Mayfaire by-the-Lake 2012

This year's 41^st annual Mayfaire by-the-Lake is expected to be one of the best.  Over 200 artists present their pieces along the shores of beautiful Lake Morton in Lakeland.  It is one of the biggest "art shows” in Florida. The Polk Museum of Art hosts this spectacular showcase every year. Approximately 60,000+ attend and indulge in the amazing artwork being presented.

The Mayfaire by-the-Lake is held every Mother’s Day weekend. So come on out and get your mother a gift she will cherish forever!

Mayfaire by-the-Lake begins at 9am on Saturday May 12^th until 4pm.  At 5pm, there is a street dance party at Lake Mirror.  This event is free and is full of fun, music, and good times.  Starting at 9pm, there will be a fireworks show as well as the party.  The party and fireworks conclude at 11pm.

Admission: FREE (all events)

Food and beverage:  On the shores of Lake Morton and throughout the streets you will find an abundance of vendors just waiting to satisfy your needs.  Some of Mayfaire's delicious foods include hot dogs, cotton candy, barbecue,  and more.  Smoothies, lemonade, sweet tea, and every kind of soft drink will surely keep you cool as you wander throughout the event.

Parking: There will be a free shuttle service for those taking advantage of the free parking at Florida Southern College.  Early birds can take advantage of the parking available on side streets throughout the Lake Morton Historic District and downtown Lakeland just blocks away from the event.

Weather: The weather is expected to be warm with 10% chance of rain. So dress appropriately and keep an umbrella in the car just in case. The nights are to be cool, around 65 degrees.

Children: There is a children’s tent full of activities including a station where kids can make their own art.

The fun continues on to Sunday the 13^th from 9am to 4pm.

Mayfaire by-the-Lake is a tremendous family event for all ages.  Come on out and enjoy this local event while supporting the artists who are presenting their work.

Join thousands of local Lakeland residents as we celebrate Mayfaire by-the-Lake 2012.

Most sellers start the process of selling their residential property the same way.  Sellers shop for an agent that has experience, sounds aggressive, and believes in getting top dollar for the property.  The homeowner’s focus is on the agent being in agreement with the homeowner’s needs as it relates to price or value.  Unfortunately, 99% of homeowners I have spoken to in the past have a value determined for their home before I walk in the door.  This is a huge problem for sellers and usually devastates the sale because the sellers are almost always wrong.  It is natural for a seller to hope their home is worth more, but sellers need to focus on finding the value instead of starting high and hoping for the best.

Take a moment and imagine being a real estate agent.  A homeowner calls and expresses interest in selling their home.  You, as the agent, are excited to have a new listing and can't wait to get started.  You set an appointment to meet the seller and tell them "why they should list their home with you".  Actually, this is an interview and you don't want to blow the interview.  You want to be hired.  Be careful because if you tell this homeowner that their home is worth less than they think it is, you will not get the job.  Most agents tell the homeowner they (the agent) can get top dollar.  Most agents agree with the owner when the owner tells the agent what they need the price to be.  If the owner will not tell you what their opinion of value is, start high.  After all, if an agent tells the owner a high number, they will actually be flattered and hire you (the agent).  This is how the listing process goes most of the time. The sellers hear the value they need to hear.  This is not how you quickly find the real value.  However, this is exactly how sellers set themselves up for disappointment and lose money in the sale of their home.

I am not writing this to explain how to find the right agent to help you sell.  I have faith that homeowners will find a trustworthy realtor that does not use an inflated price to get the job.  When selling a home, the most important goal is to find the value of your property.  This concept is a little difficult to digest because sellers are 100% attached to the outcome of the sale and this creates fog in reasoning for most sellers.  There are countless factors that contribute to opinion of value for a homeowner.  None of these factors really matter in the end because the real value is determined by what a buyer is willing to pay.  Sellers are in control of their price, but not in control of the value of their home.  Most sellers get confused by this.  Buyers determine what a property is really worth by outbidding the homeowner in price.  I repeat, buyers determine what a property is really worth by outbidding the homeowner in price.  Some sellers actually outbid the buyers.  When this happens, the seller (maybe unknowingly) decides to stay in the home, keep it, and not sell.

How does a seller quickly determine the value of his home?  The answer to this question is complicated because most sellers don’t really want to know the answer.  Sellers do want to know what their home is worth, but the desire for that number to be a higher number is overwhelming.  It is similar to knowing there is bad news coming, but not wanting to deal with it right now.  If Plan A is reality, most sellers would rather exhaust Plan B and C first.

