Jacksonville FL Real Estate Update

So what separates the excellent from the not-so-great when it comes time to define great customer service? Well, we've given it a lot of thought... here are some things we strive do to develop extreme customer loyalty based on great customer service.

We strive to get to know our customers.
Building a relationship with our customer is an important part of customer service. We want to know what you need from us, and then deliver it. We absolutely value your opinions and we value you as a person.

We strive to be courteous at all times.
No matter what, we believe we must always be courteous, polite, and friendly to our customers and clients... even when we might not feel like it. We are aware that our own stress (and everyone has some) is not your responsibility.  You deserve courtesy at all times, regardless of circumstances.

We strive to develop a customer retention program.
It’s tough to find new customers and clients. So once we do, we want to give them consistent TLC. Being "your Realtor for life" is far more than just a slogan to us.

We strive not to make mistakes.
Holy smokes... that's a pretty tall order! And, we know that it is humanly impossible BUT we give everything we have to paying attention to details in order to avoid making as many mistakes as we possibly can... you deserve no less. However, occasionally we do make a mistake or a problem arises that we just have no control over... when that happens, we pledge to admit our mistake and immediately work to make restitution.

We strive to keep our promises.
Remember when a person’s word was his bond? For whatever reasons, that just doesn’t seem as big a deal as it did 30 or 40 years ago. But it should be. You have every right to expect us to do what we say we’re going to do. My grandfather always told me that a man is only as good as his word and we think that's true.

We strive to emphasize value, not price.
We aren't the lowest priced agents in Jacksonville... and we never intend to be. We know that the only way to be the lowest priced service provider is to provide the lowest quality service.  To do so goes against everything we believe. We'll not even try to compete on price... however, we're ready to compete on value every day of the week. Value is about quality service for a fair price and we do provide both.

We strive to be responsive.
Responsiveness is one of our 'hot buttons' and something sorely lacking in our industry. We make it a matter of principle and practice to always respond to your calls, emails and faxes just as quickly as possible - always within 24 hours and almost always at our first opportunity. We do not, however, answer our phone every time it rings... in fact, when we are with another client we make it a point to turn the phone off so that we can give them our undivided attention. However, as soon as we are able we check our messages and respond according to the urgency of the message.  In real estate transactions, 'time is of the essence' almost always -- we know this and we respect and honor it. If you ever send us an email or fax or leave us a voice message and we fail to respond within 24 hours, please automatically assume that technology failed and we didn't get the message and send try reaching us again.  We will NEVER ignore any correspondence or procrastinate in responding. That is our pledge to you!

We strive to follow up with you after the transaction is complete.
We don't consider our job as ending when the transaction is complete. Real estate transactions are ongoing in many respects. There are tasks that need to be taken care of months after the sale. And, unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen some months or years down the road such as financial hardships. If/when anything comes up, please know that you can call on us to assist you long after the completion of the sale. We are here for you for the long haul... whatever your need, just reach out to us and let us put our experience and resources into action for you! 

For more information about our commitment to you, please visit www.BestHomesInJacksonville.com - Thanks!

Fleming Island, Orange Park, Florida (just south of Jacksonville in Clay County)

"Strength of Character"

As a disciplined woman, Margaret Seton Fleming, had a working knowledge of trade, business, politics and numerous domestic subjects.  In 1837, she and her new husband, Lewis Fleming, moved to Hibernia Plantation. Lewis' father had received Fleming Island in 1790 through a land grant from the king of Spain.  Later, Margaret would live to see the destruction of the plantation twice - but both times she and Lewis rebuilt and carried on!

From the moment she arrived at Hibernia as a proud 24 year old, newly married woman, Margaret dreamed of building a chapel on the grounds.  Construction of the church in the Carpenter Gothic style began in 1875.  Unfortunately, Margaret died only months before its completion and her funeral was the first service held in the building.

Today, Fleming Island has again been reborn.  It is one of the fastest growing areas in Clay County. Among the many changes seen on Fleming Island, one of the most notable has been the number of new businesses, including nationally known department stores, restaurants and specialty shops, that have opened.  One area of concentration is at the northwest and southwest corners of CR 220 and US 17.

