1463 Ingleside Avenue - Sold for $310K

3873 Oak St. Sold for $177K

4922 Morven Rd. Sold for $250K/Lot Value

Villa Riva, Unit 105, Sold for $775K

 The Powell Steilberg team had a banner week! We sold three of our listings, we brought a buyer to another listing, we had a contract accepted on another listing and will enter a brand new listing into the system today.

So…Four completed transactions (closings) in one week with two more on the way is a good thing! Good for us personally but also good for the state of the real estate market in Jacksonville – things are really beginning to move!

Two of the homes we sold were sold at FULL PRICE. This means that the homes were well priced, the buyers realized the value being offered and were smart enough to jump on a good deal when they saw it.

The properties were:
1.A luxury condominium at Villa Riva – Unit 105 – Sold for $775K

2. A Small Brick 2br/1ba bungalow on Morven Road in Ortega. It sold for $250K which was just about lot value – the buyer plans to tear the house down.

3. A wonderful two story home in Avondale that I wrote about yesterday. Sold for $310K. Buyers are delighted with their purchase!

4. A very special 3br/1ba bungalow in Avondale on Oak Street with hardwood floors & renovated kitchen. Sold for asking price of $177K. First time home buyers are very excited about their new home!

1463 Ingleside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL

We had a wonderful closing today on our listing at 1463 Ingleside Avenue in the lovely Avondale neighborhood of Jacksonville. It was one of those rare closings where both the buyers and sellers were at the closing table and both were very happy about the transaction. In our fast paced world, we often have MAIL AWAY closings (where neither buyer nor seller actually attends the closing) or closings where either the buyer or seller signs “in advance” and the closing only has one party in attendance.

The house was listed at $310,000 (and SOLD for $310,000) and is a lovely two story residence within walking distance to the shoppes of Avondale that has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, renovated kitchen, family room, large master bath, a guest house AND a 1.5 car garage — Wow! The buyers recognized the value and offered full price.

Thank you to our sellers and congratulations to the buyers — we look forward to having you in the neighborhood!

The real estate team of Caroline Powell and Allison Steilberg The sold properties are: single family homes at 4620 Algonquin Avenue and 4652 Ortega Blvd and a condo at 1661 Riverside Avenue in Riverside. The pending sales are: 3022 St. John’s Avenue — this will close next week, 1465 Edgewood Circle, 1769 Glendale Street, 1463 Ingleside Avenue and 3527 Riverside Avenue. We have one condo that’s a pending sale at Beau Rivage – a very nice building on St. John’s Avenue.

Other members of the Avondale office are similarly busy so it begs the question, are we in a real estate recovery? If you’re thinking of selling, there are LOTS of buyers out there looking for homes. Interest rates are still at historic lows and there’s a lot of pent up demand for housing.

A word of caution, if you want to sell, it’s imperative that you PRICE YOUR PROPERTY CORRECTLY and do everything you can to put the house in prime showing condition. Clear out all th clutter, invest in some fresh paint, do a clean out of the yard, closets and garage — today’s buyers are picky. They will buy a property at a fair price only if it looks great with updated kitchen and baths or if it’s a “distressed” property and is a BARGAIN BASEMENT STEAL!

Thanks for reading — check back often for the latest news about real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside from the market leaders in the area — remember, “With Us, It’s All About You”!

The first house located at 1818 Elizabeth Place had a dynamite gourmet kitchen that was outfitted with the best of everything. Sleek wood cabinets, gorgeous granite countertops, Professional grade Viking appliances, tall ceilings, lots of storage and lots of light. It was our listing and the buyer stated that once the saw the pictures on the internet, they “knew” right away that this was it! The list price was $550K and the selling price was $535K.

The second house was a large home in Ortega Forest. Lifted straight out of the 70’s the home had not been occupied for some time but had been meticulously maintained the former owners despite the fact that it was vacant. Remember Papagallo and Lilly Pullitzer, the home seems to have been frozen in time from that era with lots of turquoise blue, lime green, terrazzo floors and matching furniture. It was a large pool home with over 3,000 SF and the buyers snapped it up within a matter of days. The list price was $395K and the house sold for $370K.

The last home also featured a perfectly renovated kitchen and a large deck in the back that’s perfect for entertaining. The home was small with only 2BR’s but perfectly redone with lots of room to add on over time. The sellers of this home purchased a home that’s part of an estate direct from the seller. The list price was $359,900 and the selling price was $339K.

To see the complete details of these three listings in Avondale and Ortega, click here. For more information about beautiful homes or home that are a bargain, please contact us at www.AllAboutAvondale or direct at 904-252-5181. We are local area experts and look forward to your call!

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.

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!

The month of April was a little wild for us. We had a couple of sales, took several listings and were working with a few buyers. It seemed, at times, that we could hardly come up for air. May, thankfully, has been a little more sane but I began to wonder — was April really busy for everyone?

I checked the number of sales for both single family homes & condos since the beginning of the year (in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside only) and found that April was, indeed, a very busy month with a much larger number of sales than the months before or after. You might think that it was because of the end of the first time homebuyer tax incentive but several of the sales were of luxury properties.

January – 13 single family homes sales - 1 condo sale
February — 21 single family sales  – 1 condo
March — 16 single family sales - 1 condo sale
April — 25 sales - 2 condo sales
May – 15 sales  — 3 condo sales ( through May 25th, 2010)

Interest rates have fallen to incredible lows (below 5% for a 30 years fixed rate loan), investors are back in the market (why not buy with very low prices and very low cost to borrow) and we have some great new listings coming up for the month of June.  Stay tuned…let’s see what the numbers next month reveal.

Thanks for reading — if you’re hungry for information about the state of real estate in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside — this is the place to get it! Subscribe to my blog and my posts will arrive (magically) in your inbox!

