Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

I was just reading an article about foreign buyers literally invading the US to buy homes and I thought you’d like to see it if you haven’t already. It’s written by Steve Cook of Real Estate Economy Watch:

The number of American homes bought by foreign nationals has nearly doubled in the past year as falling property values and record numbers of distress sales encouraged immigrants and foreign investors to take advantage of affordable prices. With home purchases by American citizens plummeting in the wake of the tax credit, foreigners are now poised to gain an even larger ownership share of US properties.

Foreign purchases accounted for about four and a half percent of all USA sales between April 2009 and April 2010, according to a new study by the National Association of Realtors. For the twelve months ending April 2010, foreign purchases of U.S. residences totaled $64 billion. This is almost twice the $36 billion in foreign transactions that took place during the twelve months ending April 2009. The percent of dollar volume represented by foreign transactions increased from 4.3% in 2009 to 7.1% in 2010.

About half of foreign bought properties were purchased as primary residences, and the rest as vacation homes and investment properties.  Most bought properties in suburban locales and cities. Only 14 percent of foreign buyers bought in resort areas. Two factors important to international clients when purchasing property in the U.S. are proximity to their home country and the convenience of air transportation. Florida typically attracts European, Canadian and South American buyers while the East Coast draws Europeans. The West Coast brings Asian buyers and the Southwest attracts Mexicans.

The link to the original article is here.

It’s an interesting read and while it somewhat reflects what is happening here in Central Florida, the availability of money for loans and mortgages remains grim. Cash buyers are scoring some great deals at the moment and I expect that trend to continue for quite a while yet.

In my book “What You Must Know About Buying Your Vacation Home” I talk about why vacation properties are still great investments and it’s absolutely true about residential property still being a good way to build wealth providing you buy right.

The one thing I find  interesting is that most lenders have stopped lending to foreign nationals yet they still continue to buy in some volume. Imagine what might happen if one or two of lenders decided to lend again to foreigners instead of retreating into their Government sponsored safe hole. Maybe, just maybe, we’d see more distressed real estate purchased and that would then help values go up and the economy to recover faster? Just a thought.

Kissimmee Vacation Homes in Orlando

By Nigel G. Worrall

One of the most popular vacation destinations in the world is Orlando, Florida. A huge reason why so many people visit this part of the world is because of the Walt Disney World resort and its theme parks. Walt Disney World resort is the world’s largest recreational resort and is located in both Lake Buena Vista and Kissimmee.

Kissimmee is located on the southern part of the Disney complex and it’s here that you’ll find most of the areas vacation rental homes.  There are many advantages for renting a vacation home in Kissimmee but number one amongst them is the ability to enjoy a luxurious yet affordable vacation. The second reason is the fact that you are just moments away from enjoying the Disney experience as well as all the other local theme parks such as Sea World and Universal Orlando, not to mention all the other attractions that the area has to offer.

A stay in a vacation home is simply a far more luxurious vacation than compared to staying in a hotel. The home is far more inviting and has much more space than the typical hotel room or suite. You can relax in private without worrying about noisy neighbors, you have your own private pool to splash around in and you have an element of privacy that you just can’t get at a hotel.

Most vacation rental homes are conveniently located in quiet residential communities but just moments from the main area theme parks.  A Kissimmee vacation home offers many perks that a hotel simply cannot. Things such as large screen TV’s, separate bedrooms, games rooms, home theaters, and two or maybe three large living areas top the list.

Cost is also a major consideration and if you are traveling with a large family then putting them up in several hotel rooms can get very expensive.  Depending on the size of your family, you can rent a house with three bedrooms, or more, for around the same price of one hotel room and it is certainly a far better option than trying to cram everyone in to one hotel room. Just imagine the convenience of not having to wait for your turn to use the bathroom or watching what someone else wants to watch on TV as vacation homes usually have TV’s in each bedroom.

One major drawback of hotels is the fact that most hotel pools are situated outside in the open air and that means you may soon be the target of annoying insects or bugs. Each vacation rental house comes with a screened in lanai and pool area that prevents annoying pests from attacking you and this means all the family can enjoy relaxing and unwinding in comfort.

