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

On Thursday the home located at 230 East 6th Street in Downtown Historic Springfield will be featured on the Twilight Open Home Tour and the last stop for the month of May!  At the open house, we will also be hosting a benefit to help the Springfield Animal Rescue Group.  We will have wine/cheese tasting and all proceeds will go to Springfield Animal Rescue.  The event runs from 5-7 pm pn Thursday, May 31st!  Look forward to seeing you there! 05/29/2007

Once again, Jacksonville, Florida has two schools ranked in the top 20 public schools in America according to Newsweek Magazine. (See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18757087/?sort=Rank&count=1257&Search=&start=0&limit=100&year=2007&) Coming in at #3 is Stanton College Prep and at #15 is Paxon School for Advanced Studies.  Another local school to make the top 100 at #78 is Nease High School in St. Johns County, between Jacksonville and St. Augustine.These are just a few of the outstanding schools in our area.  We're proud of their accomplishments! 05/28/2007

If you live in Jacksonville you may have seen today's Times Union article in the Business section on Area Foreclosures.  Many of these foreclosures are the result of investors, "investment clubs" and predatory lending where a borrower was put in a poor loan product or the buyer that has a ARM or interest only loan.  If you look at the map in the newspaper article you will see that a majority of the hoems are in Northwest Jacksonville.  Most of the foreclosures are also in the lower price ranges which indicates that these foreclosures are customers that were probably sold bad loans or there were games played to get the loans underwritten by unscrupulous loan officers.  In some cases the buyers themselves were to blame becuase as I know from experience buyers would not consider other lend... 05/20/2007

   Northeast Floridas Newest Home TownTown LifeNocatee will offer a coastal lifestyle unsurpassed in the region.  Focusing on smart growth, this up vibrant community will be thoughtfully woven into the natural setting of the land.  Village-like neighborhoods with their own gathering places and amenities will be connected via bike paths, trails and roadways to the Town Center offering all you need to relax and enjoy life close to home.SchoolsMost of the neighborhood villages are planned to have an elementary school within walking or biking distance for many of the children.  Nocatee has reserved land for six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.  These school sites will be donated to the County School District as needed.Home Styles for EveryoneOne of the elements th... 05/11/2007

Inspections Inspections are a critical part of the process especially for the buyer. Basic home and termite inspections are very common, and additional types of inspections may also be advisable depending on the property. Your real estate agent will be able to recommend a few inspectors in the area and can also help you decide which inspections are important to your purchase. Inspection Home inspection Building inspection Home inspector Termite inspection Termite clearance inspection - physical investigation of the condition of a particular parcel of real property and any improvements thereon. The inspection can include a review of all construction elements, heating, plumbing, foundation, roof, etc., as well as a consideration of off-site issues such as the proximity of the property to... 05/03/2007

Serving the Jacksonville and Orange Park area. If you need help finding or selling your home, this is the place to be. http://www.buyersandsellersconnection.com     05/03/2007

Springfield Heritage Days: Yesterday, Today & TomorrowMay 4, 5 & 6, 2007!  Tickets are on sale now for the 29th annual home and garden tour!Symphony Pops Picnic Concert is Sunday, May 6th at 6 pm  You can call the SPAR office at 904-353-7727 or visit www.sparcouncil.org for more information!  In addition to all of the parades, old tyme baseball games and fun, I will be hosting TWO open houses!  One will be at 230 East 6th Street and the other will be at 1934 Silver Street.  They will both run from 2 to 5 on Saturday, May 5th.  Chips and Salsa for all!  Hopefully I will see some of you there!  This is a great opportunity to see some of Jacksonville's amazing historic homes................. 05/03/2007

OK, I need to get some frustration off my chest!  I have had these two clients that I have gone WAAAY above and WAAY beyond to accommodate.  Their loan was having a hard time and it took almost FOUR months to close.  Me, as their realtor, redesigned their home for them, met with builders for them, helped with estimates, took care of their DOG when they were out of town...  I got the contract extended and extended until finally we were supposed to close last Thursday.  I went in to the closing and the buyer was SO mad at this mortgage broker because he had to bring a LOT of money to closing.  He decided to make ME his punching bag.  He wanted to change the terms of the contract at the closing table and wanted the seller to pay $3000 toward his closing costs or he wasn't closing.  He had ... 05/02/2007

Have you ever been curious about what all is going on with Downtown real estate?  Come to the home tours during the Heritage Days Celebration in Springfield!  There will be numerous open houses in addition to the tour.  The tour runs from noon until 5 Saturday and Sunday, May 5th and 6th.  I look forward to seeing you there! 05/02/2007

Enjoy community living with all the best amenities. East San Marco, offering luxury condominiums, townhomes and retail shopping, is located in the historic San Marco distric of Jacksonville, Florida. This dynamic urban village is being created by The St. Joe Company and Regency Centers, both well-established Jacksonville companies. Inspiration for this project comes from the famous 1920's Palm Beach architect, Addison Mizner, blending traditional and contemporary styles. Amenities will include a rooftop pool and courtyard, fitness center and parking garage.To register for more information visit: Jacksonville Condos  04/30/2007

