Jacksonville Beach, FL

Heritage Bank in Ponte Vedra is sponsoring a free shred day on 3/16/09 at their office. Anyone can bring their paper documents, x-rays, CD's, DVD's, computer hard drives and back up tapes .

All documents and materials will be collected in locked secure bins. The bins will be transported to the Shred For Good's secure facility in Green Cove Springs where it it wll be shredded, baled and recycled.

This is a great opportunity to dispose correctly of the above items. Shred For Good is a secure document destruction business that employs people with disabilities.

For additional information, please call 904/280-5655.

Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty. She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net

(Data is compiled from the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service, and reflects Realtor sales. Sales not involving a Realtor are not included.)

Here are the February 2009 stats and February 2008 for comparison -

2009

• 11 Homes Sold
• Lowest price: $109,500
• Highest price: $400,000
• Shortest Days on Market: 6
• Longest Days on Market: 223

2008

• 5 homes sold
• Lowest price: $221,000
• Highest price: $700,000
• Shortest Days on Market: 0
• Longest Days on Market: 221

There are some interesting conclusions to be drawn from the above date. First, 2009 home sales are up 120% over 2008, which is great news. However, prices are coming down, as illustrated by the above: the lowest price home last year was $221,000 which is $110,000 lower than this year. This is simply a vivid example of supply and demand and their impact on pricing.

The office I work in, in Atlantic Beach, listed 52 new properties, and closed 44, which is wonderful news for the local market conditions. Properly priced, and properly presented properties ARE selling.

If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price range you should list in, and to learn more about what sets myself and Prudential Network Realty apart from the competition.

Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty. She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net

(Data is compiled from the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service, and reflects Realtor sales. Sales not involving a Realtor are not included.)

Beaches Energy is gearing up to offer rebates to customers who go green with their utilities. If you are considering a high-efficiency AC unit, or a solar water heater, you may want to postpone that decision until the utility provider gets all their details worked out.

The program eventually will include a mix of rebates and incentives for those who purchase services from Beaches Energy.

Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty. She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net

Here are the ones priced under $350,000:

• America's Cup Circle 3 BR/2 BA , 1188 SF $72,900
• Penman Road 2 BR/2 BA ,1211 SF, $99,900
• Main Street, 3 BR/2 BA ,1352 SF, $132,900
• Sunrise Circle, 2 BR/2.5 BA,, 1472 SF, $174,900
• Magnolia Street, 3 BR/2 BA, 1286 SF, $179,900
• Tallwood Road, 3 BR/2.5 BA, 1966 SF, $194,900
• 5^th North, 3 BR/2 BA 1357 SF, $235,000
• Paradise Oaks Lane, 3 BR/2 BA, 1756 SF, $249,900
• Margaret Street, 3 BR/2 BA, 2198 SF, $275,000
• Paradise Lane, 3 BR/2.5 BA, 1952 SF, $279,900
• Palm Way, 4 BR/4 BA, 2796 SF , $309,900
• 23^rd North, 3 BR/2 BA, 1898 SF, $325,000

Some of these homes are as new as 2007 construction - if you are interested in seeing any of these, or learning more about how to purchase a bank owned home, please call or email me.

Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty. She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net

I know we all talk about how to price homes in the current market. I myself check multiple avenues to ensure I'm helping my sellers to price their homes correctly. Of course, this research takes into account the motivation of the sellers, and their timeframe, both of which are crucial components.

How do you know if you are, in fact, priced correctly?

One easy way is to see how many showings you are getting in the first few weeks of the listing being active. If you have none, the unfortunate answer is your home is NOT priced correctly for the condition, age, and location of the home. If you have less than 1-2 showings per week, you are not priced correctly also.

I am currently working with a seller who has had 8 showings in the first 18 days of a listing - this confirms the home is priced correctly for the current market conditions, the condition of the home, and both the age and location of the home.

The advantages of pricing your home correctly are multiple:

• More interest when the home first comes on the market. This is critical, as there is more interest from both buyers and agents when a listing is "fresh" vs. "old" in terms of days on market.
• Multiple showings by agents and buyers can lead to earlier offers, higher offers, or multiple offers.
• You are in a better position to move forward with your plans with certainty.

If you are considering selling your home, I can help you price it right, and present it right.

Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty. She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net