We Are Here For You Yes, things are different for all of us but our commitment as a company, and our team commitment as your home lender is still the same.
Let’s Inspire Hope , Deliver Dreams and Build Prosperity Together. Our entire Academy team is here to deliver First Time Homebuyer Programs, P Conventional, FHA and VA Programs to serve our community during this time.
We are available by phone, my mortgage app (https://mobile.academymortgage.com) or FaceTime to complete applications with customers.
Our thoughts continue to be will all of those who are impacted and we want our customers to know – we are here to help. We are available by phone, my mortgage app (https://mobile.academymortgage.com), or FaceTime to complete applications with you.
THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY - WE ARE COMMITTED TO SERVING IT TOGETHER.
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In Your Corner
Community Property
HOW TO KEEP YOUR PETS STRESS-FREE DURING A MOVE
FIRST COAST LANDMARKS: 5 HIDDEN GEMS
Market Update
CURIOUS IF PRICES ARE UP? WHAT’S THE MARKET DOING? WE’VE GOT ANSWERS!
Feature Story
9 THINGS YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT SHOULD DO FOR YOU Every industry has its good and not-so-good folks. But how do you know when you’ve found the right real estate agent for YOU?
CBV Cares
LEADING THE WAY IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Living Large
HOME GYM ESSENTIALS
©2020 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. A Realogy Company. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker Logo and “We Never Stop Moving” are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Keep Your Pets Stress-Free During a Mov
The following is a guest post from Laura McHolm, originally published on Blue Matter, Coldwell Banker’s blog. Laura McHolm is an organizational, moving & storage expert and co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. NorthStar Moving Company is an award winning, “A+” rated company, which specializes in providing eco-luxury moving and storage services.
If you are moving this summer you probably already feel the stresses of moving, but have you thought about what your four-legged family member may be feeling? Dogs and pets do feel the stresses of a move and often even more stress than their human companions are feeling. Imagine: you can’t read, understand all of the chatter around you and all you see is the chaos of boxes. Your home is in an upheaval plus there are stressed out humans everywhere. Sounds even more stressful, right? That’s why it is vital to take special care of your furry friends during the moving process. Moving doesn’t have to be a dog-gone cat-astrophy. The good news is that with a paw-ful of wise tips you can ease the trauma on your pets. Here are ten vet approved tricks that have been to keep Fido and Fluffy cared for during the moving process:
1. Before Moving Day Become familiar with pet rules and regulations. Landlords and homeowners’ associations may have specific pet rules. Become familiar with your new area’s leash laws, pet ordinances and/or pet licensing requirements. Your pet may need additional vaccinations, medications or certain certificates depending on where you are moving. A call to the local animal control facility should answer your questions.
2. Talk to Your Current Vet Your veterinarian is a great resource. If you have an animal that dislikes traveling, your vet can suggest behavior modification techniques or medication that can make traveling less stressful for your pet. When talking to your vet, also discuss getting Fluffy or Fido micro-chipped, a vital step in reuniting pets with their owners. Make sure the pet’s microchips information is tied to a cell phone number that will move with you.
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3. Find a New Vet Find a new vet in your new area before moving day. Your current vet may be able to make recommendations for colleagues he or she knows in your new area. When finding a new vet, it is recommended to set up an appointment as soon as you move in order to get established. It always important to make sure you are comfortable with their practice before they are needed in an emergency.
4. Get Medical Records Before you leave your old home, make sure you get a copy of all of your pet’s medical records to give to your new vet and be sure to find the closest emergency animal hospital and keep that phone number handy.
5. Update Your Address Don’t forget to have new identification tags with your new address and phone number made for your pet’s collar, and if your pet has an identification microchip, remember to update your contact information in the database.
