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Archive for the 'Ortega' Category
Fairfax Manor Two Story Home Hits the Market!
1678 Woodmere Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32210
This lovely two story home in Fairfax Manor just came on the market and is ready for you to move right in! Featuring gleaming and recently refinished hardwood floors, this 3 bedroom home has large rooms, loads of natural light and the most peaceful backyard you’ve ever seen. There’s a large deck off the kitchen where you could entertain a crowd or just enjoy the gentle rustling sound of the leaves from the riverfront breeze. Located across the street from the St. John’s river (and much more expensive homes), this house is also situated between the very popular Historic District of Avondale and Ortega. At $309,000 you can buy this home for far less than it would cost to rent — welcome home! Click here to see LOTS of pictures!
Avondale vs. Ortega – Which Neighborhood offers a Better Buy right now?
Sales Statistics for Avondale vs Ortega - 1st 6 Months of 2011 vs 1st 6 Months of 2012
Avondale and Ortega are two very popular intown neighborhoods for those considering a move to Jacksonville, FL. Both offer very close proximity to downtown Jacksonville and both offer a very nice quality of life.
This graph considers the first six months of 2011 sales in each neighborhood vs. the first six months of 2012. The data considers all price points, waterfront and non-watefront but is for single family home sales only – no condominium sales are included.
The inventory in Avondale is down 43% and it’s down 35% in Ortega. The number of days on market is down 8% in Avondale and 12% in Ortega. The number of homes sold is up 15% and a whopping 61% in Ortega. Interestingly, however, the average sales price is up a substantial 20% in Avondale and actually DOWN 1% in Ortega.
The months of supply is tightening in Avondale. It’s down to 7.7 months in June 2012 which is very close to a balanced market – an equal number of buyers and sellers. The months of supply in Ortega is still pretty high at 9.3 months of inventory. So it would appear that you probably still have a little more negotiating room in Ortega than you do in Avondale.
As you review the months of Inventory, keep in mind that these statistics include very expensive waterfront properties that aren’t selling very well. If you take properties above $1M out of the mix, the inventory numbers are much, much lower.
Caroline Powell and Allison Steilberg are neighborhood experts – if you’re considering buying or selling in Avondale or Ortega – call us at 904-252-5181 and you’ll get up to the minute advice about what’s happening in the market.
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Fantastic Waterfront Home in Ortega Just Reduced to only $570K!!
View from House at 2721 McGirts Blvd.
If you’re looking for your chance get to “get on the river” – it’s just come available. Listed at only $570,000, this 4br/3.5ba home needs some cosmetic updating like changing carpets, kitchen & bath updates but it’s located on a quiet cul de sac within walking distance to neighborhood schools, churches and parks.
Vaulted Ceiling Family Room with Beautiful River Views
Add to the fact that this house has GREAT bones including a Vaulted Ceiling Family room with fireplace, large foyer, very large laundry room, a large two car garage, huge deck perfect for riverfront parties and gorgeous views. The person who can look beyond the current cosmetics and is willing to put a little sweat equity into this home is going to see a big upside! The Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville is highly sought after and is only a 10 minute drive from both the Naval Air Station and Downtown. Take a look and call us right away at 904-252-5181 to see this gem! This house is listed by Shannon McKinnon and Nelson Higgins of Prudential Network Realty.
Don’t Miss Your Window of Opportunity in Avondale or Ortega!
This is YOUR window of Opportunity
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.
Cash is King If You’re Buying a Condo in Avondale
Cash is King with Condo Purchases
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!
Bi-Lo is coming! Sell your House in Avondale or Ortega to their employees!
Bi - Lo is moving their headquarters to Jacksonville, FL
The Jacksonville Business Journal reported on March 12, 2012 that Bi-Lo is moving their headquarters to Jacksonville, FL. This will bring quite a few new people to town and guess what? They’re going to need houses.
Considering the fact that the offices aren’t too far from Avondale and Ortega, we will probably see quite a few new buyers looking for homes in our area.
So….if you’ve been thinking of putting your house on the market but just weren’t quite sure if you’re ready – NOW is the time! A word of caution – in today’s market, it’s critical that a house must be priced right in order to sell so please consult with us on where current market values are.
Caroline Powell and I are local area experts and were the top producers in the Avondale office last year. Please call us at 904-252-5181.
Foreclosure on McGirts Blvd. in Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville, FL
4250 McGirts Blvd. - Exterior Front
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.
4250 McGirts Blvd. - Private Dock with Boat Lift
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!
4250 McGirts Blvd. - Back of House showing Large Yard
Please call us immediately at 904-252-5181 for a showing appointment – this last price reduction is sure to make this one go.
Does Staging a Home REALLY make a difference? Take a look at this Before and After!
Take a look at these before and after pictures of a home that we had listed in the Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville, FL. As you can see the before picture is pretty bland.
And….. after. Add, sofa with contrasting pillows, a leather armchair, some pictures on the wall and accessories on the built in shelving. Don’t you love the green glass jar?
Now look at the before and after pictures of the deck just outside the family room.
And……after. Add furniture, some plants and pillows, an area rug and, voila, a space Martha Stewart would be proud to call her own!
You probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that shortly after staging, we received an offer on this darling home. As real estate experts in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside, we often use resources like staging to help our homeowners get the most out of their property. Count on us for valuable tips like this to ensure you get top dollar for your home!
Readers…..We’d love for you to chime in and tell us what you think! Please leave us a comment!
Why is Woodmere Street near Avondale so popular all of a sudden?
1933 Woodmere Street
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.
1745 Woodmere Street
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.
1697 Woodmere Street, Jacksonville, FL
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!
4939 Apache Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32210
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.
4939 Apache's glass paned "ortega" door
The glass paned “Ortega” door is famous throughout the neighborhood and you’ll see it on many homes here.
4939 Apache Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32210
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.
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Recent Posts
- Fairfax Manor Two Story Home Hits the Market!
- Stunning Riverfront home in Historic Avondale Comes on the Market!
- Avondale vs. Ortega – Which Neighborhood offers a Better Buy right now?
