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Archive for the 'Buyers' Category

A Short Sale Success Story in Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville, FL

Categories: Avondale, Buyers, Deals, Deals, Deals!
Posted on June 26th, 2010

Exterior Front

We recently closed on a home in the Murray Hill neighborhood for a young lady who was a first time homebuyer. The home she bought is a darling 3BR/1BA bungalow in the desirable neighborhood of Murray Hill. It was purchased by the seller in the high 100’s. After living there a few years, she tried to sell it amidst the rapidly falling real estate market and the house fell into short sale.

There was one very low offer on the home that did not get accepted by the bank but when the bank “countered” the low offer, they established a price that they would accept. This was put into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) as a bank approved price and the young lady we were representing quickly wrote an offer on it.

After jumping through a few hoops and encountering a few stumbling blocks along the way, the sale closed in relatively quickly (about 3 months-which is for a short sale) on Friday of last week for $120K — one more property off the market, a great buy for our buyer and a happy ending to a short sale.

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

Two $500K+ Homes Sell in Avondale!

Categories: Avondale, Buyers, Deals, Deals, Deals!, Sales Data/Statistics
Posted on June 1st, 2010

3585 Richmond Street1913 GreenwoodAfter a VERY quiet year in home sales over $500K in Avondale, there have FINALLY been a few sales in this price range. In the last couple of weeks,  1913 Greenwood closed for $ 586,750K and 3585 Richmond Street closed for $576K. The Richmond Street listing was with Ellen Walters of the Fred Miller Group and David Butler of Watson brought the buyers. With these two sales, the neighborhood will now have some “comps” (comparable sales) that appraisers can use and we hope that the landslide in prices has stopped.  The price per square foot for these two sales was $232 and $229 respectively. The lot size of the two properties was similar.

Both of these homes were 3br/2.5ba homes with approx. 2,500 square feet. Both had garages and both had guest houses above the garage. The guest house on Greenwood was apparently in orginal condition and the one on Richmond street had some minor upgrades.

2nd exterior front

1837 Ingleside - At only $219 per square foot it's a DEAL!

We’ve got a fantastic listing on Ingleside Avenue that has 3br/2.5ba with lots of upgrades – so if you happen to have “missed out” on either one of the houses mentioned above and are still looking, please give us a call. At $644K and 2,940 square feet, our asking price is $219psf  AND our guest house and garage are NEW! The two most recent sales were at $229 and $232 per square foot.

Thanks for reading! If you’d like to get the latest and greatest about what’s going on in with real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside, please give us a call! We’d love to help you find or sell a home in the neighborhood!

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

Cheap Money! Get Yours NOW!

Categories: Buyers, The Real Estate Process-How Does this work?
Posted on May 20th, 2010

woman-money-fanThis offer ends soon ( you must make a loan application by May 31st, 2010) so act quickly!

Jacksonville, FL based Gibraltar Mortgage, an affiliate of Wells Fargo Mortgage, recently announced a program where they will buy down the interest rate of your FHA or VA 30 Year Fixed mortgage by 1% for the first year for FREE.

FHA loans are available to all buyers purchasing a primary residence assuming they don’t currently have an FHA loan. Loan limits for the surrounding areas is $387,500.

VA loans are for current or former members of the military, national guard or reserves. There are qualifying parameters based on the veteran’s participation. The VA loan limits for Duval, Clay and Saint Johns County are based off conforming loan limits of $417,000 pursuant to the veteran’s remaining eligibility.

To recap…. the maximum amount that you can borrow with a VA loan is $ 417,00  and with FHA is $387,500K. Note that these are the maximum LOAN amounts, not the maximum purchase prices.
Thinking of buying? Or perhaps, you’re already under contract and talking to several different lenders.  Click here to contact Jamie Zeitz of Gibraltar Mortgage to get more details about this exciting program!  Home prices are VERY attractive and with mortgage rates like this, it’s a fabulous time to buy!

Thanks for reading. We write primarily about the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside. We’d love to have you subscribe so you can hear about the latest news for the area — new listings, recent sales, price reductions, mortgage news and more!

