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Team Network! HOMEOWNERSHIP IN JACKSONVILLE IS STILL HEATING UP! In 2019, Jacksonville's real estate market was one of the hottest in the country, and despite the current economic climate the city remains a great place to buy in 2020!
BIL LI W EST
With average home appreciation reaching 31% over the last 10 years, Jacksonville's real estate is forecasted to increase by 1.4% in the next twelve months (according to data from March 2020)!
Branch Manager Network Funding NMLS# 306348
Diversified and Growing Economy
3521-B US Hwy 17 Fleming Island, FL 32003 (904) 269-5992 billi.west@nflp.com www.teamnetwork770.com
Leading National Trade Port
$
Low Median Home Price Projected 12-Month Appreciation of 1.4%
, With agrowing market, now is a great time to buy a home in Jacksonville! At Network Funding, we make it easy with our SIMPL APP, allowing you to apply in just 10 minutes!
A B OUT NET WORK F UND I N G : Network Funding has served the Jacksonville area for over 10 years. We value simplicity and reliability, so our team works with you personally to create the best plan for your home-ownership goals and get you home as fast as possible! Regulated by the Division of Real Estate. Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee #43541
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In Your Corner
5 REASONS TO CALL A PROFESSIONAL CLEANER
Community Property
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE’S FIRST COAST CONNECTION
Market Update
CURIOUS IF PRICES ARE UP? WHAT’S THE MARKET DOING? WE’VE GOT ANSWERS!
Feature Story
VIRTUAL REALTY IS A REALITY Virtual video tours. Live streamed Open Houses. There’s a silver lining in the real estate industry as consumers find technology and savvy marketing on their side.
CBV Cares Living Large
LEADING THE WAY IN OUR COMMUNITIES
RURAL REVOLUTION: BRINGING RUSTIC DESIGN KICKING & SCREAMING INTO THE 2020S
©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.
5 Reasons to Call a Professional Cleaner Du The value of regular cleaning and disinfecting the spaces we occupy has become more important than ever. Following the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), it’s extremely important for the safety of you, your loved ones and colleagues that you take all precautions in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The following is a guest post from Jessica Thiefels, originally published on Blue Matter, Coldwell Banker’s blog. The value of regular cleaning and disinfecting the spaces we occupy has become more important than ever. Following the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), it’s extremely important for the safety of you, your loved ones and colleagues that you take all precautions in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Regular maintenance is key to reducing the risk of infection, and hiring a professional cleaning service can help you navigate creating a safe environment. While you may not need some cleaning each and every day, or even every week, consider the following scenarios when their expertise and resources can help keep you, your family and others safe.
1. COVID Recovery and Ongoing Cleaning
If someone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19, it is critical that they stay in a quarantined room or space. As they recover, hiring a professional service to help conduct a thorough cleaning of the entire household, including their space when healthy again, will ensure that you eliminate the possibility of infection for anyone else in your home. Be clear with the cleaning company about the situation so they’re aware of the environment they’ll be in and can take extra personal precautions to keep themselves safe.
2. Water and Sewage Cleanup
Have you considered how your plumbing might also affect your health? When we think about the best cleaning and maintenance practices during a pandemic, we might only consider what’s on the surface. We may not realize that something like a sewage or plumbing incident can be just as dangerous as someone touching your countertops with unclean hands. John Sooker, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at SERVPRO, “Water in sewer backups could have viruses, bacteria and other microbes that can cause illnesses, which is the last thing any homeowner or business wants under ‘normal’ circumstances, and certainly not during the current pandemic.” If your sewage has backed up, don’t just call a plumber—call a cleaning company. Don’t let those bacteria and dangerous microbes live in your space.
3. Essential Worker Support
If you’re an essential worker clocking in extra hours and finding just enough time in the day for sleep, a professional cleaner may be a wise investment. Bacteria builds up even when we’re not in the home, and if you can’t maintain the regular cleaning required
uring C O V I D-19 during COVID-19 while working full-time, hire a professional service. You’ll stay safe and enjoy extra peace-of-mind so you can use those extra non-work hours to relax and recharge. In addition to standard cleaning needs, professional cleaners can also help identify areas in the home that need extra care. These are often places we forget to clean when completing our regular chores. For example, Prevention shares the germiest areas we touch every day: • Kitchen faucet • Cell phone • Garbage disposal • Welcome mat • Dishtowel • Vacuum Cleaner • Computer keyboard • Soap dispensers Work with a cleaning company to address these areas and create a plan for making your home a safe place to come home to.
