Metro City Realty Blog

Developers are looking at building a mixed-use project in Ivanhoe Village along Virginia Drive and Alden Road. The development is being called The Yard. Local developer Chance Gordy with Real Estate Inverlad Development LLC told Bungalower that they are working with the community on the plan before submitting for approvals from the city. We're trying to incorporate a lot of the concerns of the...

You've worked with a Realtor to scour listings, toured what feels like a million properties, and finally found it: the house you want to call home. The next step is to make your purchase offer, and if you are like most people, the prospect can be quite intimidating. When home buying in a seller's market like the one that Orlando has been in for the last few years there can be even more pressure on the...

Nearly half a dozen construction projects are creating a downtown Orlando construction boom, according to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. The projects are mostly residential, with 900 units being built over several projects. Commercial construction is ongoing too with both a hotel and office building planned for Orange Avenue north of Colonial Drive. Over the last few months crews have been busy constructing...

Construction is kicking off this week on the Brownstones at Thornton Park, a new upscale townhome development in one of downtown Orlando's trendy neighborhoods, which marks the first time in many years that a new for-sale product is being built in the area. F&J Developers LLC is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony October 9 at 300 S. Summerlin Avenue in Thornton Park for the $6 million Brownstones at...

There's a new compost program for downtown Orlando, available to families in the bungalow neighborhoods. Katie Shannon and Alex Stringfellow, two graduate students from Rollins College, have started Compost Orlando. Compost Orlando has two programs; a residential pickup program and a community drop-off program. They compost the scraps into soil and give it to community gardens or back to the families, if...

The fourth annual Barktoberfest, an Orange County Animal Services adoption event, will return Saturday to Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. More than 20 area pet rescue groups will attend the event, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the southeast side of the lake area. In addition to pets being offered for adoption, Barktoberfest features food trucks, cute pups wandering around, free...

Net Worth: Homeowners vs. Renters * In the past 15 years, the net worth of the typical homeowner has ranged between 31 and 46 times that of the net worth of the typical renter. * Homeowner equity is a substantial component of homeowner wealth. The Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, conducted once every three years, provides a snapshot of family income and net worth along with basic demographic...

The Florida Department of Transportation in partnership with the City of Orlando will be holding Orlando's first Ciclovia! A Ciclovia is a Spanish term meaning cycleway. They are a long-standing tradition in South America where they close miles of roads every Sunday. During a Ciclovia event the roads are closed to cars, but not to people for walking or biking. Orlando's first Ciclovia will take place this...

News that FHA will eliminate a prepayment penalty starting next year has been widely reported. It's a move NAR has been seeking for some time because it will relieve borrowers of a financial hit that's entirely out of their control and also bring the agency's policies in line with other federal agencies that backstop mortgages. Perhaps most importantly, it will align the agency's policies with the...