By Rick Bisio                          Author of The Educated Franchisee   Wow, what an interesting, and sometimes alarming, month it has been.  So far we've seen Countrywide, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and AIG struggle, just to mention a few.  So what have we learned?    First we have learned about the risk of being overly bullish in an up economy.  Many people thought they could not lose.  Everything was going up at a feverish pace and every bet seemed to work out well.  Life was easy - too easy - and we should have known better.  But these are the obvious lessons, the lessons we read about in the newspaper every day.  What else can we learn?   The other lesson revolves around the fact that Bank of America bought Countrywide and Merrill Lynch on the cheap.  JP Morgan picked up Bear... 10/17/2008

Well, we've just returned from the Pennsylvania trip, and were up early for the Marine Corp 5K. This is the first race I've done consecutively from year to year. So I was anxious to see if my time had improved. I finished 8th in my age division, which I was happy about. My clock time was 32:06 and chip time was 31:34, which gave me a pace of 10:09. Last year I finished 9th in my age group and had a pace of 11:25. Pretty big improvement on my pace, which is a current goal of mine. Looking forward to getting back to work and getting some rest!! 10/15/2008

Approximately 19% of the homes currently active or pending in MLS are either REO homes or PreForeclosure homes. In the condo market, the picture is a little worse. Of all condos currently active or pending approx 27% are distressed listings.  This continues to pull the price of ALL homes down.  This is a GREAT time to be a buyer!  The prices continue to drop and I just don't see a bottom yet. I think things are going to continue to be very "quiet" until we get this election behind us. There were almost 1800 homes sold in the last two months in North Florida so SOMEBODY is buying! The market continues to putt-putt along and I know that we're not hurting as bad as a lot of markets...thank goodness!  I am working with buyers right now that are very hesitant to commit to a contract when the... 10/13/2008

St. Joseph's Catholic School will host it's 5th annual Fall Fun & Craft Show on Saturday, October 11, 2008 from 9am to 4pm at 11600 Old St. Augustine Road in Mandarin.  Admission is free for kids and adults and the festival will go on rain or shine.  Several vendors will showcase their many arts & crafts ~ gift-giving season is just around the corner ~ come buy a unique gift and enjoy a day in beautiful Mandarin. 10/10/2008

 * The current conditions are still favorable for buyers here in Jacksonville Florida due to abundant inventory & continuing low interest rates. * Buyers must keep in mind that the current conditions won't last indefinitely since research indicates that prices are stabilizing and in some cases increasing.  * Home ownership does continue to be a wise investment.  The average return on a 5% downpayment over 10 years is usually 3 to 5 times greater than stock market returns according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).  Also, NAR concludes that real estate has delivered the most consistent positive return over any investment over the past 40 years. * In conclusion, the ready, willing & able home buyer should buy now! Eventually this buyer's market will change and you do not want... 10/10/2008

* Job Growth is anticipated in the Jacksonville area. Jacksonville was ranked #26 in Forbes' 100 Best Cities for Jobs in 2008. * The Florida Times-Union reported that a giant shipping company (Mitsui O.S.K.) will add 1800 new jobs to the Northeast Florida this year with approx 4,000 spin off jobs.  There is another shipping company (Hanjin of Korea) that could have another terminal up and running in 3 years which would further strengthen Jacksonville's economy. * According to the Florida Times Union, Deutsche Bank has chosen Jacksonville for a 1000-employee office which gives the city another high-impact addition to its financial services industry. The bank will fill out its employee hub by the end of 2011 with an average wage of $49,200. *Financial News & Daily Record reports that Jack... 10/08/2008

Announcement - SOLD & Closed! Your Choice Real Estate is pleased to announce the successful closing of our listing at 8126 PILGRIMS TRACE DR North , JACKSONVILLE , FLORIDA ; 32244. The sellers selected our MLS Assist with Sign & Lockbox Listing format. The deal closed on 9/25/08. The original asking price was $167,500 and the final sale price was $165,000 representing 98.5% of the list price. The home was listed on May 23, 2008 and went into contract in just 105 days on September 5, 2008. This is far better than the national and regional average DOM of 192 days. The buyer was represented by PATRICIA MCLAUGHLIN (904-608-9296) of CENTURY 21 HARRIS REAL ESTATE . For more information about the services the sellers used to get such great results call or email me anytime.   Phillip Jones, Bro... 10/08/2008

