Lakeland Real Estate ... News, Real Estate Tips.. Gate Arty

If you still have a taste for Downtown Lakeland after the festivities of First Friday, go to the Lakeland Art Festival on September 6th & 7th. J Rowan Galleries will be hosting the event. It will be held on South Kentucky Avenue between Main Street & Lemon Street. Event hours will be 10 am to 5 p...

With the mortgage & lending industries further tightening their lending requirements & guidelines, it is becoming increasingly difficult for home buyers to qualify for homes. Are there still low down payment options available? The USDA / Rural Development program is certainly a very viable option...

A major component of the recent housing stimulis legislation was the temporary first-time home buyer tax credit. According to Census data, first-time home buyers constitute about 40 percent of all buyers. It is thought that the tax credit will stimulate home buying & selling, reduce the amount of...

A turbulent real estate market has presented opportunity for local investors. Polk County has never had as many real estate foreclosures as our present day market. In June alone there were 815 foreclosures. In June of 2007, there were only 381 filings . . . a whopping 114% increase! In all of 200...

Experience has shown me that many prospective home buyers shop for homes during the summer months for a variety of reasons. First off, there is more time. Many people take vacation time during the summer months. Other "snowbird" retirees elect to buy a summer home during their regular time here i...

Polk County's many avid NASCAR fans are mourning the loss of an important institution.The USA International Speedway, located at 3401 Old Polk City Road, has closed its doors after its final race On August 2nd and is now under new ownership. The site was previously owned by Bob Brooks, the founde...

The Central Florida Regional Planning Council voted 10-1 to approve the controversial development of a proposed 318-acre rail terminal site in southern Winter Haven.  The terminal will be built on a 1,248-acre site. After the terminal is built, the plan is to build a major distribution center and...

The MidFlorida MLS reports that the Lakeland Association of Realtors closed 164 homes & the East Polk board reported 120 sales in June. Overall there were 284 homes sold in Polk, up from 282 homes last month. A year ago in June 2007 there were 275 homes sold, so the news should be reported that P...

What follows is a brief synopsis of the differences between a FORECLOSURE and a SHORT SALE and their affects on certain issues. Fannie Mae Loan: A homeowner who loses a home to foreclosure is ineligible for a Fannie Mae backed mortgage for a period of 5 years. Homeowners who successfully negotiat...

Keller Williams Realty ranks highest among real estate companies in satisfying home buyers according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Home Buyer/Seller Study. The inaugural study measures customer satisfaction of home buyers and sellers with the largest national real estate firms. Overall sa...