6 Things to Know When Purchasing Income Properties in Gainesville FLPurchasing an income property is a big decision. In some cases it can be a great investment in the Gainesville area because of the professional turnover and the University of Florida student base. But with any investment, there are risks involved. Here are some things to be aware of:1. You won’t get rich quick.Income property is not a get-rich-quick plan. The real estate market can be unpredictable, so make sure you have realistic expectations about the potential return on your investment. It’s all about income VS expense. Even if TV shows make flipping property look easy and quick…just beware that it is your money. Plan wisely.2. Income properties cost money.As a landlord, you will likely need to pay for maintenance, t... 10/27/2015

The Arbor Greens Community in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?ARBOR GREENS is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in northwest Gainesville in the Jonesville area.  The entrance to Arbor Greens is located on Newberry Road at NW 122nd Street (across from Jockey Club).  The Arbor Greens community is a great location with easy access to shopping at Tioga Town Center and Steeplechase Publix Center.What’s the Neighborhood Like?There are two phases of Arbor Greens.  The original phase was developed by luxury home builders that include Tommy Waters, Barry Bullard, Arthur Rutenberg, and Jeffrey Wilde.  All homes were custom built and a large variety of floor plans & styles are available in resale homes.  The new phase of Arbor Greens is now under de... 10/21/2015

How much will owning a home cost you?Once you’ve had your closing when you purchased your home, the biggest outlay of funds is complete.  Whew, you paid for your downpayment and closing costs, and you know how much your monthly mortgage payment will be too.  You’ve budgeted & planned for other monthly expenses, but you will have other expenses when “owning” your home. Home maintenance costs should be in your budget too! The average American can spend $1,126 a month on utilities and insurance. As an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®), I can help you calculate those fees before you buy a home so that owning a home won’t break your budget. I look forward to working with you!Here is a great article and great info graphic and explanation for you to review!Here’s Why It Costs $1,126 A M... 10/18/2015

Millhopper Station Communities in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?MILLHOPPER STATION is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in northwest Gainesville.  There are two entrances to Millhopper Station on NW 43rd Street, just north of Millhopper Road at NS 62nd Avenue and then NW 65th Avenue. The nearest shopping is at the Hunters Crossing area just south at Millhopper Road & NW 43rd Street.What’s the Neighborhood Like?The homes for sale in the Millhopper Station community are going to range between 1,300 and 3,000 square feet with a different variety of floor plans, and lot sizes can vary in each phase. There are different named areas within Millhopper Station.  Those names are Grand Central, Montclaire, Union Square, and Victoria Square. This ... 10/16/2015

The Mentone Neighborhood in Gainesville FLMENTONE is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in Southwest Gainesville, and west of I-75 with two entrances on Archer Road. One is located on the south side of Archer Rd. at SW 81st. Street, and the other entrance is just west of that at SW 85th Street. The Mentone neighborhood is a great location with easy access to everything along Archer Road.  Here you will have easy access to everywhere you need to be in Gainesville. Closest shopping is the Tower Square Center at Archer Rd. & Tower Road.What is the neighborhood like?The homes for sale in Mentone are going to range between 1,300 and 3,000 square feet with a different variety of floor plans. There is a mandatory home owners association with deed restr... 10/14/2015

The Blues Creek Neighborhood in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?BLUES CREEK is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in northwest Gainesville.  The entrance to Blues Creek is on NW 43rd Street, north of Millhopper Road at NW 73rd Avenue. The Blues Creek neighborhood is a great location with easy access to shopping at Hunters Crossing area.What’s the Neighborhood Like?The homes for sale in Blues Creek are going to range between 1,200 and 3,500 square feet with a different variety of floor plans. There are 3 different sections of Blues Creek.  The main section are single family homes on larger lots. You will find pool homes in this section of Blues Creek. The second community is named “The Gardens” and these homes are zero lot line with communi... 10/08/2015

What is the Super Senior Homestead Exemption for Alachua County FL?The Alachua County Commission is pleased to remind citizens that on July 14, 2015, the Commission voted unanimously to opt in to Florida’s Constitutional Amendment 11, the “Super Senior” homestead exemption. The Alachua County Commission took this step to help older, limited income residents stay in their homes. This provides an additional homestead exemption to those who qualify. It is equal to the assessed value of the homesteaded property up to $250,000. The exemption is for the County portion of the total property tax bill only. It does not include taxes from the municipalities, the Library District, the School Board or the Water Management Districts.To be eligible for this exemption, the property owner must: Be at l... 10/01/2015

