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Grace Hughes
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Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners
Jacksonville, FL

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Posts Tagged ‘Jacksonville Beach First Time Home Buyers’

Free and Easy Fix-ups To Sell Your Home in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Monday, March 15th, 2010

If you put your home on the market without preparing it for sale, you may have a long wait.  You also may not realize your home’s greatest return on investment.  Here are a few tips to get you started toward selling that home:

1.  Spruce up all around the home.  Keep the lawn and shrubbery trimmed and free of bicycles and other clutter.

2.  Keep the garden beds weeded and mulched.

3.  Put a flowering pot on the front step and keep it watered and trimmed.

4.  Fill potholes in your driveway and tidy up walkways.

5.  Clean off your outdoor furniture; remove any rust or toss out the rusted items.

6.  Clear out the garage of everything but cars.  If yours has become a two-car attic, throw out the excess.

7.  Straighten gutters, the mailbox, the fence and other things that sag.

8.  Fix doorbells, tighten loose doorknobs, and oil squeaking hinges.

9.  Repair broken windows and shutters.

Hope this will help you get started.  I’ll address some ideas for the inside of your home with my next blog entry.

If you would like some suggestions and you are not sure where to put your time and money, feel free to give me a call and I’ll be happy to make some suggestions.  My email is gracehughesjax@gmail.com or feel free to call at 904-233-1341.  My web site where you can find all homes listed for sale in the Northeast Florida Multi-Listing Service is: www.FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com.

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Posted in Selling Your Home | No Comments »

Should You Own or Rent A Home In Jacksonville & Jacksonville Beach, Florida at This Time?

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Being an optimistic individual one would like to say owning may be the better choice as compared to renting right now.  So why is buying a home in Jacksonville Beach, Florida good now as opposed to last year 2009?  The market may be going up as opposed to going down.  One doesn’t want to buy in a sluggish market, if they can help it.  A buyer could loose money if the value drops after purchasing below that of the price originally paid.

According to Northeast Florida Association of Realtors the number of homes under contract rose for nice consecutive months in 2009 and the housing market in 2010 is virtually guaranteed to be better than that of 2009.   One of the reasons is the extension of the first time home buyer tax credit of $8,500 which was originally set to expire in late November of 2009.  Another reason is there was an addition of a move-up buyer tax credit of $6,500 for those buyers that have lived in their current homes longer than five years.

A third factor that could support stronger sales in 2010 is better mortgage rates for jumbo loans.  There had been a disproportionate increase in the inventory of higher price range homes (over a million dollars) from 2007 and 2008.  The average rate for a 30-yr fixed rate jumbo and FHA  loan fell from 143 basis points in January 2009 to 71 basis points in December of 2009.

With improved FHA and jumbo rates and some absorption of the jumbo priced homes this could be the time to make that planned home purchase whether you are a First Time Home Buyer or a Million Dollar Home Buyer.   Now could be the bottom of the real estate market in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach, Florida.  If you are considering entering the real estate market in this area, call or email me with your home buying criteria and you can make that decision based on Jacksonville, Florida real estate market data.  I will be glad to  forward this data to you.    My email is: gracehughesjax@gmail.com.  Homes For Sale and on the market listed with the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors can be assessed through my web site at: www.FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com.  Go to the Property Search page.

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Posted in Buying a Home | 3 Comments »

How Can I Find Out What Homes Are Selling For In A Given Neighborhood?

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Home sales are a matter of public record. You can get all the information you want about recent sales, including prices and time on the market, by asking your Realtor.  This is valuable information when buying or selling a home.

If you’re interested in a particular home, we will be able to provide you with a list of comparable sale prices of homes in your area that are roughly the same size and age as the home you’re considering. If there are no homes FOR SALE in your neighborhood, the Realtor can give you advise regarding the way to determine the price.  .  .

Although there will certainly be some differences between the homes…the house next door may have an extra bedroom, or the one down the block may be older than the one you’re looking at…it’s a good way to evaluate the sellers asking price.

If you are considering buying or selling a home, call me Direct at 904-233-1341 and I’ll see how I can help, or send a quick email to: gracehughesjax@gmail.com. You can go to my web site where you can find any home listed in our five county Multi-Listing Service, including Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Amelia Island, and Fernandina Beach at www.FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com.  Go to the Property Search Page.

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Posted in Buy a House | No Comments »

You Could Loose Thousands If You Don’t Know What to Inspect When BUYING A HOME

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

WHAT DOES A HOME INSPECTOR DO? For your own safety, and to make sure you’re not going to have any surprise repair expenses when you buy a home, using a professional home inspector is highly recommended.

A home inspector will check a home’s plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical systems, plus look for structural problems, check the basement and roof for water leakage, and look at the exterior and interior finishes throughout the property.

