Thinking of Moving to Orlando?
Discover what living in America's most beautiful city is like.
If you're thinking about relocating to Orlando and currently in the process of researching various cities around the sunshine state, you're in the right place. This page has been put together to help you gain a good overview of the Orlando area, what the city offers its residents in terms of lifestyle, amenities, job opportunities and healthcare. We also encourage you to reach out to Justin Pekarek, our Orlando relocation expert, as he is glad to answer any questions you may have about the Orlando real estate market including housing costs and annual living expenses.About Orlando, FL
Located in Orange County, Orlando is the third largest metropolitan area in Florida with a total population of 2,673,376, (US Census Data). Averaging 233 sunny days per year, this city is home to more than a dozen popular theme parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and LEGOLand. Full-time residents of America's most beautiful city enjoy an average year-round temperature of 73’ degrees which is perfect for a wide variety popular outdoor activities including fitness, exploring theme parks or popular music and craft festivals. This expanding city is commonly ranked as a "Best Place to Retire" and a "Top Place to Live" in the entire county with its best-selling, master-planned residential community of Lake Nona, top-rated hospitals, a popular dining scene and overall high quality of life.Experience Orlando in 60 seconds in the following video.
Orlando Awards & Accolades
The Orlando area commonly receives awards and accolades for its high-quality of life for millennials and retirees alike. See recent awards listed below.- 2024
Orlando Named the #2 "Most Fun City" in America - WalletHub Orlando Ranks as the #6 "Best Place to Retire" in Florida - U.S. News & World Report - 2023
Top 10 Reasons to Relocate to Orlando
- Orlando is Top-Rated City to Retire In
Orlando was recently rated as the "#6 Best Place to Retire" in Florida in 2024 by WalletHub. This study evaluated many metrics including the affordability of home and retirement services, access to quality healthcare and the overall happiness and quality of life for local residents. - Florida Has No State Income Tax
One large benefit of becoming a Florida resident is the lack of a state income tax. This allows you to save more of each dollar you earn. Rather than charge Floridians a state income tax, the state earns revenues from the millions of tourists that visit the sunshine state each year through a 7% sales tax (state level) and a 5% tourist tax (county level) from revenues on rental properties and hotel stays that are for six months or less. Once you declare Florida as your residence, you’ll be thankful for the tourists who pay your share of the state taxes. - Orlando is Home to Over a Dozen Theme Parks
With over a dozen world-class theme parks to explore in your backyard, you're sure to find fun for all ages.
- Orlando Has Top-Rated Healthcare & Hospitals
The greater Orlando area has several top-rated hospitals including AdventHealth Orlando and the Orlando Regional Medical Center. For a complete guide of the best Orlando area hospitals, view US News & World Reports' annual Orlando hospital rankings list. You can refine the list of hospitals by specialty and healthcare type. - Orlando Real Estate Offers Good Value
The Orlando real estate market has been growing rapidly in recent years due to an influx of persons relocating to the area, but Orlando and central florida still offers real estate at a lower price per square foot than living in Tampa Bay or the larger cities of South Florida. At the start of April 2024, the median Orlando home price is $384,415 and the median Orlando monthly rent is $2,030 per month. Living on a lakefront, golf course of near downtown will obviously cost more. To find out exact housing costs, the most preferred and popular neighborhoods people are moving into, contact Justin Pekarek, our Orlando relocation expert listed on this page. - Orlando Offers a Year-Round Playground
With an average year-round temperature of 73’ degrees and 233 sunny days per year, Orlando is a top Florida city for outdoor enthusiasts. If you enjoy watersport activities, try kayaking or paddle boarding through the Winter Park Chain of Lakes. If you prefer landside recreation, Orlando offers miles of biking, jogging and pet-friendly trails. If you like to observer the native wildlife and birds, enjoy an airboat ride through the Florida everglades. - Orlando Has a Strong Job & Employment Market
Boasting an unemployment rate of only 3.2% in early 2024, which is well below the national average, Orlando’s job and employment market continues to be very robust. Top sectors in the Orlando economy include hospitality & tourism, healthcare, professional services, education, and retail. Largest employers in the greater Orlando area include Walt Disney World, Orange County Public Schools, State of Florida Government and Adventist Health System. - Orlando is a Great City to Start a Business
With an expanding population, Orlando is the top-rated large city in America to start a business. In late 2023, WalletHub ranked Orlando as the #1 Best Large City in America to start a new business based upon 20 key factors including average growth rate per industry, current competition in the area, investor access to funding as well as local labor costs. View the Best Cities to Start a Business rankings. - Orlando Has Great Dining & Cuisine Options
The greater Orlando area offers a wide variety of eateries and dining establishments from casual pet-friendly sidewalk cafes to elegant, five-star restaurants. There’s also a growing scene of popular craft breweries and beer gardens to check out such as Redlight, Redlight, The Thirsty Topher and the Half Barrel Beer Project. Many of these places offer a pet-friendly vibe, live entertainment and some places even offer corn hole, darts and foosball while you enjoy a fresh, local-craft brew. - Orlando Offers Endless Events to Explore
Orlando offers an active scene of year-round events including outdoor food and craft beer festivals, musical performances, car shows and film festivals. Popular Orlando events include the Orlando Film Festival, Orlando Chili Cook-Off, Tacos & Tequila, Whiskey Business, Beer 'Merica, Orlando Greek Fest, MegaCon and the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Justin Pekarek
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The Orlando Real Estate Market
Market outlook, trends and relocation advice by Justin Pekarek.
