If you've made the decision to start looking for a home in Gainesville FL, you may be looking for advice or guidance.   It's my job to help.  The most important thing is that you will want this to be a stress-free endeavor for you and your family. So, where do you start? It is my hope that you will let me be of service to your real estate needs.   So let's get to work on what YOU need. First we need to talk about your what YOU want in your new home. If you are not ready to talk with me just yet , then you may want to do some snooping on your own.  My Gainesville Market Reports will give you a great information foundation to see what is currently for sale.   These reports contain home information, community descriptions and statistics, and you can even compare the schools. If you've got ... 04/26/2011

Turkey Creek Forest is the only senior community, with an active social calendar and a great home owner association - located in beautiful Gainesville, Florida! Turkey Creek Forest- A 55+ Community in Gainesville Overview Maps Photos Features Description Neighborhood $112,500 Single Family Home Main Features 2 Bedrooms2 BathroomsInterior: 1392 sqftLot: 0.33 acre(s) Location 8620 NW 13th Street#60Gainesville, FL 32653USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Our recent listings Adorable High Springs HomeSecluded Home in The HammockMid-Century Modern Style -Walk or Bike to UFSW Gainesville Home in ParksideBeautiful Emerald Woods Home Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby properties for sale 03/04/2011

On this bright, warm, Sunday afternoon....I got a feeling. A feeling that sums up what's happening in Gainesville, Florida's real estate market. I don't have any specific market stats on this blog post. Just a gut feeling.  Our local real estate market is showing signs of better activity! Some might call it Spring Fever...(although it's February 27th) and we have had a week of Spring like weather. I expect we will have another cold spell before spring settles in, but it's almost embarrassing to be talking to one of my new buyers in New York when they ask me about the weather, and I shared it was 80 degrees.   Their response to that is "that's why we are moving to Gainesville-we can't handle the snow anymore". It's based on a few specific things over the last couple of weeks. Increased T... 03/01/2011

  Alachua County Florida Home Buyer Assistance Program Process and Time Line 1.  County sponsored home buyer education class is required. 2.  Home buyer is APPROVED and signs contract for home. 3.  Lender sends Reservation Form with contact to county. 4.  With-in 5 days, home is inspected by county staff. 5.  If necessary, lead based paint assessment is completed. 6.  Lender sends loan package to county. IF NO REPAIRS ARE NECESSARY...... 7.  County approves application package. 8.  County contracted appraiser completes appraisal. 9.  Home buyer meets with home buyer counselor. 10. Mortgage package e-mailed to title company. 11. Home buyer assistance check is released by county after HUD 1 is approved. 12. Closing occurs at the offices of the title company. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VI... 02/09/2011

It's Tax season again. You will find this article interesting! Here are 10 Errors that Homeowners make on their Tax Returns. I wanted to share this info here on my blog site. I will also be sending out my "monthly mailing" next week, and it is also different article on homeowners and their tax returns. 10 Common Errors Home Owners Make When Filing Taxes Don’t rouse the IRS or pay more taxes than necessary—know the score on each home tax deduction and credit. Read Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this. Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® If you have any questions about Life in Gainesville Florida and our real estate market - please send me an email. I welcome the opportunity to be your Realtor®.Originally Posted at: Gainesville Real Estate Talk 02/08/2011

Are you searching for your dream home? Then my Dream Home Finder Service will be a great tool to refine your search and review homes that come onto the market in Gainesville FL. There is a tab on my web site called "Dream Home Finder".  It's quick, it's easy, and it's my professional free service that I provide to all my clients when we begin to hunt for homes. Most important is the "additional comments" box.  Make sure to tell me everything you DO want or DON'T want in your dream home.   The more details you give me about your "WISH LIST" will help me to refine and specify features on the home search. Once the parameters are set, then you will be getting emails each time a home comes on the Multiple Listing Service that meets YOUR wish list.  This will be YOUR direct access to the loc... 01/08/2011

With Gainesville, FL being a University town, the Condominium market has historically been a large part of our real estate market.   With all the changes that have taken place in the mortgage lending industry and FHA mortgages this year, it’s important to take notice of how it all affects the Gainesville market. Here is an UPDATE from Dan Coffey at HomeBanc, NA here in Gainesville.  (Published & shared here with Dan's approval) “As I wrote a year ago, when FHA announced that pre-existing condo approvals would expire on 12/7/2010, I wonder if they realized it was Pearl Harbor day.  Be that as it may, next Monday something north of 80% of the FHA approved condos currently approved in the nation will lose their approval.  I have tried to find out if that means they will still issue case nu... 11/30/2010

The Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors® has a HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE in full swing.   The Realtors® Reaching Out program is collecting  items to benefit The Bread of The Mighty Food Bank     With all the buy-one, get-one sales at our local grocery stores, please keep the Holiday Food Drive in mind when you shop over the next couple of weeks.   I took advantage of some sales at my local PUBLIX and have started a collection box at our RE/MAX Professionals office. We'll be collecting through December 9th.  We are collecting perishables and canned goods.     What is Needed? Almost any non-perishable food item. Pantry staples and items that can be stretched are particularly desirable to the individual or family on fixed income (i.e. rice, pasta, canned foods).  Toiletries and pap... 11/23/2010

The Realtors® and Affiliate members of the Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors® (GACAR) have been working hard to prepare for a way to "give back" to our community.  Dedicated members have been gathering, collecting, sorting, and arranging all kinds of items for the First Annual Yard Sale Extravaganza.   There have been plenty of donors too!  You might want to mark your calendar and come take a look at clothing, furniture, toys, tools, rugs, electronics, kitchenware, office equipment and more, more more! "FIRST ANNUAL YARD SALE EXTRAVAGANZA" Realtors® Reaching Out and Giving Back to our Community in Alachua County, Florida. WHEN: Friday and Saturday, November 5-6 TIME: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm WHERE: Indoors!!  The Tower Center 6915 NW 4th Blvd.  Next to Home Depot off Tower Roa... 10/30/2010

I just heard about the inaugural TIOGA JAZZFEST that is happening on November 14th.  While driving home today & enjoying the SmoothJazz on my radio @ 100.9, they broke for a commercial announcing this new event.  I have to say I am so impressed that the Tioga Town Center has become a venue for family entertainment!  When I got home, I started to do some online research to learn more about the "Inaugural" TIOGA JAZZFEST.  I found a  press release  on the JazzReview web site.   This sounds great!   I hope this turns into an annual event !!   The venue will be the NEW Town Square Stage in the Tioga Town Center. The TIOGA JAZZFEST will feature NATE NAJAR, a national recording artist and jazz guitarist and Jessy J, a smooth jazz superstar and saxophonist. WHEN:  November 14, 2010 WHERE:  Tio... 10/28/2010

Mark your calendars!  This is the big one!  The City of Gainesville's Division of Cultural Affairs along with the Parks & Recreation Divison have got everything ready for the 29th Annual Downtown Festival & Art Show. This award winning, 2-day event transforms the downtown area into the perfect venue for family fun and entertainment!  There will be over 250 artists displaying their work.  This will be the place to find unique gifts for anyone on your Christmas list.   And you just might want to treat yourself to something too.   There will be oils and acrylics, watercolors and photography, sculptures, pottery and jewelry - all original and unique. Scattered thoughout the festival will be scrumptuous FOOD!  This year there will be 20 different food vendors to tempt your tastebuds. If you ... 10/25/2010

We've got some new things happening at the Annual Boo-at-the-Zoo this year!   The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo has always had a family friendly BOO at the ZOO each year.   But this year, they've got something different for us all to enjoy. It's called the GREEN HALLOWEEN®! If you've been to Boo-at-the-Zoo before, you'll know that the event winds through the entire teaching zoo - where we can see all the animals and speak with all the Zoo keepers.   The Santa Fe Teaching Zoo has a NEW BABY this year....a very important, special baby gibbon.  This baby gibbon is a first for the Teaching Zoo and with the baby being just 4 months old and on a strict schedule each day, the Zoo keepers and staff are worried that the previous Boo at the Zoo event format might cause the baby to be scared or st... 10/23/2010

Here's another Fall Event coming up in Gainesville, FL - So mark your calendar for the Fall book sale and fund raiser for the Alachua County Library District!  Countless donors and dedicated volunteers work all year long to prepare for the Fall and Spring Book Sales.   Come and find treasures and bargains!   The Friends of the Library Fall 2010Book Sale October 23 - 27Saturday, Oct 23: 9am - 6pmSunday, Oct 24: 1pm-6pmMonday, Oct 25: Noon -8pmTuesday, Oct 26: Noon-8pm 1/2 price dayWednesday, Oct 27: Noon-6pm 10 cent day (serving the Alachua County Library District in Gainesville, Florida) is located at 430-B North Main Street Gainesville, Florida 32601 352-375-1676     10/12/2010

Come to view this home in Haile Village Center.  Just a quick walk from the Haile Farmers Market this Saturday morning! OPEN 9:00am to 1pm   Luxury Home in Haile Village Center-Gainesville FL Overview Maps Photos Features Description Neighborhood Open House $399,000 Single Family Home Main Features 4 Bedrooms4 BathroomsInterior: 2528 sqft Location 4955 SW 91st DriveGainesville, FL 32608USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Our recent listings Home For Sale Near UF - Gwynn Oaks Brick ConstructionCarrington Greens - Golf Community in GainesvilleNew Contemporary on 1.25 AcresHaile Plantation Condo - Golf Course ViewUniversity Terrace 4BR-4Bath - Furnished! Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby properties for sale 10/07/2010

