Orlando has many different styles of homes and neighborhoods. We put together this home style/neighborhood guide to help you get an overview of the many types of homes Orlando has to offer. There is definitely a home that will fit your taste, wallet and lifestyle…

Click here for our “work in progress” Orlando Neighborhood Guide
Spanish (Mediterranean) style homes – This popular home design found its footing in America near the beginning of the 20^th century and is commonly found in California and Florida. Its most distinctive feature is by far the tiled roofs, but smooth stucco finishes, iron work and terra cotta ornaments are also commonly found. Both single and two story designs are found in this style.

In the Orlando area you will find this type of home closer to the Disney area (South Orlando). New buyers often expect tile roof homes in the Orlando area, however, this home style is far more popular in South Florida (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale etc.). Keep in mind that those beautiful homes with tile roofs usually are in higher price ranges.

Some Mediterranean style communities and subdivisions where you will find Spanish style homes in the Orlando area:

• Alaqua and Alaqua Lakes, Longwood
• Avalon Park, Orlando
• Baldwin Park, Orlando
• Bay Hill, Orlando
• Belmere Village, Windermere
• Enclave at Maitland (Montacito) (Single Family Homes and Town Homes), Maitland
• Fountain Park (Townhomes), Lake Mary
• Keenes Pointe, Windermere
• Lake Forest, Sanford
• Magnolia Plantation, Lake Mary
• Orange Tree, Dr. Philips
• Sweetwater Country Club, Apopka
• Terracina (Town Homes), Sanford (see image)
• Tuskawilla, Winter Springs
• Village Walk at Lake Nona (Townhomes and Single Family Homes), Orlando

Prairie Probably one of the most recognizable but least known is the modern architectural style of the prairie home. Made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright (but designed by many other architects as well) these home feature low pitched roof’s with overhanging eaves and horizontal lines, intended to give the impression that the house could blend into to its surroundings. Later, based on these design concepts the Ranch style home was engineered.

In the Orlando area you will find these unique homes in areas like Longwood and Winter Park. There is not technically a community with the majority of homes being this style, however by driving through communities like Wingfield Reserve in Longwood or The Springs in Longwood you will find some unique home styles.

Art Deco Art Deco architecture usually brings to mind south beach Miami, but this design style was actually one of the most influential designs movements of the 20^th century and can be found in cities across the USA (and Europe). Emerging as a reaction to the somberness following WW1, this modern style typically features flat roof lines, and utilizes stainless steel, aluminum and lacquer in its finishes.

Some homes resembling the art deco style can be found in Winter Park or Sanford FL, however, as mentioned above Miami is the area known for its Art Deco style.

Pueblo The Pueblo design style has its roots in the Spanish/Mediterranean architecture of the early 20^th century. The main style difference is that the wall joints tend to have a curved or rounded shape to them, rather than being squared off, and often wood beams are exposed through the exterior walls.

Driving through the historic residential district of Sanford you will see some samples of Pueblo/Mission style homes.

Bungalow The bungalow has a long and interesting history. Originally used as a term to describe a one story thatched roof house in India, the term gained popularity in the USA during the late 19^th century. It was during this time, also known as the Arts and Crafts period, when the term began to describe large country homes. Today the term typically refers to a small single story home usually featuring dormer windows and a covered front veranda.

Bungalows can be found in Winter Park, College Park and even Thornton Park.

Contemporary- The vast majority of homes in the Central Florida/Orlando area are considered “contemporary”. This home style generally has an open floor plan, high or vaulted ceilings, an attached garage and stucco finish. The roof is usually covered in asphalt shingles and (in large part due to the hot and humid Florida climate) the exterior framing is done with concrete blocks instead of wood.

When buyers first move to the Orlando area they usually like the contemporary home style since, depending on which area they originally moved from, it is a new style to them. Very soon after that they realize though that this style is prevalent in Central Florida. It takes a lot to customize a contemporary home, also because they are usually located in subdivisions with an HOA that sets rules as to how much you can alternate the exterior of your home. Even a decision as simple as painting your home or putting up a fence can be blocked by the board. Communities with contemporary homes in Orlando are often referred to as “cookie cutter” communities.

