Jack Snyder
of the Sentinel Staff
Posted April 9, 2001
It's cold, wet and often windy this time of year in Newton Mezens, a small town near Glasgow, Scotland, and home
to Alexander and Sandra Gregor.
But the weather doesn't bother the Gregors a bit. That's because they invested in a house in Central Florida and
spend the worst months here, hosting visitors from back home and enjoying the attractions.
But when they return to Scotland, their house here doesn't sit empty. They rent it to tourists like themselves,
generating income to help cover the cost of the home and their own return trips.
The Gregors aren't alone. They are part of an investment explosion in short-term single-family homes, concentrated
in the tourist district south-southwest of Walt Disney World. Virtually unheard of a little more than a decade
ago, the number of foreigners buying and then renting single-family houses to mostly foreign visitors has mushroomed,
and the trend is enticing major developers into building entire subdivisions dedicated to such sales.
Their impact on Central Florida is great.