Petra Norris

Lakeland Harrison School for the Arts presents “The Three Musketeers”

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 12^th @ 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 13^th @ 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinee, March 14^th, 2010 @ 2:00 p.m.

Under the direction of Ilene Fins, Dean of Harrison’s Theatre Department, “The Three Musketeers” explodes onto the Harrison stage with fast and furious duels in the dangerous streets of Paris! James’ version of this classic story follows the renowned adventures of country bumpkin d’Artagnan as he seeks entry into the prestigious King’s Musketeers.  Together they fight with courage to combat the malicious cardinal and save France.

“All for One and One for All!” Chock full of political intrigue, romance and exciting sword battles, this world premiere is not to be missed. En garde!

The troupe is lead by Britt Michael Gordon as d’Artagnan, Corinne Townsend as Aramis, Lance Taylor as Porthos, Amelia Marler as Athos, Demonte Cheeks as Treville, Justin Nipper as Bonacieux, Katie Ward as the Queen, Erika Williams as DeWinter, Jenna Creamer as Rochefort, Kevin List as the King, Chris Holseth as the Cardinal, Brooke Dixon as Constance,and Nicole Richard as the Innkeeper, with Courtney Lang, Beth Rousseau, Camila Araujo, and Annie Jaynes as the Fight Corps.

Seating is very limited and I encourage buying tickets online at www.harrisonarts.com

Pictures are courtesy of Andy Glowgower of Andy Glowgower Photography

Mark your calendar for these upcoming performances of The Harrison Fine Arts Series for 2009/10:

The Three Musketeers

Friday, March 12, 2010 – Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 7:30 PM in the Black Box Theatre

Sunday, March 14, at 2:00 PM

Harrison Wind Ensemble Concert – Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Chamber Music Concert – Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Piano Concert – Thursday, April 08, 2010 at 7:30 PM

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Friday, April 23, 2010 – Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, April 25, at 2:00 PM

Idealistic Notions, Professional Visual Arts Exhibit

Friday, April 23, 2010 – Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Reception at 6:00 PM

String Orchestra Concert – Monday, April 26, 2010 First United Methodist Church, Lakeland at 7:30 PM

Spring Dance Concert – Friday, May 07, 2010 – Saturday, May 08, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Symphony Orchestra Concert – Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 7:30 PM

Petra Norris

Lakeland Real Estate Update – 02/16/10-02/28/10

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 16^th through February 28^th 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 $177,587

113 single family homes with an average price of $179,119

Lakeland’s newest homes listed! The priciest home on the market in Lakeland is a 2006 Hulbert custom built estate with pool features 5 bedrooms and 4 2½ baths with over 5,100 square feet of living space. This home is located in the Christina community and is offered at $1,899,000.  On the contrary, the cheapest Lakeland home newly listed is a bank owned 3 bedrooms 2baths home listed for $16,400 – just over $12.00 per square foot – located in the Albert Park subdivision.

All data for this report was obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS, it is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This report does not include “For Sale By Owner”.

Take a look at the breakdown by zip code:

33801 – 14 with an average sales price of $93,598

33803 – 16 with an average sales price of $201,297

33805 – 11 with an average sales price of $88,218

33809 – 12 with an average sales price of $170,942

33810 – 31 with an average sales price of $107,023

33811 – 10 with an average sales price of $173,500

33812 – 06 with an average sales price of $219,667

33813 – 31 with an average sales price of $265,574

33815 – 04 with an average sales price of $39,152

Update on distressed homes in Lakeland

A total of 599 properties are currently actively being marketed that are facing foreclosure. There were 55 Lakeland homes newly listed in the distressed category with average prices of $101,305 or $61 per square foot. Distressed homes are categorized as “Bank-Owned”, “Require 3^rd party approval (Short Sale)”, “Pre-foreclosure”, and “In-Foreclosure”.

February update on Lakeland real estate “Sold & Pending”

So far 146 Lakeland properties have sold that have been recorded in the Multiple Listing. Currently, there are 533 Lakeland homes have gone to “pending”, awaiting closing.

Check back soon for your Lakeland Real Estate Market Report for February 2010!

Petra Norris

Polk County Existing Home Sales for January 2010

Slow start of the overall Polk County Home Sales in January when comparing sales history for the past year. Although average Polk County home prices have somewhat been stable in recent months, the number of homes sold in Polk County took a nose dive when comparing the number of sales from the past few months. If you are a person that is visual like me, just take a look at the chart below to see what I’m talking about.  Please keep in mind, the figures reflect all homes as indicated below, not just single family homes you see in media reports.

