About Saint Cloud's Deer Creek

The time has arrived! Finally, Highland Homes has opened for business at Deer Creek in St. Cloud. This is the first community in the Orlando market for Highland Homes and the company is anticipating a warm welcome from its Orlando prospects. Highland Homes has had great response to this new community and the sales trailer is now in place. Saturday, September 19th at 10 a.m. the doors officially opened for business.

Prices in the community will start in the $120’s and will include more than 20 floor plans to choose from. Homes will vary from 1200 square feet up to over 2600 square feet and offer one story and two story floor plans. The homes will all come with Wood cabinets, a stem wall foundation, R-30 insulation, 14-15 SEER AC, garage door openers, screen covered lanai’s per plan, and more. Highland Homes has a personal selection studio in Lakeland, Florida and buyers choose everything for their home. From the outside paint color and roof shingles, to the interior paint, appliances, flooring, lighting and more; buyers choose what they want in their home. With everything included in the price of these Orlando new homes many buyers will opt not to upgrade. However, Highland Homes offers several upgrade features to choose from as well including hard surface counters, raised panel cabinets, raised vanities, tile flooring, etc. Buyers choose what they want according to their budgets and their wants and needs.

Kristen Hash is the community sales manager for Highland Homes in Deer Creek and lives in the Orlando area. She has been employed with Highland Homes for 2 years and has been one of their leading sales people.

For more information on Deer Creek visit the Highland Homes website at www.highlandhomes.org or contact Kristen at 407-690-8988. The Sales center is located in Bristol Cove of Deer Creek off Old Canoe Creek Road in St. Cloud. The hours of operation are 10-6 Monday through Saturday and 1-6 on Sundays.

Highland Homes is expanding into the Orlando market. The award-winning central Florida home builder has developed a solid reputation for building quality homes in popular areas like Lakeland, Winter Haven, Zephyrhills, Davenport and Wimauma but now they are branching out to the metro Orlando area with their newest community Deer Creek.

In this economy is fantastic just to have a builder opening a new community, but the fact that it is Highland Homes' first venture into the Orlando market makes it that much more exciting. Deer Creek will offer new homes in St. Cloud priced from the $130's. The community is expected to open on September 1st.

Homes at Deer Creek will be built with Highland Homes' high standard, which includes a stem wall foundation as opposed to a monolithic slab. In addition, the builder partners with several brand manufacturers Whirlpool appliances, Merillat cabinets, Delta Faucets, Pittsburgh paints, Armstrong flooring, Mica Countertops and several others to ensure all products and material are of the highest quality.

Stay tuned for more updates and information about Deer Creek, and to be among the first to take a tour of the community, register on the Highland Homes site.

Not a day goes by without the economic forecast predicting more gloom. The latest reports indicate the housing market will continue a downward descend in pricing as consumer buckle down in the turbulent economy. The good news is, with so many foreclosures on the market, affordability has made a strong come back.

In my market of St. Cloud Florida for instance, sales in September 2008 rose nearly 25% over the same period last year. Up 8.8% Nationwide. This response to increased downward pressure of sales prices has stimulated interest among first time home buyers,and working women making up 18% for home buyers.

St. Cloud Florida is not unique-the similar increases have been reported in Palm Bay, Florida as well. Asking prices have been slashed as much as 50% on newly constructed homes and builders looking for liquidity have been able to sell off existing inventory by aggressively pricing their homes.

This was the case in Harmony, Florida where inventory homes were slashed to under $200,000 and sold in a few short months.

In Deer Creek, in St. Cloud, Florida new homes achieved an average of $219,000 on final clearance. These same homes were selling for over $300,000 just a year ago.

THE RETURN OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING HAS ARRIVED

The return of Affordable Housing has given many renters a second chance to enter the housing market. And they are doing so in record numbers. Previously shut out due to high cost, these average consumers who are putting 3.5% down are scooping up incredible deals. Over time they will achieve increased equity and reap tax benefits over their counterparts who are renting.

