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Adopt your pets!

Since the holidays are fast approaching, I thought it was a good time to remind everyone that adopting an animal from your local shelter or animal control facility will bring you more joy knowing you saved a life.  I adopted Sugar last year after my 1st dog, Stormy passed away from old age.  Sugar was at St. Johns Animal Control Pet Center and was very sick with a fever and runny nose.  They were going to put her to sleep.  She was microchipped, but didn't have current address updated.  She has turned out to be a wonderful addition to our family and gets along well with my other dogs (Shelby, Kobe, Stacey, & Molly).  All it took was 1 visit to my vet (Herschel Animal Clinic--the best) and for under $100 we were able to save her from distemper. So remember... don't contribute to the overpopulation by buying from puppy mills and spay/neuter your pets.  Save a life this holiday season!

Have Home Prices Stablized in Jacksonville Area?

There is not any way to know if home prices have bottomed. That being said, we do know that the prices now are very low and reasonable, therefore it is a good time to buy. Remember owning a home is a long term investment and historically has been a good investment. There are tax benefits as well. With the current Tax Credit extension, buyers moving up or first-time buyers now have a really good opportunity for a great buy. The headlines in the Times Union today (11/24/09 Business Section: Home prices see an upgrade in 1 month) point to an increase of 5% in Median home prices and it was reported that there seems to be a trend for lower priced homes heading back up. Also, specific neighborhoods that are in popular areas or school zones are showing more signs of improvement.  (Greenland Chase, Greenland Cove, Aberdeen, Durbin Crossing are a few examples) This may be a great time for home buyer looking to move up into a larger home (or smaller home) or into a better school zone to seriously consider selling and purchasing new construction to have an opportunity to purchase as these still great prices and sell their home during construction.

Arbor Glade off St. Augustine Road by Beazer is closing out with 2 homes left for a bargain (under $300k and they are negotiable).
Richmond American and Magnolia Homebuilders are building in the popular Greenland Cove.
Providence is building in Greenland Chase and has been very successful this year.
New community off Philips Hwy near Kensington is Las Calinas. This is a great ground floor opportunity to purchase in St. Johns without CDD and low HOA fees ($150 last time I checked), but with excellent amenities that include: Swimming pool with cabana, Tot Lot playgrounds with slides , Rec center with BBQ grill, Basketball court, tennis court, sand volleyball court, Fishing pier with covered ramada.  This neighborhood also connects to Kensington and Palencia. Beazer is building in this community, click here for info. Holder Johnson is another builder within the community.

These are just a few of the great opportunites to buy New Construction in the Jacksonville area.  Contact me for more info about these or new subdivisions in other parts of Jacksonville and St. Augustine.

Successfully Sell Your Home

Here are a few tips to successfully sell your home in this tough market.

 

Interview Realtors and look for a Realtor that is willing to give you constructive criticism:

• On the market condition in your area to determine the right listing price
• Suggests low cost solutions for de-cluttering and presentation
• Have them define for you the marketing approach they will be using

The right listing price is very important and if not set accurately you could loose the buyers that are looking and ready to purchase now. Your Realtor should take a walk thru of your home and give you an analysis of the homes appeal (good and bad) from a buyers perspective and let you walk thru the homes of your direct competition so you will be better informed.

 

Declutter, declutter, declutter.... I can't emphasize this enough, you want your rooms to look larger, including closets and this also allows the buyer to better picture themselves there.

 

Fresh paint (neutral colors) really livens up a room and gives the home a clean, fresh appearance.

 

Clean driveway and sidewalks and freshen up landscape by adding mulch and annuals.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

 

Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended and Expanded

Now that the tax credit has been extended and expanded there will be a whole new group of people that can take advantage of the great buying opportunity. This is especially true for families needing to expand into a larger home. Yes, your home may not sell for as much as it would have a few years ago, but you will also have more buying power and possibly a tax credit to help negate some of those losses. Homeowners who put large down payments or have owned their homes for over 10 years and need more room, can take advantage of this great buyers market to move up into a larger home or preferable school zone.


I can help maximize your current homes value by providing low cost solutions to make your home more marketable and sell quickly, even in this market.

Click here to see what a Realtor can do for you.  Click here to see the Homebuyer Tax Credit Changes.