500 existing homes sold – a decrease of 21% from the previous month (636 sold homes) in Polk County – an increase in sales activity of 111 Polk County homes sold from the previous year. Overall Polk’s median price for existing homes decreased by 1 ¾% from the previous month to $97,950, however remained almost the same from the previous year of $98,000.

Take a look at the city you live in and see what the numbers are for January 2010 for existing home sales – single family homes, condominiums, manufactured homes, duplex, villas, and townhomes -including distressed properties in Polk County. Please take note only sales recorded by Realtors® are taken into account. The source for this data is Mid-Florida Regional MLS Service, it is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

City                        Average Sold Price          Median Sold Price           # of Homes Sold

AUBURNDALE	110,675	111,950	16
BARTOW	106,201	80,000	8
CLERMONT	88,000	88,000	1
DAVENPORT	117,716	110,000	122
DUNDEE	75,000	75,000	2
EAGLE LAKE	9,100	9,100	1
FORT MEADE	140,750	106,500	4
FROSTPROOF	64,283	63,000	3
HAINES CITY	91,398	79,900	32
KATHLEEN	40,000	40,000	1
KISSIMMEE	138,545	100,000	11
LAKE ALFRED	92,450	92,450	2
LAKE HAMILTON	60,500	60,500	2
LAKE WALES	64,199	45,000	19
LAKELAND	126,320	112,900	145
MULBERRY	108,136	118,620	14
POINCIANA	85,345	72,000	51
POLK CITY	38,451	47,000	3
WINTER HAVEN	112,701	91,000	63

Let me break down January 2010 Polk County existing homes sales into various categories:

• 447 Single family homes, townhomes, villas and ½ duplex – median sold price $103,000 – 148 Average Days to Closing
• 19 Condominiums – median sold price – $65,000 – 149 Average Days on Closing
• 34 Modular, manufactured/mobile homes in park/out of park – median sold price $56,500 – 233 Average Days to Closing

Let’s take a look at the distressed Polk County real estate market!

There were 183 existing homes sold, not categorized as distressed properties, at a median sold price of $130,000 with 206 average days to closing, which counted for almost 37% of our total sales. The distressed properties however; which includes Bank owned, pre-foreclosure, in foreclosure and short sales counted for 63% of our total sales in Polk County for the month of January.

• 234 sold homes were Bank Owned – median price $79,450 – Average Days to Closing  81
• 83 sold homes were Short Sales – median price $102,000 – Average Days to Closing 247

Petra Norris

Lakeland FL Real Estate Update for 02/01-02/15/2010

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 1^st through February 15^th increased by 16.75% to 203 Lakeland homes for sale. 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 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 with an average price of $181,178

Lakeland’s newest homes listed! The priciest and also currently the most expensive home on the market in Lakeland is this 2008 McQuillen custom built pool home which features 6 bedrooms and 5 ½ baths with over 6,700 square feet of living space of the main house and is located in the Crescent Woods community. Its current list price is $2,100,000.  On the contrary, the cheapest Lakeland home newly listed is a HUD bank owned 2 bedrooms 1 baths home listed for $15,000 – just under $15.00 per square foot – located in the Valencia Heights subdivision.

All data for this report was obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS, it is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This report does not include “For Sale By Owner”.

Take a look at the breakdown by zip code:

33801 – 19 with an average sales price of $73,198

33803 – 21 with an average sales price of $172,362

33805 – 10 with an average sales price of $90,316

33809 – 28 with an average sales price of $132,316

33810 – 41 with an average sales price of $117,315

33811 – 22 with an average sales price of $164,303

33812 – 13 with an average sales price of $180,000

33813 – 39 with an average sales price of $313,188

33815 – 09 with an average sales price of $96,444

Update on distressed homes in Lakeland

A total of 589 properties are currently actively being marketed that are facing foreclosure. There were 95 Lakeland homes newly listed in the distressed category with average prices of $125,841 or $66 per square foot. Distressed homes are categorized as “Bank-Owned”, “Require 3^rd party approval (Short Sale)”, “Pre-foreclosure”, and “In-Foreclosure”.

For more information on the location of these sold homes in Lakeland, price and size of the home click on map picture which leads you to the interactive Community Walk map created by Chuck Welch of Lakeland Local.

February update on Lakeland real estate “Sold & Pending”

So far 73 Lakeland properties have sold that have been recorded in the Multiple Listing. Currently, there are 494 Lakeland homes have gone to “pending”, awaiting closing.

If you are interested in a specific area or neighborhood, feel free to contact me at petra@petranorris.com or click the search button below.

