Once again the Jacksonville Beach area will enjoy a special treat on Mothers Day.  The annual Pops At The Beach featuring the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is Sunday afternoon. This is always one of the favorites of the season. The weather is going to be BEAUTIFUL!  The high tomorrow is a delightful 79 and there will be a nice sea  breeze--it doesn't get any better than this!    The festivities start at 5:30 at the beautiful Sea Walk Pavillion.  As always, the event is FREE!  What a special way to honor your Mom! This has been an awesome weekend in Jacksonville Beach Florida!  TPC just down the road at Ponte Vedra Beach will be wrapping up about the time the concert begins. Why don't you come straight to the concert from TPC? What a great way to wrap up an incredible weekend in Jackso... 05/08/2010

 Here are the January – March 2010 stats and 2009 for comparison - 2010 47 Homes Sold Lowest price: $48,900 Highest price: $3,200,000 Shortest Days on Market: 0 Longest Days on Market: 952 2009 34 homes sold Lowest price: $48,000 Highest price: $2,650,000 Shortest Days on Market: 4 Longest Days on Market: 376 Homes sold year over year are UP about 38% year over year. It is interesting to note, however (and you know this if you consistently read my stats) that the longest days on market was NOT the highest priced property. The second longest days on market was the lowest priced property. The pricing is amazingly consistent year over year as well – there is growth on both the low end (about 1.8%, not really a big deal, but it still is positive gain in pricing) and on the high end (20%, an... 04/20/2010

Here are the February  2010 stats and 2009 for comparison - 2010 16 Homes Sold Lowest price: $52,500            Highest price: $445,000          Shortest Days on Market: 8 Longest Days on Market: 492   2009 9 homes sold Lowest price: $57,000 Highest price: $714,250 Shortest Days on Market: 4 Longest Days on Market: 342   Ok, this is FABULOUS news - sales are up 77% year over year!  The shortest days on market increased 100%, from 4 days to 8 days, which is not major in my opinion. The lowest sold price decreased 8% from year to year, which is not statistically significant, particularly given the inventory of "distressed sales" these days (defined as short sales and foreclosures). Days on market has increased 30%, which is also due somewhat to distressed sales, as well as some sellers ov... 03/21/2010

2009 • 181 homes sold • Lowest price: $44,900 • Highest price: $2,650,000 • Shortest Days on Market: 0 • Longest Days on Market: 1,247 2008 • 139 homes sold • Lowest price: $40,000 • Highest price: $4,200,000 • Shortest Days on Market: 0 • Longest Days on Market: 717 The low priced homes on the market actually increased year over year, by 10% - not a huge percentage, but positive price growth. The total listings sold during 2009 increased 30% year over year, a nice increase in local activity as well. Are short sales and foreclosures a part of this picture? ABSOLUTELY! There is no way to avoid distressed properties, given that approximately 1 in 7 homeowners nationwide is in some stage of default. Sad to say, but true. What can you take from this if you are a current seller, or about to ... 02/03/2010

Here are the January 2010 stats and 2009 for comparison - 2010 • 10 Homes Sold • Lowest price: $48,900 • Highest price: $1,560,000 • Shortest Days on Market: 15 • Longest Days on Market: 952 (yes, 952) 2009 • 14 homes sold • Lowest price: $60,000 • Highest price: $2,650,000 • Shortest Days on Market: 23 • Longest Days on Market: 376 Of Atlantic, Neptune & Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach seems to have the most similar activity year to year. The longer days on market in 2010 is the highest priced property (not much of a surprise, however, properly priced and presented properties do sell more quickly), and that time frame is 143 days shy of 3 years on market. What is really interesting is the listing with SECOND most days on market was the LOWEST priced home that sold in January. What c... 02/03/2010

Here are the December 2009 stats and 2008 for comparison - 2009 19 Homes Sold Lowest price: $61,500            Highest price: $1,290,000       Shortest Days on Market: 3 Longest Days on Market: 173   2008 10 homes sold Lowest price: $85,000 Highest price: $660,000 Shortest Days on Market: 32 Longest Days on Market: 300 First, the GOOD news: home sales in Atlantic Beach, FL were UP 60% year to year!   Also look at the days on market, which is SIGNIFICANTLY shorter in 2009 than in 2008, a great indicator of buyers believing properties are well-priced. The low sales price is off by 27%, which is in line with what I've been seeing and hearing on national, regional, and local levels. If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price range you shou... 01/19/2010