I just learned Florida drivers can access their driver license emergency contact data via a state website: https://www6.hsmv.state.fl.us/dlcheck/findcustomer This application came about to expedite the ability of police officers at crash scenes to more quickly find emergency contact data. I know we've all hear about having ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts and numbers in our cell phones, but what if your cell phone was tossed hundreds of feet from the accident scene? Take a few minutes and pass this along to everyone you know in Florida, and go update your emergency contact data on this website. Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Vanguard GMAC.  She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal We... 10/07/2008

This is NOT a short sale!  As I'm booking showing appointments around Jacksonville Florida, I'm noticing that this is how we now have to market property for any sellers we're lucky enough to have who will actually receive proceeds at the closing table.  In Mandarin (south Jacksonville), where I concentrate my business, there are plenty of short sale and foreclosure choices for buyers in any price range. Most agents a year ago would have turned and run at the thought of listing a property for less than what the sellers owed on their note.  These days in Florida, if you don't take the short sale and/or foreclosure listings, you ain't got no listings. 10/02/2008

I had a speaker at our Beaches Realtor meeting yesterday talk about this: Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It's a new home improvement retail outlet, located at Beach & University Blvd.  IT's a 38,000 square foot home improvement retail outlet where new and refurbished building matertials are sold to the public at significantly reduced prices. Over 80% of the donation items are new, and donated by manufacturers, distributors, stores, contractors and individuals. They get donations of cabinets, carpet, doors, electrical components, hardware, plumbing fixtures, roofing materials, tile, tools, windows, appliances, furniture and lighting, and sell these for much less than retail! It's a great concept,for several reasons: It keeps all of these items out of our landfills It helps fund the Habita... 09/26/2008

Everyone knows buying big ticket items usually requires a considerable amount of research and planning as opposed to buying something like groceries or clothes. This same idea applies to Jacksonville real estate and home purchasing in general which is obviously a huge financial decision and probably one of the most important any first time homebuyer will ever make in their lifetime. Buying Jacksonville homes can in some situations border on complicated and laborious but the more questions you ask and the more knowledgeable you are the more satisfied you’ll be with the home once you purchase it. Consider the following: Be aware of how long the property’s been up for sale. The troubles of the real estate market have been covered exhaustively which means some sellers haven’t had much succe... 09/23/2008

   WOW, Deercreek Country Club is a Fantastic Private Golf Course Community in the Southside Area of Jacksonville! The entrance has such great Curb Appeal. The guard gate is guarded 24/7 with a security guard- -very strict to get in. The Country Club has a beautiful Clubhouse, Pool, Tennis Facility and great Golf Course! There are a variety of Memberships available, please ask me! HERE are the CURRENT HOMES FOR SALE in the DEERCREEK COUNTRY CLUB COMMUNITY 442929 Active 369,900 DEERCREEK CC  9945 MARGATE HILLS RD 1,987 4 2 0 61 439453 Active 399,900 DEERCREEK  9935 CHELSEA LAKE RD 2,752 4 2 1 85 450204 Active 399,900 DEERCREEK CC  10270 Cypress Lakes DR 2,423 3 2 1 13 449860 Active 399,900 DEERCREEK CC  7852 TROY HILLS LN 2,219 4 3 0 16 442065 Active 410,000 DEERCREEK CC  9902 Blakeford ... 09/21/2008

10. Visit the Cummer Museum where they have a great art exhibition that has over 6,000 works of art. While you're there visit the 2 acres of beautiful gardens rich with vibrant colors. 9. Take a little drive to Jacksonville beach and enjoy plenty of fun in the sun. Just don't forget the sunscreen. 8. Go to Bistro Aix and enjoy some of the finest dining that Jacksonville has to offer. 7. During the winter months go see a Jacksonville Jaguars football game and during the summer months go see a Jacksonville Suns baseball game.   6.Visit the St. Johns Town Center located right off Town Center Parkway. This 200 acre open air mall is the largest in North Florida and has over 100 retail stores. 5. Charter a fishing trip with Capt. Jim he'll put you right on the fish. 4. Play a round of golf a... 09/19/2008

