Darhlene Zeanwick

I look forward to receiving my monthly issue of the "Poinciana Pioneer" and applaud the paper's improved looks - both online and in print - but I have noticed a consistent something that I've been wanting to bring up for the longest time. It's about some of the resident letters published in this paper.

The way I figure it, the APV must not be getting very many letters from residents because, far too often, what is published is either difficult to read or verbose. Or, as recently as the December 2007 issue, they're pointless diatribes complete with grammatical errors brandished about like fireworks.

I have wondered at times if this is done on purpose, a kind of editor's laugh-at-the-dumb-folks approach, but it is done so consistently that I have to believe that the editor of the "Poinciana Pioneer" simply does not have a clue. It really is okay, Mr. Editor, to correct errors found in resident letters that you are about to publish. It's even okay to edit them, especially, if they either make no sense or are discussing a hundred different topics.

"Last year one out of every 95 households experienced foreclosure in [Florida] with filings up more than 275 percent...read more>>

POINCIANA | The closer we move toward Election 2008, the closer we move towards an ever increasing need for response in the ever worsening U.S. economic recession. According to the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), Congress is now eyeing new incentives to address the subprime crisis. Specifically? Allowing bankruptcy judges to alter the terms of certain mortgages.

Another measure under consideration is a tax break intended for the self-employed and business sectors, and popular with FAR members. A third: Alloting $10 billion to enable financial agencies -- that industry that got us into this mess in the first place -- to refinance people. Hmm, people. President Bush recently backed this one so it's automatically suspect.

But there's one more area of interest. This one to the average homeowner.

Lawmakers are considering $4 billion in block grants, distributed by locality, such as Osceola County or Polk County, and intended for Rehab's & Pre-Fer's. The purpose of the grants will be to rehabilitate areas, like Poinciana! The same areas recently slapped with "high risk" or D ratings by Fannie Mae and its counterpart in subprime, Countrywide.

If you have kids who are seniors in a Florida high school this year, they may qualify to participate an essay contest that's offering a total of $106,000 in scholarship funding. The deadline for the contest is fast approaching. It is set for Friday, March 7, 2008. Participating students must write a typed, double-spaced essay, 500 words or less, on the topic, "How Does a Realtor® Professional Benefit the Community?"

Sponsored by the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), the scholarship program can benefit students all over Florida. Prize money will be going to first-, second- and third-place essays in each of FAR's 13 Florida districts. Students turning in the top district essay will each win a $5,000 scholarship prize; second-place winners will receive a $1,500 scholarship award; and third-place winners will receive $500 scholarship award. The 13 district-winning essays will then compete for three $5,000 FAR scholarships on a statewide level.

All essays, along with an official Essay Cover Form, must be mailed to FAR's Orlando office. FAR's statewide scholarship awards program is open only to high school seniors who reside in the state of Florida and plan on continuing their education at any college, university, technical school or other...Read more »

Poinciana (PHN) | In January of 2008 there were 69,548 people who called Poinciana home and 18,683 homes. The least expensive of these sells today for $60 per square foot, a drop of $1 from December 2007. The least expensive single family home in Poinciana is listed with an asking price of $93,900.

Absorption rate, the rate at which properties are sold, for Osceola County stood at 2.8% in December, a drop of 0.2% from November 2007. A similar decline of 0.2% also occurred in Poinciana to rate of 2.6% in December.

Although inventory dipped to just below 1,000 in December 2007, it rose again during the following month and stood at 1,059 on January 31.

While for most of 2007, homes sold at about one per day, since January 1^st the daily average dropped to one about one sale every two days. A total of 14 homes have been sold in Poinciana-proper so far in 2008.

Between excessive inventory and low sales, the market value for homes in Poinciana continues to decline. Conclusion: READ MORE>>