TerraLargo – Premier Gated Community in North Lakeland FL Discover a Tuscan oasis under the Florida sun with TerraLargo’s premier gated community in North Lakeland. Beyond this luxurious private entrance off Sleepy Hill Road, you are welcomed by lavishly manicured gardens and water fountains as you make your way around the circular driveways into TerraLargo’s premier community.  Looking for a resort-style living with tranquility in mind? Inspired by the rolling hills of Italy’s Tuscan region, TerraLargo is one of the newest communities in North Lakeland. It is situated on 650 acres, reminiscent of a romantic Tuscan countryside allowing for a total of 618 single family homes.  While driving on the winding roads, luxurious homes are situated on the hillside with its protected conservation... 04/01/2010

First Friday in Lakeland Florida – Local Event “Sun ‘n Fun Skyward Festival” – April 2nd, 2010 With Lakeland’s Annual Sun ‘n Fun just around the corner, the folks of Downtown Lakeland Partnership and organizers of the Sun ‘n Fun came together in marriage for this First Friday’s event of “Sun ‘n Fun Skyward Festival” on April 2nd, 2010. What a cool way to have an event, such as First Friday’s Sun ‘n Fun Skyward Festival filled with entertainment and excitement leading to Lakeland’s major event of the year  “Annual Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In. Entertainment for the whole family to enjoy   It all starts at 6:00 p.m. and to get everyone’s attention, a pre-fly teaser above Main Street. While Kentucky Avenue, Lemon Street to Bay Street is filled with activities, Tennessee Avenue is filled with a classi... 03/31/2010

The Obama Administration has now made some changes to its $75 billion Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) to help homeowners in the Lakeland real estate area avoid foreclosure. Designed to help 3 to 4 million homeowners nationwide by 2012, the plan is currently falling short of this goal, with a total of only about 170,000 homeowners being helped thus far. While there is currently no specific time frame, the plan should be available in the next few months.  The HAMP re-design is focusing on jobless homeowners and those who are "underwater", meaning that their mortgage is larger than the value of their home. Right now, approximately 6 million homeowners have missed at least two mortgage payments while another 10 to 12 million are expected to be in danger of foreclosure in the nex... 03/31/2010

Sherwood Forest – Rural Community in North Lakeland FL   The rural community of Sherwood Forest is located in North Lakeland of Polk County. When visiting this community and its smaller subdivision, Robin Hood and Little John comes first to my mind; with mature oak trees, conservation area and Sherwood Lakes its beautiful country setting you will find that the name Sherwood Forest is perfect. Looking for a rural neighborhood that borders the City of Lakeland FL? Sherwood Forest provides smaller subdivisions with its own entrance: Manors of Nottingham Yorkshire Derbyshire Buckingham Sherwood Lakes Sherwood Isle Nottingham Builders started to develop and building homes in this deed restricted non gated Sherwood Forest Community in the late 1980s, featuring single family and executive home... 03/30/2010

Amanda Oaks is a beautiful, prestigous, gated, community in Lakeland. The homes are all gorgeous, custom built homes on larger lots. The subdivision is located near the excellent schools of Scott Lake Elementary, Lakeland Highlands and George Jenkins High School. Come experience the Florida Lifestyle in Lakeland with the nearby sparkling beaches of Clearwater Beach and  just a little bit to the south is St. Pete Beach. It is a just short drive  to I-275 and then it is an easy commute to Largo, Clearwater, Bradenton,  St. Petersburg, or  a quick trip to MacDill Air Force Base or go east to the theme parks of Disney World, Sea World or Universal Studios. Let us show you your new home in Lakeland today! Just contact us at Solaris Realty of TampaBay. Whether you ever wanted a luxury home wi... 03/29/2010

Bloomfield Hills – Outstanding Neighborhood in North Lakeland Bloomfield Hills Neighborhood located in North Lakeland of Polk County, has country charm and is just a short drive from downtown Lakeland, major shopping centers, schools, churches and medical facilities. Looking for a rural subdivision that borders the City of Lakeland FL? Bloomfield Hills was built in five phases in the early 1990s – late 2000s, featuring about 160 luxurious, single family and executive homes on large lots that were built by local custom builder Ernie White and Allen Damron , Arthur Rutenberg.  It is a deed restricted subdivision with low annual Home Owner’s Association Dues.  Conveniently located just off Hwy 98N and Gib-Galloway Road, Bloomfield Hills homes for sale offer great architectural style and qu... 03/29/2010