So before you sign any written offer to buy a home, make sure that it includes an inspection clause or other language that says that your offer is conditional upon having a satisfactory home inspection.  A seller may be willing to renegotiate a price to accommodate needed repairs, or you may decide that the home will take too much work and money.  A professional inspection will help you make a clear-headed decision before you buy a home.

Plus, you can get answers to many questions and tips for maintenance and a lot of general information that will help you after you buy the home.   Most important, you’ll see the home through the eyes of an objective third party before you buy.

Items on your inspection report should include…

- FOUNDATIONS, BASEMENTS, AND STRUCTURES
Basement floor and walls, proper drainage and ventilation, evidence of water seepage.

- EXTERIOR SIDING, WINDOWS, DOORS
Exterior walls, windows, and doors; porches, decks, and balconies; garage.

- ROOF
Roof type and material, condition of gutters and downspouts.

- INTERIOR PLUMBING SYSTEM
Hot and cold water systems; the waste system and sewage disposal; water pressure and flow; and hot water equipment.

- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Type of service, the number of circuits, type of protection, outlet grounding, and the load balance.

- CENTRAL HEATING & COOLING SYSTEM
Energy sources, heating equipment, age, capacity, and distribution.

- INTERIOR WALLS, CEILINGS, FLOORS, WINDOWS, AND DOORS
Wall, floors, ceilings, stairways, cabinets, and countertops

- STRUCTURAL, INSULATION, AND VENTILATION INFORMATION

- FIREPLACE
Notes about the chimney, damper, and masonry and cleaning.

- GARAGE
Doors, walls, floor, opener.

- APPLIANCES
Including a wide range of built-in and other home appliances, smoke detectors and television/cable hookups.

- LOT AND LANDSCAPING
Ground slope away from foundation, condition of walks, steps, driveway.

Are there any other inspections I need to have done before buying a home? In addition to the overall inspection, depending upon the neighborhood where you’re buying, you may wish to have a separate test conducted to check for termites and radon gas.

If you need the assistance of someone that has experience working with Inspectors and home owners, feel free to email me at gracehughesjax@gmail.com for assistance, or my direct line is 904-233-1341.  Or if there is other critical information you need to know, feel free to give me a call for a free consultation.

My web site where you can find any home listed in the Northeast Florida MLS is located at the following link: www.FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com.  Go to the Property Search page.

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Posted in Buying a Home | 1 Comment »

First Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit For Military Personnel, Foreign Service. Intelligence Officers Extended

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

The House of Representatives voted unanimously to extend the deadline for the First Time Home Buyers’ tax credit for one group of Americans so far.   HR 3590 will allow eligible military personnel and foreign service and intelligence officers to apply for the $8,000 tax credit for one year beyond its current November 30 deadline. Those meeting the underlying requirements for the credit must also be serving overseas or have spent at least 90 days deployed outside of the country during the current calendar year.  It is expected that about 350,000 military personnel and an unknown number of federal employees may be affected by the new law.

The bill was introduced by Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) because it was thought that families serving overseas were being passed over for this one-time opportunity to  purchase a home.  It passed the House with 416 votes and 16 abstentions.

So if you are military personnel, foreign service or an intelligence officer on your way to Jacksonville Beach or Jacksonville, Florida area, the Atlantic, Neptune or Ponte Vedra Beach areas, after having been deployed,  and are planning to purchase your first home (or you haven’t purchased within the last three years) between now and November 30, 2010;  give me a call,  or send a quick email.  I’ll be honoured to work with you, and I can give you information about how to claim up to 10% of the cost of your home, up to $8,000,  as a First Time Home Buyer tax credit.

My web site where you can find homes in the area is www.FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com.  Go to the Property Search Page.  It will take you to a map of Jacksonville where you can choose the area you prefer.  To send me an email: gracehughesjax@gmail.com.

My blog is: http://inside-real-estate.com/jacksonville-beach-fl.  I cover most areas of Jacksonville and the beaches and will make recommendations about all six counties.  Call with questions Direct at 904-233-1341.

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Posted in First Time Home Buyer | 2 Comments »

There is No Bell at the Bottom! However Jacksonville & Jacksonville Beach, Florida Home Sales Could Be There!

