In March, 2003* the Wall Street Journal Magazine of Personal Business, Smart Money, featured a special report on how one’s home values are boosted by good landscape.
At the time, the then president-elect of the National Association of Realtors, Walt McDonald, had advised; “when people ask me how they can get strong interest in their property, I always tell them to fix up their landscaping”. Studies showed that a design-wise, landscape investment of about 5% of a home’s value would result in as much as a 150% return. In most any market or region, a home on the market at $500,000 with an extra $25,000 invested in new landscape could result in an easy 7.5% / $12,500 of additional profit.
The Smart Money article suggested four distinct ways to invest in, and enhance, your home and property values – both for your own living as well as for future sale.
First – concentrate on Curb-Appeal – everything that can be seen from the street or during the approach to your home. Curb-Appeal is enhanced through landscape beds, staggered and layered height plantings (ground covers to taller shrubs), shade and special interest trees, walkways, pedestrian and vehicular arrivals and an attention to spacing, massing, scale, framing and accenting.
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With THE PLAYERS Championship well under way at TPC at Sawgrass, now is the perfect time to get in the golfing spirit at the World Golf Hall of Fame!
Bill Murray and his five brothers opened their first restaurant in St. Augustine’s World Golf Village in 2001. The restaurant is done in golf décor and memorabilia from its namesake – Caddyshack – the movie which came out in 1980, which was written by one of Bill’s brothers, Brian Doyle-Murray. The serving staff all sport caddy attire and if you look around, you might see a gopher or two. 
There are plenty of beautiful public beaches all along the First Coast. However, as many locals will tell you, finding easy and convenient ways to access the beaches takes a little savvy. Here are the top five best places to access the beach all along the Northeast Florida coast:
We live in a very mobile society. International travel for education and leisure is now commonplace. Travel, whether spur-of-the-moment short duration trips or well-planned group or individual extended excursions are becoming the norm for families and friends. People seem to gravitate, through curiosity and inquisitiveness, to the pursuit of new experiences. For many, the acquisition of these experiences is far more satisfying than being the beneficiary of gifts and material goods.
St. Augustine’s regional history, local geography and diverse culture define, and importantly characterize – our place. Contextually, our place is far different than any other. Recognizing our context is the first step to preserving our unique attributes. We don’t need to be like everywhere else. As we grow our communities, we need to fuse the new with the old while insuring quality and originality.
If you believe in the importance of eating healthy while supporting your local farmers, and you want to experience a little local southern fare with a St. Augustine flair, you definitely have to try The Floridian restaurant located in the Spanish Quarter of downtown St. Augustine. Even Chef Emeril Lagasse will highly recommend you do so, as The Floridian was featured in an episode of the Cooking Channel’s Emeril’s Florida, which featured Farm-to-Table venues.
It is hard to believe that there was a time that the World Golf Village consisted of only a sales trailer, guard shack and burgeoning infrastructure, but Davidson Realty’s employee Judy Hagen-Kashou remembers that time well.
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