Learning to use Jacksonville's transportation system is fun and can save a lot of gas. Explore Jacksonville's public transportation options. Learning to use this system can help make Jacksonville Fl a greener city. With the price of gas set to continue to get more and more expensive - living in a city with good public transportation will only help make real estate prices increase. Trying to locate a one source resource guide to find Websites that provide just about all the information you might want when visiting or moving to Duval County, in Northeast Florida. Jacksonville Florida is the hub of Duval county. Need information about County and city agencies, Schools, shopping malls, transportation, museums and zoos, media and utilities: Links to all of these resources are one click away.... 03/24/2008

A ton is happening in the real estate market across the nation and here in our own backyard.  The interest rates to banks is going down and consumer loan rates are flucuating wildly.  I don't feel that we will be seeing the historic low rates of the past in that the banks are trying to recoop from the blows suffered from the free lending days that put us into the situation we are now dealing with.The days of enticing realtors to bring a buyer to a home for sale is gone.  It is the time that the price of the property and incentives to buyers will get the sale to happen.  Let's face it, internet is king and if you market a home to the buyer the buyer will bring the realtor. Realtors are the cornerstone of the business and should be used for any and all transactions.  You would have an att... 03/22/2008

 The following types of counseling are available Fair Housing Assistance, Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Counseling, Homebuyer Education Program, Loss Mitigation, Mobility & Relocation Counseling, Money/Debt Management, Mortgage Delinquency & Default Resolution Counseling, Post-purchase Counseling, Predatory Lending, Renters Assistance, and Services for the Homeless.Name / LocationContact PersonPhone/Fax CATHOLIC CHARITIES BUREAU, INC.134 E. Church StreetJacksonville, FL 32202-3130 Casey Myrickcmyrick@ccbjax.org(904) 224-0074 (904) 354-4718  (FAX)CCCS OF JACKSONVILLE1639 Atlantic BlvdJacksonville, FL 32207-3346Bill Thompson billt@fcsjax.org(904) 396-4846 ext. 128 (904) 398-6649 (FAX)CCCS OF JACKSONVILLE5000-3 Norwood Ave.Jacksonville, FL 32208Bill Thompson billt@fcsjax.org(904) 396-484... 03/21/2008

Great news.............................  Effective Monday, March 17th, the FHA limits have increased -  Volusia County           $303,750.00Flagler County           $287,500.00St. Johns                     $387,500.00Duval (Jacksonville)  $387,500.00                  Currently FHA does not look at appraisal issues concerning declining, and distressed markets, which affects the amount of down payment your buyers must have on a conventional loan. With FHA, the down payment is still 3%, with gift funds and grants permitted.   Also offers ways to overcome credit challenges.  If you have not already done so, please get familiar with FHA, this is will be the best option for many homebuyers in the next few years. This increase will make possible for many more home sales nationwide, and can inc... 03/08/2008

I thought I would take a minute to explain why surveys are important.  I often handle the purchase of investment properties that typically involve the buyer being responsible for all closing costs.  In these situations I am constantly being asked to not order a survey.  When asked this I usually tell this story.I had taken a buyer to a property which he liked and the seller and the buyer agreed on a price.  About a week before closing the title company ordered the survey.  When it came back we had issues.  About two years prior the seller had decided to deed the front half acre of her property to her daughter to place a mobile home on it.  Unfortunately, the deed was incorrectly recorded and instead of splitting the lot horizontally the description on the deed split it vertically.  This... 03/07/2008

I looked at 4 houses today with a client and was pleasantly surprised at the number of business cards in each of the homes. It looked liked the houses have been shown a LOT!  The owner of one of the listings was at home and told me that they had an offer on the table after only 1 week on the market!  Wow!  Things really appear to be picking up.  Are other agents out there seeing the same thing?  I'm wondering if these are tire kickers, or are they buyers?  Could the activity on the listings I looked at today mean that the market has turned? Let's hope so! 03/05/2008

I deal with allot of investors, and every once in awhile I get connected with a "mark".  It seems like it is always the same story.  Some guy who drives a fancy car, wears a nice watch, and "big shots" impresses some fellow who makes an honest $25,000/year.  The "investor" tells the "mark" that he too can be a success if he just does what the "investor" tells him.  He doesn't need a REALTOR® because they are just middlemen and this is too complicated for a REALTOR®.  He doesn't need an attorney because the "investor" already hired one to make sure everything is ok.  The next thing the "mark" finds out is that he has signed a contract for four homes and is being rushed to closing.  He starts to raise an eyebrow when the four loans he closes on the same day say he is suppose to live in th... 03/02/2008

