The holiday season gives me the opportunity to bake.  I love to bake breads and cookies. Peanut Butter Choco Layer Fudge I always worry that my friends, neighbors, and clients get sick of the same the same cookies each year, so this year I found a couple of new tasty treats to add to my “gift selection”. Of course I had to make my killer chocolate chip cookies, and my grandmother’s butter cookies.  That’s my family standards for Christmas!  We just can’t have Christmas without the butter cookies that I do with a cookie press and are what we call the green Christmas tree cookies. Sweet Roasted Pecans The new additions this year were: Sweet Toasted Pecans Peanut Butter Choco Layer Fudge Puppy Chow – A Rice Chex with Peanute Butter, Chocolate and Powered Sugar. I love to find metal tins an... 12/22/2014

Here’s another great annual Holiday Event in Gainesville!  The 18th Annual Poinsettia Sale & Fundraiser at the University of Florida located at the Fifield Hall greenhouses on Hull Road. Photo Courtesy of UF Environmental Horticulture UF/IFAS WHEN:  TODAY - Thursday – December 11, 2014  8:00 am to 5:30 pm AND Tomorrow Friday December 12, 2014 8:00am to 3:00pm The Environmental Horticulture Club’s 18th Annual Poinsettia Fundraiser Over 30 varieties will be offered for sale including traditional reds and novelties such as Shimmer Surprise, Orange Spice, Winter Rose and Ice Punch. 6 ½” pots are the most popular and include colorful decorative pot covers. Larger showpieces in 8” and 10” pots will also be available along with centerpiece bowls. While you are there, you should visit the Natio... 12/09/2014

The Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors (GACAR) is having their 3rd Annual TOY DRIVE.  We are all planning to help the kids at theChildren’s Home Society (CHS) have a happy holiday. The GACAR YPN has organized a way for you to SPONSOR A CHILD THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. This is our third annual Toy drive and we have set our most optimistic goal of 150 toys. We’ve had a tree decorated at the Board office full of paper ornaments.  Each ornament has a child’s name, age, and wish list for a toy to receive for the holidays.  I picked a couple of ornaments a few weeks ago, and did some toy shopping for those kids! I was at the GACAR office on Thursday for a committee meeting and there were toys all spread out in the lobby! I hope we reach our goal to help the kids this year! All the o... 12/06/2014

Gainesville Florida Real Estate Market Report for Single Family Homes Sold in October 2014.  Here you will find the three-month statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market for August, September and October 2014. The chart below shows the number of NEW LISTINGS that came on the market for the month of October.  NEW PENDING SALES, and the CLOSED SALES for the month of October 2014.  You will see that NEW LISTINGS are UP for this month. Pending transactions also jumped up for a historically slow month. Closed Sales were also up from last month. The Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors® provides their statistics to the Florida Realtors® each month and they compile statewide data that allows them to compile these reports. Closed sales are up almost... 11/25/2014

Gainesville Florida real estate market report for Condominiums & Townhomes SOLD in October 2014. Here you will see the stats on Condos and Townhouse data for October 2014.  Our fall season now eases into cooler weather yet our market stats are still cooking! This chart reflects the stats for August, September and October 2014.  The chart below shows New Active Listings,  Pending Sales, and Closed Sales. This data is compiled from the Gainesville Multiple Listing Service & Florida Realtors® research and statistical reports.  Each month we compile these posts, we plan to publish these monthly reports after the 21st of each month.  Bookmark this site for Gainesville real estate information! Cash Sales percentage of total sales has become a significant issue. In the display below, you can s... 11/25/2014

Every home at some point requires maintenance. Some of that maintenance doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money if you keep some basic tools around the house. Here are some helpful tools you can keep on hand. ScrewdriversMake sure you have both flathead and Phillips-head screwdrivers of various sizes. A complete set is even better, letting you do everything from tightening loose fixtures to putting together furniture. For light projects, you could opt for a single, multi-bit screwdriver that stores detachable heads in the handle and doubles as a nut driver. HammerA good hammer is an absolute staple for everything from hanging photos to repairing fence pickets. The most common size weighs 16 ounces. Consider investing in a good hammer with a claw head and an anti-vibration rubber grip.​U... 11/16/2014

The Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale started Saturday Oct 24th and runs through Wednesday October 29th.  This marks the 60th Anniversary of the Sale! Photo Courtesy of Gainesville Sun This is another great fall event in Beautiful Gainesville!  If you’ve never been to this book sale, make sure you go check it out.   Lots of treasures to find and all will benefit our Alachua County Library District.  Largest Book Sale of its kind in Florida – More than 500,000 books, records, games, CDs, DVDs, audio, video, paintings, posters, prints, puzzles and magazines have been donated for the sale! Many categories, including: classical and modern fiction textbooks large-print books cookbooks children’s books quilting books and magazines hobby books Star Trek videos Comic books and manga — In th... 10/26/2014

Gainesville Florida Real Estate Market Report for Single Family Homes Sold in September 2014.  Here you will find the three-month statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market for July, August and September 2014. The chart below shows the number of NEW LISTINGS that came on the market for the month of September, the currently NEW PENDING SALES, and the CLOSED SALES for the month of September 2014.  Fall is here in Gainesville, and it is very typical for our market stats to slow around this time. You will see that NEW LISTINGS are down just a bit for this month, and this may be another indicator of lower inventory.  Pending transactions and Closed Sales were down from August and this is normal for the fall season. The Gainesville-Alachua County Association of ... 10/24/2014

Gainesville Florida real estate market report for Condominiums & Townhomes SOLD in September 2014. Fall is here in Gainesville.  Here you will see the stats on Condos and Townhomes data for September 2014 This chart reflects the stats for July, August and September2014.  The chart below shows New Active Listings,  Pending Sales, and Closed Sales. This data is compiled from the Gainesville Multiple Listing Service & Florida Realtors® research and statistical reports.  Each month we compile these posts, we plan to publish these monthly reports after the 21st of each month.  Bookmark this site for Gainesville real estate information! Cash Sales percentage of total sales has become a significant issue. In the display below, you can see the large percentage of cash sales in our local Condo &... 10/24/2014

We've been working hard to create pages on our site for Gainesville Neighborhoods.  This is a work in progress and we are adding neighborhoods each week to our site.   Our goal is to make it easy to just "google search" for a neighborhood and our page will show up in the search. Each Gainesville neighborhood page will give you a summary description and location of the neighborhood in Gainesville.  It should also let you know the designated schools and information about any Home Owners Association. Take a look at our home page and in the top tabs, you will see "Communities".  There is a drop down menu there with selections for different areas like NW Gainesville, SW Gainesville, Jonesville, and we even give you a choice of "West of I-75" too. Each Gainesville neighborhood page is directl... 10/19/2014

Gainesville Florida Real Estate Market Report for Single Family Homes Sold in August 2014.  Here you will find the three-month statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market for June, July and August 2014. The chart below shows the number of NEW LISTINGS that came on the market for the month of June, the currently NEW PENDING SALES, and the CLOSED SALES for the month of August 2014.  It’s been HOT in Gainesville….and that includes the weather AND our real estate market! You will see that NEW LISTINGS are down just a bit for this month, and this may be another indicator of lower inventory.  Pending transactions and Closed Sales were down from July and this is normal for the beginning of the school year, as many family buyers want to be in their new homes before... 09/27/2014

Gainesville Florida real estate market report for Condominiums & Townhomes SOLD in August 2014. It’s been a long HOT summer, so let’s talk about condos SOLD in August 2014. The student have rolled in for the Fall Semester at University of Florida and Santa Fe College. This chart reflects the stats for June, July and August 2014.   The chart below shows New Active Listings,  Pending Sales, and Closed Sales. This data is compiled from the Gainesville Multiple Listing Service & Florida Realtors® research and statistical reports.  Each month we compile these posts, we plan to publish these monthly reports after the 21st of each month.  Bookmark this site for Gainesville real estate information! Cash Sales percentage of total sales has become a significant issue. In the display below, you ca... 09/27/2014

Lucky's Market is coming to Gainesville, FL and construction is well under way at their new location of 1409 NW 23rd Ave.. They are scheduled to open in 2014 but an official date has not been set yet.  Lucky's Market website can be viewed here http://www.luckysmarket.com/location/gainesville-fl/. Lucky's is proud to offer organic produce as well as sourcing as much produce from local farms as possible.  They also have an extensive selection of organic meat and even make sausage and nitrate-free bacon in-house along with smoked chicken and ribs.  Lucky's also advertises a large selection of non-GMO and gluten-free products, a bulk foods and nutrition section, fresh seafood department, fresh deli items and wine and spirits.  They also offer classes on fermented foods, healthy eating and w... 08/31/2014

