Here are the June homes sold in Jacksonville Beach, FL. This report includes all single family homes, and do not include any condominiums.     June 2014 Homes Sold: 31 Highest Sold Price: $962,500 Lowest Sold Price: $65,000 Highest Sold Days On Market: 459 Lowest Sold Days On Market: 0        Here are the same statistics for June 2013, for comparison:     June 2013 Homes Sold: 42 Highest Sold Price: $1,397,500 Lowest Sold Price: $110,000 Highest Sold Days On Market: 302 Lowest Sold Days On Market: 0 I had "felt" the market shifting over the past month, but this report illustrates it. We had been seeing a decrease, and a significant one at that, in days on market (total time a new listing comes to market and goes to closing), and this shows an increase in days on market, and in this case... 07/21/2014

If you are a buyer, looking to purchase with an FHA loan, there are a few things you may want to be aware of, especially if you are looking in Jacksonville Beach, FL. As a long time Beaches resident, and a full time Realtor, I monitor our activity multiple times daily. I look at the new homes on the market every day to send to my buyers. I look at what went under contract, what's sold, what's back on the market.  Every single day. If you are using FHA financing, you may not be aware that our FHA loan limits changed. The maximum amout for an FHA loan on a single family home is $304,750 in Duval County, which is the county Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach & Jacksonville Beach are all located in.  Ponte Vedra is in St. John's County, and has the same limit. Right now, the number of homes ava... 06/10/2014

  Refurbished Mac Book Air! I know I had posted a while ago about searching for a new "workhorse".  My HP Tablet (circa 2007?) had finally shown it needed replacement as it had too much stuff on it to derrag correctly, and without a DVD/CD drive, updating the OS from Windows XP to anything newer was an end to me. This Mac Book Air is so zippy, and HUGE compared to the iPad I had been using (reserved for non work time now), and I'm so happy! If you have been debating what to purchase next, I highly recommend researching refurbished Apple products: they are factory refurbs, and come with a one year warranty. The only difference is you don't get the experience of walking out of store with a new computer!     05/22/2014

  Magnificient views from NE corner oceanfront not too high end unit in luxury Costa Verano condo complex. 3/3 w/lg ocean terrace,saturnia stone flrs in main rms and guest bath, granite ctr tps, s/s appl, subzero frig, crn moldg, lg walk-in closetsCustm Granite Kit,LIVE YOUR DREAM!!! Incredible vistas, breathtaking ocean views&lifestyle you've dreamed about waiting for you here. . Enjoy breathtaking oceanviews from your private terrace...perfect for entertaining or private relaxation. Better than new condition, &super value price. Lives like a home. Resort like amenities: pool,billiard room,fitness cn...   Search All Homes For Sale   Phyllis Frankel Realty Group Carey & Karrie Frankel Phyllis Frankel Realty Group Inc 904-273-0125 carey@frankelrealtygroup.com     05/07/2014

    I visited the HGTV SmartHome in Paradise Key last year, when it was newly built. Paradise Key is a an enclave of about 60 homesites, one of which was home to the HGTV SmartHome. Located at the southern end of Jacksonville Beach, Paradise Key is convenient to J. Turner Butler, which means you are minutes away from the Mayo Clinic, and have a quicker drive to St. John's Town Center, and about 30 minutes from Jacksonville International Airport. The HGTV SmartHome is incredible: Smart Home Automation throughout, tankless water heaters, and rich in other features. I honestly thought I was going to win it by entering every day online (eternal optimism!), but that was not to be. Instead, an out of state winner decided to forgo the prize, and took the cash equilavent, which meant the home w... 05/02/2014

       I previously reported monthly sales figures for most of the beaches communities here in Jacksonville, FL, including Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach & Jacksonville Beach. I think that became more difficult when I switched to the iPad as my main platform - and now that I have a refurbished MacBook Air, I have a spreadsheet option again!  So, here are the figures for March 2014 compared to March 2013:   March 2014 March 2013 +/- Homes Sold 39 30 30% Highest Sold Price $650,000 855000 (23%) Lowest Sold Price $120,000 117000 2% Highest Sold Days On Market 154 497 (69%) Lowest Sold Days On Market 0 0 N/A Now, when you look at the homes sold March 2014 compared to March 2013, you see an increaese of 30%, good news. The lowest sold price shows a modest 2% increase across the same time peri... 05/01/2014

