Lisa Barton

Here's a quick summary of the Turtleback Crossing neighborhood in Sawgrass Players Club. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

• Neighborhood: Turtleback Crossing
• Nearest Major Intersection:  Solano and TPC Parkway
• Gated: Yes
• Clubhouse: The Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club (formerly known as Oakbridge Country Club) has tennis, a pool, golf, and dining. You must be a member or a member guest to access these facilities.  Only a few blocks away is the TPC Clubhouse which is open to the public. There are a variety of membership categories available depending on how much you want to play golf.
• How Many Homes: Turtleback Crossing has 91 residences.
• Size Range: These townhouses range in size from approximately 1,400 to 1,600 square feet.
• Pedestrian-Friendly: Yes, very.
• Recreation: There is a very large playground with basketball courts, soccer fields, jungle gym, walking trails and covered picnic tables in Oakbridge. 
• Nearest Grocery Store: Publix, Winn Dixie, and Fresh Market are all close.
• LB’s Favorite Neighborhood Feature:  These nicely maintained townhomes have one car garages.
• Fun Fact: Turtleback Crossing is across the street from the Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club.

Here's a quick summary of the Bermuda Court neighborhood in Sawgrass Players Club. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

• Neighborhood: Bermuda Court
• Nearest Major Intersection:  Solano and TPC Parkway
• Gated: Yes
• Clubhouse: The Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club (formerly known as Oakbridge Country Club) has tennis, a pool, golf, and dining. You must be a member or a member guest to access these facilities.  Only a few blocks away is the TPC Clubhouse which is open to the public. There are a variety of membership categories available depending on how much you want to play golf.
• How Many Homes: Bermuda Court has nearly 91 condos.
• Size Range: These are typically three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and have approximately 1,500 square feet.
• Pedestrian-Friendly: Yes, very.
• Recreation: There is a very large playground with basketball courts, soccer fields, jungle gym, walking trails and covered picnic tables in Oakbridge. 
• Nearest Grocery Store: Publix, Winn Dixie, and Fresh Market are all close.
• LB’s Favorite Neighborhood Feature:  These single story condo residences are perfect for retirees and young families.
• Fun Fact: Less than a block to the Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club.

Here's a quick summary of the Waters Edge neighborhood in Sawgrass Players Club. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

• Neighborhood: Waters Edge, part of The Coves
• Nearest Major Intersection:  Solano and TPC Parkway
• Gated: Yes
• Clubhouse: The Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club (formerly known as Oakbridge Country Club) has tennis, a pool, golf, and dining. You must be a member or a member guest to access these facilities.  Only a few blocks away is the TPC Clubhouse which is open to the public. There are a variety of membership categories available depending on how much you want to play golf.
• How Many Homes: Waters Edge has 80 residences.
• Size Range: Most homes in this neighborhood are approximately 2,000 to 3,000 square feet.
• Pedestrian-Friendly: Yes, very.
• Recreation: There is a very large playground with basketball courts, soccer fields, jungle gym, walking trails and covered picnic tables in Oakbridge. 
• Nearest Grocery Store: Publix, Winn Dixie, and Fresh Market are all close.
• LB’s Favorite Neighborhood Feature:  Many homes have spectacular water to golf views.
• Fun Fact: My son’s best friend lives in Waters Edge.

Riverwood, Del Webb's active adult community in Nocatee, is growing quickly! Their brand new clubhouse will be opening soon. If you'd like a "sneak peek" of Riverwood's Anastasia Clubhouse, stop by on June 23rd at 10:00am. Enjoy mimosas and pastries while you tour the 38,000+ sq. ft. Riverwood's brand new clubhouse, nine new model homes, and see all that the Del Webb life has to offer.

School's out!!! The last day for students who attend school in the St. Johns County Public School District is June 9th and the Marsh Landing Home Owners Association is planning a party! Marsh Landing Golf & Country Club is a beautiful neighborhood in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and residents of Marsh Landing are ready for summer vacation.

The fun starts with a bike parade at 9:30 a.m., led by OfficerShirley, from the Country Club to Fletcher Park. The party will run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with relay games (run by "The Coach" from PVPV), pony rides, balloons and face painting from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Enjoy pizza, drinks and snow cones, too.

The Duval County Property Appraiser's Office now offers an online method to apply for homestead exemption, saving homeowners time and money. Previously, new homeowners had to either visit the Appraiser's office downtown or submit applications by fax or mail with additional attachments. The intuitive application asks necessary questions based on responses. The homestead exemption is a benefit for Florida homeowners which can provide up to $50,000* off the assessed value of a home; lowering property taxes. Once in place, the homestead exemption triggers another state law which limits the increase in the property's assessed value to three percent or less per year. Qualifying homeowners who moved into their home after Jan. 1, 2011 are eligible for a 2012 exemption and may file now through the March 1, 2012 deadline. The application is available at DuvalPA.com.

*A portion of the exemption does not apply to school taxes.

Love this article in Forbes Magazine about outrageous pools and backyards. The price tags of these homes make Ponte Vedra Beach look like a bargain!

June 1st is fast approaching and that means hurricane season is almost here. If you're interested in saving money on your home insurance you may want to consider having a wind mitigation inspection.  A wind mitigation inspection can be conducted by a licensed roofing contractor and only costs about $50. The savings on insurance premiums can be substantial! For example, last month one of my buyers saved over $800 on home insurance costs because of the wind mitigation results. 

Your insurance company is required to provide discounts when your house has features that minimize damage from high winds. Those features include:

• Actual Roof Shape
• Reinforced Roof Decking
• Roof Shingle Attachment Method
• Shutter Protection Over Your Windows 
• Hurricane Straps and/or Hurricane Clips 
• Full or Partial Impact Resistant Glazing on Windows, and 
• Other Wind Resilient Construction Techniques.

According to Florida Statute 627.0629, ALL insurance companies are required to offer Florida homeowners "discounts, credits, or other rate differentials..." for particular construction techniques that help to reduce wind damage caused by hurricanes, tropical storms and other windstorms related claims.  

Living in an older home and not quite sure how to make it more energy efficient?  Consider these eco-friendly changes:

• Upgrading the air conditioning and heating systems.
• Adding tankless water heaters.
• Replacing windows with low-e windows.
• Repainting with nontoxic paints.
• Retrofitting insulated areas with energy efficient spray foam insulation.

As you are probably aware, our local real estate market continued to struggle during the first quarter of 2011. Overall, Northeast Florida experienced about an 11% decline in home sale prices when compared to the first quarter of last year. One reason for the continued decline in home values was the large number of short sales and foreclosures which have been dragging down property prices. The number of bank mediated sales for Northeast Florida continued to rise with 57% of closed transactions being distressed sales during the first quarter.

Luxury real estate sales, especially those at the beach, have improved since the worst of the market but continue to be sluggish. Over half of the properties that sold for over $1 million were located in Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach or Ponte Vedra Beach. Of the 23 homes that sold, 17% were distressed sales, demonstrating that all levels of the market have been hurt by the decline in the housing market.

On a positive note, inventory of available homes is down 21% as is the monthly supply of properties on the market. At the end of the first quarter, there was approximately nine (9) months of inventory.  This is bringing us closer to a balanced market where the supply of homes does not excessively exceed the demand for them. Pending home sales are up almost 8%. Interest rates are still at historic lows allowing people to buy more house for their money. These factors combined have led to a 12% increase in the housing affordability index, making this an ideal time to enter or invest in the real estate market.

So, what's happening at the Jacksonville Beaches?