Petra Norris

Lakeland FL Foreclosure and Short Sale 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.  Therefore highlighting the Lakeland foreclosures and short sale 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 (REO) properties had a market share of 60%. There were a total of 88 properties sold in January compared to 60 distressed Lakeland homes sold the year prior, according to Mid-Florida Regional MLS.

Currently there are a total of 1,910 Lakeland homes for sale and 498 Lakeland homes under contract (02/18/2010). By calculating total inventory, homes that are under contract because these properties have not closed is included in my inventory share.

• Bank owned properties – Inventory share is 12.17%
• Short sale properties – Inventory share is 25.42%

The Graph below compares sold homes in all categories – Traditional Sales (None Distressed), Bank Owned Properties (REO) and Lakeland Short Sales

• Average days on market (DOM) for bank-owned properties are 45 days
• Average days to contract for other distressed properties are 136 days.

25 Distressed Homes Sold – average sold price $146,724 – median sold price $139,900

63 Bank-owned (REO) sold – average sold price $88,319 – median sold price $81,000

Distressed sales are scattered in all parts of Lakeland Florida as you can see from this graph below.

If you are interested in Lakeland Foreclosures and Short Sales, feel free to contact me at petra@petranorris.com or click the search button below.

Petra Norris

Lakeland Real Estate Update on Sold Homes in January 2010

A stable Lakeland real estate Market is a key factor for the housing market to rebound.  For the month of January a total of 145 homes were sold overall.  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 average 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 (17.6%)

The graph below represents average and median 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, townhomes, 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.

Lakeland homes sold that are priced right will sell quickly.  In my analysis of last month activity shows that home owners, who are having their properties marketed at the right price, achieve 97% of their list price.  Here is a breakdown:

• 0-30 days – 96.92% average sold price/list price ratio
• 31-60 days – 98.22% average sold price/list price ratio
• 61-90 days – 95.4% average sold price/list price ratio
• 91-120 days – 93.23% average sold price/list price ratio
• 121+ days – 92.28% average sold price/list price ratio

For more information on the location of these sold homes in Lakeland, price and size of the home click on map picture which leads you to the interactive Community Walk map created by Chuck Welch of Lakeland Local.

Distressed properties in Lakeland, Florida

For the month of January, Lakeland’s real estate market of distressed homes and bank-owned (REO) properties had a market share of 60%. There were a total of 88 properties sold in January compared to 60 distressed Lakeland homes sold the year prior, according to Mid-Florida Regional MLS. After further evaluation of my Lakeland Real Estate Market and to my readers who follow the distressed market report closely deserve clarity.  Starting out with January’s Real Estate Report, the distressed market report will have its own report.  Please check back soon for your 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@petranorris.com or click the search button below.

Petra Norris

Stop your Lakeland Short Sale Buyers from Cancelling Contracts

Tips for Lakeland Short Sale Sellers on how to stop Buyers from this contract cancel epidemic.

More than ever before Lakeland Short Sales likely will be a part of the Lakeland real estate 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 final counteroffer. In a traditional sale, at the time of the effective date or within days of the effective date, the buyer is required to make a reasonable good faith deposit, follow up with a timely inspection and meeting financing contingency as stated in the contract.  This can also be achieved when there is a Lakeland Short Sale.

There are measures to keep Buyers from walking away during a Lakeland Short Sale:

• Buyer must be committed to a longer waiting period – at least six months
• Buyer must have pre approval letter from a reputable lender
• Buyer must make good faith deposit upon acceptance of contract
• Buyer must make timely inspection after effective date

Sellers should not accept any offers because they are desperate. The offer must be at fair market value which is determined by an experienced real estate agent who is knowledgeable of the short sale process. Banks don’t want to foreclose, it costs them more than a short sale but they are not willing to approve a Short Sale contract with an unrealistic purchase price.

Petra Norris

Lakeland Florida Real Estate Update ~ 01/16-01/31/10

Update for 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 15^th through January 31^st 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 listed with an average sales price of $92,798

132 single family homes with an average price of $182,141

Lakeland’s newest homes listed! The priciest Lakeland real estate is a 1995 home on approximately 6 acres; featuring 5 bedrooms and 6 baths with over 5,100 square feet of living space currently offered for $675,000 located in the Oakmont Acres.  On the contrary, the cheapest Lakeland home newly listed is a bank owned 3 bedrooms 2 baths home listed for $19,900 – just under $19.00 per square foot – located in the Winston Heights subdivision.

All data for this report was obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS, it is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This report does not include “For Sale By Owner”.

