In 2010, the city of Orlando attracted 51.5 million visitors, well ahead of New York’s 48.7 million and number two spot. Although New York went on to break the 50 million barrier in 2011 with 50.2 million tourists, Orlando is expected to reveal that it once more surpassed 51 million when 2011 figures become available.

The Magic Kingdom, just one of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks, attracted almost 17 million tourists in 2010 alone, making it the world’s most-visited entertainment resort. And now the site is going to build an Avatar-themed land at Animal Kingdom with construction work scheduled to start in 2013.

Director James Cameron says “with two new Avatar films currently in development, we’ll have even more locations, characters and stories to explore. Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park-goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of Avatar with an unprecedented sense of reality.”

Universal Studios is hotly tipped to be going more heavily into the Harry Potter franchise with talk of a Hogwarts Express train will link to Universal Studios and a whole host of new Harry Potter attractions.

International tourists spent an estimated US $140 billion in the USA last year despite its global share dropping from 17% to 11%. Additional security procedures that came in after the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks have been blamed for delays in would-be visitors getting tourist visas. Brazilian tourists, for example, have to wait months for tourist visas and President Obama has publicly said this month that he wants to simplify the process and add more consuls in countries such as China and Brazil to tap into these lucrative source markets.

Capitalise Investments have access to bank owned condominiums based close to the Orlando resorts, the condo apartments on sale are priced from $54,900, a rate which is more than 70% below their peak price of $250,000 USD in 2008. The company offers free inspection trips for serious prospective buyers and is keen to exploit the rising market.

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The National Association of Realtor’s International Homebuyer survey indicates that 14% of the Sunshine State’s overseas buyers purchased in the Orlando-Kissimmee area…clear in second place but way behind Miami’s take of 30%.

Prices are also coming back. According to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association ORRA, median prices in 2010 were 1.29% ahead of those in 2011. This rise spiked in December, with prices in the last month of 2011 $118,000 12.38% up on December 2010’s median price $105,000.

The number of bank-owned properties sold in Orlando went down by over 50% however, with short sales and ‘normal’ sales rising in prominence.

The increased activity indicates a renewed faith in Florida’s and Orlando’s housing, according to ORRA’s chairman Stephen Baker.

“Buyers are taking note of Orlando’s historic affordability conditions, consistent increases in prices, and dramatically declining inventory and taking action,” Baker says. “In addition, I expect to see even more sales activity once the problem of contract failures – estimated by the National Association Realtors to be as much as 33 percent nationwide – is resolved by an easing of unnecessarily restrictive lending standards.”

Orlando also benefits from having one of the world’s top tourist attractions on its doorstep. In 2010 it attracted 51.5 million tourists, while New York only attracted 48.7 million. On top of this, further developments at theme park Walt Disney World have been given the go-ahead, including an Avatar-themed land at Animal Kingdom, with work set to begin in 2013.

Aside from the obvious backlog of foreclosures which is gradually being burnt off, the property market has stabilised and Florida’s fortunes are on the up. There are cash buyers out there, of all nationalities from Brits to Brazilians, and the State experienced a double-digit percentage rate increase in sales for 2012 over 2011. Much of this is fuelled by Florida’s unrivaled status as a tourist hotspot and the allure of steady rental income in a sunshine State.

Orlando is also serviced by its own international airport, and services 26 international destinations including key markets such as Canada and Brazil. Latest figures from 2009 show that international passenger numbers at Orlando was 2,977,920…nearly 300,000 more than 2008 and a 600,000+ jump from 10 years previous.

Interested in Orlando Investments? Click here to view more.

The research, jointly produced by Savills International and HomeAway.co.uk, reveals that nearly 30% of all overseas properties bought by UK buyers since the recession have been in France.  By contrast, the number bought in Spain dwindled from roughly 30% pre-recession to closer to 15% since 2008.

“France did not see the dramatic house price decline of neighbouring Spain and its banks have continued to lend on second homes thereby stimulating the market,” the report says. “The relative stability of this market and its ease of access from the UK mean that buyers remain confident to invest.”

