Categories
- Buyers
- Sellers
- Avondale
- Ortega
- Riverside
- Market Update
- Places – The Insiders Guide
- Condos
- Gone in a Day!
- Luxury Homes in Jax
- New Listings!
- Breaking News
- Deals, Deals, Deals!
- The Real Estate Process-How Does this work?
Local Area Resources
- The Resident Community News – Riverside, Avondale, Ortega and San Marco
- The Riverside Arts Market Website
- Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) Website
Condos
Archives
- April 2012
- March 2012
- September 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- September 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
Follow Me:
Archive for the 'Buyers' Category
Darling Bungalow Hits the Market in Avondale!
Just Listed! This perfect shake shingle bungalow that oozes charm is located in the heart of Avondale. Among its many special features are a brand new roof, doubled paned replacement windows, high ceilings, renovated kitchen with stainless steel appliances, gas range with 5 burners & two ovens, granite counter tops and walk in pantry. There’s also a very large laundry room with enough room for lots of storage and/or an office.
The master suite is very spacious and has it’s own bath. There’s a darling family room adjacent to the kitchen with french doors to the back yard. The house has wood floors and is decorated to the nines — don’t miss this one — it’s a real charmer!
The house has 3br’s, 1.5 baths, approximately 1,800 square feet and one car garage. It’s located within walking distance to the shoppes of Avondale and is a very quick commute to both downtown and the Naval Air Station (NAS). Priced at $250,000.
Please call us at 904-252-5181 for an appointment to see this great house – it’s easy to show and will go quickly!
Caroline and I specialize in the Avondale, Ortega and Riverside markets and are experts in helping you price your house for a quick sale as well as being “on the hunt” for that special home of your dreams! Call us today.
The Early Bird Gets the Worm in Avondale!
When I saw this house pop up as a new listing for only $199,000 day before yesterday in Avondale, I knew it would be gone in a minute. I was right, it’s already under contract.
I’ve got buyers coming in this weekend from South Carolina and I called the listing office to make an appointment for Sunday afternoon. They called back a few hours later to tell me they had two written offers in hand. The house is listed as a 3br/2.5 bath home with approx. 1,960 square feet and offered by Doris Arnold of Watson Realty.
Why not hire us to be on the lookout so you don’t miss great opportunities like this one? We’ve got our eyes wide open, ears to the ground and notice great deals like this right away. But there is a catch……you have to be ready to act!
This is a short sale and banks require pre-approval letters with short sale offers so call your lender, get prequalified and then call us at 904-252-5181. You’ll be the next one in line for a great opportunity like this!
We specialize in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside and offer no pressure evaluations of how much your house is worth or can help you snag a great deal like this one on Edgewood Avenue.
Don’t Miss Your Window of Opportunity in Avondale or Ortega!
If you’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for just the right house, just the right price or just the right interest rate, you’d better stop waiting! 23 percent (17 homes) of the 74 properties that have gone under contract in the Avondale, Ortega and Riverside neighborhoods in first quarter of 2012, sold within 30 days of being listed.
If you increase the days on market to 60, the number jumps from 17 to 29 homes sold and accounts for a shocking 40% of the sales! That’s a pretty high percentage!
As a buyer, you’ve had nothing but time on your hands. LOTS of houses to sniff around at, PLENTY of time to decide if you’re REALLY ready to buy and LOADS of time to drive your real estate agent crazy as you look at house after house after house!
I’m here to tell you (you heard it here first) that the time is NOW. Interest rates WILL NOT remain this low forever. INVENTORY is low in certain neighborhoods like Avondale. The good (renovated or dirt cheap) houses are going UNDER CONTRACT quickly. So, if you’re one of those buyers who’s been circling and circling and circling – it’s time to get off of the merry go round and put your money on the table.
Click here to see a list of homes that have recently been listed and give us a call at 904-252-5181 if you see something you like! But you better hurry — they might sell quickly!
Caroline and I specialize in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside and can guide you to getting a great deal in the neighborhood.
Two Houses in Avondale Sell for $490K (ish) – Who Got The Better Deal?
3643 Pine Street sold last week for $490K ($222 per square foot). Built in 2006 with approximately 2,200 square feet, the house has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a nice kitchen open to the family room, a den, a large loft space, big laundry room, two car garage, large front porch and is within walking distance to the shoppes of Avondale. The house was listed and sold by Wade Griffin of Coldwell Banker.
1864 Challen Street sold for $495K ($200 per square foot) in October 2011 and also has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. Originally built in 1926 but extensively renovated in 2011 with approximately 2,475 square feet the house has new everything, windows, plumbing, air conditioners, roof, water heater and kitchen — so basically not much different from the “new” house on Pine Street.
