Silliman Homes, formerly Reiche Silliman, is now building in the community of Waterstone, the last gated community on the Butler Chain of Lakes.

They’re not offering any of the lakefront lots with this builder, but prices range from $500,000 to $700,000. I hear they’ve sold two homes already.

I love the homes they’ve built at Mirabella at Vizcaya, Kensington Park, and Cypress Landing so I have high expectations for their homes here.

Waterstone was originally slated to be an ultra luxury community but now includes homes that are a bit more affordable. I don’t believe any of these homes have been built yet, so we’ll have to wait and see how the rest of this community develops.

Buyers who purchase in this community will probably be surround by construction and unfinished land for quite some time unless we see an unexpected boom in the market which is unlikely.

There was a post on this blog back in 2008, Disney Planning New Luxury Home Community, and now it’s finally coming to reality. I had my doubts as well, but it looks like Disney is finally getting this community underway.

According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, Disney unveiled it’s plans for it’s ultra luxury community called Golden Oak this week. Prices will range from $1.5 to $8 million and will encompass 4,900 acres with 450 homes in 3 distinct villages.

I believe this community is located on Osprey Ridge which Disney closed down a few years back. It’s arguably the most scenic of all the courses at the resort.

Owners will be allowed to bring in their own custom builder to create the home of their dreams within the set of guidelines provided by Disney. I feel sorry for the builder of these homes. If the guidelines are anything like the ones in Celebration, it’s probably the size of a small phone book but it did end up looking beautiful.

I don’t know if they’ve heard, but the real estate market here in Orlando and every where else in the world isn’t all that good.

Now they want to build something no one can afford?

Perhaps Disney knows something that I don’t know.

Having followed the market in SW Orlando for quite some time, I’ll be curious to see how all this pans out. I guess you don’t have to worry about the company going bankrupt before they finish, but how long will it take?

They quote 10 years, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it took a little while longer.

Anyway, here’s a SLIDESHOW of the community if you’re interested.

Please contact me for more information on this new community.

As part of Coldwell Banker’s new ad campaign On Location, the company aims to project more of an updated tech image with a new 3D logo, listing syndication, and video tours of local areas.

Coldwell Banker now syndicates their listings to over 350 sites. I didn’t even know that many real estate sites existed. Now that’s viral marketing.

The local tours also great although they could include a bit more detail about the areas.

I’ve been thinking of doing local video tours for a while, but I’ve gotta admit I can’t pull it off like this hostess and she’s a little easier on the eyes.

There’s 3 videos about SW Orlando at the moment but I’m sure more will be added. The only thing I’m disappointed about is that you can definitely tell they’re being done on a mass scale.

The videos about Dr. Phillips and Kissimmee are eerily similar and the Kissimmee video shows pictures of Granada Villas which is really in Dr. Phillips. The Kissimmee video also displays a photo of Dr. Phillips Elementary which is obviously in say Dr. Phillips?

Besides the oversights, I love the move to produce the videos.

Bay Hill and Dr. Phillips

Click here to view the embedded video.

Celebration

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kissimmee

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mose’s buddy, July Perry, took a slightly more civilized route by obtaining a note from a judge saying he was eligible to vote. Later that day, some Klansmen busted into July Perry’s home and were shot by Mr. Perry himself. The authorities arrested July Perry and took him to jail. After that, the story gets even crazier when a mob of Klansmen took July Perry out of jail and lynched him like in Mississippi Burning.

Throughout the remainder of the day, they went on to burn numerous black homes, businesses, and churches causing the blacks to flee the city.

I can’t believe such a horrendous event occurred here. I’ve been living in the area for years and never heard about this. I’m so glad we don’t live in such a period.

Here’s an informative video with an eyewitness account of this dark day in history:

Click here to view the embedded video.

related links: Ocoee Race Riot, Dead Wrong

The Dr. Phillips area offers plenty of choices in the $500,000 to $900,000 range. If you’re looking for larger lots Bay Hill, South Bay, North Bay, Bay Hill Cove, Torey Pines, Brentwood Club, Bristol Park, Turnberry Woods, Kilgore and Charles E Limpus Rd., Windermere Heights, and Courtleigh Park. are great choices.

Bay Hill is a wonderful community that’s the most well known because of Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge. The lots here are spacious and the world renowned golf course sets a grand stage. Most of the homes were built in the 70′s and 80′s, so you might have to do some renovations but it has been and will continue to be a popular choice in Dr. Phillips. The homes built in the 70′s will have 8 foot ceilings with popcorn which can be a turn off for some. The homes built in the 80′s will also have the low ceiling, but some of them have vaulted ceilings and great room plans which I really like. Homes from both eras tend to have wet bars with mirrors that remind me of the movie “Scarface”, but it’s fairly easy to get rid of.