“[Regarding Spain] pessimistic press coverage of its boom and bust has negatively impacted confidence and the early depreciation of the sterling against the Euro compounded this.”

The research also reveals that overseas property ownership in the UK has grown considerably in the last decade. More than 450,000 UK households now own real estate abroad, compared with fewer than 200,000 in 2000/01.

“Holiday home ownership by UK nationals grew substantially through the early to mid 2000s, supported by easily available credit, the rise in overseas travel and budget airlines. Households saw second home ownership as an opportunity to capitalise on rapidly rising house prices,” the report added.

The news comes as Sextant Properties’ French Property Index revealed that house prices in France have risen by an average of 7.28% since October 2009.

Buying a property in another country can be a daunting prospect but with our new service you don’t have to worry about dealing with foreign lenders and the legal complexities involved.  Working closely with our overseas mortgage partner we will take care of everything and make the whole process as safe, simple and stress free as possible for you.

Whether you have started house hunting or are thinking about investing for the future, our overseas mortgage partner can get the best deal for you – one that meets your individual requirements and personal circumstances – at the best rate.

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What’s more,  if you already own a property abroad,  our overseas mortgage partner offers a remortgaging service for residential properties in France, Spain, Portugal, the USA and lots more countries.  So we can help you to get a cheaper mortgage or release the equity within your overseas home to reduce your outgoings or buy another property.

Whatever stage you are at,  you can rely on us to guide you every step of the way right through to completion.

Let us help you take the first step towards realising your dream.  Call us on +61 470 468 191 or email Invest@capitaliseinvest.com and let us make it easy for you.

Regards

Capitalise Investments

The firms Managing Director told OPP this week that “Orlando has already posted encouraging price increases for 2011 with properties rising by a healthy 6.7% and the city was second only to Dayton, Ohio” last year in price increase terms.

“Decreasing foreclosures have been key to this success,” he added, “with now only a quarter of the market made up of foreclosed properties compared to 2010 when more than 40% of the property market was bank owned. With foreclosures continuing to drop it is permitting the property market to recover and not having to compete with an abundance of distressed listings.”

The real estate forecast looked at factors such as unemployment levels, re-sale statistics for the same properties and the total number of foreclosures on the market. It also took into account a slow-down in bank repossessions.

Orlando will be “a very strong investment opportunity for 2012 because the gulf between property price increases in Orlando and the rest of the US is considerable to say the least.”

“However, Orlando is now ‘emerging’ from the financial pain of the global downturn and looks set to be one of the highest property market gains of 2012.”

Another Property Agent Capitalise Investments (www.capitaliseinvest.com) are currently marketing a gated community called The Reserve Apartments, located several miles from downtown Orlando, and selling one, two and three bedroom apartments from $55,900. Prices have fallen by more than 70% over the last 3 years,  prices were once $240,000 per unit.

These units are “now available with tenants in place and a 2-year rental guarantee. Furthermore there is free HOA’s as an incentive to urge investors to snap up the good deals whilst they can. Anticipated yields in the region of 10% NET.

Contact Capitalise Investments – Click Here

As the leader of one of America’s biggest real estate agency group, Gillespie said that even though many property firms should still be concerned about the national market because the “perception” of the US housing market is still “awful,” he could see first-time buyers and investors playing an increasingly big role this year.

In 2005, nearly 8 million renters in America could afford to buy a home he told the meeting, and today that number has more or less doubled to 16 million, creating a lot of pent-up demand. Also, 40% to 45% of homes sold are usually sold to first-time buyers in a normal market, today the figure is well below 40%.

“That’s a potential that is powerful,” Gillespie said. “If you’re not out there canvassing apartments, you’re making a mistake.”

Gillespie reckons that the number of home sales will rise this year as prices remain under pressure and at least an additional 2 million foreclosures take place.  An improving job market, rising consumer confidence levels and a recovery in the national GDP will all contribute to a better homes sector.

Gillespie told the conference to start focusing on the “pent-up demand” being created by thousands of frustrated young people unable to buy their own home. “These renters will be looking to move into start-up homes very quickly,” he said. And, this is now “the greatest time since the Great Depression to buy a home. Affordability has never been higher.”

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