Sellers should have a discussion with one or more professional Realtors and ask the question, “What should the price be in order to sell in 60 days?”  The answer will be much different than if the seller asks the agent what the home is worth.  A great follow up question is, “so what I hear you saying is my home will sell in 60 days if listed for sale at that price?”

Keep in mind sellers should be trying to find the real value quickly.  Routine price reductions of $10,000 will have a positive impact on showings and offers.  For example, if the seller prices the property at a fair or even aggressive price and proceeds to lower the price every 2 weeks by $10,000, the seller should see signs of interest in the property.  Take this idea a little further.  Most sellers have a bottom line when pricing their home.  Don’t be afraid to continue price reductions well below the bottom line.  It is not a comfortable thought to let that price fall until an offer comes in, but this is exactly what we are hoping for…an offer or reality.  What I am about to say next is very unorthodox, but hear me out.  Consider letting the price fall until you get an offer even if you do not plan to sell at the lower price.  You are not under any obligation to sell your home to any buyer until you have signed a contract with that buyer.  This means you can put your home on the market for sale and change your mind even if you have 10 offers.  The only time you are obligated to sell your home to a buyer is after you have signed the contract for sale and purchase.  The point is to find out what buyers are willing to pay for your property.  Once you have answered that question with an offer in hand, you get to decide whether you still want to sell your property.  Countless sellers have their homes on the market for 1 or 2 years and still have no idea what a buyer is willing to pay.  They only know what buyers are not willing to pay because the price never stimulated an offer at all.

In summary, sellers should focus on attracting buyers to the property with a very competitive price.  Curb appeal is very important, but buyers demand good value with great curb appeal.  Sellers may instinctively argue with the last sentence and in the end, those sellers might outbid the buyer for their own home.  Sellers should explain to their agent that they want to know what buyers are willing to pay and find this answer very quickly.  An appraisal probably won’t explain what the current buyers are willing to pay.  The best way to find out what buyers are willing to pay for a property is to stimulate an offer or two.  If you don’t like the offers, don’t sell.  Hopefully, it will take you only 60 days to determine the real value.

HELOC, in fact, stands for

Obtaining a HELOC is similar to taking out a second mortgage on your home, but obtaining the funds themselves is more like using your credit card. Generally, a limit is set as to how much money the homeowner can get on their line of credit. This limit is determined by such things as your credit history, your income and debt, the value of your home, and the amount you still owe on it.

A HELOC is a good way to get money for such items as ongoing medical bills or college tuition, since they let the homeowner get a lump sum as needed. The HELOC is then paid off in monthly payments in the fashion of a credit card with a minimum balance due. There's also the option to pay more or even all of the balance off, eliminating interest charges.

Interest rates for a HELOC are based on the Prime Rate, often with an added "margin" which is actually an increase in the interest rate. While interest rates are usually lower for a HELOC than for a regular bank loan or credit card loan, the rates are usually higher than those for a first mortgage.

Interest paid on a HELOC is often tax deductible (talk to your tax person to be sure), and there are usually no closing costs. There may, however, be an annual fee, so ask questions when you shop for your HELOC.

If the equity you have available on your Lakeland real estate gets too low for you to take out more money from your credit line, the bank may have the option to freeze your HELOC. It should also be noted that some banks have been accused of using "automated valuations" to unfairly determine the equity in your home as being lower than previously thought. At this point, they may again freeze your line of credit. If you were planning on this money to make a payment, the freeze on your account could become a huge problem.

Another way of getting into trouble with a HELOC is by taking out more money from your line of credit that you can readily repay. Don't forget, your home is the collateral for this money and if you can't pay it back, you're putting your family's home on the line.

There are lots of options available for homeowners. Whether you want to stay where you are and perhaps get a HELOC, buy a new home, or sell the one you're in, The Boyce Team can help you decide what's best for you. Contact Damion Boyce today and set up an appointment to see how they can help you.

Just so you know, Americans drink over 1.6 billion gallons of orange juice every year. Much of this liquid sunshine is made from Florida oranges, best known for their juiciness, unlike California oranges, which are good "eating oranges". 

And the Winners Are:

Natalie's Orchid Island Juice Company Gourmet Pasteurized Orange Juice easily took first place. Made of 100% Florida orange juice, Orchid Island juice is squeezed, pasteurized and shipped, never frozen or stored for later. No wonder one of it's winning points was its "fresh-squeezed" taste.

