Parkland Parrot

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Parkland Florida Dog Park Barkland Opens

Parkland Florida Dog Park – Barkland Opens To The Public

Parkland’s first dog park, Barkland is now open to the public.  Last Saturday, Barkland had its grand opening.  The park is over two acres in size.  There are two separate areas: one for large dogs and another for smaller dogs.  There is also a dog washing station, water fountain for both pets and humans, covered pavilions to cool off, walking trails, benches and picnic tables, and dog play equipment that includes tunnels and agility elements.

Broward County Animal Care setup a booth at the grand opening and offered a low cost Rabies vaccination against rabies for only $15.00, as well as a Broward County pet license tag.  The event received a great turnout.  Many Parkland residents brought their dogs to enjoy the new park.  Now, Parkland adds another park to its large list, but this time for man’s best friend.

Barkland is located at: 9245 Ranch Road, Parkland, FL 33067.  Barkland sponsorship opportunities are still available for individuals and businesses. For more information please contact Scott Davidoff at sdavidoff@cityofparkland.org.

Know the neighborhood. Know the value. Know your hometown agents: The Parkland Parrot Real Estate Team. If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Parkland or South Florida and are looking for experienced local Realtors, please do not hesitate to contact the Squawk at 954-609-0591 or send us a message here.

Parkland Real Estate Agent Michael Citron Quoted In Sun Sentinel

Parkland Florida Realtor Michael Citron Quoted In Sun Sentinel For Housing Strategies For 2012

Parkland and South Florida Realtor Michael Citron was quoted in yesterday’s Sun-Sentinel article entitled: South Florida housing strategies for 2012.  It appears that the housing market collapse is fading away bringing a stronger and more stable market in the coming months and years, especially in more stable communities like Parkland, Florida.

Home sales in Parkland and South Florida are on the rise, as the real estate bottom nears.  But, the shadow inventory of bank foreclosures soon to hit the market and less than stellar job market could prolong the recovery.  Sun-Sentinel reporter, Paul Owers, provides a guide to help both buyers and sellers, and homeowners “underwater” on their current mortgages in 2012:

Sellers:

DO: Consider selling early in 2012, before foreclosures hit the market
DON’T: Try to attract buyers with cars, cash or most other incentives

Underwater Borrowers

DO: Plan now if you’re considering a short sale
DON’T: Think you’re necessarily stuck with an underwater mortgage

I was quoted in the Sentinel article giving advice to potential buyers in 2012:

DO: Write a letter to the seller, explaining why you want the home

DON’T: Sound desperate or let the seller know how much of a mortgage you’re approved for

If you’re writing to a lender, be sure to explain that you’re pre-approved for a mortgage and can close quickly, Broward County (and Parkland) real estate agent Michael Citron said. If the seller is the existing homeowner, go into more personal detail.  “If the home has a pool, tell them that you hope your kids can learn to swim in that pool,” Citron said. “A regular seller wants to know the buyer will appreciate the house as much as they did.”

If you are thinking about selling or buying a home, it has never been a better time to make a move in real estate for 2012.  To read the complete Sun-Sentinel article, please click here It is a honor and privilege to be considered as a local real estate expert.  I look forward to working with the Parkland and South Florida community for all of your real estate needs in 2012.

Know the neighborhood. Know the value. Know your hometown agents: The Parkland Parrot Real Estate Team. If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Parkland or South Florida and are looking for experienced local Realtors, please do not hesitate to contact the Squawk at 954-609-0591 or send us a message here.

5 Reasons To Call Parkland Florida Home In 2012

City of Parkland Recognized for its Attributes

The City of Parkland just announced the many honors received in 2011.  These attributes include the following:

1. The Parkland public school system received the highest rating of “A” from the Florida Department of Education (Stoneman Douglas High School, Westglades Middle School, Heron Heights Elementary School, Park Trails Elementary School, and Riverglades Elementary School)

2.  Forbes Magazine designated the City of Parkland as the number 1 Top Education Town where the median home price falls between $400,000 to $600,000. The City’s value was so strong that it landed eight (8th) overall in the entire review. The Forbes Magazine designation states that your housing dollars go furthest in getting your children a great education within the City of Parkland.

3. For the fourth year in a row, the City of Parkland was designated a Playful City. Out of more than 1,000 applicants nationwide, the City was honored with this designation. To receive this award a community must demonstrate a creative commitment to the cause of play. The City was recognized for its development of a special needs sports program and construction of a boundless no limits playground located at Terramar Park.

4. The City of Parkland is tops for the cultural, educational, and community amenities it provides to its residents via the Library. Parkland Library serves Parkland residents by providing a top rated library experience. This year Parkland Library received the FLA Library of the Year Award for the quality of service provided to the residents of the City. Our municipal library service was recognized from among 186 municipal, county and university systems. The library is dedicated to providing personal and unparalleled services to our community.

