I'm hosting our March Meet Up at Seasons 52, at St. John's Town Center this coming Wednesday from 5-7pm. I would love to meet any of our local (or traveling) Rainers who can join - St. John's Town Center is centrally located in our area, with easy access to 1-295 - please come out and join us and say hi! I know I've had some issues posting with pictures over the past few months, but have definitely learned how easy it is to link web pages, so if you have questions/issues/suggestions about ways for us to post, please stop by and share those with your Jacksonville Active Rainers! Look forward to seeing you this Wednesday!   PS - Seasons 52 has a fabulous menu, and I look forward to seeing you/meeting you there!  All are welcome! 03/23/2014

www.rowlettonlinerealestateschool.com has the very best online courses available because our Florida Online Real Estate Courses are powered  REcampus, the top of the line in Florida Real Estate Education.  Anyone looking for the best Online Florida Real Estate School to take their Florida License Course Online needs to check out our website before they pay more than they should.  Our passing rate for the Florida Real Estate Exam is among the highest in the State of Florida.Captain Wayne Rowlett teaches the Pre Sales Associate Class every month in Panama City Beach and in Destin Florida if you are interested in a Classroom Course. We appreciate all the business we get from our Students taking the Florida Online Real Estate Pre License course in Naples Florida, Tampa Florida, Orlando Flor... 03/21/2014

    Fewer new listings are lender mediated, median prices and closed sales nudge upward, inventory still low.   JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – February 2014 real estate sales and activity is available from the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors on NEFAR.com. Except where otherwise indicated, statistics reflect combined results for single-family residential and condominium properties. There were 2,728 new listings added to inventory in February; an 11.9 percent increase over February 2013. Despite the jump in sellers deciding that now is the time to make their move, overall inventory fell 3.5 percent year over year to come in at 9,324 homes. The reduced inventory equates to just 4.9 months supply. Closed sales increased 1.7 percent year over year, with 1,550 sales taking place in February.... 03/18/2014

Want To Start a Business? Try Jacksonville Florida! For folks seeking a city that is start-up business-friendly, check out Jacksonville Florida. Jacksonville just ranked First Place on Wallet Hub's list, checking out stats like the five-year survival rate, educational background of the area work force, and how affordable office space is. These are three of the 14 statistics that Wallet Hub used to determine how cities fare in the new business arena. What is so special about Jacksonville business climate? It turns out that Jacksonville maintains the second highest five-year small business survival rate in the entire nation. Our corporate tax rate is also very appealing to entrepreneurs, along with a plentiful work force and a climate cooperative in small business lending. The 2014 foreca... 03/16/2014

  Surprise! The movers Jacksonville, Fl. you hired not only provided packing tips but suggested other events happening in the Jacksonville, Fl., area, including some can’t-miss events taking place in nearby St. Augustine. On March 1, there is the re-enactment of the Captain Robert Searle 1668 attack on St. Augustine. A 17th Century encampment will be set-up at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. Re-enactors will attack the city’s Spanish soldiers and colonial citizens. Celebrate 140 years of light at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum’s annual Night Fest. Kids and adults can climb the 165-foot-tall lighthouse tower and discover maritime history inside the Victorian era keepers’ house. This also takes place March 1. On March 3 to 8, celebrate Mardi Gras with the City Walks Mard... 03/15/2014

The apartment dweller hardly slept. There were butterflies in his stomach all night.  In the morning, he heard the truck pull into the driveway. It was the movers Jacksonville, Fl. Within a few hours, his belongings would be on their way to a small house in the suburbs. Moving from an apartment to a house came with concerns. Such as: How to fill up a five-room house when the present one has three?  Where do you get knickknacks to fill shelves? And, do you tip the movers and how much? For several hours, he put his concerns aside and watched the movers Jacksonville, Fl., wrap his possessions and carefully carry them down the stairs and onto the truck. When the apartment was empty, he followed them across town. At the house, his belongings were carried in reverse: from the truck to the ho... 03/13/2014

Jacksonville Florida Real Estate Market Report Single Family homes (attached & detached) January 2014 January 2013 Active Listings: 4183 Active Listings: 3432 Sold: 673 Sold: 658 Months Inventory: 6.22 Months Inventory: 5.22 Average Price: 534,589 Average Price: 506,572 Welcome back to another new year! Slightly different picture this year in January over last year. Our months inventory has crept back up to a more balanced market. Just in case you're new to my blog, especially the stat part. I want to point out if you scroll below, you will see definitions of what the abbreviations mean in the two charts. The median sales price in Jacksonville for January 2013 was $110,000. The median sales price for January 2014 in Jacksonville was $120,000. That's a difference of 9.1%. What you won't ... 03/09/2014

