Winter Springs, FL

A few days ago the City of Winter Springs FL did pass a controversial fire assessment ordinance. The ordinance was revised from the original proposal, however the average homeowner will pay an non-ad valorem assessment of approximately $115 per year in addition to their current property taxes. This is a big sting to landlords and apartment complex owners who have to pay this fee for each unit they own. At least the fee was reduced from the original $216 proposal.

Many tax payers consider this fee a slap in the face since it circumvents the spirit of the tax reform of Amendment 1 passed overwhelmingly by voters. Other cities and counties in the area including Longwood and Orange County have looked at the example of Winter Springs and are considering a similar fee. Luckily the City of Casselberry just recently decided against this idea at their last commission meeting.

Watch for more and more cities and counties to try and reach into your wallet as they face budget cuts because of the struggling economy.

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(Copyright © 2008. Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rob Arnold, ABR, CPL, CRB, GRI, Managing real estate broker, Licensed mortgage broker, Notary Public

407-389-7318 / 1-877-389-7318 www.SDRhouses.com/ www.WeBuyHousesFlorida.com/

Your full service and investor friendly Realtor in Orlando. Learn to invest in Central Florida real estate and Orlando real estate. Investor mentoring and counseling available. I also provide flat fee MLS listings, For Sale By Owner, and menu-based services in most parts of Central & South Florida, the Space Coast, and the Treasure Coast including Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Apopka, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Longwood, Winter Springs, Oviedo, Lake Mary, Sanford, Deltona, Debary, Deland, Mount Dora, Eustis, Clermont, Kissimmee, Winter Haven, Lakeland, Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton, Miami-Dade, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Port Saint Lucie, Melbourne, Daytona Beach, Ocala, Gainesville, Volusia, Brevard, and more.

We buy houses cash, sell properties, and list properties throughout Central Florida and the metro Orlando area.

The following are the market sales statistics for Winter Springs, Seminole County, Florida for March 2008. Winter Springs is made up of the zip code 32708. For purposes of this analysis we are only splitting the data according to single-family homes vs, condominiums, townhomes and villas.

32708 - Single-Family Homes

23 homes sold during the month of March.

The average sales price, which is the total sold volume divided by the number of homes sold is $271,682 with 166 days on the market.

The median sales price, which means that 50% of the homes sold for more and 50% of the homes sold for less, is $238,000.

The most expensive home sold for $650,000 and was on the market for 169 days. It was a 5 bedroom, 4 bath 4009sf golf frontage home on a cul-de-sac with a 3+-car garage, a screen enclosed heated swimming pool and spa built in 1999 on .46 acres of land in a gated community with a fireplace, bonus room, etc. The HOA is $500 semi-annually.

The least expensive home is a short sale sold for $125,000 after 153 days on the market. It was a 2 bedroom, 2 bath 1183sf home with 1-car garage & 1-car carport built in 1986 with wood & tile. The HOA is $55/month.

The average sales price for the same period a year earlier was $339,424 with 124 days on the market.

32708 - Condos, Townhomes & Villas

2 homes sold with an average sales price was $199,500 with 174 days on the market.

The more expensive was a short sale and sold for $243,000 and was on the market 179 days. It was a 3 bedroom, 3 bath 2176sf end unit townhome with a 2-car garage built in 2006 in a gated community with a pool and maintenance of $500/quarter.

The least expensive sold for $156,000 and was on the market for 168 days. It was a 2 bedroom, 2½ bath 1279sf renovated golf front townhome with a 1-car carport built in 1981. The monthly maintenance is $130.

The average sales price a year earlier was $224,858 with 83 days on the market.

For information on Winter Springs and Seminole County real estate and Winter Springs and Seminole County homes for sale in addition to Winter Springs and Seminole County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Winter Springs and Seminole County Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his profile & website.

Marc Grossman, GRI - http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/ - 407-463-1034

Marc donates 10% of his net proceeds to Hospice of the Comforter.

Marc It Sold!