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

Super Charming Bungalow in Avondale – JUST LISTED

Categories: Avondale, Buyers, New Listings!
Posted on May 17th, 2010

front entranceGREAT news! We’ve just listed a really charming bungalow in the Avondale neighborhood of Jacksonville and would love to have you come take a look. The MLS # is 534911 or you can click here to see a great video of the house. 

This one’s been renovated to a T and has many wonderful details including: 
3BR/2BA
a brand new kitchen
beautiful wood floors
open spaces
fireplace
enclosed sunroom (perfect for painting, reading or an office)
renovated bathrooms
new roof
new AC
incredible outdoor entertaining area
two car garage

Priced at only $329,900 and within walking distance to the shops of Avondale, this one is a keeper! Take a look at these pictures and call us for an appointment.

kitchen and laundry roombedroom twobedroom three - den - view twobrick pathwaysummer kitchen view three

Thanks for reading — for news about the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside, subscribe to our blog! You’ll be the first to know about new listings, recent sales, price reductions, mortgage rates and more!

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

Open House Sunday 5/16/10 – 4620 Algonquin Avenue (3-5pm)

Categories: Buyers
Posted on May 15th, 2010

open house

If you read the blog I wrote about our new listing at 4620 Algonquin Avenue, were intrigued by the video I created or were in Atlanta when you saw the facebook entry and you’d like to see more, now’s your chance!  Our fantastic new listing at 4620

exterior front cropped and color enchancedAlgonquin Avenue in the Ortega neighborhoodwide angle view of backyard of Jacksonville will be open tomorrow from 3-5pm.   Tired of the commute to downtown from the beach? Want an awesome house in an great neighborhood that’s got almost 5,000 sf and 5BR’s and 5BA’s? An entertainer’s dream with all rooms opening to the outdoors and a great floor plan, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Thanks for reading — please join us for our next installment of the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside!

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

The Importance of Communication in a Real Estate Relationship

Categories: Buyers, Sellers, The Real Estate Process-How Does this work?
Posted on May 12th, 2010

about_usDo you ever see a friend in the grocery store that you’ve been meaning to call and just haven’t gotten around to it? You feel TERRIBLE and want that friend to know that you REALLY have been thinking about them.  You’ve MEANT to call almost every day but by the time you remember to call, the day is almost over and it just didn’t happen.

Unfortunately, the life of a realtor is often the same. We mean to call each and every one of our buyers and sellers every day.  The truth is that we DO think about you all the time.  Almost every day we say, we REALLY need to call (….).  But in the interim, life happens. Busy with getting a new listing photographed, negotiating a offer on a listing, attending an inspection, creating a flyer for your open house on Sunday, researching what the proper price of the house you want might be, searching through active listings for what we’re going to show you or calling to schedule showing appointments keep us from sittting down to check in and just say hello.

The realtor is the middle man. It’s through us that you learn “what’s going on”.  How did the showing go? What did the buyer think of my house? Do you think I’ll get an offer? Have you seen anything new on the market? What do you think we should offer on this house that we love? We’ve received an offer way below our asking price — should we make a counter-offer or just not respond? Have you heard anything from the bank on our short sale offer?

Despite knowing that the MOST important thing we can do is STAY IN TOUCH, it’s one thing that can be the most difficult to do. Please know that even if you don’t hear from us, we ARE thinking of you nearly every minute of every day — REALLY. And…..if we don’t call you — CALL US! We love to hear from you. Thanks!

Thanks for reading! If you like what you see, please subscribe so that our posts will be sent directly to your inbox. We write primarily about the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside.

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

FORECLOSURE – I want one of those!

Categories: Buyers
Posted on May 11th, 2010

foreclosure-exit-sign1I just got an email from a customer who says he specifically wants to search for foreclosures, short sales, and pre-foreclosures in a certain zip code. The beauty of today’s technology is that I can set up a search with EXACTLY the criteria that you’re looking for INCLUDING whether or not it’s a distressed sale.