A fully functioning kitchen is also another benefit of vacationing in a rental home. Going out for every meal soon gets tiring not to mention very expensive. Vacation homes give you far more options than a hotel with a solitary restaurant that opens when the hotel says it will open.  Naturally, you might fancy a lie in one morning and a kitchen allows you to eat what you want, when you want to eat it so there’s no missing breakfast. In fact, it’s just like being at home as you can get groceries from local stores and enjoy the feeling of being home away from home.

Vacation homes are also great places to come home to after a busy day at a theme park or visiting some local attraction. Sometimes you might just fancy a quiet night in and nothing can be better than ordering a pizza or cooking a sumptuous meal for the ones you love at the end of a busy day.  Each vacation home is usually equipped with everything you might need for cooking and baking and preparing a meal on vacation is just one way to involve the whole family and have some fun.

Talking of family fun, most vacation homes also have a whole host of amenities that include cable TV, DVD players, broadband internet, video game systems, pool tables and a whole lot more for all the family to enjoy. Sometimes you may find that you’ll just not want to go out and that you just want to enjoy a day at home. Vacation home rentals really do give you lots of space to move around and live in and it’s not uncommon to feel like a King or Queen in a palace when you take a vacation in a rental home.

In fact, those that choose to vacation this way rarely go back to hotels afterwards so if you haven’t stayed in a vacation home before, this really is something you need to look into before your next trip.

7 Step Guide to a Walt Disney World Vacation

By Nigel G. Worrall

If you’re planning a Walt Disney World vacation this Summer or Fall you’ll need to start planning and preparing like no other vacation before. Walt Disney World covers 47 square miles (think twice as large as Manhattan and you’ll get the idea!) and has  so many things to do that even those of us who live here struggle to keep up with it all.

In short, here’s just  SOME of the available offerings at Walt Disney World:

• 4 major theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• 2 water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon
• Over 20 large resorts
• 5 golf courses
• 2 mini-golf courses
• Numerous lakes offering water sports, boating and fishing
• 2 dinner shows
• BoardWalk entertainment district
• DisneyQuest “virtual theme park”
• Downtown Disney shopping and dining district

So with all this choice, just where do you  begin?

1. When.

Deciding when to go will be top of your list. Much will depend on  your budget, kids’ school schedules and other factors such as what you like to do individually and as a family, will heavily influence your decision.

Tip #1: Visit Disney when the kids are in school to enjoy the quieter theme parks more.  Lines will be shorter and more comfortable

2. What.

This is a critical step in the planning. There is so much to do that you’ll want to plan out what everyone wants to see and do.

Tip #2: List the “Must Do’s” and then do a secondary list of “Maybe’s”.  Involve everyone in this process and you’ll have a more enjoyable trip.

3. How Long?

There’s never enough time to see it all, so armed with your list in #2 you can now chart out how long it will take you to visit the “Must Do’s” and how long it will take you to do the “Maybe’s.” Be warned, even if you visit for a month, you simply can’t see it all.

Tip #3: If you want to visit all four theme parks and actually experience the majority of the attractions, parades and shows, you will need at least 5 full days! (Epcot can easily take 2 days all by itself as it is split into two sections; Future World and World Showcase. You might also find you need a day and a half at Magic Kingdom to enjoy everything there is on offer.)

If you then find you would like to do some of the “extras,” like Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon water parks or a trip to DisneyQuest you will need to allow more days. If you are visiting for a first time, I believe you need at least 7 to 10 days to do all the major theme parks and sample some of the other delights.

4. Transportation.

Depending where you live you’ll need to decide whether to travel by plane or automobile. If you’re flying, do you then want to rent a vehicle so you can see other things in the Orlando area?

Tip #4: Hire a car and stay off site to save money. There are some great places to stay that will help you save way more than the cost of vehicle hire.

5.  Theme Park Tickets.

A big expense when visiting Walt Disney World is the cost of entry to the parks. It is important to look over your itinerary, get out the calculator, take a look at all the prices and available deals to  figure out which tickets make most sense for your situation.