Custom Homes – A custom home can be built in any architectural style. The home’s design is usually worked out with the homeowner and the architect/builder. These homes can be built from “stock” floor plans or can be built upon the specifications of the homeowner. Usually it’s a little bit of both, utilizing a “stock” floor plan and customizing it to meet the needs of the client. Custom homes can be found in all of the luxury home communities throughout Central Florida, including Alaqua, Alaqua Lakes, Keenes Pointe, Isleworth and many more.

Related Post: Orlando FL Most Expensive Homes for Sale

High Rise Condos – Most often high rise condos are found in major city’s where land space is limited. Downtown Orlando has recently built a few high rise condo buildings, including the Vue at Lake Eola. Although the interior of each condo can range in style, the building itself is usually more than 6 stories tall and features mainly a glass exterior.

More High Rise Condos in Orlando:

• 101 Eola
• 530 East Central
• The Jackson Condo
• Sanctuary Downtown
• Solaire at the Plaza
• Star Tower Condo
• The Vue at Lake Eola
• The Waverly (see picture)

Resort Style Condos – While these usually represent a lifestyle rather than an architectural design difference, they typically borrow their styling from major vacation resorts. Most often these have a Mediterranean feel and design with tiled roofs. But the most distinctive aspect of these homes is in the amenities not the design. Usually they are located on a golf course with 2 or more pools as well as a community activity center, gym and clubhouse.

Resort Style condo communities can be found throughout the Orlando area. Since Orlando is considered a vacation place by most of the rest of the world this is one of the styles of housing one might expect to be prevalent in Central Florida. Areas with a higher density of these communities are located closer to the Disney and attractions area. Some of these communties are zoned for short term rentals and used by tourists who want to stay an extended period of time. Metro West is an area with many communities like these, however you will even find resort style condos in the Lake Mary and Sanford area with complexes like Notting Hill and Arbor Lakes (see image).

TownHomes – Townhome communities can come in a variety of design and architectural styles. Most townhomes have one or more shared exterior wall, but typically no one above or below them. Many townhome communities feature contemporary design styles, but a new trend in the Central Florida area has been a Victorian or Colonial townhome design giving the community an old town feel.

Unique Town Home Communities in the Orlando area (some of these communities also include single family homes):

• Avalon Park, (Colonial and Victorian Style), Orlando – 100s to 200s
• Baldwin Park (Colonial and Victorian Style), Orlando – low 200s to 300s
• Fountain Park (Mediterranean luxury town homes with elevators), Lake Mary – low 200s to 300s
• Montacino (Mediterranean), Maitland – low 200s to 300s
• Terracina (Mediterranean), Sanford – low 100s to 200s
• Victoria Park (Colonial Style), Deland – low 100s to 200s
• Village Walk at Lake Nona (Mediterranean), Orlando – low 200s to 300s

Tudor style – Tudor style homes are so named, because they were the prevalent architectural design used during the reign of the British Tudor monarchs (1485-1603). They have a distinguished and unique appearance featuring decorative timbering, steeply pitched roofs and tall narrow windows.

There are not many Tudor style homes in the Orlando area. However, other than in custom homes, this highly desirable (because unique) home style can be found in a few communities that were built by Toll Brohters (a builder well known for their Tudor style houses).

Tudor Style Homes in the Orlando area:

• Preserve at Astor Farms, Sanford – 200s to 400s
• River Oaks at Timber Springs, Orlando – 200s to 400s

Four square – The quintessential American house, the four square almost seems to define American home architecture. The four square gained popularity in the early 20^th century as an efficient way to use small pieces of city land. A Four Square home is typically designed as a 2 level simple box shaped home with a 4 room design. Although many of these homes have been altered by past owners throughout the years, the exterior generally features a full length porch with wide stairs.

Four Square homes can be found in the historic cities within the Orlando area including Sanford, Winter Park, and downtown Orlando.

