Hi Fellow BiggerPockets Investors,

Are there any other active investors in the Kissimmee, Osceola County and Poinciana area?

I'd really like to get your thoughts on the area. Where are you seeing the best opportunities?

It's definitely an area that's seeing a reaurgance and is poised for growth. I'd love to share notes....

Thanks,

Marc

As a Realtor, I'm told to avoid Poinciana because of gangs. Thankfully I'm from north of Orlando, so it's not an issue for me.

St Cloud is having a lot of new home construction.

Just north is Lake Nona, which is seeing growth thanks to the "medical city" that is moving there.

Kissimmee has a huge vacation rental market thanks to Disney.

To perform lien research in Osceola, you must go through the County. Osceola County now requires $100 to perform lien research and it takes about ten days.

I've not heard any mention of gangs in my engagements. 

I have heard, however, about all of the planned development activity in the area including a new Valencia Community College Poinciana campus, new UCF research and development park, the extension of the SunRail light rail/train service extension to Poinciana, and the new I-4/Poinciana connector.

To me these are all good signs.

I've got to think the I-4/Poinciana connector running all they way from I-4 to Marigold Ave in Poinciana will make it even further attractive for Disney employees and those of the surrounding parks & resorts. This demand should only drive up the resale and rental markets.

-Marc

@Marc Inderhees   I've been researching the area also. Let me know if you want to compare notes. Interesting points in this study:

http://www.i4poincianaconnector.com/about-the-study.shtm

Thanks Susan. Yes, very good information.

I was also reminded of the new Poinciana Medical Center that opened up last year to service the area and adding more jobs.

Tourism is up in the area. The Disney parks & resorts have had record attendance in recent years. New hotel and resort construction is on the upswing as well. Here's one recent article: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-disney-...

All of this activity means new jobs and increased housing requirements.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2014/10/23/orlando-ranks-39th-in-urban-land-institute-real.html 

Poinciana, Florida real estate stats: http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Poinciana-Florida/ 

Fortune ranks Orlando No. 1 for jobs growth: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/brinkmann-on-business/os-fortune-ranks-orlando-no-1-for-jobs-growth-20141105-post.html

@Marc Inderhees  Poinciana is coming back! Everything you've read about the expansion of the area is correct. Is it becoming one of the hot zones for buying up investment properties right now. Prices have gone from the low $30s to now homes are for sale between $70k-$100k since 2008. As far as the gangs they are gone. The Sheriffs office did a great job of stopping the growing gang population when they started moving in during the recession. Our poinciana homes we can usually sell within 3-6 days.

Investors target Orlando -- even years into housing recovery: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-investor-orlando-buys-20141105-story.html

Poinciana has it coming with major changes that will definitely affect current home prices and will make of the area a desirable spot for investors.  A major Hospital already open servicing the whole community and Solivita named one of the nation’s Top 50 master-planned 55-Plus communities by Where to Retire magazine three consecutive times, it has earned over 70 awards for design, community planning and environmental sustainability. Poincina will also have direct access to a major freeway (I4) making the area much more accesible to the Parks and Shopping areas.  

Originally posted by @Marc Inderhees :

I've not heard any mention of gangs in my engagements. 

I have heard, however, about all of the planned development activity in the area including a new Valencia Community College Poinciana campus, new UCF research and development park, the extension of the SunRail light rail/train service extension to Poinciana, and the new I-4/Poinciana connector.

To me these are all good signs.

 Definitely this adds to my post of major changes to come!!!

Disney purchases 3000 acres in Osceola & Polk counties: http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2014/11/disneys-purchase-of-3-000-acres-of-wetland-may.html 

Record Disney World attendance helps boost earnings: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-disney-earnings-20141106-story.html 

There is a lot of talk about Poinciana, and there is definitely an surge in the market there, but it's not localized to Poinciana, it's going on everywhere around Disney. Stock prices for Disney are way up and beat all expectations.. the CEO has big plans and every park is going through big expansions. Additionally, there is a lot of investment going into the I-Drive area between Universal and Disney.. Orlando is booming, and most people who live here don't even know about Horizon's West, or the 60,000+ homes that are being built South of Windermere, North and West of Disney.. what used to be fields and orange groves have given way to tens of thousands of new homes and shopping centers. Not to mention Disney has a small commercial space reserved near a big area of development that is breaking ground next year, they've been quiet about it, but it's exciting. 

Additionally, short term rental is surging. With the rise in popularity and credibility of Homeaway.com and Airbnb.com.. more people are renting short term rental homes of all shapes and sizes near Disney, and thus, more investors.. 

I was in a new development yesterday where they are clearing land for over a 1000 new homes, some waterfront, less than a 2 miles from Magic Kingdom.. I went to a big event afterwards with a lot of the areas most prominent realtors, and not one of them even knew it was being developed. A lot of the new developments are not anything would see from the road or drive through making them private, yet accessible to Disney.. this is a gold mine in my opinion.. it's just knowing about it, and hopefully jumping in at some of the pre-construction prices for these homes. 

More news: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-vacation-rentals-20141201-story.html#navtype=outfit