Did you see the article about the Top Ten Fastest Falling housing markets posted on Forbes.com?http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/12/foreclosure-housing-property-forbeslife-cx_mw_0212realestate.htmlForbes.com reports that Florida nabbed three spots on the list of 10 fastest-falling markets, with Tampa down 11.7%, Miami depressed by 10.6% and Jacksonville in an 8.7% decline from last year. With prices down and interest rates at almost an all time low, NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!The article went on to say that there is a one sign of good news in these markets is that construction has all but stopped, and sellers are starting to get realistic about cutting prices. I have seen this personally first hand. I just posted a $10,000 price cut on one of my listings in Oakleaf Plantation, it's a beauti... 03/23/2008

I recently bough an investment property located at 2995 Brittany Bluff in Orange Park, Florida. This home is located in the Argyle Forest area in the Brittany Bluff subdivison. My wife and decided that we just could not stand on the sidelines and wait any longer. Local prices are great, interest rates are down, this is a great time to buy. I've noticed that the new listings of local homes for sale have been declining. Are we nearing the bottom? Should we wait longer and miss out on the best time to buy? No way, we bit the bullet to take advantage of the wonderful deals available now.  Also, with the local major shopping expansion of the Oakleaf Town Center we see this area really exploding in the near future. Please check out my new web site www.dealwithdale.com  03/21/2008

These days many homeowners are on a tight budget and NEED to sell their homes for one reason or another. With that tight budget and usually tight timeframe a lot of owners are electing to sell "as-is". Figuring that its such a buyers market that they should be happy to get the deal they are getting, and not mind a bit of petty work.So the question that arises is........"Does selling As-Is hurt your selling cost/timeframe?" YES, IT DOES!Terms like as-is lead buyers to be weary of a property. They figure that there must be something wrong with it and that is why your selling, and that it would be too much of a hassle for them to fix it. This creates lower traffic on the home, which ultimatly leads to a lower selling price.Banks often sell their foreclosed homes and pre-foreclosure homes "... 02/28/2008

Well there is not lack of inventory on the market in any city. Everyone is aware of that. You can drive down one or two streets and find atleast a dozen homes for sale. This is the reality of the market we live in.However in the Argyle Forest/Oakleaf Plantation area we seem to be picking upa bit of momentum in the listings area. What exactly do I mean you ask.For the last four months the area has been on a steady decline of listing inventory! This is due to two factors:More homeowners are being cautious about putting there homes up for sale if they don't have to. Hence, it becomes a better market for those of you who must sell (you have less competition!).Interest rates are still good, and prices in the area seem to be fairly leveled out. BUYERS are coming out to buy. They see the oppor... 02/26/2008

Bayard Conservation Area Located in Clay County on 16 west just before you to the Shands bridge in Green Cove Springs. I've driven by there hundreds of times but never paid attention to it! My neighbor actually told me about it and so we went there to check it out. What great exercise it was! Most trails are opened to hikers, cyclist and horseback riders, with some trails leading to the St Johns River. That's exactly where we headed was to the River (I love water!) The land is managed by the St Johns River Water Management District and you can view trail guides for the Bayard Conservation area, along with other trails guides from district owned properties. The kids loved exploring in the water, looking for anything alive!       We played it safe and stayed on the main trail. I took a to... 02/07/2008

  Here's what December 2007 looked like:  Current # of listings available in Dec 2007- 1,866 Average # of sales per month (homes that went under contract not sold)- 105 Ave days on market (under contract homes, not sold)- 191.63 Remaining # months inventory - 17.77 Selling price % of list price (original list price) (these were homes that sold and closed in December 2007)- 89.83%   Take it back a year!   Here's what December 2006 looked like: Current # of listings available in Dec 2006- 1,780 Average # of sales per month (homes that went under contract not sold)- 156 Ave days on market (under contract homes, not sold)- 53.54 Remaining # months inventory - 11.41 Selling price % of list price (original list price) (these were homes that sold and closed in December 2006)- 97.50%   These fi... 01/03/2008

Here's what November 2007 looked like:  Current # of listings available in Nov 2007- 2,067 Average # of sales per month (homes that went under contract not sold)- 125  Ave days on market (under contract homes, not sold)- 97.82 Remaining # months inventory - 16.54 Selling price % of list price (original list price) (these were homes that sold and closed in November 2007)- 89.71%   Let's rewind to last year!    Here's what November 2006 looked like: Current # of listings available in Nov 2006- 1,863 Average # of sales per month (homes that went under contract not sold)- 169 Ave days on market (under contract homes, not sold)- 80.49 Remaining # months inventory - 11.02 Selling price % of list price (original list price) (these were homes that sold and closed in November 2006)- 63.60%   The... 01/03/2008

