Should I Be Worried About The Toxic Waste Sites in Orlando, Florida

Unfortunately, there are six known toxic waste sites in the Orlando metropolitan area.  The good news is that most have been cleaned up to meet the remediation standards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  You can see the superfund sites in orlando fllocations of the toxic waste sites for yourself using our MoveMap.  In this blog post we’ll discuss three of these, telling you why it’s a designated Superfund site and what its cleanup status is.

According to the EPA, the City Industries site is a one acre former hazardous waste recycling compound located at 3920 Forsyth Rd Orlando, FL 32792.  The site was abandoned years ago, but when operational, City Industries Inc. handled and disposed of a variety of waste chemicals some of the chemicals were disposed of improperly, leading to on-site soil and groundwater contamination with volatile organic compounds.  In 1983, the state of Florida actually ordered City Industries to cease operation, at which point the compound was abandoned.  Around 1,200 barrels of hazardous waste and thousands of gallons of sludge (in holding tanks) were simply left on the site.  The property was added to the National Priority List (NPL) in 1989, making it eligible for cleanup.  After being added to the list, the EPA treated over 1,600 tons of contaminated soil and built a ground water pump and treatment system.  The site has been reclaimed and the area is now used for commercial and retail space.

The Chevron Chemical Co site located at 3100 Orange Blossom Tr. Orlando, FL 32804 consists of around 4 acres of industrial property where groundwater and soil contamination has occurred.  A variety of activities took place at the Chevron center and the EPA identified several contaminants of concern which include pesticides, volatile organic compounds (such as xylene) and metals. Fortunately, the EPA took action to clean up the site they state that the level of contamination at the property does not pose a threat to people living nearby.  In 1991 & 1992 the Chevron demolished all buildings on the property.  They also removed around 18,000 tons of soil which was contaminated with pesticides and treated ground water during the excavation.  Ground water monitoring wells were also installed to keep tabs on the contamination. Monitoring and cleanup operations are ongoing.

General Dynamics is situated in Longwood at 1333 North US Highway 17/92 Longwood, FL 32750.  Circuit boards and other electronics were manufactured on the property from the mid ‘60s to the early ‘80s.  Currently, the site is unoccupied and has been placed on the National Priority List due to soil and groundwater contamination.  From an environmental perspective, the area is fairly complicated since another manufacturing facility called Sprague Electric Company has also contributed to groundwater and soil contamination in the region.  The EPA believes the groundwater plumes from the two sites may have merged.  Fortunately, they do not believe the site currently represents a threat to people living and working nearby. However, the activities performed on the property have damaged the environment.  The surficial and part of the Floridan (deeper) aquifers have been contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and this groundwater contamination could threaten the City of Winter Spring’s public water supply if not dealt with.  The plume has not become an issue yet and Winter Springs routinely checks its water supply for contamination. In terms of cleanup progress, the Sprague Site has been worked on and monitored for years, but the site investigation and cleanup efforts for General Dynamics are just getting underway.

While sites containing hazardous chemicals are scary and undesirable to live near they are also a part of our modern society, whether we like it or not.  The best thing we can do to protect our families and allay our fears is simply to educate ourselves.  If you’re concerned about Superfund, AKA toxic waste, sites in your area, we encourage you to take a look at our MoveMap and see if there are any sites located near your home.   After that, you can check out the EPA’s website which contains detailed information on all Superfund sites and contaminants present at each of them.

5 Common Myths(and Truths) About Selling Your Home

Pretty much anyone you talk to has had one experience or another with selling a home and for every one of these experiences there is a different story and different advice on the best way to sell your home. Unfortunately not every one is real Common myths about selling a homeestate expert and there are a lot of myths being spread around about selling a home. We are here to debunk 5 of the most common myths people hear about selling a home.

Myth 1: If your home sells quickly, you’ve under priced it

If your home sells quickly, it is an indication that you’ve priced it correctly.  While setting the price of your home high and gradually lowering it over time can be tempting; generally, it is a bad idea.  Setting an unrealistic price will scare off qualified buyers and cause your house to sit on the market longer.  There is only a limited amount of time your home’s listing will be considered ‘new’; after that time has expired buyers’ sense of urgency is significantly diminished, and the whole process slows down.  A good real estate agent will offer you a comparable market analysis to delineate your home’s true market value and help you to price it appropriately.

Myth 2: Making improvements to your home will increase its sale price

Making improvements to your home can either benefit you or hurt you depending on the circumstances.  First of all, don’t go too crazy with the work you do.  While making relatively inexpensive improvements such as a new coat of paint on the interior or replanting the flower bed in your front yard are universally recommended and will help you sell your home; more expensive improvements may not actually pay off.  For instance, completely refurbishing your kitchen or adding a swimming pool may actually cost you money.  Although the improvements may increase the value of the home by $10,000, if they cost $20,000, they’re not worth it.  Investment/price discrepancies like this are especially likely to happen if there are not any comparable properties in the area which buyers can use as a baseline to establish a reasonable home value.

Another word of advice with improvements is to keep it simple and neutral.  Remember that when selling a home, you’re trying to appeal to the widest cross section of potential buyers possible.  So while it’s true that at least a few buyers might like candy apple red walls with bright yellow molding, many more people will be satisfied with beige walls and white molding.  Overall, buyers are looking for a home that is move-in ready – in other words – a home that is in good repair, with a clean and neutral look.

