Housing construction on the rise across central Florida
New home construction is making a comeback in Osceola County.
Thousands of houses are expected to be built over the next several years in the ChampionsGate community, and the development could provide Osceola County with 16,000 jobs over the next decade, and a $1 billion economic impact.
“We are really seeing more move-up buyers that are able to sell their homes and relocate,” said Mark Methany of Lennar Homes
Each home added to the tax base gives Osceola county more spending power, which is something it needs, according to officials.
“We have lost 35-40 percent of our tax base,” said Osceola County Commissioner Frank Attkisson
The 5,000 new homes that will be under construction at ChampionsGate are just a fraction of the new homes being built in central Florida. One area that has seen the most sales is Laureate Park in Lake Nona. There were 440 homes sold there in 2012.
“How does this compare to a couple years ago? It’s night and day,” said Aldo Martin of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando.
Martin said new home sales are growing as the number of available foreclosures drops.
“We might be in the beginning of a new run that might last several years,” said Martin.
Real estate market research groups told WFTV that 27 new housing developments were started in Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties from October to December of last year.
