It's a brand new year and the Orlando the real estate forecast is looking brighter than it has in a long time. 2017 is poised to be a great year for Realtors and home buyers alike, with plenty of homes for sale on the market and favorable interest rates to match. But what exactly is it that today's buyers want out of a new home? We've rounded up the 10 most in-demand amenities of the coming year so that you'll know prime 2017 real estate when you see it. 

New Appliances: Every new homeowner wants to feel like they've made an upgrade. That includes all of the details, right down to the dishwasher.

Central Air: Nothing's cooler than a ready-to-go air conditioning system, especially for real estate in Orlando FL.

Man Cave: This trendy phrase…

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school_buss_400It's every new home buyer's fear that they will forget something important when buying a home.  Even if you complete the home inspection on a house that meets your basic home search criteria and that meets with your approval, there are still many other factors to consider.  This is a list of things to look for when you are buying a home beyond the number of bedrooms and bathrooms so that you don't forget something important.

Quality Of The Neighborhood

When you are looking at buying a home then you want to look at the neighborhood that the home is in.  To get a feel for what kind of neighborhood the home is in you want to visit on different days and at different times.  You want to see it during the day and after dark as well as during the week and on…

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For Orlando residents looking for a spooky way to pass the time in the weeks coming up to Halloween, there are some great options that have just started or will be starting shortly. Some of the spooky events that are taking place are great family-friendly attractions, while others are best for older teens and adults who can handle some serious frightening!

Magic Kingdom Park: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

  • Open Sept 13 — Nov 1
  • Dress up to Trick or Treat
  • Halloween Parade
  • Lots of familiar Disney characters in costume
  • Special holiday decorations and effects to make the park just a little spooky!

SeaWorld:

  • Weekends in October
  • Trick or treating
  • Themed shows
  • Sesame Street Halloween show
  • Great Halloween activity for families…

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Oktoberfest is a beer festival that runs in Munich, Germany and goes on for a little over two weeks, from late Sept until the first weekend in October. While you might think that to celebrate the world's most famous beer festival that you'd have to travel to Bavaria, you can in fact celebrate right here in Florida!

While the official festival is taking place this year from Sept 17 - Oct 3, Florida's communities are celebrating on a much smaller scale. Some locations are having a one day event, while many others are providing a weekend-long celebration.

Where in Central FL can you go to celebrate Oktoberfest?

Orlando Brewing - 5th Annual Oktoberfest: Sept 24th & Oct 22nd (opening & closing)

  • Food & beer
  • Commemorative beer steins
  • Games

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roller-coaster-one1_400The Orlando Thrill Park project which has recently been planned to draw thrill-seekers throughout the world to International Drive is starting to heat up. The park plans to have a 14-ride experience that promises an adrenaline rush like no other. With competition high in this area, already having Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Disney, MGM Studios, and Sea World as main competitors - the site will need to focus on an amazing roller coaster experience to draw attention with competition as high as it is among Central Florida theme parks already.

According to an insider, some of the ride-types include:

• Vekoma suspended looping coaster

• Chance Morgan Unicoaster

• Mack launch coaster

• Vekoma motorbike launch coaster

• Intamin inverted…

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usl_soccer_logoMajor League Soccer is an exciting experience that many cities want in there town, but it's often a pipe dream for USL teams. With Orlando's new USL club, formerly the Aztex, that bid might have a chance with a new ownership group making that goal a priority. Orlando's new soccer club is set to start games this summer in the USL-Pro league.

The Aztex, founded and directed by Phil Rawlins, have been sold to a new UK investment group, Orlando Sports Holdings. The new owners are aggressively seeking a bid toward Major League Soccer. Within the next “three to four years” according to their press conference yesterday they believe this will become a reality.

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ucf_logo_320Move aside Ohio State, the second largest (by student enrollment) university in the USA now belongs to the University of Central Florida having among its ranks 56,235 students.  Arizona State is ranked number one with more than 70,400 students.

Florida schools are advancing in research along with the increase in size, and these new numbers show that Central Florida's support from state funding and business relationships is helping the institutions to grow even in a slower economy. With UCF's new medical school, among other growths in programs, the Central Florida school is growing in quality options and its population. Orlando area residents will find that Florida schools K-12 are great, and that the program options offered for undergraduate, graduate,…

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schools_bus_422The nation earned a “C” average, but Florida home owners just got the news that their area’s reputation boasts a “B+” in comparison. That honor is good enough for fifth in the nation, and Florida took home the top honors for closing the performance gap between high earners and low income households. This further proves many local claims that the Central Florida area isn’t as prone to poorer districts reflecting poorly in as many cases as other states. The Florida School Board’s high standards for children in math, reading, and science seems to be paying off as FCAT scores increase, and now by having the honor of being the “Quality Counts” report’s recipient of 5th best in the nation.

The four states ahead of Florida on the overall rankings were…

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