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Foreclosure Bus Tour for potential Orlando home buyers

We have all heard of bus tours showcasing the homes of the rich and famous ... but the recent credit crunch that has spread across America has led to another sort of bus tour: the Foreclosure Bus Tour. That's right, potential home buyers looking to grab up a piece of Orlando, Florida real estate can now take a six-hour bus tour featuring various homes that have been foreclosed in the area.

It's no secret that foreclosures have been on the rise over the past year to alarming levels, but the Foreclosure Bus Tour is a symbol of just how bad things have become. The cost of the tour was $45 per person ($65 per couple) and included a continental breakfast and lunch at Applebee's. In addition to the food, the potential buyers were also given information on the homes, as well as some important teaching lessons that any potential home buyer could benefit from.

All in all, it seems like a decent way to go out and look at a whole bunch of properties all at once (the tour featured seven different available properties). At each stop the potential buyers got first hand access to a home inspector who walked them through the house, and between stops they were able to chat with a mortgage broker. The tour also had lawyers on hand to discuss any legal questions that came up during the trip. Not too bad for $45.

Continue reading Foreclosure Bus Tour for potential Orlando home buyers

Wish upon a star for Disney's earnings?

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), along with the other media conglomerates, have been pummeled this year amid concerns about slowing advertising sales and the Hollywood writers' strike. Though the declines are understandable for other companies, such as Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), they are overblown in the case of the house built by Mickey.

For one thing, the weak dollar makes Disney's resorts, particularly Florida's Walt Disney World, attractive for visitors from overseas. About 2.7 million of the 45.1 million in visitors to the Orlando area -- where Disney World is based -- come from overseas. About 53% of them came from Western Europe and 26% came from Canada, according to the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau. It would stand to reason that some of the drop off in domestic visitors could be made up from people from outside the U.S.

Continue reading Wish upon a star for Disney's earnings?

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DJIA-186.2210,278.18
NASDAQ-45.442,130.61
S&P 500-23.671,086.96

Last updated: November 27, 2009: 09:57 AM

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