St Augustine's Night of Lights If you're a newcomer to the First Coast and you're wondering what the holidays are like here, let me tell you about one of my favorite spots! That spot is St Augustine, during the 10 week Night of Lights Festival.  I have to admit, I love St Augustine year round, but especially at Christmas time! I love riding the sight seeing trains through the streets of historical St Augustine to view the lights. You can't forget to go on December 8th at 6pm, to enjoy The Holiday Regatta of Lights. You can watch the parade of boats showing of their  Christmas lights and decorations! Starting November 17th at 6:30pm and lasting through January 31st, historic downtown St Augustine will be lit up for everyone's enjoyment. You don't want to miss it, I know I won't, maybe I'... 11/13/2007

   Welcome back to my next installment of my"F.S.B.O. Tips"  You can access my previous  posts    by clicking on any of the links below.                  Part 1. Evaluate Your Home                                                Part 4. Inside These Walls                Part 2. Make Repairs                 Part 3. Clean and Depersonalize                             The All-Important Kitchen  The kitchen is one of the most daunting rooms to clean, just  because of all the appliances and the fact that it is one of the  most used rooms in any house. That means grease, dirt and   crumbs tend to hide out in the most tightly guarded places. So,   you’ll have to be prepared to clean, clean, and clean again in   the kitchen! • Clean the exterior and interior of all appliances, including  the ref... 11/13/2007

I was browsing through the Hot Sheet to see what's new/sold/expired in the market - and found a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo conversion in the Grand Reserve, 1078 square feet, that just sold at absolute auction for $42,000.  Previously the best price condo I've been involved wiht was $85K, and that was a 40 or 50 year old building!Now, this particular conversion community has some issues, there are assessments and the monthly condo fees are $493 (which is HIGH for a an older community that does not offer some of the currently popular amenities, such as high speed internet, etc).Anyone else seeing such surprising numbers?  How do we find auction numbers if they are NOT recorded in MLS? And, for the appraisers out there, what is the impact of auction numbers on appraisals?? 11/11/2007

Avoid Foreclosure in Jacksonville Florida In our first blog Foreclosure in Jacksonville Florida we talked about some of the reasons you find your self in foreclosure and in Foreclosure in Jacksonville Florida part 2, we talked more about the time line. Today, I'm going to discuss some options available to you.  Let's start with the first option and the one you don't want to do: Do Nothing-  When you're faced with the possibility of losing your home and your stress level has hit an all time high, you might want to throw in the towel, move out and let your house go into foreclosure. Then it's over, done with, a chapter in the book written and time for the new chapter to begin (unless your house is sold for less than the loan amount at the auction and you receive a deficiency notice saying... 11/09/2007

  Welcome to the third installment of my "Tips For F.S.B.O.'s".  Please click on links below for my earlier F.S.B.O.      tips. F.S.B.O. Tips Part One F.S.B.O. Tips Part Two            Outside the Budget?           1. Because the outside of your house is the first glimpse of your  home potential buyers see, you definitely want it to be visually pleasing.  Of course, some fixes, like replacing an old porch or re-roofing are  more expensive and time consuming. You should really evaluate  very carefully whether or not it is worth your time to make such fixes especially if you are selling the house below market value or just want  to sell as soon as possible. (With anything that requires a hefty price  tag to fix, check with a real estate agent before investing in any repairs)  We’ll be hap... 11/09/2007

Create an instant gardenContainer gardens add a welcoming feel and colorful appeal to any home exterior -- quickly and affordably. Window boxes offer a fast, easy way to bring color and charm to your home exterior. Choose boxes made from copper or iron for a traditional look, or painted wood for a cottage feel. Mix and match flowers and plants to suit your lighting conditions and color scheme.Replace old hardwareHouse numbers, the entry door lock set, a wall-mounted mailbox, and an overhead light fixture are all elements that can add style and interest to your home's exterior.Renew planter bedsGet garden beds into shape by pruning growth, pulling weeds, planting flowers, and adding new mulch to restore color that was taken away by sunlight and harsh weather. If stone or brick borders yo... 11/07/2007

