On June 24, 2008, Jon and Sue Levart completed their move from Buckinghamshire to Orlando, where they bought a vacation home in Davenport. The couple were seeking a getaway where they could relax from their busy jobs – Jon works for an IT services company while Sue is a PA working for British Airways. Here they tell us on why they opted to buy in the Sunshine State… Q. Why did you decide to buy in Florida?
A. We had been thinking for some time about buying a vacation home and had considered Spain and the Florida Gulf Coast, as well as Orlando. We decided on Orlando because of the value for money of the properties (partly due to the strength of the pound to the dollar), the strength of the rental market and the year-round sunshine! Another factor was the ease of access from the UK.
Q. What preparations did you make before you bought in Florida?
A. We contacted a few companies and we found that the service level we got from Calabay Homes was second to none. They sent us regular photographs and all of the emails that we sent them were replied to within a matter of hours. They even arranged for accommodation for us before closing, at no cost to ourselves.
Q. Can you describe your property?
A. The property is situated on the Watersong gated community in Davenport, which is about 15 minutes’ drive from Disney World. The property is a five-bedroom, 4½-bathroom pool home, backing onto a conservation area.
Q. How did you go about finding your home?A. Initially, we looked at the Florida Gulf Coast. We then decided to focus on Orlando. We contacted a number of organisations that market at UK-based buyers through the internet. After speaking to a few organisations, we decided to work through Calabay Homes and Ian Longhorn. We were sent some details on a number of new developments and resales and arranged a trip to look at possible properties, combined with a two-week vacation in Orlando. Ian showed us round various developments and resales and we settled on a new development at Watersong. It wasn’t a long search.
Q. What were the main challenges of the move?
A. The buying process has been reasonably straightforward and there have been no major surprises, although we had imagined that dealing with American organisations, such as the builders and furnishers, would be slick and efficient. In practice, this has not really been the case and if it wasn’t for
Calabay Homes, it would have been a nightmare due to the communication issues.
Q. How have you benefited from buying a property in Orlando?
A. It’s early days, but we’re looking forward to holidays in Florida and we’ll also rent out the house to help cover the costs.
Q. What is your favourite time of the year in Florida?
A. We like it best around Christmas time – the weather isn’t too hot, you don’t get the summer storms and it’s a welcome relief from the weather in the UK at that time.
Q. What do your friends and family think about your purchase?
A. They’re all very interested in what we’ve done, and they’re taken by the value of property of this type in Florida. Quite a few of them are now making noises about wanting to travel out to our new home too!
Q. Do you have any amusing anecdotes of your time in Florida?
A. When we completed on our house, we were presented with a nicely packaged gift, tied with ribbons, on behalf of the builders. However, rather than the Champagne and so on that we imagined it would contain, instead it was a set of items including a pack of toilet rolls, some kitchen towels, soap, screwdrivers and a hammer. Well, as least it was practical I suppose!