Based in Fort Pierce, the Orchid Island Juice Company recently helped Central Florida and Lakeland non-profits raise thousands of dollars for the Special Olympics and Camp Aurora by providing juice for the 25-mile Paddler's Challenge as well as a kayak that was raffled off.

Florida's Natural Premium Home Squeezed Orange Juice came in second place. This company is based in Lake Wales, one of Lakeland's neighbors, where visitors get a chance to see how juice is made, buy juice and other souvenirs and get a taste of this winner.

Noble Organic Juice, with its "smooth" taste, came in third. Noble Juice is based in nearby Winter Haven and produces the popular Blue Lake Citrus Brand of juice. It is 100 percent organic orange juice and even the bottle you buy it in is organic. It's made from 100 percent corn!

Another winner in the Lakeland area is the Boyce Team. While not known for producing orange juice, they do produce great real estate deals. Whether you have a house to sell or want to buy a home, contact Damion Boyce to learn how they can help you buy or sell a home in the land of liquid sunshine.

Keller Williams Realty of Lakeland Takes Up the Cause of Treats for Troops

Keller Williams Realty of Lakeland recently took up the cause of Treats for Troops in an effort to collect items to be sent to American troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Donations Pour in From Lakeland Association of Realtors Members

Local realtors were eager to contribute to the cause, and over $5,000 worth of non-perishable food and personal hygiene items were collected. These were put into ziplock bags by members of the Keller Williams office including Eleni McLean, chair/coordinator of the event known as RED DAY, along with volunteers Evelyn Broxterman and Kristi Lawrence.

Over 600 bags of goodies were prepared. Some bags contained personal items such as shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, razors, and playing cards. Other bags contained snack foods including beef jerky, granola bars, pretzels, tea bags, and candy.

Some Lakeland community members also contributed letters of thanks to the troops to be included in the bags, while members of the Lakeland Association of Realtors also donated cash to this great cause.

Treats for Troops Sends Packages to Troops Overseas

Lands O' Lakes-based Treats for Troops receives the prepared bags from contributors and ships them to the troops. They spend an estimated $60,000 per month on shipping costs alone, so the hundreds of dollars that Lakeland realtors contributed in cash was greatly appreciated by Treats for Troops.

Packages Arrive in Afghanistan and Iraq

Packages are a welcome arrival for the troops. But the giving doesn't always stop there. Troops often hand out the candy they receive from Treats for Troops to local children where they are stationed because, according to Eleni McLean, "Many of these kids have never seen candy."

Plans are now in the works for Keller Williams of Lakeland to collect ongoing contributions, in hopes of having another shipment ready to go in July.

Damion Boyce and the Boyce Team are members of the Keller Williams of Lakeland office and would welcome your business. See what the Boyce Team is all about or contact Damion Boyce to learn more about the Lakeland area.

If you've been in or near downtown Lakeland lately, you may be seeing some new signs of the times popping up in downtown Lakeland. The new signs are designed to help visitors find their way to and around downtown Lakeland a bit more easily.

The price for the 50 new signs, including 20 in a "You Are Here" style with maps to downtown restaurants, cultural and educational spots and businesses, is $63,860, including installation. Bunting Graphics of Pennsylvania won the bid to create and install the signs.

Most of the "You Are Here" signs will be installed on lampposts while six other signs in the area simply point the way to downtown. These directional signs will appear on major streets near downtown including near Lake Morton and Lake Wire.

In an effort to make the downtown area more visitor-friendly, there will also be 16 "Welcome" signs around the edge of the area.For those wanting a place to park while they shop, eat, or enjoy some of the beautiful art and parks in downtown Lakeland, there will be six signs to help visitors find parking.

So why not spend some time exploring downtown Lakeland, perhaps having lunch at a restaurant with sidewalk seating, enjoying the swan and butterfly art (as well as a variety of sculptures that line the streets), and shopping for antiques or other specialty items for sale in the downtown area?

Downtown Lakeland has a way of attracting people and making them want to stay forever. When that happens to you, contact Damion Boyce to help you find the perfect home in the perfect city, Lakeland. The Boyce Team has lots of lovely Lakeland homes to show and sell, and one is sure to be just right for you and your family.