In addition to boasting one of Northeast Florida's finest school systems, there are also many private schools and academies in the area, as well as several colleges, including St. Johns River Community College where the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts opened in 2004.

The Clay County School District has long been one of the things that has drawn so many people to the area.  The system ranks in the top 14 percent in the nation.  Its test scores and graduation rates are well above the national averages.

The new Fleming Island Library opened in April 2005. It offers a delightful setting and houses a book club and free classes in genealogy, computers and other topics.

Amenities throughout the region include water parks, soccer fields, swimming

 pools, golf courses and tennis courts.  All are designed as family oriented attractions that add to Fleming Island's universal appeal.

Home prices in the area range from the low $100,000's to well over $2,000,000, with the vast majority of homes in the $225,000 - $350,000 range.  The average home price for the entire area is about $175,000 - very affordable for such a nice area.

There's just no question about it; Fleming Island offers everything individuals and families of all types can enjoy.  Visit the links on our website's FLEMING ISLAND page to learn more about this Northeast Florida treasure!

Spring Lake -Westside Jacksonville, Florida - Home for Sale with Swimming Pool and more!

Have you always wanted to own a home with a swimming pool but just didn't think you could afford it?  Well, here's a great home on Jacksonville's westside that is affordable and has a super well maintained concrete/marcite in ground swimming pool.  You owe it to yourself to check it out... the home, itself, offers lots a great features including tile flooring throughout and a bonus "office" room off of the eat in kitchen area.

Watch this video walkthrough tour and then call Susan Fennell at 904-288-9293 Ext. 230 for a personal showing today!

Okay, so I can't believe I am actually writing a blog in praise of a computer or a particular company knowing full well that what seems great today may crash tomorrow (although all my friends who have used Macs for years assure me that I'll not be sorry).

Here's the thing.  I've been a PC guy since who can remember when... I think I got my first sometime in the 80's but don't recall for sure.  From time to time I've wondered if all the hype about Macs was anything more than just that, hype, but never took the time to investigate.  Afterall, I didn't think I could afford one even if I did like it so why bother checking it out.

Well, a little over a month ago my wife's PC crashed (again) and mine began to give me problem after problem after problem (I guess I shouldn't complain about the old girl - the PC, not my wife - since I am using it right now to type this blog... hmmm, kind of ironic?  I had problems with my laptop about a year after purchase and had to replace the hard drive in it... so far, it's doing fine and I hope it continues to. 

As per usual when I have PC problems I called a good friend who knows computers better than anyone else I know and he gave me the same advice he'd been giving since he switched to a Mac a couple of years ago... He said, "Just buy a Mac and get on with your life.  Quit messing around.  You won't regret it, I promise."

So off I went to the Apple store and long story, short I purchased an iMac for me and an iMac for my beautiful bride.  Could we afford it?  Probably not... but we also couldn't afford to keep having problems with the tool we use most in our business. 

Okay, so far... so good.  Learning the differences between the PC and the Mac hasn't been all that difficult.  Everything works together seamlessly including networking between the two systems (I won't even tell you about all the trouble we've had with our PC networking over the years!)

But all that is not the reason for this blog...

What impressed me so much that I decided to actually take time out of my day and write this blog?

The REBATE... yep, Apple offered a couple of different rebates and, of course, after procrastinating for several weeks I finally filled out the forms and sent them in about a week ago.  And what do you know?  We received the checks in the mail YESTERDAY! 

Only a week to process a rebate?  Are you kidding me!?  Typically, when I send in rebate forms for any product I have completely forgotten about it by the time the check actually arrives.  There have been times when we've had to call and/or write letters to get companies to honor their rebate offers.  But not so with Apple.  In fact, they sent an email letting us know they received the forms and then promptly cut the checks and mailed them.

Apple folks... I'm impressed!  I hope you keep on impressing me for many years to come.

Jacksonville, Florida is not unlike many areas when it comes to short sales.  Short sales in the Jacksonville area have seemingly become the norm.  I say "seemingly" because the fact is that only a little less than 1 in 4 currently active listings in the Jacksonville area is listed as a short sale... one in four is still a lot, though, and if you are one of those who is faced with trying to sell your house for less than you owe on it then you probably have more questions than answers.  