The lot on Challen Avenue was quite a bit bigger than the house on Pine Street and offered more of a traditional layout with a nice big backyard and location only one house in from the St. John’s river. This house was listed by Brad Dermond of Manormor Sotheby’s and sold by Maria Raymer of ReMax.
The house on Challen sold for $22 less per square foot (which is why we caution our buyers not to get overly focused on this), it was in a better location and had a larger lot but lacked the front porch, loft space and garage that the house on Pine Street had.
As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder — what’s important to one buyer (more land, or a garage) may not be important to the next one!
So….who do you think got the better buy? Please send us a comment with your vote!
We specialize in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside – and know the numbers in the area. Call us at 904-252-5181 for an honest evaluation of what your house is worth or what you might have to pay for the house of your dreams!
Cash is King If You’re Buying a Condo in Avondale
I did a quick study and found that 39 condos were sold over the last year in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside and when I dug a little deeper to see how they were financed, I was shocked to see that 9 out of the 10 units sold in Avondale were cash transactions.
There were four sales in Ortega and 50% of those were cash.
The bulk of the sales (25 of them) were in Riverside but Riverside also has the most condo buildings/inventory in the area. 11 of the 25 units were paid for with cash.
So out of the 39 total sales, 22 of them were paid for with cash. That represents nearly 56% – well over half.
Why the large number of cash transactions?
There are strict regulations for financing a condo. Most lenders require a 20% down payment on a condo and others have requirements about how many units are owner/occupied and how many are rentals. If there are a high number of rental units, then it can be hard to get financing.
Additionally, some of the units are very inexpensive – the lowest priced sale was for only $50K at the Avenues building in Riverside. In other cases, a “family” home has been sold which frees the seller to both downsize and pay cash.
When there are multiple offers on a condo, cash buyers often have an advantage over buyers seeking financing. This is because a lender may or may not approve the loan for a condo and since a cash offer is not contingent on the ability of the buyer to get financing, the seller could be more inclined to take the cash offer (even if it’s a little lower than the non-cash offer).
So if you want a condo in the Avondale, Ortega or Riverside areas, you might consider raiding your piggy bank and paying cash – particularly if you’re competing with another buyer.
To see a list of all available condos in the Avondale, Ortega or Riverside neighborhoods, click here. If you see something you like, please call us at 904-252-5181 and we’ll be happy to show it to you!
Fantastic Price Reduction in Ortega neighborhood Of Jacksonville, FL
As the saying goes, timing is everything! If you’ve been patiently waiting for a great waterfront house that offers quick access to the St. John’s River in the Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville, FL, then you’ve got to schedule an appointment to come see this fantastic house.
Purchased in 2008, the homeowner made extensive renovations including a brand new gourmet kitchen The space which would certainly qualify for inclusion in any luxury living magazine like Veranda or Coastal Living has professional appliances like a 6 burner Thermador range, honed black granite and white marble countertops, hammered sink, wine cooler, coffee bar and even a warming drawer!
All the baths are new and have exquisite tile work, there are two new air conditioners, 3 new water heaters, all doors and door hardware are new, wool are seagrass are new, baseboards and crown molding are new and all new lighting makes for a finished product that is simply stunning.
If the inside renovations weren’t enough to win you over, throw in a sparking pool with diving board, private dock with both boat and jet ski lifts and location on a protected waterway in the highly desired neighborhood of Ortega. Add in the fact that you’re in a great public elementary school (Stockton Elementary) district and you’ve got a home that’s nearly priceless — but the recent $100,000 price reduction makes this house one of the best buys in Ortega. Now only $1.1M for nearly 5,000 square feet of totally renovated space!
Take at look at our virtual tour of 4853 Longbow Road and then call us today at 904-252-5181 for a showing appointment – this could be your lucky day! Take a look at other waterfront homes in Avondale and Ortega between $500K and $1,500,000 and you’ll see for yourself what a great value this house is!
Foreclosure on McGirts Blvd. in Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville, FL
If you’ve been patiently waiting to snag a great real estate deal, then your wait has ended. The house located at 4250 McGirts Blvd, is a foreclosure and an amazing buy. Reduced by another $20K today to the incredible price of only $909K, this is the best buy on the St. John’s river right now. Listed by Duval Realty, the house is over 4,000 square feet with 5 bedrooms, 4 and a half baths, huge fireplace, screened in porch, large laundry room, big piece of property, three car garage and a private dock, this house is a steal.
It does need some updating, but at this price, there’s plenty of room built in for the needed repairs. In my opinion, just changing the exterior color to a more neutral tan with white trim would totally transform this house and give it immediate equity.