The Greater Orlando area remains a popular relocation destination for families to enjoy Florida's great weather, theme parks, beaches, and to work from home. Particularly, the newer construction areas of Lake Nona on the southeast side of Orlando International Airport as Lake Nona’s medical city and now Disney Campus announced to be built there. Newer Resale homes as well as new construction are in high demand and in short supply. Some builders are using a bidding system and charging high lot premiums for the chance to build a new home there, and it could take longer to complete, as much as 18 months build time.
Getting into the best school districts and newer neighborhoods like Laureate Park, Eagle Creek, and parts of Winter Garden's Horizon west in a newer home is what most relocations hunt for, and thus it has become a fast-paced competitive market to get a property in this category. Expect to pay upwards of $250/square foot or more, including going over asking price with cash or very few contingencies, to have the chance to be the winning bidder on a high-quality resale home, or new lots that get released to build on.
As the Fed has increased interest rates many times over the past 18 months, which was anticipated by lenders, homes are now taking roughly 30-45 days on market to sell, and need to be priced "right" as there are now fewer buyers for each home.
My outlook for the Orlando real estate market is that we are heading back to a "balanced" market where buyers will have the time to decide which house and offer structure they want to go with, to some degree. Listings that have unique qualities, including renovations already done, swimming pools, larger lot sizes, and in locations with the best school districts, these continue to sell quickly and for high prices. We foresee in the months ahead that more sellers will cash out of their equity gained in these properties and may need contingency offers to be able to sell their home before they buy. Additionally, always be on the look-out for "deals" where an un-renovated home in a nice neighborhood may be able to be purchased at a discount, where a motivated seller is in place.
Getting into the best school districts and newer neighborhoods like Laureate Park, Eagle Creek, and parts of Winter Garden's Horizon west in a newer home is what most relocations hunt for, and thus it has become a fast-paced competitive market to get a property in this category. Expect to pay upwards of $250/square foot or more, including going over asking price with cash or very few contingencies, to have the chance to be the winning bidder on a high-quality resale home, or new lots that get released to build on.
Read my market forecast
Orlando Housing Market Outlook
Growth will continue in Orlando’s most popular suburbs such as Lake Nona, Winter Garden, and established areas like Dr Phillips, Windermere, and Winter Park. Affordability of homes is getting tighter, and yet more and more relocations discover the Central Florida market, which is influencing our pricing locally.As the Fed has increased interest rates many times over the past 18 months, which was anticipated by lenders, homes are now taking roughly 30-45 days on market to sell, and need to be priced "right" as there are now fewer buyers for each home.
My outlook for the Orlando real estate market is that we are heading back to a "balanced" market where buyers will have the time to decide which house and offer structure they want to go with, to some degree. Listings that have unique qualities, including renovations already done, swimming pools, larger lot sizes, and in locations with the best school districts, these continue to sell quickly and for high prices. We foresee in the months ahead that more sellers will cash out of their equity gained in these properties and may need contingency offers to be able to sell their home before they buy. Additionally, always be on the look-out for "deals" where an un-renovated home in a nice neighborhood may be able to be purchased at a discount, where a motivated seller is in place.
Market Trends I'm Observing
Cash buyers and strong financing offers with very little contingencies in place tend to win in multiple offer situations, so being ready with your finances is key. Buyers tend to gravitate to homes with larger lots, because in the new construction areas, many of the homes are packed close together. New builds are tougher to find and being ready when the builder releases a phase of lots is the way to win.My Relocation Advice
When relocating it is so important to narrow down the areas of Orlando you want to target, and don’t just look at new construction since those locations may be further out from the best schools and amenities, being that we are in an Urban Sprawl. Have enough time to hunt for resale homes that pop up for sale as well as lots to be released by builders, and be ready when they do. Consider purchasing a smaller townhome to live in for a year or two while you build your larger "forever home" in your favorite area of Orlando, to avoid paying high rent prices as you wait for the perfect resale or new construction opportunity.Orlando Relocation Reviews:
Read what Justin's past clients are saying.
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"Justin is a true professional! When we first relocated to Orlando, we had decided to rent to learn about the neighborhoods before commiting to buy/build. Justin showed us a variety of properties in different neighborhoods based on proximity to work. He found us the perfect rental for my wife and two kids (4 and 2). As we lived in Laureate Park, we fell in love with the community and began to explore our options. Justin found us the perfect inventory home with an ideal floor plan we were looking for!"
Raphael Y.
Home Buyer -
"Justin was a great help from start to finish. Excellent knowledge of all neighbourhoods in central Florida and always available to help with any questions. Highly recommend!"
Past Client
Home Buyer -
"I was so lucky to have Justin as my buyer agent. He was excellent and professional in helping me to review and evaluate the properties we looked at. Now our whole family is joyfully living in our new home. I highly recommend Justin for all of you who are looking for a property in Orlando area!"
Past Client
Home Buyer