Myth 3: Successful sellers don’t negotiate

You shouldn’t view the buyer as your adversary.  After all, if you argue with every single potential buyer you meet, you’ll never sell your home.  Real estate agents recommend that sellers set their home at a reasonable price and approach the process with a positive attitude.  Being willing to make minor compromises can be the difference between selling your home today, and having it sit on the market for another six months.

Myth 4:  Buyers are able to clearly see potential in homes that need a little work

Most buyers actually have difficulty seeing the potential in homes that need improvements.  This is why many real estate agents recommend that sellers make minor enhancements to their home (such as a fresh coat of paint) before putting it on the market.  Most buyers are looking for a home that is ‘move-in-ready’ and making minor repairs/updates can really help speed up the sale of your house.

Myth 5: Advertising is a great way to sell your house

Advertising is used to generate interest in a home, not make it sell.  Throwing money at ads for a poorly maintained house will not magically cause it sell.  Rather than spend money on advertising, you are far better off researching the correct price for your home and spending your money on any minor repairs/improvements that are necessary.  When used in moderation, advertising is a great thing, but you should understand that it will not be the determining factor in the sale of your home; it will only generate interest in it.  The home’s condition and price are what the buyer will use to determine whether or not he actually wishes to make the purchase.

That concludes our list of 5 common myths and truths about selling your home and we hope you were able to get some good insight into the home selling process. If you have some myths of your own that we didn’t cover please add them to the comments!

If you are currently in the market for a new home make sure and check out the MoversAtlas.com MoveMap which provides in depth information on real estate, neighborhoods, and their surrounding communities!

3 Imporant Things You Should Do Before Selling Your Home

You only have once chance to make a good first impression. This applies to meeting new people as well as other situations such as selling your home. That is why it is very important to always put your best foot forward.  There is a reason you tips for selling your homeare to dress nice during an interview no matter what the job is, being presentable sells better and is more appealing than the alternative.  This goes true for when you place your home on the market also.  Putting your best foot forward does not mean lying or being deceptive to anyone, there is just an important aspect to show others the full potential of what you are trying to sell.  You should take the following tips into consideration before you sell your home, keep in mind after this is all said and done you may change your mind and want to keep the house after all!  Either way the home improvements will be well worth it.

1. Maximize Curb Appeal

The best selling aspect of a home is what I like to consider the initial “meet and greet” while you are staring down at the directions and trying to navigate the new unfamiliar neighborhood you pull up to what seems to be your destination.  Those feelings you get when you pull up to the curb, confirm the address, shut off your vehicle and look at the house you are considering while briefly comparing it to the neighbor’s houses.  This is known in the real estate world as curb appeal.  At this point the person looking at the house has already predetermined whether they will consider the rest of the house or just being polite to complete the walk-through.  The curb appeal must include everything that can be seen standing in the front yard much like paint, landscaping, lights and fences.  Some items that homeowners should also consider would be a clean roof and gutters, a freshly pressure washed drive way and sidewalks along with clean windows and nice blinds.  If you are trying to get the highest dollar amount for your home and have neglected your grass, the fence has missing panels and there is a small forest growing out of your gutters I promise you people will notice and move onto the next home or give you a low ball offer.  Keep in mind a lot of these items can easily be completed by the average homeowner with not a lot of money……just be ready to sweat a little.

2. Clean, Clean, and Clean Some More!

The next item I would recommend is your attention to the cleanliness of the interior of your house.  You have lived in your house for years and cleaned once a week or even more often but are there things you have missed?  Cleaning before selling should be extreme cleaning!  This should include scrubbing base boards, dusting doors, door frames, light fixtures, fans and vanities, inside drawers and behind furniture (yes even the pieces that haven’t been moved in 10 years).  You should be pulling out the washer and dryer to wipe, dust and mop behind them along with polishing and resealing that stainless steel sink in the kitchen.   Anything you can clean, polish, scrub and shampoo I would highly recommend doing before putting your home on the market.

3.  De-Clutter and Pack Away Everything But The Bare Essentials

Clutter is another big item that many might not even realize because these items have been accumulated over the past several years and have made homes on shelves, drawers and coffee tables.  When people tour a home they can understand you are stilling living in the house but they don’t need to see every knick-knack on the mantles, counters and book shelves from the last 20 years.  The potential buyer is looking around to see where their big screen TV would fit and how they could make it their home.  With this said you need to de-clutter and since you are looking to move I would recommend beginning to pack the clutter in boxes and put it in the attic or even a storage unit.  If you keep the bare essentials required to live it will make it much easier for the potential buyer to visualize it as their own.  Also there are times when even removing things like large pieces of furniture from living areas or even spare bedrooms that could make a difference on how big or small the spaces look.  The extra king size bed in your spare bedroom and 12 piece sectional couch may be nice but if it dwarfs the rooms they are in than your home may not be as appealing as it could be.

These ideas are extrememly beneficial and inexpensive when looking to sell your home. With a little elbow grease and a fresh new look you will give your house a better chance at selling for your asking price.  While you are preparing your home to be put on the market make sure and keep up the research on your new potential home with the tools on www.MoversAtlas.com.