As most of us are looking to stretch our dollars, I have noticed some changes in my own spending and buying habits that I found interesting enough to share: Big Lots has a TON of deals, on both seasonal and everyday items. For example, they have small reed diffusers for $2.50 right now, great stocking stuffers, or as small gift exchange item. PLUS, I found my conditioner for 1/3 of the traditional retail store price.   The Ivory body wash is significantly less per fluid ounce than all competition, and it's thicker, so you effectively use less.  I was pleasantly surprised, really.   Regifting is not a crime, if done correctly. I regifted a board game at an event last night, it had never been used.  I am regifting a martini shaker and pair of glasses (very Mad Men style) at an event Monda... 12/10/2009

Here are the October 2009 stats and 2008 for comparison - 2009 17 Homes Sold Lowest price: $46,000 Highest price: $850,000 Shortest Days on Market: 12 Longest Days on Market: 453   2008 7 homes sold Lowest price: $190,000 Highest price: $900,000 Shortest Days on Market: 21 Longest Days on Market: 194 Similar to Jacksonville Beach, lots of good news to report this month.  The low end prices are not drastically different year to year, although it's still a 27% decrease which is exactly what we have been seeing pretty much across the board. The year to year homes sold increased 142% which is fabulous.  If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price range you should list in, and to learn more about what sets myself and Prudential Network Realt... 11/20/2009

  Here are the September 2009 stats and August 2008 for comparison - 2009 17 Homes Sold Lowest price: $59,900 Highest price: $845,000 Shortest Days on Market: 0 Longest Days on Market: 706   2008 7 homes sold Lowest price: $82,500 Highest price: $890,000 Shortest Days on Market: 29 Longest Days on Market: 167 Similar to Jacksonville Beach, lots of good news to report this month.  The low end prices are not drastically different year to year, although it's still a 27% decrease which is exactly what we have been seeing pretty much across the board. The year to year homes sold increased 142% which is fabulous.  The days on market has, for the most part, decreased.  A word about the 706 days on market on one of those listings: agents handle their listings differently, but this clearly shows... 10/03/2009

Beaches Area 2009 statistics   Here are the August 2009 stats and August 2008 for comparison - 2009 285 Homes Sold Lowest price: $44,900 Highest price: $3,200,000 Shortest Days on Market: 0 Longest Days on Market: 1,247   2008 228 homes sold Lowest price: $40,000 Highest price: $4,200,000 Shortest Days on Market: 0 Longest Days on Market: 717 The number of homes sold year to year is up, 24%, which is terrific news for anyone involved in real estate, whether is it buying or selling. The prices are not off that much from last year, in reality, and the days on market, with the exception of the property on the market for 1200 days (a number I have never seen before, personally), seem consistent. If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price r... 09/21/2009

Here are the August 2009 stats and August 2008 for comparison - 2009 6 Homes Sold Lowest price: $175,000 Highest price: $475,000 Shortest Days on Market: 8 Longest Days on Market: 350   2008 13 homes sold Lowest price: $100,000 Highest price: $459,900 Shortest Days on Market: 0 Longest Days on Market: 325 The number of homes sold year to year is flat, however, the days on market are consistent with last year, as is the pricing. I've personally gotten two homes under contract in less than 10 days, with their contract prices being at 95-98% of list price, proof yet again that well priced, well presented properties are selling quickly. If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price range you should list in, and to learn more about what sets m... 09/04/2009

If you are ready to buy your first home in Jacksonville, FL, here is some good information about new programs available. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is a city program seeking to purchase bank owned foreclosures, rehabilitate them, and then sell them at moderate prices to homeowners. This program is specifically targeting the following zip codes: 32206 32208 32209 32244 32254 The program overview is available on this website: http://www.nspjax.com/ This is a brand new program. so there will be more info posted to the website soon. The other program you may have heard about is the Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program. This is another city program offering downpayment assistance for first time homebuyers.  There is a limited amount of funding for this program, and this pr... 07/12/2009

If you are like anyone today, you believe there are fabulous deals in real estate, and all you have to do is FIND them. Yes, Virginia, there are deals in real estate, especially if you have cash, and a terrific credit score. Let's look at the online auction in Jacksonville, since so many buyers believe auctions are where the REAL deals are. For the date of 6/9/09, there were a total of 40 auctions schedule on the online auction site: www.duval.realforeclose.com. Of these, 21 were canceled PRIOR to the auction, either by court order, the attorney, or the plaintiff.  So, over 50% of the available auction properties were canceled. That's a fairly high percentage, and as you can imagine, if you had your eyes on one particular home that was canceled, you'd be frustrated. When will that home ... 06/29/2009