Do you know what today is?  Well,  it is September 30th.  Today is the last day of the THIRD quarter for 2015. Has your real estate business hit a speed bump and slowed down a little bit?For my Gainesville area, the answer to the speed bump question is, YES.This is normal for our area.  I know each year we have a slow down after public schools start, after the University semester starts, and once football starts.  But I will not panic or worry. (And that's a lie, as I always worry and panic)It's been a strong year for business here. Have you had a great year so far?The way I get out of panic and worry is to take time and a bit of brain space to regroup, and institute our 4th Quarter attitude adjustment!Most of us stay so busy with new listings and new buyers that some things fall by the... 09/30/2015

Gainesville Florida Real Estate Market Report for Single Family Homes Sold in August 2015.  Here you will find the three-month statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market June, July and August of 2015.  Gainesville’s summer buying season is in full swing!  Our Summer Season real estate market stats are HOT, HOT, HOT!The chart below shows Gainesville’s NEW LISTINGS, PENDING SALES, and the CLOSED SALES for the last 3 Months.   New Listings are down again for August and this will cause lower inventory of homes for sale next month. Our PENDING contracts are stable for the current market, and lower current inventory from the previous month. Closed Sales are down a bit for August and this is normal for the start of the school year and “family” moves. We’ve got go... 09/28/2015

Gainesville Florida real estate market report for Condominiums & Town homes SOLD in AUGUST 2015.Here you will see the stats on our local condominium market. The August 2015 stats shows stable in closed sales for our spring summer season, the pending sales are down, and new listings are down and this is an indicator of reduced inventory. This report shows the June/July/August details of our condo season for 2015.This chart below shows the stats for June, July and August of 2015. New Active Listings,  Pending Sales, and Closed Sales are displays for comparison. This data is compiled from the Gainesville Multiple Listing Service & Florida Realtors® research and statistical reports.  Each month we compile these posts, we plan to publish these monthly reports after the 23rd of each month. Bo... 09/28/2015

The Broadmoor Neighborhood in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?Broadmoor is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in NW Gainesville, and west of I-75 with two entrances. One is located on Newberry Road at Nw 106th Street, and the other is on NW 98th Street at NW 13th Avenue.  The Broadmoor neighborhood is a great location with easy access to I-75 at either the NW 39th Exit or the Newberry Road exit. Here you will have easy access to everywhere you need to be in Gainesville. Easy shopping at Newberry Square, Spring Hill or Tioga/Jonesville areas.What’s the Neighborhood Like?There are six phases built in Broadmoor by the same developer Cameo Homes. The homes for sale in Broadmoor are going to range between 1,300 and 3,000 square feet with a diff... 09/28/2015

The Longleaf Neighborhood in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?Longleaf is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in SW Gainesville, and west of I-75 with entrance on Archer Road at SW 88th Street.  The Longleaf neighborhood is a great location with easy access to I-75 exit at Archer Road. Here you will have easy access to everything along Archer Road: Tower Center Shopping, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Butler Plaza, Shands Hospital, The VA Hospital, UF and the new Celebration Point.What’s the Neighborhood Like?There have been three different builders in the Longleaf Community. The homes for sale Longleaf are going to range between 1,400 and 3,500 square feet with a large variety of floor plans & styles. There is a mandatory home owners associati... 09/22/2015

The Cobblefield Neighborhood in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?Cobblefield is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in SW Gainesville, and west of I-75 with entrance on SW 8th Avenue or another entrance on SW 91st Street. The Cobblefield community is a great location with easy access to I-75 exit at Newberry Road, The Oaks Mall, and North Florida Regional Medical Center.  The neighborhood is close to plenty of shopping at Newberry Square, Haile Plantation, Tioga Town Center or Tower Road Center.What’s the Neighborhood Like?All homes in Cobblefield were built by G.W. Robinson. The homes for sale in Cobblefield are going to range between 2,000 and 6,000 square feet with a large variety of floor plans.  The Cobblefiled community has different n... 09/22/2015

