Condominiums are a hot hot hot real estate option for home buyers in the state of Florida. Southside Jacksonville may be the leader in this trend. I wrote and posted the following article on my website and thought you might enjoy learning about one of the condo gems in the Southside Jacksonville area.                                              Jacksonville residents and transplanted families are discovering the wonderful lifestyle offered in Southside Jacksonville.  The real estate market continues to grow in this trendy Jax Fl area. Esplanade Condominiums is one of the gems in this market. Families looking for a home in a gated community will appreciate the ambiance and location of this unique neighborhood. Esplanade Condos are located within the upscale St Johns Town Center. This oa... 08/17/2007

Buyers' looking to purchase a home in a planned community in the Southeast vicinity of Duval County should Buyers' looking to purchase can look for a home in a planned community in the Southeast vicinity of Duval County should investigate the real estate available in Bartram Springs. Bartram Springs is one of the newer communities in the Northeast Florida real estate market. It is located between US 1 and I-95 off Race Track Road between Jacksonville and St Augustine Florida. Many Bartram Springs' homes are less than three years old. While there are only a few lots left to build a new home on, buyers looking for real estate in Bartram Springs will find a good inventory of newer existing homes.Buyers have options when looking for a North Florida home to buy. They need to decide whether t... 08/16/2007

Jacksonville Florida has seen an impressive population and building growth in the past 20 years. Visitors come to Jacksonville Fl because of the temperate climate, the growing economy, the beaches, the vibrant arts and culture scene and to enjoy a park system that is the largest in the nation. They stay for those reasons; they desire the quality of life available in this Northeast Florida city.Jacksonville has seen 33,000 housing starts since 2000. The population has grown nearly 80 percent since 1970 with an additional 60 percent increase projected by 2030. Jacksonville is faced with providing services to that growing population.The Mayor's Growth Management Task Force has studied the need to plan for providing the new roads, electrical power, water and waste disposal that this growth ... 08/13/2007

SHIPYARDS is the brainchild of LandMar Group LLC. The president of LandMar Group, Ed Burr, had a vision of the first urban master-planned community that will inspire a vibrant community because of its amenities and activities. This Jacksonville Fl waterfront community will transform the skyline of Jacksonville as well as create a one-of-a-kind waterfront venue. Located on the St Johns River in Downtown Jacksonville Florida, Shipyards will transform over 40 acres of riverfront and create a great master-community like no other. This challenge brought together a team of designers, architects and planners to capitalize on Shipyard's waterfront location. Arquitectonica, the world-renowned team, designed Shipyards incorporating upscale shopping, dining, recreation, entertainment and breathtak... 08/13/2007

Jacksonville Real Estate It's not hard to understand why homebuyers are looking at the Jacksonville Real Estate market. The climate, recreation, and job growth in North East Florida is hard to beat. Homes for sale in Jacksonville are very popular with buyers from around the country. Although it may seem like it's been forever since the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville, the city has not stopped building new homes since the big game. All of these factors continue to draw people and businesses to relocate to Jacksonville, making for a solid real estate market. New Homes in Jacksonville The abundance of land on the Southside of Jacksonville and on the Westside of Jacksonville has led developers to create some very desirable new neighborhoods. Along the J. Turner Butler corridor toward the bea... 07/25/2007

REPOST from my Website...   Just a thought... Buying a Home is a Good Idea The Best Investment As a fairly general rule, homes appreciate about three or five percent a year. Some years will be more, some less. The figure will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and region to region. Five percent may not seem like that much at first. Stocks (at times) appreciate much more, and you could easily earn over the same return with a very safe investment in treasury bills or bonds. But take a second look… Presumably, if you bought a $200,000 house, you did not pay cash for the home. You got a mortgage, too. Suppose you put as much as twenty percent down – that would be an investment of $40,000. At an appreciation rate of 5% annually, a $200,000 home would increase in value $10,000 during the... 07/25/2007

The Jacksonville Landing is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer with two free concerts. Eddie Money will be performing the first concert on July 27, 2007. The Little River band will be performing on August 25, 2007.  Both concerts are free and will start at 8pm. The Jacksonville Landing has plenty of restaurants so get there early and grab a bite to eat and relax while overlooking the downtown skyline along The St. Johns River.  Also, you want to get there early to get a good parking spot.  07/14/2007

With all the national news about the real estate market it is hard to know the actual condition of the real estate market.  There are several things to keep in mind if you are thinking about buying a house right now.  First, interest rates fell to 6.2% in 2007 from 6.8% in August 2006.  This is GOOD NEWS if you are buying!The correction that the news media is covering has been greatly misunderstood.  The correction is in sales voume and price appreciation.  Volume has slowed greatly because there is so much supply on the market - this is also GOOD NEWS is you are buying!If you are hesitating because of the 1% price drop expected in 2007, remember that that drop comes after a 5-year spurt where home prices increased by about 53% nationally.If you thinking about buying a home anytime soon... 07/06/2007

Hi everyone!  I am getting ready to head out to the block party Downtown, but is there anything else going on this weekend in Jacksonville?  It's too hot to do anything outside until the evening...  I have had my fill of beaches and boats lately.  Just looking for ideas!  Thanks! :) 06/30/2007

Jax locals!  Local Springfieldians are throwing a HUGE block party today on Market Street between 3rd, 4th and 5th Street!  There is going to be a lot of food, music and friends!  It should be a great time and EVERYONE that can should attend.  We like to have fun downtown! :) 06/30/2007