Take a look at the breakdown by zip code:

33801 – 20 with an average sales price of $100,815

33803 –22 with an average sales price of $171,534

33805 – 12 with an average sales price of $112,441

33809 – 24 with an average sales price of $146,849

33810 – 35 with an average sales price of $138,452

33811 – 19 with an average sales price of $185,471

33812 – 11 with an average sales price of $277,163

33813 – 23 with an average sales price of $209,878

33815 – 03 with an average sales price of $65,233

Update on distressed homes in Lakeland

A total of 573 properties are currently actively being marketed that are facing foreclosure. There were 51 Lakeland homes newly listed in the distressed category with average prices of $109,719 or $62.43 per square foot. Distressed homes are categorized as “Bank-Owned”, “Require 3^rd party approval (Short Sale)”, “Pre-foreclosure”, and “In-Foreclosure”.

January update on Lakeland Real Estate “Sold & Pending”

So far 142 Lakeland properties have sold that have been recorded in the Multiple Listing – an increase from the previous year – check back soon for the Lakeland real estate market report. Currently, there are 475 Lakeland homes have gone to “pending”, awaiting closing.

Looking for a specific home in Lakeland Florida – look no further, feel free to contact me at petra@petranorris.com or click the search button below.

Petra Norris

Lakeland 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 01^st 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 single family homes with an average price of $176,679

Lakeland’s newest homes listed! The priciest Lakeland real estate is a 2004 pool home; featuring 4 bedrooms and 3 ½  baths with over 3,800 square feet of living space currently offered for $849,000 located in the Eaglebrooke Community.  On the contrary, the cheapest Lakeland home newly listed is a bank owned 3 bedrooms 2 bath property listed for $33,000 – just over $22.00 per square foot – located in the Idlewild subdivision.

All data for this report was obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS, it is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This report does not include “For Sale By Owner”.

Take a look at the breakdown by zip code:

33801 – 14 with an average sales price of $95,229

33803 –24 with an average sales price of $159,950

33805 – 08 with an average sales price of $141,450

33809 – 17 with an average sales price of $168,318

33810 – 41 with an average sales price of $150,190

33811 – 15 with an average sales price of $152,833

33812 – 15 with an average sales price of $181,473

33813 – 27 with an average sales price of $240,393

33815 – 05with an average sales price of $45,720

Update on distressed homes in Lakeland

A total of 563 properties are currently actively being marketed that are facing foreclosure. There were 69 Lakeland homes newly listed in the distressed category with average prices of $132,768 or $73.95 per square foot. Distressed homes are categorized as “Bank-Owned”, “Require 3^rd party approval (Short Sale)”, “Pre-foreclosure”, and “In-Foreclosure”.

January update on Lakeland Real Estate “Sold & Pending”

So far only 103 Lakeland properties have sold that have been recorded in the Multiple Listing. I suspect the numbers will increase even though we are at the end of the month.

459 Lakeland homes have gone to “pending”, awaiting closing.

If you are interested in a specific area or neighborhood, feel free to contact me at petra@petranorris.com or click the search button below.

Petra Norris

Lakeland Florida 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 14^th 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 mainstage performed by Bitter Edge followed by Damon Fowler.

The gates open on Saturday, January 30th at 10:00 a.m. for some barbeque braggin’ rights competition.

On both days there is plenty of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy including: NASCAR Simulators, Interactive Children’s area, Live Music, Tasting Opportunities and some world class barbeque.

A tad bit of history lesson! It started all in 1994 when a small group of local businessmen attended the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Tyron, N.C. to watch a barbeque championship. From then on, a festival committee was established and Lakeland’s Pig Festival welcomed its first barbeque competitors in 1997. Since then, professional teams and backyard teams travel great distances to compete separate in now five different categories in Ribs (loin and spare), Pork (shoulder and butt), Chicken, Brisket (beef) and Sauce. The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) Professional Competition and Judging School considers Lakeland’s Pig Fest to be one of the finest events sanctioned by KCBS.  Lakeland’s annual  Pig Fest held at Joker Marchant Stadium has since then grown to over 300 Barbeque Teams competing for prize money and attendance growing quickly each year.

The Junior League of Greater Lakeland became in 2005 the lead organizer for this great event and they do an outstanding job providing volunteers to see that this free event is run smoothly. The event in itself is free, such as the concerts – as you walk towards the gate, let me suggest you buy “Pig Dollars” near the entrance for food and drinks and also some for your kids, since I’m sure they want to take part in arts & crafts, climbing and jumping. Don’t worry if you run out of the “Pig Dollars or “Pig Bucks”, there are various locations throughout the area for you to buy more.

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