When buying or selling a home, condo or vacant land in Gainesville and Alachua County, it is customary for the SELLER to select the closing agent in your real estate transaction.   Please note that this is standard for Alachua County, and other counties in Florida may be different. Since it is the sellers burden(and expense) to provide the buyer with clear title via an Owners Title Policy - it is therefore the sellers choice.  Normally, per our Florida Contract, the buyer will require the seller to provide title insurance to the buyer prior to closing. Sellers may select a personal real estate attorney or a title company.   The buyers' lender will coordinate the loan package and mortgage title policy with the sellers' closing agent.   If the seller selects an attorney, that attorney rep... 02/10/2012

Short Sales In Gainesville – Avoid Foreclosure, Know Your Options! To save your home from being foreclosed, Short Sale Agents in Gainesville provide you with options. Study these options to know if they apply to your case. 1. You may apply for the federal HARP program to know if you are eligible and to your lender’s preferred loan modification program. To know if there are any state programs available to you, go to this federal site. Also, you may apply to the Home Save program under the NACA. 2. You may try getting a second job. This will help greatly in saving your home although it is not often practiced since most people can’t even find a first job in this market. But for some who can, you should grab the opportunity. 3. You should cancel/pay off your credit card debt. Your credit ca... 02/07/2012

The Gainesville Chamber of Commerce members have voted and given The Perry Family the highest award for their video submission for Life in Gainesville! The video contest's purpose was to express the benefits of living in beautiful Gainesville, Florida. Congratulations to the Perry Family! So, take a look at " Gainesville: Come See For Yourself " And, you know I am always telling you.....Gainesville is a great place to Live, Work and Play!Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk 02/07/2012

Gainesville Short Sales – Why Don’t I Just Let the Bank Foreclose? If you are a homeowner in distress, foreclosure should be the last option you consider. If and have closed a successful short sale you will receive a 1099 in the mail. Everyone who has sold short their home receives a 1099 for the difference of what they owed on their mortgage and what it sold for. However, if you lived in your home for 2 out of 5 years you may qualify for The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act. This will allow for that debt to not be held against you for when you file your taxes. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act is currently in place through 2012, meaning your Gainesville short sale must close prior to the end of 2012. Visit www.irs.gov or speak to your CPA to find out additional information. ... 02/03/2012

  Originally Posted on 2/1/2012 on www.emmergroupblog.com:   For it being January, Mother Nature’s been treating Gainesville pretty kindly with this mild weather in the 70’s. And while we’re not complaining, it’s pretty obvious that we could take a little more time to be appreciative of the mild hurricane season, the bright sunshine and the amount of great sports weather we’ve had during our “winter” months thus far.   We at Emmer love to give back in thanks, and one way to do this is to recycle. While there’s a huge effort here in our lovely city to follow the green road, you’d be surprised how many people throw away things that could easily be reused or chuck un-recyclable things in the green bins. So, while you can find tons of sources on things you can recycle, we’re going to fill y... 02/01/2012

Many home buyers are curious as to which homes for sale in the Gainesville Florida area are in gated communities.   If you prefer a gated community this search will narrow down your search.  Here we’ve provided a preset advanced search that provides you with full details of every home or condo for sale in a gated community in Gainesville and Alachua County. If you are not familiar with the Gainesville area, please know that there are many luxury home areas that are not a gated community.  Yet, if living in a gated community is onyour wish list – this is a great place to start your search! There are gated communities all over Alachua County.  Most are in the NW and SW areas of our county and are west of I-75.   Please contact us if you would like more information about gated communities ... 01/31/2012

Gainesville Short Sales – Short Sale vs. Foreclosure Gainesville short sale v. foreclosureis a decision that many homeowners are now facing.  If you are facing a foreclosure you must first understand what it is that you are up against, and what options are available to you. For a homeowner to possibly know which choice to make they must first understand what a foreclosure means.  Foreclosure is a legal action that is taken against a homeowner by the homes financial lender, when a homeowner becomes delinquent in their mortgage payments.  You should always try to work something out with your financial lender prior to a foreclosure being filed. If a foreclosure is inevitable and you have been served foreclosure papers, it may be time to seek the advice of an experienced financial and legal... 01/30/2012

