While sinkholes are not the big problem in Alachua County that they are in Florida counties farther south--such as Pinellas, Hernando, and Hillsborough--they do  happen here occasionally. The limestone underlayment of much of this area, called “karst,” is the root of the problem. Deterioration of the underground karst due to percolation of acidic rainwater through the soil causes voids to form, which collapse slowly, or sometimes abruptly, like in the dramatic newspaper photos of homes swallowed up overnight by a sinkhole.    The “Devil’s Millhopper” in northwest Gainesville is the largest sinkhole in Florida, and the state park’s stairs to the bottom is an enduring tourist attraction. Plus, many of the lakes in the area were formed by sinkholes.   But the more prevalent underground def... 10/08/2011

The Cirque du Soleil new show “Dralion“ is coming to Gainesville in October.   I have been a big fan of Cirque du Soleil for years.  I’ve followed all their TV shows, but nothing compares to seeingCirque du Soleil in person and up close. This show is scheduled at the O’Connell Center for October 11th, 12th, and 13th.  I think the O’Dome will be a great venue for Cirque du Soleil.  What a great family event.  I booked my tickets and got great seats!  If you have seen La Nouba at Downtown Disney, then you’ll want to see this show here in Gainesville.   Cirque du Soleil has a great web site where you can preview 22 of their current shows – worldwide. Tickets available via TICKETMASTER I know…..I keep telling all my friends and real estate clients in Gainesville that “Gainesville is Great P... 09/26/2011

Our 2011 Festival Season begins in Gainesville, Florida!   This weekend is the annual THORNEBROOK ART FESTIVAL.  I’ve always looked forward to this event, and I hope you do too!   Mark your calendars to attend this weekend,  September 24th and 25th, 2011. The Art Festival at Thornebrook  is Gainesville’s  two-day art festival of  fine arts and fine crafts under the covered walkways and on the green areas at Thornebrook Village.   There is plenty of free parking too.  There are 140 Booths for artists, craftsman, entertainment, food & refreshments,  and children’s activities. An optional preview day will be Friday evening, September 23 from 6–9 pm with the finest LIVE Jazz music. The Festival’s Poster Artwork is by Max and Antonia Leimer When: Friday night – September 23, 2011 6–9 pm Satu... 09/20/2011

USDA Home Loans are perfect for Florida first time home owners. The USDA Rural Housing loan program requires a zero down payment with fixed rate mortgage terms. This is perfect for Florida first time home buyers that want to purchase a home, but do not have the large down payment required by most home loan programs in Florida. So if you are a first time home buyer in Florida looking to purchase a home, don’t let a large down payment requirement hold you back. The USDA loan program does have certain eligibility and loan qualifying requirements. You can learn all about these requirement by visiting our main web site www.UsdaMortgageSource.com Listed below you will find some of the primary loan requirements with Rural Housing USDA –   1. The home must be located in a Florida USDA eligible... 09/15/2011

It feels like the war of negatives vs. solutions!  We are facing recession, jobless recovery, economic woes, real estate price drops, fear of what’s next.  Who do we trust, where are the facts in the constant spin with opinionated journalism? Weren’t we assured that Gainesville home values were destined to go up and up and up? What programs work?  Are loan modifications for real? What if I own more than one home? How about the future for my family?  All I wanted was a home to call my own; I did the best I could.  There have been lots of promises that help is on the way—and lots of warnings of scams and schemes that have only served to confuse the matter. So where’s a Gainesville homeowner who’s underwater or overleveraged to turn? The choices that homeowners make when they feel they hav... 09/12/2011

I identify another year in the month of September!  Both of my beautiful children were born in September.  My daughter close to Labor Day (funny) and my son on the weekend of the Tennessee/Florida Game!  This is unique because I am from Tenneessee and my husband, Dan, is from Florida.  Imagine that... Savannah has entered into tenth grade and is getting her learner's permit!  Oh my....but all jokes aside I could not be more proud of such a wonderful daughter. She looks well past 15 years of age.  In this picture we were at the Magic Game in Orlando at the new Amway Arena.  It was both of our first times going and we had the best seats, 5 rows up!  My son Camden is a hoot.  I know at his age "kids say the darndest things" but if that could not be farther from the truth.   He knows what h... 09/12/2011