Tip #5: There are many ticket companies offering great deals. Check each one out and don’t be tempted by the deal that seems to be too good. Go with a reputable and approved Disney ticket agency.

6. Where To Stay.

Here’s another big decision. Stay on Disney property or stay off site?  If you take the advice in Tip #4 you’ll stay off site and save $$$’s but if you are seriously considering an on site resort stay then make sure you check out all of Disney’s resorts by searching for photo’s and details on the internet. Each resort is themed differently and some are very expensive.

Tip #6 : Rent a Vacation Home.  Renting a vacation home off site makes a lot of sense for most families. A fully equipped vacation home has 3 to 7 bedrooms (enough room for all the family at one nightly rate rather than multiple rooms at a hotel), a fully equipped kitchen (prepare meals at home rather than eat in expensive restaurants), large lounge and living areas (with flat screen TV’s, DVD’s VCR’s, games machines) and your own private heated swimming pool.

You’ll not only save money but you can keep all the family together and create some great memories.

7.  Relax and Enjoy.

Don’t forget to take some time out to do absolutely nothing. The temptation with a Disney vacation is to always be on the go. It’s important to allow time to recharge your batteries and to go home refreshed.

Tip #7: Allow one rest day for every two days of theme parks.

That’s it! Everything else is “gravy.” You can make reservations for meals, book special events and do all kinds of other planning but these are the seven basic steps to enjoy a great Disney vacation. Have fun!

Well, it all comes to an end tomorrow… the month long soccer festival known as the World Cup has its final and it promises to be a mouthwatering match as Holland take on Spain. Neither team has won the cup before so we are assured of a new winner. For Spain this is their first final while the Dutch have been here before and lost on both previous occasions.

In 1974, a fantastic Holland side lost to Germany. It was a travesty. The side was coached by Rinus Michels, who pioneered “Total Football” at Ajax Amsterdam in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Johan Cruyff was part of that side and the duo teamed up again in 74 to lead the Dutch World Cup campaign in Germany. They played some fantastic football….fantasy football in a way,  and marched on to the final. It started well for them as Wolverhampton referee Jack Taylor gave the Dutch a penalty just seconds into the game,  as Cruyff was unfairly tackled and the fabulous Neeskens converted before the Germans even had chance to touch the ball. Unfortunately the Netherlands couldn’t hold onto the lead and the Germans came back to win 2-1.

Four years later, the World Cup was held in Argentina. It was a ticker tape affair as mountains of paper floated down to the pitch before every game but it didn’t stop the Dutch marching to the final where they met the hosts. The game ended up going to extra time after Mario Kempes had given Argentina the lead in the first half and Dick Nannings equalized on the 82nd minute mark. It ended up with a 3-1 scoreline favoring Argentina after the extra 30 minutes play.

So, the Dutch will be hoping for third time lucky. Unfortunately, it seems fate is conspiring against them, as an Octopus named Paul, of all things, has predicted a Spanish win. You may mock and laugh at the idea but so far the octopus has correctly predicted 6 games on the run.

The only real issue once the final is done is…what on earth am I going to do now? I suppose a return to normal work is called for… anyone know if there’s a tiddlywinks contest going on somewhere?

Hotels vs. Vacation Home Rentals

By Nigel G. Worrall

America is a nation of hotel lovers. When we’re planning a trip the first thing that comes to mind is “Where are we going to stay?” Usually we want somewhere comfortable, somewhere clean and somewhere where all the family can relax. We imagine the perfect vacation or business trip and hope that the hotel can provide us with a nice room and a quick and easy check in / check out process.

Reality is though, that it rarely happens that way. Even when staying at the top hotels in the country something always seems to go wrong whether it be with the hotel itself or with the accommodation. Relaxing it isn’t. Stressful it is. From the time you arrive there is always potential for disaster. From lengthy lines at check in, to actually arriving at your room and finding things not as you planned. It might even be something else around the hotel, like a restaurant, fitness center or the swimming pool being understaffed or worse, closed.