This data is from March & April 2009, and details an improving real estate market. Pairing this with the recent news that California has seen 3 months of increasing sales, and the picture starts to look much better than what the doom & gloom media have been saying. Florida existing home sales rose in April for the eighth consecutive month.  Here are city by city numbers fo single family homes: City                                                 Percent increase April 08/April 09 Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater                11% Orlando                                           38% Fort Myers-Cape Coral                       81% Jacksonville                                     -5% Fort Lauderdale                                33% West Palm Beach-Boca Raton             3% Sarasota-Bradenton ... 06/28/2009

 Here are the April 2009 stats and April 2008 for comparison - 2009 10 Homes Sold Lowest price: $59,000 Highest price: $660,000 Shortest Days on Market: 3 Longest Days on Market: 104   2008 18 homes sold Lowest price: $104,000 Highest price: $1,300,000 Shortest Days on Market: 10 Longest Days on Market: 382 I'm actually surprised to see these numbers - with the traffic we've seen, I had anticipated to see more solds for Atlantic Beach than 10.  That being said, the days on market has decreased, and we are now seeing multiple offer situations on bargain priced properties.  This is part of what is driving the lower days on market. If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price range you should list in, and to learn more about what sets mysel... 05/29/2009

Here are some beaches area statistics by zip code for Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach.  This compares year ago 2008 with current year 2009 activity.   Zip Code 32233 - Atlantic Beach Average Sales Price = $398,700 which is off by .48% from 2008 (not significant) Total Homes Sold = 34, which is 17% higher than 2008. Average Days On Market = 120 List Price/Sold Price Index = 86.7% Zip Code 32250 - Jacksonville Beach Average Sales Price = $294,200 which is 27.54% down from 2008 Total Homes Sold = 48 which is 37% higher than 2008 Average Days On Market = 105 List Price/Sold Price Index = 93.9% Zip Code 32266 - Neptune Beach Average Sales Price = $584,100 which is 113% higher than 2008 Total Homes Sold = 11, which is 22% higher than 2008 Average Days On Market = 130 List Pr... 05/25/2009

Here are the most recent statistics for the Jacksonville, FL real estate market. 4th Quarter 2008: Average Price $191,300 Homes On Market: 7663 Home Sold: 1502 New Homes Built: 198 Average Days on Market: 102 1st Quarter 2009: Average Price; $177,700 Homes On Market: 7848 Homes Sold: 1267 New Homes Built: 215 Average Days On Market: 109 We can see the average price declined quarter to quarter, which is what we are seeing on a national and regional basis as well. The homes on market number has incresed sligthly, and is predicetd to increase in the second quarter of 2009.  The number of homes sold is predicted to be flat going into second quarter.   Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty.  She h... 05/24/2009

Fresh data - and it is great news! Jacksonville sales of single family homes are up 10% year to year. Median sales price is down 22% How does this compare with other parts of the Sunshine State? Daytona Beach up 19% Fort Lauderdale up 47% Fort Myers/Cape Coral up 192% Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie up 27% Fort Walton Beach down 3% Gainesville down 5% Lakeland/Winter Haven up 9% Melbourne/Titusville/Palm Bay up 21% Miami up 101% Marco Island N/A Ocala up 12% Orlando up 39% Panama City up 1% Pensacola down 5% Punta Gorda up 10% Sarasota/Bradenton up 8% Tallahassee down 22% Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater up 16% West Palm Beach/Boca Raton up 20% All figures are based on March 2008 compared to March 2009 - and this is great news we need to spread to everyone we talk to about real estate!   Carol Zing... 05/15/2009

The Player's Championship is back for this week, 5/4-5/10/09.  This awesome event features top golfers from all over the world and is held in Ponte Vedra. Tickets are still available for this event (visit http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r011/ to purchase tickets), or you can watch the golf on TV.  TV times are also on this website. Please keep in mind we have many tourists visiting our local area this week, so restaurants may have longer than usual waiting times, and we'll have more traffic. The primary traffic will be on A1A heading to the and from the tournament, so early in the morning and in the afternoon, you will want to budget extra time to get around. Have a great TPC week! Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL ... 05/04/2009

The annual Beaches Sandcastle Contest will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2009 , in Jacksonville Beach in front of the Seawalk Pavilion and the annual Beaches "Opening Day Parage" will be held on Sunday, April 26, 2009 in downtown Jacksonville Beach. Both of these events can be enjoyed by the whole family, so make plans to be there!   Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty.  She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net 04/18/2009