5 Family-Friendly Fall Activities in Northeast Florida

October 14, 2021

 | 

It’s officially fall and although the temperatures might only be subtly changing in Northeast Florida, the season full of apples, pumpkins, and football is here! “Even though we are in Florida, there are still plenty of opportunities to embrace the fall season. The First Coast has a variety of options for fun in the fall to appeal to everyone,” shares Davidson Realty President, Sherry Davidson. Check out some of the family-friendly fall fun in and around Jacksonville. 

 

 

Southside United Methodist Church

3120 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32207

Roam the patch for the perfect pumpkin at Southside United Methodist Church (SUMC) Pumpkin Patch. Throughout the month of October, SUMC will be hosting fall family events including a photo fun day, trunk or treat, and a movie in the patch. Visit their website to learn more. 

 

Shepherd of the Woods Pumpkin Patch

6595 Columbia Park Court, Jacksonville, Florida 32258 

Stop by the beautiful forty-acre wooded, lakeside Shepherd of the Woods Pumpkin Patch. With a wide selection of pumpkins, fall scenes, and picnic tables by the lake. Admission is free and all proceeds from pumpkin sales will support missions. For more hours and information, visit their Facebook Page.

 

The Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens – Spooktacular

370 Zoo Parkway, Jacksonville, Florida 32218

Dress up in your favorite family-friendly costume and explore the Jacksonville Zoo during the 34th Annual Spooktacular. From October 15-17 and 22-31 from 6-10 pm, enjoy activities for all ages including trick-or-treating and multiple scare zones. Tickets must be purchased online in advance, get your tickets today! 

 

Amazing Grace Family Farms

2899 Wisteria Farms Road, Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043

Amazing Grace Family Farms is the perfect place to get your fall fix! Open every Friday and Saturday in October, enjoy the pumpkin patch, corn maze, sunflowers, and a host of family fun activities. A highlight every year is the farm animal petting zoo, where children can get up close and personal with their favorite farm animals. For a complete list of attractions and hours of operation, visit their website

 

Sykes Family Farms

5995 Brough Road, Elkton, Florida 32033

For all-day fun for all ages, you MUST visit Sykes Family Farms. Known for their nine-acre, four-phase corn maze, visitors truly can do it all at Sykes Family Farms. In addition to the corn maze, visitors can also enjoy hayrides, playgrounds, cow milking stations, and farm animals! For a full list of fun and to purchase tickets, visit their website.

 

There is clearly no shortage of fall family fun in Northeast Florida. We hope you and your family enjoy the fall season at one of these exciting locations!

Three Businesses Coming Soon to Northeast Florida

October 5, 2021

 | 

The First Coast is constantly welcoming new businesses of every variety. With a guarantee for a hot and interesting restaurant or business to experience in the area, Northeast Florida is a wonderful place to live. “Businesses that come to the First Coast are greeted with open arms by the thriving community. With so many heavy traffic commercial areas and a bustling calendar of events in the area, there is no shortage of opportunity for businesses to flourish,” shares Davidson Realty President, Sherry Davidson. We’re sharing a few new businesses to put on your radar as they gear up to call Northeast Florida home. 

 

Tru by Hilton

A new hotel is coming to South Jacksonville! Tru by Hilton will be coming to the Bowden area near Southpoint. The city issued a permit in early September 2021 to build the four-story, 45,000-square-foot hotel that will cost more than $6 million. This new location joins two other Tru by Hilton properties in the area. 

 

The Sugar Factory

Have you heard? The self-proclaimed sweetest place on Earth is getting ready to call Jacksonville home. Markets at Town Center will be welcoming a new occupant to the former Brio Tuscan Grille property: Las Vegas-based Sugar Factory American Brasserie. The Sugar Factory, which was founded in 2009, operates fifteen locations in the United States and four overseas. The location in the Town Center will be the chain’s fourth location in Florida. The Sugar Factory is known for over-the-top sundaes, cocktails, and milkshakes while also offering a variety of savory pasta, steak, and burger dishes. 

