Author: Sherry Davidson
President of Davidson Realty

Since launching Davidson Realty in 1989, Sherry Davidson has built the firm to include nearly 60 agents and exceed $100 million in annual sales. She is known throughout the First Coast as an authority on all things residential real estate, having served on the Board of Directors for Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, Florida Realtors® (a division of the National Association of Realtors), and Builders Care (charitable arm of Northeast Florida Builders Association).

Thanks to Sherry’s leadership, Davidson Realty has been recognized as one of the state’s Best Companies to Work For (Florida Trend Magazine), as well as one of the region's Best Places to Work and 50 Fastest Growing Companies (Jacksonville Business Journal). Get to know Davidson Realty’s talented team of agents by clicking here or call us at (904) 940-5000.

Congratulations to all our Top Producers for January 2023!

February 20, 2023

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January 2023 has started out with a bang.  Our team is hard at work selling lots of real estate as usual.  We want to congratulate our TOP Producers for a successful January!  Our top performers have years and years of expertise and have seen their fair share of some pretty crazy shake of the head or laugh out loud moments.  Please read on as they share the funniest, zaniest, or most off the wall experiences they have had in their real estate business.

 

 

 

 

Our Top Producer and Top Overall Sales Agent for January is Mirtha Barzaga with $5 Million in closings.

 

 

 

Mirtha – Do you want to hear about the time I walked into a house that was supposed to be unoccupied and a couple of teenagers one being a relative of the seller decided to have a little afternoon delight in the uncle’s house while he was out of town?

 

Or maybe not, I’ll tell you about the Gopher Tortoise instead.

 

About 5 years ago I had to relocate a gopher tortoise larger than 2 feet out from under a house I had for sale which backed up to conservation.  The tortoise had created a tunnel under the house that went all the way from the front to the back.

These tortoises are a protected species and I had to go through the wildlife department to obtain the protocol that was involved in relocating them.  We had to hire someone licensed to catch it and relocate it.  After that we had to get a structural engineering company to come out to the house to do a sonogram study in order to figure out if the foundation had been compromised and to know how much of the tunnel had to be filled in with concrete.

This was a very lengthy process not to mention costly in getting this entire incident resolved.

I guess you can say there is never a dull moment in Real Estate.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Top Producing and Top Sales Team for the month is The Nemethy Group with Shelley and Tim Nemethy with $750,000 in closings.

 

 

 

Shelley and Tim – Having been Realtors for many years, the zany stories seem to flow in new frontiers! It’s difficult to narrow in on just one, so we have created a Nemethy Group poem. 

 

A beep awakes the slumbering team as their email takes off with problems and pleas.

 

“Good morning!” says one. “I have a slight problem. A tree has fallen overnight and a roofer I’m calling!”

With the closing scheduled and the walk through approaching, mother nature had other plans with a tree now encroaching!

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Northeast Florida Market Update

February 16, 2023

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“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

Henry Ford

 

In the 2023-2026 Florida and Metro Forecast, Dr. Sean Snaith, the director of the University of Central Florida Institute of Central Forecasting said “The U.S. economy is either in or on the brink of a recession. Because of the forecasted shape of the recession: a gradual decline into recession and 12 or more months in the downturn followed by a gradual climb out of recession, we have dubbed the recession the Pasta Bowl Recession.” If you haven’t heard him speak, take the opportunity. He is very smart and very funny.

 

A few interesting predictions from the forecast are:

 

Real Gross State Product will mildly contract during the recession as growth will slow to -1.3% in 2023, turning positive in 2024 and accelerating in 2025 to reach 1.7% by 2026.

 

The unemployment rate was 2.9% in 2022. The recession will push up the rate to 4.6% in 2023, and to 5.8% in 2024, before easing slightly to 5.4% in 2025 and 5.0% in 2026.

 

Housing starts were 192,294 in 2022 with starts decelerating to 133,829 in 2023 and 134,755 in 2024 before ticking up to 149,920 in 2025 and 152,865 in 2026.

 

The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) market stats for January 2023 show the median sales price is stable, closed sales are down, pending sales are up and inventory is up slightly from last month.

 

The median sales price of $330,000 is down 2.4% from December and up 3.4% from last January. There were 1,525 closings which is down 30% from last month and 33% from last year. This reflects the last several months of very low buyer demand.

 

There were 2,248 pending sales in January. This was the most since August of 2022. Nationally, pending sales increased for the first time since May.

 

“This recent low point in home sales activity is likely over,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Mortgage rates are the dominant factor driving home sales, and recent declines in rates are clearly helping to stabilize the market.”

 

There were 3,451 new listings in January which is 32% higher than the previous month and 19% higher than last year. The active inventory went from 6,231 last month to 6,403. When you read how much inventory has increased, keep in mind how many of the new listings were absorbed. There is plenty of demand and the spring buying season looks to be warming up.

 

I love this time of year with March Madness coming, Baseball Spring Training starting and the real estate market getting back to a more normal rhythm. If we can help you with any of your real estate needs, please let us know.

Serving with Intention – Matthews Design Group Supports Davidson Cares Clay Day

February 9, 2023

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Davidson Cares Clay Day is a success because of participants and sponsors who truly love helping the community. Matthews Design Group has been a sponsor of Clay Day every year and enjoys having fun for a good cause. 

 

“Davidson Cares Clay Day allows our team at Matthews Design Group to add our service efforts with other organizations to provide a greater impact to our community. Davidson Cares makes it easy and fun to give back all while allowing our group to participate in something they love doing,” shares Rob Matthews, President of Matthews Design Group. “It is amazing to see so many in the development community come together to support wonderful organizations like Investing in Kids! and St. Augustine Youth Services.”