Cape Cod – As the name suggests this style of home was originally built in Cape Cod MA, during the early part of the 18^th century. It was an economical shelter solution to the blustery New England weather. In the 1930’s this home design regained popularity and became the first “tract” homes in the newly developed suburbs. It most distinctive feature tends to be the clap board or shingled exterior walls, shuttered windows and second story dormer windows.

Cape Cod style homes can be found in Winter Park.

Craftsman – The craftsman home was derived from the arts and crafts movement of the late 19^th century. It features a strong emphasis on natural products and craftsmanship, usually having stone chimneys and porch supports built-in cabinetry, seating and book cases as well as beamed ceilings.

Craftsman style homes can be found in Winter Park.

Colonial – The colonial style home came into existence based on need rather than a new form of architecture. As families grew during the 18^th century many of their cape cod styled homes grew with them. Out of this expansion came the Colonial. An American Colonial home usually has 2 levels and is very symmetrical (much like the Cape Cod) with the front door centered and windows arranged evenly along the façade.  Function and practicality are the driving force behind this home style, but throughout the years some embellishments have been made and many now feature grand columns, elaborate decking, and dormer windows.

Colonial style homes (of course imitation, not originals) in the Orlando can be found mostly in the town home sections of communities like Baldwin Park, Victoria Park or Avalon Park. Other than that this style can be found in many areas with custom homes including Winter Park or Altamonte Springs.

Victorian – Although many people imagine a doll house or gingerbread house when thinking of Victorian homes, the truth is that a Victorian Home is any home that was built during the Victorian period (1840-1900). During this time of industrialization many new techniques and innovations became available to builders and they were eager to test them out. The end result was often an overly embellished home, each with their own unique character.

Victorian homes can be found in the historic district of Sanford or Winter Park.

Click here to read more about the Victorian Homes of Sanford FL

Ranch - After WWII and during the Baby Boom, affordable housing was needed en-masse. The result was a variation on the Pairie and Bungalow design with an emphasis on simplicity. Since then, the ranch has been re-invented several times. Sometimes being built as a split level or raised level, but still maintaining its simple floor plan, rambling lay out and attached garage. Contemporary ranches also sometimes borrow features from other designs, such as the Spanish design, most often seen in ranch homes, built in the early 1980s.

Ranch style homes can be found throughout the entire Orlando area. Just like the contemporary home style reigned in the 1990s and 2000s, Ranch style homes were popular before that, as mentioned above. The Crossings in Lake Mary or Hidden Lake in Sanford are neighborhoods with Ranch style homes in Seminole County.

Click here for our “work in progress” Orlando Neighborhood Guide

About Victoria Park in Deland

Victoria Park was developed in the early 2000s by the The St. Joe Company who also developed popular Heathrow in Lake Mary FL. There are around 2,000 homes (single family homes and town homes) in Victoria Park.

At Victoria Park in Deland you will enjoy golf course access, a community heated pool, tennis courts, recreation center, parks and lakes with sidewalks throughout the community for long walks and bike rides. With easy access to I-4 you can be virtually anywhere in the Orlando area within a short time and the beach is only 20 minutes away. Victoria Park is a great alternative to the busy Orlando area.

VictoriaPark encompasses 1,859 acres (more than 600 acres of parkland and green space). The goal of Victoria Park is to combine the cherished qualities of historic neighborhoods with the contemporary qualities that make many of today’s master planned communities so successful in responding to today’s market needs. Preservation and enhancement of the best qualities of the natural environment in concert with pedestrian friendly neighborhoods with links to the natural features will contribute to an attractive small town feel.

Within the Victoria Park community,there are three distinct neighborhoods with homes priced from the mid $100,000s to $1 million.Victoria Commons, the social center of Victoria Park, features a 22-acre park surrounding Lake Victoria. At the Lake Victoria Fitness Club residents enjoy the pool’s casual atmosphere, an exercise room, gazebo and lighted tennis courts.

1001 Wynbrook Lane, Victoria Park in Deland

Town Home for Sale in Victoria Park

Currently the lowest priced town home in Victoria Park! This bright and clean 3 bed 2 bath town home is in immaculate condition and ready for a new owner.