When purchasing or selling a home in Jacksonville Florida the buyer must consider more than just the property, the loan and closing costs associated with getting or selling the property must also be considered. Closing costs consist of fees due from both the buyer and seller. If the seller has not yet paid for the house in full, the seller's most important closing cost is satisfying the remaining balance of their mortgage. Before the closing date, the escrow officer will contact the seller's lender to confirm the amount needed to close out the loan. Then, the original loan will be paid for at the closing before the seller receives any profit from the sale. Other sellers closing costs include the broker's commission, transfer taxes, documentary stamps on the deed, title insurance, and pr... 04/11/2007

Jacksonville real estate housing activity has slowed somewhat, but homes still sell quicker and closer to asking price than many other cities in the U.S. Properly preparing and pricing the home for sale continues to be a critical part because buyers are well informed and know the market. Communities are still springing up left and right making it even more important to make sure that when selling a home it is priced correctly. The overall average price of a home is difficult to determine in Jacksonville because the area is so large and there are so many different communities. Therefore it is critical that when looking to sell your home, price your home based on comparable properties in your area.  To ensure your home is priced correctly now more than ever in the real estate market, many... 04/11/2007

Jacksonville Florida has so much to offer, the possibilities are limitless making it an ideal place when looking for North Florida real estate. It has been an up and coming city for at least the past 5 to 10 years, and is still growing. With this outbreak of growth, incredible new communities are being built. For every 3 to 4 communities built, there is an additional school being built to avoid overcrowding. Jacksonville has everything a resident could ever want. There is the beach, downtown activities, the Arts, exhibits, night clubs, and community involvement. Not to mention the great weather enjoyed year round. 04/11/2007

Avoid Foreclosure in Jacksonville  Florida Welcome back to the latest blog about Foreclosure in Jacksonville! (this applies to all of Florida) In the last blog we talked about the reasons you found yourself getting behind on your mortgage payments. Today, we're going to talk about the process of foreclosure and what steps are involved. Typically, when you're 3 payments behind, your mortgage company will send you a breach letter, also known as a notice of default. 30 days later they send the file to their attorney who then files a notiice of "Lis pendens" in the county you reside. You will receive a notice of "Lis pendens" as well. This becomes public record for the world to see. In most counties, the public records are online so anyone with a computer and Internet connection can search ... 03/30/2007

Jacksonville is a large city-just ask anyone who lives here.  However, when it comes to deciding where to move the options can seem endless. You call up you friend that lives in Jax and their response is simply this, "stay away from the Northside, the Beaches are nice but expensive, Southside is nice but getting pricey and the Westside and Orange Park are on the other side of the river".  So, that probably didn't help you make a decision right. Well, as a Jacksonville/Orange Park Real Estate agent I can tell you that the Westside has A LOT to offer.  For starters, its probably Jacksonvilles more affordable housing.  Acres upon Acres of parks and recreation. Cecil Equestrial Center is a huge hit as well as Jenning State Park.There is a vast expanse that encompasses Naval Air Station Jack... 03/29/2007

Avoid Foreclosure in Jacksonville Florida Are you getting behind on your mortgage payments? If you are, I'm sure you're feeling a number of different emotions. You're probably scared, worried, wonder how in the world did you let yourself get into this position? Then the next question is how in the world do I get myself out? I don't need to tell you that everyone needs a roof over their heads,but the question you need to ask yourself is, can I afford the roof I currently live under? If you weren't behind on your mortgage payments could you afford your normal payment? Sometimes homeowners get behind because something come along you weren't prepared for. Maybe your spouse was laid off, or they got sick, maybe there was a death in the family. Maybe you can easily afford your normal monthly ... 03/22/2007

Questions to Ask Your Realtor about Buying a House1. Are you a full-time professional Realtor®? Knowing whether or not your agent practices full time can help you determine potential scheduling conflicts and his or her commitment to your transaction. A full time agent is more likely to get the job done more efficiently.  HOWEVER, this is not to say that a Part-Time agent in incapable of doing the job just as well.  This is why the interview process is so important2. Do you have a personal assistant, team or staff to handle different parts of the purchase? What are their names and how will each of them help me in my transaction? How do I communicate with them?It is not uncommon for agents who sell a lot of houses to hire people to work with them. They typically work on a referral basis, ... 03/21/2007

Relocating can be a stressful thing.  People relocate to new parts of the country everyday for many different reasons.  Whether its for a new job, family or just a change in scenery your going to need help in your new town!There are a lot of things to take into consideration when you make your move. The biggest of all is, you guessed it....where are you going to live?!?!The number on thing that people want when they are looking to relocate is information.  As it should be.  So why is it that so many Real Estate Agents that are contacted, the agents who are supposed to be the community experts and there to help people arn't even returning your phone calls or emails? It's sad to say but many of them don't respond because they either don't care, or they don't know the answers to your quest... 03/21/2007