First-time home buyers in the

For the purpose of this new tax credit, the government is defining "qualified service members" as those who are a "member of the uniformed services of the U.S. military, a member of the Foreign Service of the U.S., or an employee of the intelligence community." For service members who were on "official extended duty outside the U.S. for at least 90 days between January 1, 2009 and May 1, 2010" you may still be able to use the tax credit.

There are a couple of other criteria that home buyers must meet as well, including:

Income Limits: Single taxpayers can only have income of $125,000 while married couples filing joint returns may have income of $225,000.

First-Time Home Buyer: To get the $8,000 tax credit, home buyers must fit the definition of first-time home buyers. This means they cannot have owned their principle residence during the past three years prior to the new home purchase. For married couples, both people must qualify.

Repeat Tax Buyer Credit: Even if you've owned your primary residence during the last three years, you may still be able to apply for a different tax credit, the Repeat Home Buyer Tax Credit, worth up to $6,500.

While non-service home buyers must stay in their newly purchased home for a minimum of three years after receiving the Home Buyer Tax Credit to avoid having to pay it back, military personnel who sell due to official government-ordered extended duty are exempt from this recapture rule.

For military service personnel in the Lakeland area who want to take advantage of this extended credit, contact Damion Boyce to see if you qualify. The Boyce Team appreciates all the service that our military personnel do for this country and have homes listed in Lakeland and the surrounding area that are sure to be just the right fit.

Over 180 artists will be showing their wares which include everything from jewelery to paintings to sculptures. Food artists will also be there with a variety of goodies available for purchase and there will be live performances on the Lakeland Public Library lawn throughout the weekend by local musicians, dancers and other artists.

Don't worry about parking. It's free at Florida Southern College at the corner of Johnson and McDonald. Free shuttles are also available to take you from the parking area to the festival. More free shuttles known as MayFerrys will also be on hand to take passengers around Lake Morton and up to the Museum during festival hours.

And don't think the kids are being left out. There will be a free Art Tent and Kids Zone in the Museum parking lot with free hands-on art activities for all ability levels. For a small fee kids can also play in the bounce house and scale the rock climbing wall.

If 4 p.m. is way too early for you to stop enjoying the party, there's also Mayfaire Saturday Night & Festival of Arts & Athletes from 5 to 11 p.m. on Saturday. It's also free and features the Mayfaire Classic 5k race and fireworks at 9 p.m. Bring your own picnic or purchase food items from the vendors that will be on hand. All this is on the Lake Mirror Promenade, just 2 short blocks north of Mayfaire By-the-Lake.

Can't wait for the free festival on Saturday and Sunday? Well, for $35 at the gate, $20 for museum members or $30 in advance, you can attend the Mayfaire Kick-Off Party on Friday, the 7th at 5:30 p.m. on the Lakeland Public Library lawn. There will be an open bar and Texas Cattle Company hors d'oeuvres for attendees.

If you'd like to live close to all the excitement that is Lakeland, contact Damion Boyce to find you the perfect home in this great city, or learn more about the Boyce Team.

But, there are some plants, that while beautiful to look at, are not something you should be touching and especially not eating. Here are some that are grown locally that you might want to beware of:

Azaleas and Rhododendrons: These flowers are gorgeous and bloom profusely in the spring of the year. But the leaves and honey made from the nectar of the blossoms are poisonous if ingested. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, burning of the skin, headaches, dim vision and muscle weakness, as well as a slowed heart rate which can lead to a coma and sometimes even death!

Oleander: This one can really be a problem as every part of it is toxic. Even breathing in the smoke from burning oleander can cause problems, as can using twigs from them to roast marshmallows or hot dogs. Typical symptoms are a slowed heart rate, heart palpitations or increased potassium levels. So, Don't Touch the Oleander!!

Hydrangea: These flowers can grow to be 15 feet tall with huge round flower petal clusters in shades of blue, rose, and green. And although they may look friendly, please don't eat the flowers. They can cause the usual tummy ache, vomiting and itchy skin but also may cause coma, convulsions and a breakdown in blood circulation. Doctors do have an antidote but prevention is always easier than taking the cure.

Wisteria: Housewives, watch out. Wisteria Lane may look pretty on TV, but these posies can cause you some problems as well. Although not deadly these plants can make you have a bad day in the neighborhood so please don't eat any part of them. Nausea, cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea are their forte.

Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia): Although I personally am not familiar with this plant, it seems to be a variety sometimes cultivated in Florida. But not something you'd want to invite to lunch. They have large leaves and trumpet-shaped flowers and can be deadly if ingested by humans or animals. Some places have even banned them from being grown, so beware.