The neighborhood of Ortega is a wonderful place where you can walk, ride bikes, send your kids to school and get to your job downtown in just minutes. The naval air station is also minutes away and then there’s the Super Target – a place we all love to go!
Please call us immediately at 904-252-5181 for a showing appointment – this last price reduction is sure to make this one go.
Why is Woodmere Street near Avondale so popular all of a sudden?
In the last few weeks, a waterfront home located at 1933 Woodmere has sold and two more on the same street are under contract. Why the sudden interest in Woodmere? In my opinion, it’s because it’s one of the few places in Jacksonville, FL near the historic district of Avondale that you can buy riverfront real estate for under a million dollars.
What do you get for your money? The home that sold had approx 3,900 sf of living space with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. The most compelling part of this house was the fact that it had dramatic downtown skyline views. Although it was newer construction with good “bones”, most people felt it needs substantial cosmetic updating.
The home at 1745 Woodmere went under contract in 45 days. A 3BR, 3BA home with approx. 3,300 square feet and a two car garage, the home had very nice water views but also needs substantial updating.
The home at 1697 Woodmere went under contract in only 12 days with the current listing but it was listed recently for 6 months at higher prices, then taken off the market and re-listed. Once it was re-listed, it went under contract almost immediately. This home, like the others, needs updating.
So….if you’re looking for waterfront under a million, you’d better look somewhere other than Woodmere — it’s all GONE!
For a list of other waterfront homes in historic Avondale and Ortega under $1M, click here. Several of these would most likely be considered tear downs and are priced at lot value. If you’d like to see any of these, call me or Caroline today!
JUST LISTED – Perfect Starter Home in Ortega!
Come take a look at this darling bungalow we’ve just listed on a great street in the HEART OF ORTEGA, in Jacksonville, FL. From the moment you pull up, you’ll see that 4939 Apache Avenue has everything a first time home buyer is looking for – the most important of which is location, location, location. The famous glass paned “Ortega” door frames the front of the house and a charming red brick walkway invites you to come inside. A fun fact is that 4939 Apache was the starter home for several of Jacksonville’s most noted residents who once called this bungalow home.
Three bedrooms, two full baths, large living room with fireplace, two family rooms and large fenced backyard are just the beginning here. Priced at $295,000 and just under 2,000 square feet, this home beckons you to create a nest here.
The glass paned “Ortega” door is famous throughout the neighborhood and you’ll see it on many homes here.
Gleaming hardwood floors accent the cozy fireplace. There’s also great traffic flow from the formal living room into the family room with doorways on either side of the fireplace.
The Avondale & Ortega “Little Black Book of Real Estate” Join today – for FREE!
Ever think about selling your house but not sure you’re quite ready? There’s lots of unfinished business to attend to – update the kitchen, spruce up the landscaping, switch out a few appliances, get dated wallpaper taken down….the list could go on and on. You’re stuck in the analysis/paralysis stage of wondering what your house is worth, feeling daunted by all the things you should do….
What if we told you we’ve got someone looking for a house just like yours! And…….you don’t have to endure keeping it picked up every day, costly updates AND you get to remain in control — and show your house only when you want to?
What if we can bring a qualified buyer directly to your door and voila – you’re ready to move on – no scurrying around and no stress. Sounds pretty good – right?
Let us add you to our little black book of real estate for Avondale and Ortega and we’ll be on the lookout. No pressure, no stress — just quietly let us know you’re out there.
Buyers…..we want you too — casually looking for something but not ready to go “all out” in your search? If just the right house came on the market, you’d certainly be interested but not quite ready to start the search? Tell us what your dream house is and we’ll get to work trying to find it! We know a LOT of people in the neighborhood and are often privy to things that aren’t public just yet.
So….take advantage of our insider’s edge – for buyers AND sellers – send us an email (or text us) and join our Litttle Black Book of Real Estate for Avondale, Ortega and Riverside. PRIVACY GUARANTEED — one of the cornerstone’s of our business is confidentiality. We’ll schedule a private consultation where we’ll take down the details about your home (or what you hope to find), talk about what we think a fair market value might be (or what we think you might have to pay) and when we have someone in the market looking for a house like yours (or someone thinking of selling) – we’ll make the connection!
Search for ANY word used in a blog post
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Apr | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
Recent Posts
- Darling Bungalow Hits the Market in Avondale!
- Fantastic Waterfront Home in Ortega Just Reduced to only $570K!!
- The Early Bird Gets the Worm in Avondale!




