The decline in pricing comes as a relief to many weary consumers frustrated over chasing bank foreclosures, waiting weeks or months for answers to their offers from banks and in the interim discovering during inspections, that there may be unseen mold issues from homes left empty for too long.

THE SHOE SEEMS TO BE ON THE OTHER FOOT

In the early phases of the Housing Crisis, (2006-2007) sales seemed to disappear overnight. Home owners desperate to save their homes as adjustable rate mortgages doubled or tripled their monthly payments begged lenders to work with them. Most showed no mercy.

They instead pushed to foreclosure on the delinquent property in record numbers convinced they could and would recover their bad debt.

They quickly learned they could not have their cake and eat it too!

Suddenly the shoe was on the other foot. Buyers were frozen with fear, as reports of the declining housing market forced them to take a wait and see approach. Meanwhile inventories of foreclosures reached epic and all time highs.

While it has been reported that only 3% of existing homes have been affected by foreclosures, the depreciation in value a foreclosed home brings to the neighborhood has added additional pressure to pushing prices downward. As much as 15% in areas with multiple foreclosures.

Since 2006 homes costs have dropped over 30%. This decline has caused seller's equity to melt faster than the ice caps. In response, consumers have waited and watched and many are now making a return to the market as sticks are an uncertain means of protecting long term wealth.

Overall, Real Estate is now less risky and will over time appreciate. As a result, the increased in closed sales indicates a stabilization of the market at least here in Osceola County, and in particular my market of St. Cloud, Florida.

If a buyer is looking for value- there is an abundance to be found in my Market. It has been a great year. If you have been thinking about it, now is the time to buy!

We all knew it would happen. Economic pressure has cracked tougher shells than the builder's have these days. As a response to the Economic Stimulus Package- one builder has reduced his close out priced on BRAND NEW HOMES to $96.34 sq.ft. Now that is what I call a stimulus package.

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People waiting for the rainbow to lead them to the pot of gold may just discover it is in the shape of a house.

The rain in bargain pricing as brought some welcomed relief to the parched market.

Finally able to offer the biggest,best and upgraded model close outs have peeked the idle buyers into become active buyers in search of gaining immediate equity.

YES THE DEALS REALLY ARE OUT THERE>

The house you may have looked last week could be $15,000 less this week.

Not all good deals are baked owned, foreclosed or distressed.

There is a pot of Gold in Real Estate IF you can follow the rainbow to the best deals.

These homes were loaded like Bangers & Mash stuffed with fattening and expensive upgrades.

Now on sale at less than $100 sq ft.

When was the last time you remember seeing prices like that?

Like any SPECIAL these prices like this won't last forever...neither will the supply.

Our phones have been ringing off the hook since these went on European Sites where property is small and expensive. That is stimulating!

Deer Creek is located in St Cloud off of Canoe Creek Rd. There have been 1 single family house sold in the 1st quarter of 2008. It sold for $185,000 and it was 1,460 square feet. It took 91 days before it sold.

There are presently 5 houses that are pending closing with asking prices from $183,900 to $275,000 with an average of $219,380. The houses range in size from 2,110 square feet to 2,536 square feet. The houses have been on the market for an average of 64 days. Remember these properties have not closed yet so the average time to close will rise.

There are a total of 25 houses on the market ranging in size from 1,571 to 2,644 square feet with asking prices ranging form $159,900 to $291,000. Of these 25 single family dwellings available, 17 are priced at $250,000 or lower.

Considering the amount of houses sold in the 1st quarter of 2008, the saturation rate, (the amount of time it will take to sell all of the houses in a specific area assuming that no other houses are listed in that area) will be 75 months. This is way above the rest of the St Cloud real estate market.

If any additional information is required click on the following links at Deer Creek - Richard Carpentieri, Broker, e-PRO, http://www.flatfeerealty.info/ or call 321-766-7176.