At a native plant seminar I found out about a special place in one of our local subdivisions. This neighborhood, Saint Augustine Shores, is only about a mile from my office. They have a large meadow where mostly senior citizens, not even residents of the Shores, come to volunteer and grow native plants for everyone to enjoy. I was intrigued by The Meadow and so last week my son and I went out to visit. The county is actually building a park next to it amongst large old growth oaks and it will be a very lovely spot. The Meadow is a large plat of land that lies along the Intracoastal Waterway. Very expensive Real Estate and yet it is the home to native plants and a very large Gopher Turtle, not condominiums! I was so pleased and surprised to see this and it was wonderful to meet all the n... 09/05/2011

I am hosting a Broker Open House at a new listing, 411 Arredondo Ave, in the Davis Shores neighborhood of St. Augustine Florida.                  It is a fabulous 4Bedroom home that is much larger than it appears from the curb.  The back yard has the most unique pool and fun tree house on about 1/2 acre.  A real gem of a property located so close to historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida. It will be really important to get our MLS agents to this home to experience the space the home and incredible back yard. With just one week to go, I'm preparing the flyers and invitations for the event this evening.   I would like to do something different, so often my associates Opens are wine and cheese (easy and somewhat inexpensive).  I was thinking pitchers of margaritas and an island (the home... 09/01/2011

I am hosting a Broker Open House at a new listing, 411 Arredondo Ave, in the Davis Shores neighborhood of St. Augustine Florida.                  It is a fabulous 4Bedroom home that is much larger than it appears from the curb.  The back yard has the most unique pool and fun tree house on about 1/2 acre.  A real gem of a property located so close to historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida. It will be really important to get our MLS agents to this home to experience the space the home and incredible back yard. With just one week to go, I'm preparing the flyers and invitations for the event this evening.   I would like to do something different, so often my associates Opens are wine and cheese (easy and somewhat inexpensive).  I was thinking pitchers of margaritas and an island (the home... 09/01/2011

Recently, I went to show a very expensive home. 2.6 million was the asking price. The seller had everything absolutely perfect but the air was full of dragonflies which I felt was very distracting. The outside of this home was exceptional, with Intracoastal frontage, beautiful gardens, outdoor fireplace, summer kitchen, koi pond, pergola, and so much more (click here to view the virtual tour)                     ). I worried that the massive amount of hovering dragonflies would take away from the ambiance and so I googled Dragonfly to see if they had any redeeming qualities that I could use as a positive feature for this property!Not knowing anything about the insect, I came away with great ammunition to help with my sale! Dragonflies are actually born under water. They live most of the... 08/25/2011

This sensational Waterfront home is fantastic enough on its own but now the Sellers are going to throw in all of their beautiful Pottery Barn style, like new furnishings, 2 scooters and a Jeep Wrangler! All are in mint condition and the vehicles have low miles, ready for you to enjoy some fun in the sun! The infinity edge pool makes you feel like you are at a tropical resort every time you arrive back home! The boat house is perfect for the new boat that you have been dying to purchase and there are kayak stations and a place for the canoes or jet skis as well. Intracoastal Waterway with deep water 24/7 to the rear, and just a short hike across A1A finds you at the island's beautiful white sand beaches! Forget the airplane tickets to the Bahamas or Carribbean!!! Hop in the car and drive... 08/19/2011

It has been a sensational week! My oldest son and his darling girlfriend have passed their Real Estate exams and are going to join my Team! This was a decision that they came to themselves, unsolicited by me and so that makes it even more special! They are a beautiful couple, honest, kind and so very bright and they will be such a welcome addition. They are much more tech savvy than me and I am excited to see what this young blood will bring to the table!  Tomorrow we are reorganizing the office and then they are accompanying me while I show some of my agent show properties. We will be assigning duties so that they get to know all the aspects of Real Estate. It is all very exciting and I am so proud and happy to work with them! I am glad to have the opportunity to teach them responsible... 08/16/2011