  In light of the recent Heartbleed issue, I checked on a password security site yesterday. Now, I have various passwords, and variations so some (key word) of my passwords will take an estimated 6 years to hack.  The key is to use upper case, lower case, a number & a special character or two. Some of this may be dictated by the site, as some don't accept any special characters or just a handful. One of my passwords, which I thought was clever, apparently, was not, and could be cracked INSTANTLY.  I had used upper case, lower case, and a number, but it was just not special enough.  Check out how secure your password is at this site:  https://howsecureismypassword.net     04/11/2014

  I know there are skeptics in the world. They don't believe that house isn't for sale, they don't believe it will sell for more than list price, they don't belive in offering full price. I thought it might be interesting to occasionally go back and post about a house that sold. We had the following listing in our local MLS: Property needs to be demolished has extensive fire damage however does include detached garage and inground pool. Buyer accepts all liability of any violations. Do not trespass on the property anyone that trespasses will accept all liabilities of any violations. Pictures can be sent upon request. Property being auctioned for a limited time being sold as is where is. PROPERTY TOO DANGEROUS TO SHOW. ASK FOR PICTURES. There was only one picture on the MLS, of the front... 03/28/2014

Here are the January homes sold in Jacksonville Beach, FL. This report includes all single family homes, and do not include any condominiums.    January 2014    Homes Sold:                                             19 Highest Sold Price:                                    $745,000 Lowest Sold Price:                                     $95,000 Highest Sold Days On Market:                    257 Lowest Sold Days On Market:                     0          Here are the same statistics for January 2013, for comparison:   January 2013 Homes Sold:                                             20 Highest Sold Price:                                    $600,000 Lowest Sold Price:                                     $115,500 Highest Sold Days On Market:                     2 Lowest Sold Days On Mar... 03/05/2014

I don't know about everyone else out there, but the new month of March roared in today! Buyers ringing my phone, contacting sellers with updates - maybe part of it was fueled by my being  in the CIPS class last week (although my phone and email were not as busy last week), but I'm loving this fresh March coming in like a lion! If you are looking for an excellent resource in the greater Jacksonville, FL & Beaches area, please visit my webpage - you can search for your own sandcastle there! 03/03/2014

New listings push inventory up slightly, but homes selling in average of 86 days. Closed sales hit 1,435; 10.1 percent more than a year ago but lower than December. Prices soften a bit. JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  January 2014 real estate sales and activity is now 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.    Key Metrics There were 1,435 closed sales for the month, up 10.1 percent from a year ago but down from December 2013’s 1,840 sales. Pending sales came in at 1,983; a 14.5 percent increase over January 2013 and topping December 2013’s 1,799. Sellers added 2,771 properties to the inventory (new listings); a 10.1 percent increase from ... 02/28/2014

It's time again for the 26.2 With Donna! What does that mean? It means we are about to experience THOUSANDS of people running in rememberence of loved ones lost, and in the hope of FINALLY ending breast cancer. Here at the Beaches, you can expect some road closures, and traffic. There is a full marathon, a half marathon, a relay and a fun run. The course will be open for 7 hours from start time (7:30am from Mayo on San Pablo), so keep in mind that the course will be open until 2:30pm. The course winds from Mayo over the ICW bridge to Jacksonville Beach, up to Atlantic Beach, back to Jacksonville Beach, and finishes back at Mayo Clinic. What it means for residents and visitors to our area is that you should plan around the event (it's so much fun to watch everyone and cheer them on!), an... 02/21/2014

Many short sale sellers are in extreme financial distress - so much so that tough choices have to be made. It's difficult to see a way out, and every dollar is precious. In the short sale process, there is an appraisal and an inspection, both of which occur closer to closing than many other transactions. The lender/s involved and the buyers are waiting to make sure the seller's bank/s will approve the contract, so typically, these two items happen right before the finish line. Now, if you have not been in the house you are short selling, you may have considered not paying the utilties - DON'T! Why? Because the appraiser and the inspector both need the utiliites on - and, if you are not current on your utility bills, there could be a nasty surprise of $500 in back payments that will have... 02/20/2014

