All I can say is THUMBS UP!! I am in the Fleming Island area frequently for work, and always looking around for some quick(and good) food. While out taking pictures for one of our blogs I realized that I had never eaten at Beauty and The Beef. No particular reason why I hadn't, just never thought of it before. So I decided to venture in. If you havn't been there yet, its a unique place with a unique menu. 

They are a Cheesesteak and Frozen Yogurt shop. I never thought that the food would be good, given the odd combo...but I have to say, the cheesesteak was AWESOME!

The frozen yogurt was good too, but I definatly a thumbs up on the cheesesteak. Not to mention, the decor was interesting and kept it lively for lunch.

June fared as a pretty good month for Fleming Island in 2010 as far as home sales go. We came out ahead of 2009 by nearly 10% reaching a total sales volume of $10.8M compared to just $9.7M in 2009. While home sales were up, it is largely in fact due to the great deals that are currently out there. The average sales price in June 2010 was a mere $245,000 down almost 10% from $267,000 last year at this time.

Although these price decrease may not be encouraging; it is far more stable then the year before. The average sales price in June of 2008 was an astounding $387,000! That means that between June 2008 and June of 2009 home sales prices in the Fleming Island are dropped approximately 30%!! With a drop of only 9.2% this past twelve months, we are showing signs of stabilization.

Community Events:

Come on out to the Dive In Movie Series!!!  Come float and watch a flick.  This summer we will be showing the Ice Age trilogy.  Ice Age will be shown on June 25th with Ice Age 2 and 3 showing in July and August, respectively.  Gates will open at 7:30pm, movie to be shown as soon as it is dark enough...Admission is free and there will be movie snacks available for purchase.  RSVP is required as we need to plan for the right amount of staff.  Please call 406-2206, X3, email venuerentals@oakleafresidents.com or stop by the OakLeaf Village Office to RSVP. Hope to see you there!

Remember to check the website calendar of events regularly at www.oakleafresidents.com. 

As a buyer in today's market you have a lot of useful tools and websites at your disposal online.  You can look up mortgage calculators; see what some websites estimate as the value of your home, and even look at listings that are currently for sale.  But how do you know if the website you're looking at has up to date or even legitimate information? 

If you're looking to buy a home, and you want to know what is on the market and what's coming on the market (that meet's your criteria) your best bet is to have a licensed agent that belongs to the local Mulitple Listing Service send you properties or set you up on an autodrip.  The agent you meet with will discuss what your wants and needs in a home are, and input that into their sytem sending you ONLY the homes that meet your criteria!  It's a beautiful thing really!  If you find a home on another website that was not sent by your agent, than it most likely didn't meet your criteria.  As a member of the local MLS your agent has access to the fastest, most up to date and current information. 

You hire an agent to do the searching and eliminating for you, trust them to help you and take care of the house buying process.

Jessica Touchton -Buyer's Agent w/ The Landry Team Keller Wiliams Realty jtouchton@kw.com

When you go to buy a home whether it's your first time or not you may get different advice about having a professional home inspection done.  There are many buyers who are quite handy and may feel comfortable looking over the property themselves and that's fine. 

My argument would be however, that unless you REALLY know what you're doing it can be very easy to miss something.  If you don't discover the problem once your inspection deadline has passed or you've closed on the property then you're plain out of luck.

A professional home inspector knows of all the typical problems to look for, and has the experience and "eye" for catching things that most of us would likely miss. 

Additionally, buying a home is a very emotional process and it's not easy staying neutral when it's YOUR potential next home.  It's advantageous to have a neutral professional there to answer all of your questions and address the concerns you have.  A professional home inspector will be able to differentiate between major and minor issues, and give you the needed piece of mind that you're making the right decision. 

Jessica Touchton-Buyer's Agent w/ The Landry Team Keller Williams First Coast Realty  jtouchton@kw.com

Working with buyers is something I truly enjoy doing.  Helping them find the home that meets their wants and needs and taking part in the excitement of buying a home is very satisfying.  What breaks my heart though is when I tell my buyers that if they REALLY want to buy that home that they need to go ahead and put in the offer....today!

Even in a buyer's market, homes that are in good condition at a good location and priced well will go and go fast.  If for instance, your looking to buy a home in Orange Park and Fleming Island Florida you could even say that foreclosures are a seller's market.  I have worked with many buyers who have looked at a foreclosure that was the perfect home for them.  Despite my advice to put the offer in that day they insisted on "sleeping on it" and lost the house to another buyer.   I have had buyer's that literally lost their dream home by just a few hours, and I can tell you from experience that it's extremely disappointing.