We've got something fun to do this weekend here in Gainesville Florida !!  There will be over 140 booths of artists with fine art and fine crafts.  Don't forget the music and the food too.   It's the place to be this weekend in Gainesville!  If you are new to Gainesville and haven't been to this art festival yet, be sure to stop by and enjoy this annual event.  You won't be disappointed! I will be there Saturday morning and don't you worry about missing our Gator Game.  The game is at 8pm Saturday night.  So with good weather it will be a great ART FESTIVAL! So make some plans and come to the 26th Annual THORNEBROOK ART FESTIVAL Friday night - October 1, 2010 6–9 pm - Jazz Music Saturday & Sunday - October 2–3, 2010, 10 am – 5 pm Where:Thornebrook Village, 2441 NW 43 Street, Gainesville... 09/30/2010

Are you curious about luxury homes in Gainesville, FL?   Home buyers can have very different descriptions of what a "luxury home" truly is in the Gainesville area.   So let's talk about your specifications and what you want.   What do you consider a Luxury Home? Here's some parameters you will consider when you start making a list: Square Footage? # of Bedrooms & Bathrooms? Parcel Size? Gated Community? Styles & Features Specific Builder? Subdivision? Location? Price Range? These are all very important things to any buyer.  And each person will have a different visualization as to what constitutes a "luxury home" in their mind.  My job is make sure I truly understand what YOU are wanting.   Our first talk about your "wish list" is the foundation of my search to find your home.  I want t... 09/28/2010

With Google Stories there is no room for humility       Have you made your Google Story yet?  I confess, up until today I totally did not even have a clue how to do this! Of course it didn't take much searching to figure out how to make one (Here's a hint: Type "Google stories make your own" in the Google box). With a Google Story you have 7 frames to put together a beginning, a middle, and an end.  There's no room for fluffery or beating around the bush, that's for darn sure!   For my Google Story, I did one on how medical professionals moving to Gainesville FL can find the best REALTOR(R) to help them with their home search.   Why would I do my Google Story on this? Because I am a real estate agent in Gainesville FL, Who is the wife of a physician, Who has lived in 6 states and has mo... 09/26/2010

Original posted on Ocalalicious. Did this Ocala butterfly come from Gainesville’s Butterfly Rainforest? It was fluttering around in the back yard yesterday afternoon (and wasn't easy to photograph). Do you love butterflies? The Butterfly Rainforest, a very short drive from Ocala in Gainesville, is the Florida Museum of Natural History’s newest permanent exhibit, and home to 60 to 80 different species of free-flying butterflies. The Museum is featuring scheduled butterfly releases this weekend. Butterfly release times. Click for directions, more information, and more photos. Related articles by Zemanta What Are Some of the Things You See in Ocala, the Horse Capital of the World? (horsealicious.com) Remembering 9/11 with Sheriff Ed Dean at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, 2010. (oc... 09/24/2010

Three months ago, if a buyer made an offer on our listing and was getting their loan from BOA 3 months ago, I would have thought nothing of it. Today, I would think that buyer is worthless. In my experience BOA can't close buyer loans. They made lots of promises and then didn't follow thru. However, let me give you some other agents stories before I tell you mine. BOA Horror Story #1: "I wrote a new home purchase contract with B of A as the lender. The buyer was putting down $140,000 on a $185,000 purchase price. Yes – it was a very small amount of money he was getting a loan for but B of A approved it and we were all set to close 4 ½ months later. The buyer flew out the week before to do the walk-through and get the money from his bank. The HUD-1 was emailed to me on Friday and I calle... 09/10/2010

3 Reasons Gainesville Florida rocks!   Ever since we moved to Gainesville Florida two years ago, I began my quest to become its Number 1 fan!  There is SO MUCH to love about living in Gainesville! Here are the top 3 reasons Gainesville is a GREAT place to live! 1) The WEATHER ... well, except for the summer, which is akin to leaving your oven door open and parking yourself in front of it for the day. But if the worst thing Gainesville weather has to offer is summer heat paired with wilting humidity, no problem! I'd much rather deal with that than with snow, and ice, and slush, and scraping windshields, and shoveling, and snow. Did I mention snow? We don't get that stuff around here.  What about hurricanes, you say? Well, for the most part, Gainesville doesn't catch the brunt of them (or... 09/09/2010