Parkland Parrot

Archive for the 'City News & Events' Category

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.

Heron Bay Parkland Homeowner Asked To Take Down 911 Flag

Heron Bay Parkland Homeowner Asked To Remove 911 Flag From Home

Richard Wentz, a retired New York Police officer that lives in Heron Bay, was recently asked to take down his commemorative 911 flag from his home.  Wentz lives in The Fairways At Heron Bay community and was told by the association that he must remove the flag or risk being fined or possibly sued.  Patricia Favata, president of the The Fairways At Heron Bay Board of Directors, claims that neighbors have complained that Mr. Wentz is breaking the rules of the association that state that a homeowner can only have one flag on their property.  Mr. Wentz currently boasts two flags: one regular U.S. flag and another special flag for the victims of 911.

Wentz is a true American hero that ran into Tower 1 of the New York Trade Center and helped pull out people before the building collapsed. Wentz also lost 43 friends and colleagues that day, and the inside of his Heron Bay home is a shrine to the lives lost at the World Trade Center. Mr. Wentz now is fighting cancer, which he says he received from breathing in all of the particles and debris during the cleanup of Ground Zero.

I hope that Mr. Wentz’s fellow homeowners in the Fairways at Heron Bay come together and voice their concerns to the Board Of Directors on the treatment of a formed New York police officer and hero.  I am sure that everyone can come together and allow Mr. Wentz, as well as other Heron Bay homeowners, the right to display their support for the victims and heroes of 911.

I also want to let our readers know that the Parkland Parrot Real Estate Team has no affiliation with the Heron Bay Homeowner’s Association.  We have received several emails from Parkland homeowners, as well as people from around the country, voicing their concerns.  If you would like to contact the association regarding this issue, please call Benchmark Property Management at: 954-344-5353. Again, I hope that Mr. Wentz can keep is flag posted proudly in front of his Heron Bay home.  I look to the Fairways At Heron Bay association to allow him to keep the flag up and, if necessary, amend their rules and regulations regarding this issue.

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

Parkland Soccer Buddies Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Parkland Charity – Parkland Buddies Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Last Saturday, November 12th, Parkland Soccer Buddies celebrated its 10th Anniversary at John Quigley Park (7901 Parkside Drive) It was a fun-filled day for the  entire family which included bounce houses, food and drinks, vendors, music, speeches and much more.

Each soccer buddy was paired up with a student from the local Parkland school district for the afternoon.  There were many volunteers that participated in the great event for the buddies.  Not only do students earn public service hours, but also learn great social skills by interacting with the buddies and their families.

Parkland Buddy Sports pairs special needs children and young adults, from all over South Florida, with student and adult volunteers in organized athletic programs.  There are other Buddy programs for other sports including baseball, basketball, tennis, running, and more. The program was started in 2002 by Jeb Niewood and his son Kevin.  Today, Parkland Buddy Sports has enrolled hundreds of special needs players from all parts of South East Florida.

For more information, please contact Jeb Niewood at: 954-753-9430 or visit: ParklandBuddySports.com This is a fantastic charity, which I support.  I had a great time at the event and look forward to participating in future Buddy events.

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.