The upcoming school year for the Leesburg High School Construction Academy promises to be exciting, challenging and very rewarding as the students are partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter to build a home for a local family. The home will be constructed at 107 North 12th Street in Leesburg, which is just off Main Street and close to First Baptist Church of Leesburg. Although the owners of the home have not been determined by Habitat, the approval process should be completed by the group in early fall.
We live in a world that is wasteful and not hands-on or mechanical. Most people, especially the younger generation, believe that when something goes wrong with a product around the house the best alternative is to buy a new one and replace it. It seems like everything these days is disposable — or is it? Today’s culture, along with the help of corporate America, wants you to believe that we live in a disposable society, because buying something new keeps you in debt and them profitable.
In last week’s column, I identified the six micro real estate markets in Lake and Sumter counties. This week’s column focuses on the primary buyers in those markets. Just like the various micro markets it these two counties, there is an eclectic group of buyers, which makes this market a real challenge for real estate agents. The most important aspect for the local buyer or seller is that they hire the right real estate agent and broker for the property. Depending on the buyer and where the property is located, there are real estate professionals who have experience, which can be the difference in the price and speed of the real estate transaction.
Real estate and construction professionals in Lake and Sumter counties are frequently asked, “How is the real estate market?” This is a completely fair question given the concern most people have for the economy and the memories of the housing crash during the Great Recession. The dilemma is that it portends there is just one real estate market for our local area when it is actually a collage of six micro real estate markets, each of which is unique and able to perform totally different than the others. What many people who are trying to buy or sell real estate in Lake and Sumter counties don’t understand is these properties can be within a mile of one another, yet the demand and pricing equation can be dramatically different. Proximity necessity does not equate to commonality.
Growing up, the worst aspect of working in the yard was getting the gas, checking the oil, cleaning the spark plug and praying with each pull of the rip cord that your mower, trimmer or edger would start. Sweat rolling down your face as you tried to figure out, “Do I pull the choke in or out?” Because of the hassles and unreliability of lawn equipment, many people — especially the elderly and ladies — conceded to the expense of hiring someone to do the work for them.