History Center Holiday at Heritage Square-Free Holiday Event

Free holiday celebration for the whole family at the History Center at Heritage Square. Add this to your Holiday fun and bring friends and family to the museum for this annual, festive holiday celebration at 6:15 p.m this Wednesday night.Enjoy refreshments and musical performances by the Grand Avenue Elementary School’s choir, Voices of Valencia, and the Blu Trio, visit with Santa, explore the museum,...

30-year fixed rate loan remains at 60-year lows

Average interest rates on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage came down  to 3.98 percent last week, remaining at 60-year lows for the fourth week in a row, according to Freddie Mac.The drop was only .02 percent from last week’s average 4 percent interest rate. Last year at this time, the 30-year, fixed-rate averaged at 4.4 percent.An average 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also slightly declined last week to 3.3 percent, down from the previous week’s...

Community Spotlight-Urban ReThink- (Thorton Park) Orlando

Urban ReThink is a creative and collaborative hub located in Orlando's historic Thornton Park. By day, enterprising professionals in diverse fields from the arts to technology work there. And on nights and on weekends, it welcomes the community with a “What will I discover today?” assortment of talks, workshops, and gatherings. They are part of nonprofit Urban Think! Foundation which supports local...

Winter in the Park - Holiday Ice Skating Rink

When: The City of Winter Park will bundle up once again for “Winter in the Park,” the city’s annual holiday ice skating rink in Central Park West Meadow. Snowflakes of all ages and skill levels are invited to chill out as they glide, spin and turn!: Monday thru Thursday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, Noon to 8 p.m. See website for extended school...

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Holiday Pops Concert "Home for the Holidays"

 Sunday, November 27, 2011 @ 4:00 PMWhere: Central Park in Downtown Winter ParkCost: FREEContact: 407-896-6700Website: http://www.orlandophil.org/The City of Winter Park invites you to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season as the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra presents its annual Holiday Pops concert in Winter Park’s charming Central Park. Conductor Albert-George Schram will lead the Philharmonic...

Warren Buffett on the Economy, part two.

CNBC sat down with Warren Buffett in a 3 hour marathon session. You can read the entire transcript here: Warren Buffet on economy. (this is part two). You can see part one of my notes of Warren Buffet in the US economy and real estate here.On the U.S. Business“We have, as you know, more than 70 businesses and some of those businesses have many businesses. So we've really got a cross section of American business. Of the 70 plus businesses, all but...

Warren Buffett on US economy and real estate, part one

CNBC sat down with Warren Buffett in a 3 hour marathon session.  You can read the transcript here (I encourage you to read the entire transcript): Warren Buffet on economy.Mr. Buffett boils down complexity down into something simple – the sign of genius.  His basic ideas are:•           Residential real estate is in a depression and the only way out is we have to form 1 million+ new...

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Readers...

Past, Present, Futureby Emily BrontëTell me, tell me, smiling child,What the past is like to thee ?'An Autumn evening soft and mildWith a wind that sighs mournfully.’Tell me, what is the present hour ?'A green and flowery sprayWhere a young bird sits gathering its powerTo mount and fly away.’And what is the future, happy one ?'A sea beneath a cloudless sun ;A mighty, glorious, dazzling seaStretching...

The Great Turkey Give Away-Deltona

The program will be giving away 300 turkeys. Read more about the Great Turkey Give Away in Volusia County.Iglesia Cristiana Nuevo Comienzo386-216-5697jtlopez55@aol.com783 FT Smith BlvdDeltona, FL32738 Map Locat...

Festival of The Seasons at Downtown Disney

Celebrate the holidays with Festival of the Seasons! Enjoy live entertainment, festive décor, fun and so much more—all in the Downtown Disney area at Walt Disney World Resort from November 9, 2011 to January 8, 2012.With twinkling lights, a grandiose tree and yuletide touches at every turn, the Downtown Disney area invites us to embrace the spirit of the season.  Holiday sights and sounds are...

Rate on 30-year mortgage ticks up to 4%.

Freddie Mac stated that the rate on the 30-year loan ticked up to 4 percent from 3.99 percent this past week. Six weeks ago, it dropped to a record low of 3.94 percent, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research . The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 3.31 percent from 3.30 percent. Six weeks ago, it hit a record low of 3.26 percent. But cheap mortgage rates have done little to boost home sales or refinancing. Rates...

Orlando Sunday Happenings

Sunday Events & Deals:Celebration Farmer's Market- 9:00am-2:00pmMaitland Farmer's Market - 9:00am-2:00pmWinter Park Harvest Festival ~ 9am-5pmLake Eola Park - Orlando Farmer's Market 10:00-4:00 pm.Sam Flax - Market Sundays ~11:00-4:30pm. Artists, Musicians, & Food TrucksCasa Feliz - Music at the Casa 12:00-3:00pm. FreeTruffles & Trifles - Holiday Bread Class $54 ~ 1pm.Fashion Square Mall - The Daily City Food Truck Pod ~ 5pm-9pm.The Oceanaire...