6. Keep Things Normal Instead of pulling an all-nighter to pack, try to pack over a long period of time so that your pet thinks everything is normal. This will keep their stress level down. If you are moving with cats, it can help to bring out their carriers out a few a weeks before the move. Put their favorite treats and toys inside their carriers so they can get used to it before the big moving day. Don’t pack the food away! Keep your pet’s food, water, bowls, medication and any other important supplies (like that favorite squeaky toy) off the moving truck and with you.
7. Moving Day During the actual moving day, where boxes and furniture are being moved, pets should be removed. Find a friend who wouldn’t mind pet sitting or find a place away from all the noise of moving such as a doggy day care or cat care center. If you can visit them during a spare moment, it can help reassure the pets that nothing is going on. Keeping pets locked away in a room during moving day can make them anxious from all the noise and new people that might be in your home. If you must keep them locked away, find a quiet room, water bowl and put a HUGE sign on the door.
8. Travel with Your Pet Unless your move is long distance or international, your pet will likely be traveling by car with you nearby. By driving them yourself you can care for them and give them a sense of familiarity as they move. To prepare your pet for this trip, drive for short distances with your pet to prepare them before the final move. Also, remember to plan ahead for any special carriers your pets may need for transportation. There are even special seat belts for large dogs.
9. Air Travel If you are moving your pet by air or internationally, check all rules and regulations far ahead of the day you plan to leave and remember to keep your pet’s special documentation at hand.
10. After Moving Day Don’t let pets roam around the neighborhood until they are acclimated. Take them out on a leash to explore their new territory and show them how to get home. If you let them out in a new place right away, they might get lost or run away due to stress. Make sure your pet’s new identification tags are secured to their collar. Now snuggle up with your furry friend and enjoy the new home!
First Coast Landmarks: 5 hidden gems Club Continental Club Continental history begins in the 1880’s when B.J. Johnson, founder of the Palmolive Soap Company, was looking for a place to escape the harsh Wisconsin climate. He brought his family to the little town of Orange Park to winter. His daughter, Karrie, came to love her new home, and in 1906 she and her husband bought a circa 1870 waterfront estate in Orange Park. They named their property Winterbourne, or “Winter Waterway” in her husband’s native Scottish tongue. The house still stands and serves Source: ClubContinental.com as a beautiful venue for weddings, receptions, business meetings and other gatherings. A few years later, Karrie persuaded her brother Caleb Johnson to buy a portion of her property. He and his wife Elinor commissioned an architectural firm in Milwaukee to design a Mediterranean structure they named Mira Rio. Building began in early 1922 and the family took up residence in May 1923. Many decades later, Elinor’s grandson, Jon Massee, conceived the idea of turning Mira Rio into a private member club. Thus, in 1966, the Club Continental was born. Over the years the Club has expanded its facilities to include seven tennis courts, three swimming pools, and twentytwo guest rooms. White Oak Conservation One of the world’s premiere wildlife conservations facilities, White Oak is located in Nassau County on the St. Mary’s River, approximately 30 miles north of Jacksonville. The property was originally acquired by the Gilman family (Gilman Paper Company) in 1938, with philanthropist Howard Gilman creating programs in 1982 that set the stage for White Oak’s future as a worldwide leader in wildlife conservation. Longtime conservationists Mark and Kimbra Walter (majority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers) purchased White Oak in 2013, ensuring its important work and leadership in wildlife conservation is maintained at the highest levels. What animals can be found at White Oak? A plethora! Zebras, giraffes, rhinoceros, cheetahs, antelopes, Florida panthers and okapi roam the more than 17,000 acres of White Oak, with wildlife tours open to the public (temporarily suspended due to COVID-19). The facility also offers conference and meeting space, as well as a secluded 9-hole golf course. Source: WhiteOakWildlife.org
Wat Kanteyaram Tucked into a secluded neighborhood off of I-10 away from traffic and street noise, this Buddhist Temple is a beautiful example of the diverse culture and communities that compose the First Coast. A popular location for the celebration of Khmer New Year (Cambodian New Year), Wat Kanteyaram offers a place of reflection and meditation for visitors year-round.
