St. Augustine Florida begins planning for it's 450th Anniversary in the year 2015. This is no small feat as Florida's Secretary of the State Ken Browning explains in this video below: Learn more about St. Augustine's 450th Celebration. 07/27/2011

 You know how you always read about all of these great things to do in the newspaper and think, that would be interesting.....but then never attend? I don't know about you, but I do this frequently. In expanding my horizons lately, I decided that I would actually attend some of these great events that our wonderful town offers to us.  I chose a Native Plant seminar that was accompanied by a green roof lecture. In selling Real Estate this would be something that could really help my customers. Learning about plants that did not need supplemental water and grew easily and effortlessly must be something that everyone who has a yard would like to know, and so I went. The venue was at a very nice facility off of State Road 16, at 3111 Agricultural Center Drive in Saint Augustine Florida. Th... 07/26/2011

Good news for St. Augustine Homeowners! Average price per square foot for Saint Augustine FL was $108, an increase of 0.9% compared to the same period last year. The median sales price for homes in Saint Augustine FL for Apr 11 to Jun 11 was $164,300 based on 162 home sales. Information gathered from Trulia.com.  Trulia is a great site for consumers. there are market reports,listings and blogs and information about the real estate market. 07/26/2011

Last week included both problems and progress in the housing market. Getting the probs out of the way, June Existing Home Sales came in down 0.8% versus May, to an annual rate still below 5 million units, lifting the months' supply to 9.5. But all the sales decline was from condos and coops, single-family sales staying the same. We appear to be bouncing along a bottom, as the median price of an existing home rose for the month and is now up 0.8% from last year. Average prices are up 2.7% versus a year ago. But strong progress could be seen in the new homes market, as June Housing Starts were UP 14.6%, with gains occurring in all major regions. Multi-family starts, which are very volatile month-to-month, were up strongly, but so were single-family starts, UP 9.4% over May, while new buil... 07/25/2011

For the past several months I have been enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables delivered right to my door every Tuesday. For only 25.00 per week, a little more if I wanted a larger quantity, I have the most sensational produce dropped off at my home, come rain or shine. This is also accompanied by a loaf of fresh bread, again, baked locally! The group that does this is called Local Fare Farm Bag and they are incredible! Dependable, always a fantastic selection and no delivery fee if you sign up for 8 or more deliveries. This saves me so much time and also encourages me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things that I would never buy at the grocery, and yet now cannot imagine how I ever lived without them in my diet!! This group is so cool that they even give you a paper that tells... 07/22/2011

Market Update for Oakbrook, St. Augustine, FL 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 ... 07/21/2011

I live, work and play in a coastal town, St. Augustine Florida. Like myself, many of my customers move here from the North East.  They have lived with the traditional style, heavy & dark furnishings, and want a change.  They choose to live in our seaside town and want a more relaxed beachy feel to thier new homes.  Here are some beach-inspired decorating ideas that will give homes the laid-back setting that's just right for homes in Marsh Creek Country Club, or anywhere for that matter. 07/21/2011

  Sunday night, after a glorious Saint Augustine weekend, cool breezes, brilliant sunsets and wonderful sunny days, I took a walk on the white sand beaches of Anastasia Island. The beach was somewhat busy for 7:30pm but certainly not crowded. Just locals and tourists enjoying the beautiful environment. As I headed south of the Pier, I was about a 1/2 mile down the beach when I noticed a brown spot on the beach. Not a big deal, but this spot was moving!! I walked over to it and saw that it was a very very small turtle, probably just hatched and making its way to the ocean. It had obviously crawled quite a distance and it seemed so very tired!! Finally, after what seemed like ages, he/she hit the ocean's edge. I felt like cheering as it was swept to sea only to find that to my dismay, th... 07/20/2011

While I was attending the Tony Robbins Business Mastery event, Tony gave us a huge example of the difference between million, billion and trillion, just to wake everyone up a bit regarding exactly how much debt our country is actually in. Most people kind of lump million, billion and trillion into a category that is sort of like "a bunch". Well, actually, trillion is so far from million and even billion, that it is scary! Tony took it and put it into seconds so we could compare. This is how he did it: Take a million seconds and how long is that.....well, it is 12 days. Ok, well now take a billion seconds and how long is that?? Well, that turns into 50 years. Now my friends, let's take a trillion seconds. Any guesses as to how long that is? Actually, it is 32,000 years! A trillion is a w... 07/19/2011

My fiance, Dan, has lots of "stuff".  From the ugly gun metal grey desk (circa 1950?) to a full sized skeleton and, I am not kidding, every bed pillow he has ever owned in his life.  I'm talking at least 12 pillows! I'm not much better, but, of course MY "stuff" is all good "stuff".  However I am concerned what will happen when we merge households.  Isn't there a HGTV show for couples like us? It seems that everyone has accumulated more stuff than they know what to do with, and for many people, like us, a self-storage facility is the answer.  Storage is hot and St. Augustine has many wharehouse and self-storage facilities.  I guess there are lot of pack rats in this town. 07/19/2011

Many know that the Department of Veterans Affairs guarantees home loans for vets that make it possible to buy a house with little or no money down. Word of caution, if you are planning to use your VA benefit for a Foreclosed home in St. Augustine, you might want to read this article.  Some requirements of the VA loans intended to protect buyers also create hurdles for them. Search Foreclosures in St. Augustine, FL I work closely with lenders who are skilled in helping Veterans secure VA financing on a myriad of property types.  If you are looking for a home in St. Augustine, my team can help find the perfect place for you. 07/17/2011