Riverside has 68 residential homes for sale right now.  If you are in the market and are considering Riverside, there is plenty of inventory to choose from.  Also, there is a great Green community that is being developed.  The developer is working diligently to make the Green homes that will be for sale as affordable as possible. 06/30/2007

Visit www.sparcouncil.organd watch where the next homes are going to be or e-mail me for more information if you are unable to find out on the forum.  All of the Realtors in Downtown Historic Springfield are banding together to show people all that Springfield has to offer...and trust me!  It's worth it!  The homes are AMAZING!!!  Stop by after work on Thursday and see these magnificent showcase homes.  Recently, we have been grouping several homes so buyers (or neighbors!) can take a mini tour.  Stay tuned to see what homes are on board next week! 06/25/2007

Has anyone been watching what is going on in Jacksonville's downtown?  We have the shipyards that are popping up soon. http://www.shipyards.cc/  We have Springfield's downtown development. http://www.srghomes.com/ http://www.urbanjacksonville.info/ http://www.sparcouncil.org/  Cameron Kuhn is doing a lot of rehabilitation to downtown Jacksonville's skyscrapers.  http://www.downtownjacksonville.org/  It's growing!  But as a downtown Jacksonville native, it is NOT growing fast enough!  In the past two and a half years I have seen leaps and bounds as far as the reduction of crime, but as far as new retail, restaurants, bars...not so much.  We DID just get a Starbucks.  Does that mean we are growing?  Yippie we have a Starbucks!  I also saw this article posted...06/04/2007Downtown Named Bes... 06/25/2007

I have been hearing a lot of buzz about Jacksonville, Florida becoming the next mega real estate market.  All kinds of investors are flocking to the area in hopes of buying early while the market is still slow.  They project this big boom to start around October of 2007 to Jan/Feb of 2008 depending on market conditions.  Has anyone else heard this?  Are there any links that anyone can refer me to so I can see this for myself?  I have no doubt that Jacksonville is growing and there are a lot of good things happening, but MEGA market?  Bring it on! 06/25/2007

Anyone out there in the cyber world wanting to take part in an amazing revitilization!?  You should check into Downtown Jacksonville.  There is a wonderful up and coming historic neighborhood in an area called Springfield that is just blocks from downtown.  It has been in the news multiple times and it is truly a great place to live, work and play.  I have several homes for sale in the neighborhood and prices range from $50K for sticks and bones of a home up to $800K!  The investment potential is still huge!  In 5 years, the changes are going to be amazing!  I have lived in Springfield for over two years and in those two years I have seen leaps and bounds in improvements.  Visit www.sparcouncil.org and click on the forum.  See some of the posts and how much everyone in this wonderful ne... 06/20/2007

I found this article from the NY Times, here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/business/08home.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=todayspaper Anyone who has taken a college-level statistics class probably appreciates how difficult it is to accurately draw a conclusion from the data in this article! ---------------------------------------------------------It sounds like the setup for a dull economist's joke. Who gets the better deal: the cautious economist who sells his house through a real estate agent, or his risk-taking colleague who finds a buyer on his own? ...debated by two Northwestern University economists who chose different methods to sell their homes - and the research it helped prompt are serious. And the answer will be of interest to anyone who has paused to consider whether paying... 06/11/2007

Perhaps I am biased because I live here, but this area is worth checking out if you are a buyer or have a buyer interested in a condo in an up-and-coming part of Jacksonville... http://www.lanternsquarecondos.com/ This complex is to be the home of the new town center!  The website really does not do justice to how beautiful the grounds are.  You really have to drive down Lantern Street and through Kendall Town to understand why this area is a great place to live and a great investment. 06/06/2007

So the average REALTOR is a 52 year old?  Who knew?  Why is that?  Probably because of the financial burden often associated with getting "off the ground" in Real Estate. . .it takes time to save up the capital needed to be your own business!  But I will boldly predict that the average REALTOR age will decrease.  Why?  Demand.Simply put, the way consumers use real estate services is changing at an increasing rate--it's Moore's Law for property!  What do I mean?  Well we've all heard that 80% of buyers now go to the internet first to research their home.  There, they find pictures, descriptions, virtual tours and even the tax records. If they find the property they want, there are no shortages of methods to find an agent who is more than willing to assist them!The next generation of buye... 06/05/2007

This holiday shortened week brings us the release of seven important economic reports or news releases. Four of the seven are considered to be of high importance to the bond market and mortgage pricing. The financial and mortgage markets are closed tomorrow in observance of the Memorial Day holiday and will reopen Tuesday morning.The Conference Board will start the week's releases by posting their Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) at 10:00 AM Tuesday. This is a very important release that measures consumer willingness to spend. If the index rises, it indicates that consumers feel better about their personal financial situations and are more apt to make large purchases. If confidence is sliding, analysts think consumer spending may slow in the near future. The latter is good news for the b... 05/30/2007

Annual Bragan Award AnnouncedThe award is named in honor of Peter Bragan, Sr., the owner of the Jacksonville Suns since 1984. Mr. Bragan has made outstanding contributions to the overall sports scene in Jacksonville, which include area high schools as well as youth athletics.The Bragan Award honors top high school baseball players in Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, and Baker Counties.  Get the full story written by Kirk Goodman /Jacksonville Suns 05/29/2007