When I was growing up we always had curtains. Lots of loud prints with dark colors, and it was all very stylish. Later, when I had my own home, the thought of curtains seemed old fashioned and I wanted wood blinds. The next home sported Plantation Shutters, still the rage in many places. After all of this, I am now switching back to curtains. Not the loud flowered ones, but pretty flowing white curtains that sort of drag the ground just a touch. They flutter in the breeze and make everything clean and romantic looking! Once every year or two you take them down and send them to the dry cleaners and they are good as new. As for the blinds and shutters, they were a maintenance nightmare! Dust!! Every other day it seemed like they needed to be dusted again!!! No thank you, I would rather be... 08/16/2011

      If you have ever visited our beautiful city, you surely have taken a stroll on the historic seawall along the Bayfront.  It is one of my favorite things to do here as a resident. The City of St. Augustine is planning a new seawall to be built east of the existing historic seawall to preserve it. The plan is to construct a new seawall twelve feet further into the bay, along a 1,200-foot range.   The current concrete "ding wall" would be removed and ground elevation lowered to expose 2-3 feet of the original seawall. A 12-foot area between the original and new seawalls would be filled and capped with a coquina/concrete surface as a promenade. The new seawall would be four feet from grade to maximize viewing of the bay from Avenida Menendez.   08/16/2011

  St. Augustine, Florida is planning a HUGE Birthday Party.  To celebrate our 450th (that's a lot of birthdays!) birthday the city officials are considering the following events.    2012 March 18 Spanish Constitution Bicentennial Celebration simultaneously with dedication ceremonies of Spanish Constitution Monument obelisk replicas at Cadiz and Aviles, Spain. City of St. Augustine, Consul General of Spain, Spain-Florida Foundation. Dedication of plaque donated by Spain-Florida Foundation. April 21 Fashion of the Americas on the Plaza and Promenade. Eco Latino and Morris Communications, St. Augustine Record May 3 - 6 Culturally La Florida: Spain's New World Legacy. Citywide cultural exposition with demonstrations, traditions, folklore, music, lectures, performances. Flagler College, Flor... 08/16/2011

The past few weeks the temperature here in Beautiful Saint Augustine Florida has been in the 90's with a heat index of approximately 107 degrees. Amazing. Our average temperature is 72 degrees.....normally. This summer is a whole different story. No one is showing up to see our open houses and the average time to go to the beach has become 6pm!! When showing property the other day my customers had with them their 2 young children. After about 5 houses, in and out of the car in this heat, walking around the outside of the homes, with not a breeze in sight, the 2 young ones began to get really thirsty. Now you can get thirsty, and then you can get really thirsty, and these children were really thirsty. I checked the fridge in the home that I was showing and there were about 20 bottles of ... 08/15/2011

Oakbrook is a premier gated community located in St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the US. Oakbrook is just ten minutes away from St. Augustine’s beautiful downtown area that has some of the best restaurants in the area plus many shops and attractions.    Oakbrook features ½ acre wood sites conveniently located close to shopping and to nearby beautiful beaches that stretch for miles. There are public and private high schools all within a short driving distance. Elementary schools and middle schools are also in close proximity to Oakbrook.    It is centrally located between Daytona Beach and the city of Jacksonville, and a short drive to Orlando.  Oakbrook is a deed restricted community with homes ranging in size from 1,600 sq. ft. to over 5,000 sq. ft.   Amenities include a gat... 08/13/2011

AUGUST 11, 2011 · LEAVE A COMMENT · in COMMUNITY NEWS  St. Augustine, Florida Located about 45 minutes south of downtown Jacksonville is the 11th most fun affordable city in America – St. Augustine, Florida.  Long known for its charm and historical significance, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, St. Augustine just so happens to also be FUN & AFFORDABLE. In fact, Bloomberg says that only 10 other cities in America are more fun and affordable. To residence of the greater Jacksonville Metro area, this comes as no surprise. Ask long-time residents where the best restaurants are in the area and my guess is that 8 out of 10 will name St. Augustine. Ask where to go for great arts and entertainment on the weekend and, again, you’ll hear the words “St. Augustine.” In fact, on most any weekend... 08/11/2011

Great news on the front page of our local St. Augustine, Florida newspaper..... Offshore investors snapping up Florida real estate!! The article reports that Florida's distressed real estate prices are attracting major companies with ties to Hong Kong, Spain, Argentina and Malaysia are snapping up properties sensing the local market has bottomed. I've notice an increase in my investor purchases.  It's GREAT NEWS to read that investors are buying up properties in other areas of our state. 08/08/2011

