Real estate blog entries tagged with florida by Carol Zingone, Global Realtor in Jax Beach, FL - ABR, CRS, CIPS (Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty)

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florida: A Weekend Away - St. Augustine Beach - 06/12/11 12:59 AM

I'm enjoying a weekend with friends in St. Augustine Beach this weekend. We drove down yesterday, had lunch at Cap's On The Water, and are now enjoying our first full day in our house.
The house we rented on VRBO.com is on a canal, and a 5 minute walk to the beach, so we're sure to have some fun in the sun.
It's one of our girls birthdays, so we'll probably enjoy a good meal out tonight, as we just ordered in pizza last night.
Enjoy your weekend!
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florida: Jacksonville, Florida's Unemployment Rate Under 10% - 05/21/11 04:12 AM

Those of you who read my posts (which are usually daily) you know that I focus on the positive side of life.
I've blogged in the past few weeks about Jacksonville Beach homes sales up 40% comparing April 2010 to April 2011, and Atlantic Beach home sales are up 69% comparing April 2010 to April 2011.
This was too good headline to pass up and not write about.
For the first time in 2 years, our local unemployment rate is under 10%. This continues with positive economic growth locally for the past five months, and is great news.
You can read … (4 comments)

florida: Duval County's One In Three Program - 04/15/11 03:27 AM

This program, scheduled to kick off this fall, is a wonderful initiative, and I'm hopeful it can achieve it's goal: to reduce the Duval County school system drop out rate, which is astoundingly high.
The program's name comes from our school system's current graduation rate of 67%. Having spoken with teachers, School Board members, and even with Senator Wise at the Great American Realtor Days this week, this is something that needs to be addressed sorely.
Many of these kids fail to thrive in school due to a few basic reasons:
They don't learn to read, making school work much more … (1 comments)

florida: Red Flags For Buyers - 03/11/11 11:38 PM

If you are a Florida Realtor, you should be subscribing to and reading the Florida Realtors daily news email, that contains interesting news and HTML links to the Florida Realtors website for the complete story, which is where I found this story.
It's not surprising that the following send buyers in the opposite direction:
No Photos Outlandish Claims Priced Too Low Listed "As Is" For the complete story, you can click here: http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=255965

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florida: Florida Alliance For Renewable Energy Tour, Jacksonville, FL 2/24/11 - 02/22/11 11:19 PM

I just received this email this morning, and wanted to share; although this is short notice for me, it may not be for some others who would like to learn more about Renewable Energy, and participate in some of the events/discussions/forums.
Please register, and pass along to anyone you think would benefit; I wish I could attend at least part of it, but am completely booked with appointments all day tomorrow.
And, if you don't live in or near Jacksonville, FL, I'm sure you can find the other cities this tour is going to visit!

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florida: St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, Florida - 02/06/11 01:54 AM

This is fabulous alligator farm (although I have a propensity to enjoy alligator farms, FYI), and I have been many times over the years. It's not a mud pit filled with alligators, which is what most people seem to think of; it's a true zoological exhibit with native bird sanctuaries, and other creatures besides the alligators and the crocodiles.
I'm excited they are expanding their park to offer this aerial obstacle and zip line course - can't wait to check it out in the near future!
You can read more here: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-02-06/story/st-johns-county-welcomes-adventure-tourism

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florida: Got College Kids? Need College Money? Live in Florida? - 01/23/11 10:14 PM

On this early Monday morning, after 4 days at the Florida Realtors Conference in Orlando, I want to focus on the scholarship opportunities available through Florida Realtors.
Many people may not be aware of the scholarship, or how to apply, which is one of the reasons I'm posting the link to the application on the Florida Realtors website: http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=251226
The deadline for applications is 2/9/11, which is not far away at all.
Please pass the word to anyone you know who could benefit - it would be a shame for a solid candidate to miss out on scholarship dollars that DO … (8 comments)

florida: Mayport Ferry Resumes Service, Mayport, FL - 01/09/11 02:40 AM

We here at the beaches love our ferry, as it can save us time and money to get to Amelia Island, and Fernandina Beach. The slowest month for ferry ridership is December, so the local Port Authority decided that was a good time for maintenance and improvements.
It's also fun to ride the ferry vs. driving up 9A because of the great water views you get - sometimes, there is nothing like it.
You can read more here: http://jacksonville.com/community/arlington/2011-01-07/story/mayport-ferry-back-operation-after-month-closure

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florida: Sunrise, Jacksonville Beach, FL 1/4/11 - 01/04/11 01:06 PM

I did my normal routine this morning: up at 5:30am, gym at 6:30am, and then sunrise shots on the beach at 7am (ish). I think I may take the time to bring the Flip video out to do a more documentary approach of the sun actually rising, but I hope you can be happy with this series until then:

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florida: Mayport NAS Ship Tour - 12/16/10 11:48 PM