 

Dolly Llama Waffle Master 

Another sweet business is coming to Northeast Florida! The Dolly Llama Waffle Master will likely be coming to Ponte Vedra Beach in 2022. The shop’s handcrafted waffle cones are filled with ice cream and can be customized with a variety of tasty toppings. This will be the first Dolly Llama location in Florida. The concept debuted in 2017 in Los Angeles. Menu favorites include the Cinnalover signature shake, Dolly’s Dream signature waffle, and Snow Storm ice cream. 

 

With Northeast Florida being such an attractive area for businesses, there is no shortage of new shops to explore.

Davidson Cares Clay Day Raffle Provides Fun Incentives While Supporting Worthy Causes

September 23, 2021

 | 

Davidson Cares is gearing up to host their 6th Annual Clay Day on October 21, 2021, at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports. This event is dedicated to raising money to support three local charities that make a big impact in the community: St. Augustine Youth Services, Investing in Kids!, and Builders Care. 

 

“Davidson Cares Clay Day is such a special event. The First Coast community comes together to have some fun and raise money for three organizations that are helping families and children in Northeast Florida thrive,” shares Davidson Realty President, Sherry Davidson. 

 

In addition to the fun and safe team shooting experience at Clay Day, Davidson Cares is selling raffle tickets for two exciting prizes which include a Concerts for a Cause pod and a Yeti Cooler with bottles to stock your bar! “The raffle is a fun element to Clay Day. We are thankful to Mark Sherman at Atlantic Trust Mortgage for sponsoring the cooler prize and to Leigh Insurance Agency for donating the Concerts for a Cause tickets,” shares Davidson. “Tickets are 1 for $10 or 15 tickets for $100. The winner will be announced during the awards celebration at the shoot on October 21, 2021. However, the winner does not have to be present to claim their prize.”

 

The cooler and cocktail raffle items are a hit every year at Clay Day! This year a Yeti Tundra Haul Wheeled Cooler will be filled with thirteen bottles to stock your bar to entertain family and friends. 

 

This is the first year Davidson Cares will be offering a pod at Concerts for a Cause. Chris Shee and MasterCraft Builder Group began the concerts last year. The first concert benefitted Investing in Kids! (INK!) and raised more than $35,000 for the organization. The concert series continued to be a success as the second concert, featuring Diamond Rio, raised more than $70,000 for the Alpha Omega charity. 

 

The winner of this raffle prize will enjoy a relaxing outdoor concert in a pod that hosts eight. Food and a refillable cooler with beer, hard seltzer, and water is provided. With four concerts planned per year, the winner can select which concert they prefer to attend as the artists are released. Concerts for a Cause is a wonderful event to enjoy and support a local charity! 

 

Davidson Cares Clay Day 2021 is sure to be one to remember. Davidson Care encourages the First Coast community to join in their efforts by attending the event, buying a raffle ticket, or making a donation online to support the children and families in Northeast Florida that need it most. 

 

Real Estate Market Update

September 22, 2021

 | 

“Fear does not stop death. It stops life. And worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.” Unknown

It is easy to agree with the truth of this quote, but much harder to live it.

 

The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors market stats for August continue to show rising prices, continued high buyer demand, and low inventories of available homes. The most recent trend we are seeing is double-digit rent increases.

 

“Put simply, August trends suggest rents are making up for lost time. Rents remained low during some of the worst months of the pandemic, growing at a sub-2% pace from September 2020 to March 2021, which is also when for-sale home prices were growing by double-digits,” said Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale.

 

Many buyers are unable to find a suitable home to purchase and have been forced into the rental market. According to Apartment List, rents in Jacksonville have risen 19.7% since August 2020, and 4.4% since July 2021.

 

There were 3,787 new listings in August, up 5.7% from last August and 6.7% year-to-date. The builders are also adding more homes. Industry sources predict an 11% to 12% increase in housing starts for 2021 or about 1.55 million units. That would be up from 1.38 million housing starts in 2020, which was a 7% increase over 2019. (Business Journal article) Builders are still being delayed by materials like windows and appliances and labor shortages.

 

The good news for buyers is that the frenzy of competitiveness of the spring market has cooled a bit. Some sellers are still pricing their homes very high, but many buyers are no longer willing to pay the prices they were during the spring and the homes are sitting or the sellers are reducing the price. While 41.0% of homes sold over list price, that is down from 44.8% in July.

