Having just spent the past 36 hours in Tallahassee, meeting with our state legislators to discuss key points (affordable housing, property insurance & sales tax on commercial leases), I read this article with great interest. Some key projects that are getting funding include:  St. John's River restoration - key for our entire state, really, as there was the concept that other parts of Florida could tap the St. John's River for their fresh water source. Grant money for historic preservation projects in St. John's county, which is certainly necessary.  Another highlight includes funding for the St. John's River Ferry, which is FABULOUS! If you have not been here and taken A1A from Mayport across the river to get to Fernandina Beach & Amelia Island, you know the ferry is the way to go - wi... 04/10/2013

I have attended Great American Realtor Days for the past 4-5 years, ever since I became active in my local association. If you have never been, it's an awesome opportunity to see the political process up close and personal. If we are lucky, we'll have enough time between our appointments with our legislators to watch them in session, if possible. It's one of the few times we as Realtors get to meet face to face and remind our legislators of the importance real estate has on both the local and state economy. Our local association fills a bus every year, and we make an overnight trip of it. If you are going for the day, I hope to see you at the Rally in Tally on 4/10/13! 04/08/2013

Jacksonville Florida Real Estate Market Report  Single Family homes (attached & detached) March 2013   March 2013                    March 2012 Active Listings: 3,489                Active Listings: 4,748 Sold: 800                                Sold: 773 Months Inventory: 4.36            Months Inventory: 6.14  Average Price: 492,098           Average Price: 469,246 Last year when I did the market stats for March 2012, I wondered what March 2013 would be like. I had a feeling we would see a seller's market and that's exactly what we are seeing right now. I also had mentioned that in 2005, there were 2,549 available homes and 1,052 sold homes in Jacksonville. That made the inventory level around 2.42 months. So, in today's real estate market last month, we had 940 more houses available ... 04/08/2013

A caravan of sea turtles is headed to freedom via Jacksonville, FL.  Headed our way from Massachusetts, the 50 turtle group is being released by the New England Aquarium's Animal Care Center in Quincy. The exact location of the release is not yet known, and the turtles will be released at a unidentified state park.  You can read the full story here:  http://jacksonville.com/community/2013-04-06/story/caravan-rescued-sea-turtles-headed-freedom-jacksonville   04/06/2013

Ir you have lived in the Jacksonville, FL area for over a year, you know one of our "local" spring traditions is the opening of the Jacksonville Suns baseball season. For more than four decades, we've been able to enjoy Suns baseball - which is a very fun, family friendly sports outing.  With our new Baseball Grounds, and a the field officially named Bragan Field  in honor of the Bragan clan who brought Southern League Baseball to our area, it's worth it to make at least one game: there are business person's specials, as well as nightly promotions, and you will have fun, that is certain. For the full story in the Florida Times Union: http://jacksonville.com/sports/baseball/2013-04-04/story/suns-set-start-season For the Suns season schedule: http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t564     04/04/2013

I had a 9:30am in the Riverside part of Jacksonville, and then a trip to the Apple store (to deal with a Logitech Slim Cover Keyboard Case return), and my next appointment was downtown, so for the interim hour, I decided to sit outside at Panera at St. John's Town Center, and enjoy the spring weather for a little bit. Armed with my iPad, I could happily blog away, and check my email.  The bonus was being outside in the beautiful weather - if you have the chance to do so, get outside, even if it's just for lunch or to read an article or a few pages of a book - it lifts your spirit exponentially! 04/03/2013

Wal-Mart is constructing "neighborhood markets in several locations throughout Jacksonville, FL. And, hiring to staff these markets! This is a new concept for the big box retailer: these markets will be about 40,000SF and mainly have retail grocery. There are several locations in development: 445 SR Florida 13 in Fruit Cove 10550 Old St. Augustine Road in Mandarin 2570 CR 220 in Middleburg 8011 Merrill Road in Jacksonville. Applications are being accepted IN PERSON at these Wal-Mart Hiring locations, which are open Mon-Fri starting at 9am:  10550 Old St. Augustine Road 1505 CR 220 in Fleming Island 11900 Atlantic Boulevard in Jacksonville You can read the full story here: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-04-02/story/wal-mart-hire-300-neighborhood-markets-first-coast 04/03/2013