St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum 219 steps up. Nearly 146 years back. Built from 1871 to 1874, the St. Augustine Lighthouse was first lit on October 15, 1874. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, Inc. is a private, nonprofit museum and an historic landmark, dedicated to “discover, preserve, present and keep alive the stories of the Nation’s Oldest Port as symbolized by our working St. Augustine Lighthouse.” Visitors help save history, preserve six historic buildings, conserve 19,000 artifacts and maritime archaeological specimens. Admission costs and Source: Facebook.com/staugustinelighthouse guest visits keep the light on each evening because the Museum keeps the light shining as a private aid to navigation. A visit to the Dark of the Moon ghost tour helps fund its maritime archaeology program and to put students in the water with scientists to discover shipwrecks off the Nation’s Oldest Port.
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park Part of Florida’s State Park system, Olustee Battlefield in Baker County commemorates the site of Florida’s largest Civil War battle. More than 10,000 cavalry, infantry and artillery troops fought a five-hour battle on February 20, 1864 in a pine forest near Olustee. The battle ended with 2,807 casualties and the retreat of Union troops to Jacksonville until the war’s end just 14 months later. In 1912, when many living Civil War veterans still attended reunions, the battlefield was named the state’s first historic site. Olustee Battlefield has a visitor center with historical information and artifacts. Visitors can enjoy a meal at the picnic area or take a walk along a mile-long trail that has interpretive signs describing the events of the battle. A reenactment of the Battle of Olustee is held every February and numerous movie scenes, including the 1989 movie “Glory,” have been filmed during the reenactments. Source: Floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/olustee-battlefield-historic-state-park
AVERAGE DA ON THE MA
JULY 20
70 NEW LISTINGS
Single Family
69
3,523 Pending Sales
3,598
3,514
Closed Sales
AVERAGE SALE
$325,66
$
Data Source: Northeast Florida Association of Realtors
$268,416 July 2018
J
$
AYS ARKET
020
0
13%
$149,999 or less
11%
$150,000 - $199,999
27%
$200,000 - $299,999
29%
$300,000 - $499,999
6,943 Single Family: 81%
Condo/ Townhouse
64
19%: Condo/Twnhse 15% 5%
$500,000 - $900,999
Pre-Owned: 80% 20%: New Construction
$1,000,000 and up
INVENTORY OF HOMES ON THE MARKET
PRICE $
65
July 2019
$274,367
MARKET UPDATE JULY 2020
9 things your real estate agent should be doing for you Asking ALL the questions. What are your home ownership hopes and dreams? Why are you looking to sell or buy? What matters most to you in your new home? What matters the least? What plans do you have for your family? What do you love about your current home? The neighborhood? Are you planning on changing careers in the future? Do you prefer to be contacted via email, phone or text? When is too early or too late to communicate? Finding the right place to live is more than just looking for a specific number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The more your agent knows about you and your family, the more likely it is he or she will find the PERFECT home (maybe one in a neighborhood you didn’t even have know about) for you.
Help you get pre-approved. Some folks may have a lender or mortgage broker in mind when they begin their home search. After all, we all know someone in the business or someone who knows someone. And if you don’t know anyone or maybe you want to shop around, your agent should have incredible resources at his or her fingertips to share with you. As full-time professionals, Coldwell Banker Vanguard agents work on real estate transactions every single day and have vast networks of lenders, appraisers, inspectors and more that help ensure the process is seamless.
Price the home correctly. For those listing their home, pricing is paramount. Your agent should have the expertise and market knowledge to create a pricing strategy that not only gets you the best price, but also gets you to the closing table in the most effective and efficient way that works for YOU.