So if you're in the market to buy a home and are looking at REO's and foreclosures, be prepared to make the offer and have all of your ducks in a row (like pre-approval) so you don't miss out on the home that's right for you.

Jessica Touchton-Buyer's Agent w/ The Landry Team Keller Williams Realty jtouchton@kw.com

(904) 534-8416

In the high tech world we live in and enjoy today it is quite easy to get in contact with those we need as we have many options available to us now.  Growing up we did not have cell phones (unless you were a rich executive who "needed" one) so if you wanted to get a hold of someone you had to wait until they were near a landline phone at the same time that you were next to one.   Email was virtually non-existent and the internet was just in its infant years. 

Now that most everyone (and their kids) have cell phones and email accounts it's easy and fast to communicate and get a hold of whoever it is you need to speak with.  I have found that my buyers all have their preference as to how they like to be communicated with.  Some want email, some want the traditional phone calls, and others are text"ers" .  Now, I'll even run into people who communicate through sites like Facebook and Twitter! 

The most important thing to remember when working with a professional or customer is to establish at the beginning of that business relationship what their preferred method of contact is.  Set this up from the get go, and you should have a smooth and highly communicating relationship resulting in a great transaction and growing referral business.

Jessica Touchton Buyer's Agent w/ The Landry Team Keller Williams First Coast Realty

With nearly 1 in 10 mortgages in the country going into default the terms short sale and foreclosure have become very mainstream and acceptable. However, what I commonly find is that homeowners do not fully understand either of these terms. So, lets clarify.

What is a Short Sale?

Simply put, a Short Sale is used to describe the sale of a home in which the homeowner owes the bank more than the home is worth. The bank agrees to allow the home to be sold for less than what is owed (AKA "Short Sale").

Don't be fooled by the term though. Just because it says "short" sale, the process can be very exhausting and take months.

What is a Foreclosure?

Foreclosure is the legal and professional proceeding in which a mortgagee, or other lien holder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor's equitable right of redemption. Usually a lender obtains a security interest from a borrower who mortgages or pledges an asset like a house to secure the loan.

Also important to know; foreclosure is a process, not an event. The foreclosure process starts at the point where a mortgagee is 30 days behind on a payment, and can continue for man months depending on how backed up the banks are.

What to do?

The good news is that if you are upside down on your mortgage or falling behind you do have options. First- you need to contact a qualified real estate agent and discuss your options. Second- you need to call your mortgage company and inform them of what you intend to do with the home. The best thing you can to do is take action, the worst thing to do is avoid the situation.

In the state of Florida if a buyer wants to buy a piece of real estate by law, they are not required to put down a binder deposit or earnest money.  Some people think they are required to and that's just not the case.

 There are situations however where the seller will require (or ask) that you put one down or they won't even consider your offer.  This is typical with REO's and foreclosures; this is legal and their choice.

It is not unreasonable to put a binder down as a buyer, since it lets the seller know that you are serious about buying the property.  They want to know this considering they won't be getting a lot of showings once they are under contract with you as this is shown in our Multiple Listing Service.

When you do put a binder down, ask your agent who will be holding it and when it is due.  It usually goes towards your down payment on the house.  If there is a dispute and your contract falls through, it can take several weeks to get it back, so don't be afraid to ask your agent questions at any stage in the game. 

The standard NEFAR Purchase & Sale agreement protects your binder in the event that something is found during inspection...for the most part.  Make sure your buyer's agent writes a clean contract and explains anything to you that he/she writes in. 

Buying a home is a fun and exciting experience, putting down a binder is just one of the many steps you take to get there.

Jessica Touchton - Buyer's Agent w/ The Landry Team Keller Williams Realty (904) 534-8416 jtouchton@yahoo.com

Realtor Q&A How much should I offer on the house I want?

A: When it comes down to writing an offer, there are several factors to consider.

1. What is the condition of the home relative to others that have sold recently?

2. What other things are you asking the seller to pay for? Closing costs, repairs, interest rate buy downs etc.

3. What have similar homes sold for recently?

4. What is the average list to sale price ratio? In most of the Orange Park and Jacksonville area, the average home sells for 97% of list price.

Your real estate agent will go over all of this information with you when writing an offer. This is the same information a seller looks at when deciding whether to accept an offer or counter.