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

One of the best-known points of interest in the Lakeland real estate area may be Florida Southern College (FSC). Lakeland is home to the "Child of the Sun" collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, the largest collection on one site in the world.  The futuristic architect was first contacted in 1938 by Dr. Ludd Spivey, then president of FSC, to design a campus in Lakeland, Florida. Although FSC had no money to spend on special architecture, Spivey assured Wright that if he were to design the buildings, the money would be raised. Wright first visited Lakeland at the age of 67 in 1938 and his basic plan included 18 buildings, constructed of steel, sand and glass, coming "out of the ground, and into the light, a child of the sun" to quote Wright himself.  The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel was... 03/03/2010

With the cooler-than-normal winter weather we've had this year in the Lakeland real estate area, pool owners may be wondering if they really need to run the pool pump as much as in the heat of a Florida summer. Wouldn't it be just as good to put a floater of chlorine tablets in the pool and allow the pool pump to be off while the weather remains cool? Here are a few thoughts on winter pool maintenance, Florida style:  Purpose of Your Pool's Pump   Paul Roth, a member of the Florida Swimming Pool Association, an industry trade group, explains that the purpose of the pool pump is to circulate the pool water through the skimmer and main drain(s), through the filter and back into the pool. The pool filtration system depends on the pump being in operation.  Pool owners in the Lakeland real e... 02/24/2010

Update for the Lakeland FL real estate market! There are 1923 homes for sale throughout Lakeland, Florida – as of 02/19/10. While Lakeland homes inventory remains stable, newly listed homes for the period of February 1st through February 15th increased by 16.75% to 203 Lakeland homes for sale. The average sales price of Lakeland homes listed with area Realtors® increased to $165,715 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: 3 duplex units with a sales price of $48,267 6 condos listed with an average sales price of $141,417 18 mobile homes listed with an average sales price of $62,678 5 Townhomes/Villas listed with an average sales price of $107,440 171 single family homes ... 02/20/2010

Lakeland Florida Short Sale and Foreclosure Market Report – January 2010 The foreclosure and short sale market has affected all of us here in Lakeland, Florida with the ever decreasing home values in most neighborhoods if not all neighborhoods in our city.  High unemployment rates, influx in foreclosed properties for the foreseeable future and shadow inventory that has yet to hit the real estate market, highlighting the Lakeland distressed housing market for sellers, home buyers and investors is very important in determining their options whether buying or selling. Starting with this month Lakeland Florida Short Sale and Foreclosure market report, the distressed market report will have its own report.  For the month of January, Lakeland’s real estate market of short sales and bank-owned... 02/18/2010

Home shoppers everywhere have certain things they want in a home. And Lakeland real estate shoppers are no exception. With the economy in a downturn, home shoppers everywhere are looking for somewhat smaller, more energy efficient houses. But there are still certain things that they feel are must-haves and they're willing to cut down somewhere else to have them. Take a look:  1. The number one must-have is a large kitchen, preferably with an island. Most people feel that the kitchen is the heart of their home. Of course, it's where meals are prepared, but it's also often the gathering place for the whole family. Even when entertaining friends, everyone often winds up in the kitchen. Fill it with energy-efficient appliances to help save on energy costs.  2. A home office or study is a ro... 02/17/2010

Overall Lakeland Florida Real Estate Housing for January 2010 Last year’s overall Lakeland Florida Real Estate market was somewhat of a roller coaster ride with home prices up and down throughout the year.  Will the roller coaster ride continue in 2010? From the graph below you can see that Lakeland home prices have increased since October 2009 by almost 9%. Lakeland Homes sold in January: 145 - previous month:  194 – previous year January 09: 115 sold January - average sales price $126,320 Previous month: $123,866 (+ 2%) – previous year January 09: $130,334 (-3.08%) January - median sales price $112,900 Previous month: $113,950 (-0.92%) – previous year January 09: $96,000 (17.60%) The graph below represents average and median prices in Lakeland for various categories.  When our media p... 02/16/2010

The International Builders' Show took place last month in Las Vegas, and we are pleased to announce that Kathie McDaniel, our Sales and Marketing Director, represented Highland Homes at the event. We are so proud of her as she was not only an attendee, but a presenter. She and Mitch Levinson, managing partner of mRELEVANCE, presented to hundreds of attendees on social media and how it can be used to increase home sales. This was not the first year that Kathie was a speaker at the biggest industry trade show of the year, and this year's presentation as somewhat of a sequel to last year's. In 2009, she and Mitch were just introducing social media and Internet marketing, but this year, they were able to provide numbers, statistics and results to show exactly how you measure your results. W... 02/15/2010

How to stop Short Sale Buyers from walking away? More than ever before Short sales likely will be a part of the housing market for years to come.   One of the major obstacles for a short sale to reach a successful closing, the seller’s lender must approve the short sale.  Before it would get to that point the negotiation is only between the seller and the buyer and their real estate agents. I have and have read that Short Sale Buyers walking on more than one occasion, the major reasons for this the buyers are not committed, uninformed of the short sale process or simply are in fact false buyers.  The Effective Date dictates the timeline of the contract for sale and purchase.  An Effective Date occurs when the last one of the buyers and sellers has signed or initialed the offer or the fi... 02/13/2010

Lakeland, Florida's downtown area, known as Dixieland even to this day, was started by Lakeland real estate developers Henry B. Carter and C.W. Deen over a century ago, in 1907. They had purchased 160 acres between Lake Morton and Lake Hollingsworth and decided to call it Dixieland. It is believed that the name was in reference to the fact that this was the first subdivision to be developed south of downtown Lakeland.  Dixieland's streets were in place and a water system installed by the time Carter and Deen inserted ads in local newspapers touting Dixieland as a "fashionable suburb" of Lakeland as well as the "surest, safest investment in Florida." Dixieland continued to grow in the next few decades, becoming both a residential and commercial neighborhood. Private residences in Florida... 02/10/2010

