Christine Bohn, Gainesville, FL Residential Realtor®

Recently, while talking with one of my real estate clients, an out of state buyer.....she told me her son was into "motocross" and asked if there was a track anywhere near Gainesville?

I told her about GATORBACK Cycle Park in Alachua, FL, just north of Gainesville.

When she told her son about it......he already knew about it because of some of the popular events that happen at GATORBACK Cycle Park each year. In operation for over 25 years, the 100 acre track is host to the MX Winter Olympics, which usually takes place during Thanksgiving week.

You can see the full schedule of events for Gatorback Cycle Park at the Unlimited Sport MX Site.

Unlimited Sports MX is the premier website for Motocross Tracks and Racing Events throughout Florida, including Round 5 of the 37th Annual WINTER AM Series which took place at GATORBACK Cycle Park in Alachua County.

Whenever I'm in the area, I always pull off the side of the road on NW 46th Avenue, and watch the races. Finally, one Saturday - I made a stop and took out my FLIP Video Camera, took some Video footage, and posted them on my YOU TUBE Account.

My home is just 2 miles from this track and it's awesome to watch these races.

Unlimited Sports MX gives this description of GATORBACK on their site:

"The track at Gatorback Cycle Park is mix of hard pack and sand, and has radical elevation changes with plenty of obstacles. The facility has separate super-cross, vintage, and hare scrambles tracks. There's plenty of pit parking with bike wash and some water outlets at the south end of the pits. There's no electricity, so RV's should be self contained. The park has plenty of bleachers, portable restrooms, good food concessions, and accessory vendors."

So, if you have ever wondered if the Gainesville, Florida area has a decent motocross park, now you know!

It has an awesome track, and it's called GATORBACK Cycle Park, 20525 NW 46 Avenue, Alachua, FL 32615

(Take a Peek at my Flip Video that I posted on YOU TUBE)

Written and Posted By: Chris Bohn, GRI- ABR-ePro- Gainesville FL Real Estate
Copyright © 2009 Chris Bohn, RE/MAX Professionals, Inc., is a Florida Realtor® who specializes in Gainesville, FL and communities in Alachua County, FL . To find out more information about her real estate services please visit her profile . You are welcome to contact her by phone at 352-375-1002 or by email at chris@eHomesGainesville.com . You can click to view her listings or visit her website.

Well, our Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors and Gainesville Multiple Listing Service has just had a software overhaul.

Panic set in on January 5th, when NO ONE could do maintenance on a listing (price change, showing change, expire, withdraw). We all were dead in the water for 4 days. No NEW Listings could be put into the system.

All Realtors were REQUIRED to attend a 2 1/2 hour SEMINAR to learn about our new changes and upgrades. All the changes are to help us use our MLS database as a SUPER TOOL to do our business. We can now finally search specifically for things like "short sales". And more information fields have been added for each listing. Our search on individual fields is easier now! It's a GOOD THING.

The NEW and IMPROVED system went LIVE on Jan 9th, 2009. It has some bugs that MarketLinx is working on, but the new system gets TWO THUMBS UP from me!!

Our PUBLIC version is much better too!

Any Realtor working as a BUYERS AGENT, will love the new "Listing Cart Feature" and "Prospect Manager". I have set up "Listing Carts" for all my current buyers. This lets me put selected listings into one place for my buyers to view, review & comment, add and delete listings.

Changes cause Panic.........but these changes are good !

It's a Great Time to Buy In Gainesville !! Call me if you want to set up your "Shopping" "Listing Cart"

***** Written and Posted By: Chris Bohn, GRI- ABR-ePro- Gainesville FL Real Estate
Copyright © 2009 Chris Bohn, RE/MAX Professionals, Inc., is a Florida Realtor® who specializes in Gainesville, FL and communities in Alachua County, FL . To find out more information about her real estate services please visit her profile . You are welcome to contact her by phone at 352-375-1002 or by email at chris@eHomesGainesville.com . You can click to view her listings or visit her website.

Here in North Central Florida, we do have a seasonal landscape. I live in Gainesville, FL and that's about 2 hours north of Orlando. Yes, we have plenty of "evergreens", but we do have so many seasonal trees and shrubs that love to show off this time of year.

It's cold tonight, and a fire is going in my living room fireplace. The December feeling is here. We've had a few frosts and freezes, so the grass is all dormant and brown. I won't have to cut the grass for a few months, but I will just mow over all the leaves....my natural mulching technique.

