Johnny Davis

Davis Signature Realty LLC has compiled the following September 2009 Market Report for Clermont Florida from data gathered from the Mid Florida Regional MLS.

The 21 closed transactions was the highest total for a month posted by Minneola Florida in 2009.

Of the 21 closed transactions, 7 of those homes were sold by non-distressed sellers. That doesn't seem like a big number, but that is really great progress for the Minneola Real Estate Market. The average sold price was $126,461. This number is down about $2000 from last month, but the good news is, is that the average price per sqaure foot rose two dollars to $71.41. The average square footage purchased was 1771 sq. ft.

The Orlando Magic tip off the pre-season tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Can you believe that the NBA season is here all ready! Just a couple months ago, the Orlando Magic were battling the Los Angeles Lakers for league supremacy. In case you have been in a cave the last few months, alot has changed for our Eastern Conference Champions.

Key Players Subtracted: Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Tony Battie

Key Players Added: Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, Jason Williams, Ryan Anderson

Here is a little information about our newest Magic players:

Vinsanity was acquired by the Magic along with Ryan Anderson from the New Jersey Nets for Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee and Tony Battie. Magic fans everywhere were upset about the loss of promising SG Courtney Lee, but I think this was just emotional. To get a player the caliber of Vince Carter, who has averaged 23.5 pts, 5.5 rbs, 4.3 asts for his career AND steal away promising 6'10" forward Ryan Anderson for three role players, this trade was a no brainer for the Magic. Let's not forget that the Magic weren't going to be able to resign Hedo Turkoglu. A trade had to be made. Playing alongside a big man the caliber of Dwight Howard, I think we will see the dominate Vince Carter of old.

The Magic went out and got Dwight Howard some help under the boards. Brandon Bass was signed by the Magic for one reason: REBOUND.

At 6'8" 250 lbs., Brandon Bass isn't the biggest of the Magic big men, but he is one of the strongest. In just under 20 minutes per game last year, Bass averaged 4.5 rbs per game. With Bass expected to play at 25 minutes per game for the Magic, look for that average to creep up near the 7.0 rpg mark. The addition of Bass will also give the Magic the flexibility to go with a more traditional style of play every so often.

Remember how the Magic used to be labeled soft? I think the addition of Matt Barnes will help erase that label. Barnes is a tough guy who will be a big help in guarding the NBA's top shooting guards and small forwards. With his hard nosed defense, I fully expect a few tussles this year. Barnes and Brandon Bass are expected to fill in for Rashard Lewis, who is being suspended by the NBA for the first 10 games of the regular season.

The following information for the September 2009 Clermont Florida Market Report was compiled by Davis Signature Realty LLC using the stats provided by the Mid Florida Regional MLS.

After a slow August in which we only saw 87 homes sold, it was very good to see Clermont bounce back with 114 sold homes in September. This was the third best month we have had in 2009.

No surprise here, REO/Bank Owned/Lender Owned were the top sellers again this month. Regular non-distressed home owners have closed the gap a little. This is a GREAT sign for home sellers in Clermont, Florida.

The first 5 months of 2009 saw 473 homes sold in Clermont, Florida. The last 4 months have already seen 437 homes sold in Clermont, Florida. If you are sitting back waiting to buy, you may want to consider these stats and give us call. We would be glad to help you out!

If you are driving down Hwy 27 in Clermont and notice some construction taking place in front of BJ's Wholesale, you may or may not be happy to know that that is going to be the new IHOP Restaurant.

I have asked a few people and most of them are pretty excited to be getting an IHOP here in Clermont. Personally, I was hoping for a Logan's, Texas Roadhouse or Longhorn Steak House.

If any representatives from those restaurants are reading this, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! Those places will do very well here. And while I'm making suggestions, Border's or Barnes & Noble, we are a fast growing city...WE NEED YOU HERE TOO!!!

I recently had the great opportunity to interview former Florida Gator and Orlando Magic center Andrew Declercq. Andrew was instrumental to the Gators trip to the Final Four in 1994. In 1996, he was drafted by the NBA's Golden State Warriors. "The Hammer" went on to have a 10 year career in the NBA with 5 of those seasons spent with the Orlando Magic.

1.) First things first. You are now a Clermont resident. I have to know, how long have you been in Clermont and what attracted you to our beautiful city?

My family and I moved to Clermont 2 years ago. My wife and I have been driving through Clermont on the way to where I grew up in Clearwater since 2000. We loved the lakes, hills and beauty of the city and surrounding areas. It is still convenient to Orlando and the theme parks, but with out the hassle of living in the mess of the city.

2.) I heard you played in the Men's League at Celebration of Praise a few years ago and completely dominated. If your knees weren't a problem, do you think you'd still be on an NBA roster? Since you retired, have you ever thought about making a comeback?

