Ann Van Fleet

Just like many towns across the United States St. Augustine, Florida's declining real estate market has had it's share of short sales, foreclosures, and listings that have sat on the market for months with no showings, anxious sellers, buyer's looking but waiting for prices to bottom out and Real Estate Agents that were not making any money and wondering if it was time to get out of the business. In our St. John's County MLS we had 730 primary agents 2 years ago and significantly more before that. Today, that number is 600. I am proud of my fellow agents who have percivered, kept their chins up, and continued to provide great service. Prices are leveling out and we are seeing a lot of intrest again from prospective buyers. It' a great time to buy!

When our market crashed I was one of the lucky ones who had saved money from commissions for that rainy day,. I thank God every day that we did not go out and buy that bigger house we talked about often, or a more expensive car, and that we decided to stay in our condo at Vista Cove with the spectacular views of Historic St. Augustine and the San Sebastian river & marsh for another year. Little did I know that the rainey day would last over two years and that and would be one of the most challeging times of my life.

I began my real estate career in Youngstown, Ohio in 1995 in a market that was one of the least expensive in the United States. The lowest priced home I sold was for $8000 and the highest over the eight years before I moved was $250,000. The average was around $70,000. You had to sell a lot of properties to make a living, and you had to be creative.

Having some savings helped me survive for the first year and a half and then it was gone. I had been all doing the right things that I had been taught earlier. I was keeping in touch with past customers, farming, using the slow time to learn more about internet marketing, getting my office organized and using Feng Shei to work to optimal levels, putting more money into my website www.annvanfleet.com to generate new leads. It just was not working the way I had expected. Throughout my career I had always been a top producer and could not figure out what I was doing wrong. The only thing I had not changed was my attitude and thought processes about how little real estate I was selling in St. Augustine.

I had always been a very positve person but it was getting harder to be that way with real estate continuing to decline. I started reading about positve attitudes, changing your life and habits and found some fascinating books about how your thought creates your future. I have learned that I can create what I want in my life and have sold 5X the real estate in St.Augustine that I did last year. If anyone is interested in the names of some of the books I have read please let me know and I will be happy to e-mail them to you. I am looking forward to a wonderful winter season when many of our buyer's come down to look for a second home, or decide to make a permanent move. I'll let you know in the Spring how it has worked. If you have any for real estate in referrals St. Augustine, Fl I would be happy to help. Have a wonderful weekend!

Ann Van Fleet

Prudential Network Realty,Inc St. Augustine Beach, Fl

1-904-347-6164 ann.vanfleet@prudentialnetworkrealty.com

This is my first blog and I thought long and hard about what I would write. I finally decided it had to be about some thing I am passionate about. I have loved living, and selling real estate in St. Augustine since 2003. It is truly a magical place to live. St. Augustine is located in northeast Florida on the Atlantic Ocean and is about 35 minutes south of Jacksonville. It is the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States and was established in 1565. It was settled by the Spanish, French and English.

St. Augustine has a very European feel with it's narrow cobblestone streets and historic buildings dating back to the 1700's. You'll enjoy strolling the plaza, the great restaurants with outdoor dining and live music, lots of shopping, wonderful art galleries, museums, world class golf courses and our beautiful white sand beaches. St. Augustine's large harbor is the site that the Castillo De San Marcos, the largest stone fort in the United States was constucted from 1692 -1695 and it protected St. Augustine over the centuries. The inlet from the ocean and great marinas along the Intracoastal Waterway make St. Augustine a it a boater's paradise.

Like most other cities in Florida St. Augusine's real estate market has had a signifcant decrease in prices and there are many good deals available including short sales and foreclosures. There are single family homes and condominums, many that are oceanfront, golf communities, affordable new construction, townhomes, and what we call Patio homes that are single family homes usually in a gated community. Lawn care is provided along with community amenites such as pools, tennis courts and a clubhouse. Vacation Rentals along the ocean are also very popular investment properties.

Our climate is has a change of seasons with the summertime very warm and fall and spring usually spectacular. Coldfronts from the north affect our winters which are temparate with an occasional frost and daytime temperatures usually between 55 and 75 degrees. For someone who lived in Northeast Ohio for 30 years and now in Florida year round I love the the fact that it is not hot all the time. Visit www.annvanfleet.com to learn more about St. Augustine Real Estate and to see a virtual tour of the area. Come Share The Magic!

Ann Van Fleet

Prudential Network Realty St. Augustine Beach, Florida

Cell:904-347-6164

ann@annvanfleet.com