 

There were 3,424 pending sales down 2.0% from last August, but up 12.4% year-to-date. Closed sales of 3,200 were down 3.1% from last August, but up 15.6% year-to-date.

 

The median sales price of $300,000 is up around 14% month-over-month and year-to-date. The average sales price of $362,699 is up 14.2% month-over-month and 17.7% year-to-date.

 

There are 4,651 homes available for sale which is down 37.2% from last August and we have 1.4 months of supply available. Five to six months is a balanced market.

 

While we are seeing more homes come available, the buyer demand remains very strong. We should continue to see prices increase, multiple offers, and increased rental rates.

 

Please come join us on October 21st for our major fundraiser, Davidson Cares Clay Day. We support Builders Care, St. Augustine Youth Services, and Investing in Kids. Go to DavidsonCares.com and register or buy a raffle ticket for one of our great prizes.

 

We appreciate your support and referrals. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way.

Davidson Cares Clay Day: Supporting Programs to Enrich the First Coast

September 20, 2021

 | 

Davidson Cares Clay Day is only a few weeks away, and the excitement to raise money to support efforts to enrich First Coast children and families is mounting. The 6th Annual Clay Day will be held on October 21, 2021, at the Jacksonville Clay Target Sports. “Davidson Cares looks forward to Clay Day all year! It’s inspiring to see so many support the youth-based organizations that are near and dear to our heart,” shares Davidson Realty President, Sherry Davidson. To date, Davidson Cares has raised more than $267,000 for worthy causes in the area and looks forward to accomplishing their goal of raising more than $60,000 at Clay Day 2021. The funds raised at Clay Day will be evenly distributed between three local organizations that are focused on strengthening youth and families in Northeast Florida: St. Augustine Youth Services, Investing in Kids!, and Builders Care.

 

 

St. Augustine Youth Services

St. Augustine Youth Services (SAYS) is a non-profit organization that has been serving children in its residential programs for boys since 1989. Over the past thirty years, SAYS has provided treatment to thousands of children who have suffered abuse or neglect in St. Johns, Flagler, Volusia, and Putnam Counties. “Our relationship with SAYS started when my daughter visited the campus and met a six-year-old boy who told her how safe he felt at the group home. We then learned that this boy would age out of the program at eighteen and, although they may still be in high school, are not prepared to live independently,” shares Davidson. “The funds raised by Davidson Cares will go towards an independent living facility where these young men can stay, with some supervision, while they finish school and find a job.”

 

Investing in Kids!

Investing in Kids! (INK!) helps fund efforts that directly benefit both educators and students in the St. Johns County School District. Established in 1994, INK! is devoted to fostering success for students and teachers through funding, initiatives, and inspiration. “Davidson Cares has always supported local schools, but after seeing the impact of the Five Learning Years (FLY) and Take Stock in Children programs, I joined the INK! Board of Directors,” shares Davidson. FLY provides tutors to work with Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students that are in need of literacy intervention. Take Stock in Children is a statewide program that gives low-income, at-risk students the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty by offering students college scholarships and mentoring. “The graduation rate for students in the Take Stock in Children program is nearly 100% and the students are thriving in college. So many lives have been changed by these two programs,” continues Davidson.

 

Builders Care

Builders Care is a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality, affordable to no-cost construction services to those in need of critical home repairs. “When I was asked to join the Builders Care Board of Directors, which is the charitable arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association, I was amazed at what this organization has accomplished for Jacksonville’s most needy families,” shares Davidson. Since 2001, Builders Care has served more than six hundred families to total more than $6.5 million worth of construction work for those who otherwise couldn’t afford it. For many, Builders Care is the last hope to maintain quality of life in their home. “Builders donate material, time, and money to ensure people can remain in their homes with dignity. Davidson Cares is proud to support this incredible organization,” continues Davidson.

 

It is evident that these three organizations make an incredible impact in the First Coast community. Davidson Cares is proud to support their efforts and encourage the entire Northeast Florida community to join in their efforts whether it’s attending the 2021 Clay Day, buying a raffle ticket, or making a donation online, every dollar makes a difference.

« Newer Posts   Older Posts »

Davidson Realty