The Sandpiper Golf & Country Club Community in Lakeland Florida is a 55+ community offering the best for an active Florida lifestyle. This affordable community is located in North Lakeland minutes from Interstate 4 with easy access to shopping, churches and medical facilities. The Sandpiper Golf and County Club is open to the public. There are six entrances to the community giving visitors easy access from North Socrum Loop, Old Polk City Road, and Walt Loop Road. For its resident the community offers a variety of activities: Golfing Swimming Shuffle Board Tennis Walking Fitness Dining Visitors driving into this great community will notice immediately an active lifestyle with residents playing a round of golf, swimming, walking on the designated walkway surrounded by mature oak, pine an... 03/28/2010

Lakeland Real Estate Update - 03/01/10-03/15/10 Update for the Lakeland FL real estate market! There are 1948 homes for sale throughout Lakeland, Florida – as of 03/26/10. Newly listed homes for the period of March 1st through March 15th increased to 178 Lakeland homes for sale. The average sales price of Lakeland homes listed with area Realtors® increased to $189,769 from my previous report. The types of homes and average prices for sale in Lakeland, Florida according to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are as follows: 2 duplex units with a sales price of $87,450 10 condos listed with an average sales price of $105,450 20 mobile homes listed with an average sales price of $64,320 6 Townhomes/Villas listed with an average sales price of $83,967 140 single family homes with an average... 03/26/2010

North Lakeland provides you affordable living at its best, especially in today’s real estate market. Today’s buyers are looking for great location with easy access to amenities and I’m here to tell you all about buying a home in North Lakeland. Lakeland Florida is known to its residents when being asked where you live in Lakeland to give an answer to live in North Lakeland or South Lakeland.  Living in North Lakeland since 1993 I have soon realized its convenient location to shopping, schools, hospital, churches, dining, recreation and easy access to major highways and interstate.   North Lakeland has many valuable aspects and while I have traveled the roads of Lakeland, each location and each neighborhood brings value and its own characteristics to the city of Lakeland, which why I cal... 03/25/2010

For one week in April from 13th- 18th, Linder Airport will become the busiest airport in North America during the 36th annual Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In event held in Lakeland, Florida. It is estimated that this gathering will entertain about 170,000 visitors from around the county and the world.  The 2010 Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In event will be staged on 850 acre footprint of the Lakeland Linder Airport engaging all levels of aviation enthusiast, professional pilots, aviation students and kids of dreaming to fly an airplane, as well as folks who design, build and fly their own airplane. What is there to see? The open field of the airport will showcase world-class collection of vintage, one seated ultralights, warbrids, homebuilt, hot air balloon, military aircrafts such as the C-17, B-52 bomber and man... 03/24/2010

While living in Lakeland or visiting with your kids or grandkids, a wonderful learning opportunity awaits in downtown Lakeland at the Explorations V Children's Museum. While museum members and kids under 2 get in free, adults and kids up to age 65 will have to pay $5. Those over 65 get in for only $2.50, not a bad price for a whole lot of fun!  Let's see what's going on!  On the Lower Level: Learn about the life and times of an orange, one of Florida's best-known exports, with a hands-on exhibit showing you all the things an orange can do during its lifetime.  Up to the Main Floor: Only kids under 4 can participate in the Tot Spot exhibit where they can crawl, build, climb and explore a special exhibit just for them.  Kids will learn about medicine and nature at the Body Shop and Fun Pa... 03/24/2010

Lakeland Florida Short Sale and Foreclosure Market Report – February 2010 For the month of February, Lakeland real estate market of short sales and bank-owned (REO) properties had a market share of 56%. There were a total of 86 properties sold in February, compared to 88 in January and 63 distressed Lakeland homes sold the year prior, according to Mid-Florida Regional MLS. Currently there are a total of 1,946 Lakeland homes for sale and 543 Lakeland homes under contract (03/22/2010). By calculating total inventory, homes that are under contract are included in my inventory share because these properties have not closed in which a buyer could walk away at any given time. Bank owned properties – Inventory share is 14.34% Short sale properties – Inventory share is 24.69% The Graph below co... 03/22/2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Petra Norris Contact Person: Petra Norris Company Name: CDV TransAtlantic, Inc. Telephone Number: 863-619-6918 Email Address: petra@petranorris.com Web site address: www.lakelandfloridaliving.com Petra Norris Earns NAR Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification Buyers and Sellers Benefit from REALTOR® Expertise in Distressed Sales Lakeland – Florida, March 20, 2010 Petra Norris, Realtor®, managing Broker with CDV TransAtlantic, Inc Real Estate Brokerage has earned the nationally recognized Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource certification. The National Association of REALTORS® offers the SFR certification to REALTORS® who want to help both buyers and sellers navigate these complicated transactions, as demand for professional expertise with distressed sale... 03/20/2010