It is common knowledge that short sales are process oriented and rely on multiple factors for the transaction to close and be successful. This first means all parties need to be on board and committed. The material facts of the property and remaining transparent throughout the process is just as equally important. Not all investors are the same and some still require that the seller is late on their payments in order to approve the short sale. Despite the fact we are continually told this is not true. Take for instance, a couple who is truly struggling and wants to still be a good steward of their commitment to the mortgage they signed for as long as they can continue to make payments. They have a loss of income, job transfer and growing bills, and honestly will not be able to sustain d... 09/08/2011

Posted originally September 2, 2011 on www.emmergroupblog.com:  It's something we can't ignore, and we need to talk about it. Breast cancer affects MILLIONS OF LIVES each year. Some food for thought on your Friday afternoon, direct from the American Cancer Society: About 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women About 57,650 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer). About 39,520 deaths from breast cancer (women) The chance of a woman having breast cancer in her life is a little under 1 in 8 The chance of dying from breast cancer is 1 in 35 The numbers are depressing, and probably not what you want to see on a Friday before a long weekend. However, they’re real numbers. Can you honestly say you’ve never ... 09/06/2011

Now, it is a common request in home staging that you de clutter and remove personal belongings but, where can you come out as the expert in your listing appointment?  If you have a flair for design then vision will go past my basic recommendations and if you need a few more than the basics, you are in for a treat! Sight, Sound, Touch and Smell, yes your senses sell you every time! Just as much as you pay attention to what is appealing to your senses you intently avoid what is not.  Sometime during your appointment you should have the homeowner walk you through the home as if you were the buyer!  Asking them about their favorite room, what features do they most enjoy about the home, talk about any recent upgrades etc.  This will be more revealing than the direct questions asked.  The pas... 09/04/2011

Here we are at the end of August and school is back in session across the Gainesville area.  So, are you wanting to know “how is the market in Gainesville??”  My answer to that is : “We have an active buyers market” and a “Competitive Seller Market”. There are motivated buyers in this market.  With record low interest rates on mortgages, and competitive sellers…..this gives YOU a great foundation for being a  BUYER of a HOME in GAINESVILLE. Our competitive seller market means that the owners of the homes for sale in Gainesville “KNOW” that they are competing for the “ACTIVE BUYERS”.   Their home has to be priced right, have curb appeal, and be a home that will warm the heart of the buyers that come to view their home. Wouldn’t you like to be in your new home by Christmas?  Then let’s ge... 09/01/2011

There are some beautiful older homes in Gainesville, FL and throughout Alachua County that need a little energy effiecient updating while preserving the beauty and charm!  It can be a tough task when deciding how much or what to renovate.  When you want cost effective, "Go Green" updates then here are some that you should consider: Windows -  The windows in the home may be single pane or hard to operate.  Maybe they have been painted one too many times and stick or they have little or no weather stripping.  With little impact on adjacent trim and walls, replacement is just what the doctor ordered.  Wood Floors - Refinishing wood floors costs much less than replacing them with new floors, no matter the condition.  The only time this would not be an option is when previous sanding has lef... 08/30/2011

I don’t claim to be a food critic, but I know GOOD FOOD when I taste it. So I think sharing my opinions and recommendations ofGainesville’s restaurants is a great idea and I will start a series on my blog.  So many of my clients are buyers that are moving to Gainesville from other areas.  And I love to tell them about Gainesville’s great places to eat! I’m fortunate that my office is very close to Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza in Hunter Crossing. I treat myself to lunch there regularly, and the clients I take there have given two thumbs up every time!  If you are in the SW side of Gainesville, then you need to know that Piesanos  has opened a second location in the Tower Square on Archer Road. Piesanos has a wonderful menu.  You will have so many dishes to choose from, and their daily lunc... 08/30/2011

If you have made the decision that you are TIRED of renting, and your next question is “NOW WHAT? - then read this Monday morning story. I had a walk-in client this morning at my office.   We sat down for a talk and of course my question was “how can I help”.   He said that he and his wife moved here from another state about 6 years ago and are just tired of renting.  They didn’t want to buy in the high seller-market when they arrived here – but have rented 3 different homes over the last few years.  They are tired of moving.  They are tired of not being able to make a house their home.  They’ve grown weary of paying out $ 1400 per month on a home they don’t own. It has  gotten old and they know that NOW it is the right time to BUY a home. These people are NOT first time buyerseither.  ... 08/29/2011