The Boyce Team knows all about Lakeland neighborhoods, so why not contact Damion Boyce today and take a look at some of the outstanding properties they have to offer in the beautiful Lakeland area.

1. Pay Your Bills on Time Lenders want to be reassured that you're a good risk and one way you can do this is to prove to them that you pay your bills on time. How? By paying them on time, of course!

2. Determine Your Credit Ratio First, it's always good to know what a credit ratio is. Your credit ratio is the ratio of your credit balance to your available credit. To figure yours, add up your credit limits and see how they compare to your debts.

3. Pay Off Your Credit Cards Even if you weren't trying to improve your credit score, paying off credit cards is always a good idea. Think of the interest you'll save if nothing else. Now tuck that card away so you don't keep using it, but don't close the account as this can have a big, bad impact on your credit ratio.

4. Pay Off Any and All Delinquent Accounts Even more important than paying off credit cards that aren't in arrears is paying off accounts that are delinquent. Nothing says poor credit risk like a delinquent balance, so get rid of them if at all possible.

5. Take a Good Look at Your Credit Report Look for any errors, check your credit limits and make sure no one else is having a field day with your credit.

6. Stay Away from New Credit Card Applications While on the surface, getting more credit might seem like a good way to let everyone see what a good credit risk you are, adding more credit cards to your wallet is not the best way to do this. Rather than helping, it may send up a red flag to the credit companies.

7. Be Patient Easy, right? Well, maybe not so much but over time if you keep paying your bills on time, paying off those credit cards and delinquent accounts and keeping an eye on how your credit is going, things will turn around and your score will go up.

Once you get your credit score where you can find a good mortgage rate, contact Damion Boyce to help you find the perfect home in Lakeland. The Boyce Team has lots of other resources to help you find a great mortgage rate as well.

Polk County is part of the East Florida Section of the Birding Trail which was opened in November of 2000. Polk has eleven birding sites which includes one of the three East Section "gateway" parks, the Tenoroc Fish Management Area, located two miles northeast of Lakeland. This special area has a staffed visitor center where visitors can get free trail guides, birdwatching tips and even free "loaner optics" - binoculars that are loaned out for a day, free of charge when certain criteria are met.

There are 486 native birds and 13 established non-native species residing in Florida. Get your own list of these birds and see how many you can identify. Pre-printed and online guides are available listing the birding sites in each of the four sections and giving details about what visitors can expect at each site.

You can also use the Great Florida Birding Trail Trip-Planning Tool to help you determine which part of the trail and which birding sites you may want to visit. With a variety of ways to search, you can select the particular species of birds you're interested in seeing, special amenities you may have an interest in, such as handicap accessibility, and bird habitats. You'll also find more info on the many species or habitats you may see.

Now that you know where to find some of the local bird habitats, maybe it's time to find a habitat of your own. Contact Damion Boyce today for help finding the perfect "nest" for your family. The Boyce Team has many beautiful homes available in the Lakeland area.

Mold is found floating around in the air wherever you live, but when it lands on a host that can offer it moisture, it can quickly set up housekeeping. Dewy rooftops and siding, windows that have condensation build-up, air conditioning units and wet carpeting are all favorite habitats for mold.

Since mold can cause illness in humans, including allergic reactions from skin rashes to hay-fever type symptoms, getting rid of it as soon as you spot it, or better yet, preventing it from forming, is always the best way to proceed with indoor mold.

What Can be Done?

For roofs and siding, washing the home with a power washer and a mold-killing soap or bleach formula will usually keep the mold at bay. While this will take care of the mold that is there, it is not a permanent cure and will probably need to be carried out at least once a year.

Mold on the inside of your home can also be cleaned and removed with a soap solution and water. Bleach is another alternative although bleaching mold is not the only effective way to kill it. Once the mold is removed, however, your job is not complete because if moisture continues to be present, the mold will most likely return.

So if you have a leak, fix it. If you have high humidity in your home, you should try to lower it with dehumidifiers and by venting moisture-producing appliances such as clothes dryers to the outside if at all possible. When showering run the bathroom fan or at least open the bathroom door so that humidity doesn't condense.

To prevent mold formations in the first place, clean up and dry out any wet areas in your home as soon as possible. For windows with condensation, dry them off every morning or whenever condensation appears. Also lowering the relative humidity in your home to no more than 50% will help with moisture in your house.