Market the home exceptionally well. As the saying goes, you only have one chance for a great first impression. And when it comes to listings, that first impression is now digital: it’s the moment the home goes on the market. High quality photography and video tours are a game-changer for sellers, which is why those are signature services of Coldwell Banker Vanguard and our agents. Every listing gets the movie star treatment with a custom Insider View video tour and professional photo shoot; we upload the videos to myriad real estate aggregators, ensuring there’s as many eyes on them as possible. Every listing is also featured on Coldwell Banker Vanguard’s exclusive listing Facebook page and YouTube channel, making it easy to share and repost. All at no cost to you – or even your agent. It’s just one of the ways Coldwell Banker Vanguard is committed to providing superior service to customers and agents.
Negotiate the offer(s). With low inventory and a hot market, getting an offer might be the easiest part of the real estate transaction process. And here’s where Coldwell Banker Vanguard agents demonstrate their value time and again having an advocate is paramount to a successful
transaction. From timelines to contingencies to managing the complicated process of paperwork and signatures, you need someone to guide you through the process and keep the transaction moving forward and serving as your advocate.
Help you prepare to buy or sell. Real estate agents make recommendations on the aesthetics of a home going on the market: remove wallpaper, replace carpet, improve the landscaping, identify service providers, etc. But it’s the agents who do more than just tell you what you should do that can help make the home buying/selling process a bit easier on the entire family. Coldwell Banker Vanguard agents can recommend numerous vendors and partners to assist with all facets of your move. Or maybe there are repairs that need to be done in order to get the deal to the closing table? Some agents will also work directly with contractors and repair crews, saving customers the headache of making numerous calls to get estimates and then will also schedule the repairs to keep the process moving forward and less stressful for you.
Provide guidance and counsel on repairs. Your agent is a valuable resource during the buying or selling process. But what happens after you move in and within weeks your sprinkler system breaks down? It didn’t come up as an issue during inspection, but now it’s not working at all. And you’ve never had a sprinkler system before. Who do you call? Ask your agent for recommendations – chances are they’ll have an answer for you quickly and they’ll be happy to help. SPOILER ALERT: Real estate agents are natural helpers. It’s an innate behavior and skill they thrive on. They’ll be so happy you called!
A resource for life not just the transaction. Though the official real estate transaction may seem like the natural end of the relationship, that’s not really the case for Coldwell Banker Vanguard agents and their customers. To be the most knowledgeable professionals in the market, agents need to be in the know. And when you know your community, you can provide the best information no matter the topic. In fact, one of our agents recently shared with us that he knew a customer was pregnant before her husband did; turns out she was new to the area and needed a recommendation for a doctor. Her agent had recently become a dad, so he knew exactly who to refer her to. How’s that for being a resource?
Help manage emotions. Buying or selling a home can be an emotional process for the entire family. To you, it’s more than a real estate transaction – and often times that may cloud the decision-making process. A great real estate agent will help you navigate those feelings – help separate business decisions from emotional ones – and keep you on course.
Where passion meets purpose.
Coldwell Banker Vanguard associates continue to lead the way by supporting numerous organizations and hometown heroes through acts of kindness and cash grants.
In August, Fleming Island/ Oakleaf CBV Cares donated to Fleming Island’s “The Island Theatre,” which provides theatre education to all ages and enrich the culture of the community. These funds will go toward production expenses for “The Lion King Jr” Youth Workshop to benefit students from all over Clay County. By offsetting these production costs, more funds are available for scholarships to allow more students to participate and benefit from these experiences. Town Center CBV Cares recently raised more than $1,000 for Liam Lives Foundation to fulfill its financial commitment to purchase a Cuddle Cot for a local hospital. Cuddle Cots help families who have lost a newborn by giving them a little more time with their infant. The Town Center office also collected and donated school supplies for BOATT, Inc. (Blessing Others All The Time), which helps provide necessities year-round to those in under-served communities. Are you familiar with Amazon Smile? CBV Cares is a registered participant with Amazon Smile, a program that donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products (same pricing) to the charity of your choice. All you have to do is start your Amazon shopping from this link: smile. amazon.com, be sure you select CBV Cares as your charitable organization and Amazon does the rest!