4. Business Office, Retail and Living Space
If you own a business, you also need to consider the spaces where you and your employees work. While you can clean yourself following the guidelines, tips and information provided by the CDC, partnering with a professional cleaning service may ensure better results and keep you safe from potential infection. When hiring a cleaning company for your business space, apartment building, or other property, consider looking for a business that’s well-versed in that type of space. This ensures that not only will the space be free of germs, but that the particular needs of that specific type of space are taken into consideration. For example, an office space has more areas to be cleaned than an apartment, and the right company will be prepared to do the job well.
5. After Guests Leave
Even if your guests were healthy, if you’ve had anyone stay anywhere in your home, it’s critical that you clean the space while they’re in the home and after they leave. While you can clean during their stay, it may be wise to bring in a cleaner once they’ve gone to ensure every area of your home is safe. With recent statistics saying 25-50 percent of people with COVID don’t know they have it, even “healthy” guests pose a danger.
Call a Professional Cleaner Following the guidelines from the CDC and WHO is a great first step for keeping your home and business spaces clean. However, there are some situations when hiring a professional cleaning service is the safest option for you, your loved ones, and the other people living or coming and going to and from the area. Use these scenarios to determine whether you should bring in a cleaning crew to stay healthy during COVID.
Writers of the First Coast: Harriet Beecher S Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, spent her winters in what is now Jacksonville from 1867 to 1884. From her cottage in the town of Mandarin, she put her abolitionist views into practice and produced some of her most important writings.
Written by Bill Delaney. Originally published in The Jaxson Magazine, April 21, 2020.
Background
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 – 1896) was an internationally renowned author well before she ever set foot in Florida. Her 1851 anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a sensation, stoking the fires of the abolition movement in the years before the Civil War. Her prolific output included several more bestsellers and other works including Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp and The Minister’s Wooing. In 1867, hoping to help newly freed African Americans during Reconstruction, she established a winter residence in Northeast Florida. The move inspired some of her most significant later work and shaped public perceptions of Florida for decades.
Stowe in F lorida
Harriet Beecher Stowe and her family at their Mandarin home around 1870. Image courtesy of Florida Memory. Lithograph of Stowe in 1872. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Stowe’s connection to the First Coast began in 1866, when she purchased the former Laurel Grove plantation in Orange Park for her son Fred to farm. Fred Stowe had suffered a severe head injury while serving in the Union army during the war and subsequently suffered from alcohol and drug abuse. Stowe and her husband Calvin Ellis Stowe hoped farm life and the warm Florida climate would help their son’s rehabilitation. Stowe also intended the property to be a base for elevating Florida’s new freedmen and women. Following the advice of Frederick Douglass, she determined that education would be the best way to help, and she planned to establish schools and churches up and down the St. Johns River. She told another son, Charles Stowe, “I long to be at this work and cannot think of it without my heart burning within me.” The Laurel Grove project failed within a year, but Stowe was so enchanted by Florida that she decided to make it her permanent winter home. She bought a cottage and orange grove across the St. Johns River in Mandarin. Harriet Beecher Stowe and her family at their Mandarin home around 1870. Image courtesy of Florida Memory.
Stowe
The slow-paced lifestyle and subtropical scenery afforded ample time and inspiration for Stowe’s writing and social projects. In Mandarin she wrote Oldtown Folks, which she considered her best novel. In 1869 she bought property in Mandarin to establish a school that would educate black and white citizens alike, including children, freedmen and women, and anyone else who wanted to enroll. The Mandarin School also hosted The former Mandarin School built 1873, now the Mandarin Community Club.) church services and community meetings. It opened in 1870 only to burn down; in 1873 it reopened in a new building that remains today. The Stowe family helped established another church in Mandarin, the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour. The congregation grew out of meetings and Sunday school classes led by Stowe’s husband Calvin, and hosted in the Stowe cottage. In 1883, the Stowes helped fund a dedicated building.
Palmetto Leaves
Stowe also wrote columns about her experiences in Florida for northern newspapers, which were ultimately collected in the 1873 book Palmetto Leaves. This has a particular place in history as perhaps the first ever promotional book about Florida.
Cover of Palmetto Leaves
A travel memoir comprising essays and letters written over several years, it describes Florida’s exotic scenery and the rejuvenating effect it had on Stowe. Stowe also relates her efforts to help educate freedmen and women. Two of the essays are dedicated to describing the lives of newly freed black Floridians she had met, and the uphill struggle they faced in achieving true freedom. In the final essay, she calls on white Americans to ensure African-Americans have a stake in reconstructing Florida. The book proved hugely popular, and inspired many others to visit and invest in Florida, becoming a major catalyst for the state’s first real estate and tourism boom.