Is that really a short sale??? There seems to be a LOT of homes advertised as a short sale these days in the Jacksonville area.  I want to learn as much as I can as fast as I can, so I found a really good source for information. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a seminar at NEFAR yesterday about selling Short Sale homes. The class was taught by Maximum Success, Inc.. I was enlightened and a little surprised at the guidelines given.   It made me wonder if all of the homes listed in MLS truly meet the guidelines presented at the class. Qualifications for a Short Sale (All required) The Seller Has No Assets The seller can't have ANY ASSETS!! No  savings accounts, no other property, no stocks, no bonds. The short sales that get accepted are those where the seller has no money or ... 03/01/2008

I was privileged to attend the ERA International Business Conference in Orlando Florida earlier this week and one of the most interesting speakers was John Tuccillo (the former lead economist for NAR).  He gave some really practical insight on how to identify when local markets are turning around with information that REALTORS could obtain from their MLS.  First, the number of new listings being added to MLS will have to decrease.  Next, days on the market for sold listings will have to decrease.  After that, the list price to sales price ratio will have to increase.  Finally, new foreclosure (REO) listings will have to decrease.  John has a web site at http://www.johntuccillo.com/.  I thought he was one of the most substantive speakers ERA invited. 02/28/2008

Hello everyone,This is my first attempt at blogging.  So, please forgive any newby indiscretions.  At any rate, I am an broker in Jacksonville, FL, and duval county was recently designated a declining market by FREDIMAC.  I am curious as to whether any enterprising young lawyer has attempted to classify this as redlining, and as such create a class action lawsuit for those whose LTV requirements are being changed to include an additional 5% down payment.  I am not sure about other places but the majority of the foreclosures in Jacksonville are in a specific area of town that Mortgage companies have to be careful about redlining.  Whether intentional or not if the result of declaring a city or zip code is that minorities are disproportionately unable to secure financing it seems it could... 02/28/2008

I serve on the local board, and we reviewed this information at our meeting on Tuesday - I'm passing it along for those interested.StatisticQ3 '07Q4 '07Q1 '08 *Average Price$219,300$217,700Increase# Homes on Market7,510 6,905 Decrease# Homes Sold2,127 1,635 Flat# New Homes Built852323FlatAvg # of Days On Market8592Increase* ForecastThe decreasing homes on market and homes built will help reduce total inventory, and both the pricing and days on market relative decreases and increases are both fairly nominal. Jacksonvillle, and Duval County are improving! Copyright by NEFAR MLS 2008, reprinted with appropriate permission. 02/27/2008

So with the new HGTV show, "Sleep on it", it had my creative, marketing, trying to make $$ mind thinking!  How perceptive would local sellers be to offer buyers to stay in their homes before deciding to make an offer?   I think it would be interesting to see what could come of it, but I know there would be legal liability, tire kickers, qualifying questions etc.  As Realtors, do you think this could work?  Would you be willing to market a home that a buyer could "try" out before purchasing?  I look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks...   02/22/2008

  As human beings we want to know who is the blame for our current situation, who can we be mad at, who can we point that accusing finger at?Here's my take on the current situation not only in the Jacksonville Florida real estate market but the entire country: (Not necessary in any particular order) Wait! Before I start, I want to say that I don't believe there is just one person or one scenerio that caused out current situation, it's the accumulation of many. 1. Any unscrupulous people, whether it be lenders, real estate agents, appraisers, investors, owner occupied buyers, etc...2. Real estate agents- yep, I said it. We have to take a little responsibility. We pushed the bar to net our sellers the most money we could. That's not really a bad thing, but it is reality.3.Appraisers-Some ... 02/22/2008

 Another day, another set of figures released by the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR) regarding northeast Florida real estate.  Depending on who you are, the news of home sales dipping and median prices dropping in cities like Jacksonville either comes as upsetting news or an additional incentive towards embarking on a welcome opportunity. Jacksonville real estate home sales went down from an average of over $190,700 a year ago to an existing $184,600.   Condominiums also saw tremendous median price drops to just under $150,000, a substantial figure when compared to their almost $190,000 value they once demanded.  This is a trend that has continued which many have said only reflects the market’s continued deterioration.  True, it’s not the best of news but anyone who can look at t... 02/21/2008