Beautiful French doors open up to the romantic and private courtyard porch (w/access to 2 car garage). The Master suite is downstairs and the 1st floor completely tiled. The luxurious master bath with large walk in closet has a double sink vanity, a garden tub bath for bubble baths and a glass enclosed shower stall. The kitchen features beautiful cherry wood cabinets and solid surface Corian counter tops.

This unique Colonial style town home is an end unit which will provide you with even more privacy.

4920 Rock Rose Loop Retreat at Wekiva Sanford FL

This is home is HOT! This is your chance to preview this home before it has even been listed in the MLS!!

This is an absolutely gorgeous 3/2/2  PLUS office/den/ or bonus room in the highly desirable gated community of Retreat at Wekiva in Sanford FL.  It offers more than you could imagine in upgrades and openness. The brick paver drive is just a sample of the details you will find upon entering this home.

The large master bedroom features his and hers closets,  as well as a stunning master bath with a large open shower for two and a truly luxurious lay out that must be seen!

The kitchen is beautiful and modern with 42″ dark cherry cabinets and solid surface corian counter tops as well as an adorable bay windowed breakfast nook and a breakfast bar that looks over the bright and light family room.

The split bedroom plan helps to give everyone their privacy and are separated by small hallways. The bonus room is truly versatile and  could be used as an office, media room, or extra bedroom and features gorgeous leaded glass doors.

Invite your friends for your next summer BBQ on your covered and private back patio or just relax and enjoy the serene view of the pond while drinking your morning coffee.

This home is offered at a value of $199,900 ! Don’t miss your chance to own this exceptional home!

Call our FREE RECORDED HOTLINE with more information including how you can buy this home with only a low down payment:

866-513-0381 Ext. 1326

Click here for more information about the Retreat at Wekiva Neighborhood in Sanford FL

Lots of potenial! See these pictures done in Style Designer – this is how your family room or kitchen could look after a few upgrades! Gorgeous!

4 Ways to Find Bank Owned Properties in Sanford FL

Most savvy buyers in the current market focus their home search around bank owned homes (so called REO properties). “Buying a foreclosure” has become quite a buzz phrase, not only among first time home buyers. Everyone wants to take advantage of these great deals. But how can you stay up to date on all those new foreclosures entering the real estate market so you can quickly (because oh yes, quickly you should act!)?

Here’s the solution: If you are a home buyer looking for foreclosures in Sanford FL, you have several FREE options to stay informed on hot new bank owned properties as they hit the market:

1. Subscribe to the Sanford Bank Owned Homes RSS feed (almost instant alerts, up to 24 hours delay): Sanford FL Bank Owned Homes RSS Feed
   (Simply click the link and subscribe via your favorite Reader)
2. Register for an account and set up your own customized Email alerts via our map based home search engine (alerts are emailed once a day)
3. Bookmark this page and search the map below for new bank owned homes in Sanford on a daily basis
4. Fill in the form below and we will set up customized bank owned home search Email alerts based on your criteria (instant alerts – as they hit the market)

Now, the obvious “advantage” of RSS feeds is that you can stay completely anonymous while using this service – we will not ever see your name, Email or other information. However, keep in mind that RSS feeds are not instantly feeding from our MLS home database into your reader (it may take up to 24 hours for updates to show). So the only way to really get notified instantly (the minute a home enters the market) is option #4.

We just listed a great condo in Sanford. If location is important to you, this is your chance! This gorgeous and immaculate 2/2/1 plus den is located in Dunwoody, one of Sanford’s most desirable gated town home communities. You will be only a few minutes from I-4, 417, top rated schools, dining, shopping and entertainment of Colonial Town Park and the Seminole Town Center Mall. Even though you are close to so many things this peaceful community will be your oasis after long workdays. Relax or meet your neighbors at the resort style community pool. Invite your friends over for a BBQ and enjoy your private back porch.