Our goal is to help you find the answers and to make the short sale 

process a little less uncomfortable for you.

As of this morning, we found 3,419 homes listed as short sales and/or pre-foreclosure sales in the greater Jacksonville real estate market (this includes single family homes and condominiums).  With a total of 14, 560 listings, that means that about 23.5% of all homes listed for sale in Jacksonville are short sales.

An additional 1,184 properties are listed as Jacksonville foreclosures... and predictions are that the number of foreclosures in Jacksonville is going to continue to increase over the coming year.  As we all know, foreclosures tend to bring market prices down across the board which means more and more sellers in Jacksonville will be looking at a short sale in order to get their homes sold.

In other words, short sales aren't going away in Jacksonville anytime soon.

Unfortunately, even with all the press given to the current real estate market and to short sales in Jacksonville we are finding that sellers in the area are still very confused as to just what it all means and more importantly

...most sellers simply aren't aware of the options available to them 

when faced with the prospect of a short sale.

Because they are not aware of their options, far too many home owners wait too long to get started with the short sale process or to get aggressive with the process.  And we are finding that many are putting themselves through a lot of mental anguish over their situation that can be avoided by simply learning their options and taking action.

Fortunately, however, there are caring professionals who have helped hundreds of folks in your exact same situation and who have, in some cases, been exactly where you are themselves.  These caring professionals include real estate agents (like us), real estate attorneys, tax accountants and mortgage professionals.  We believe it is important to consult each of these professions

...and we make it easy for you by putting you in 

contact with them when you call us first.

You see, we don't think that the automatic answer to every sellers problem is to slap a for sale sign in the yard.  We believe you need to go into this with a clear understanding of what it means to you personally and what options you have at your disposal.

If you are facing the prospect of needing to sell your home in the Jacksonville area and think (or know) that you are looking at a short sale, you can call us and we'll give you the straight scoop.  The first thing we will do is to give you and honest and realistic picture of your homes value in today's current market and what to expect in the future.  

We promise not to inflate the value range 

just to get you to list your home with us.

To do so does no one any good at all.  To overprice your property means only that the eventual sales price will likely be much lower than if priced aggressively in the beginning and it only prolongs your time worrying about the sale and prevent you from getting on with your life.

The second thing we will do is to arrange for a free consultation with an experienced real estate attorney.  You see, we are highly qualified to assist you with determining the market value of your property and we are also highly qualified and experienced in marketing your home effectively so as to expose your listing to the highest number of potential buyers possible and to take care of all the details of the sale from beginning to end.  But we are not qualified to provide you with legal advice and we wouldn't dream of doing so.

If you need to short sale or 'think' you might need to short sale your Jacksonville area home, give us a call.  We will give you the information you need without any pressure to 'list' with us whatsoever.  We'll simply give you our honest assessment and opinion and point you toward your options so that you can make an informed decision and take control of your own situation.  Who knows, there may be options available that don't include selling if that is what you prefer... whatever is in your best interest is what we want for you.

And, of course, if you need or want to sell your home and are not in a short sale situation, we will help you too.  Aggressive marketing is just as important for your listing as for a listing that is a short sale.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

This new law is one that has puzzled me since I first read it.  While it seems to be well-intentioned, it also seems to have been hastily crafted and could cause more problems than it attempts to solve.

We appreciate the author, Richard Zaretsky, for allowing us to re-blog this for our readers.  Richard does a nice job of clarifying some of the 'language' in the law but, of course, we are still left wondering just how the law is going to play out in real life. 

I would encourage anyone who finds this post on our blog to follow on over to Richard's blog and read the comments and questions that accompany it there.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE FULL VIDEO VIRTUAL TOUR!

Spacious 2394sf, 4Bed/3Bath home in beautiful THE CAPE subdivision. You'll appreciate the large 3 car garage with tons of storage space and the very convenient bonus room off the master suite (which has huge walk in closet) - perfect for home office, baby's room, reading room or whatever! 

Master suite and 2 bedrooms upstairs and 4th BR and 3rdBath downstairs. The kitchen is large and overlooks the breakfast nook and great room. Separate formal living and dining rooms on front of home. Large screened lanai overlooks beautiful backyard and nature preserve... very private feeling!