The USCG Sector Jacksonville is a newly established on August 16, 2005 due to the reorganization and consolidation of Group Mayport, Base Mayport and MSO Jacksonville. It is located on six acres of land adjacent Naval Station Mayport, along the St. Johns River in Mayport, FL.   Sector Jacksonville's Area of Responsibility is 40,000 square miles of ocean and inland waterways and 190 coastline stretching from King's Bay, GA to Port Malabar, FL. Along this coastline are 10 inlets, most of which provide safe passage to inland waterways. Inland waters include 248 miles of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), 161 miles of the St. John's River, and numerous rivers, creeks, and marshes. Sector Jacksonville is located 18 miles east of downtown Jacksonville, FL in Atlantic Beach, FL. The mailing addr... 02/21/2008

This article is Reproduced From Forbes Magazine and also appeared on AOL but I thought it would be useful to pass on and give us some hope! In this story we searched for markets that are overstocked with homes for sale, but are adding jobs and aren't plagued by lending conditions that may significantly threaten the market's health moving forward. We examined 2006-2007 data on job growth, from the Bureau of Labor statistics; foreclosure data from RealtyTrac, an online database of foreclosures gleaned from multiple listing services, bank-owned properties, bankruptcy records, loan histories, tax liens and lender information; and ZipRealty, an online firm that tracks vacancy rates through multiple listing services. Of the country's 40 largest metro areas these are where the best bargain buy... 02/20/2008

There are numerous wonderful communities in Jacksonville Florida with affordable single family homes. One of the newest is Bartram Springs where nationally well known home builders are offering great deals to those North Florida homebuyers that would like to live in a suburban setting with urban amenities. One of these wonderful neighborhoods in Bartram Springs was developed by Mattamy Homes. Bartram Springs 50 provides new Northeast Florida homebuyers floorplans from their Gallery of Homes that offer 1-2 story, 3-4 bedrooms and 2-3 baths. Easily accessed via US 1 and 95, this community is convenient to St Johns Town Center and downtown Jacksonville.More information about Bartram Springs and new homes and resale home available for sale, Articles about Bartram Springs, Jacksonville Flori... 02/20/2008

Mayport NS relocation guide (edit/delete) Mayport Naval AirStation is located in northeast Florida and is noted for its "million dollar" views.  The base boarders the Atlantic Ocean and St. Johns River.  Twenty-two naval ships and 80 Commands call NS Mayport home.  With over 3400 acres of land, MNS is the third largest Naval Facility in the continental US. Whether transfering or PCSing, downsizing or upsizing, relocating or purchasing a second home, I am dedicated to follow through and communicate every step of the way. I specialize in first time buyers to luxury purchases and have extensive knowledge and experience finding loan programs to get the assistance you deserve (often with as little as $500 down or VA loans). I have dedicated myself to build rapport with successful professions... 02/20/2008

If the number of showings on my listing on Ashglen Drive are any indication, the market is picking up again!  I don't know if it's a hic-cup or if this is a trend.  I talked to several agents today and they seemed to agree that there is more action "on the streets" right now. I'm excited! We have lots of listings out there that need to be sold.  Anxious, motivated sellers will have to compromise on price, but, if an offer comes along, they better grab the money and run with it! :) I am having an Open House at my Ashglen Drive listing on Sunday Feb 24th from 1-3.  I would love to see you there.  This house is move-in ready.  Come see for yourself!If I can help with your house hunting, just let me know-I'll be happy to help. 02/19/2008

Mayport Naval AirStation is located in northeast Florida and is noted for its "million dollar" views.  The base boarders the Atlantic Ocean and St. Johns River.  Twenty-two naval ships and 80 Commands call NS Mayport home.  With over 3400 acres of land, MNS is the third largest Naval Facility in the continental US. Whether transfering or PCSing, downsizing or upsizing, relocating or purchasing a second home, I am dedicated to follow through and communicate every step of the way. I specialize in first time buyers to luxury purchases and have extensive knowledge and experience finding loan programs to get the assistance you deserve (often with as little as $500 down or VA loans). I have dedicated myself to build rapport with successful professions in the area to get you the most for your ... 02/15/2008