For more information on what mold is all about and tips on how to keep it out of your home, visit this EPA site.

For help finding a great mold-free home in Lakeland, visit The Boyce Team and let Damion Boyce show you some of the great listings they have to offer.

The HAMP re-design is focusing on jobless homeowners and those who are "underwater", meaning that their mortgage is larger than the value of their home. Right now, approximately 6 million homeowners have missed at least two mortgage payments while another 10 to 12 million are expected to be in danger of foreclosure in the next 3 years.

How Will HAMP Work?

Help can come in three different forms, depending on the problem.

 1. Jobless Homeowners living in a home with a mortgage of less than $729,750 and receiving unemployment benefits may qualify for a 3-to-6-month break on their mortgage payments. During this period they won't have to spend over 31 percent of their jobless income on their mortgage payment. This break is designed to give the jobless breathing room to find new jobs at which point they can be re-evaluated for a mortgage modification which may permanently decrease their monthly mortgage payment amounts.

 2. Underwater Homeowners with a mortgage under $729,750 who can show financial hardship, are spending at least 31 percent of their pre-tax income on their mortgage and owe more than 15% over their home's current value may be able to get help in the form of a reduced mortgage. Banks will be given incentives to lower mortgage balances over a three-year period during which time borrowers must not miss a payment.

 3. Lenders will be able to offer refinanced FHA-backed loans to certain jobless and underwater borrowers after their mortgage is reduced by the bank by 10%. The FHA will be getting incentives of $14 billion from the Federal Bail-out Fund. Individual mortgage companies will be evaluating whether or not they want to offer this help to borrowers so it may be necessary to shop around to find such an offer.

Should you be in the market to buy or sell your home, Damion Boyce and the Boyce Team can offer lots of resources to help you determine what's right for your situation. Contact Damion today and set up an appointment to learn more about current housing situations in the Lakeland area.

While living in Lakeland or visiting with your kids or grandkids, a wonderful learning opportunity awaits in downtown Lakeland at the

Let's see what's going on!

On the Lower Level:

Learn about the life and times of an orange, one of Florida's best-known exports, with a hands-on exhibit showing you all the things an orange can do during its lifetime.

Up to the Main Floor:

Only kids under 4 can participate in the Tot Spot exhibit where they can crawl, build, climb and explore a special exhibit just for them.

Kids will learn about medicine and nature at the Body Shop and Fun Park.

Next stop, Artrageous, the Walt Disney World Company sponsored exhibit that lets kids learn hands-on about their art skills.

The School House lets children be either teacher or star pupil and learn all about both of these endeavors.

At The Financial Center, kids get to go to the bank, use the ATM machine, deposit or withdraw money, or even become the banker themselves.

Plan a meal, do pretend grocery shopping, or be the clerk that checks you out, all at The Explore Store, a kid-sized supermarket just like the ones mom and dad visit!

The News Stations let kids be on the news or forecasting the weather. Work behind the camera or be the newscaster.

The Theatre lets visitors be the star on-stage, dress the part and be a singer, dancer, actor or musician.

End your visit by shopping at The Museum Store. Full of puzzles, toys and gifts, the store lets your kids continue their education at home.

Besides all these adventures, every day has its own teaching time. Magical Mondays focus on literacy, Terrific Tuesdays teach school-readiness skills, Wacky Wednesdays feature a kids' cooking program, Thrilling Thursdays focus on science and math and Fun Fridays offer a creative art activity. Plus all these activities are included in your general admission price.

Lakeland is a great place to live and the Boyce Team can find you a great house in Lakeland to live in. Contact Damion Boyce today to help you buy or sell your Lakeland home now.

1. Swimming Pool

Since Lakeland has good weather year-round, many homes have their own swimming pool. If buying a home with this great feature, be sure your inspector looks for cracks in the pool walls or tears in the pool liner. Be sure he checks the pump and looks for damage to any walkways surrounding the pool. Pool repairs are not something you want to encounter in your new home.

2. Heating and Air Conditioning System

In Lakeland, the air conditioning system may be in use more often than the heating system so be sure to have them both thoroughly checked. Also be sure inspectors look at the ductwork to make sure it's intact and mold-free.

3. Septic System

While homes within Lakeland's city limits will probably be on city water, there are those in more outlying areas that may have their own septic system. When purchasing such a home, be sure your inspector checks the septic system by digging small holes around the area to determine how it's operating. If there's a problem, you'll want to know it upfront, since septic system repairs can be quite costly.