5. The City was just honored as the top Broward County community for quality of life in the State of Florida. The Business Journals used a twenty part formula searching for places that have healthy economies, light traffic, moderate costs of living, impressive housing stocks and strong educational systems. The study used the United States Census Bureau information and divided the country into four regions. The South, which Florida is located in, contained one thousand one hundred forty six (1,146) cities which were compared to Parkland. When done, The Business Journal ranked the City of Parkland 41st or 96.51% better in terms of quality of life than the other municipalities in the study.

It is a true pleasure living and working in our fine City of Parkland.  Our City has certainly become an exciting place to live and raise a family.  There are so many things for the entire family to enjoy in Parkland.  Parkland offers its residents a quality of life that no other city in all of Florida can match.

Know the neighborhood. Know the value. Know your hometown agents: The Parkland Parrot Real Estate Team. If you are interested in buying or selling in Parkland or South Florida and are looking for experienced local Realtors, please do not hesitate to contact the Squawk at 954-609-0591 or send us a message here.

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Good News For Parkland Homeowners With Chinese Drywall

Chinese Drywall Settlement Could Cost Chinese Firm 1 Billion

Finally, the end looks near for the Chinese Drywall issue that has hit many states, particularly Parkland and South Florida.  Chinese Drywall manufacturer, Knauf and its Chinese affiliate Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, recently agreed to a settlement that would give cash to help replace the Chinese Drywall in affected homes.

The settlement will cost approximately $600 million to $1 billion.  According to NBC Miami,  the company will cover all of the necessary Chinese Drywall repairs on all 4,500 houses that were affected.  Among the homes affected, 55% of the homes are in the State of Florida. There are thousands of homeowners, mostly in the South, affected by the installation of tainted Chinese Drywall.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said that Knauf knew that the Chinese Drywall that they installed in homes was defective and neglected to tell customers. Chinese Drywall gives off a foul odor.  It also corrodes wiring and metal in appliances and causes health problems.  Settlements have been reached with other Chinese Drywall manufactures and more should follow.

This is great news for many Parkland and Florida homeowners that have been dealing with the Chinese Drywall saga for many years.  This news will also help stabilize the overall Parkland and Florida real estate market as more and more homeowners will receive settlements in order to finally remove the Chinese Drywall in their homes.  As a result, homeowners, and their families, will soon be able to enjoy their homes that they had built.  We will continue to provide the Parkland community with updated information on the Chinese Drywall court proceedings.

Know the neighborhood. Know the value. Know your hometown agents: The Parkland Parrot Real Estate Team. If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in Parkland or South Florida and are looking for experienced local Realtors, please do not hesitate to contact the Squawk at 954-609-0591 or send us a message here.

Refinance Mortgage Programs For Underwater Parkland Homeowners Now Available

Calling All Underwater Parkland Florida Homeowners – New Refinance Program Now Available

The Obama Administration is releasing a brand new revision to the Home Affordable Refinance Program for homeowners that are underwater on their mortgages.  Struggling homeowners that owe more than their homes are worth can take advantage of this new program.

Below, please see the criteria that homeowners must meet to take advantage of this program:

• Borrowers must be current on their mortgage payments.
• The loans must be backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
• Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac must have bought these loans no later than May 31, 2009.
• To find out if your loan is owned by Fannie, click here. To see if it’s owned by Freddie, click here.

Some other revisions to the Home Affordable Refinance Program are that the government will allow some borrowers to refinance their mortgages even if their mortgages exceed 125% of the values of their homes.  Other noted changes to the program also permit less risk for lenders and decreased fees for borrowers.  Some homeowners can even qualify to refinance their mortgages even if they had a foreclosure in the past seven years!

This new program could help tens of thousands of South Florida residents that owe a lot more than their homes are worth.  In fact, Corelogic, a research firm, reported that four out of 10 homeowners in Broward and Palm Beach counties are currently underwater on their mortgages.  Today is the launch of this new program nationwide, but mortgage experts caution underwater homeowners looking to take advantage of this new government program to be patient, as many lenders are not prepared to accept many applications right away.  I caution homeowners to be patient and shop multiple lenders in order to receive the best rates and programs.

I think this program will indeed help many Parkland and South Florida homeowners.  As a result of underwater homeowners taking advantage of this program, the overall real estate market in Parkland will improve.  In the future, more homeowners will be able to refinance their mortgages and stay in their homes resulting in less distressed home listings being put on the market for sale including short sales and bank foreclosures.  If you are looking to take advantage of this new program and need to speak with an expert mortgage professional, please give me a call at: 954-609-0591.

Know the neighborhood. Know the value. Know your Parkland hometown agents: The Parkland Parrot Real Estate Team.  If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Parkland or South Florida and are looking for experience local Realtors, please do not hesitate to contact us at: 954-609-0591 or send us a message here.