Since this time last year (12 months of data), the number of closed sales in this price range has increased by 14.04% and the amount of inventory has DECREASED (that’s a good thing) by more than 50% (53.31% to be exact). We are down to only 13.15 months of inventory meaning that if every home on the market in this price were to sell and no other new listings were to come on the market, it would take approximately 13 months for all of the inventory to be absorbed.

Most people define a “balanced” market where there are an even number of buyers and sellers to be around six months of inventory.  13 months of inventory is approximately double that of a “balanced” market and would indicate a buyer’s market. That’s certainly still true but considering that inventory levels have been as high as a three or four year supply, only thirteen months supply actually seems small by comparison.

So…thinking of selling? Wondering just exactly what your chances are of finding a buyer in this crazy market? Call the experts! The Powell Steilberg team consistently tracks and measures the market so that you have a realistic picture of what’s going on. It’s essential information to have and we have it!

Thanks for reading! For the state of real estate in the Avondale, Ortega and Riverside neighborhoods, subscribe to our blog and you’ll be the first to know about what’s going on!

TOP 5 REASONS TO SELL YOUR HOUSE NOW!

1. The market for houses priced at $500K and below is busy!
2.  Interest Rates are at Historically Low Levels – This makes your home more affordable to buyers
3. The First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit will expire on April 30th, 2010
4. You May be Eligible for a $6,500 Tax Credit
5. Property Tax Portability May save you thousands of Dollars on the Property Taxes of your New Home

Did you know that just since January 1st, 2010  33 homes or condos have either sold or gone under contract in Avondale, Ortega and Riverside?

Did you know that with historically low interest rates that your home is more affordable than ever to potential purchasers?

Did you know that a person must have a fully executed contract to purchase a home before April 30th, 2010 in order to qualify for the $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit but that they don’t have to close until June 30th, 2010?

Did you know that if you’ve been in your home for five years or more that you may qualify for a $6,500 tax credit yourself?

Did you know that if you’ve lived in your home as a principal residence (homestead) for 5 years or more you might have a lot of deferred value that you can carry or “port” with you to your next home? This will significantly reduce the property tax bill on your new home.

Did you know that over 85% of today’s buyers start their search on the internet and that professional photographs are the equivalent of internet curb appeal?

We specialize in the neighborhoods of Avondale, Ortega and Riverside and know the area street by street which is essential when making the decision on who you want to work with when selling your home. We live here AND work here so who better to share the good news to your potential buyers about what a great part of town this is!  

Your realtor MUST have expertise in internet marketing which is a primary focus of our business plan. We have a comprehensive marketing package that includes: professional photography, direct mail, print, blogging, facebook, twitter, foursquare, video, extensive personal networking and more! Call us, we’d love to share what we know about what your home might be worth and what we can do to help you sell it!

Thanks for reading — please join me for my next blog about what’s happening in the Avondale, Ortega and Riverside real estate market.

1374 Azalea Drive - Reduced to $149,900!

The MLS (Multiple Listing Service) that realtors use has a function called the daily Hot Sheet.  I check this several times a day for new listings, price reductions, pending sales, etc… It’s one of the best ways to stay “up to the minute” with what’s going on in the real estate market of Avondale, Ortega and Riverside.

Today, I noticed a substantial price reduction on a darling 2/1 Bungalow in Avondale on Azalea Avenue. The house has 1342 SF and is a 2Br/1Ba. A real plus is the fact that it’s on a quiet street and has a 2 Car Garage and that’s it’s within walking distance of Boone Park. It was reduced yesterday from $179 to $$149 (a $25,000 drop)! The price is now only $111 per square foot – very fair.

Two bedroom, one bath homes are not as desirable as bungalows with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths but those are priced quite a bit higher. So…for a first time homebuyer who’s on a budget, this could be a great choice.

Please call me if you’d like to schedule an appointment to go see this cute bungalow. Time is running out for the first time homebuyer tax credit. You have until April 30th, 2010 to find your new home! Call me today.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see, please subscribe so you get these blog posts sent directly to your inbox!

3316 Knight Street

The first Tuesday of every month, realtors in Jacksonville’s neighborhoods of Avondale, Ortega and Riverside go look at LOTS of open houses — it’s called Neighborhood Caravan. I set out to pick a “favorite” from the caravan and write a blog about it, but after reviewing the list, I decided to write about two houses that have been on the market for a long time instead. Why? Because I think they are great deals!

The first house is at 3316 Knight Street. I suppose the reason it hasn’t sold is that it’s only got two bedrooms. But…it’s been nicely renovated with new roof, ac, appliances, kitchen, bathrooms and wood floors. It’s on a great low traffic street in Avondale, it’s got an open floorplan, two full bathrooms (which is a big plus in the Avondale bungalow market) and a very large backyard which would allow the addition of a third bedroom if one ever wanted to do that. It’s got 2br/2ba, 1568 SF and the lot is 60 x 120. Priced at $274,900, it’s at $175 per square foot. If you’re interested, please give me a call.

3914 Baltic Street

The second house is at 3914 Baltic Street in Ortega and I must say I’m surprised at why this house has not sold. I can’t say I’m a fan of the green interior paint colors the owner has selected but can this possibly be the reason people won’t buy it? It’s got a lot of space (1,900 sf), 3br’s and 2ba’s in the front part of the house and a large master suite with bath in the back part of the house. It’s got nice curb appeal and is in a great location. The lot is large at 100 x 125. Priced at only $278,900, it’s only $146 per square foot. Interested? Call me and we can go take a look.

Thanks for reading. Please join me for my next adventure in the Avondale, Ortega and Riverside real estate markets!