Departure and legacy
Stowe divided her time between Mandarin and New England until 1884, when advancing age made long travel untenable. She returned permanently to Connecticut, where she lived until her death in 1896. Today, Stowe is memorialized across the neighborhood of Mandarin. Her 1873 school building now serves as the Mandarin Community Club and a memorial to Stowe’s time in Florida. Plaques mark the location of her home, bulldozed in the 1940s, and the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, lost to Hurricane Dora in 1964. Historical marker memorializing the Stowe residence.
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3,107
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April 2019
$277,173
15% 11%
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$200,000 $299,999
28% 26%
$300,000 $499,999 $1,000,000+
$500,000 $900,999
Data Source: Northeast Florida Association of Realtors
Virtual Realty Is Now A Reality
When shelter-in-place orders began earlier this spring throughout the country, consumers and real estate professionals clamored for ways to continue the buying and selling process while ensuring safety and health for all parties involved. And though the technology for virtual tours and livestreaming open houses has existed for quite some time, it wasn’t until the pandemic that the industry truly began to see an uptick in video viewing and livestreaming of available properties. “Being able to see a home prior to an in-person visit is helpful in so many ways,” according to Tricia Johnson of Coldwell Banker Vanguard Fleming Island. “It can pique a buyer’s interest and confirm that the home meets their basic requirements, and an in-person tour can then be scheduled. On the flip side, it can also help a buyer rule out a home that doesn’t fit their needs, thereby helping cull the list of potential homes to visit.” A recent survey of realtor.com users found that virtual tours may be a welcome silver lining to not being able to see homes in person. The survey found: • Two thirds (64 percent) of respondents had taken a virtual tour, and of those, 45 percent prefer listings that offer virtual tours; • Sixty five percent of home buyers believe that virtual tours will continue to be a great resource in their home shopping process even after the pandemic; and • An additional 8 percent think virtual tours can be a replacement for in-person tours. When consumers were asked what they like about virtual tours, top responses include: • “They help me eliminate homes that aren’t for me.” (52 percent); • “They help me see the details of a home without having to step inside.” (43 percent); • “They help me create a shortlist of homes I want to see in person.” (38 percent) • “They allow me to see more homes more quickly, without having to drive around to open houses.” (30 percent). Though most consumers do not see virtual tours as a replacement for in-person viewings, they are an incredible marketing opportunity for sellers and agents, who have the greater advantage of online sites and social media channels to promote listings. Coldwell Banker Vanguard’s in-house marketing staff of digital specialists, designers and graphic artists was able to pivot seamlessly into an almost exclusively digital agency. With years of
experience in the digital space, the team was prepared and ready to make necessary changes to existing policies and procedures, as well as creatively produce new marketing programs and services to ensure customers in need of housing or those who needed to list, were able to continue their efforts. Video has always been an important component of marketing for Coldwell Banker Vanguard listings, and during the pandemic, it became abundantly clear we could do even more to help consumers find or sell a home. Beginning last month, all Coldwell Banker Vanguard listings receive a professional production of an exclusive Insider View video tour, which showcases the home and its primary features. This video, produced by CBV’s in-house videography team, is a walk-through tour using professional equipment; it’s not a collage of still images or a hastily produced video using a cell phone app. Our professional videographers are trained to identify the home’s best features and strategically use natural and artificial lighting to spotlight rooms and unique characteristics. The raw video is downloaded, edited and packaged to best present the home to online consumers. The video tours are then uploaded at no charge to the brokerage’s YouTube channel, Coldwell Banker websites, real estate aggregation sites like Zillow and Trulia and posted to CBV Love Our Listings Facebook page. Agents and sellers can then easily share the link with friends, families and potential customers, simplifying what can sometimes be a long and complicated process. “Virtual tours and livestreaming open houses are an incredibly valuable tool,” said Chris DeRosa of Coldwell Banker Vanguard St. Johns. “Being able to show a home to thousands of people with the click of a button on Facebook or texting the video link to potential buyers looking to move to north Florida certainly increases the chances of identifying a buyer more effectively and efficiently.” In addition to hosting Insider View video tours for agents and sellers, the YouTube channel, Coldwell Banker Vanguard Edge, also serves as an online viewing vault for all CBV Listings. When searching for your next home, or perhaps you’re looking for design ideas, be sure to visit the channel often as new tours are posted regularly. Whether you’re looking for your next home, or you’re planning to put yours on the market soon, think about video and how it can assist and improve your real estate buying and selling experience. Virtual realty – and we’re leading the way.
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.