4. Inspecting a New Home

If you're buying a brand-new home, you may think getting it inspected is a waste of money. After all, county inspectors have been around to see how the work is going. Plus it is new construction, what could be wrong? Well, lot's of things. Plumbing problems, cracks in walls, or heating and air conditioning defects can all become a headache if not detected early on.

5. Termites and Other Critters

As mentioned above, be sure you have a termite inspection for any home you purchase in Florida. These little critters love living in Florida, but there's no reason they need to do it on your dime. So have your prospective home checked for their presence and for any damage they may have done. While they're at it, have inspectors check for other "bugs" that may find the prospective home or its surroundings a great place to live. Send them on their way if any are found and protect your home from any future visitors as well.

Life in your new Lakeland home can be a wonderful experience. Just be sure you're not stepping into any existing problems by having your new home inspected before you buy.

The Boyce Team can recommend inspectors who know what to look for in Florida properties. They can also recommend beautiful homes you might like. So contact Damion Boyce today and set up an appointment to see what the Boyce Team has to offer Lakeland buyers and sellers.

Let's face it, lots of people who move to Lakeland real estate are older, or as we say, mature people. This means that they may need more handicap accessibility in their homes, now or in the years ahead. If you or someone you know needs a home that is handicap accessible, here are some tips to make a home more user friendly for those with disabilities.

1. Not all improvements need to cost a lot. Moving clutter out of the way of an individual in a wheelchair or navigating the house with a walker can go a long way to making their life easier and the threat of falls less.

2. For people with arthritis or other problems with their hands, removing door knobs and installing door handles will help. Check home improvement stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot to see what they have available. Again this is not a super expensive fix, but it can make life much easier for those with disabled hands.

3. In the kitchen, consider installing a side-by-side refrigerator. This style of refrigerator is easier to get into when seated in a wheelchair. Also moving food items towards the front and bottom can make them easier to reach from a seated position.

4. A kitchen stove with knobs on the front and a mirror above to see how cooking food is progressing can help someone in a wheelchair cook for themselves or their family.

5. In closets, add low-level hooks and adjustable shelves so that people with disabilities can more easily reach, stack or hang clothing and accessory items such as belts, scarves and ties.

6. Add hand rails in the bathroom near the toilet and in the shower. Be sure they are securely attached to studs, not just drywall that could let go when weight is applied.

7. For those in a wheelchair, fold-away doors under the sink will allow better access for them. A tilted mirror over the sink is also a good idea for those who are forced to remain seated.

For handicap accessible homes available in Lakeland, contact Damion Boyce. The Boyce Team has many homes they can show you and lots of resources to help with handicap issues.

The futuristic architect was first contacted in 1938 by Dr. Ludd Spivey, then president of FSC, to design a campus in Lakeland, Florida. Although FSC had no money to spend on special architecture, Spivey assured Wright that if he were to design the buildings, the money would be raised. Wright first visited Lakeland at the age of 67 in 1938 and his basic plan included 18 buildings, constructed of steel, sand and glass, coming "out of the ground, and into the light, a child of the sun" to quote Wright himself.

The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel was the first of the buildings to be constructed in the orange groves of southern Lakeland. It was dedicated on March 9, 1941. Construction of three seminar units quickly followed and people gathered to see Wright when he visited the Lakeland construction sites, often in a cape and carrying a walking stick.

The E.T. Roux Library (renamed the Thad Buckner Building in 1968) was built next and dedicated in 1945. It's interesting to note that the construction of these first three buildings was done by students willing to work to pay their tuition, an arrangement instituted by President Spivey.

The Emile E. Watson-Benjamin Fine Administration Building and the J. Edgar Wall Waterdome were next, with the Waterdome being completed in 1948. During this time 1.5 miles of esplanades, extending from the library to the Administration building were also being built. After the construction of the Ordway Arts Building, the esplanades were continued from the Seminar Buildings to the Ordway Arts Building and back to the chapel, completing the quadrangle.

Construction on the Danforth Chapel was completed in 1955 with the $1,000,000 Polk County Science Building, completed in 1958, rounding out the 20 years that Frank Lloyd Wright was involved in the building of Lakeland's Florida Southern College campus.

With its abundant offering of sunny days every year, Lakeland makes us all children of the sun. Contact Damion Boyce to help you find your home in the sun. The Boyce Team has many beautiful homes to offer, and although they may not have been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, they are still quite impressive and worth a look.

