Lisa Barton

Major lenders including Bank of America, GMAC Mortgage, and JPMorgan Chase are suspending foreclosures in 23 states where judicial approval is needed. The banks are also asking Fannie Mae to delay the sale of the foreclosed homes whose loans were sold on the secondary market.

This Monday (October 18), the St. Johns County School District Superintendent, Dr. Joyner, will be speaking to parents and community members about amendments that will be on the November 2 General Election ballot. This town hall type meeting will be held in the Landrum Middle School auditorium. Dr. Joiner will be discussing how the upcoming amendments will effect the St. Johns County public schools. The meeting will begin with a meet & greet from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm and then Dr. Joyner will begin the meeting promptly at 7:00 pm with a Q&A session following his presentation. Landrum Middle School is located in Ponte Vedra Beach. For more information you can call the school directly at (904)547-8410.

A recent article in the Ponte Vedra Recorder described Nocatee’s PARC Group’s commitment to preservation. More than 60% of Nocatee land has been set aside and will be permanently protected.  It includes more than 5,ooo acres of environmentally sensitive land.

The first of four new coach home buildings is complete in Laterra Links in the King & Bear neighborhood of World Golf Village.  The new building includes two Pebble Beach and Pinehurst homes with high-end features and upscale finishes according to the Florida Times Union.

Toll Brothers, the national leader in luxury home building, announced the coming addition of two new designer decorated model homes in Coastal Oaks at Nocatee in the Florida Times Union last week.  These models will be the Westin Mediterranean and the Rinaldi Bordeaux and will be open for viewing in the spring of 2011.

An article by Steve Patterson in The Florida Times Union reported that conservation could be a relatively inexpensive way to ease the pressure utility companies are facing in finding new water resources.  Through wide-spread conservation efforts, up to 50% of new water needs for the next 20 years could be met according to the St. John’s River Water Management District’s estimates. 

Luxury home sales are rising according to Christian Conte in the Jacksonville Business Journal.  Several key factors are indicated including:

• The belief that the market is close to or as low as it is going to go,
• Historically low interest rates,
• Access to homes that were beyond reach in past years, and
• The easing of restrictions by some banks for jumbo loans (amounts more than $417,000).

The Ponte Vedra Beach Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Chamber After Hours this evening, August 25th, at the Nocatee Community Center.  This free event for members and first time guests will have food, drinks, and fun starting at 5:30 p.m.

Can emergency responders (ambulance, firefighters, police) find your home in a crisis? Hopefully you’ll never need to make a distress call, but if you do it’s critical that the appropriate help can find you. When dispatched to a home or business, responders rely upon a clearly visible, large, unobstructed address display to find the right house or business. Address numbers should be prominent and contrast with the immediate background, such as black on white or white on black. The numbers should not be covered by trees, shrubbery or other obstructions. The same is true for street signage.

Now’s the time to buy a new house - real estate is becoming a popular method of investing again. I just read an interesting article in the National Association of Realtors’ newsletter. At this point in the year, stocks are up 50 percent from the March 2009 bottom. According to Michael Murphy, editor of the New World Investor stock newsletter, the only asset class left in the cellar is real estate. Mr. Murphy and other investors are encouraging their clients to purchase real estate as part of their financial portfolio. Here’s the gist of the article:

• Desperate sellers: Both home owners and lenders are eager to unload a flood of foreclosed and underwater properties. Buyers with the patience to push through these complex deals can save a bundle.
• Little competition. Because most people don’t have what it takes to negotiate their way through short sales and REOs, patient investors are winners.
• Low rates. Mortgage rates are at their lowest level in 40 years. If you believe inflation is inevitable, lock in now.