Hi folks! A bit late on this one, but thought you'd appreciate some insight into the Winter Haven, Florida housing market. As always, I would like to extend a special thanks to Lakeland, Florida Realtor Petra Norris, who issues a comparable report for the Lakeland, Florida area. What's even cooler is that I-4 Metro's Own Journalist Extraordinaire and all 'round good "Human" Mr. Chuck Welch has kindly mapped out the homes sold via his interactive Community Walk map.

A few of the finer points about this Winter Haven, Florida Homes Sold Report

• By "homes sold" I am referring to single family homes and condominiums. Homes sold as "by owner" do not appear here.
• The geographic area covered in this report consists of the Winter Haven, Florida area.
• Rather than use school zones, I've used Zip codes - which I feel provides a clearer picture of what's presented here.
• The Zip codes included in this edition of my report include: 33880, 33881, and 33884.

Winter Haven, Florida Home Sales Data - December 2008

Home sales in Winter Haven for December 2008 rose 5.36% from the November 2008 totals - up from 56 to 59. The average sales price was $126,543, and of the homes sold, 1 was a Townhouse, 50 were single family homes, 3 were classified as manufactured/mobile homes, and the remaining 5 were condos.

The average sold price per square foot dropped 3.9% down from $73.11 in November to $70.26 for December, and the average List Price to Sales Price Ratio dropped from 97.19 % to 92.13%. What this means is that on average, sellers reduced their initial asking price by just over 8 %.

Note: The information contained in this report was obtained from the Mid-Florida Regional MLS. The data presented here is believed reliable but is not guaranteed.

My Take on All of This: While Winter Haven, Florida home sales activity increased by a slight 5.36%, but sellers are having to give in to market pressure a little more by lowering their asking prices to more reasonable levels - averaging more than an 8% price reduction per home sold.

Condo prices continue to see downward pressure over single family homes, except for those with exceptional qualities, like the one sold in the Winterset Community, which boasts one of the best views of Lake Winterset - one of the largest and most beautiful lakes on the Winter Haven's Chain-of-Lakes.

For more information on the location of the Winter Haven, Florida homes sold, along with price and size of each home, click on the interactive Community Walk map below, which was created by Chuck Welch of MetroI4News.com.

CommunityWalk Map - December 2008 Winter Haven Homes Sold Full size map: December 2008 Winter Haven Homes Sold