Lakeland Florida Real Estate Market Review The graphs below provide you with some insight in the Lakeland Florida real estate market since 2003 – the rise and the fall of home sales and property values in Lakeland.   Real estate sales started to drop in 2006 as the number of Lakeland homes for sale increased by the month reaching the highest inventory of 2,303 homes for sale in 2006.  During the years 2007 and 2008 the inventory increased as sales tremendously decreased. Supply exceeded the demand by so much that if no other properties came on the market; it would have taken over 2.2 years to absorb all of Lakeland properties listed in the Multiple Listing (MLS). Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Sold Homes 2663 3116 3517 3137 2059 1624 1971 Average List Price    124,992.00    142... 02/09/2010

Lakeland Florida Annual Pancake Festival – February 13th, 2010 Hungry for sausage and pancake?  Lakeland Kiwanis Clubs is in full preparation for their 52nd annual Pancake Festival on Saturday, February 13th, 2010. Local volunteers from the Kiwanis Club will be up early to serve all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage and coffee at the hanger at Tiger Town starting at 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Come out and support Lakeland’s Kiwanis Club community programs.  There will be displays and booths by local merchants along with entertainment in the afternoon. Tickets at door is $5.00 adults; $2.00 children. Last year, my family enjoyed the good food and we were very impressed of how smooth and efficient the volunteers cooked and served pancakes, sausage and beverages.  The Kiwanis Club of Lakeland start... 02/08/2010

Lakeland Florida Real Estate Update ~ 01/16-01/31/10 Update on the Lakeland real estate market! There are 1903 homes for sale throughout Lakeland, Florida – as of 02/06/10; the number of homes for sale remained constant for the month of January. Newly listed homes for the period of January 15th through January 31st increased slightly to 169 Lakeland homes. The average sales price of Lakeland homes listed with area Realtors® decreased to $160,386 from my previous report. The types of homes and average prices just listed in Lakeland, Florida according to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are as follows: 1 duplex unit with a sales price of $95,800 7 condos listed with an average sales price of $97,243 15 mobile homes listed with an average sales price of $65,793 14 Townhomes/Villas liste... 02/06/2010

First Friday in Lakeland Florida – Local Event “Dancing in the Streets” – February 5th, 2010 12th, 2010 The rescheduled First Friday event of February 12, 2010 is canceled. We don't expect any snow in Lakeland unlike the folks in the panhandle of Florida, but we will get drenched in rain. UPDATE:  The weather was not co-operating yesterday for Lakeland's First Friday event.  I was downtown yesterday, only to find out that the event was postponed due to rain for next Friday (February 12th, 2010). Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and what better theme Downtown Lakeland Partnership could have chosen other than “Dancing in the Streets” for its First Friday event in Lakeland Florida on February 5th, 2010. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. It is recommended that folks arrive early to enj... 02/03/2010

You may love to entertain and throw lavish parties in your Lakeland home, but there are some visitors that you really don't want wandering in. These visitors prefer to become permanent residents on your Lakeland real estate. They're called termites! And they can literally "eat you out of house and home" as the saying goes.  We all know Florida is a wonderful place to reside, with it's year-round warm weather. Termites like it too! They enjoy the moisture that accumulates when higher humidity and summer rains show up. They love all the beautiful landscaping we do since it often involves mulch that holds the moisture in the ground. Here are a few things you can do to keep these dreaded creatures from setting up housekeeping near your Lakeland home.  1. Mulch. Since wood is the food of cho... 02/02/2010

Lakeland Florida Real Estate Update - 01/01/10-01/15/10 Update for the Lakeland real estate market! Currently, there are 1903 homes for sale throughout Lakeland – as of 01/28/10. Newly listed homes for the period of January 01st through January 15th jumped to 166 Lakeland homes recently listed. The average sales price of Lakeland homes listed with area Realtors® for decreased to $162,992 from my previous report. The types of homes and average prices just listed in Lakeland, Florida according to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are as follows: 2 duplex units with an average sales price of $82,000 4 condos listed with an average sales price of $105,425 15 mobile homes listed with an average sales price of $71,400 2 Townhomes/Villas listed with an average sales price of $67,400 143 sing... 01/28/2010

With 38 named lakes and lots more that are unnamed, it's easy to see how Lakeland got its name. The smallest of Lakeland's named lakes is the 2.5 acre Lake Blanton while Lake Parker in downtown Lakeland is the largest, coming in at a whopping 2,272 acres.  The population of Lakeland is about 90,000 people, making it Florida's 19th most populated city. 171,000 more people live in a 7-mile radius of the city proper. Money Magazine recently rated Lakeland as its 10th "Best Place to Live in America."  Those planning a move from the north will be happy to hear that Lakeland averages 330 sunshiney days per year. While July is the warmest month of the year with an average high temperature of 95 degrees, gentle breezes are usually stirring by 10 a.m. making golf possible even in the warmest mon... 01/27/2010

Lakeland Fl Free Entertainment – Annual Tiger Town Pig Festival January 29-30 2010 Hi folks!  It is time for our annual Tiger Town Pig Festival next to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland Florida.  At this free event, yes free and even parking is free, you will find the best barbeque around – every taste buds will be mesmerized by the variety of finger lickin’ barbeque with all sorts of variety. In its 14th year, Lakeland Pig Fest is well known for its barbeque competition enticing professional barbeque teams to travel to our beautiful city and compete in four categories: Ribs, Chicken, Pork and Brisket. Of course they are interested in the $10,000 in prize money and the $1000.00 Big Green Egg Prize Package. Gates open on Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. with live music on the mains... 01/24/2010