The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors market statistics show we had more closings and pending sales in 2009 than in 2008. We had 14% more closings with a total of 14,381 and 25% more pending sales for the year with 15,836.

The prices continued to drop during 2009. The median price for the year 2009 was down 15%. The average price for 2009 was down 19%. The December average and median price did drop slightly from the November numbers, but I still say the prices are stabilizing in our homes in St. Augustine.

I looked at the data for the 32092 zip code which includes World Golf Village and the surrounding communities. The activity for 2008 and 2009 was about the same. There were 596 transactions for 2009.The average price for homes in the 32092 zip code was $233,370 which was approximately a 16% decrease from 2008. There has been about a 30% decrease in average sales price since the peak of the market in 2006.

The inventory levels continue to improve. We have 16% less listings available at the end of 2009 from 2008. The Housing Affordability Index is at 177 in December up from 149 last December. This is due to the low interest rates and incredible housing values.

One staggering statistic to me is the number of lender-mediated sales in December, 2009. Of all the December closings, 44.4% were short sales or foreclosure properties. Even though I am a very optimistic person, all the predictions are for this trend to continue through 2010.

If you are having trouble paying your mortgage or know someone who is, please seek out a qualified real estate professional with a Certified Distressed Property Expert designation to help you determine the best course of action. It is in everyone’s best interest to find a solution and not let a home go into foreclosure.

First, there was Davidson Development – the master developers of World Golf Village. Then, Davidson Realty was created to sell real estate in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Fl.  In 2006, Davidson Property Management was formed to manage the homes that needed to be rented and to take care of properties for investors and out-of-area owners. On October 1, Davidson Referral Network will be launched to answer the demand for an alternative for licensed real estate agents. This new realty company will provide an option for:

1. Agents that want to keep their license active, but are not going to work in the field full time.
2. Agents with an inactive license that would like to earn extra money by referring family and friends to a Davidson agent.

Regardless of which option you select, you will be able to work with us in one of two ways. Option one is you can be an agent who occasionally makes a referral. The other way will be to partner with an agent and work closely together – almost like an assistant. This provides a great way for an agent to get into the real estate business in Jacksonville without the financial commitment of starting from scratch.

Davidson Referral Network will hold quarterly events to encourage our agents to think of new ways they can generate extra income by keeping their referrals top of mind.

For information, call Karen Palmer at the Davidson Companies at (904)940-5000.