Current market conditions for Jacksonville, Florida July 2008  Here's what Jacksonville Florida Real Estate in July 2008 looked like: Current # of listings available June 2008  7635 Average # of sales per month (homes that went under contract not sold) 663  Ave days on market (under contract homes, not sold)- 155.67   Remaining # months inventory  11.52  Selling price % of list price (original list price) (these were homes that sold and closed in July 2008)  88.9%                   09/19/2008

Contact James Angelo today if you are facing problems paying your mortgage. A Short Sale may be the answer.  Some  Jacksonville Florida home, condo and townhome home owners are considering selling their real estate but are faced with a problem. What issues are they facing: they owe more on their property then they can sell the property for they are behind in mortgage payments homeowners that are currently in the pre foreclosure process homeowners who can no longer afford the mortgage payments These owners might want to consider selling their property using a Short Sale process. This is a process that asks the lien holder of the property to accept the negotiated selling price - it allows the owner to sell or dispose of the property without the property being foreclosed.  My services are ... 09/19/2008

Jacksonville, Duval County Short Sales, Clay County Florida and St. Johns County Short Sales Specialist  At a time when many Realtors in Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville Beach Florida stay away from Short Sale homes, we welcome them!  The key is patience, and lots of it.  I could rant and rave all day about the challenges my team faces on a daily basis dealing with these.  Sellers are fine, and welcome our help, its the lenders!  They change things around like clockwork, and seeing through the eyes that I see through, it is no wonder the banks are where they are.  On average, a Realtor will spend an additional 36 Hours working a short sale than they would a regular transaction.  Regular transaction, another term quickly becoming obsolete in these times!  Its no wonder other... 09/17/2008

 Jacksonville Florida Townhomes The Townhome Phenomenon! There has been an enourmous surge of growth in townhomes in Jacksonville Florida over the last few years, it is very difficult to keep up with all of them!  The vast majority of the townhome growth has occured in the Southside/Mandarin area of Jacksonville Florida.  The typical townhome is two stories, with the bedrooms located on the second floor.  There are however some exceptions to the rule, such as three story units, or very large townhome units with a bedroom downstairs.  A very large percentage of townhomes have a one car garage.  Below are some of our featured townhome communities from our main website www.firstcoastre.com.  Myself and the other agents on my team have a vast knowledge of all of the townhome communities in... 09/17/2008

Are you a savvy shopper? Are you an educated shopper? How about sloppy? Cheap?  Risky?  Are you one that shops yourself right out of the market? Are you one that jumps at any deal just because it says sale?  Or when someone advertises "guarantee lowest rates" or "no fees"?  I have no problem with consumers looking for deals. Not at all, because I am one of them.  I love bargains and steals.  But how do you know when you have a deal that you have stolen at cost?  What can it cost you short term or long term if it isn't such a great deal as advertised?       How about customer service?  I think most of us want this all the time and expect it. It's just human nature. But what about sacrificing customer service for price?  Can you have your cake and eat it to?  Yes and no..... at least this... 09/13/2008

09/10/2008

Baymeadows Jacksonville Homes and Real Estate for Sale 1%-2% Buyer Rebate! Looking for a Home in the Baymeadows area of Jacksonville Florida? Below are links to all of our featured communities in the baymeadows area. Baymeadows is very centrally located in Northeast Florida in the southside area of Jacksonville. As recently as 30 years ago, there was very little in Baymeadows. The area has very quickly become THE area to live in Northeast Florida. Click each link below for a complete community profile with homes for sale.  Deerwood Golf and Country Club Homes | Deercreek Country Club Homes | Wyngate Forest Community | Royal Lakes | Ironwood Jacksonville Florida Community | East Hampton Jacksonville Homes | Hampton Glen Jacksonville Community | Hampton Park Jacksonville Florida | James ... 09/07/2008