Artisan Park was developed by the St. Joe Corporation, with 616 homes and has their own Club – The Artisan Club that opened in Opened in 2005.

Artisan Park was developed by the St. Joe Corporation, with 616 homes and has their own Club – The Artisan Club that opened in Opened in 2005.  Artisan Park sits on 160 acres with a mixture of bungalows, cottages, townhouses and condos with a craftsman-inspired setting.  There are small parks and an outdoor amphitheater in Artisan Park.

• Resort-style pool
• Club Cafe’ for casual dining
• Billiard Room
• Fitness Center with state-of-the-art equipment, his and her locker rooms
• Bar and grill service
• Outdoor fireplace
• Social Gatherings for Artisan Park

For more information about living in Artisan Park or the unique community of Celebration, please call the Orlando Avenue Top Team at (407) 467-5155 or visit our website for helpful information.

Orlando Avenue Top Team

Today the featured How To Wiki on Google is How To Win at Monopoly.  Check it out, there are some great tips on how to win at Monopoly.  Did you know when you play Monopoly that:

• 7 is the most common roll – 2 and 12 are the least common
• it takes an average of 5 turns to go around the board
• Monopoly games can last over 4 hours

It is no secret that the Orlando Avenue Top Team has branded ourselves with the look and feel of the favorite board game Monopoly.  Our look was no mistake and it took a lot to get permission to create our logo and look.

If we would go to that level of detail for our own marketing, just think what we can do to market your property and get it sold!  Call us today to discuss your options!

Disney World Resort Special Events

Walt Disney World Resort is a wonderful place!   We all agree to that fact.  There is always something wonderful going on at the parks.  Here are some of the upcoming events at Walt Disney World:

• Epcot – Sounds Like Summer Series  June 11, 2007 – August 12, 2007
  • Three shows nightly at 5:45pm, 7:00pm and 8:00pm
  • Scheduled Cover bands performances:
    • June 11-17 – Ultimate Bon Jovi
    • June 18-24 – Bee Gees Tribute
    • June 25-July1 – Garth Brooks
    • July 2-8 – Aretha Franklin
    • July 9-17 – ABBA
    • July 18-24 – Eagles
    • July 25-29 – Billy Joel
    • July 30-August 5 – Elton John
    • August 6-12 – Chicago
  • Epcot –  International Food & Wine Festival September 28, 2007 – November 11, 2007
  • MGM Studios – Super Soap Weekend November 10, 2007 – November 11, 2007

Resources of Lake County

Lake County in Florida has an interesting piece of Florida history.  The first couple married in Lake County were Walt Disney’s parents who were married in Kismet on December 27, 1887.  There are 1,400 named lakes in Lake County and the county is rapidly growing.  

• Map of Lake County
• Mount Doral Historic Inn
• Olde Bicycle Inn
• Mission Inn Golf and Resort
• Lake Louise State Park
• News for Residents
• Lake County On-line Hurricane Plan
• Send Lake County e-postcards

Lakefront Lot in Groveland!

What Exactly Is Fair Housing?

As a licensed Realtor in the State of Florida we must adhere to strict rules regarding housing because of the Federal Fair Housing Act.  While we should all be aware of the protected classes (race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, handicap) under Fair Housing Law, some of the words on these lists can be surprising.

Terms that we are not allowed to use in our advertisements include:  active, adult community, couple, perfect for a family, empty nesters, preferred community, senior discount,  and traditional neighborhood. 

Terms that can set off questions include: 55 and older, 62 and older , close to, desirable neighborhood, exclusive, executive, handyman’s dream, ideal for, perfect for, private, safe neighborhood, secure, and tranquil setting.

• How are the schools?  Check Here for link to area schools and their information.
• Is this a safe neighborhood?  Crime Stats, Florida State Information
• What are the demographics of the neighborhood?  Demographics

Google is a great resource for you and a great place to do the research to answer these questions.  Hope that this helps explain some of the rules of the Federal Fair Housing act.  For more information Click Here >>>

Father’s Day is a few weeks away, but that is the good news.

Father’s Day is a few weeks away, but that is the good news.  You have time to obtain that gift for Dad that might just be a little different and excite your Dad.  Here are a few Father’s Day gift ideas for you favorite Dad:

• There is always the good old stand-by — Neckties, Fishing Poles, Golf Balls, and you can also just take him to Outback Steak House for dinner.
• How does the family Grill look?  If your Dad loves to grill — how about a new one?
• Boxer Shorts are always a different thing to give you dad.  And here are some pretty wild choices to give Dad!
• Beer of the Month — you have several options
  • Amazing Beer Club
  • Beer of the Month Club
  • World Beer Direct
• How good is Dad at directions?  Does he get lost often?  How about getting Dad a GPS?
• How about getting Dad a few cigars?
• Sports Illustrated – Give Dad a subscription for a year…
• Father’s Day E-cards
  • Father’s Day Cards
  • American Greetings
  • Blue Mountain Greetings
  • 123 Greetings

The Orlando Avenue Top Team hopes that one of these ideas might be of assistance to you finding the best gift for your Dad this year!  