Monday, September 7th, 2009

I have used this phrase to emphasize a point. The point being how often someone tells me about the one home they didn’t purchase when they had a chance; the home they wished they had purchased due to it’s current “much higher” value!  Unfortunately we will not hear a bell and the government can not say, or know,  when we reach the bottom of the real estate market in Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville Beach, or anywhere else.  However,  if you have been considering purchasing that single-family home, condominium, second home, or, you are a first time home buyer, and you are interested in this data for this very reason, please find it below.  This area and the State of Florida data is compelling, and so makes me think the bell should possibly be shined up a bit…so here you are:

State of Florida Home Sales 7/09  Compared to 7/08  + 28% Jacksonville Florida Home Sales +16% Same Period

Other areas and cities:     Daytona Beach+20%   Ft Lauderdale+35%   Ft Myers+137%   Ft Pierce+27%   Ft Walton Beach+15%   Lakewood+14%   Melbourne+14%   Miami+54%   Ocala+63%   Orlando+38%   Panama City+15%   Tampa+21%

Average Interest Rate Ending period Sept 3, 2009:  30 yr Fixed - 5.08% Freddie Mae

Low mortgage rates are helping to keep housing affordable, according to government housing VP and chief economist, Frank Mothaft.   Seven of the top eight most affordable months for purchasing a home have occurred during the last twelve months, with the Most Affordable months being tracked since 1971!  As a result, pending sales of existing homes rose for the sixth straight month in July of this year, and July sales were the strongest since June 2007.   Call me with any questions about property, homes or financing.

All Single-Family Homes and Condominiums Available in the MLS, as well as Short Sales and Foreclosures are available on my web site at: http://FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com.  My email is: gracehughesjax@gmail.com.  My Direct contact number is 904-233-1341 with questions.

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Posted in Bottom of Real Estate Market, Buy Condominium, Buy a House, Condos, First Time, First Time Home Buyer, Homes, Housing Affordable, Low mortgage rates, Pending Home sales in Jacksonville Florida, Property Investment, Real Estate, Real Estate Agent, State of Florida Home Sales | No Comments »

1st Time Home Buyer Deadline Free Money-Must Close by Nov 30,2009

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

THE DOWNPAYMENT ASSISTANCE OR TAX CREDIT FOR “FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS” DEADLINE IS FAST APPROACHING!

Thinking about buying your first home!  Act today and the Federal Government will give you free money in the form of a tax credit or down payment!  As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S housing market and address the economic challenges of our nation, Congress passed legislation that grants a tax credit to “First Time Home Buyers” up to $8,000, if you purchase that home… soon!  So if you are looking in the Beaches area of Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach or Jacksonville Beach, it’s time to purchase that home.  Let me tell you how!

You have until Nov 30, THAT’S NOVERBER 30TH, 2009 to arrange financing, look at homes, make an offer, purchase the home, and close the transaction.  To qualify as a “first time home buyer”, the buyer or his or her spouse may not have owned a home during the three years prior to purchasing the home.  This “first time home buyer” credit applies to single-family homes, condos, townhomes and co-ops.

The maximum allowable credit is $8,000 and is determined by two factors:

One: The buyer’s income – Single buyers with income up to $75,000, and married couples with an income up to $150,000.

Two: The purchase price – The credit is equal to 10% of the purchase price of the home up to $8,000.

The credit is reduced if your income exceeds these limits; however, there is a credit.  Check with your accountant to learn the exact amount.  The buyer does not need to repay the credit, if she/or he occupies the home for three years or more.  However, if the property is sold during the three year period, the credit will be recouped on the sale.

Call or email me to get started toward making that home buying purchase! You can also go to my web site to search for homes in the Greater Jacksonville MLS area, including Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach and Neptune Beach.

My email is: gracehughesjax@gmail.com.  All MLS Listings and homes for sale: http://FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com Call me at 904-233-1341

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Posted in First Time Home Buyer | No Comments »

Latest News from HUD: First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Can Be Used to Pay Closing Costs

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

Under guidance of FHA approved lenders bridge loans can now be developed so First Time Home Buyers can use this money to pay closing costs, buy down their interest rate, or pay a larger than required down payment. This information is from Realtor.org. The tax credit can not be used to pay the minimum down payment of 3.5% required by FHA, however, one can get a gift from a relative or interested party to pay the 3.5% required, then apply the $8,000 tax credit to make an additional down payment, if they wish. Since this breaking news many are considering using the credit to pay the closing costs, if they have the minimum down payment.

The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit was enacted earlier this year to help encourage households to enter the housing market while interest rates are low and affordability is high. The $8,000 credit is available to households that haven’t owned a home in at least three years and does not have to be repaid. It is fully reimbursable so households can get the credit in the form of a payment.

The tax credit dollar amount decreases for single buyer’s earning more than $75,000 and up. For home buyers filing jointly it decreases from $150,000 and up. The buyer does not need to repay the tax credit, if he or she occupies the home for three years or more. However, if the property is sold during the three-year period , the credit will be recouped on the sale.

You will find many affordable homes on my web site at: www.FindaPlaceWithStyleNgrace.com.  If you would like to know more about the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, please contact me at gracehughesjax@gmail.com or Call me at 904-233-1341.  I am not an accountant, however, I can put you in touch with the people that can make it happen, if you qualify.

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Posted in Buy Condominium, Buy a House, Condos, First Time, Homes, Housing Market, Questions and Answers, Real Estate, Real Estate Agent, Tax Credit | No Comments »

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