Imagine this scenario; you’re having a large family reunion in Orlando and you’ve tried several hotels in the hope of accommodating you all. You eventually find a hotel that can provide accommodation but you arrive to find that you are spread out all over the place as the hotel couldn’t guarantee to locate you in the same part of the hotel complex let alone on the same floor. It’s a mess and getting everyone together proves impossible.

Traveling as a small family can be just as bad, as many hotels only offer a choice of a room with two Queen sized beds or one King. If you’re taking the kids that means there’s not much privacy for Mom & Pop and then there’s always the constant fights as everyone gets to argue about what to watch on television. It’s even worse when it comes to bedtime as some folks want to sleep and others want to catch the late night movie. In the end someone ends up being frustrated or annoyed.

There is a stress free option though and one that more and more families are finding out about and coming to enjoy experiencing; vacation home rentals.

For around the same money that you would pay at a hotel, you can actually rent a luxurious vacation home that comes equipped with everything you need to make you feel at home. Homes are typically available with anywhere from three to seven separate bedrooms meaning everyone gets their own space to do as they want.  Some homes, particularly in the warmer climates, even have a private heated swimming pool while some homes may have a hot tub or Jacuzzi as well.

Many vacation homes have other great amenities such as large screen TV’s, Xbox or PS2 gaming consoles and even dedicated games rooms with pool, foosball or ping pong tables. All of this means that after a fun filled day out, you can actually enjoy returning home to rest and relax while the kids find plenty to do.

Another major advantage of a vacation rental home is the fact they all come equipped with a full size kitchen. No longer are you dependent on when the restaurant is open or what is on the menu, now you get to pick what you want to eat and when you want to eat it. On occasion dining out is  a nice treat but not everyone wants to go out every meal time and a vacation home gives the option to have a quiet night in and enjoy some home cooking as well as save some cash.

Maybe it’s time to try something different on your next vacation? Vacation rentals are great value and once you’ve stayed in one, you’ll think twice about staying in a hotel again.

Orlando … For FREE!

Traveling anywhere in the world can be an expensive proposition. If you decide to visit Orlando there’s lot of great places to see and fun things to do, but not all of them have to cost an arm and a leg. Here’s 5 things you can do without spending a fortune or if the rain decides to come out to play;

#1. Orlando Malls and Shopping Area

Go shopping! Orlando is a shopper’s paradise and has an eclectic mix of luxury department stores, upscale boutiques antique shops, farmers markets as well as more than twenty major malls to choose from. You can get the perfect gift or souvenir to remember your trip by and you’ll be amazed at some of the bargains you can almost steal. Orlando has some truly great shopping so don’t miss out on a trip to places like Florida Mall, Mall of Millenia, Altamonte Mall, Orlando Fashion Square, Prime Outlets Orlando and Orlando Premium Outlets.

Aside from the malls you can also find numerous smaller boutiques and department stores. A visit to places like Winter Park, Downtown Disney and Sand Lake Road will add to the fun and you’ll truly remember Orlando as being a spectacular destination for some of the finest shopping you will ever experience.

#2. The Orlando Museums

It’s always fun to learn new things and to find out about something you normally wouldn’t have thought about.  Orlando has some fabulous museums and besides being a great place to shelter when the rain comes down, they are also great places to inspire your brain cells and get your creativity buds flowing.

Among the places you’ll want to visit is the Orlando Science Center with its 10 exhibit halls on 4 levels. A place that has something for every member of the family. NatureWorks will get you up close and personal with some of nature’s most fascinating reptiles while DinoDigs will take you back to the prehistoric age. Science Park is the place where you can explore such concepts as electricity, magnetism, lasers, sound waves and nature’s forces while KidsTown has something to amuse the smallest members of the family.

The Orlando Science Center also houses Florida’s largest publicly accessible refractor telescope and a giant screen domed theater for films and planetarium shows.

Orlando Museum of Art is also a fabulous place to visit and you’ll be sure to enjoy its numerous exhibitions on site as well as award winning art enrichment programs and unlimited gallery tours, while  another fine museum to visit is the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College, which features 6,000 objects with the oldest collection in the state of European and American paintings, sculpture and decorative arts.