I had the opportunity to tour a ship at our local Naval Air Station, Mayport, in Northeast Florida last night. The Chamber of Commerce organized it, and, if you have never had the pleasure to visit, it is really a city within a city.
Our port is one of the largest, and most sought after posts, largely due to our ocean proximity (30 minutes to ocean), the low cost of living compared to other bases, and, of course, the fact that we are in Florida.
I've toured the base and ships before, but never at Christmas time. Below are some of … (0 comments)

florida: Jacksonville, FL Foreclosure Notices Drop Dramatically! - 12/16/10 06:33 AM

As other AR bloggers have pointed out, foreclosure-related notices are dropping in many areas - which I consider a good sign. Part of this is most likely the "foreclosure freeze" by several of the bigger lenders. Notice I said foreclosure-related notices; this is because most foreclosure firms track any and all notices of late payments, and lis pendens (lis pendens is the first legal document filed in a foreclosure proceeding). Locally, in Jacksonville, the foreclosure-related notices dropped 42% from October to November of 2010. Statewide, Florida has the dubious identity as one of the highest-foreclosure states in the nation.
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florida: Worst States To Retire - 12/11/10 01:44 AM

I recently wrote a blog about the Council on Aging, http://activerain.com/blogsview/2009652/council-on-aging-st-john-s-county-fl-, so this Huffington Post article about the worst states for retirement was a close-to-the-bone revelation.
I notice most of these states are "mitten" states as I call them, whereas, Florida is not as cold as most of these states; despite our recent freezing temps the past two weeks!
If you are considering a retirement community for yourself or for a parent, you should look into the Jacksonville, FL area - we have several different options including purchase communities and rental communities, we have a Mayo Hospital and Clinic and we … (2 comments)

florida: Happy Thanksgiving! - 11/25/10 12:46 AM

As I'm sure most of us know: Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. While it may have been religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.
This is the portion that is new to me: The precise historical origin of the holiday is disputed. Although Americans commonly believe that the first Thanksgiving happened in 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, there is some evidence for an earlier harvest celebration by Spanish explorers in Florida during 1565.
I live and work … (9 comments)

florida: Jacksonville, Florida School Info - 11/23/10 06:44 AM

Schools are an important part of the decision making process when families move - here is a short list of sites you can visit in order to learn more as you educate yourself on the area.
Jacksonville, Florida is one of the largest, if not the largest, cities, in terms of total square miles, so it's very difficult to get acclimated in the typical weekend visit; therefore it's vital to be as educated as possible before you come to visit. Here are School Board sites for Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and St. John's County as well as the Northeast Florida … (1 comments)

florida: Shetland Pony Stampede, St. Augustine, FL - 10/14/10 12:07 AM

Just read this, and had to share, it made me smile!
The Flagler Countys' Sheriff's Office received a report of miniature ponies stampeding; apparently they are participating in a fall festival hosted by the local Italian American Club.
11 ponies managed to break out of their makeshift corral and stampeded around town.
The runaways were corralled in about 20 minutes, but made for a very humorous morning.
Read the full story here: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-10-13/story/mini-stampede-corralled-flagler-county-deputies

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florida: Jacksonville Beach Sunrise, 9/18/10 - 09/18/10 01:40 AM

On the way home from the gym yesterday morning, I stopped to take my now-normal sunrise pictures. Now that the weather is cooler, it is so nice in the morning! Everyone is out walking dogs, or watching the sunrise, or taking their morning strolls on the sand...I love living at the beach!

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florida: Texting Your Buyers? - 09/05/10 01:14 AM

I have a prior buyer back in the picture; he had some credit issues to take care of, and he and his dad were all excited about an REO property. They had previously had an offer in on this house, when it was a short sale, and we just could not get to closing.
His credit fresh and squeaky clean (yay!), they wanted to go back to this house which was now an REO. It would have to be a rehab 203K loan, but was well priced. So, they were disappointed when I told them it was under contract.
I emailed them … (3 comments)

florida: What Is This?? - 08/23/10 12:31 AM

I saw this at a vacant listing the other day, and have never seen a spider like this in my years in Florida - does anyone know what kind of spider it is? I was amazed at the colors! Thanks in advance for your help!!!

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florida: Jacksonville, Florida Property Tax Information - 08/19/10 06:28 AM

Many people believe their home is not worth the same amount the Property Appraiser's office say it is worth. In some cases, the valuation used by the appraiser office may be off by a smaller amount (say $10,000); in some cases, it may be off by a larger sum (say $150,000).
I've had two instances this year where the past value of the home was valued SUBSTANTIALLY higher than the home appraised for (in one case) and in another case, SUBSTANTIALLY higher than a market analysis indicates the property would sell for in today's market. In both of these instances, the … (2 comments)

florida: Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday, 8/13-8/15/10 - 08/02/10 11:32 PM

Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday will begin Friday, August 13, 2010, and end Sunday, August 15, 2010.
During this period, no sales tax will be collected on sales of books, clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $50 or less, or on certain school supplies selling for $10 or less.
Great time to stock up on anything your family needs!
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