Leading home builder Inland Homes boasted a strong finish to 2011 with the closing of 13 new homes in December in The Cascades, World Golf Village’s active adult retirement community. The company’s total closings for the year came in at 45. “Inland Homes has a high-quality and well-priced product and that was reflected in their strong numbers for the year,” said Mirtha Barzaga, Realtor with Davidson Realty. “Buyers especially love that Inland Homes come standard with an impressive list of upgrades,” added Barzaga. (more…)
Journal
January 18, 2012
Discover What De-Cluttering Will do For You!
World Golf Village resident Michelle Petrarca, owner of “U Need Me” shared some much needed de-cluttering tips after the holidays. “My motto is to improve your space, create harmony, and discover what de-cluttering can do for you,” says Petrarca.
Michelle has come to realize that the journey from chaos to order is a powerful, transformative and spiritual undertaking and that her job is to stand witness for this process. When people are finally ready to pick up the phone to contact her, they are ready to look deep into their lives and begin letting go of the items and commitments that no longer serve them and actually keep them from feeling the creativity and freedom they yearn for.
Michelle believes to start the process, you first need to ask yourself these questions:
Do you feel uncomfortable when uninvited guests visit?
Are closets, cabinets and drawers overflowing?
How many items are “homeless” in each room ?
Do you waste time looking for possessions?
Is clutter causing a stressful atmosphere in your home? (more…)
January 6, 2012
Villagio at the Renaissance Impresses with Great Italian Fare
What a delight it is to finally have an upscale Italian restaurant right here in our St. Augustine golf course community. Villagio, the new eatery in the Renaissance Resort Hotel in the heart of WGV opened on 11/11/11 and offered $11.00 wines and $11.00 entrees for three nights. The response was so overwhelming that the kitchen had difficulty keeping up with the demand, but for those who were less than enchanted during that opening, it is well worth a return visit. And if you haven’t dined there yet, you will be pleasantly surprised. The wines by the glass are generously poured and each evening, in addition to a nice wine list, they feature 3 good wines by the bottle at greatly reduced prices. The menu is diverse, and there are daily specials – such as a quail dish recently offered. (more…)
January 3, 2012
OUR MOTORING HERITAGE
Most visitors to our region recognize its natural beauty – and its relation to the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Johns River. Ours is a distinctly out-door place where recreation comes easily.
Fishing, beachcombing, surfing, hiking, biking, boating and golfing are the activities that first come to mind. But, our opportunities and choices for recreation and entertainment are world-class. Coupled with our wonderful-winter-weather and comfortable fall and spring days – the months from November through May afford uniquely memorable, motoring events.
In close proximity and easily accessed, you can satisfy your diverse interests every weekend.
Start with a visit to the Turkey Rod Run, at least once – even if you aren’t shopping for a weekend special. This show and sale is the premier east coast car event and swap meet, staged throughout the 4 day Thanksgiving weekend inside the Daytona International Speedway. Thousands of cars are displayed for both competition and sale and virtually every part you need for restoration and customizing is available. This is the place for you to buy that car of your youth or dreams. (more…)
December 28, 2011
Mark Downing with CornerStone Homes Talks Changes in the New Home Construction Industry
I had an opportunity to visit with Mark Downing from CornerStone Homes recently and thought you might enjoy his comments on the video above. We talked about the changes we are seeing in the new home industry.
When the real estate industry was booming, it was not easy to find a desirable lot in a great community at an affordable price. Today there are many lots available and the prices are amazingly affordable. Right now in the King & Bear we have 10 bank owned lots available that include a membership to the King & Bear and Slammer & Squire golf courses. We also have Developer lots available with memberships and a few lots owned by builders that could be purchased. (more…)
December 19, 2011
Pet Sitting for the Holidays
The holidays get hectic, but between shopping for presents and packing for travel we need to remember our furry friends! There are plenty of people located in or around our St. Augustine golf course community that would be happy to help take care of our feline or canine family members.
For in-home pet care, give All Ears Pet Sitting a call at 904-687-9610. Pets are more relaxed in their own environments surrounded by familiar sights, sounds, and smells. You don’t’ have to worry about dropping your animal off or picking it up. They are available for vacations, holidays, business travel, mid-day dog walking, and transportation to and from the vet and groomer. (more…)
December 16, 2011
5 Tips for Decorating for Christmas
Our friends at Interiors Revitalized were willing to give us some great tips on decorating our Jacksonville golf course homes for the holidays!
1. Choose 2 or 3 colors to decorate with.
Using two to three colors to decorate will help you achieve a professionally decorated look. Deciding on a color palate before you go shopping will make the selection process quick and easy.
2. Bring the outdoors in.
Cut fresh greenery or visit your local tree stand for cuttings. You can use them on the mantle, as garland, or as a centerpiece along with candles. The possibilities are endless! (more…)
November 21, 2011
Local Events to Celebrate the Season
When you live in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida, the holiday season is not signaled by a nip in the air but rather by something much more magical and festive. Something that lights up the night and tickles the fancy. Something that draws neighbors from Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, Julington Creek and other places both near and far. It’s the Nights of Lights of course, which turned on the switch this past weekend and set historic downtown St. Augustine a twinkle just like it has for the past 17 years. In fact its the mild winter evenings in St. Augustine that make the Nights of Lights so inviting. Strolling downtown’s cobbled streets, walking along the Matanzas Riverfront near the Bridge of Lions, browsing boutiques and enjoying the cafes under a canopy of sparkling white lights is sure to put anyone in the holiday spirit. Nights of Lights shines on St. Augustine every evening until January 31, 2012 and is a great evening outing for family and friends visiting from out of town.
Here are some other festive events happening in and around our St. Augustine golf course community: (more…)
November 8, 2011
Giving Back this Holiday Season – Wreath Making & Christmas Décor Silent Auction
It seems like everyone around our St. Augustine golf course community is always looking for ways to give back throughout the year, but especially during the holidays! There are many ways to get involved and help out in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, but we have an event happening right in our own neighborhood that we can all take part in. Davidson Realty and the Village Chiropractic Center of Florida are teaming up to bring you a very fun event that will be sure to get you in the mood for the holidays.
Come to Davidson Realty, Inc. on Thursday, December 1st at 7 pm to make your own one-of-a-kind holiday wreath and benefit the Ronald McDonald House at the same time! Interiors Revitalized will be present to help you create a beautiful, unique wreath that will become part of your holiday tradition for years to come. For $30 per person (all to Ronald McDonald House) you can create your wreath, enjoy festive drinks/snacks, and listen to Christmas music. And, don’t forget to put a bid in on one of the amazing silent auction items. (more…)
October 12, 2011
Would Your Home get the Energy Star Stamp of Approval?
To conclude our three part Energy Star series, we had Frank Cirillo from Providence Homes and Michael O’Donoughue with Jacksonville Building Science give us a behind the scenes look at the testing of Energy Star Homes. Frank explains that Providence Homes uses Michael to verify that their designs meet the Energy Star criteria before a homeowner moves in. The three tests they conduct are very interesting and important if you want to save money!
Michael tells us in the video above that these energy tests are required to insure that the homeowner has a tight house, their ducts don’t leak, and they have even distribution of air. He then demonstrates the blower door test, the duct blaster test, and the room by room load calculation with a flow hood. The blower door test detects how much air is being drawn out of the house and measures how tight the house is and the duct blaster test determines how much air is coming through the ducts in each room. The flow hood shows the air flow coming out of all the supply grills and back into the return grills, which is a unique test to Providence Homes. So, not only does Providence Homes take the time to teach us all about Energy Star they also go above and beyond with more testing for their customers! (more…)
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