Purpose of Your Pool's Pump

Paul Roth, a member of the Florida Swimming Pool Association, an industry trade group, explains that the purpose of the pool pump is to circulate the pool water through the skimmer and main drain(s), through the filter and back into the pool. The pool filtration system depends on the pump being in operation.

Pool owners must realize that although pool water may be clear and look clean to the naked eye, it may in fact not have the proper chemical balance. Even though the floater of chlorine tablets is moving randomly around the pool, in actuality pool chemicals need the water circulation created by the pump to properly circulate them throughout the pool so that they can do their work on bacteria.

Interior Pool Damage

Roth further contends that concentrated chlorine tablets that are not properly circulated throughout the pool can damage the pool's interior as well by pitting plaster or gunite pool surfaces. Pitting or etching is also more likely to occur in pools whose chemical balances are not kept at an optimum level throughout the year. This can be a very costly problem to fix, usually requiring replastering of the pool's interior surfaces. It's also helpful to the pump itself to run since this heats up the motor and evaporates the humidity and water that can harm the motor.

So while enjoying life in the subtropical climate of central Florida, there is certain maintenance on the area amenities that needs to be continued even when the weather cools down a bit. Taking care of your pool properly year-round will go a long way to keeping it in good working order.

Finding Your Lakeland Dream Home

Finding a great home in Lakeland, with or without its own pool, is the job of Damion Boyce and the Boyce Team. Damion has the resources to help you determine that the home-with-a-pool that you're considering is in tiptop shape before you purchase it. Call the Boyce Team today to find your little piece of paradise.

1. The number one must-have is a large kitchen, preferably with an island. Most people feel that the kitchen is the heart of their home. Of course, it's where meals are prepared, but it's also often the gathering place for the whole family. Even when entertaining friends, everyone often winds up in the kitchen. Fill it with energy-efficient appliances to help save on energy costs.

2. A home office or study is a room that many people now consider a must-have. More people work from home, and in this electronic age, almost everyone has a computer and needs a place to keep and use it out of the general traffic flow. Consequently, such areas as formal dining rooms and home theaters are being shunned for the more popular home office.

3. As baby boomers grow older and become empty nesters, often downsizing and moving from the northern states to more weather-friendly areas such as Lakeland, having the master bedroom and bathroom on the main floor is becoming more popular. And as an offshoot of this move downstairs, utility rooms are also more often being located on the main floor.

4. Simple, fairly inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, and able to help heat and cool rooms efficiently at a minimal cost, ceiling fans have moved into the realm of must-haves in Lakeland homes. Gently circulating cooled air in the warmer months while pushing rising warm air back down to humans' levels in the heating season has made them a great choice for home owners.

5. Last on our list, but certainly not least, two-car garages are a definite must-have. Or for the more affluent, three-car garages where the third bay is often used to store yard equipment, outdoor toys, bikes or tools.

If these items are on the list as must-have for your new Lakeland home, Damion Boyce and the Boyce Team can help you find a house with all these amenities. Contact Damion Boyce today and let him or his team members show you properties you're sure to love in the Lakeland area.

Dixieland's streets were in place and a water system installed by the time Carter and Deen inserted ads in local newspapers touting Dixieland as a "fashionable suburb" of Lakeland real estate as well as the "surest, safest investment in Florida."

Dixieland continued to grow in the next few decades, becoming both a residential and commercial neighborhood. Private residences in Florida's popular bungalow style during the 1920's and 40's represent about one-third of the neighborhood's residential homes.

A historic site survey completed in 1993 confirmed the number of historic buildings over 50 years old in the neighborhood and the Lakeland City Commissioners gave Dixieland "historic district status". Dixieland was also later placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Dixieland Historic District is bounded by Walnut Street, South Florida Avenue, Lenox Street and Hartsell Avenue.

Revitalization efforts have continued in Dixieland since the 1990's, and regulations were adopted in 2000 to preserve its architectural heritage. While only the exteriors of the buildings are covered by these regulations, before any demolition or renovation can occur, property owners are required to get city approval, thus ensuring the historic heritage of the area.

These and many other amazing neighborhoods can be found in the beautiful city of Lakeland, Florida. If you're looking for a special place to call home in Lakeland, why not contact Damion Boyce first and let the Boyce Team help you locate the home of your dreams in one of Lakeland's special neighborhoods today.