I am proud to tell you I served 20 years in the United States Navy. 10 years active duty and 10 years Reserves. I recently retired on August 1, 2007. I was in the electronics and administrative fields. I have been stationed overseas as well as the east coast of the US. My husband is retired Navy also. I love being a realtor and believe my Navy experience really helped me in becoming one of the top ranking realtors in Jacksonville. I am definitely very familiar with the challenges of moving and packing every couple of years! 11/07/2007

  Hello all,Here is the second installment of tips for selling your home as a F.S.B.O. Click on the link below for my other tips.F.S.B.O Tips part 1  Home Repair       1. Once you have thoroughly reviewed your house and made  notes of any necessary repairs, you may need to call a home repair  company. The smartest first step is to ask for recommendations. If  you have friends or family members who have recently had work  done on their houses, ask them who they used. And do not forget to  ask if they would use the same service providers again. Beware of  home repair men who knock on your door uninvited, they could be  scam artists.      2.  If you cannot get a personal recommendation from someone  you trust, you can check the Better Business Bureau Web site for  area repair companies tha... 11/07/2007

 Hello everyone,Today I am going to start a new series geared towards F.S.B.O.'s. In todays market it is extremely important for your home to be in tip top shape if you want your home to sell.  A couple of times a week I will post a new set of tips. We are going to start on the outside of your home and work our way in. These tips are excerpts from the booklet I've authored titled "For Sale By Owners Survival Guide". If you would like my free booklet please post a comment with you name and address and I will get it right out to you.  Outside Expectations: 1. Spend an afternoon evaluating your house’s exterior, and if at all possible, ask a friend (or any third party) to join you. Together, you two should honestly, no-holds-barred evaluate what improvements may be necessary; it helps to l... 11/05/2007

Here are the numbers of active property listings, those under contract, and sold properties for Single Family Homes in Jacksonville Beach, FL for the month of October 2007:Active     331 active listings for Single Family Homes (no condos) Pending    13 pending  (there is a contract and inspections/financing have been done)Sold         10 sold (prices ranged from $165,000 to $4,300,000)Of the solds, 60% sold in less than 78 days, which is great news for sellers. Of the pending listings, 55% were pending in less than 78 days, which is also great news for sellers. Let's see what the numbers looked like in October 2006 to see what the true impact is.Active     294 active listings for Single Family Homes (no condos included) Pending    11 pending  (there is a contract and inspections/financi... 11/03/2007

It's that time again!  Jacksonville Beach is expecting 300,000-400,000 visitors this weekend as the Blue Angels and various other groups put on a fantastic show.  The activities are free and open to the public all day Saturday and Sunday.  This is a great weekend to schedule a Open House.  There should be a huge influx of people from all areas of the city.Good luck and enjoy the show. 11/02/2007

With all of the talk going on in Jacksonville about taking water from the St. Johns River to supply the ever growing needs of Central Florida, water conservation is becoming a must.  I was watching my husband rinse out recyclable cans and bottles last night and got to thinking, how much water are we wasting getting items ready for the recycling bin? With water increasingly becoming a precious commodity, I don't think we should be wasting it in this way. I am going to recycle only jars and cans that do not have to be rinsed out.I already try to conserve water in many other ways and I'm always looking for other areas to cut water consumption.I hope that everyone at least tries to help out with what is going to be an ongoing crisis here in Florida and other areas of the country. Search for... 11/02/2007

Cameras at busy intersections? That could become a reality for Jacksonville if councilman Stephen Joost has his way. There will be a public hearing for the bill on November 13th. Anyone who wants safer roads are urged to attend and lend their support. As a mother with 2 small children I actually don't like to have my children in the car unless it is absolutely necessary because I know there are a lot of people on the roads who seem to never have learned how to drive properly and obey the laws. You can read the entire story here. I say hurray for safer roads for all of us. Jacksonville Home Search Here  10/30/2007

Not sure what everyone else did for Make A Difference Day, here's what we did in NE FL.We have a STRONG community affairs dept of our Realtor board, and our local liasion has managed to get the Beaches division alone to complete 40 wheelchair ramps in 2007.We typically do one a week from Jan through April/early May, take the summer off, and then pick up again when the weather cools down.I'm proud to say we built an 18 foot ramp yesterday, with just 5 people - 3 volunteers (of which I was one), and two from the Housing Partnership (which provides the tools and materials).It's such an incredible feeling to see the faces of these people, some of whom have been homebound prior to the ramp - it's an honor to help them live a more complete life.Hope everyone had a great weekend! 10/28/2007