The following are the market sales statistics for Winter Springs, Seminole County, Florida for February 2008. Winter Springs is made up of the zip code 32708. For purposes of this analysis we are only splitting the data according to single-family homes vs, condominiums, townhomes and villas.

32708 - Single-Family Homes

21 homes sold during the month of February.

The average sales price, which is the total sold volume divided by the number of homes sold is $297,469.

The median sales price, which means that 50% of the homes sold for more and 50% of the homes sold for less, is $285,000.

The most expensive home sold for $667,000 and was on the market for 145 days. It was a 4 bedroom, 3½ bath 3573sf golf frontage home with a 3+-car garage, a screen enclosed swimming pool built in 1997 on .39 acres of land, with corian counters, fireplace, etc. The community offers a pool, tennis courts & racquetball with a HOA $350 annually.

The least expensive home sold for $147,000 after 38 days on the market. It was a 2 bedroom, 2 bath 1014sf home with 2-car garage built in 1987 with a newer roof. The HOA is $171/year.

The average sales price for the same period a year earlier was $336,117.

32708 - Condos, Townhomes & Villas

3 homes sold

The average sales price was $196,833.

The median sales price was $182,500.

The most expensive condo sold for $259,000 and is new construction. It was a 3 bedroom, 3 bath 2215sf townhome on a conservation lot with a 2-car garage in a gated community with a pool and maintenance is $192/month.

The least expensive sold for $149,000 and and was on the market for 106 days. It was a 2 bedroom, 2½ bath 1156sf townhome built in 1985 with a screened patio and new kitchen, baths & carpet. The monthly maintenance is $141.

The average sales price a year earlier was $176,500.

For information on Winter Springs and Seminole County real estate and Winter Springs and Seminole County homes for sale in addition to Winter Springs and Seminole County relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Winter Springs and Seminole County Realtor @ 407-463-1034. Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his profile & website.

Marc Grossman, GRI - http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/ - 407-463-1034

Marc donates 10% of his net proceeds to Hospice of the Comforter.

Marc It Sold!

The local governments are at it again. Trying to sneak around the property tax cuts with new fees and assessments. This time we turn the spotlight to the City of Winter Springs, Florida.

The city has proposed a new fire assessment fee. The average fee to homeowners would be between $216 and $256 per year. The real killer is for multi-family properties that would be assessed on a per unit basis. Imagine $216 times 100 units. Ouch! And tenants are typically the poorest people in the community.

Here are some articles from the Orlando Sentinel and the Seminole Chronicle about this new fee. The next city hearing about this proposal will be next Monday, March 10, 2008.

These local governments just don't get it. The reason the people of Florida voted for tax cuts is so that property owners can give less money to the government, not so the local governments can find new ways to fund their out of control spending sprees.

Every time the government adds a new fee onto your property, the cost of owning it goes higher and higher. Is it any wonder that so many people can't afford to buy a home?

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(Copyright © 2008. Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rob Arnold, ABR, CPL, CRB, GRI, Managing real estate broker, Licensed mortgage broker, Notary Public

407-389-7318 / 1-877-389-7318 www.SDRhouses.com/ www.WeBuyHousesFlorida.com/

Your full service and investor friendly Realtor in Orlando. Learn to invest in Central Florida real estate and Orlando real estate. Investor mentoring and counseling available. I also provide flat fee MLS listings, For Sale By Owner, and menu-based services in most parts of Central & South Florida, the Space Coast, and the Treasure Coast including Orlando, Tampa, Miami-Dade, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Ocala, Volusia, and Brevard.

We buy houses cash, sell properties, and list properties in Central Florida including Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, College Park, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Apopka, Pine Hills, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Longwood, Winter Springs, Oviedo, Lake Mary, Sanford, Deltona, Debary, Deland, Daytona Beach, Melbourne, Mount Dora, Eustis, Leesburg, Clermont, Kissimmee, Saint Cloud, Davenport, Winter Haven, Lakeland, and more.