Yes, a few years ago I played in that league and ended up breaking my little toe. I think I only played in 2 or 3 games. There will be no comebacks for me. The wear and tear of 10 NBA seasons finally caught up to me in 2005. I tried for a couple of seasons to catch on to a team, but i knew i was done physically. It was a lot of fun, but I always knew it was a blessing that was not going to last forever.

3.) Speaking of comebacks, Brett Favre waffled again on his decision to retire. In your opinion, why is it so hard for some of these guys to let go? What was the hardest thing for you when you retired and how did you cope with it?

I think it comes down to the fear of the unknown of what is next in life and your sport is what has defined you as a person for so long. It takes a little bit to re-learn who you are without the game. For me, I wandered about trying many different businesses and hobbies trying to find what was going to be my next passion.

4.) You were fortunate enough to play 10 seasons in the NBA with 5 of those being with the Orlando Magic. Of your time with the Magic, how big of a distraction was Grant Hill's ankle and how far could those teams have went with a healthy Grant Hill?

Grant Hill was not much of a distraction. In fact, he was great having around for his experience and knowledge. I think if he had been healthy, we would have had a much better team and had more success. I hear people bash the Magic for signing him, but when he signed with the Magic, he was one of the best players in the league, almost a triple double every night out.

5.) I saw an article the other day on the Fanhouse website that was about ex-Magic Player David Vaughn. Basically, the story talks about how he has been homeless and living on the streets of Orlando for awhile. Is this a common theme in the NBA or was David Vaughn just an out of the ordinary case? I know the NBA has a rookie symposium where they talk about this type of stuff, but do the guys really take it seriously?

I read that article about David Vaughn and was very saddened by it. It is possible for a guy to end up that way. Most do because they do not have a support group of friends or family that they can trust. There are programs to help rookies and veterans alike, but some guys feel they do not need the help. Sometimes the hardest thing is to lower their guard long enough to ask for help. We are taught from a young age to be invincible, to never give up, to never lose. It is not even a possibility in the mind of a pro athlete.

6.) One of the things I really admired about you is that you are a Christian athlete. How hard is it to be an outspoken Christian in the NBA? Did you ever get ridiculed by teammates or other players because of your faith?

The NBA is just like every other job or segment of society when it comes to being a Christian. It is always tough to talk about your faith with people who don't want to hear it. It is also tough to live it because you have to take that stand. And just like everyone else, christian pro athletes are human and make mistakes and fail and sin sometimes. I know I did. And that made it tough to share my faith and the understanding that, yes, I make mistakes, but I am forgiven by God because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross.

7.) As a Gator Alum, I am sure you still have strong ties to the Gator's. Tim Tebow is a great example of a guy who is talking the talk, but as far as I know, he is walking the walk. If you could talk to him about being a Christian athlete and playing on the next level, what advise would you give him?

First off, I am extremely impressed with Tim Tebow. If the level of Fame he has achieved at Florida has not messed him up (and I don't think it has) then He will be fine at the next level. My advice to him would be to guard his time in maintaining his relationship with God with the same, or more, amount of passion with which he plays the game of football. And to keep the people who counsel him, those closest to him, must be strong Christians who are hearing from God.

8.) You and former Magic Player Keith Tower helped start Highpoint Church. How did the two of you get together and please tell me a little about HighPoint.

Keith and I met through a pro athlete christian organization called Champions for Christ. We became friends and he was mentoring me on how to be a more effective Christian to my wife, family and teammates. We started doing Bible studies on the road with my teammates and then at our home here in Orlando. When we had 50 adults and 35 kids in our house every Thursday night we found that people were having their lives changed and we had a church, a gathering of Christ followers. From there, Keith really took the reigns and we started to meet in downtown Orlando. About a year ago, we purchased the old Haynes Brothers Furniture store on 50 in Ocoee. Converted it to a church and have been growing steadily since. We are about to begin the expansion of our sanctuary and kids space in the near future.
I think our tag line tells a lot about who we are as a church, Real Faith, Real Life. Keith and the other pastors on staff speak the truth of God found in the Bible and how to apply that to our everyday lives. You can hear Keith preach on our website at http://realfaithrealife.org.

9.) In closing, you and former Gator teammate Dan Cross conduct a basketball camp. What can kids expect to learn by attending All Pro Fundamentals?

Dan and I started doing basketball camps in Orlando 3 years ago. We saw the need to teach the fundamentals of the game of basketball and life to young kids. So much of youth basketball these days is dominated by AAU games, games, and more games. But Dan and I both understood and learned the game by doing the drills and practicing the fundamentals of the game until we had perfected our games. We also like to get kids thinking about the characteristics that are learned through sports, teamwork, dedication, discipline, hard work, and self-confidence. These same characteristics are also the same ones needed to be successful in school work and their future jobs, which odds say, will not be sports. More info can be found at http://www.allprofundametals.com

Photos Courtesy of Andrew Declercq