So, you’re looking for a 4BR/3BA home in the “exactly what I”m looking for” neighborhood with a two car garage,  a minimum of 3,000 square feet AND you don’t want it unless it’s a distressed property – Shazaam! I set up the search, you get an email about it the day it’s listed and you can be the first one in line (other than the listing agent’s own customers)!

Email us your wish list today and we’ll get you set up — technology is wonderful!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to know more about the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside, give us a jingle and we’ll fill you in on the latest and the greatest.

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: 1 Comment »

Reduced – AGAIN! 1837 Ingleside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL

Categories: Buyers
Posted on May 8th, 2010

Okay folks, this is what you’ve been waiting for! It just doesn’t get much better than this. Come see our listing at 1837 Ingleside Avenue - a beautifully updated home with wood floors, two fireplaces, tall ceilings, vaulted great room, updated kitchen with gas cooktop and granite counters, bright breakfast room, a large fabulous guest house AND a two car garage! The price has been reduced over $75K and is now at $644K — an incredible value. Oh, did I mention that it’s also perfectly maintained? 2nd exterior frontDon’t wait before it’s too late — this is just a great house!

Thanks for reading about the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside. You’ll find news of great new listings, price reductions, sales statistics, and general real estate information.

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

Darling Old Spanish Bungalow in Avondale – Just Listed

Categories: Avondale, Breaking News, Buyers
Posted on May 7th, 2010

1318 Avondale AvenueLooking like it’s been been transplanted from the streets of Coral Gables, this darling Old Spanish house on Avondale Avenue has just been listed. A 3BR/2BA home with plenty of upgrades awaits new ownership! It’s got a fancy new kitchen with granite, hardwood floors and a huge fenced backyard. Priced at $299K for approx. 1,600 sf, the price per square foot is right around $186 — a fair price for so many upgrades. As they say, location, location, location. Call today if you’d like to go see this one! 1318 Avondale Old Spanish Kitchen

Thanks for reading about the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside. Stay tuned for news of great new listings, sales statistics and first hand information about “what’s going on”.

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

Incredible Home in Best Part of Ortega Becomes Available!

Categories: Buyers, Luxury Homes in Jax, New Listings!, Ortega
Posted on May 6th, 2010

exterior front cropped and color enchancedwood paneled studywide angle view of backyard

 If you feel like you’re bursting at the seams in your small 3br/2ba cottage and have hoped  for a home where you can really stretch your wings, your dream has come true! Just listed, with nearly 5,000 square feet, 5 bedrooms and 5 baths, there’s plenty of room for everyone! A classic two story brick on one of Ortega’s best streets, 4620 Algonquin awaits your arrival!

From the moment you open the door to the gracious foyer, you sense that you’ve stepped into paradise. On your right is a stunning wood paneled office and to the left a large light filled formal living room with fireplace. Next is a bright and relaxing sunroom where you could curl up and read a book or perhaps take a nap. 

Tsunroom-edited - smallhe formal dining room is a large space that will accomodate a crowd. The kitchen is open to the family room and features a center island,breakfast area, stainless steel appliances and a large window over the sink. There’s a two car garage with workshop and the lot is deep.  The house has great flow with all rooms opening to the garden that’s completely fenced so dogs and small children are free to roam.

If storage has ever been an issue, look no further. This home is one of few in the neighborhood with both a basement and permanent stairs to the attic. Tall ceilings, wood floors, newer roof and insulation that’s been sprayed into all attic spaces, make this one of Ortega’s most sought after homes.

If you’re not familiar with Ortega, it’s a wonderful place where neighbors know each other, children ride their bikes to and from each others homes and to school, people have block parties with barbeque and there’s always someone on standby to lend a hand if needed – a real sense of community is evident here.

The list price for this beauty is $1.1M – priced competitively for today’s market. Please call us today for an appointment.

Thanks for reading! Please join us next time for state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside.

Written by Allison Steilberg // Discussion: Please leave a comment.

Allison Steilberg & Caroline Powell

Realtors®
Prudential Network Realty 3627 St. Johns Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32205 904-252-5181 (Allison) 904-463-1898 (Caroline)