#3. The Public Libraries

Orlando is also home to many fine public libraries and these are open for everyone to enjoy. The Orlando Public Library is the largest public library building in the state at 290,000 square feet. Library Central is located on the first floor and carries popular items like bestsellers, fiction, DVD’s, music and books on tape or CD. The Children’s Library has large areas for reading, computers and story rooms. The children’s collection includes picture books, kids fiction, Braille books and more.

#4. The Theaters

Orlando is home to many theaters and many productions. Some of them are free and others require a small entrance fee but be sure to check out Orlando Orchestra Symphony and Ballet, The Garden Theater in Winter Garden, Broadway Series at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, the Mad Cow Theater, Orlando Ballet, Orlando Film Festival and Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

#5. Disney’s BoardWalk

Located near to the Swan and Dolphin hotels is Disney’s BoardWalk. It’s reminiscent of Atlantic City’s own famous wooden pathway and you can sit on benches, stroll along the BoardWalk or just simply enjoy people watching. On any given night you may see a sword swallower, a tarot card reader, a New Orleans style jazz band…you just never know.

Florida is known for its theme parks, warm weather and its thrill a minute environment. The Sunshine State is also a hot place to visit for motorsport enthusiasts as it is home to some of the most important events in the world.

Perhaps one of the most famous races is the Daytona 500, otherwise known as “The Great American Race.” The Daytona 500 usually takes place at Daytona International Speedway at Daytona Beach in February each year and it is the place where 43 of the very best stock car drivers in the world take center stage as they compete in NASCAR’s biggest richest and most prestigious race. The race is 500 miles long and is the opening race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Daytona International Speedway is also home to many other racing events such as the Camping World Truck series for pickup trucks, the Nationwide Series and the Pepsi 400.

Located in the orange groves and cattle ranches of Central Florida is Sebring International Raceway. Sebring is considered America’s premier sports car racing facility by many and is the oldest permanent road racing track in North America. Its most famous race is the annual 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race which is part of the prestigious American Le Mans Series. Every year on the third Saturday of March, the raceway hosts thousands of race fans from around the world to witness the historic 12 hour classic. Many motor racing legends have raced at Sebring; Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio and dozens of other international motor racing legends, who have driven some of the fastest race cars built by the world’s top manufacturers such as Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Audi, Ford, Maserati, Aston Martin and Nissan.

If you’re looking for Florida’s fastest 1/8 of a mile then you’ll want to visit Lakeland Dragstrip. This is where you’ll find drag racing at its best as all types of vehicles and bikes are put through their paces.

For those wanting to get involved in the action then Walt Disney World Resort has the Richard Petty Experience and this is where you can drive or ride shotgun in true NASCAR-style stock cars which achieve speeds of up to 120mph.

One of the most complete motor sport facilities is The European Rally School & Motorsport Park, based in North Central Florida. They have many different courses to satisfy all tastes. Whether you are in to rallying, high performance driving, ATV, SUV, 4×4, or karting, this place has you covered.

Orlando Speedworld plays host to numerous events throughout the year. Along with the FASCAR Weekly Racing Series, OSW is also home to CRASH-A-RAMA, STUNT WARS, and the annual INEX/600 Racing Winter Nationals.

The FASCAR Weekly Racing Series includes Super Late Models, Limited Late Models, Modifieds, Pro-Trucks and Sportsman that run on a rotating schedule, along with the Super Stocks and Strictly Stocks, which can be seen every Friday night throughout the season.

So, as you can see, if it’s speed you want, there’s plenty of it in Central Florida to thrill and excite you.

Footnote: Indulge me here… this is the motorsport I loved to take part in … and for those of you not familiar with rallying…here’s some in car action with the late Colin McRae in Ireland…

As I write today’s blog I feel like a two tennis players that have played an epic 5 sets…the Isner / Mahut match finally ended when Isner hit a backhand up the line to win the last of the match’s 980 points by the way! In doing so the longest match, by some distance, ended as Isner defeated Mahut in the fifth set by an amazing 70 games to 68!

