Davidson Realty, Inc.

Relay for Life Video: Surfin’ for a Cure in World Golf Village!

April 11, 2011

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Posted by in Community Involvement, Videos

relay teamI can’t believe it came and went so quickly! We had a blast on Davidson’s Island – even though we were walking in 97 degree heat! Jim Davidson, President of Davidson Development, brought enough food for 200 people and Davidson agents and staff came out to walk for a great cause. We raised close to $2,500 this year, so THANK YOU to everyone who supported our team!survivor lap

Our two cancer survivors – Roberta Hicks and Davidson Agent Jock Ochiltree participated in the Survivor Lap to kick off the race at noon. It was very emotional to see all the survivors walking the first lap together. It gives me goose bumps writing about it now! 

jock robertaRelay for Life is all about the effort to create more birthdays – celebrate, remember, fight back. The American Cancer Society did a wonderful job organizing the event and people were laughing, playing, and having a great time. We were surrounded by energy and fun! They had bands play, a 6 year old Elvis impersonator, a DJ, belly dancers, and a scavenger hunt. Teams were selling everything from cake pops to full meals. There were chance drawings for awesome gift certificates everywhere you looked!luminarias

Around 9 pm, the American Cancer Society committee members lined the track with luminarias with names of those that lost their battle with cancer. It was very hard to take that lap as a team, but it gives you hope that one day people will not have to hear those dreadful words “you have cancer” any more.

World Golf Village’s Relay for Life exceeded their financial goal with $45,000 raised and we know next year will be even better! Please enjoy the video of our 18 hour journey at Relay for Life.

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Have you thought about a career in real estate?

April 7, 2011

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Posted by in Events, News

Logo-Red-thumbTonight is our first of three career opportunity events and we are very excited to meet new potential Jacksonville Realtors! Are you self motivated? Do you enjoy talking to people? Are you outgoing? If you answered yes and are looking for a career with a flexible schedule then come learn about starting your new real estate career with Davidson Realty!

Davidson Realty President Sherry Davidson will explain the process and expenses to jump starting your new career. She will be joined by seasoned agent, Mirtha Barzaga and newer agent, Michelle Santorelli to share their individual experiences with you. They will be able to give you great insight into the life of a successful realtor. Not to mention, you can pick their brains on how they juggle life and real estate.

Tonight we will enjoy wine, eat some good food, and talk real estate from 6:30 – 8 pm. We know this time won’t work for everyone interested, so if you miss it make sure to join us for either of the next two events in April:

                                                         April 15th: a Davidson company cookout at noon
                                                         April 22nd: 9 am breakfast

These events are planned to be very casual and to just open the floor for your questions and concerns. It’s a “no pressure” way to learn more about selling Northeast Florida real estate. If none of these dates and times work for you, be sure to contact Sherry Davidson at SDavidson@DavidsonRealtyInc.Com and she will be able to answer any of your questions.

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Jacksonville FL Real Estate Trends in February

March 30, 2011

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Posted by in Uncategorized

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better start running. ~African proverb

I thought you might enjoy this proverb. It seems to describe most of us in the real estate industry these days. We are seeing a lot more buyer activity this spring and seem to be running hard every day!

I continue to be encouraged by the real estate market activity we are seeing. There were 1,525 pending sales in February 2011 compared to 1,377 in February 2010 for a 10.7% increase.  February 2009 pending sales were 1,001 so you can see steady improvement.

As you know, I pay the most attention to closings because it is so hard these days to get a transaction to close. Closings are showing the same encouraging trends as pending sales. There were 1,156 closings in February compared to 1,024 closings in February 2010 for a 12.9% increase. There were 873 closings in February 2009.

The trends for prices are not as positive. I believe this is mainly due to the amount of distressed closings. Sixty percent of all closings reported in February 2011 were lender-mediated meaning a foreclosure or a short sale. This is the highest percentage we have seen. The number of traditional closings in February 2011 was down 22% from February 2010 but the lender mediated closings were up 61%. The median sales price of the traditional sales of $165,000 was up 1.9% over February 2010 and the lender-mediated sales price of $82,900 was down 24.2% when compared to February 2010. Read more

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Top 10 Concerns When Renting Your Property

March 28, 2011

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Posted by in Rentals

Managing rental property is easy, even I can do it! Or can you? Legally you as an owner can manage your own rental property and save the management fees, but is this the best decision? Here are the top 10 concerns or situations to think about.

1. Who will prepare the lease? An attorney may charge you $100 or more to prepare it. You, of course, can use the services of a Property Management Company to secure a tenant for you. They will do this for a fee, which will include the lease.

2. If you do not use a Property Management Company to get the tenant then how will you “check them out?”

3. In the event the tenants don’t pay the rent on time or at all, can you “chase” them for it? Do you know the procedures and the Florida Laws for eviction?

4. If the rent is late you will be the one to confront the tenants for the late fees.

5. If you are managing the property, the tenant has access to you 24/7. Do you want to be contacted at all hours for even the most minor repairs?

6. What happens when a repair is really needed? Do you have a list of craftsman that you have investigated as to their competency, response time and fairness of fees? Read more

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Ask Sherry: Real Estate Questions Answered!

March 25, 2011

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Posted by in Uncategorized

This month on the Davidson Realty Facebook Page we asked if anyone had any real estate related questions for Davidson Realty President Sherry Davidson. Sherry has over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry and is more than happy to answer your questions!

“I was laid off about six months ago and am looking for a new career. I saw you were having a Career Opportunity event in April, but I am out of town that week. Would you mind sharing what traits make a great Realtor and how much it would cost to get started? Funds are pretty tight right now…”

We are actually having three Career Opportunity events in April. There is a happy hour on April 7th at 6:30 PM, a lunch on April 15th at noon and a breakfast on April 22nd at 9:00 AM. I would love to see you at one of our events. The traits that make a great Realtor are:
1. Loves people. Is warm and friendly.
2. Has an entrepreneur spirit. Is a previous business owner or has a desire to have one.
3. Is willing to do whatever it takes to start their own business.
4. Is a problem solver. Is resourceful.
5. Is professional.
6. Is goal-oriented.
7. Is full-time and serious about making their job a #1 priority.
8. Is willing to go the extra mile and put the hours in!
9. Is computer literate.
10. Is trustworthy.
11. Is customer service-oriented.
12. Is resilient and has the ability to recover quickly from adverse situations.
13. Is a team player.

The cost to get started in a real estate career will vary depending on the firm you select. The first expense will be to get your real estate license. You can take the pre-licensing course online or attend class. The cost varies from $150 to $400.  You will also have to pay for fingerprinting, application and testing fees to take the State of Florida exam, which is approximately $100. After you are licensed, the largest expense will be joining the local real estate association. To join the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors and the MLS will be approximately $1,500. The fees are pro-rated depending on what month you join. With Davidson Realty, that is your only expense initially. You must be prepared to wait a few months to receive your first commission check. As you can see, the cost to get started in a real estate career is approximately $2,000.

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