Earlier this month, Ant Stroud of Ant Stroud Group and Patricia and Lou Orange of The Orange Group (Town Center office), provided a delicious hot lunch for healthcare workers at Mayo Clinic during National Nurses Week. Frontline workers are a vital part of our community, and we appreciate Ant, Patricia and Lou for sharing love, compassion and yummy FOOD with some incredible medical professionals.
Our Fleming Island CBV Cares Council celebrated a very special military wife and mother through our Operation Gratitude program, providing a gift basket filled with one-of-a-kind treasures and gift certificates.
The Mandarin CBV Cares Council recently gifted The Donna Foundation with a cash grant to help men and women going through breast cancer treatment.
Thank you to our customers, agents and staff who continue to help us change lives.
The Rural Revolution: Bringing Rustic
Design Kicking & Screaming Into the 2020s Rustic design can easily be fused with modern interior design principles to bring this characterful design theme well and truly into the 2020s – and we’re here to show you how.
The following is a guest post from Suhayl Laher, originally published on Blue Matter, Coldwell Banker’s blog. Suhayl Laher works at Tiles Direct, one of the UK’s largest independent tile distributors and retailers – bringing design inspiration to homeowners, architects and developers. The rustic look has long been a celebrated staple of interior design, having injected a sense of quaint yet elegant traditionalism into homes across the globe for centuries. However, this much-loved aesthetic doesn’t have to be limited to traditional farmhouses, log cabins and country cottages – far from it! Rustic design can easily be fused with modern interior design principles to bring this characterful design theme well and truly into the 2020s – and we’re here to show you how. Image courtesy of Sven Brandsma on Unsplash
Of course, the term ‘rustic’ covers a broad spectrum of design themes – from coastal and country to ski lodges and Tuscan farmhouses – but the essential elements all include natural, earthy and rugged materials and features that can be married with modern interiors with the right know-how.
Start from the floor up To achieve genuinely rustic-looking interiors, even in modern properties, it’s essential to layer the look at every given opportunity – and a sensible place to start is from the floor up. With the right flooring choices, you’ll have the perfect foundation to build on with furniture and other decorative elements – ensuring the end result is a contemporary rustic design that looks authentic but still has all the hallmarks of a modern home, regardless of the age of your property. With nature at the heart of rustic design, opting for raw materials like wood is an obvious way to lend an earthy feel to the whole room. But in the theme of giving rustic interiors a modern update, why not achieve the look of traditional hardwood floors with contemporary woodeffect tiles instead? Practical, durable and incredibly realistic, wood-look tiles deliver oodles of rustic charm without the expense and maintenance of real wood. With the added bonus of exceptional versatility, these tiles can work in almost any room of the house – from bathrooms and kitchens to bedrooms and hallways.
Layer the look on the walls
Image courtesy of Ionut Vlad on Unsplash
When you think of a rustic home, most of you will envisage exposed stone, an impressive fireplace and wooden beams on ceilings and walls, most of which aren’t integral features of a modern home. However, some savvy decor choices here can bring the desired texture and depth these typically rustic features bring with a more modern edge. One idea is to add a touch of contemporary chic with a feature wall that also embodies the rougher elements of rustic interiors, using the rugged charm of split face stone tiles to lend a more minimalistic and industrial-style look. When paired with smooth walls in neutral tones, the contrast of textures, colors and themes blurs the line between old and new – creating a space that feels homely and earthy yet quintessentially modern.
Finish with the right furnishings Speaking of furniture, your decisions here can make or break your contemporary rustic theme – as your furniture and other decorative items need to complement the raw and lived-in feel without it looking like you’ve stepped into a time warp. The key here is to find the right blend of classic and traditional styles that work well together, while also keeping the design simple. The end result will be a space that’s light and airy with a hint of nostalgia and the clean, sleek feel of modern interiors. Start by selecting a few bonafide rustic pieces that will serve as your focal points and pair them with more uniform items and modern materials like glass and metal that lend a clean and utilitarian feel. Of course, mastering a modern rustic theme is also about utilizing different textures and fabrics to evoke that sense of comfort. While traditionally, handwoven rugs and natural fabrics would be your go-to here, we suggest mixing and matching new and old to bring this aesthetic up-to-date. Think crushed velvet cushions in bright hues to inject some color into your neutral aesthetic, or a woven rug that incorporates a more on-trend pattern and palette to give your rustic interior a modern look that nonetheless celebrates the essence of rural design. Whether you live in a city apartment or a rural homestead, we hope this post provides you with all the inspiration you need to give your home that much-loved country style with a distinctly modern vibe. By focusing on making the right interior choices that strike the right balance between old and new, you can have a nature-inspired aesthetic that’s designed for the 21st century and will never go out of style.
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