Gainesville Short Sales – What Can a Short Sale Agent do for Me? As a Certified and Accredited Gainesville Short Sale Agent Specialist, I will meet with you face-to-face to talk about your unique situation and help you understand what options and programs are available to you. As Gainesville Short Sale Agent, I will walk you through what a short sale means to you, options to avoid foreclosure, explain the documents you will need to provide to your mortgage company, how to work with your lender if they are calling you, list and market your property if it is the right solution and in many cases, I will handle the entire process of working with your mortgage company for you. We will first discuss what is a bank short sale, judicial foreclosure, what is a judicial foreclosure, how long is a... 01/28/2012

It’s that time again for Gainesville’s annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire!   Historic Days and Medieval Knights Experience a world of medieval magic, where jousting knights, dancing gypsies and historic heroes mingle with visitors at the26thAnnual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire. It is great family fun in Gainesville FL. During the last weekend in January and the first weekend in February, on Jan. 28 and 29 and Feb. 4 and 5, the Alachua County Fairgrounds transforms into a medieval marketplace filled with hundreds of artisans and entertainers.   A special School Day celebration on Friday, Feb. 3 features half-price ticket sales for all guests.   BUY TICKETS  ONLINE NOW!Save time at the gate by purchasing online and enjoy the Faire!Tickets include a convenience fee and are non-refundable. Faire ... 01/28/2012

Gainesville FL Foreclosure News reveals that foreclosures are on the rise while alternative modifications on these loans are declining. As of November 1, based on the Treasury Department data, about 10.6% of the 615,000+ abolished HAMP trials reached completion of the foreclosure process; this surpasses double the 4.4% of failed HAMP trials foreclosed on as of November of 2010. Based on the Treasury data, about 39.7% of the cancelled HAMP trials have gone through the bank’s own private programs (we are seeing a sign here), dropping from 45.4% over the same time frame. As compared to last year, more of the Home Affordable Modification Program trials through foreclosure by Mortgage servicers have failed. It takes on average about 684 days in Gainesville Florida for a home to foreclose. Al... 01/26/2012

The Hot Rodding For Heros Classic Auto Tour and Show is coming February 11, 2012.  The road tour begins at Santa Fe College with a police escort.  The classic car show will begin at 11:00am with the arrival of the road tour at the Haile Village Center and Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club, and end at 4:00pm with the “Best of Show” presentation followed by the Grand Departure. It’s a FAMILY Fun Filled Event!  Music Festival with live bands, Military Drill Team,Military Color Guard, Military fly over, Parachutists on the Golf Course, Vendor and Sponsor Area, Kids bounce house, R/C car race track on the Golf Course The Hot Rodding for Heroes Classic Auto Tour and Showmission is to turn our passion for cars into local support for our nation’s veterans. It has been designed with the princ... 01/25/2012

Short Sale Agents in Gainesville specializing on short sales are privileged to report about the rules by the FHA obligating lenders to extend their fortitude to homeowners who are unemployed for the span of 12 months. These rules took effect in July 2011 and are geared toward giving assistance to unemployed homeowners for them to make it through the economic depression. The original fortitude timeline was limited to four months but the timeline for most homeowners had been extended to 12 months after the prolonged state of unemployment. More than 45% of the unemployed have been hunting work for more than 24 months. Short Sale Agents in Gainesville believe that homeowners will be given more chances to find employment during this time of economic depression if the timeline for the fortitu... 01/25/2012

It will sure payoff if you have been using FOREVER STAMPS! I’ve just learned that we are in for another postage increase this month.  Thank goodness, I have been buying the “forever stamps“.  So that will save me a few cents on the stamps I’ve got in my desk. If you haven’t used the forever stamps, then you’re going to need some penny stamps.  The rate is going from 44 cents to 45 cents on January 22, 2012 for mailing a first class envelope. And yes, I still use STAMPS!   The best thing for heartfelt thoughts  is a handwritten personal note or card with a real stamp (not run through a postal meter).  Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk 01/20/2012

Blue Water Bay Seafood has gained a great deal of popularity in the quaint and charming small town of Melrose, FL since it's re-establishment in 2003.  Gainesvillians have no trouble driving the approximately 30 minute plus trek to the Melrose location  - which seems to be pretty packed on a consistent basis despite the town's modest population.  Blue Water Bay is know for fresh and deliciously prepared seafood but their Friday and Saturday seafood buffet is really their largest beacon, in my opinion.  They proudly advertise sourcing locally grown produce, where available.  This location also offers a Sunday brunch menu. I've unfortunately never had the occassion to eat at their Melrose location but I have driven past it several times.  Each time, the parking lot is packed.  However, Bl... 01/19/2012