This first round marathon took 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days and lasted so long that play had to be suspended two nights in a row due to darkness. Play resumed yesterday at 59 games all and and took just over an hour to finish as the players battled out a further 20 games.

So here are the records that the match set:

Longest match, 11 hours, 5 minutes.

Longest set, 8 hours 11 minutes

Most games in a match, 183

Longest games in a set, 138

Most points in a match, 980

Most points in a set, 711

Most aces by both players, 215 (Isner 112, Mahut 103) and by one player, Isner

Most service games held by both players, 180 of 183

Most consecutive service games held by both players, 168 and by one player, 84 each.

And one final record…longest final set … 8 hours 11 minutes which was almost two hours longer than the previous longest match of 6 hours 33 minutes!

So why do I feel almost as tired as these two guys…simple…I’m doing College tours as my youngest daughter prepares for next year! Anyone who’s ever walked around campus after campus will tell you it’s exhausting and here in North Carolina where the heat is touching 95 degrees, it’s no exception.

Of course, thousands of students and parents are making these trips this Summer and it seems this is one area of the economy that seems recession proof. Yesterday I made three visit to colleges in the North Carolina area and it was an interesting study in how the college business attracts its customers.

An early morning flight from Orlando saw us touch down in Greensborough at around 8.30am and from there we drove straight to Elon. Elon University is an historic 575 acre campus which has been designated a botanical garden and features oak trees, brick sidewalks, fountains and lakes. It’s a hugely impressive place of study not to mention steeped in history.

In 1889, the North Carolina legislature issued a charter for Elon College. William S. Long was the founder and the first president. The original student body consisted of 76 students. In 1923, a fire destroyed most of the campus, including school records, classrooms, the library and the chapel. The Board of Trustees voted to rebuild immediately. Many of the buildings that were erected in the years following the disastrous fire still stand today and make up the bedrock of Elon’s campus.

Many prominent figures have visited and spoken at Elon, including Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton along with  former U.S. Secretaries of State General Colin L. Powell and Madeleine Albright.  British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak,  Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel and astronaut John Glenn have also visited.

From there, we then went to the remarkable High Point University run by an even more remarkable man, Dr. Nido Qubein. Qubein came to the United States, with just $50 in his pocket, when he was just 18 years old and attended Mount Olive College and High Point University. At the time he spoke very little English and learned the language by writing down 50 words a day on a card and by memorizing those words.  Nido then went onto start a bank in 1986 and now serves on the board and executive committee of a Fortune 500 financial corporation with $135 billion in assets and 35,000 employees. He is chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company with 218 stores in 42 states and serves on the board of BB&T and La-Z-Boy Corporation, one of the world’s most recognized furniture brands. He is also a superb speaker and if you ever get the chance to hear him, you should grasp it with both hands.

The transformation at High Point since Qubein became its President has been amazing. From a respected but rather sleepy University town, High Point is now much talked about all over America. Since taking over as President in 2005, Qubein has largely been responsible for raising over $350 million that has been invested in the campus and facilities.

Several new residential and educational buildings have been added and these additions include the notable Norton Hall, the Blessing Residential Hall, The Village Residential Complex, the Slane Student Life and Wellness Center, and the Jerry and Kitty Steele Sports Center. A large number of fountains have also been installed throughout the university commons with plans to add even more. In 2009 several new buildings opened that included the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, the Plato S. Wilson Family School of Commerce, and the crown jewel of student life, the $50 million University Center (formerly called the Multiplex). The University Center houses 600 students in 300 upscale apartment-like facilities, a virtual bowling alley, fully-functional movie theater, a steakhouse, a sandwich shop, and a two story gaming-and-restaurant concept. It’s simply amazing!

With the campus renovations at High Point University breaching $300 million in August 2009, President Nido Qubein wasn’t finished there. He then announced several other additions to the campus and these include a new dormitory parallel to the University Center, and a Greek Village. The Greek Village will consist of roughly 14 houses aimed at housing 200 total students. The $10 million Greek Village is scheduled for a fall 2011 completion.

Overall, it’s an amazing place and the student experience is pretty much unparalleled. More later…