 

Established in 2005, Matthews Design Group has become the largest civil engineering firm based in St. Johns County and offers full-service civil and land development engineering throughout Florida. Matthews Design Group corporately and individually embraces the responsibility to make a positive difference in the communities in which its employees live, work, and play. Their team prioritizes staying involved and supporting the community by giving back their time and resources. 

 

“Matthews Design Group is an intentional organization! They are generous and take an active role in supporting our community,” shares Sherry Davidson, President of Davidson Realty.“I’m grateful for their giving hearts and commitment to supporting the Northeast Florida community.”

 

Over the past seven years, Davidson Cares Clay Day has raised more than $441,000 to support charities in need because of generous sponsors like Matthews Design Group. To learn more about Matthews Design Group visit their website at www.mdginc.com or call (904) 826-1334.

 

Davidson Cares Clay Day

The 7th Annual Davidson Cares Clay Day was held on October 20, 2022, at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports. Davidson Cares Clay Day included two-sport shooting events, beginner skeet, and sporting clay. Individuals and teams from beginner to expert levels participated.

 

In association with the event, there was a raffle contest. Prizes included a 65-quart YETI cooler with 13 full-size liquors and a 12-Gauge Beretta A400 XCEL Sporting shotgun.

 

Money raised from the event and raffles went directly to Builders Care, St. Augustine Youth Services (SAYS), Investing in Kids (INK!), Port in the Storm Homeless Youth Center, and Hope is Restored.

 

Giving from the Heart – The Landmark Foundation Supports Davidson Cares Clay Day

January 27, 2023

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Since 2016, the Landmark Family has been a gracious and generous sponsor of Davidson Cares Clay Day at the highest level. Through Landmark Title’s nonprofit division, The Landmark Foundation proudly supports Davidson Cares. “As a public charity ourselves, The Landmark Foundation enjoys collaborating with like-minded individuals to help raise money for a fellow non-profit that does so much for the community,” shares David Heekin, President of Landmark Title. 

 

“Landmark Title has blossomed as a successful title company and The Landmark Foundation has graciously and impressively served and supported the community,” shares Davidson Realty President, Sherry Davidson. “I truly admire The Landmark Foundation for consistently sponsoring two Builders Care ramp builds each month. The commitment to fund and arrange volunteers is amazing.”

 

The common desire to serve the community makes the Davidson and Landmark families a natural fit. “We have been a sponsor for Clay Day for several years and the main reason being Sherry Davidson. She is an amazing woman with a big heart who truly puts others first and cares about her community. Davidson Cares’ focus on children and education is a worthy cause and something that is easy for us to get behind and support,” continues Heekin. 

 

Over the years, the Landmark team has graciously shared their knowledge and resources with the Davidsons. During the recession, David Heekin provided invaluable insight regarding short real estate sales. Heekin lead training and served on panels to help educate others in the real estate industry about short sale transactions. In 2013, when William Li joined the Landmark Title team as Vice President, Landmark Title rented executive suites in the Davidson Realty office because their business was expanding so rapidly. Li would frequently join the Davidson Realty team for sales meetings, training sessions, and would always make himself available as a resource to Davidson Realty agents.

 

Davidson Cares Clay Day is proud to have the support and sponsorship from Landmark Title as they continue to support local charities. To learn more about Landmark Title, visit their website at www.landmarktitle.com or call (904) 998-9733.

 

Davidson Cares Clay Day

The 7th Annual Davidson Cares Clay Day was held on October 20, 2022, at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports. Davidson Cares Clay Day included two-sport shooting events, beginner skeet, and sporting clay. Individuals and teams from beginner to expert levels participated.

 

In association with the event, there was a raffle contest. Prizes included a 65-quart YETI cooler with 13 full-size liquors and a 12-Gauge Beretta A400 XCEL Sporting shotgun.

 

Money raised from the event and raffles went directly to Builders Care, St. Augustine Youth Services (SAYS), Investing in Kids (INK!), Port in the Storm Homeless Youth Center, and Hope is Restored.

Congratulations to all our Top Producers for December & the Fourth Quarter in 2022!

January 25, 2023

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Happy New Year!  We hope 2023 will be your best year ever.

 

We want to congratulate our Top Producers for December and the 4th quarter of 2022!  We are very proud of all their personal and professional accomplishments and can’t wait to see what they achieve in 2023.

 

Please read on as the share their personal take and professional advice for anyone just starting the process of buying or selling a home in 2023.

 

Our Top Producer for December is Ron Savarese with $1.4 Million in closings. 

 

Ron – My best advice for anyone starting out is to find the right real estate agent professional to help navigate the home selling or buying process.  Being educated in market conditions, inventory, financing options, to name just a few, whether you are a buyer or seller is critical and necessary when trying to make the best decision in any real estate transaction.   Also having a skilled local professional manage the process and handle the volume of details involved is more important than ever.

 

 

 

Our Top Producing and Top Sales Team for December and the quarter is The Nemethy Group with Shelley and Tim Nemethy.  They closed over $3.6 million for the quarter.

 

Shelley & Tim – The decision to buy or sell a home is exciting and opens up so many possibilities for the buyer and seller. Just like any important decision in life, one should take the time to do their homework so the experience can be positive and successful! It is so much more involved than just putting a sign in your yard or calling a name on the sign of the home of your dreams. A trusted and experienced Realtor can offer a wealth of knowledge and advice along with helping you navigate through the process. There is so much to consider such as, accurate pricing, smart negotiating, savvy lending, prequalification, contract knowledge, inspections, professional pictures, legal timelines, and title work just to name some of the things you would be experiencing in buying or selling.  Remember, we do this every day, so ask a professional when you are ready to begin!

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