Has it been a while since you tackled clutter?  Are your closets overflowing?  Is your dining room table covered with stuff?   If you answered yes to any of these questions,the movers Jacksonville, Fl., said it’s never too early to start organizing your stuff and dumping things you no longer need or want. Rather than lugging things to your new home and dealing with them, consider holding garage or yard sales and, perhaps, pocket a little cash. The movers Jacksonville, Fl., suggest starting the process of de-cluttering one room at a time. While everyone has their own way of doing things, it may be best to start with the smallest room and work up to the largest one. Smaller spaces can be streamlined and organized faster, which will give you a sense of accomplishment, and you’ll be more ap... 03/07/2014

Although our weather lately has not been the kind you think of for outdoor actvities, our forecast is supposed to start clearing up and warming up today just in time for the annual Concours d'Elegance on Amelia Island.  This annual fundraiser has raised over $2.25 million for local charities since inception and if  you have not been, it really is a great way to spend a few hours (or more) looking at antique autos in prisitine shape. There are events that started yesterday, and run through Sunday. The event is at the Golf Club of Amelia, adjacent to the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island.  It's been a few years since I've been, but I've heard they prefer for you to park at the Amelia Island Airport, and catch a shuttle over to minimize illegal parking. There are food and beverage options at ... 03/06/2014

On moving day everything but the water bed mattress is packed for the arrival of the movers Jacksonville, Fl. the dilemma: water beds aren’t allowed on second-floor apartments. So, instead of attaching a garden hose to the mattress valve and hanging the hose out the bedroom window (ideally, using gravity), you put the hose into the shallow shower stall to siphon it out. Best solution? Well, not exactly. Some water overflowed onto the bathroom floor and, so, the box packed with towels had to be found before the water could be soaked up. When the mattress is drained as much as possible, you get your kids – and the kids’ friends, too – to discretely carry the mattress down the stairs and into the backseat of your Volkswagen Bug. Only problem is that, as you drive away to bring the water be... 03/05/2014

New Reverse Mortgage Program Offers New Opportunities for Consumers The new, consolidated reverse mortgage was already introduced five months ago but that doesn't mean we should stop trying to educate consumers. In fact, I think five months is relatively short in the face of all the industry wishes to accomplish with the new program. As a potential retirement planning tool, the reverse mortgage has a long way to go as far as public perception is concerned but where there is a will there's a way. One of the best feelings recently has been talking to a potential client about the program and explaining to them that the program is no longer what it once was, it's different and, for that reason alone, it is a lot better than it was. It is a safer program, for both the consumers who are plann... 02/28/2014

I've been in class this week earning my Certified International Property Specialist desgination offered by NAR. It's been a while (at least a year or two) since I've been in a class for an entire week. Today is Day 3, so at the close of today's class, I'll officially be over the 50% mark. Why do I take the entire week?? Yes, I could take a class here and a class there, but I prefer to knock it all out at once, so I can submit the application (in this case), and get to use the designation sooner rather than waiting. Some of our designations have time limits on them as well, and I would hate to have invested in half the classes, and then miss the deadline and have to start from scratch.  So, I'll be back to a more normal "appearance" pattern here on AR - when I get back to a more normal s... 02/25/2014

Byrd Landing Home for Sale in Jacksonville Florida OverviewMapsPhotosFeaturesDescriptionNeighborhood $168,000 Single Family Home Main Features 3 Bedrooms2 BathroomsInterior: 1,963 sqft Location 8041 Byrd Landing CourtJacksonville, FL 32244USA Welch Team Keller Williams Jacksonville Realty(904) 476-5539christina@welchteam.comhttp://www.WelchTeam.com           Listed by: Welch Team Keller Williams Jacksonville Realty Our recent listings St Johns County Home For Sale in St Johns FloridaWaterfront Adams Lake Home for Sale in Jacksonville FloridaBlack Creek Waterfront Home for Sale in Green Cove Springs FloridaSouthside Pool Home for Sale in Jacksonville FloridaOakleaf Plantation Condo for Sale in Orange Park Florida Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby properties for sale 02/18/2014

