Lakeland FL Carillon Lakes Homes for Sale | Market Report for November 2011
Carillon Lakes in Lakeland FL is conveniently located minutes from Polk Parkway and Interstate 4, Carillon Lakes is a 24hr man-gated community situated southwest Lakeland, Florida and has almost 650 homeowners according to their newsletter. Carillon Lakes community has a lot to offer for families and retirees such as swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball court, fitness center, playground and a club house at the Town Center which can be rented for family gatherings such as birthday parties and other social gatherings.
Carillon Lakes was developed over ten years ago and it is a deed restricted community. There are a variety of homes and condominiums situated throughout this lovely neighborhood that was developed in the early 2000. This community provides plenty of activities for its residents as well as for children. The community’s monthly calendar is filled with entertainment like, water aerobics, book buffs, game night, investment clubs and much, much more. The appearance of this community shows pride with manicured lawns and walkways throughout the community and its surrounding lakes.
A short distance to major employers such as Publix Supermarkets corporate office and GEICO Insurance as well as shopping at the Lakeside Village, Target and many restaurants situated along Harden Boulevard makes Carillon Lakes in Lakeland Florida a convenient location.
Merry Christmas To Each And Everyone
Top Five Things To Do With Grandkids Around Lakeland Florida
Summer vacation, Spring break, Thanksgiving break, Winter break…. What do they all have in common? It is the time to spend with Grandkids! Whether your grandkids are young or on the verge of becoming adults, as grandparents we cannot wait to see those faces, which always brings a smile to our hearts. I’m always delighted to spend time with my grandkids when they come to visit us in Lakeland Florida. However, the dilemma I face is what can I do to entertain them. Sure we live in the Sunshine State and there is always Disney, Universal, and Busch Gardens however with a tight budget, trips out of town are not always attainable. So what is it we can do with our grandkids right here in Lakeland?
Here is my top five things to do with your grandkids around Lakeland Florida:
There are ample parks around Lakeland. Common Ground Park is located on Edgewood Drive and has received numerous praises for its innovative ideas. This park is a haven where children of all abilities can socialize and play right next to each other. It is a park where children who may not normally get to play in your average playground because of an unleveled or less than solid ground can move around the different obstacles without the worry of footing.
We have Barnett Park, which is situated next to the beautiful Lake Mirror. With its great central location in Lakeland it is easily and quickly accessible to people from all parts of town. Lakeland has essentially in one area three different parks including a small water park to enjoy during those hot summer days. There is an area for older kids to climb and swing. The third area for preschoolers is called Sunflower Preschool Park. A Playground modeled off of Common Ground Park. It is geared toward the 2-5 year old age range. It was developed after parents realized the toys at Barnett Park were geared more toward their older kids, which left the little ones with nothing to truly entertain themselves.
Downtown Lakeland is always a fun
place to go especially during First Fridays. For the little ones stop by Explorations V museum, a great educational but fun place for kids to learn about different things going on in our area. First Fridays is even a great activity for the older grandchildren since there are plenty of activities going on to entertain a wide range of people. Between great foods, live musicians, and Ice Cream what’s not to love.
New to the Lakeland Florida area is Legoland Florida. Legoland is situated in the same location of Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, FL. I was saddened to hear that Cypress Garden’s which had become a staple to the Central Florida region was closing. It didn’t come as a surprise when our economy took a turn for the worse and so many large theme parks within a 60 mile radius drive. However when hearing Legoland Florida was now going to occupy this same location I was excited because it meant a whole new realm of possibilities. Legoland even held onto some of the charm of the former Cypress Gardens with a ski show, historical botanical gardens, and Lego Southern Belles. And coming Summer 2012 is the Legoland Waterpark.
When it is a teenager needing to be entertained there is the ample options of shopping and movies at the Lakeside Village. Lakeside Village features many places to shop for people of all ages. Know of a movie coming out which your teenage grandchildren maybe interested in why not try a midnight showing! Show those kids that even though we like to go to bed early and get up early doesn’t mean that every once in a while we can’t stay up late and enjoy a nice night out on the town with them.
While Lakeland Florida is a great place to retire due to our warm winters and suburban towns centrally located to larger cities, there are still plenty of activities to entertain our grandchildren when they come to visit us here in Lakeland.
Looking for a great home to buy in Lakeland, click on the icon below and start your free home search now
Lakeland FL – Lakeside Village Best Place To Shop And Watch A Movie
This small town of Lakeland has grown into one of the best places to live in Florida and that is just my opinion. Shopping always been an issue here and we had a fair share of mall relocations years past. With the 2005 opening of Lakeside Village, it is considered one of Lakeland’s best places to shop in Polk County. Lakeside Village is an open-air shopping mall located off the Polk Parkway on Harden Boulevard.