Dan and I have discovered a great new restaurant at St. Augustine Beach, Haszard's Open Pit Beef  .  At first the name threw me... but we discovered, the owners Tim and Sharon Haszard are from the Maryland area where open-pit beef is all the rage! We are including Haszard's in our weekly St. Augustine Sunday Restaurant Crawl.  For more information -- Click Here to  see our Facebook Page, Homes in St. Augustine Here is a review of Haszard's from our local paper, The St. Augustine Record. At Haszard's Open Pit Beef they serve up traditional Maryland-style open-pit beef, open pit turkey & ham sandwiches, true Maryland-style crab cakes, half smokes and hot dogs! Delicious sides like hand-cut boardwalk fries, homemade cole slaw and soups, salads and a homemade dessert of the day are also off... 07/14/2011

Market Report for Homes for Sale in St. Augustine – Sea Colony St. Augustine Beach . The Neighborhood of Sea Colony in St Augustine Beach is unique, an upscale oceanfront community, located on St. Augustine’s Anastasia Island. Nestled among natural vegetation and sculpted landscaping, residents enjoy gated privacy in a park-like setting. From majestic live oaks to delicate sea oats, Sea Colony is unlike any other community on St. Augustine Beach. Sea Colony is designed to evoke a sense of community by producing a pedestrian friendly environment complete with sidewalks, footpaths, and boardwalks that border the streets, weave through the woods, and lead to the beach. Looking at the market for homes for sale in Sea Colony St Augustine Beach, we see that there was 1 bank-owned and just 1 s... 07/12/2011

It finally appears seeds are being planted for a housing recovery. Fannie Mae’s monthly survey reported that Americans expect home prices to drop just 0.5% in the next year. Some reported this as a negative because a 0.7% price gain was expected last month. But other analysts see this as a bottom, and those surveyed agree, as the majority (69%) believe it’s a good time to buy a home. A MacroMarkets LLC study echoed this. More than 50% of the economists, real estate experts and investment strategists polled said they expect a bottom for national home prices this year. Almost two thirds of the respondents felt our residential real estate market is at an historic turning point. The Wall Street Journal also reported this could be a good time to buy. The reasons? Mortgage rates are near 50-y... 07/12/2011

Most of the homes in my neighborhood, Marsh Creek Country Club, were built in the early 90's. I've noticed a lot roofs in the process of being replaced. I found this article from eHow (awesome site for simple home solutions.) If you are planning to cover the roof of your house with asphalt shingles, rolled roofing or corrugated metal, you can choose from a limited selection of colors to enhance the beauty of your home in St. Augustine. Of course, if you live in a deed restricted community, such as Marsh Creek Country Club, your Association will have guidelines for your roofing choices. 07/11/2011

Leasing with the Option to Buy –Is it right for you? I have had a lot of inquiries about “Leasing with an option to buy”. What is it exactly? This is my interpretation. A renting tenant signs an agreement with a landlord stating that the tenant can buy the property at the end of a prearranged time period. The owner is obligated to sell at the option price, but the tenant is not obligated to buy. However, the tenant can buy the property only if the landlord exercises the option to sell. The option to buy is terminated if the tenant in any way violates the lease before closing the agreement to purchase. The option to buy only gives the tenant legal title when he exercises the option, then it becomes an absolute and binding contract of sale. The tenant often pays above-market rent for the ... 07/07/2011

Market Report for Homes in St. Augustine – Marsh Creek Country Club: 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 a 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 NO bank-owned and 2 are short sales. A "short sale" is actually a long process - usually over the course of 2 to 6 months - where the sel... 07/05/2011

An experiment in html code. Trying to get some cool weather stuff posted in my blog. Unfortunately, it is just a linked image. Well, click on it and check out the weekend weather for the St. Augustine 4th of July celebrations. 07/03/2011

4th of July in Vilano Beach, FL Welcome to the busiest weekend in Porpoise Point, the wonderful waterfront neighborhood in Vilano Beach, FL. It is one of the best places to view the St. Augustine fireworks from the St. Augustine inlet at Porpoise Point, and a great place to spend the day at the beach. With jet skis, kayaking, boating, surf fishing, stand up paddle surfing, skim boarding, hunting for shark's teeth, swimming, kitesurfing, and more, it's a wonder if you will ever leave the beach at Vilano Beach. But, trust me, you will. There is so much planned in the Vilano Beach Town Center this 4th of July weekend. The locals are all excited about the new grocery store, Publix, being constructed, but locals and visitors alike will enjoy all the great specials the local businesses are ha... 07/01/2011

The stats are out! St. Johns County School District has ranked in the top spot in the state of Florida for the 3rd year in a row! Now, that’s amazing! What’s more, is that the 2nd spot lagged 18 points behind!St. Augustine preparing for it’s 450th birthday in 2015, the oldest in the country, rich in history and miles and miles of beautiful beaches. Located south of Jacksonville, St. Augustine has long been kept a secret by those who have discovered it!With moderate temps and a constant seabreeze, St. Augustine’s weather is ideal. The tourist season rocks in the summertime with families coming to spend time by the ocean. Visiting the Alligator Farm is a must, especially, with the new Zip Line attraction!We are an eclectic community consisting of phenomenal artists, authors, retirees, col... 06/30/2011