Thank you to our customers,
Did you know more U.S. households have dogs than have children? And this October, CBV Avondale will once again be hosting a Homes for Dogs event to support our local shelters and furry friends. Stay tuned to CBV’s social media channels for information on how you can find your next best friend!
CBV Cares Mandarin recently granted $1,000 to WithLove, a Jacksonville-based non-profit organization that helps children fighting cancer have as normal a childhood as possible through donations of toys, games and experiences.
, agents and staff who continue to help us change lives.
Home Gym Essentials
The best home gym is a stylish, efficient workout space that supports your healthy lifestyle. Learn what home gym essentials will create the perfect room for you to thrive, and follow these three steps to get in shape at home.
The following is a guest post from Juliet Grossman, originally published on Blue Matter, Coldwell Banker’s blog.
The best home gym is a stylish, efficient workout space that supports your healthy lifestyle. Learn which home gym essentials will create the perfect room for you to thrive. Follow these three steps if you are considering devoting part of your home to getting in shape.
1. Is a home gym for you? Before you buy your first kettlebell, take a moment to consider whether you’ll work out at home as much as you would if you joined a gym or enrolled in a class. Be realistic! Some people need the motivation of meeting the same friend at a Zumba class or the mental separation of home and workout that a commercial gym provides. If you do think a home gym suits your personality, the convenience of being able to work out on demand can’t be beat.
2. Start with a plan. The more specific your workout plans, the better. Are you interested in losing weight? Unwinding after a long workday? Becoming more flexible? Gaining endurance or muscle strength? Once you know what your goals are, you can narrow down what type of exercises you plan to do.
3. Equipment matters. There’s no substitute for having the right tools for the job. Depending on your goals, outfit your space with these home gym essentials: • Strength Training: The most traditional tools are hand-held dumbbells. Choose a variety of sizes in the weights you’ll use most frequently, such as 10, 15, and 20 pounds. Also consider kettlebells, which come in a wide variety of weights and are versatile for building strength. Resistance bands (very strong tubing) is another versatile and lightweight way to build strength. • Body-Weight Tools: Stability balls are a fantastic and inexpensive addition to a home gym. When you combine a ball with body-weight exercises (maneuvers using just your own body weight for resistance), you’ll increase core strength and balance. A bench or step is another useful tool for body-weight exercises. • Tech Tools: A TV, DVD player, computer, or tablet can be useful for working out with a virtual instructor. There are DVDs, videos, apps, and streaming services for every interest and skill level. Even if you don’t work out with a video, music can be a great motivator so don’t forget a way to listen to your favorite exercise playlist. • Stretch: A sturdy foam roller, padded mat, and adjustable strap for cool-down stretches and increasing flexibility should round out your home gym essentials. The final step to creating your ideal home gym? Always remember that this space is part of your home, so you deserve to love it. Keep it clean and make it a well-lit, bright space that will make you smile every time you step inside.
Closing Bear is a fast-paced title company that offers title insurance and closings for anyone buying or selling real estate. Simply put, Closing Bear does all the paperwork when someone buys or sells property...but they do it better than anyone else.
OUR PROMISE We will take the stress out of your transaction and your closing will be a celebration, not a relief. We will add education to each customer so that you leave your transaction knowing every detail, and not asking “what did I just sign?” We will communicate with every party in the transaction in real time, clearly, and effectively. We will work harder than any title company you’ve ever seen.
ABOUT US “Closing Bear launched in June, 2019, and has quickly become the fastest growing title company in Jacksonville. By infusing modern technology and practices into an age-old industry, Closing Bear has positioned itself as the most innovative company in its market.” —Innovate Jacksonville
Chip Lynn, CEO/Managing Attorney • Chip@ClosingBear.com • (904) 738-1672 • www.closingbear.com