Home builders and developers have sought to answer this perplexing question by sifting through the information gleaned from focus groups.  I have been part of Focus Groups, on the Developer side and found it was a very interesting process.  We selected participants who were looking to purchase a new home in St. Augustine or had recently purchased on.  We asked them questions about their preferences, showed them photographs of different architectural designs and color schemes. It was hugely expensive and not very productive as Antigua project is still not developed. A Washington Post article questions whether these Focus groups really affect sale, or is the adage "buyers are liars" true? 08/08/2011

I just started blogging a couple of weeks ago. After a business mastery class I hired a social media coach. I needed to learn to blog, tweet, hoot and whatever else, to bring myself current and connect to other like minded people networking on the Internet. So, I hired Dave Hall from Listing Solutions in Saint Augustine and we began to dissect my web site and get into it. I told him I had an interest in writing and he asked if I was a member of Active Rain. I had never even been on the site. He took me there and I began to read all these great blogs. What fantastic information. What nice people. Great stories and some of you have a wonderful sense of humor! Needless to say, I was hooked.  I now blog several times a week and I am on Active Rain daily so I don't miss what is happening. I ... 08/05/2011

Hello All, Please stop by Tim's Wine Market St. Augustine for the First Friday Art Walk Wine Down this Friday, August 5th from 5 to 7 as Local Artist Byron Capo will be featuring some of his prints and enjoy some Wine Samplings from Tim's Wine Market. www.byroncapophotography.com Thank you and look forward to seeing you all there! Amy 08/03/2011

I have always been an advocate of natural medicine, green  environmentally friendly things, acupuncture and vegetarianism. I have enjoyed massage therapy not only to relax but to detox and have been an advocate of Chiropractic Medicine for many years. I have not gone faithfully or regularly to a Chiropractor in many years but seem to end up there once a year or so as a result of some clumsy or awkward move. Even when my children were babies, I took them to see a Chiropractor, aspiring to have  "well adjusted" children. A few weeks ago while I was learning the technique of Stand Up Paddle Boarding in Fort Myers Beach, I took a huge fall. I landed flat on my back on the hard sand and thought that I had broken my back, The fall was quite a shock and my rear side was damaged more than my eg... 08/02/2011

  Marsh Creek Country Club is located on Anastasia Island just 5 miles south of historic St. Augustine, Florida. Nestled just off A1A you will find this gated community filled with lovely homes, wonderful people and a lifestyle you will want to call your own. Within the community you will find an 18-hole golf course designed by Mark McCumber, tennis and fitness facility and clubhouse and pool. Relax and enjoy the newly activities or enjoy dinner and an intracoastal view sunset in the Dining room. Looking at the market for homes for sale in Marsh Creek Country Club, we see that there are 26 active homes on the market, NO bank-owned and just one short sale (down one from last month).   A "short sale" is actually a long process - usually over the course of 2 to 6 months - where the seller'... 08/01/2011

I had the opportunity to attend a Green Roof seminar last week. I thought that it would be about something entirely different than what the presentation was about!  My thoughts regarding a "green" roof were like what you most commonly think of when you hear the word "green". Environmentally friendly, Energy Efficient, etc.  Much to my surprise, this was about an actual green roof. A roof that has a garden growing on it. I had never heard of this and found the topic interesting enough to share. While it seemed a bit pricey up front, the green garden roof will prove to be economical in the long run. The group that gave the lecture was C. Sterling Quality Roofing of Ponte Vedra Florida so I only have an estimate from this one group, but they thought that it would run approximately 20.00 pe... 08/01/2011

As a Realtor I try not to post all my listings so as to avoid the usual 3 bedroom 2 bath home, etc., etc......  However, this listing is more than extraordinary and worth posting!  With the wide sparkling Intracoastal Waterway through Saint Augustine, you would think that there would be a large amount of properties available with deep water docks. Fact of the matter is, most of the Intracoastal Waterway is bordered by marsh grasses, State Park, and nature preserves. This makes what is available, even more rare, and when we list one that is pristine, on 1/2 an acre, approximately 5000 sq feet, swimming pool, 4 fireplaces, including one out door, summer kitchen, hardwood floors, Viking and Bosch appliances and so very much more, I feel that it is worth sharing. The photos don't begin to d... 07/29/2011