 Inman news has reported that Gainesville, FL is the 3rd best Real Estate Market for Real Estate Investors!  The driving factor behind the rating is the affordibility of the homes in line with the demand of rental property, heavy foreclosure sales, population growth, improving unemployment and declining prices.  The benefits to investors in purchasing real estate in Gainesville is the high projected 10 return on investment with a low cost of ownership compared to the rent. Two contributing factors to the rental market would the University of Florida, GO GATORS, and the amount of displaced homeowners needing a new place to call home. There are many homes that surround UF demanding high rents in comparison to rental rates in other locations of Florida such as Orlando. The average 3 bedroo... 08/09/2011

What is a Short Sale A short sale is a request by the borrower to a third party to sale their home for less than the amount owed on their mortgage.  The mortgage may or may not be delinquent and there could be several lenders, investors, and possibly a mortgage insurer involved. There are qualification criteria for a short sale to be approved by the third party.  The homeowners must be able to prove a hardship and in most cases be financially insolvent.  Typically they need to demonstrate an inability to make the mortgage payment. However there are situations where other factors come into play such as a job relocation.  The short sale process requires a comprehensive package and full cooperation of all parties involved for it to be a success.  A traditional short sale can take as little... 08/08/2011

Gainesville investors and homeowers you have a FANNIE MAE UPDATE!  Cash out refinances available within 6 months of purchase!  Great way to motivate investors looking to come to Gainesville or already owns property and a good reason to contact your buyers who recently paid cash.  Time to educate them on this great change. Fannie Mae is allowing borrowers who purchased the subject property within the past 6 months to do a cash out refinance as long as the following requirements are met:   New loan amount is not more than the initial investment, plus financing of closings costs, prepaid fees, and points (subject to max LTV/CLTV/HCLTV ratios for transaction). LTV/CLTV will be based off the lesser of purchase price plus documented improvements OR current appraised value.   Purchase transact... 08/04/2011

Last Monday, my latest luxury home buyer arrived from Pennsylvania. They have moved to Gainesville for their career as new faculty at the University of Florida.  I like to protect their privacy, so I won't share their names.   This is a great family with 5 kids ranging from 14 yrs old to 5 yrs old. I met them at their new home at 9am for their walk-through before closing. The kids had not been in the house, they had only seen photos & video that their parents took when we found the home.   So after their long drive and a night in a hotel, they were excited and ready to see the house. I arrived before them, and opened the house and turned on all the lights.  I waited for them in the driveway.   They piled out of both cars, and the kids' facial expressions were priceless.  Tons of questio... 07/26/2011

Here is a quick run down of what the closings costs are for a cash buyer on a home or condo in Gainesville Florida. First, I would like to stress that you cannot bring "cash" to a closing. Most closing agents require a cashier's check or bank check drawn on a Florida bank.  Most closing agents will NOT accept "personal checks". And, please don't bring a suitcase full of green backs :)   You also have the option to "wire" the funds to the closing agent also.   Wiring instructions can be provided at your request. If you are NOT getting a mortgage for your home purchase, then your closings costs are MINIMAL. 1. The buyer must pay to RECORD the DEED with the Alachua County Clerk of the Court.   The fee should not be more than $ 20, but it is based on the number of pages to be recorded in pu... 06/21/2011

Don't feel bad.....so am I! I think I have been this way my whole life.   I will admit that I am a control freak.  I don't think it is a bad thing - it's just my DNA.   Sure, I grumble about stuff that needs to get done.  But, I always end up thinking that the best way to get it "done"....is to do it myself. So, if my professional goal is to find "my clients" the home of their dreams...then I am very driven to get it done right! If you are trying to find a home, and want to "Do-It-Yourself"....then I understand the control issue.   BUT...... just let me help! The control factor is something  we have in common! Just relinquish your control a bit....talk to me! Tell me what you want in your next home. And, yes...I want your wish list!    After I get your wish list, I will take control of ... 06/15/2011

Thanks to INMAN News for their latest special report "10 Best Markets for Real Estate Investors" - published on June 3, 2011.  And guess what??? Gainesville, Florida is on the list! Go ahead and take a moment to review this report.  Gainesville, FL is #3 on the list. I was contact a month ago by Andrea V. Brambila, a reporter for INMAN News.  She asked me a few questions, and sent me an email asking for statistics, data, and my opinion about our Gainesville-Alachua County market.  We had a good talk about Gainesville.  Once I finished my assignment, I gave her a call back and told her my info was in her email to review.  She told me she would let me know when her article was published. Sure enough, I received email from her on June 3rd and she said the report was published!  It's packe... 06/08/2011