How Many Times Have You Heard the Phrase, “Don’t Believe Everything That You Read?”
Countless, I am sure, but have you ever really heeded the advice? As a Florida resident and real estate agent, people always want to ask me about the market, but they almost always have preconceived notions about what it’s like.
Bogus Statistics in the New York Times
The other day I was reading the New York Times online, and I was scrolling through the opinion section when I noticed an editorial on
Celebration, FL. As a resident of Celebration, I was immediately interested, and very shortly into the article I became angry.
The article is fraught with misinformation.
Is it no longer considered necessary to do research in order to publish in a well-respected newspaper? I understand that it is an opinion piece, but the data that is used to make the author’s point is astonishingly incorrect. I live and work here, and while I will be one of the first people to tell you that yes, our values have dropped back to a more reasonable level, our town is by no means littered with foreclosed and dilapidated homes!
The article stated that there are currently 492
foreclosures in Celebration. When checking the Multiple Listing Service (a database that all real estate agents use to market and gain access to available properties) today, I found that we currently have 6 bank‐owned homes on the market here in Celebration. Six is a far cry from 492!
Where Did the Author Get Those Inflated Statistics?!
My only guess at this gross misrepresentation is that the author searched by zip code. The 34747 zip code is not unique to Celebration. It covers several square miles of Kissimmee, FL as well as Celebration, and the areas of Kissimmee that are included in that zip code are mostly vacation properties.
Many are zoned for short‐term rentals and owned by overseas investors whose own currency has fallen in value over the course of the last couple of years, thus forcing them to relinquish their second homes or rental properties back to the banks that financed them.
Celebration is a Great Place to Live!
Celebration, on the other hand, is mostly occupied by full‐time residents, and our property is much more valuable than the surrounding areas due to its quality and unique small‐town feel.
I sell and list properties here day in and day out, and I know that the picture painted in this New York Times opinion page is just that, an opinion. An opinion offered to readers by an author who has not lived here in almost 12 years.
I would also like to point out that while many people do feel that life here is safer than many other areas, and that they are comfortable letting their kids play and ride their bikes in our neighborhoods, that no one that I know came here looking for ‘utopia.’ That is an awfully high standard to live up to.
If you are looking for a lovely town that is a nice place to live and raise your children, as well as a sound financial investment, then
Celebration Florida is a great place to be!
