Frank & Sharon Alters, CDPE-Short Sales Jacksonville-Orange Park-Fleming Island

It's been almost 20 years since East West Partners' land purchase on sleepy Fleming Island in the Clay County area of Jacksonville, Florida. Their arrival would forever raise the bar for every community to follow in the entire Jacksonville area and most certainly Clay, St. Johns, Duval counties and Fleming Island as well. Within four years, Eagle Harbor won the coveted Florida Association of Realtors ENVY Award for its environmental efforts and also the "Best Planned Community in North Florida" by the Northeast Florida Planning and Zoning Council. THE MOTTO OF THE DEVELOPERS.....

"You can live in a resort everyday."

They built the $2.6 million Superpool first, giving Clay County residents a glimpse of what was to come. The 185,000 gallon pool features a 110 foot water slide and is a free form wonder to this day. The pool is 10,000 sq. ft. with one and three-meter diving boards, competition swimming lanes, and a wading pool. There is a playground and a beach with volleyball.

The first homes rolled out the early 90s and the golf course soon followed. The second water park - the Waterfront Park on Doctor's Lake came with a dock beside it, complete with two pontoon boats available for rent to residents. The Waterfront Park has an adults-only heated pool, beach entry pool and separate kiddie pool area.

Playgrounds are scattered throughout Eagle Harbor, and an 8 foot sidewalk runs down Eagle Harbor Parkway affording roller bladers, bikers, and walker/joggers ample room to exercise. Miles of sidewalks run through the neighborhoods giving shortcuts for friends, kids biking to school, and walkers who just want a different route today.

There are 2300+ homes and Eagle Harbor has enlarged its borders to include locations south of 220 and west of 17 and 220. I once joked that East West would buy up all the land on Fleming Island if they could!

We have our own monthly 4-color magazine and intranet for residents only on our website. Updates can be received weekly by email and special alerts/events are sent daily or as they happen. Buy and Sell on Worth Avenue on the intranet.

Not content to build a community with superior facilities, including the 12 Har-Tru tennis courts which boast arguably one of the best tennis programs in the Jacksonville area, East West staffed Eagle Harbor so that the many activities one would expect in a resort were actually available. A Full Time Activities Director and a staff that balloons to 285 in the summer months suport their motto.

The Black Creek neighborhood south of 220 was introduced in 2004 and the third water park - Creekside Park - built. There are 5 Day Docks for resident use, and dry storage for boats and RVs near the Drs. Lake boat ramp.

The homes range from townhouses from the $150,000s, single family homes from the low $200,000s to million dollar homes in estate neighborhoods and also on navigable water. Production builders and custom builders - there is something for everyone here. Details about homes will be in another blog.

A-rated Fleming Island Elementary School is in the middle of Eagle Harbor. Clay County Soccer Fields adjoin the school.

We can drive golf carts everywhere in Eagle Harbor (just not into the commercial areas)! Our 18-hole championship golf course is staffed by PGA Professionals. Our Club features a fully stocked Pro Shop and dining facilities.

Eagle Harbor is a real neighborhood. The residents are very active and friendly. Roger Arrowsmith is a wonderful man and developer who set the tone for this fabulous place to live on Fleming Island in the Clay County area of greater Jacksonville.

Our shopping includes Wal-Mart, Target, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Michaels, Kirkman's, and Kohls, just to name a few. We have great restaurants. The Fleming Island Cinema is finally open and when we get a bookstore, hmmm, we may never have to leave :)

It's a small thing but indicative of the attention to detail of Eagle Harbor - I never get tired of driving the road through the community. It winds in such a fun way even in my SUV it's great. See for yourself.

Now every first class new community in Jacksonville, Duval, Clay, and St. Johns Counties has a waterslide - de rigeur. Eagle Harbor won so many awards for its planning and development that eventually they stopped entering just so other communities could win.

When you come here, you will see for yourself that every single community built after Eagle Harbor has copy-catted and some have tried to outdo the original.