Here is a list of some things that you should think about when selling your Orlando area yourself:

Here is a list of some things that you should think about when selling your Orlando area yourself:

• How are you going to qualify a buyer who brings you an offer?
• When pricing your property it is not what someone else’s house sold for plus your credit card debt, moving expenses, and closing costs.   With market changes, a good realtor is abreast of the changes and what will affect your listing price.
• Remember buyers are well educated and they have access to public records and are not about to think your price is reasonable.   They do a considerable amount of research and will pass over an over priced listing.
• Get yourself a good attorney to handle the legal paperwork, make sure you have all the forms and disclosures you need.  How do you handle a deposit check?  Are you prepared to ensure that all deadlines are met?
• Are you prepared to do the negotiating with the buyers?   Sometimes there are personal emotions that get in the way – a good realtor is an excellent buffer for you.
• Be prepared to advertise your property on the Internet and in the newspapers and local publications and change those ads to gain attention of buyers.  Be prepared to send out just listed postcards to the neighborhood and produce brochures and distribute them to the Realtors in your community.  Realtors already have systems in place and ready to add any new property that they list into that system
• Depending on the area, it can be very expensive to put ads in the newspapers — even just the simple classified ads can be expensive.  Realtors usually have larger ads that they can divide the cost among several listings….  You will not have that luxury….
• You are at a disadvantage (especially in our Resort community) if you are not in the MLS and do not cooperate with Realtors.   Many of our buyers are from out of town and they rely on Realtor.com and our MLS to find their dream property.   You can’t be on Realtor.com if you are not on the MLS. 
• Many realtors have extreamly successful well viewed websites that listings get a lot of attention and exposure for their listings. 
• Are you providing lots of photos and visual tours on your website for your listing?  What is the page rank of your website?   In Google Searches is your website coming up on page one?  80% of buyers start their search on the Internet
• What compensation are you going to pay a realtor who brings you a buyer?   You need to be prepared with that, the market has shifted to a buyers market and you wouldn’t want to miss a well qualified buyer now would you?
• What about your personal security?   Strangers coming to your home going through and you have no idea who they are or if they are just looking for an easy target?
• If you do an open house, keep the front door locked, make them ring the bell to gain entry.  
• Make sure you are available for showings on a moments notice – with your property listed with a professional we have systems in place to ensure you won’t miss a showing!

Or the story of how it is easier to wrestle a Tiger to the Ground

We all realize how important showings are to the Successful Sale of your Orlando Area property.  We don’t know if it will be the first or the 100th showing that will result in an offer.  So EVERY showing is very important of your Orlando Florida home.  We need your help in this process, so always set the stage for the Orlando Showing Realtor:

• Place lights on, open shades to let sunlight in

• Turn on some soft music in the background
• Don’t go overboard with the air fresheners
• We live in Orlando Florida — Turn the air down to ensure the potential buyers are comfortable when viewing your home
• Make sure the beds are made and any clutter is put away
• Toilet seats down
• Don’t forget the refrigerator – no stuff on it and inside should be organized and not over stuffed. 
• Always remember — LESS IS MORE!
• Want to stand out?  Place some cookies or candy on the counter next to the flyers.  One client put an ice bucket with 3 bottle of water on ice for each showing
• Please let me know when you are down to your last 5 flyers
• Don’t be there – it makes buyers extremely uncomfortable, if you are there, apologize and leave quickly

• Realtor not leaving a card, or not turning the lights off as they leave
• Realtor forgetting to lock the door or taking the supra key with them
• Realtors leaving a sliding door ajar
• Realtors not showing up – it happens the client doesn’t want to go in based on the outside/neighborhood, I know I call the listing agent (that is why we have cell phones) but not every agent is good about it.
• If this happens, call us immediately!  We will do our best to rectify the situation immediately.

This is where wrestling a Tiger to the ground is sometimes easier — getting feedback!  Right now Orlando has a lot of properties on the market.  Buyers have lots of choices and they are looking at a lot of Orlando Florida properties.  Buyers and their Real Estate Professionals don’t always remember your Orlando area home if they don’t like it. 

We will make every effort possible to get it, but sometimes it is just not going to happen.  For what ever reason that person was not interested, we are going to focus on putting your property in front of those that might be interested.  We are successful in getting feedback about 50% of the time and our procedures in our office are: 

•      Someone in our office calls after the appointment
•      If there is no response in 24 hours, we follow up with an email
•      Still no response in 24 hours after the email – we call as a last effort

Remember to keep your Orlando Florida home ready to show and we will do our best to get you those showings so we can put a Sold sign on your property!  Have questions regarding the sale of your home?  Need to speak to a Realtor about listing your home?  Call the Orlando Avenue Top Team today at (407) 467-5155 or visit our website at www.OrlandoAvenue.com for more helpful hints!

This quiet community in Winter Garden offers a community pool and tennis courts for your enjoyment. Need a place to relax and enjoy a good book, this is the house for you! Enjoy quiet nights while swaying in your hammock overlooking Lake Apopka.