San Marco Home For Sale in Jacksonville Florida Click Here for More San Marco Homes For Sale!!! San Marco Homes for Sale brought to you by Christina Welch Team at Keller Williams Jacksonville Realty.   Step into San Marco located south of the St Johns River in downtown Jacksonville.   Developed by Telfair Stockton in 1925 San Marco was envisioned to have a mediterranean motif.  Once the community was developed the neighborhoods consisted of Tudor, Georgian and Colonial Style homes as well. Taking center stage in San Marco is one of the most known landmarks within Jacksonville, San Marco Square.  Sitting in the middle of the square is a wedding cake style fountain surrounded by two carved lions.  Altough the shape of a triangle San Marco Square is home to some of the region's most popula... 04/02/2013

  We are having an abundance of multiple offers here in Northeast Florida, and while fabulous news for the market in general, and happy dances for sellers in many cases, this situation can lead to disappointed & disgruntled bueyrs.  Here are some tips to help make your offer shine in comparison with others (please keep in mind all real estate markets are local, so what works here in Jacksonville, FL may need to be "tweaked" a bit to work in your market).  Be APPROVED. Yes, approved, not just pre-approved. There are lenders here in my market that can do this, so I'm confident there are other lenders who can/will do this. This requires full documentation (2 years tax returns, two months pay stubs, two months bank statements, all monthly recurring debts) shared with the lender so a real pi... 03/29/2013

Apparently, especially in Jacksonville, FL.  $375 million worth of multi family/apartment housing changed owners in 2011 here, and that number rose to $600 million in 2012. And,  it seems we are attracting large investor groups, which is fabulous for our region. You can read the full story here:   http://jacksonville.com/business/2013-03-24/story/jacksonvilles-multi-family-complexes-are-among-nations-hottest-investments#ixzz2OTxOT0LE 03/24/2013

 Desirable 3/2 St. Johns Town Center Home       Step inside a St. Johns Town Center Home for Sale that is meticulously maintained,  shows like a model and is a tastefully decorated home.   This St. Johns Town Center Home for Sale features a functional kitchen with ceramic tile flooring and a pantry closet as well as breakfast nook, perfect for Sunday morning breakfast with your family.   All appliances in the St. Johns Town Center Home for Sale remain in the home including the refrigerator, range, washer, dryer, microwave and dishwasher.  Inside the St. Johns Town Center Home for Sale the Dining Room  is located off the kitchen and oversees a tranquil atrium through double sliding glass doors. The Kitchen also overlooks the Family Room.  Once inside the St. Johns Town Center Home for Sa... 03/20/2013

The Allied Veterans story has long arms - especially in Northeast Florida. The state has identified 22 parcels of real estate it intends to seize, using civil forfeiture laws in the greater Jacksonville area alone. The most valuable seems to be the Allied Veterans HQ in St. Augustine, Florida. Since Jennifer Carroll stepped down, the interest in this alleged non-profit has risen greatly. You can read the full story here: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2013-03-18/story/gambling-investigation-takes-aim-seizing-millions-dollars-northeast 03/20/2013

I know we've all been there: a "minor" wood rot repair turns out to be MUCH MORE. I had it happen today.  I met the contractor at the house, and let him in, and told him to call me if he needed anything. The first clue something was awry was a text message with a photo.  What the photo showed was not good: Now, we had projected a much smaller job, so you can imagine how this was a surprise, and not in a good way. This is just a FRACTION of what we found; the wood rot actually stretched around the enitire first floor. Needless to say, my first response was not the correct one; however, the seller (out of town) was able to take care of the issue, and we are due to close 3/20/13.      03/15/2013

I'm not sure how I haven't blogged about this before, especially since I'm of Irish descent, and have kissed the blarney stone! Here are the upcoming events in our are to get your Irish on. Please,celebrate safely, with a designated driver!       Friday, March 15 Fionn MacCool’s, Jacksonville Landing: Live music featuring Braxton Adamson 5-8p, & Seven Nations 9-1am Saturday & Sunday, March 16-17 Latitude 30, 10370 Philips Highway: They will have corned beef and cabbage, the requisite Green beer, Irish pancakes, and Irish Car Bombs (not sure how they could be called anything else! Sunday, March 17 Fionn MacCool’s, Jacksonville Landing: Traditional Irish breakfast 8-11am; All-you-can-eat carved corn beef buffet 11am-close & live music throughout the day & night. Lynch’s Irish Pub, 514 Fir... 03/15/2013

