in 1970, when the new Orlando International Airport was built from a portion of the McCoy Air Force Base.
Four airlines began providing scheduled flights in 1970. The military base officially closed in 1974, and most of it is now part of the airport. The airport still retains the former Air Force Base airport code (MCO). In addition to McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando also had a naval presence with the establishment of the Orlando Naval Training Center in 1968. Providing training to recruits as well as being a base for selected post basic training programs, the base had a prominent presence in the area. In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission ordered that the base be closed. The base continued in a diminished capacity until the base closed for good with the last graduates of the base`s Naval Nuclear Power School leaving in December of 1998.
The former base has been developed into tracts for upscale housing called Baldwin Park. The SunTrust Center, the tallest building in Orlando at 441 ft. (134 m), was built in 1988. The next tallest buildings are the Orange County Courthouse (1997, 416 ft (127 m)./127 m), the Bank of America Center (Formerly Barnett Plaza, 1988, 409 ft (125 m)./123 m), Solaire at the Plaza (2006, 359 ft (109 m)./109 m) and the Orlando International Airport ATC Tower (2002, 346 ft (105 m)./105 m). The VUE at Lake Eola, currently under construction, will become the second-tallest building in Orlando upon completion at 426 ft. (130 m) tall, but with 35 stories it will have more stories than the SunTrust Center.
The SeaWorld SkyTower, at 400 ft. (122 m) tall, is the tallest tower in Orange County that`s not in Orlando proper. There are also several tall transmission towers in Orange County, the tallest of which is the WFTV transmission tower in Christmas at 1,617 ft. (491.6 m) tall. In the hurricane season of 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne battered the Orlando area, causing widespread damage and flooding and impeding tourism to the area.