Lakeland Real Estate Update - Homes Sales for February 2010 In my last month Lakeland Real Estate market report, I asked the question, “Will the roller coaster ride continue in 2010?” Folks, brace for a nose dive! Although there were 152 Lakeland homes sold in February, average and median prices took a double digit steep decline.  Distressed properties are still driving down market values with over 55% of market share. Lakeland Homes sold in February: 152 - previous month:  145 – previous year February 09: 125 sold February - average sales price $111,759 Previous month: $126,320 (- 11.53%) – previous year February 09: $132,802 (-15.85%) February - median sales price $96,000 Previous month: $112,900 (-14.97%) – previous year February 09: $125,000 (23.2%) The graph below represents averag... 03/18/2010

We recently discussed the presence of termites in Lakeland real estate, and among other termite truths, I suggested that it was a good idea to have your home inspected for termites on a regular schedule. This advice goes for those purchasing a home for their family as well. Now I want to mention some other areas that should be closely inspected when purchasing a new or used home in Lakeland.  1. Swimming Pool  Since Lakeland has good weather year-round, many homes have their own swimming pool. If buying a home with this great feature, be sure your inspector looks for cracks in the pool walls or tears in the pool liner. Be sure he checks the pump and looks for damage to any walkways surrounding the pool. Pool repairs are not something you want to encounter in your new home.  2. Heating a... 03/17/2010

Looking for a good auto body and paint shop here in Lakeland Florida? When roads are slick, caution must be taken when driving a car.  When the beautiful Florida sun is setting in front of your eyes while driving, caution must be taken when driving a car.  Fender bender happens every day. January 1st, well 2nd started out with a bang!  I drove with my daughters and grandkids to the Orlando outlet mall shopping and had a wonderful time.  As we were leaving the outlet mall the sun was setting and traffic was backed up leading to a major road – bumper to bumper traffic.  Needless to say, someone hit me in the rear, nothing major but it was obvious my car had bumper damage.  I was in need of a local body and paint shop in Lakeland, Florida. About a couple of weeks later, the check from the ... 03/11/2010

Let's face it, lots of people who move to Lakeland real estate are older, or as we say, mature people. This means that they may need more handicap accessibility in their homes, now or in the years ahead. If you or someone you know needs a home that is handicap accessible, here are some tips for creating a user-friendly for those with disabilities.  1. Not all improvements need to cost a lot. Moving clutter out of the way of an individual in a wheelchair or navigating the house with a walker can go a long way to making their life easier and the threat of falls less.  2. For people with arthritis or other problems with their hands, removing door knobs and installing door handles will help. Check home improvement stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot to see what they have available. Again th... 03/10/2010

Are distressed homeowners making the right decision by walking away? One of the most talked about subject you read or watch on television today is the housing crisis.  Homeowners walking away from their homes they can no longer afford.  As I was reading an article titled: “To walk or not to walk: underwater homeowners face dilemma”, I asked myself what I would do when faced with the decision of walking away. The rise in foreclosure filings were first blamed on mortgage fraud and predatory lending practices. That is not the only case any longer.  Here in Florida, folks are faced with lay off’s resulting in double digit unemployment rates and now folks who still have a job, like my husband are faced with less than 40 hours work week reducing their income by 20% or more.   My parents never... 03/10/2010

Update for the Lakeland FL real estate market! There are 1912 homes for sale throughout Lakeland, Florida – as of 03/09/10. The inventory of Lakeland homes for sale in the past few months hovers around 1900. Newly listed homes for the period of February 16th through February 28th decreased to 135 Lakeland homes for sale. The average sales price of Lakeland homes listed with area Realtors® increased to $165,281 from my previous report. The types of homes and average prices for sale in Lakeland, Florida according to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are as follows: 4 duplex units with a sales price of $138,425 4 condos listed with an average sales price of $61,325 10 mobile homes listed with an average sales price of $56,310 4Townhomes/Villas listed with an average sales price of $177,5... 03/09/2010

Lakeland Harrison School for the Arts presents “The Three Musketeers” Did you miss this wonderful play of Micah Ariel James adaptations of Dumas’ renowned novel of “The Three Musketeers” this past weekend? Great reviews of past performances! At last weekend’s almost sold out performances and raving reviews by patrons, you sure don’t want to miss this exciting production of “The Three Musketeers” that is being showcased by the Harrison School for the Arts’ talented group of theater students. For another weekend, you are encouraged to see this performance in the new Black Box Theatre located on 750 Lakeland Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland Florida 33801 on Friday, March 12th @ 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 13th @ 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinee, March 14th, 2010 @ 2:00 p.m. Under the direction of ... 03/08/2010