GroveWood has a sense of arrival that feels like a warm hug for residents of this King & Bear community in World Golf Village. Traveling the serene four miles from the King & Bear entrance to the “Welcome to GroveWood” sign is the perfect way to relax after a long day at work. As a GroveWood resident myself, I know first hand that as you take in the community’s natural beauty, you find yourself unwinding and feeling calm and centered. Come along with me and Davidson Realty’s new construction expert, Jennifer Todd, as we explore the family-friendly streets and the buzz of new home construction in GroveWood.
We recently stopped by Advantage Home Builders’ exquisite new model in Las Calinas to hear about their flourishing business and what sets them apart from their competition. After meeting President of Advantage Home Builders, Doug Griesemer, it was obvious why they have been so successful in Northeast Florida. They stay true to their core values and believe it is the reason for their rapid success. From one community and 20 homes closed in their first year of business, to an expansion to 11 communities, 106 homes closed and seven furnished models in 2012, they are growing and prospering!
When my husband and I were house hunting for a home in Jacksonville some years back, we started to notice a trend. The cleanest houses always made it to the top of our list! Shortly after when we decided to rent out our home in Louisiana and become landlords for the first time, the tenant we chose won us over when she proudly announced, “I’m a clean freak!”. We knew that she would help protect the value of our biggest investment – our home. Recently when I asked several Davidson Realty Agents, each and every one of them confirmed what I suspected all along: Clean homes show better, sell faster and command higher prices.
The singer/songwriter, Joe South, famously recorded the song, Walk a Mile in My Shoes. The commonly used refrain about “walking a mile in my shoes” refers to being non-judgmental of others. Humorously, it is often extended to “before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes – then when you do criticize that person, you’ll be a mile away and have his shoes”. Some say that research shows the sentiment is rooted in old, Cherokee Indian, native-American wisdom. It remains wonderful advice – “don’t judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes”.
Since our last visit to Mile Marker Brewery, the brew masters have added some great new unique beers on tap, entertainment, and BBQ for everyone to enjoy. As one of the fastest growing breweries in America’s oldest city, Mile Marker truly has exceeded all expectations in craft brewing and excellent service.
Let’s begin with the most important thing about Mile Marker…the beer! Since our last video, the brew masters have been working extremely hard to create one-of-a-kind beers that are like none other out there. The one I was most excited about was the double brewed IPA, known as the 215 Imperial IPA. If you are an IPA person like yours truly, you will enjoy this. The 215 is in reference to the Kennedy Space Center’s exit and the rebel spacecraft on the tap is there because they used both Millennium and Falconer Flight Hops. Another stand out was the Ginger Ale. A very smooth beer with hints of ginger amongst it, this is a great dinner beer, especially if you have a nice sushi roll to go along with it. The other two that are new since our last video are the Pecan Brown Ale and the Coconut Porter. Both are very flavorful, smooth and if you like a darker beer they are right up your alley.
Our final video in the three-step process of building your dream home with Arthur Rutenberg Homes showcases the construction process with builder Mark Refosco. Fortunately, we were able to visit two very special homes currently under construction in World Golf Village’s King & Bear neighborhood, so you can see the high quality and attention-to-detail Rutenberg delivers.
Mark explains, “You dream, we build” and that’s exactly what they do! One family from northern Pennsylvania chose sunny Northeast Florida for relocation to escape the cold. As you can see in our video, the weather in February was pretty perfect! The Pennsylvania family took the Mediterranean style plan from the model home we saw on our first video and customized the plan choosing a French Country elevation. They customized the kitchen layout and the owner is working with her cabinet specialist from up north to make her dream kitchen come to life!
Last month, we shared the first step of building a custom home with Arthur Rutenberg Homes. We took you on a tour of Arthur Rutenberg’s incredible model in Ponte Vedra, FL where we picked our floor plan and explored the model home to better understand the high level of finishes and options that come with a new home by Arthur Rutenberg. Now it’s time for the next step in building your Arthur Rutenberg home, visiting the inspiring design center, where you pick all your options for your new home!
In the design center, you begin by selecting materials for the exterior of our home to get the exact look you want. The savvy Arthur Rutenberg designers work with you to choose everything for your exterior space like material for your roof: maybe Mediterranean-style tile? Then there’s the choice of stucco finishes, veneers, stone and other exterior options, and don’t forget about pavers for the driveway and maybe for the patio too.
Most people consider Arthur Rutenberg Homes to be in a class all their own. The quality they produce is rarely matched! That’s why we were thrilled to have Rutenberg Homes builder Mark Refosco take us along for the three-step process of building a one-of-a-kind custom home with Arthur Rutenberg Homes.
As you see in the video, the process starts with visiting their model home in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Homebuyers browse the Design Collection portfolio featuring about 80 floorplans to get an idea of what plan best fits their wants and needs. You also have the option of having a custom design plan created exclusively for you. Once you choose a floorplan, the fun part starts – focusing on the details!
It can be a challenge to stay patient when selling your home. But Davidson Realty pros say if your home has been on the market more than three months without any serious offers, it’s a sign something is off. Here are four caution signs our Jacksonville and St. Augustine realtors watch for when selling a home.
No showings: Typically a home buyer will look at 10-15 homes before choosing a home. Too few or no showings, is a pretty clear sign that buyers may be rejecting your home based on price from the moment they see the listing.
No offers: If buyers are viewing your home yet you receive no offers, this can be a sign that buyers may not be rejecting the price but the home itself. This is when it’s time to consult your Realtor to find out buyers’ concerns with your home so issues can be fixed as soon as possible. Alternatively, sellers may provide an allowance to buyers so they can fix problems after a sale.
I love beer…most any kind of beer, so you can imagine I was extremely excited to hear that we now have a brewery right around the corner from our St. Augustine golf course community. Mile Marker Brewing is located right off SR 16 near the outlet malls. What that means to me is no more driving to Jacksonville Beach for delicious microbrews. Now, the delicious microbrews have come to me!
Mile Marker currently has five beers on tap – Mile Marker Zero (Key West Kölsch-style Ale), Mile Marker 1565 (Red Ale), Mile Marker 82 (Islamorada IPA), Ben’s Too Peachy (Kölsch-style Ale with peach), and a honey ale (Kölsch-style Ale with honey). They have a Pecan Brown Ale and an Oatmeal Stout brewing which will be ready to serve in the next couple of weeks.
When my husband and I were house hunting for a home in Jacksonville some years back, we started to notice a trend. The cleanest houses always made it to the top of our list! Shortly after when we decided to rent out our home in Louisiana and become landlords for the first time, the tenant we chose won us over when she proudly announced, “I’m a clean freak!”. We knew that she would help protect the value of our biggest investment – our home. Recently when I asked several 
The singer/songwriter, Joe South, famously recorded the song, Walk a Mile in My Shoes. The commonly used refrain about “walking a mile in my shoes” refers to being non-judgmental of others. Humorously, it is often extended to “before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes – then when you do criticize that person, you’ll be a mile away and have his shoes”. Some say that research shows the sentiment is rooted in old, Cherokee Indian, native-American wisdom. It remains wonderful advice – “don’t judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes”. 
Last month, we shared the 
In the design center, you begin by selecting materials for the exterior of our home to get the exact look you want. The savvy Arthur Rutenberg designers work with you to choose everything for your exterior space like material for your roof: maybe Mediterranean-style tile? Then there’s the choice of stucco finishes, veneers, stone and other exterior options, and don’t forget about pavers for the driveway and maybe for the patio too. 
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