North Bay and South Bay adjoin Bay Hill and have interconnecting streets so you still feel like you’re part of the club, but South Bay is clearly the superior community between the two. Spacious lots with lots of coverage from grand oaks that are native to the area gives South Bay the edge over North Bay and possibly even Bay Hill itself. One of the neatest features is the jogging trail that runs behind many of the homes in the community. The homes here were custom built in the 80′s, but you don’t see as many low ceilings here like you do in Bay Hill.

I love South Bay. The only knock on it is that it usually entails quite a bit of renovation. Both North Bay and South Bay have homes on the Butler Chain which command the highest prices, but still I prefer the lakefront homes in South Bay.

Kilgore and Charles E Limpus Rd. along with Windermere Heights offer the largest lots in Dr. Phillips with many of them being over an acre. While these areas have a little bit of a less manicured look, you can’t beat the privacy from having some land around you. There’s a good mixture of old and new so you could find something that requires updating and some that are ready to move into.

Turnberry Woods also offer acre lots with homes built in the 80′s and 90′s, but you gotta stay away from the homes under the power lines. Other than that, there’s some sweet homes with some land requiring some updating.

Torey Pines, Brentwood Club, Bristol Park, and Courtleigh Park offer some newer choices. Buyers in the price range always ask about Torey Pines and Brentwood Club after driving the Dr. Phillips area. Homes in these communities were all custom built and with fairly good sized lots. Most will require some updating, but the larger lots and established feel make it worth while as long you don’t get carried away.

For newer properties in the $500,000 to $900,000 price range, I’d check out Reserve at Cypress Point, Kensington Park, Cypress Landing, Windermere Ridge, Bay Hill Cove, Palm Lake, Bay Harbour at Phillips Landing, Boca Pointe at Turtle Creek, and Vizcaya. All of these offerings are gated with the exception of Cypress Landing and Bay Hill Cove.

The Reserve at Cypress Point offers modern plans on spacious lots. I love the location near Sand Lake on Apopka Vineland Rd., but the floor plans as a group are not my favorite.

A place where I really like the plans are Kensington Park and Cypress Landing built by Reiche Silliman. Kensington Park is the newer of the two and feature tile roofs, Mediterranean architecture, and some larger lots but also some a little on the smaller side. The largest lots are located on the South end of the community and also the most desirable alongside the lots with pond frontage. Some of the lots on the west side can get a little noisy since the Chain of Lakes Middle School is on the other side of the fence.

Cypress Landing is the lower priced alternative to Kensington Park. There’s no tile roofs, it’s a little older, and no gated entry, but it’s a great choice for someone who likes Kensington Park but wants a lower price. The homes here were built in the mid to late 90′s and the most desirable section is the Estate section in north end of the community which feature homes by Brierhill and Reiche Silliman. The lots here are little larger and the homes are also the newest among homes in Cypress Landing. Windy Ridge Elementary is within walking distance which can be a great plus for some.

Bay Hill Cove and Palm Lake are quaint little communities with homes that require little if any updating. Both offer custom homes that create a nice mix, but both are also plagued by power lines that run through part of the community. As long as you’re away from the power lines, both are great choices in the area. Perhaps Palm Lake is a little more preferable simply because it has a gate. Some prefer not having a gate and having lower HOA dues so it could depend on the buyer.

Windermere Ridge is a nice gated community adjacent to Olympia High School. The now defunct Transeatern Homes developed this neighborhood and all they did a nice mix of architectural styles and included tile roofs. The prices here are similar to Kensington Park and if I had the choice, I’d pick Kensington Park all day long.

Bay Harbour at Phillips Landing offers home built in the late 90′s by ABD Development. It offers fair sized lots in a guard gated setting with Mediterranean style. The most desirable lots have frontage on Lake Serene or Big Sand Lake.

Boca Pointe at Turtle Creek offers a similar ambiance with slightly larger lots and nicer mix of architecture since the homes here were built by numerous custom builders instead of just one. The lots are also a bit larger, so I’d have to give the nod to Boca Pointe over Bay Harbour.

Vizcaya is a guard gated community with probably the most sought after location in Dr. Phillips within walking distance to “Restaurant Row”. The only downside is that the lots are super small. The homes here were mostly built by ABD Development, but there’s also homes by Reiche Silliman and Ryland Homes. My favorite are the homes built by Reiche Silliman in the Mirabella section. All of the homes feature tile roofs, Mediterranean architecture, and the community features a beautiful lakeside community area with clubhouse and fitness facility.