Saturday around Orlando

Some suggestion for the weekend! Winter Park - Harvest Festival 9am-5pm.Leu Gardens - Holiday House ~ 10am-3pmOrlando Museum of Art - Fesitval of Trees November ~ 10:00am-5:00pm. $10/$6Downtown Disney - Festival of the SeasonsPottery Studio - Holiday Ornament Workshops ~ 12:00pm-4:00...

Repost- Winter Park Festival of Lights Boat Parade

The 8th annual Winter Park Holiday Boat Parade is December 10, 2011 on Lakes Virginia and Osceola, hosted by Rotary Club of Winter Park. Come rain or sun to this fun, community-wide water parade with holiday-themed and lighted boats along the lakes’ shorelines. This fundraiser to benefit local non-profits, with food, wine and beer available for purchase. Admission to The Polasek Gardens for the Parade...

Third Thursday Gallery Hop

The third Thursday of every month, thousands of visitors converge in the core of the Downtown Arts District for the 3rd Thursday Gallery Hop. They come to celebrate art and partake in an evening of sights, sounds, food, shopping, and cosmopolitan fun.Though many shops are open earlier, the Gallery Hop officially starts at 6:00 p.m. and runs to 9:00 p.m. with restaurants and bars staying open considerably...

Gradual improvement for Real Estate in year 2012

Although the housing market struggled to maintain an even footing in 2011, gradual improvement is expected in 2012 and beyond, according to projections at the 2011 Realtors Conference.According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), home sales should be stronger based on  a pent-up demand based on population growth, employment levels and a doubling-up phenomenon that can’t continue indefinitely. This demand could stimulate the real estate...

Tuesday on Orlando Eats

Kilwins Winter Park - Caramel Apples - Buy One Get One Free. ~ 11am.-9:30pm. Hawkers - Take Out Tuesdays - 10% off all takeout orders. ~ 11am-10pm.Wall Street Catina - Taco Tuesday - $2 Tacos, $2 Margaritas, $2 Coronas & $2 Tequila shots. ~ 2pm-2am.Ceviche - Tapas Tuesdays ~ $4 Tapas Menu & $4 SangriaFleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine - Five for $6 till 7pm at the bar.*Relax Grill- Happy Hour Half priced beer, wine & well. $5...

Leu Garden- Festivities kick off the Holiday Season

Leu’s Holiday HouseDates: November 14, 2011 – January 4, 201210:00 am – 3:30 pm (Museum hours)This holiday season visit the Leu House Museum decked out in all the trimmings. Each of 11 rooms in the home has its own theme fused with amazing dioramas. Thirty minute tours are given on the hour and half-hour. The designers from Seminole State College of Florida Interior Design Students and Ron’s Miniature...

U.S. foreclosure activity hit 7-month high in Oct.-Florida in the top three.

More U.S. homes entered the foreclosure process in October than in the previous month. Florida, along with Pennsylvania and Indiana registered among the largest monthly increases. Nationally, the increase was up 10 percent from September, according to RealtyTrac.The number of homes scheduled to be auctioned or repossessed by lenders also posted monthly increases.Notices of default, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions – warnings that can eventually...

Bill Clinton to sign book Monday at Orlando Barnes & Noble

The  42nd president of the United States will be in Orlando on Monday, Nov. 14, to sign copies of his latest book "Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy." Clinton's signing will be at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 2418 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando. To meet him, patrons must obtain a wristband, which can be obtained at the store beginning at...

Lost your job and cant pay your Mortgage? Help for Floridians.

Florida continues to operate a federally funded program to help at-risk homeowners facing foreclosure following unemployment. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation administers the state’s HHF fund under the following programs:• Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program (UMAP). UMAP provides up to six months of mortgage payments (with a cap of $12,000) paid directly to a mortgage lender to assist unemployed/underemployed borrowers with their first...

Florida’s existing home, condo sales rise in the third quarter of 2011

Florida’s existing home and existing condo sales continued to show gains in third quarter 2011 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®.Existing home sales rose 12 percent in the third quarter of  2011 with a total of 46,759 homes sold statewide. Statewide sales of existing condos in the third quarter rose 13 percent compared to the year-ago sales figure.Florida’s existing-home...

1.8M Brazil visitors expected through 2013 in Florida--some will buy real estate

 Brazil has one of the world’s healthy economies, and many residents enjoy visiting – and buying a home – in Florida. That is really good news. According to the State Department, Brazil had 820,000 visa applications in fiscal year 2011 – a 44 percent increase over 2010. And it is expected 1.8 million Brazilians to request a visitor visa by the end of 2013.To keep up with demand, the U.S. says...

Featured Properties in Avalon Park

Avalon Park, Florida 32828Avalon Park is a well designed mixed-use development that embodies the much desired attributes of small-town America. Avalon Park offers a delightful mix of residences, schools, shops and restaurants, as well as a pedestrian-friendly community with tree-lined streets and amenities that are all within walking distance. This is just a sample of homes for sale listed in Avalon...