Saving money in 15 minutes per week | Jacksonville.com

Saving money in 15 minutes per week | Jacksonville.com.

Saving money is what I do best…  Good article with links to printable coupons…

New entertainment complex set for St. Johns Town Center | Jacksonville.com

New entertainment complex set for St. Johns Town Center | Jacksonville.com.

Great to see this kind of news in a struggling local economy.

Developers rush to get ahead of Amendment 4

http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=228574

I suppose since I’m a Realtor that I should be opposed to Amendment 4.  At least I understand the reasons that I should be opposed to it, i.e. more political process for development and additional costs that I’m sure will ultimately be passed down the line to the end user (small business owners, consumers, etc.).

There is however a side of me that thinks a slight unveiling of project approvals wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.  Would have probably curbed the impact of our current over-development problem.  In a perfect world, every voter would understand all of the issues at hand on each particular project and we would ultimately arrive at a better result because each person is voting from this expertise.  However, I can see Edie Ousley’s point, “To force Floridians to the voting booth to cast a vote on every comp plan amendment goes against the very reason we elect local representatives to make decisions that are in the best (interest) of residents.”

Maybe a vote required on a projects over a certain $$ amount??

Signing off…

Defaults could end up being a boon

To see the full article go here:

http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=228448

The million dollar question about the foreclosure crisis is, “what happens in 4-8 years when all of the ‘foreclosees’ come back in to the marketplace?”  That is a variable that is not often talked about but should make a significant difference in demand in the coming years…

Jacksonville homeowners facing foreclosure get help | Jacksonville.com

Jacksonville homeowners facing foreclosure get help | Jacksonville.com.

Great initiative taken by the city here…  When the ship is sinking you can do one of two things: jump off and swim to shore, or patch the hole and keep on sailing…

Councilman Hyde deserves a pat on the back for this one…  The more attention paid to the foreclosure issue, the more owners you keep in their homes.  More owners in homes = stabilizing real estate market, which = an improving local economy.

Charts on the Real Estate Market

I like graphs and I like Real Estate.  Which is why the below site made my afternoon (except for the fact that some of the information is a bit depressing).

If you need some cheap entertainment and have 15 minutes to spare, check it out!

http://newobservations.net/propertys-value/

More Mortgage Aid

“Democratic lawmakers are planning to use the regulatory reform bill to revive a provision that would allow bankruptcy judges to modify a homeowner’s mortgage, including lowering the interest rate or cutting the principal owed.”

Read the full article here:  http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=228220

What ever happened to an American society that was ready for battle.  Willing to fight.  Every single day we see more in the news about bail-outs…  I understand that there are people who are in of need help, maybe even deserve help.  We are however in one of the most (if not “the most”) industrialized countries in the world.  Let’s cut our losses and keep our nose to the proverbial grindstone.  So we got lackadaisical for a few years.  Can we understand that there are repercussions for our actions.  Let’s accept the fact that we will live with less for several years and move on…

Just my opinion on a Tuesday afternoon.  Feel free to comment…

Jacksonville area foreclosures take second large summer spike | Jacksonville.com

Lots of conflicting information/data on whether the real estate market is turning around or not in Jax… Here’s the latest.

Jacksonville area foreclosures take second large summer spike | Jacksonville.com

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30-YEAR FIXED RATE FALLS TO AT LEAST A 37-YEAR LOW

Hot off the press from Freddie Mac is that rates have just gotten better. Affordability is at its best in years…

The average 30 yr fixed rate was 5.19 percent with .7 points. That’s pretty darn good!

If you’re in Jacksonville and interested in taking advantage of these historically low rates shoot me an email @ Jeff.Riber@yahoo.com or you can view properties on my website at www.JeffRiber.com

Merry Christmas!

December Update

Well it’s time to take a look at where we are and where we’re headed in the Jacksonville real estate market. Currently inventory levels aren’t looking pretty. However, Governor Crist halting foreclosures, government bail-outs, and never before seen affordability levels may make 2009 an interesting year for real estate. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This is still an excellent market for two groups of people. First-time buyers and move-up buyers. If you have questions or comments about the direction of the market I would love to hear them. Merry Christmas!