Orange County acts as your city hall

Because Pine Hills has no city government, questions that would go to a city hall elsewhere go to Orange County. The county issues building permits, runs code enforcement, and records code enforcement liens. Homes here use Orlando mailing addresses, which sometimes leads owners to call the City of Orlando about a problem the city has no record of.

Code fines that go unpaid can become liens under Florida law, and daily fines continue to accrue until the violation is corrected. On a homestead, the county generally cannot foreclose on a code lien, yet the lien still has to be satisfied or negotiated down before a buyer gets clear title. If you have an open case or an old lien, we look it up during our review, and the title company settles it from the proceeds at closing.

Block houses from the Pine Hills building boom

Pine Hills was built out largely in the 1950s and 1960s, with streets of concrete block ranch homes on modest lots along and around Pine Hills Road, Silver Star Road, and West Colonial Drive. They are sturdy houses, but most have had sixty or more years of patches, and the same problems show up again and again.

  • Cast iron drain lines and galvanized supply pipes near the end of their life
  • Jalousie windows and original exterior doors
  • Carports and garages enclosed into bedrooms without a permit
  • Electrical panels that insurers will not accept
  • Low-slope roof sections over additions that leak
  • Overgrown lots and trees hanging over the roof

Landlords and Pine Hills rentals

Many Pine Hills homes are rentals, owned by everyone from families who kept a parent's house to investors with several properties. We hear from owners dealing with tenants who stopped paying, turnovers that uncovered water damage or pests, and rentals that no longer cover their own insurance and repairs. We buy occupied homes, can take more than one property in a single transaction, and can review a lease or an eviction that is already underway.

Vacant and inherited houses

When the original owner of a Pine Hills house passes away, the home often sits empty while the family sorts out probate. An empty house draws problems: overgrown yards, break-ins, and code citations that turn into fines. If you are the personal representative or an heir, we can make an offer that allows for the 9th Judicial Circuit's probate timeline, and the family does not need to empty the house or mow the yard first.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pine Hills part of the City of Orlando?

No. It is unincorporated Orange County, even though homes use Orlando mailing addresses, so permits and code cases go through the county.

How does closing work if there is a code lien?

The title company gets the lien amount from the county, and it is usually paid from the sale proceeds at closing, so you typically do not need cash to clear it first.

Do you buy several Pine Hills rentals at once?

Yes. Send us the list, and we can make one offer for the group or price each house separately, closing together or one at a time.

Can I sell a vacant house that has been broken into?

Yes. We buy vacant homes with break-in damage, missing fixtures, or overgrown yards as they are.