Jacksonville FL Real Estate Update

I suppose I should preface this by letting you know that I am not a member of either major political party.  And just to avoid any confusion, I'm not what you would call a 'moderate' either.  Nor am I a politically apathic individual - quite the contrary!

My views have just never lined up 100% with either party's platforms (or even 80% for that matter).  If I simply must be labeled, I suppose 'Libertarian' comes closest.  I just don't think that the federal government has any constitutional business being involved in the vast majority of things in our lives that they get into.

But politics being what they are and politicians being who they are, I am aware that little is likely to change in my lifetime.  Politicians are prone to making promises they have no intention of keeping and/or have no ability to keep.  One such 'promise' was made prior to the last election cycle when the Democrats managed to wrestle the majority away from the Republicans. 

That 'promise' was to do something about the escalating prices we all pay at the pump - yep, in order to get votes the Democrats blamed rising gas prices on the Republicans and promised to 'do something about it'.

"In a press release dated April 24, 2006, Pelosi said, "Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices by cracking down on price gouging, rolling back the billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, tax breaks and royalty relief given to big oil and gas companies, and increasing production of alternative fuels." The letter cited policies put in place during the GOP control of Congress that the Speaker claimed had raised prices on  American consumers to benefit oil companies." (see link below for full article)

(Now anyone with an inkling of understanding about the free market system knew full well that there is little that congress can do about gas prices other than to allow drilling to take place on our own soil and off our own shores - something that neither party was/is willing to allow for some unknown reason, other than the fact that it has something to do with where they get their almighty dollars from to continue seeking power... but I digress.)

So now, after a couple of years in office we have witnessed NOT a reduction in gas prices but an even higher rate of escalation than before!  Is it any surprise that the GOP House leaders are now challenging the Democrats to put up?  Since taking 'control' of congress, the Democrats have done nothing to curb the price increases (not they can but that is another issue) and in fact we have seen gas prices increase more than 30%.  At $3.51 per gallon, the average price is $1.18 more than when Pelosi and company took over and the Republicans are asking when the Dems are going to do something about it.

It seems like a valid question to me!

See full article: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-gop-challenges-pelosi-for-gas-price-plan-2008-04-22.html

Life is full of ups and downs and how we perceive those fluctuations determines, to a large extent, how we progress through life.  People who tend to focus on the down cycles tend to be less productive than those who focus on the up cycles.  It is all about perspective.

How we view what is happening around us has far more influence on our behaviors and decisions than most of us realize.  This is why motivational experts encourage us to surround ourselves with positive thinking, positive talking and positive acting people.  It is in maintaining a positive outlook and perspective that we enable ourselves to move forward even in the face of adverse conditions around us.

Unfortunately it is common for news reports to focus on the negative.  It seems that even the most positive news, when reported at all, is buried deep inside the story.  The HEADLINES are designed to capture attention and for some odd reason negative headlines grab more attention than positive - or at least that is what editors seem to believe.

One such HEADLINE I saw recently said "Home sales fall 37%, median prices down 6%".   The headline was comparing March 2008 with March 2007.  What the headline DID NOT tell us is the fact that Home Sales INCREASED 20% in March 2008 over February 2008 and that the median price INCREASED 5% for the same period.  To the writer's credit, he did include this information within the body of the story but it was not the emphasis.

What the article also did not tell the reader is that the average sales price for a single family home in Jacksonville INCREASED more than 44% during the first quarter of 2008 compared to the first quarter of 2003 - not bad over a short 5 year stretch!  Real estate... it has ups and downs like everything else but over the long haul it just keeps getting better.

GOOD NEWS IN THE JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA REAL ESTATE MARKET HIGHLIGHT #5 

According to Bizournals February, 2008:

Jacksonville Quality of Life is POSITIVE!  

Bizjournals ranked Jacksonville ninth in its TOP TEN list of the nation's 50 Largest Metro Areas.  The ranking was based on:

Pollution Levels
Climate
Crime
Unemployment Rate
Finances (including income levels and monthly home payments)
Health

If you are looking for a great place to live or to purchase a vacation home for FUN IN THE SUN, you owe it to yourself to look at one of the fastest growing and most beautiful cities in Florida--JACKSONVILLE!

Susan and I are intent on providing the POSITIVE side of area news in an effort to counter much of the negative spin that many in the mainstream media seem to thrive on.  We understand the concept that 'bad news' sells but we just refuse to ride that wave, if you will! 

If you prefer the company of people with more of a "can do" attitude and approach to life and are looking to buy or sell real estate, give us a call for a free, no obligation, consultation.  THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!

Tim Fennell, PA and Susan Fennell, PA
Broker Associates / REALTORS®
REALTY WORLD Executive Group, Inc.
904-568-4528 / 904-568-5468

www.BestHomesInJacksonville.com

Post #4   Post #3  Post #2  Post #1  

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 

We are providing a series of articles in our continued effort to let the world know just how wonderful a place Jacksonville, Florida is to live, work and play.  With the low cost of housing, low interest rates and a thriving local economy, people from all over the world are choosing Jacksonville to call "home".  If you're interested in learning more about Jacksonville or buying & selling real estate here, give us a call.

Jacksonville, Florida enjoys a strong, stable economy, a reasonably low cost of living and a superior quality of life.  In addition to boasting the nation's largest urban park system, we have some of the most beautiful beaches, natural waterways and award-winning golf and tennis facilities anywhere in America.

We are proud of our role in helping people buy and sell real estate in the Greater Jacksonville Area . You can drive in any direction from downtown Jacksonville and see new construction and homes on the market; beginning with downtown itself, where new luxury condominiums and loft conversions are changing the face of the city.  All the while, new developments are spreading in all directions extending into neighboring Nassau, Clay, St. Johns and Baker counties.

Whatever area of town that interests you, we have all the information you need to make wise real estate decisions at http://www.besthomesinjacksonville.com/.  Our corner of the world may be spread out, but you can find your own niche within one of our many towns, cities and neighborhoods.  It's that wide range of lifestyles that helps draw residents to Florida's First Coast from all over the world.

GOOD NEWS IN THE JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA REAL ESTATE MARKET HIGHLIGHT #4

According to Forbes.com 2008:

Job Growth Is Anticipated in the Jacksonville Area for 2008!  

Coming in at #26 in the Forbes 100 Best Cities for Jobs in 2008 is Jacksonville, Florida.  Jacksonville actually ranked number 19 among the 100 markets in private sector job growth.  The Greater Jacksonville Metro Area had 561,700 private-sector jobs and an unemployment rate of 3.8% in June of 2007 (Jacksonville Business Journal, Sept. 2007).

Furthermore, Mark Basch (UNF Economic Indicator Project, 01/17/2007), said that "Area inflation...less than rest of nation... Inflation jumped higher in the Jacksonville area in 2007, but it was still better than the rest of the country."

Susan and I are intent on providing the POSITIVE side of area news in an effort to counter much of the negative spin that many in the mainstream media seem to thrive on.  We understand the concept that 'bad news' sells but we just refuse to ride that wave, if you will! 

If you prefer the company of people with more of a "can do" attitude and approach to life and are looking to buy or sell real estate, give us a call for a free, no obligation, consultation.  THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!

Don't let the mainstream media get you down.  We're not!

Tim Fennell, PA and Susan Fennell, PA
Broker Associates
REALTY WORLD Executive Group, Inc.
904-568-4528 / 904-568-5468

www.BestHomesInJacksonville.com

Good News About Jacksonville, Florida Real Estate Market - Post #3

Good News About Jacksonville, Florida Real Estate Market - Post #2

Good News About Jacksonville, Florida Real Estate Market - Post #1