There’s also a brand new option called Venezia. It’s being developed by Reiche Silliman and the homes start around $500,000 and can go up to well over a million dollars. The homes over a million will most likely have frontage on Big Sand Lake. The only downside is that it shares an entrance with Sand Lake Cove, but it’s really the only option for brand new in Dr. Phillips for this range.

There you have it. There’s lots of choices in the $500,000 to $900,000 price range. It’s all just a matter of taste.

I’ve worked with lots of buyers in the Dr. Phillips area and also encountered lots of confusion on which areas are considered to be the Dr. Phillips area and which are not, so I created this map so people can figure it out. The zip codes that make up the area are 32819, 32836, and parts of 32835.

I’ll begin with the finest and priciest communities in Dr. Phillips and then cover other price ranges in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

To begin with, Cypress Point is probably the finest community here in my opinion and the prices reflect that as well. Homes can be found just under a million dollars here but will most likely require some updating since the majority of the homes were built in the early 90′s. It’s a small price to pay for such a neat community. Some of the most well known residents in Cypress Point include pro golfers Scott Hoch and Lee Jansen who reside in some magnificent estates overlooking Lake Sheen. Neither one of them live on the best lots here which are on the peninsula at Point Cypress where you have views of Lake Sheen in front of the house and views of Lake Tibet to the rear. The developers have preserved much of the towering oaks that made up this property so you get that grand old south feel throughout the community. There’s also a magnificent clubhouse on Lake Sheen and the guard at the gate is fastidious.

Phillips Landing and Turtle Creek are next on the ladder but to some may be comparable to Cypress Point. The lots are smaller here with less trees, but the homes were mostly built in the late 90′s so the homes are a lot newer and require little if any updating. Both communities are divided into three sections so not all the homes are up to par with the estate homes.

ABD Development developed the Bay Harbour section of Phillips Landing and the homes start at about $500,000. The Heritage Bay section was developed by Park Square Homes and offers the most affordable option in Phillips Landing with homes starting around $400,000. The estate section along the shores of Big Sand Lake is composed of works by some of the area’s finest custom home builders and prices start around $800,000. The most desirable homes have frontage on Big Sand Lake and the priciest with all the homes priced over $1 million. Some of the most well known former homeowners here include AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys and Scott Stapp of Creed.

Turtle Creek is laid out pretty similarly to Phillips Landing. The most affordable option here is the Avalon section which offers maintenance free villa style homes starting in the mid to high $300′s featuring flat tile roofs, great room style layouts, brick pavers, and courtyards. Boca Pointe offers the mid range option with homes starting in the high $500′s. I prefer this section over Bay Harbour at Phillips Landing because the homes were built by different custom builders and provides for a more diverse set of homes. The estate section called Water’s Edge offers the finest homes with some of them having frontage on the Butler Chain of Lakes at Fish Lake. It’s one of the smallest lakes on the chain and you have to navigate a long and sometimes very shallow canal to make it out to the rest of the lakes on the chain, but still anything with access to the Butler Chain is tops in my book. Just like in the Estates at Phillips Landing, the finest custom builders in Central Florida shaped the landscape here so you can imagine it’s quite nice to say the least.

Then there’s the beautiful grand old lady of the area, Bay Hill. Home to Arnold Palmer’s PGA golf tournament and some of the finest residences in the area. There’s quite a diverse mix of homes that have been built here since its inception in the 70′s, but the most desirable homes back up to the golf course and Lake Tibet or Lake Blanche on the Butler Chain. It’s been pretty common lately for homes to be completely rebuilt on the golf course and the lakes. Tear down properties on the golf course currently start at about $750,000 and the homes on the lake start at just over a million dollars.

The streets that provide the best views of the golf course include: Tarawood, Brookline, Classic, Bay Hill, and Masters. There’s a few others, but the majority of the best views are here.

There’s also a marina and the Bay Hill Club makes it a popular choice for boaters and golfers alike. The Bay Hill Condos offers units overlooking the marina and easy access to the Butler Chain with prices starting around $400,000. They were built in the 70′s and the 8 foot ceilings with popcorn is just too much to get over for some, but it’s a small price to pay for easy access to the Butler Chain

Bay Point, Bentley Park, Tibet Pointe, Isle of Osprey, and Emerson Pointe are small gated sections along the Butler Chain at Bay Hill which command prices far above a million dollars and conversely have the finest homes. My favorite out of the bunch is Isle of Osprey

The newest high end community in Dr. Phillips is Vizcaya. The homes here are the newest, but also have the smallest lots. Many of the homes are three story to accommodate such a large home on a small lot designed by ABD Development. Vizcaya is divided into several sections which include high end condos, townhomes, single family, and luxury homes. My favorite section is the area developed by Reiche Silliman called Mirabella along the shores of Little Sand Lake. ABD built the homes on Big Sand Lake with the best views, but I still prefer Mirabella. One of the neatest features of Vizcaya is that it offers a bit of an urban lifestyle with it being walking distance to “Restaurant Row“.

