(photo: credits)
It’s not my current house that i’m talking about it is my old apartment complex I used to live at in Metro West which was converted to condos (aka condo conversion). It seems that the news of the Orlando housing crisis has hit big news headlines like MSNBC. According to the MSNBC article there were alot of investors who purchased within the complex hoping to turn a profit. I could see why because when the housing market was booming the Metro West and Dr. Phillips area was the prime place to live. It provided a place with easy access to everywhere… 15 mins to Downtown Orlando, 5 mins to Universal Studios, and 10 mins to Disney World. However since the housing market has taken a dive so has the neighborhood… the crime has increased and so has the for sale signs.

When I was living in Metro West I actually lived in the place that is mentioned in the MSNBC article. The place was called the Hamptons at Metro West… However, it wasn’t always called that. When i first moved into the place it was called Park Avenue apartments. Then from my understanding when the company who owned it decided to go condo conversion the renamed it to The Hamptons.

Well I must say I am glad I didn’t purchase from there and I feel a bit sorry for the people who did. But, then again real estate is like a long time investment sometimes you get lucky other times you don’t.

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I live in Orlando, Florida (near Disney World) and all over the news lately there are reports of various crimes in and around the area. So I did some research and came across a map that shows all the crimes that are happening in the City of Orlando. The map also shows what type of crimes they are… property crime, violent crime, or other crimes. Check out this link to find out what I’m talking about when it comes to crime in Orlando. You’ll be amazed at what you will find.

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As I mentioned before I’m in the process of installing IKEA Laminate flooring (link). I started the DIY process this past Friday night (May 9th). Below are the steps that I’ve taken so far as well as what I have left to complete the job… I’m probably about 85% complete with the laminate floor installation project.

Step 1.) I moved as much furniture out of the room. [complete]
Step 2.) Pull up the base boards around the room. [complete]
Step 3.) Pull up and cut the carpet into sections small enough to place into large trash bags. [complete]
Step 4.) Pull up and cut the carpet padding into small enough to place into large trash bags. [complete]
Step 5.) Tape board spacers onto wall to guide the laminate wood along the wall (seen in photo w/blue tape). [complete]
Step 6.) Place installation / padding board onto floor then tape them together. [complete]
Step 7.) Start to lay down laminate flooring from one side to another and cut where needed. The angle in my living room suck to cut as well as around door ways! [incomplete still needs about 1/4 of the room to fill]
Step 8.) Place the trim /border along the bottom of the floor. I’m going to go with a 4 inch version this time. The previous owners had the cheap 2 inch stuff throughout the whole place. [incomplete]

To fully complete steps 7 & 8 I must continue my IKEA laminate floor installation project next weekend. So be sure to check back next weekend to catch a glimpse of the completed laminate floor.

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I went to the Orlando IKEA store today to check out their laminate flooring and furniture. Reason being I’m looking to replace the carpet in about 85% of my house. A while ago I replace the flooring in my office which was a pain. However, from learning what I now know about installing laminate floors I feel a little more confident to do more rooms in my house. Here is the laminate flooring I plan to buy from IKEA… It’s called SLÄTTEN it’s a new laminate floor they have at IKEA. It’s priced at a very affordable price: ($16.09 per box / 24.757 sq feet / Price per sq feet: $0.64). When I tried to shop at any of the local hardware stores the lowest price per sq foot was in the range of ($1.11-$1.47). Well I guess it pays to shop around… IKEA is a great place to find deals!

Get $500 to Shop for Furniture at IKEA

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While living in Central Florida (Orlando) I’ve always wondered if there were any Contemporary Style Homes in and around the area. It wasn’t till recently I came across this site (CentralFloridaModern.com) that allowed me to see further then where I was looking. Read the rest of this entry »

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