DAVIE BUDGET MEETING TUES. SEPT. 8TH

 Davie will hold a budget meeting on Tuesday, September 8th at 5:15 p.m. at the Davie Town Hall located at 6591 Orange Drive, Davie, FL.  Many important topics will be presented and discussed by the Mayor and Council Members.  One of the topics involves the Davie Police Department and possible layoffs.

Susana Franklin, head of the Forest Ridge Crime Watch organization, has been circulating a petition to Forest Ridge Residents in regard to the preservation of police officers throughout our community and in our schools.    This is her petition:

August 26, 2009

 To:  Judy Paul, Mayor of the Town of Davie, Michael Crowley, Vice Mayor, Bryan Caletka, Councilmember, Susan Starkey, Councilmember, and Marlon Luis, Councilmember.

From: Concerned Citizens of Forest Ridge, Davie.

  After learning of the proposed budget cuts, some of the residents of Forest Ridge have decided to sign this petition. This petition is our effort to notify you, our leadership, of our disapproval of certain intended budget cuts.

 More specifically, we are extremely disappointed with the recent budget cuts that affect the Davie Police Department. These proposed cuts will have a devastating impact on not only the daily patrols throughout our community, but will also significantly reduce the number of Community Officers assigned to our public schools. The negative impact of these cuts will be felt in the measurable statistical crime increases. Not to overlook the non-measurable, yet equally damaging, loss of positive role models for the children of our community.

As residents of Forest Ridge, we have been fortunate to have positive relationships with the different officers who have patrolled our streets over the years.  These fine officers have gone beyond providing high visibility street patrols and policing our school zones. They have even attended crime watch meetings with great regularity.  The upstanding young men and women of the Davie Police Department have been instrumental in instilling goodwill and safe feelings in the hearts of all Forest Ridge residents.  We want them to know it has not gone unnoticed and for that we will strive to do whatever possible to prevent their department’s suffering through radical budget cuts. 

 We respectfully request that you, our Mayor and Commissioners, allocate the appropriate funds to the Davie Police Department so they can continue providing the high level of services we have all come to expect and enjoy.  We implore you to provide the funding to the Davie Police Department necessary to prevent the reduction in numbers of officers. 

 We know the current economy seemingly dictates these cuts; however, it is our steadfast belief that in this economic climate, cutting our police budget will be a costly mistake. 

 Respectfully submitted,

If you are interested in signing the petition please contact Susana Franklin at Readmom99@aol.com

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Ends Soon

The $8,000 first time homebuyers tax credit ends November 30th, 2009.  If you are in the process of purchasing a home,  new mortgage regulations have increased the amount of time it takes to close a home,  up to  60 days in many cases.  For more information how these regulations will affect your closing, click on this link:

https://mail.ewm.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=5b29e1cc12ff4bb79eb1cf21041d259b&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.fdic.gov%2fconsumers%2fconsumer%2fnews%2fcnsum09%2fnew_deal.html

Forest Ridge Homes Lose Value With Some Short Sales

A Real Estate Company has listed a property 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Forest Ridge at a very low price  of $210,000.   The home is located  in Oak Park on Greenbriar Court  and it is a SHORT SALE.  A short sale is typically  not the most attractive way to purchase a home because it takes months to know whether or not the bank will accept your offer.  Once the bank receives an offer they will order a BPO’s (BROKER PRICE OPINION) .  This is similar to an appraisal but it is performed by a real estate agent, chosen by the bank . Real estate agents who perform BPO’s sometimes leave it in the hands of their assistants and most of the time the real estate agents and their assistants are not familiar with the neighborhood. They are selected based on other criteria which has nothing to do with knowledge of the community.

 If the  Bank feels the price being offered by the buyer is too low they will either counter the  offer or go to the next one.  If the seller only signs one offer to submit to the bank  there is little for the bank to do other than make the counteroffer or reject the offer all together.  Then the process starts all over again.

I am not sure what the motivation is on the behalf of the company who listed the property, but if they would have would have checked the comparable sales, or would have called some of the neighborhood expert Realtors, they would find that listing a 3 bdrm., 2 bath home with over 1700 sq. ft. of living space for $210,000 is not comparable to  similar homes in Forest Ridge.

There is no apparent reason why this home has to be listed so low, other than to bring  multiple buyers to the table and hopefully bring the sales price up quickly to a more reasonable selling price.  Let’s hope that this is the case here, and that the list price is just a “starting point” at which offers will begin.