Christa LaFarlette

Avondale is a part of Jacksonville Florida. For those familiar with Jacksonville (Jax) you may recall that Jax is the largest city by land mass. Crazy stuff! So, how to not get lost on the I295 and the 9A? No problem----sort of! I recommend finding a place that you will enjoy!

And today that was The Brick in Avondale!

The Brick is a restaurant on St. Johns Blvd. Just in case you do not know how to get to this main street, one could take the I295 to Hwy 17 (north or south--look toward Jacksonville and follow the tall buildings!), then turn east onto St. Johns. Follow it around---really! Then find a place to park----!

Okay, back to The Brick. Today it was me, Ben, and Nick. We had to pick up our Jaguar tickets, find out when Christmas in Avondale is, and eat. I chose The Brick because, well--okay. The food is good, the bathrooms are clean, and there was not a wait! At 10:30am the boys and I got a table right away. Our waiter took our order promptly, and then returned with our food.

Our food: Amazing and fresh Huevos Rancheros (my personal favorite). Nick ordered, ready for this, an order of bacon, yogurt and fresh fruit, AND a blueberry muffin. The muffin fed both boys. The yogurt, in Nicks words, was yummier than cake! And the fruit was plentiful, fresh, and varietal for the season. Unbelievably plentiful. As in huge plate of fruit with all kinds of variety!

Overall, a time well spent together! And, by the way, for those who like a) specialty shoes; b) have super wide feet like me; c) enjoy styles you will not find everywhere---seek out Thompsons Fine Shoes. Really--it's worth the time!

Have a great weekend--and we'll see you at the Jags game tomorrow (for Ben's birthday).

HUD has the most AMAZING program for those in the Riverside, Avondale (my favorites), Jacksonville Florida areas. Really! If you are a: teacher, firefighter, police officer (all law enforcement), or EMT you may qualify.

What are you qualifying for? Purchase a home at HALF THE LIST PRICE! No way--right? Yes, way! Let's say you find your home on the HUD list (I can email that to you) and decide to submit an offer. The offer is accepted and the list price is $100,000. AWESOME---your first mortgage is $50,000 and there is a second mortgage for $50,000. Live in the home for 3 years as your primary residence and the second mortgage is forgiven!

Details--there are always details! There are 2 stages to HUD submissions:

1) In the 10 days of the listing only owner occupants may submit offers. Typically these are posted on a Friday and the 10th day is Sunday, with submission needing to be in by midnight (or just prior). There are quite a number of details to this--which is why you need me! Your Realtor:-)

2) On day 11 the submissions open to the investor community as well. As such offers are looked at each night and the best net will 'win' the home.

So, what is the downside? Patience. Finding the right homestake patience, and a lot of it. Right now there are quite a few homes--some great, some needing a little love, some needing A LOT of love--it all depends on the perspective of the home-buyer!

At the end of the day, we are here to help you find your home. So, let's get looking! Call Christa LaFarlette, or Jessica Touchtontoday--and we'll get you going on the path to homeownership! And that is what I learned today----

So, you know you are the neighborhood pro (like I know Avondale and Riverside) when:

1) You know ALL the short cuts and your navigation system is losing it's mind!

2) A co-worker calls regarding YOUR listing, and you not only quiz her on her buyer and immediately know it's not the bungalow for her buyer but give her really good directions to your other listing AND 5 others that are not yours in the spirit of the moment! (and yes, they all should have been mine--that's another topic)

3) You have a 30-minute conversation with the local artist and make the appointment to visit her gallery and find that you may need to take a few lessons---just because she is that amazing, even after all this time!

4) The neighbors know you, as you hand out the monthly postcard with real estate statistics for the prior month! Good stuff on a nice warm day---

5) You can give a list of the best breakfast, lunch, and dinner places around. The places to hang out, and what vendors to visit at the weekly Art Market.

Best of all, you know you are a realty wizard, in a specific area when you are absolutely in love with the area, when you wake up and cannot wait to see what has changed. When you cannot wait to see what else is going on. And, even better you laugh like crazy at the plaque on the historic home that says:

"...in 1895 absolutely nothing happened here!"

Priceless!

We are http://www.oneteamhomes.com/mx/idx/, and our goal is to make your real estate transaction as smooth as possible! And to take over the Avondale and Riverside areas---help us out and call us for your realty needs! After all---your referrals are the cornerstone of our business!

The question seems to always come up--what is One Team @ Keller Williams Realty. And more specifically why should you work with One Team----

So here goes!

One Team is made up of Christa LaFarlette, Realtor and marketing junkie! I enjoy listing, marketing, and selling homes. My passion is assisting the homeowner meet and exceed their goal(s), while keeping it real.

One Team is made up of Jessica Touchton, Realtor and buyer's agent! Jessica is passionate about finding the right home for 'her' buyers, and keeps it real while meeting their needs and attempting to exceed the buyers expectations (hard to do when us listing agents are involved:-)).

Together, with our assistant Pam and our real estate specific software, we are streamlined, goal oriented, go-getters. Tech-savvy with complete focus on the bottom line. We know that at times the home experience can be an exciting, nerve wrecking, and yet fantastic experience. As such we work hard to make sure each detail is covered. With advanced training and on-going information sharing our goal is up to the moment everything. Making certain all bases are as covered as possible.

One Team, each member completely focused on a specific goal and task. Specific to your goal and need. And THAT is the beauty of Keller Williams Realty--the team concept. Desire to sell your property, and take advantage of that $6500. tax incentive? Talk to Christa, it's her ONLY focus! Then, when you are ready to purchase....talk to Jessica! She is ready to assist you with your largest and most important purchase---after all, it is her only focus! Wondering when your closing will be---don't worry, Pam will email (yep, she is that good!) and keep us all informed along the way!

And this is why our 'tag' line is: One Team: One mission. One vision. One goal. Yours Assisting YOU with real estate, one home at a time.

Located in Avondale (Jacksonville) Florida there is a home with a metal roof. Really. Not kidding. You may have seen this home, this unique piece of real estate. It sits on the corner of Park and Glendale and is one of my all-time-favorites! I've attached the picture, just in case you have not viewed this amazing property---

This home has a metal roof, and when it rains---oh, the sound when it rains. The patter of the rain on the roof. I would imagine that when there is a true Florida storm it would be quite a something, quite a something. I can only imagine that the sound, mixed with the back patio, and with the beauty of the rain, and maybe the green of the grass with the arbor in the back ---well, it would just take my breath away! Truly. And as I drive through Avondale I see these homes with the metal roofs and I think that this is what I need on my home. So that I can listen as it rains, and view the green from my back patio, and perhaps share that moment.

But I have shingles. And while they keep us dry, and do a fine job of covering our house. And while they do protect our home from the multitude of squirrels and 'roof rats' (okay, who else moved here and did not know about these things?) and I did enjoy picking out a color--- it still is not the same. I do know this as my Florida room has a metal roof and in a good rain it is quite a something--!

So, as I view homes each day, previewing them for prospective buyers, and viewing them as the owners are perhaps thinking of selling--I pay attention to the roof. I think that there is diversity in the roof. Just as there is in the people who will purchase a piece of history in Avondale. Just as it is when the seller or would be buyer makes a decision regarding shingle or metal.

And that my friend is my thinking on metal roofs! It's Sunday evening, and I just thought I would share!