With its large open kitchen overlooking the spacious dining and family room, this cozy home is great for entertaining yet keeping it private with a split bedroom plan. The master suite has a large walk-in closet and master bath featuring a double sink vanity. The secondary bedroom and den are larger than average and offer enough space for a guest room, nursery, office or workout room. The one car garage offers great storage space and comes with two openers. This condo was built in 2006 and offers you over 1,700 square feet of living space.

Come see for yourself why you might just fall in love with this home! The asking price is $150,000 – make your offer today!

Click here for more information about the Dunwoody Sanford Townhome Community

The FHA, one of the country’s leading mortgage insurers has announced that it will be increasing fees, down payments, and restricting the amount a buyer can expect contributed by the seller at closing.

What this means for the average buyer is that obtaining an FHA loan may be both more difficult and more expensive. Over 30% of home loan borrowers use FHA loans because they have always offered the lowest down payment (3.5%), allowed the buyer to use “gifted” money as a down payment, and allowed sellers to contribute up to 6% towards closing costs. These measures greatly reduced the total amount of money a buyer would need to purchase a home, making an FHA loan ideal, especially for first time home buyers.

All of this expected to change by early summer 2010. Borrowers with credit scores less than 580 will need to come up with a minimum of 10% of the purchase price to put down. And all borrowers can expect a 3% maximum seller contribution of closing costs.

Also set to increase by spring 2010 are the upfront fees for FHA insurance. When FHA loans go into default, FHA reimburses the bank for the loan, because of this FHA charges an “insurance premium” on all loans. The upfront fee or what the buyer would pay at the closing table will go up from 1.75% currently to 2.25% in the spring. On a $100,000 loan that’s a difference of $500.00, but this fee can still be rolled into the loan and does not need to be paid in cash.

FHA will ask Congress to also raise the annual premiums. Annual Premiums are generally broken down into monthly payments and paid with the mortgage note each month. They are currently .55% for loans with less than 5% down and .50% for homes with more than 5% down. On a 100k home that equals about $45 and $41 per month respectively. What FHA would like to do is reduce the upfront premium by .25% and tack this amount on to the annual premium.

On the bright side, FHA has temporarily lifted the restrictions for buying a home that the seller has owned for less than 90 days. This measure should help to create new options at better prices for FHA borrowers, as they will now be eligible for certian bank owned homes.

Here is a simple breakdown of the changes:

• 3% limit on seller contributions
• 10% down payment for borrowers with less than 580 FICO score
• FHA Insurance “Up Front Fee” will increase to 2.25% (Of money borowed) but can be
  rolled into loan
• Possible increase in FHA insurance  “annual fee” (Broken down and paid monthly)
• One Year Temporary Waiver, for 90 day “flipping” rule

This short video is provided by the Orlando Regional Realtor Association (ORRA) and talks a bit about the current Orlando real estate market.

According to ORRA, 2009 was the year the market took some healing steps towards a balanced, normal market. The combination of low interest rates, pent up demand, historic affordability and the federal first-time home buyer tax credit all helped to increase market activity. In fact, as opposed the prior two year, 2007 and 2008 where sales had dropped almost 40% and 12% respectively, 2009 finished with a 59.3% sales increase. Almost 24,000 homes sold – not bad! And with all this demand, the supply of available homes has dropped to around 15,500 homes (down over 30% from 2008!) which in months supply of inventory equals about 7.5 months. Compared to a balanced market which should have about 5-6 months of supply, the Orlando real estate market is definitely getting a lot closer to that.

So without further ado, here’s the current Orlando real estate market update video …

If you are currently one of the many buyers looking to snatch up a good deal in the Orlando real estate market, then you might be wondering about the pricing of these properties. Thanks in large part to the mortgage crisis, prices are no longer based just on comparable sales (although, they do mostly start at this point) the actual asking price can vary largely based on whether the home for sale is a short sale, a bank owned, or a private seller.

A short sale occurs when the actual value of the home is less than the current mortgage. In this case the homeowner negotiates with the bank a price that seems fair for the market/neighborhood. Often the end result is an asking price right around true market value. Of course the asking price is always negotiable, but it is important to remember that your final offer will be presented to the bank, and the decision to approve the sale is in their hands.