Here we are in mid-January, and it’s time for me to start planning for my garden this year.   Ever since moving to Gainesville, I’ve enjoyed my yard and my garden.  I try to emulate Martha Stewart, and know I am NOT as good as she is.   But, for years I have gotten great advice from Alachua County Feed & Seed.  They are so friendly there, and will give great you information on the to HOW-TO and WHEN-TO for YOUR vegetable gardens too. I know I have to get my soil prepped and tilled.  The folks at Alachua County Feed and Seed on NW 6th Street, have given me great advice and pointers on the HOW-TO’s and WHEN-TO’s.   I’ve been told that my seed potatoes need to be in the ground by Valentines Day. They are my source for all the seeds & starter plants each year.   They have taught me how to ... 01/17/2012

  The garage door is the largest and heaviest moving object in most homes, plus some of its components are under high tension. Improper installation, damage, or poor maintenance creates a dangerous condition that can cause serious injury or even death. So we take garage door inspection seriously. Here’s a summary of the 10 points we check on a garage door during a home inspection:1) Confirm that the garage door has a manual release handle, and that it is functional.2) Check the garage door panels for cracks, dents, signs of fatigue, or separation of materials.3) Confirm that the door has safety warning labels in place.4) Check that all hardware is securely and correctly attached, and visually inspect the springs for damage.5) Verify satisfactory door operation: handles or grip points o... 01/15/2012

Gainesville Florida Single Family Homes Market Report – December  2011 Here are the statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market for the months of October, November and December 2011. This chart below shows you the number of CLOSED SALES for the months of October, November and December 2011.  Also the relationship of (DOM) the average days on the market for those sales, and the current PENDING SALES.   This chart below provides a graph as the number of ACTIVE LISTINGS in the Gainesville Florida Multiple Listing Service for this same three month period.  You will see that our total inventory has declined.   The single family homes inventory(Active Listings) has fallen in December.  The number of closed sales has increased from November also.   This data & inv... 01/14/2012

Here is the (3) Month Statistics on the Gainesville Florida Condominium & Townhouse Market.   These charts reflect OCTOBER, NOVEMBER and DECEMBER  2011 data compiled from theGainesville Multiple Listing Service. This chart shows the total number of active listings in the MLS and how that compares to the number of pending sales, and the closed sales for each month. This chart shows the average days on the market for the Gainesville Condominium market and that numbers relationship to Closed Sales and Pending Sales. The Gainesville condominium market is good for buyers, the prices are down, and the inventory of active units is high.  The biggest obstacle for condominium sales is a buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage.  Each condominium complex will be analyzed by the mortgage lender & unde... 01/14/2012

If you see two pipes sticking out of the ground in the yard that look like the picture above, then an abandoned fuel oil tank lurks in the ground below. There may still be a functional fuel oil fired furnace in the Gainesville area, but we haven’t seen one in a long time; natural gas and electricity provide heat nowadays.   The top pipe in the photo is the filler pipe, and sometimes a hinged cover flap sits on top of it, but here it has gone missing; and the bottom pipe (with the mushroom cap) is the vent. They are easy to miss, especially in an overgrown yard, and we once found the pipes the hard way--by tripping over one of them.   The bad news about an old in-ground fuel oil tank is that it may have been abandoned while still holding oil, and the subsequent rust-through of the tank ... 01/14/2012

Originally posted on 1/13/2012 on www.emmergroupblog.com:    Alachua County is known for the University of Florida, cultural diversity, a great local music scene… and air potatoes? Unfortunately, it’s true: we’re just one of the counties in Florida affected by this heavily invasive species of plant that can really get in the way of our beautiful, native breeds. So, like any good citizens of nature’s habitat, we have sought for ways to correct this intruding wrong, and one of those ways is coming up very soon. This year's Air Potato Roundup poster courtesy of Merald Clark!   That’s right! It’s time again for the Annual Air Potato Roundup!    While this might sound silly to some, this event that takes place at the end of January is a huge deal. With live music, food, and raffles, people o... 01/13/2012