In the recent months it has become extremely apparent that many people bought homes in 2003, ‘04, and ‘05 that they could not afford. In fact, many of these people should not have been able to purchase a home at all.  The reason that they were able to purchase said homes was becuase of great deals on ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) loans.  Many of these loans had introductory teaser rates like 2% that made it easier for people to qualify. Most of these loans had a fixed rate for either 1,3 or 5 years and after that they can go up. Some can even go WAY UP.These loans are coming out of their fixed rates currently, and that is why we are seeing such a hike in foreclosures. The bottom line is that many of these people should not have purchased homes that they couldn't afford. But to that sam... 12/04/2007

"Gloom doom and the sky is falling" is all we hear everytime we turn on the TV when it comes to the Real Eastate Market. We are inindated with articles about how bad the market is and how it is impossible to sell your home right now. Well, what about the good market? The way things are going right now it can't all just be summed up with "the market". The questions is more like "which market"?Most of you are wondering if I've fallen off of my rocker. "Which Market"? I must be crazy, right? Wrong. Their are two markets right now and they fall into the age old 80/20 principal. For those of you not familiar with the 80/20 principal here is a quick overview. The principal which was established hundreds of year ago still holds stong today. Ultimatly it states that 80% of actions only produce ... 10/09/2007

Deerfield Point will be hosting a community Garage Sale on Saturday September 29th.  It proves to be a good time to pick up some things that are hard to find. Afterall, you never know what people may have in storage.Great Items to Find at Garage Sales Include:Baby ClothesLawn EquiptmentChildrens toysChildrens FurnitureVideos and CD'sAntique Plates and Glassware.Happy Hunting!Directions: From 295 Take Blanding Blvd South to Argyle Forest. Take a Right onto Argyle Forest. Follow for approx 4 miles until you come to a stop light on Cheswick Oaks(McDonalds on the corner). Take a Left onto Cheswick Oaks. Take a Right into Deerfield Pointe.Liz Landry * The Landry Team * Keller Williams Realty First Coast * 904-803-2459 *   09/19/2007

AMAZING 4 br 3 bath home in Oakleaf Plantation. Spacious kitchen, open to nook, dining room and living room. Custom theater room/den. Upgraded tile in foyer, kitchen, and bathrooms. Large back yard. Wonderful design elements throughout home. Enjoy the Oakleaf lifestyle with water parks, fields, gyms, trails, lakes, and much more. Click here for more info & photos of this property.(This link can take up to 30 seconds to load - If the link no longer works email us and we will update it)  Listed by: Your Choice Real Estate, Inc. Phone: (904) 298-2679 Ext: 1 Fax: (904) 212-0069 E-Mail:info@ycre.net www.ycre.net 09/13/2007

Oakleaf Plantation is located in the Northwest Corner of Clay County at the end of Argyle Forest Blvd. Oakleaf Plantation boasts not only two multi-million dollar athletic centers, miles upon miles of trails, it is also home the the new Oakleaf Towncenter. Oakleaf Towncenter is an open air shopping center that has quickly become an Oakleaf Plantation favorite. So being such a new greater Jacksonville favorite spot to move, many people wonder what they can get for their money.  Well that all depends on what you want in your home, but below is a good respresentation of what you can get for under $230,000 in Oakleaf Plantation. (Bold lines are HOT buys!)$184,900 - 4 Bedroom-2 Bath Approx. 1600+ Sq Ft- Minimal Upgrades$185,000 - 3 Bedroom-2 Bath Approx. 1400+ Sq Ft- Minimal Upgrades$189,900... 09/09/2007

Eagle Harbor Home For Sale - Cobblestone Condominiums Cobblestone at Eagle Harbor is located on S.R. 220 on Fleming Island in Orange Park, Florida around 20 miles south of downtown Jacksonville.  From downtown Jacksonville you would take I-95 south to I-295 north to US-17 south make a right on C.R. 220 and Cobblestone is a mile down on the left. Cobblestone is a condominium community that has 8 units to a building with 41 buildings total. Several buildings overlook the 4 lakes in the community. There are one, two, and three bedroom floor plans to choose from with six different plans in total.      Magnolia:  1 bedroom 1 bathroom 786 Sq. Ft.       Camellia:  1 bedroom 1 bathroom 860 Sq. Ft. Dahlia:  2 bedroom 2 bathroom 1031 Sq. Ft.           Iris:  2 bedroom 2 bathroom 1104 Sq. Ft. Aza... 09/07/2007