A bank owned home is typically listed with an asking price below market value. The bank does this for a couple of reasons. One of the main reasons, is that they are motivated. They have already taken a loss on the home’s mortgage and everyday it sits on the market they lose more money. Secondly, they know that pricing it aggressively, or below market value, will generate more potential buyers and in return more offers. Keep in mind that this strategy can result in bidding wars as well as in a higher actual selling price.

A property that is being sold directly from the home’s owner is generally listed just a bit above market value. This is done to leave some room for negotiation as well as to give the seller the funds needed to close. These “standard” sales are usually the quickest and simplest way to buy a home, often having closings scheduled for just 30 days after the offer is accepted.  When looking for a home that is move in ready or can close the fastest with the least headaches, these are the homes to look for.

House for Sale on Gemgold Court Windermere

Summerport is a desirable new community in Windermere. Mainly built by Ryland homes, this community offers its residents great amenities including a club house with fitness center and a large community pool.Furthermore there are also bike trails, volleyball and basketball courts and playgrounds to spend time with your friends and family. The subdivision is located conveniently to shopping, dining & entertainment and, of course, the theme parks of Orlando. Windermere is a very popular area within Orlando: live close to multi million dollar neighborhoods and top rated schools.

This virtually new waterfront pool home on a corner lot just came back in the market so we wanted to inform our readers about this great opportunity.

The spacious two story home is located on Gemgold Court and offers a large Master suite with walk in closet, dual sinks, garden tub for relaxing bubble baths and a separate glass enclosed shower stall. The kitchen features a cooking island and overlooks the open family room. You will love this area of the home for entertaining. Take advantage of the covered patio with serene water views: invite your friends for your next summer BBQ and live the Florida lifestyle you deserve.

Quick Info: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath rooms. 2 car garage. Built in 2006 by Ryland Homes. Pool. Corner Lot. Water Front. The home is listed at $224,900.

House hunting this time of year is always a treat for home buyers because they get to see some of the best hidden displays of holiday cheer in the area. But shouldn’t everybody be privy to this information? Grab a coat and a cup of hot cocoa because here is a list of some of the best neighborhoods to see homes exquisitely decorated with lights in Seminole County, Florida.

If you know of a neighborhood that you think should be featured on this list, feel free to comment here and let everyone know

Sanford/Lake Mary:

• FoxSpur - I-4 take 46 West about 4 miles, Left on Longwood-Markham Rd, Right on Steeplechase.
• Lake Sylvan Cove – I-4 to Lake Mary west, Right on Markham Woods Rd, Left on Markham Rd, Right on Lake Markham Rd, Lake Sylvan Cove on Right.
• Cardinal Oaks – I-4 east to Lake Mary Blvd, Right on Country Club to Main Rd

Longwood:

• Wingfield Reserve - I-4 to 434 to Markham Woods rd, Left into Wingfield Reserve
• Springs Landing – I-4 to 434 West to Markham Woods Rd. North on Markham Woods for approximately 1 mile then turn left on Springs Landing Blvd
• Markham Meadows – I-4 East, take Longwood exit, go West, First right on Markham Woods Rd. Right on Moncur Lane
• Foxborough Farms – I-4 west to right on to 434, right on Wekiva Springs Road, right on Welch Road, left into Foxborough Farms

Altamonte Springs/Maitland:

• Spring Valley – I4 to N on SR 436 to (R) on Wymore Rd. (R) on Spring Valley Drive
• Hidden Harbour – I-4 to Maitland Blvd- left on Maitland Ave- left on Magnolia- Veer right
• Wellington – From 17-92, E on Spartan, Rt on Cherrywood, L on Birchwood to Derbyshire, Rt on Wellington

A great city to see holiday lights in the Central Florida area is without a doubt Mount Dora. The downtown area and park sparkle in thousands of lights. If you feel like going on a romantic Christmas walk it is really worth the ride out to Lake County.

Looking for some holiday action in the Orlando area? Click here for a list of holiday events 2009 in Orlando FL