But we think you will find the availability of navigable water, amenities and location of this wonderful place we call home to be something really special.

Communities like Eagle Harbor on Fleming Island don't come along every day.

Check us out, you'll like what you see.

. *Eagle Harbor on Fleming Island - Raising the Bar in the Jacksonville Area*

Congratulations to everyone at Fleming Island High! Once again we are an 'A' rated school and also we are the 25th best high school in the entire state of Florida! This great news just came out in our most recent newsletter from our Principal, Sam Ward.

 Just to brag a little bit more for anyone considering a move to Fleming Island, our school was built in 2003 and attracted a very impressive group of dedicated, talented educators. Add the dedication of the parents and students, and you have the mix for an asset to the community.

59.44% of the student body has greater than a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) and 38.22% have greater than a 3.5 GPA. Even more amazing, 27.84% has greater than a 3.75 GPA! Don't think this is just a school for "brainiacs" because there are plenty of athletic and extracurricular activities going on. In fact, Mr. Ward was once a coach and football and other sports are definitely VERY important at Fleming Island High.

Our school led the county in students receiving college credit for AP exams and the list goes on. Suffice it to say, that there are good schools in Clay County, Fleming Island in particular, and we are very proud to let you know. Go Golden Eagles!

Copyright © 2008 by Sharon Alters, all rights reserved. * Fleming Island High - One of Top 25 High Schools in Florida*

Today I've had it. I am so sick of reading only negative information in the newspapers, on the TV, on the internet. Everyone knows life has cycles and real estate is no exception. But if you're glued to the media, you'd think Armageddon was knocking at our door. It is the epitome of yellow journalism. Highlight the bad - no, ram it down our throats - and, oh, sorry, neglect to give the other side of the story.

Here are some statistics - an antidote to the negative media:

In our market, over $400,000,000 in real estate was sold last month. Do you remember reading that in the local rags? Did anyone on TV tell you that?

In 2001, 12,609 properties sold through 10/31.
In 2007, 12,471 properties sold through 10/31.
Armageddon? Hardly. Slowdown? Yes, and a natural return to a NORMAL MARKET.

In 2005, 17,752 properties sold through 10/31.
In 2006, 16,328 properties sold through 10/31.

That's a 30% slow down this year from the madhouse we had in 2005 when everyone was an investor and anyone who wasn't an investor was a newbie realtor. Historically, real estate values correspond with income. Rising values will drop if income doesn't take the same leap. Anyone out there get a 100% raise in the last four years? You wish.

What interests me also is that property taxes have taken a quantum leap yet government costs have not risen proportionately. Has your cost of living risen 50-100% in the last four years? But that's another topic for another day.

When I started in real estate in 2001, the market was similar. Buyers were cautious, Builders were jumping through hoops to attract realtors and their buyers, and you actually had to WORK at real estate to make a living. You endured lots of disappointments with the hope of actually making a sale.

The only difference was there weren't a gazillion houses on the market. Today, the 'genius' investors are dumping their houses, some of the people who used their homes as ATM machines are being forced to dump their houses, the people who just plain didn't understand (or were in denial) that their teaser rate was going to balloon into a three-headed monster are dumping their houses, the banks appear to be doing their best to prolong the agony on the houses they are dumping, and then there are the normal people who just happen to have to sell to move on who are mixed in with this reverse 'frenzy.'

It will end as all cycles do. About 900 people daily move into the Sunshine state. Florida is one of the top states in the nation for creating new jobs. Our office has seen a pick up in showings and people calling to inquire about properties for sale in the last week and a half. Remember,e $400,000,000 sold last month. Just take a deep breath, don't panic, and it will be alright. Really.

In the meantime, there are some excellent buys to be had with historically low interest rates. If you are selling and (a) haven't used your house as an ATM machine or (b) didn't buy at the top of the market, guess what? You still have cash to take away from the closing table and you have likely out-performed your mutual fund.