🔑 Keys in the Ignition
Hey neighbor 👋
Sweater weather has not made it to Central Florida, but the corn mazes and pumpkin patches don’t seem to care. This month: where to go around town, an honest look at the Clermont and Winter Garden market, and what’s really going on with Olympus and the Wellness Way corridor.
🎃 The Open Road
All ages
Southern Hill Farms Fall Festival (Clermont, through Nov 22). Open Fridays through Sundays plus select Thursdays. Tickets are $29.94 plus tax and fees, and they have to be bought online in advance. Buying on the day of costs $1 more. The ticket covers the activities on the farm. Check their calendar for which Thursdays are open.
Scaremont: Halloween on the Trail (Waterfront Park, Clermont, Tue Oct 27, 6:30 to 8:30 PM). Free. Trick-or-treat stations with the Clermont Police Department and local groups, the Creepy Clermont Costume Contest, and Hotel Transylvania at 7 PM.
Halloween on Halloween, both towns (Sat Oct 31). Start at the Downtown Clermont Harvest Festival (10 AM to 4 PM, West Montrose Street, presented by Clermont Main Street and Orlando Health South Lake Hospital), then head to Trick or Treat in Downtown Winter Garden (2 to 4 PM, free).
Halloween Light Show on City Hall (Downtown Winter Garden). The city has a 2026 schedule posted. In past years it ran select nights in the last week of October, 7 to 9 PM, free. Check the City of Winter Garden’s events page for this year’s exact nights.
Pumpkin Glow Trail (Oakland Nature Preserve, Fri Oct 23 evening and Sat Oct 24). Just up the road in Oakland. Check the preserve for times and tickets.
Pumpkin Painting (The Whole Enchilada, Winter Garden, Wed Oct 14, 7 to 9 PM). Free.
Horizon West Pet Fest (Sat Oct 17, 9 AM to 1 PM, Shoreside Way). Bring the dog.
Nights out
Suntoberfest (Downtown Clermont, Sat Oct 24 and Sun Oct 25, Suncreek Brewery, 790 W. Minneola Ave). Clermont’s own Oktoberfest, with music, beer and food, and the street closed for it. Check Suncreek Brewery’s Facebook page for hours and the full schedule.
October Wine Stroll (Downtown Clermont, Sat Oct 17, 6:30 to 9 PM). Sample wine at 20-plus local businesses. You pick up a glass and wristband at check-in.
Haunted Illusions (Garden Theatre, Winter Garden, Thu Oct 22, 7 to 9 PM). A spooky night out downtown. Check the Garden Theatre for tickets.
Oktoberfest Wiener Races (Crooked Can Brewing, Winter Garden, Sun Oct 25, 3 to 5 PM). Dachshunds, racing. Free to $20 depending on ticket type.
Haunted Monster Truck Ride at Showcase of Citrus, Clermont (select nights through Oct 31, rides from 7:45 to 10:15 PM). The organizer recommends it for ages 12 and up. Reservations are strongly suggested.
Every weekend
Winter Garden Farmers Market (every Saturday, 8 AM to 1 PM, Downtown Pavilion, 104 S. Lakeview Ave). More than 100 vendors, live music from 9 to 1, and free parking, including the garage at 160 S. Boyd St. Leashed dogs are welcome, and EBT/SNAP is accepted. The fountain and Butterfly Sculpture Park are right next door and worth a stop.
Downtown Clermont Farmers Market (every Sunday, 9 AM to 2 PM, 752 W. Montrose St).
Event details change. Check each organizer’s page before you head out.
📊 Honest Numbers
I’m going to give you ranges here, because the data sources don’t agree with each other and I’d rather be honest than precise.
Clermont: Median sale prices are roughly flat from last year, in the mid-to-upper $400s citywide. Homes are taking around two months to sell (60 to 68 days, depending on the source). Inventory is up compared with last year. The city also splits in two: in the 34711 zip, the median was around $470,000, and in 34714 it was around $500,000, but that south-side number is pushed up by new construction, which was nearly half of recent sales there. Resale homes in 34714 are closer to the low $400s.
Winter Garden: Prices here are up modestly over the last year (a little over 4% in one tracker), and homes are taking about 54 days to sell. It still costs more to buy here than in Clermont.
Buyers: You have more time and more room to negotiate than you’ve had in a few years. Use it, and ask for seller credits when the home has been sitting.
Sellers: Price to recent sales, not last year’s high. Well-prepared homes are still moving. Homes that aren’t are sitting.
Numbers are from public market trackers and a local market report, which vary by source. If you want exact figures for your street or neighborhood, email George and he’ll pull them for you.
🏗 Down the Road
You’ve probably seen the big Olympus numbers: thousands of jobs, over a billion dollars of impact, an ice center, a sports campus. Those projections have been around since the project was announced, and some of them are older than you’d think. Here’s where things actually stand today.
Olympus is a roughly 243-acre sports and wellness campus on US 27, approved by Clermont City Council back in 2019. The homes are coming first. David Weekley Homes broke ground on a model home at Reflections at Olympus in July. The sports venues, including the ice center, are still in the planning stage, and I haven’t seen a confirmed groundbreaking date.
Panther Run, a nearby plan covering about 2,241 acres, was approved by Lake County on September 1 by a 3 to 1 vote. It allows around 2,600 homes and over a million square feet of employment space. One local analyst expects groundbreaking in early 2027.
Roads: The SR 516 expressway is listed for a partial opening in spring 2027 and full completion in early 2029. The Independence Parkway extension is under construction into early 2027.
This corridor is growing, and the roads and homes are the proof. But the headline projects are promises until they’re built. If you’re buying out there, buy the house for the house, and treat the amenities as a bonus. Not as the reason.
🅿 End of the Road
Is there a fall event I missed, or a neighborhood you want me to dig into next month? Just email me. This newsletter goes to real people, and I read every response.
See you out there. 🧡
Real Estate Consultant | Dan Saffer Real Estate
Serving Clermont, Winter Garden, and the Four Corners