As some of you may be aware, Prudential Network Realty in Jacksonville & St. Augustine, Florida is now Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty. We had our annual company meeting yesterday at the Touchdown Terrace of Everbank Field, and it was fabulous to see our "old" sign on the stadium's Jumbotron change to our "new" sign of BHHS Florida Network Realty. The energy in the room was incredible, partly due to some incredible statistics (for example, PNR was up 41% year over year in luxury listings, while the MLS was up 21% by comparison), and partly due to the brand launch. Oh, yeah, we did giveaway a lease on a 2014 Mercedes to one lucky agent, that may have contributed a bit of excitement. One of the things I learned yesterday is that Linda Sherrer really did start Pruden... 01/30/2014

We all know how tight budgets can be at all times in our lives, but especially so when living on a fixed income. Seniors may have trouble with utilties, food, health, and prescription expenses. I just learned about a local non-profit, completely volunteer driven, that can help with some of these issues. Senior Life Foundation, Inc was established 12 years ago to help meet the urgent needs of low income seniors in Duval County, FL. The foundation has worked with Jacksonville's Independent Living Program, Lowe's at Regency, Metro Rooter, and the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency to repair or replace aging appliances and fixtures such as stoves & refrigerators. Response time is typically 24-48 hours. You can read more here: Duval County Seniors Assistance 01/27/2014

Jacksonville Florida Real Estate Market Report Single Family homes (attached & detached) December 2013 December 2012 Active Listings: 4138 Active Listings: 3703 Sold: 883 Sold: 775 Months Inventory: 4.69 Months Inventory: 4.78 Average Price: 588,952 Average Price: 546,968 Looks like the mad rush to get homes closed by the end of the year happened in December. The inventory level was up over last year, but so was the homes sold in Jacksonville, which brought the months inventory at 4.69 months. Under 5 is moving us in a seller's market. The median sales price in Jacksonville for December 2012 was $115,000. The median sales price for December 2013 was $129,900. That's a difference of 13%. Not a bad way to end the year. :) Jacksonville Florida Real Estate Market Report December 2013 And no... 01/24/2014

Beauty is in the eye of beholder - right? Who is the beholder when your house is on the market? There are two: the seller and the buyer. A way we differentiate what stays with the house here in Northeast Florida is the seller's disclosure, and it's vital this form be filled out to be as accurate as possible. In the case of the Mirror, Mirror On The Wall pictured above: both parties (buyer & seller) found it's beauty, and it became a sticking point.  Seller-husband filled out sellers disclosure, and apparently, without much thought, checked that all bathroom mirrors stay.  Seller-wife intended to exclude this mirror from the house, and was advised to remove it prior to the house being put on the market.  Buyer-wife loves this mirror, and was very upset to hear it might not stay with the... 01/23/2014

Consumers Share Their Experiences (If They Chose To) The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association is taking the necessary steps to make sure consumers are able to share their positive experiences when obtaining a reverse mortgage. According to an article published by Reverse Mortgage Daily, NRMLA's outreach program will consist of a consent form, which NRMLA suggests lenders include in closing packets, that consumers can fill out at their discretion. The form asks for the borrower's name, phone number, email address and the city and state they live in. The information will be kept strictly confidential and only those with authorized access will be able to look at the information. NRMLA has explicity stated:   "We are frequently contacted by new reports who want to interview consume... 01/21/2014

    Jacksonville Homes For Sale Search All Homes For Sale Avoid Foreclosure What is Your Home Worth? Homes Close to Where You Work   Robert Schwabe Keller Williams First Coast Realty 904-403-2429 Questions?Schedule a Showing! MLS#: 689672   Information valid for the date of this posting only. Please contact us for the most current information and status of this property. 12312 Moose Hollow Drive Jacksonville, FL Scan with your smartphone & take me with you. Description Photos Maps & Local Schools Virtual Tour Print Brochure JUST SOLD!     Northside Jacksonville Home For Sale $ Click for current price 4 BEDROOMS 3 BATHROOMS ( 2 full, 1 half ) 2890 Square Feet Just Sold! 12312 Moose Hollow Dr. on the Northside of Jacksonville in the Hickory Hills neighborhood. Beautiful 4 bedroom 2.5 bat... 01/15/2014

  December 2013 Housing Sales Results and 2013 Annual Housing Report Available 2013 finishes strong: 21.7 percent increase in closed sales over 2012; $153,400 median price for 2013 is 15.3 higher than 2012; homes selling in average of 88 days.     JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – December 2013 monthly results and a 2013 Annual Report covering real estate sales and activity is now available from the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors onNEFAR.com. Except where otherwise indicated, statistics reflect combined results for single-family residential and condominium properties.   December highlights: There were 1,840 closed sales; a 7.7 percent increase year over year. Pending sales topped out at 1,799; a 26 percent increase over December 2012. 2,080 new listings hit the market; 26.1 more than the ... 01/13/2014