All Nine Seminole County High Schools Receive an "A"

After a long delay, Florida has finally released it's school grades for 2015. For the first time ever, all nine Seminole County high schools received an A.

The grades are based largely on student performance on the new Florida Standards Assessments. Because the FSA is a new exam, the state cannot use its full school-grading formula, as some elements require at least two years of data.

School districts also received overall annual grades. Orange, Lake, Volusia, and Osceola county school districts all received a B, and Seminole County schools got an A.

Click here for a summary of all Seminole County school grades.

The 4 Safest Places To Raise A Family In Florida Include Longwood and Winter Springs

WJXT Channel 4, and independent television station in Jacksonville, has named the 4 Safest Places To Raise A Family In Florida. Good to see the list includes two Seminole County cities, Longwood and Winter Springs. Here is the list:

1. Weston - South Florida Mega-suburb

2. Winter Springs - Seminole County

3. Longwood - Seminole County

4. St. Johns - Located between St. Augustine and Jacksonville

The article's author may know something about safety, but they need to brush up on their geography. They describe Longwood as close to Weston. Huh?? Last time I checked, they were about 250 miles apart.

Lake Mary Makes Yet Another National Top 10 List

Family Circle Magazine has included Lake Mary in it's annual America's Ten Best Towns For Families list.  Using information compiled by Onboard Infomatics, a New York City research firm that provides demographic, real estate and other data, the magazine assessed 4,200 cities and towns based on family friendly criteria.  The criteria included quality schools, access to health care, affordable homes, financial stability, low crime rate, and green space.  The magazine cited Lake Mary's small town feel, yet bursting with restaurants, shops, and high-tech jobs.

Seminole County neighbor Oviedo was named to this list in 2011.  Lake Mary was also named the 4th best town in America in which to live by CNN/Money Magazine in 2007. 

Deloitte To Open Tech Center In Lake Mary

Deloitte Consulting, one of the world's largest accounting and professional services firms, will hire 1,000 people over the next four years for a new tech center in Lake Mary.  The average annual salary will be $60,250, about $20,000 above the average wage in Seminole County.  Most of the jobs will be in software development and information technology.

The company will set up its operation in an existing four story, 130,000 square foot office building at 901 International Parkway.  About 50 Deloitte employees will be transferred from other locations and the rest will be hired locally.  This announcement follows the opening of the Verizon finance center in Lake Mary, which will also create over 1,000 jobs.  That is good news for Lake Mary and surrounding area real estate owners, as the increased demand for housing will continue to fuel value appreciation.

Lake Mary Development Will Feature 142 Lots

Steeple Chase, Taylor Morrison's much anticipated new home development in Lake Mary, has released its site plan and more information about the community.  The development is located on Lake Mary Blvd. across from the main entrance to Heathrow, and adjacent to the Seminole-Wekiva Trail.

142 lots will be available and homes will range in size from 3,350 to 5,270 square feet.  Homesites will range from 75' to one acre lots.  A 4,882 s.f. model, known as the Treviso, is currently under construction.  Prices, including the lots, will range from $600,000 and up.  The community will have direct access to the trail.  Steeple Chase sits on one of the Orlando area's most naturally beautiful pieces of land, with mature trees, ponds and rolling terrain.

If you'd like more information about the community or would like expert buyer representation in your Steeple Chase purchase, contact Doug Packard with BluRiver Realty Group at 407-620-8233.

Orlando Leads Nation In Several Categories

Yes, the Orlando real estate market makes the occasional top 5 list for one reason or another, but this time we're talking about food.  Specifically, we're talking barbecue, my fave category.  According to Infogroup Targeting Solutions, which crunches these numbers to help companies increase their sales and customer loyalty, Orlando is one of the top 5 barbecue cities in America.  The metro area averages 2.4 barbecue restaurants per 10,000 residents.  Atlanta tops the list, followed by Birmingham, Orlando, Memphis, and Tampa.  As I'm sure my Memphian friends would be the first to point out, this is a survey about quantity, not quality.

Orlando was #1 on the Top 5 list in several other categories.  We lead the nation in the pizza, burger, and seafood categories, as well as for total number of restaurants period.  No doubt, it's not hard to find a place to eat around here.  Orlando just missed the top 5 for number of bars, coming in at #6.  Pittsburgh took that crown.

Anybody else hongry?  I can't stop thinking about 'cue.

Orlando Near Top For Upside Down Homes

According a report released this week by RealtyTrac, 36% of the homes in the four county metro Orlando area have mortgages that exceed the value of the property by 25%.  The statewide rate for such properties was 34% and the state with the most seriously underwater homes was Nevada at 38%.

Orlando real estate prices increased an average of 20% during the past year, but many homes have a ways to go before they reach positive equity.  Analysts still believe the increases in equity will result in an increase in inventory in 2014, with many homes that were in a negative equity situation, now swinging to the positive. 

What does this mean for the health of the Orlando real estate market?  To be close to the top of the nation in underwater mortgages indicates how bad the crash was and how far home prices fell.  20% appreciation is a very healthy number, though, and more indication recovery is underway. 

Ambitious Plan Includes New Parks and Upgrades

Seminole County, already known for its lush parks and trails, has approved a major plan to add facilities and upgrade its existing parks.  An estimated $103 million will be needed over the next decade to upgrade and build new parks, sports fields, bike trails, and boat ramps to meet the demand of residents. 

Seminole County has 164 public parks and natural areas and almost 40 miles of paved trails.  Most of the funding will come from the county, along with grants and partnerships with schools and the county's seven cities.  The most notable of the these plans are for the Seminole Sports Complex, a 100 acre complex to be built southeast of Orlando Sanford International Airport.  The facility will have a baseball stadium and 14 multi-use fields that will be used for football, softball, soccer, and lacrosse.  The complex will draw thousands of visitors every year for tournaments and competitions.  Contruction will start in 2015 and the complex should be open by January 2016.  Total cost is estimated at $20 million.

Seminole County remains committed to improving the quality of life for its residents.  They know such improvements not only attract families to buy homes in the community, but businesses as well.

                                                                   Lake Mary's Rinehart Place         

Rinehart Place Purchased For $6 Million

One of Lake Mary's most visible pieces of real estate, Rinehart Place, has been sold to Florida Hospital for $6 million.  There have been reports that Florida Hospital plans to build a 90,000 s.f. short-stay hospital, but the company says there are no definitive plans for the property, other than outpatient services.  The property, located at the corner of 46A and Rinehart Road, was owned by BB&T Bank and had been under contract with Florida Blue for several months.  Florida Blue backed out of that deal in October. 

Rinehart Place was first developed in 2008, but the real estate bubble burst right in the middle of construction and the buildings remain unfinished.  As it sits today, Rinehart Place consists of two retail buildings totaling 44,000 s.f. that appear to be about 90% completed as well as four office buildings that would total 180,000 s.f. when completed.  The office buildings are currently just shells of tilt up concrete walls on concrete slabs.  Florida Hospital has not indicated what they plan to do with the existing buildings.  Nonetheless, it's nice to see Lake Mary will soon be rid of this high-profile eyesore and painful reminder of the real estate crash.