This year's event is Saturday 2/22/14 at the Operations Center at 1460 Shetter Avenue.    If you are getting ready to sell your house, and have these items, it's an excellent time to dispose of them safely. If you just bought a house, and found some old paint, now you can get it out of the garage!   Household Hazardous Waste and E-Waste Mobile Collection Events  The City of Jacksonville Solid Waste Division hosts a household hazardous waste and electronic waste (e-waste) mobile collection event In Jacksonville Beach once per year.     For more information or to arrange for special handling of unusual waste material, call (904) 630-CITY (2489) or visit www.coj.net keyword search hazardous waste.   Types of e-waste which may be brought to the mobile event include:   Televisions* Computer ... 02/16/2014

I am thrilled to know Jacksonville Beach, where I live, work and play, is on the top ten list of the most exciting suburbs in America! I moved to Jacksonville in 1990, spending the majority of my time at the beaches here.  Coming from New Jersey, it was wonderful to be able to buy my first home in Neptune Beach, 3 houses off the ocean for less than $130K.  I now live in Jacksonville Beach, and have for the past 10 years, and love it more, even though I'm not as close to the beach. The beaches of Jacksonville, Florida include Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach and then you go into St. John's County for Ponte Vedra Beach. Each of our beach communities have a different feel, and it's fairly easy to find your place - you just need to find a beaches specific Realtor who can he... 02/09/2014

 Here are the December homes sold in Jacksonville Beach, FL. This report includes all single family homes, and do not include any condominiums.  December 2013   Homes Sold:                                             6 Highest Sold Price:                                    $720,000 Lowest Sold Price:                                     $165,500 Highest Sold Days On Market:                    155 Lowest Sold Days On Market:                     28       Here are the same statistics for December 2012, for comparison:    December 2012 Homes Sold:                                             8 Highest Sold Price:                                    $649,000 Lowest Sold Price:                                     $110,000 Highest Sold Days On Market:                    138 Lowest Sold Days On Ma... 01/31/2014

This is inspired by a few recent parking lot incidents, thankfully, none of which resulted in anyone getting hurt. Here in Jacksonville Beach, we have (apparently) some unique parking lot layouts with multiple access points, which leads to drivers "interpreting" how they can navigate from the entrance point to their desired destination.  While I certainly celebrate individuality, I do not condone cutting across parking lots, and empty parking spaces. Why? For one reason, that's not what the parking lot designers had in mind. For another reason, neither pedestrians nor other drivers are anticipating these kinds of maneuvers. Other drivers are anticipating you to follow the arrows (yes, go down the parking lot lane in the same direction as the arrow), and to not cut across empty parking s... 01/21/2014

Jacksonville Beach Condo Market Report for December 2013The absorbtion rate for Condos for sale in Jacksonville Beach has dropped from a Dec 2012 rate of 4.77 months to a low, low 3.47 months. 6 months is considered a normal market so this went from a seller's market to a super seller's market. As the market has gotten better over the past 2 years we see Jacksonville Beach condos returning as an all time favorite for investment and prinicpal living.The median list price increased for 2012 of $263,900 increased to $315,900 for 2013 for a total 19.70% increase.Phyllis Frankel Realty Group has found that condos are selling with the average days on the market of 84 days in December 2013 which is along the lines of the surrounding areas.The price bracket with the most condos available for sa... 01/20/2014

I have an oceanfront condo listing that I'm listing with another agent in my office. It's priced at $1.4M, has gorgeous ocean views from almost every room (with the exception of the baths & the closet) and is a full floor unit, so you own the entire floor. It's elevator access only by a key or a code, and can be locked to prevent anyone from accessing your unit when you are out of town, which is a huge security feature not available in the majority of our condos here in Jacksonville Beach, FL. We had not had a lot of activity since we listed it in December, and at that time, to properly execute a broker's open would have been impossible due to the upcoming holidays. So, we hosted a broker's open last Thursday night, along with another oceanfront condo. Catering included a gorgeous chees... 01/19/2014

It's that time of year again, when the Great White sharks from the Cape and Nantucket (among other points north) come to be "snow sharks" here in Northeast Florida. Thanks to Ocearch research, and tagged sharks, we can now know where and how the sharks travel, which will continue to provide invaluable information to learn more about sharks. It's no reason to not visit Florida, especially Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach, however. You can read the full article here: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400744/matt-soergel/2013-12-30/its-great-white-shark-season-again-waters-near 12/30/2013