Gainesville Florida Real Estate Market Report for Single Family Homes Sold in JULY 2014.  Here you will find the three-month statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market for May, June and July 2014. The chart below shows the number of NEW LISTINGS that came on the market for the month of June, the currently NEW PENDING SALES, and the CLOSED SALES for the month of July 2014.  It’s been HOT in Gainesville….and that includes the weather AND our real estate market! You will see that NEW LISTINGS are down just a bit for this month, and this may be another indicator of lower inventory.  Pending transactions remain stable for this time of year, and closed sales are steady and strong for July too. The Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors® provides thei... 08/30/2014

Gainesville Florida real estate market report for Condominiums & Townhomes SOLD in July 2014.  Let’s talk about condos SOLD in July 2014 – all in preparation for the upcoming Fall Semester at University of Florida and Santa Fe College. This chart reflects the stats for May, June and July 2014.   The chart below shows New Active Listings,  Pending Sales, and Closed Sales. This data is compiled from the Gainesville Multiple Listing Service & Florida Realtors® research and statistical reports.  Each month we compile these posts, we plan to publish these monthly reports after the 21st of each month.  Bookmark this site for Gainesville real estate information! Cash Sales percentage of total sales has become a significant issue. In the display below, you can see the large percentage of cash s... 08/30/2014

Air Sampling for Mold Inspections In Gainesville    Taking air samples during a mold inspection is important for several reasons.  Mold spores are not visible to the naked eye, and the types of mold present can often be determined through laboratory analysis of the air samples.  Having samples analyzed can also help provide evidence of the scope and severity of a mold problem, as well as aid in assessing human exposure to mold spores.  After remediation, new samples are typically taken to help ensure that all mold has been successfully removed.   Air samples can be used to gather data about mold spores present in the interior of a house.  These samples are taken by using a pump that forces air through a collection device which catches mold spores.  The sample is then sent off to a labor... 08/28/2014

Here we are in August, and the Gainesville Real Estate market has been cooking this season.   Busy is a very good thing!   I love to brag that I always have the best clients!  Most who know me, know that I love working with buyers! Gainesville market is busy and no complaints at all.   Public schools have started, and the college kids are all rolling into town this week too. The start of school has always created a slow-down of our local market.  (In my opinion)  And I'm looking forward to football. Scheduling buyers for showings on weekends is often a tight schedule and we all have to plan ahead.   Sometimes we can be in and out of the car for showings in pouring down rain.....after all, it's summer time in Gainesville!   And when my clients are out-of-towners, there isn't much choice ... 08/25/2014

Last Friday was a great day for some of my happy buyers and sellers!   The Bai Family closed on the purchase of their very first home in Blues Creek in Gainesville. And that home was one of my listings too, so the Cunigan family was happy that we finally got this home sold & transaction closed. Leslie Remy with FBC Mortgage and Mr. Bai It’s always great when a plan comes together! We’re in the peak of our Gainesville real estate market, as most families are wanting to get settled in before school starts in August. I’d like to offer a special thanks to Mr. Cunigan for being so patient with a one week delay in our closing date. I would also like to thank the buyer’s loan officer, Leslie Remy at FBC Home Loansfor going above and beyond to help the Bai Family get their final loan approval. ... 07/31/2014

Gainesville Florida Real Estate Market Report for Single Family Homes Sold in June 2014.  Here you will find the statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market for April, May & June 2014. The chart below shows the number of NEW LISTINGS that came on the market for the month of June, the currently NEW PENDING SALES, and the CLOSED SALES for the month of June 2014.  You will see that NEW LISTINGS are down just a bit for this month, and this may be another indicator of lower inventory.  Pending transactions are down from May, and closed sales are up for another month. Our market is hot, as this our peak season before school starts in August. The Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors® provides their statistics to the Florida Realtors® each month and t... 07/31/2014

Gainesville Florida real estate market report for Condominiums & Townhomes SOLD in June 2014 - and I am NOT late in getting this posted this month!  This is our PEAK season for condos sales in the Gainesville area. This chart reflects the stats for April, May and June 2014.   The chart below shows New Active Listings,  Pending Sales, and Closed Sales. This data is compiled from the Gainesville Multiple Listing Service & Florida Realtors® research and statistical reports.  Each month we compile these posts, we plan to publish these monthly reports after the 21st of each month.  Bookmark this site for Gainesville real estate information! Cash Sales percentage of total sales has become a significant issue. In the display below, you can see the large percentage of cash sales in our local Co... 07/31/2014