Orlando Florida property - how to find the information you need

The Orlando Florida property market is diverse and covers a wide area. Before diving in, think about some of the different geographical parts:

• North of the city contains some of the upscale residential areas including Winter Park and Longwood. The more expensive localities such as Windermere and Isleworth contain high quality and individual properties and are home to celebrities such as Tiger Woods and Shaquille O'Neal. You can also find a wide range of lower-priced but remodeled apartments and condos, especially in areas such as Metrowest, that are close to the upscale Millennia Mall and convenient for the downtown business area.

• Disney World and other theme parks are located to the south west of Orlando and are obviously a major draw for tourists – including the traffic jams that brings! Slightly further away from Orlando, in Kissimmee, Clermont and Davenport, there are thousands of homes and condos in vacation-home communities: absentee owners own a high proportion of these as either second homes or investment properties. There is a well-developed property management industry supporting the short-term rental industry as tourists learn ever-more about this option.

• Orlando Florida property in the university area to the east has experienced tremendous growth during the past 5 years. It has very competitive prices and many new sub-divisions. It is also very convenient for leisure trips to the coast and to the NASA facility used for Shuttle launches.

• The major international and scheduled flight airport is to the south of the city. Sanford Airport to the north is used by many UK charter flight companies.

So if you’ve narrowed down your interest in Orlando Florida property to one area, what next?

One major issue is that you probably have too much information, much of which can be confusing and just plain misleading:

• The majority of buyers start out a property search by using the Internet. That’s a great place to begin, but keep an open mind as many websites are out of date. Try Realtor.com, Trulia.com and Zillow.com – but take any valuations they claim to provide with a pinch of salt!

• Newspapers contain current data about Orlando Florida property for sale, including both new and resale homes. Try the Orlando Sentinel.

• Realtors obviously specialize in local areas and cost you nothing – the seller pays their fees. But look for one who has been in the business for some years and who is prepared to challenge your assumptions if you want the best service.

Ultimately there’s no substitute for an on-the-ground visit – that’s just as true of Orlando Florida property as it is of any other area, despite the growth of computer technology, virtual tours and slick marketing.

Find out first hand and your Orlando Florida property experience should turn out to be a successful one.