Five Reasons Homes Don’t Sell It can be stressful to see your home languish on the market while other homes in your neighborhood are moving quickly. A home that isn’t selling can cost you time and money, not to mention your sanity.Here are five reasons your home may not be selling, and advice for addressing them.1. PricingOf course you want to sell your home for as much as possible. But an overpriced home can turn away even the most eager buyers. On the flipside, if you repeatedly reduce the price, buyers can see it as a sign of your desperation to sell – prompting them to submit even lower offers. Your listing agent can help you come up with a price comparable with other properties in your neighborhood. A professional home appraiser may also be able to help.  Home values fluctuate with... 09/20/2015

Happy New Home Day in Beautiful Gainesville.Congratulations to Paul & Tracey Torres on the sale of their home in Pepper Mill to the Henry Family.  We all hope that the Henry family will have a happy home inPepper Mill.Thanks to everyone involved in this transaction.  The Torres’ had a tough time scheduling their move out and move in to home they were purchasing in Buckingham South. Luckily, the owner of the home they were buying allowed an early occupancy on the sale of closing, so that the movers could load and unload on the same moving day.  It’s all about coordination and cooperation!It’s tough to make sure that everything gets done on the SAME DAY for their SALE and for their PURCHASE.It is rare that the same lender was involved with both transactions, and both buyers were lucky to ... 09/16/2015

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!Families, caregivers, charities and research groups across the United States observe September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In the U.S., almost 13,000 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year; approximately 1/4 of them will not survive the disease.The Children’s Oncology Group, a clinical trials group supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It is the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer. Almost all hospitals/clinics that treat children with cancer in the US and Canada are part of the COG (including…St Jude Children’s Research Hospital…), which includes more than 200 centers in the United States,... 09/12/2015

The Eagle Point Neighborhood in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?Eagle Point is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in NW Gainesville, and west of I-75 with entrance on Fort Clarke Boulevard. Eagle Point is a great location with easy access to I-75 exits at Newberry Road or NW 39th Avenue.  There is one entrance to Eagle Point, so there is no cut-through traffic through the community. You will have quick access to grocery shopping at Newberry Square or Spring Hill. Just minutes to the Oaks Mall or Santa Fe College.What’s the Neighborhood Like?The homes you would expect to find for sale in the Eagle Point homes are generally going to range between 1500 and 2500 square feet.  You will find a large variety of different floor plans that were use... 09/02/2015

South Pointe Neighborhood in Gainesville FLWhy Do People Live here?South Pointe is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located in NW Gainesville, and west of I-75 with entrance on Newberry Road. It’s not uncommon to see neighbors at the Community Pool and Playground area.  South Pointe has side walks, street lights, underground utilities and green space.What’s the Neighborhood Like?The homes you would expect to find for sale in the South Pointe Neighborhood are generally going to range between 1700 and 2800 square feet. South Pointe was originally developed as a Larry Ross community and the next generation (Scot Ross) is building new homes in South Pointe, New Generation Home Builders. Many of the existing homes have had updates and it’s not uncommon to ... 08/28/2015

Gainesville Florida Real Estate Market Report for Single Family Homes Sold in July 2015.  Here you will find the three-month statistics for Gainesville Florida single family homes real estate market for May, June and July of 2015.  Gainesville's summer buying season is in full swing!  Our JULY real estate market stats are HOT, HOT, HOT!The chart below shows Gainesville's NEW LISTINGS, PENDING SALES, and the CLOSED SALES for the last 3 Months.   New Listings are down for July and this may cause lower inventory of homes for sale next month. Our PENDING contracts are stable for the current market, and lower current inventory from the previous month. Closed Sales are strong and stable for July. We've got good indicators for our 2015 season of real estate sales in Gainesville. Our local mark... 08/25/2015

Gainesville Florida real estate market report for Condominiums & Town homes SOLD in July 2015. Here you will see the stats on our local condominium market. The July 2015 stats shows an increase in closed sales and the inventory is down slightly.  The Gainesville condo market is full-swing in the summer buying season!This chart below shows the stats for May, June & July of 2015. New Active Listings,  Pending Sales, and Closed Sales are displays for comparison. This data is compiled from the Gainesville Multiple Listing Service & Florida Realtors® research and statistical reports.  Each month we compile these posts, we plan to publish these monthly reports after the 23rd of each month. Bookmark this site for Gainesville real estate information!Cash Sales percentage of total sales has beco... 08/25/2015