Now, I'm not a big fast food fan, having realized sometime ago how those french fries can impact my health, but I have a soft spot for McDonald's since I worked on their account eons ago when I was in advertising.  This location is close to a Burger King, and is one of the first McDonald's locations to be built brand new from the ground up - which is a great thing, especially in downtown Jacksonville, where typically, we don't see new buildings, but renovations of existing space.  The store is one of the new, contemporary layouts, complete with digital menu boards, which seems pretty darn cool.  You can read the full blog here: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2013-03-12/mcdonalds-opens-restaurant-jacksonvilles-downtown       03/13/2013

Jacksonville Florida Real Estate Market Report  Single Family homes (attached & detached) February 2013   February 2013                     February 2012 Active Listings: 3,520                Active Listings: 4,748 Sold: 689                                Sold: 603 Months Inventory: 5.11           Months Inventory:  7.87 Average Price: 499,230          Average Price: 536,431 The average price took a slight stumble back from last month, and the months inventory in Jacksonville went down, which is a positive thing in the case of sellers. More homes sold and less inventory is putting Jacksonville real estate market in a seller's market. If this trend continues, I don't see why it won't, then we will see prices start to rise. Just remember though, each house and each neighborhood are differ... 03/12/2013

Runners look forward to our annual River Run, which is this coming Saturday, 3/9/13.  The 15K event brought in 18,400 runners last year, and the race director expects this year may well bring in more runners than that figure.  Several of the runners are past Gate River Run winners, and have had Olympics experience. The Olympic runners give other competitive runners the ability to gauge their times against those with Olympic runners, which is not common.  While the city doesn't typically tout the benefits of an event like this, I consider it an awesome event that showcases our city.  You can read the full article here: http://jacksonville.com/sports/local-sports/local-running/2013-03-02/story/river-run-shows-growth-nationally   03/03/2013

Currently off the market   Schedule a Showing/Request Info Homes for Sale in Northeast Florida Free List of Foreclosed Homes For Sale Avoid Foreclosure Short Sale Homes For Sale Homes Close to Where You Work What is Your Home Worth?   Pam Graham All Real Estate Options, Inc 904-910-3516 Questions?Schedule a Showing! MLS#: 649372   Information valid for the date of this posting only. Please contact us for the most current information and status of this property. 1858 Lindsey Road Jacksonville, FL Scan with your smartphone & take me with you. Description Features Photos Maps & Local Schools Virtual Tour       STOP! You Have To Check This Home Out $ Click for current price 3 BEDROOMS 2 BATHROOMS (2 full) 1512 Square Feet Very cute all brick starter home, in a convenient location! Close to ... 03/03/2013

Great news for our area: the US Navy agrees our facilities at Mayport, FL are the best choice for the newest littoral combat ships. Our location on the eastern seaboard, further south than Norfolk, is awesome for deployment into southern waters, and if you know anyone who has served in the Navy, you know that this port is one of the top two requests (second to San Diego) for personnel. You can read the full article here: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-02-28/story/navy-mayport-preferred-location-new-littoral-combat-ships   02/28/2013

Maserati is coming to Jacksonville! If you think of early Jacksonville, and by that I mean pre-1996 when the Jaguars came to town, you may think I'm CRAZY to say this is a winnning combination.  When I first moved here in 1990, there was not quite the array of restaurants, and shopping opportunities that we have now: Louis Vuitton, Mayor's, & Tiffany at Town Center; Capital Grille & Ruth Chris' have locations here as well. With the attention the NFL has brought to our area, what could be next but a Maserati dealership? And, if you are STILL doubtful, I beseech you to visit and see the number of upscale cars our locals drive: I see Rolls & Ferrari almost every day. We are a very car-centric city, although I'm sure we're not quite on part with the number of uber-expensive cars in, say, Mi... 02/28/2013