Foreclosure is something that we would not wish upon anybody.  Due to unforseen circumstances in an individuals life they may inevitably be faced with the fact that foreclosure of their home is in their near future. However, for a lot of people, foreclosure can be avoided. Lets talk about the subject a bit.Lets say you have had a recent tragedy in the family(i.e. Death, Layoff, Divorce, etc). Whatever the case it has greatly hindered your ability to make your mortgage payments on time, if at all.  This is a lose/lose situation for all involved. The mortgage company isn't getting their payments and your are at risk of losing your home within the next few months. Not to mention the stress this has created in your life and on your relationships.If you have an abundance of equity in your ho... 08/31/2007

Margaret's Walk is located right off highway 17 in Orange Park, Florida on Fleming Island. Margaret's Walk has 178 single family homes in the subdivision. A few of the homes back up right to the St Johns River.Margaret's Walk was named after Margaret Seton Fleming who lived in North Florida all her life and was originally from Fernandina Beach. Margaret married Lewis Fleming in 1837 and they had seven children. Margaret passed away in 1878 but her name still lives on in this beautiful community.There were four custom home builders that started building this community in 2000 D R Horton, Sig Higginbotham, American Home Builders and C Richard Builders Inc. Homes start at 1891 Sq. Ft. 3 bedroom 2 bathroom and run up to 3475 Sq. Ft. 4 bedroom 3 bathroom. The 4 bedroom 3 bathroom floor plan ... 07/18/2007

Orange Park will be having their 8th annual American Pie 4th of July Celebration on Wednesday July 4, 2007.  The celabration will start at 11AM and run till 10PM on the river at Moosehaven. Located on the corner of  US-17 and Kingsley Ave in Orange Park, Florida. The celebration is free and there will be a $5.00 charge for parking at Moosehaven. The parade will start at 2PM and run along River Road. There will be arts and crafts, food vendors, free amusement, free games/prizes, entertainment, and live music. Santore & Sons has been hired to do the fireworks and they will start when it gets dark alittle after 9PM. So, bring a lawn chair and blankets and enjoy the show. No coolers or alcoholic beverages will be allowed. 06/27/2007

 As I was Driving through Orange Park, Florida today, I found the Georgia 300 also known as the POTUS  (President Of The United States) train car in a storage yard with 2 other train cars. They are located right off Kingsley Ave. next to the railroad tracks. I met the curator there and he started to tell me some of the history of train car. The Georgia 300 was built in 1930 by the Pullman Company. The car was originally built as a ten/section lounge car named General Polk. It was named after the famous Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk who was know as the "Battling Bishop" during the civil war.  The train car ran the tracks from New York to New Orleans. The Georgia Railroad purchased the General Polk in 1949 and rebuilt into the Georgia Railroad's Office Car 300. The train car was upgrad... 06/26/2007

Remember when a "Hand Shake" and saying "Thank You" really meant something?   They still do.   I want to earn your business.   If you are a buyer, I will commit to work with you until you find that "Special Home".   If you are a seller, my objective is to sell your home at the highest price possible, in the shortest period of time.   You can reach me at 904-237-6854. Please check out my website @ www.dealwithdale.com.THANK YOU, for your time. 06/23/2007

Timber Woods  at Eagle Harbor is located in the heart of Eagle Harbor right off Lakeshore Dr. E. Located about  100 yards from  Fleming Island Elementary and the Eagle Harbor soccer complex that contains 12 fields.  Just round the corner is the club house of the 18 hole championship Eagle Harbor Golf Course.  Timber Woods neighborhood is one big loop that wraps around a big lake. Most homes back up to the lake or a wooded conservation area. The 72 homes that were built in this community were built by Sid Higginbotham, JA Long, Coppenbarger Homes, Providence Construction, Richard Dostie Homes, Morrison Homes, and Rosewood Homes. The community was started in 2002 and the last home was built in 2003. The community is built in a big loop with most of the lots average 70Ft-75Ft. wide by 135F... 06/06/2007

Oakleaf Activity through May 2007:The below chart shows the residential homes and condos for the end of May 2007.  The top line is active listings, the bar represents Months of Iventory the line that is next to the bottom is New Listings in May and the bottom line shows Units Sold in May. The chart actually shows 516 Active Listings, 13.23 Months of Iventory, 110 New Listings and 39 Sold Listings.  Oakleaf Plantation still shows that it is struggling with the heavy investor activity and builder over production since 2005.  Although the Oakleaf market is better than in Febuary when there were 550 Actives, 22.92 months of Inventory, 138 New Listings and 24 Sold Listings, it will still be a while until the homeowners in Oakleaf will see any appreciation in their community.   For more infor... 06/04/2007