My Sycamore tree is almost naked and all it's leaves have fallen. My live oaks are dropping their acorns and the squirrels very busy.

My Nandinas are Christmas RED

and the birds are loving them.

My Emperor Sagos have been covered during the Freezes, and they are still getting ready for a flush of new growth. The normal "Florida Green" has changed into winter colors of purples, reds, and orange.

The Ivy in my Live Oaks are really

showing their colors this year.

I hope to get photos of my

blooming camellias.

I love my December Landscape !

***** Written and Posted By: Chris Bohn, GRI- ABR-ePro- Gainesville FL Real Estate Copyright © 2008 Chris Bohn, RE/MAX Professionals, Inc., is a Florida Realtor® who specializes in Gainesville, FL and communities in Alachua County, FL . To find out more information about her real estate services please visit her profile . You are welcome to contact her by phone at 352-375-1002 or by email at chris@eHomesGainesville.com . You can click to view her listings or visit her website. Thank you for your visit.

Every home for sale has a statistic called "Days on the Market". Many MLS systems will abbreviate this to DOM. Throughout this year, so many buyers will ask "how many days has this home been on the market"?

The number of days on the market can be a different market indicator during different real estate market trends. So I wanted to give my explanation and opinion of the DOM stat. (Buyers Market or Sellers Market).

During a ruthless "sellers' market" and the inventory of homes for sale & "ACTIVE" in our MLS Database was very low, the "Days on Market" stat could cause a Realtor or a Buyer to ask....."Hmmmmm, why has this home been on the market so long?" My gut reaction might be...."what's wrong with this listing?"

In a "sellers' market", if a home is priced competitively, the seller might end up with multiple offers within a week. So, if a home during a seller market had been on the market for 200 days, that might make buyers and Realtors curious as to why??

In our current market - which is a "Buyers' Market", the DOM stat on most listings will have a different meaning. If the MLS Database has a high number of homes for sale, that means extreme competition for any home for sale. All the homes are competing for the same buyers. It "WILL" take longer to sell.

Currently in the Gainesville-Alachua County MLS, if a buyer was wanting to see how many homes are for sale - that number is 2,542 single family homes. This means we have a high inventory. The more homes for sale, then the "longer" the homes are on the market. The specific "DAYS ON THE MARKET" does not have a negative connotation in a slow market - but it does make most Realtors do a bit more investigating. If you are a buyer now, just ask your Buyers' agent/Realtor to does some investigating!

1. Since being on the market, has that home had any "price reductions"?
2. The buyers' Realtor should pick up the phone, call the listing agent and "ask questions".
3. Listing agents will share information! They will share feedback from other Realtors. Their goal is to get the home sold for their clients (the sellers).
4. Is the home "over priced"? (Look for closed sales in the area & compare)
5. Is the listing a "short sale" or "foreclosure"?
6. If you are concerned about the condition of the home, or if it needs updating, or the curb appeal is bad....then go preview the home for your buyers!

The more a Realtor knows about a home listed in the MLS, the better a job they will do when answering a buyers questions.

Knowledge is Power!

******** Written and Posted By: Chris Bohn, GRI- ABR-ePro- Gainesville FL Real Estate Copyright © 2008 Chris Bohn, RE/MAX Professionals, Inc., is a Florida Realtor® who specializes in Gainesville, FL and communities in Alachua County, FL . To find out more information about her real estate services please visit her profile . You are welcome to contact her by phone at 352-375-1002 or by email at chris@eHomesGainesville.com . You can click to view her listings or visit her website. Thank you for your visit.

I am picking up clients at their hotel at 10:00am Saturday morning. And, yes I will be wearing my "Orange and Blue" Gator attire. My clients are here to view condos for their son coming to the University of Florida. We have an excellent selection of condos to see. But......

Saturday is the the SEC Championship....at 4:00pm. Yep, it's on the radio! But, I sure hope that I am parked on my couch for this game.

I am a true GATOR FAN!

There will be neighborhood gatherings at club houses of subdivisions and condo complexes all over town. If you want to spend the game in a restaurant or sports bar all over North Florida, you better get camped out early.

This IS the "BIG ONE".

Am I a college football fan?

Yes, absolutely!

Do I think that the Southeastern Conference is "THE BEST" conference in USA?

Yes, absolutely!

Will the Gators prevail?

Yes, absolutely!

It will be an awesome game....... GO GATORS!

*********** UPDATED************ It's 8:00pm on December 6th...

Gators WON! What a game!

And.....I wrote a contract for my buyers today!! Isn't that a GREAT DAY !??!!