A plethora of shoppes, boutiques, specialty shoppes and restaurants are located throughout Lakeside Village. Parking is easy if you don’t mind walking to the center of Lakeside Village with it’s lovely designed water fountain during the year which transforms into gorgeous Christmas tree during the holiday season.
Some of America’s great anchor shoppes like Belk, Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Books-A-Million are strategically located, specialty shoppes like Robyn Lynne, Yates and Hagen, Ann Taylor Loft, Tinder Box, FITniche, Victoria Secret, Pro Image, GameStop, Justice for kids, New York & Co and many more.
Restaurants are plenty to choose from. Fine dining or a casual dinner at Grill Smith, Longhorn, bd’s Mongolian Grill, Louis Pappas, Crispers, Chili’s, Abuelos Mexican Embassy, Fish City Grill, Mimi’s Cafe, Starbucks, Cold Stone Creamery, PicassoZ Art Cafe – a pottery painting studio, and much more.
If you from out of town and made reservations to Hampton Inn & Suites, Courtyard Marriott, Residence Inn, certainly during your stay you can take a relaxed walk around Lakeside Village and enjoy what it has to offer.
Lakeside Village is also home of the Cobb Movie Theater where you can watch today’s best movies in 3D, IMAX, and 18 state of the art equipped sound and seating technology theaters offering it’s best movie watching experience. A popular place to be for young and old to catch movies at just about anytime of the day or night.
Whether you are at Lakeland’s Lakeside Village to shop, pamper, just to stroll around, looking for a casual place to eat, have a desert, shopping for the unique gift for your significant other or just simply go to watch a movie with your kids, Lakeside Village in Lakeland FL has it covered for you, it is the best place for shopping, dining and watching a movie.
There are so many things to do in Polk County with cities such as Winter Haven and Lakeland. Legoland Florida is located in Winter Haven, FL – Polk County, which was the former ground of Cypress Gardens also known as one of the oldest Florida attractions that closed its doors in 2009. Legoland is greatly suited for kids under 13 years of age. The officials of Legoland even held onto some of the charm of the former Cypress Gardens such as the waterski show, historical botanical gardens and the Southern Belles.
- Mallory Square in Key West
- Miami’s South Beach
- Washington, D.C.
- New York City skyline
- Kennedy Space Center
- Casinos of Las Vegas
- Daytona International Speedway
Check out this interactive map of Lakeland FL Homes for Sale - I’m sure you will find great deals and best of all, you can move the map in any direction you want to move it to – all over the United States.
Outside storage unit - declutter comes to mind when putting you house up for sale. Why not rent a storage unit, put your valuables in a box and lock it up in a storage unit.Lakeland FL Short Sale and Foreclosure Market Report – October 2011
For the month of October, the Lakeland real estate market of short sales and bank-owned (REO) properties has increased. There were a total of only 98 distressed homes sold that were in some kind of distress, compared to the 86 homes the previous month and 102 home the previous year.
Current inventory for Lakeland FL foreclosures as of 12/04/11 is at 78, while 63 homes currently are under contract and awaiting closing.
What are the price ranges, buyers and investors are most interested?
Lakeland Foreclosures Market Report
$49,999 or under – 26 homes
$50,000 – $99,999 – 13 homes
$100,000 – $149,999 – 10 homes
$150,000 – $199,999 – 1 homes
$200,000 – $249,999 – 1 home
Current inventory for Lakeland Short Sales as of 10/30/11 is at 372 homes, while 314 homes are under contract and waiting to close.
Lakeland Short Sales Market Report
$49,999 or under – 6 homes
$50,000 – $99,999 – 18 homes
$100,000 – $149,999 – 17 homes
$150,000 – $199,999 – 2 homes
$250,000 – $299,999 – 1 home
$400,000 – $499,999 – 2 homes
The Graph below compares sold homes in all categories – Traditional Sales (None Distressed), Lakeland Foreclosures (REO) and Lakeland Short Sales.
Average days to Closing for bank-owned properties are 106 days
Average days to Closing for other distressed properties are 253 days.
46 Lakeland FL Short Sale properties sold – average soldprice$109,121 – median sold price $98,950.
52 Lakeland FL Foreclosures (REO) sold – average sold price $74,491 – median sold price $51,125.
Low Lakeland Florida foreclosure inventory may be the answer for you if you are contemplating short sales and your family and friends telling you that buyers only work the foreclosure. Don’t be fooled, putting your home on the market as a short sale may be your best option now as buyers are frustrated in the bidding war against investors are willing to look at buying Lakeland short sales.