Ft. Caroline is home to one of the last unspoiled wetlands on the Atlantic coast.Here you can view the beauty of salt marshes, hardwood hammocks, coastal dunes and discover 6,000 years of humanity.The first inhabitants were the Timucuan Indians. They met the French, led by the explorer Jean Ribault in 1562.This would be the beginning of the end for the Timucuans.  Their rich history can be explored here in Ft. Carolineat the Timucuan Ecological and historic preserve and Ft. Caroline National Memorial. Here you can explore the history of Ft. Caroline from its beginnings on through several european settlement attempts. It is a rich history worth exploring. If you are visiting Jacksonville please do not forgo a chance to visit  our wonderful parks and preserves. You'll be happy you did!   ... 10/28/2007

I chair the weekly Beaches Realtor Council meetings, and we had a real estate attorney this morning, who shared some interesting facts about Jacksonville, and gave us a much-needed pep talk.  Here are snippets of the conversation: Jacksonville has amazing job growth, in all sectors of the workforce. For anyone who is not familiar with Jacksonville, we have tremendous port expansion capability with established north/south tradelines, and the city has recently completed negotiations with Mitsui to start an east/west tradeline.  One of the reasons our port is so strong is due to the infrastructure of interstate highways, and rail, giving our port outstanding distribution capabiliites with low overhead, and quick turnaround.Jacksonville has the one of the largest urban park systems in the c... 10/25/2007

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!! TIME is very important!! Pre-Foreclosure HelplineCall your Local Pre-Foreclosure Real Estate Agent for Advice 904 371 9654 See if you qualify for a Jacksonville Short Sale!! No upfront FEEs!!!! For more information go to http://www.shortsalesjacksonville.com Keller Williams Atlantic Partners 10/16/2007

 Northeast Florida Golf & Country Clubs / Jacksonville Fl Golf & Country Clubs Love to Play golf. Head for Jacksonville Florida. With over 50 golf courses in Duval, St Johns, Clay & Nassau County, you can find a golf course that fits your budget and your handicap. I assembled a list of over 50 Greater Jacksonville Florida Golf Courses and included them in a blog that i posted on my website. The following is just a partial list of Northeast Fl golf courses:Bent Creek Golf Course, 10440 Tournament Lane, Jacksonville Fl 32222 (904) 799-0800Blue Cypress Golf Club, 4012-5 University Blvd N, Jacksonville Fl 32277 (904) 762-1971Cattail Creek Golf Club, 659 State Rd 16, Green Cove Springs Fl 32043 (904) 284-3502Cimarrone Golf & Country Club, 2800 Cimarrone Blvd, Jacksonville Fl 32259 (904) 287-... 10/10/2007

Guide to Downtown Jacksonville Fl  Recreation & ActivitiesGet to know Downtown Jacksonville - if you live in downtown Jacksonville in a home, a condo, a luxurious townhome, or an upscale river front high rise - "you live the urban lifestyle with the marriage of the best of small town comforts and big city excitement." - a quote Downtown Vision, Inc.  If you are a visitor or are thinking about buying one of the downtown Jacksonville Fl homes, condos or townhomes that are  for sale; learn more about the lure of this exciting area and the wonderful real estate for sale in  Downtown Jacksonville.For Information about downtown Jacksonville:  Downtown Vision, Inc.      Quick Guide to Downtown Jacksonville Recreation & Activities                                        Downtown:                ... 10/08/2007

Jacksonville Florida's Pristine preserves and natural wonders - Explore Northeast Florida - the Greater Jacksonville Florida State Parkis, Beaches & Nature Get Aways Whether you are a full time resident of the greater Jacksonville Florida area, looking to purchase one of the  Jacksonville Florida homes for sale ,thinking about visiting this great city, learning about the area  can be a time consuming process. If you are interested in any of the state and local parks - please read on.  Interested in the camping or taking a hike : visit one of Florida's prestine state parks.Florida State Parks - locate all Florida state parks, find out about activities scheduled For information about some of the local state parks:         Guide to Local State Parks:            Amelia Island State Park - l... 10/08/2007