For those who prefer not to be in a subdivision at all like myself, there’s Kilgore and Charles E. Limpus Road along the shores of Lake Pocket and Lake Sheen of the Butler Chain of Lakes. Not too many trees, but grand estates abound on this small stretch of road. Joey Fatone of the Backstreet Boys, Payne Stewart, Tracy McGrady, and Frank Viola, former Cy Young pitcher of the Minnesota Twins, have called it home here.

In any case, all these areas are the finest options in Dr. Phillips. There should be something here to accommodate most tastes and lifestyles. The ever growing “Restaurant Row” just adds more appeal to the area.

related post: Best of SW Orlando, Vizcaya Lakefront Home Plans, About Windermere and the Butler Chain, Golf Communities in Dr. Phillips

download pdf: All 30 Homes Available in Vizcaya as of March 5, 2008
Vizcaya Original Pricing and Standard Features List

The Essex
3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, Bonus Room, 2,685 Square Feet

The Kent
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 2,527 Square Feet

The Wyndham III
5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, 2,776 Square Feet

The Wyndham IV
5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, 2,003 Square Feet

The Bristol
4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, 3,232 Square Feet

The Courtyard
4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, Recreation Room, Bonus Room, 3,232 Square Feet

first floor

second floor

The Courtyard IV
4 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths, Recreation Room, 3,862 Square Feet

The Manchester
7 Bedrooms, 5 Baths, Loft, Bonus Room, 4,870 Square Feet

The Townhomes at Vizcaya were originally built by ABD Development and priced quite reasonably. I believe the key phrase here is was but prices have become more reasonable with the declining market. The end unit plan Villa Amore which has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, sitting room, balcony, and 2,058 square feet was priced originally at $257,900. The Villa Bella with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, sitting room, loft, and 2,374 square feet went for $280,900. Finally, the Villa Cortina with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, loft, sitting room, and 2,646 square feet originally went for $293,900. They all offered tile roofs and 2 car garages but the lakefront premium for frontage on Lake Serene was $55,000.

download pdf: List of Townhomes for Sale at Vizcaya as of Today

Villa Amore

Villa Bella

Villa Cortina

John’s Lake in Winter Garden is one of the premiere fishing lakes in Central Florida offering great bass fishing year round and numerous different types of structures to fish including lily pads, grass beds, timber, and deep drop offs. Half of the lake sits in Lake County and the other half in Orange County. This 2,424 acre lake has only one public boat ramp on Highway 50 just west of the Florida Turnpike. The lake was nearly dry back during the drought in 2002 but 3 hurricanes in the summer of 2003 brought the lake back. Then the Fish and Wildlife Commission stocked 200,000 bass into the lake to enhance the fishery and the guys at Clermont Bait and Tackle estimate those bass to be within 3 to 5 pounds today. Where the heck are they hiding?

I’ve done quite a bit of fishing on John’s Lake and it seems like most of the bass that I catch are around the 1 pound range. I guess I’m not looking in the right places. The most popular baits for this lake are rattletraps, texas and carolina rigged worms, flukes, senkos, crankbaits, and my favorite, the slashbait. Soft plastics in watermelon seed, red bug, and junebug colors work well out here quite often but the chartreuse black, chartreuse shad, and chartreuse purple colors for crankbaits and minnows can be what the bass are craving especially when they’re schooling. There are also tons of pickerel or pike along with crappie, alligator gars, mudfish, and giant catfish. I’ve seen schools of catfish over 10 pounds just swimming below the boat. Personally, I like catching bass but the catfish and crappie fisherman do pretty well out here.

There’s lots of communities along the shores of John’s Lake with Magnolia Bay, Magnolia Pointe, John’s Cove, John’s Landing, and Deer Island being the most well known. There’s also homes located off Marsh Road in Winter Garden and Hartle Road in Clermont which has some properties with several acres and lots of oak trees which I prefer on John’s Lake. I love the rustic feel from having several acres out here yet you’re still really close to major highways and shopping at Winter Garden Village. Lennar Homes has announced plans for an active adult community called Heritage Hills between Hancock Road and Marsh Road but no plans or pricing are available yet. Prices for lakefront property currently start around $500,000 and can go as high as $6 million. The median price is around $1 million which is quite affordable for a lakefront property in Central Florida.

related posts: About Winter Garden
Clermont and the Citrus Tower
Heritage Hills to Become the Newest Active Adult Community in SW Orlando

download pdf: Lakefront Properties for Sale on John’s Lake