Don’t let time be against you. Don’t be foreclosed. Call your Lakeland FL Short Sale Agent - Petra Norris at (863) 619-6918 and find out about our options.
Lakeland FL Existing Overall Home Prices Rose In October 2011
Average overall Lakeland existing home prices rose to $115,266 in October. Overall median home prices for existing homes in Lakeland Florida increased from the previous month as well as from the previous year. While distressed properties continue to be a major contributor in determining market values for Lakeland FL homes, October market share of distressed homes however, increased to 52% from the previous months which is an indication that banks are willing to approve short sales because short sale closings have improved and foreclosures are picking back up.
Lakeland Homes sold in October: 189 previous month:187 – previous year October 10: 169 sold
October – average sales price $115,266
Previous month: $114,886 (.33%) – previous year October 10: $115,092 (.15%)
October – median sales price $105,000
Previous month: $100,000 (5%) – previous year October 10: $92,000 (14.13%)
The graph below represents average and median home prices in Lakeland for various categories. When our media provides us with a real estate market reports, generally these reports outline only Single Family Homes and Condominiums. Lakeland Florida has a variety of homes, such as manufactured homes, town-homes, villas and duplex units.
What are the various average prices in each Lakeland zip code?
Take a look at my spreadsheet below. I’ve separated the report by zip code instead of school zones; it gives you a more accurate report in my opinion. The data and graphs for this report were obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS, it is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This report does not include “For Sale By Owner”. The numbers highlighted in pink represents the zip codes where average sold prices have exceeded.
Distressed properties in Lakeland, Florida
For the month of October, Lakeland’s real estate market of distressed homes had a market share of 52%. There were a total of 98 homes sold in October, according to Mid-Florida Regional MLS.
Check back soon for October’s detailed Lakeland Florida real estate report that highlights bank-owned properties (REOs) and Lakeland Short Sales.
If you are interested in a specific area or neighborhood, feel free to contact me at petra[at]petranorris.com or click search button below.
Although it doesn’t snow in Lakeland, Florida. Kids will surely have a blast at the 31st Annual Snowfest at Lake Mirror on Saturday December 3, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., which is hosted by the City of Lakeland Parks & Recreation Department. I remember when I first took my children to the Snowfest, missing playing in the snow in Germany, their faces lit up with joy when they climbed Snow Mountain and slid down. All you have to bring is one canned food item or $1.00 cash. After all these years the price has not gone up. Kids will enjoy jumbo inflatables ($1.00) and a visit from Santa.
“Colonial Christmas”
Step back in time (18th Century) and experience the Holiday Celebration of America’s Founding Fathers. A 90 minutes of interactive 18th century dancing, tavern fare, theatre and games with groups entering every 15 minutes. The Colonial Christmas will be at the home of Josh and J Lenora Bresler at 987 Lake Holllingsworth Drive in Lakeland Fl on December 3rd from 6:00 p.m – 9:30 p.m. and on Sunday, December 4th from 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tickets for adults is $15.00 and children under 18 years of age is $10.00. Please call Geneva Classical Academy at (863) 644-1408 for tickets or at the door. Proceeds to benefit Geneva Classical Academy.
“Holiday Music Concerts”
Holiday Music Concerts are happening in area churches, schools and various organizations and here are some of my favorites that I have enjoyed in years past. These musicians and singers are volunteering their time with rehearsals and practicing their music to perfection for your enjoyment. Please attend these Holiday Music Concerts in Lakeland and support your area churches, schools and local community musicians.
Florida Southern College - Christmas Gala - December 3rd, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. – Ring in the holiday season with this beautiful concert. Patrons have reminded them that their Christmas season begins with “The Gala”. Florida Southern College talented student will perform sacred and secular music.
Imperial Symphony Orchestra - Holiday Magic - December 6th, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at Youkey Theater in the Lakeland Center. If you have never seen a concert presented by the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, this is a must go event. Local musicians under the baton of Mark Thielen, featuring “Four Shaw Cantatas,” arr. Bennett along with the Lakeland Choral Society as well as holiday favorites. Tickets for adults are $20, $30, $40 and children under 12 years are free when accompanied by an adult. Full-time students with ID are free.
Harrison School for the Arts - Music of the Season - December 8th, and December 9th, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at Harrison Arts Theater. Due to popular demand and sold out concerts of years past, the Harrison School for the Arts will have two Music of the Season performances. These talented high school students of the Choral and Orchestra Department will present secular, sacred and holiday favorites for the whole family to enjoy. Tickets are $5.00 for students and seniors (over 55 years of age) and $7.00 for adults.
Copyright © 2011 By Petra Norris *Holiday Events 2011 – Things To Do In Lakeland FL*
