Davidson Realty, Inc.

3 Tips to Protect Yourself When Renting Your Property

July 30, 2010

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Posted by in Rentals

What a wonderful time to buy real estate as an investment property! Just take a look around at the properties available right now AND their prices. Not only that, but the rental market is absolutely fantastic and it continues to get better and better! Four to five months ago the inventory for rentals was through the roof, you couldn’t even turn around without bumping into a “For Rent” sign. Now it’s the opposite, inventory is very low, especially for single family homes; condos have also started to rent much quicker. I recently had a property placed in MLS at 2 PM and it was rented by 9 PM THAT night! For an investor in real estate property I don’t believe the time can get any better than this to buy and rent out your investment property or to rent your home if it’s not selling. Here are 3 tips for someone renting their home:

1. I highly recommend using a property management company to manage your property with the tenant. But, in any event, KNOW what your lease says. Florida is a Landlord State, which means the laws of the state of Florida are there for protection of the owner/landlord. This makes Florida, in my opinion, one of the best states possible to own an investment/rental property.

2. Make sure there’s a paragraph on “Use of Premises” in your lease. This paragraph states what the tenant can and cannot do while living in your property (i.e. no trampolines, athletic equipment, etc.) It disallows any items or activities that can cause interference with the insurance coverage. Tenants cannot run a business, daycare center, etc. out of the property. Read more

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Jacksonville FL Real Estate Trends in June

July 27, 2010

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Posted by in Northeast Florida Market Trends

DSC_0326The market stats report from the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) for June 2010 continues to show encouraging trends for Jacksonville Realtors and homebuyers. My favorite trends seen in June are:

PENDING SALES: Pending sales are up in June 2010 by 20% over June 2009 and by 46% over June 2008. Many people expected pending sales to drop dramatically when the housing credits ended in April. The pending sales did decline about 28% in May, but they increased in June about 15% over the May numbers.

CLOSINGS: The closings reported year-to-date through June 2010 are 8,161 compared to year-to-date numbers through June 2009 of 6,377 closings.

SALES PRICE: The median sales price has increased from $135,250 in April to $139,995 in May to $143,090 in June 2010. We are still seeing most of the sales in the lower price ranges but there seems to be stability in the homes priced under $250,000.

DOM: The days a home is on the market before selling has averaged 102 days throughout 2010 compared to an average of 112 days through June 2009. Read more

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100 Days to Greatness® Program Helps Agents Boost Business

July 23, 2010

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Posted by in Top Agents

Sherry-PicWhen I assumed Davidson Realty’s sales management responsibilities earlier this month, it was one of my goals to provide ongoing training and professional development opportunities to our Agents. After more than 20 years in the real estate business, I’ve certainly seen my share of lead generation, training, networking and other real estate programs. But never have I seen a program as effective as Buffini & Company’s 100 Days to Greatness® program.  It’s designed to help both new and seasoned agents jump-start their business and I’m thrilled that Davidson Realty is offering it to our Agents.  The 100 Days to Greatness® program teaches the fundamentals of real estate lead generation by referral, helping Agents produce a steady stream of high-quality leads and referrals. 

I became a Buffini & Company Certified Mentor™ following an intensive two-day training and serve as the group Facilitator. The 100 Days to Greatness® program is a 14-week, step-by-step training course that combines training from industry expert Brian Buffini, video role-playing, exercises and live accountability sessions – creating a comprehensive, practical learning experience. Our Davidson Realty “students” learn how to build and maximize relationships in order to cultivate advocates for life and accelerate their business. We already have several Agents enrolled, but my hope is for ALL our Davidson Realty Agents to participate.  Please join us for the next class on July 26th.  Give me a call to register, or learn more about the program.  I look forward to seeing you there!

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Davidson Realty Shares Stories of Coming to America

July 20, 2010

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Posted by in News

american-flagAt the Davidson Companies we have a unique, diverse team of professionals who work together as a team, sharing their collective experiences.  In honor of Independence Day, at our weekly sales meeting of staff and agents, five individuals from Columbia, Cuba, Germany and England shared their stories of “coming to America”. 

Carol VonRabenstein from Columbia, Ed Gil from Cuba, Mirtha Barzaga from Cuba, Jurgen “Jerry” May from Germany and Vanessa Cunningham from England all described the journey that brought them to America.  We were all “moved” in more ways than one, of the hardships that some of them endured and had an overwhelming sense of respect for the tenacity, strength, fortitude and resilience it took for them to leave their home and come to a completely different country. One thing rang true in all five cases; they were so thankful to have made the decision to come to the US.  They are all now American citizens and they love our country as much as if they had been born here.

As our group listened to and contemplated the international stories, we realized, that sometimes perhaps we take for granted how lucky and blessed we are to live in such a wonderful country.

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From Jim Davidson’s Kitchen: Snapper Fromage

July 15, 2010

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Posted by in Jim's Recipes

IMG_5326Last month, Jim Davidson, Master Developer of our favorite Jacksonville golf course community, shared his amazing meatloaf dish with us. This month, he is sharing my favorite dish he makes! It’s a bit more complicated, but totally worth it in deliciousness! Prepare to salivate:

Snapper Fromage (4-6 People)

5 Egg yolks whipped until frothy, add 2/3 jar of Kraft Mayonnaise, mix thoroughly.

Add 6-8 packages of fresh grated parmesan cheese until mixture is very thick, it should almost be like a thick paste.

I buy pink snapper if possible for this dish, but Red Snapper will do. You want the fish market to filet and debone the fish.

Prepare fish by cutting shoulders from belly side and trim off dark meat vein. Fish pieces should be 1/2” to 3/4” thick. You can stack belly-side pieces to achieve desired thickness. Wash fish filets and pat dry; put on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam non-stick spray. Put layer of fromage sauce about 1/4” thick over each filet. You can refrigerate the fish, once prepared, for 2-3 hours prior to cooking. Put in pre-heated oven at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes and then broil until brown. (BE CAREFUL – it is easy to burn fromage sauce). Take out of oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes prior to serving. I serve with pasta (linguine) and clam sauce.

 *Note: The fromage sauce may also be used on chicken breast.

Jim

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