The Great Atlantic Seafood Festival is this weekend at the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jax Beach. 12 noon to 10pm, this festival features  Florida's finest seafood, fried, boiled, grilled or blackened. Music for everyone. Arts & crafts, rides and games for the whole family.  For more information, call 904/249-3972.   Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty.  She helps buyers and sellers throughout the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Greater Jacksonville, FL areas. She can be reached at 904/993-9048 or via email at carolzingone@clearwire.net 03/17/2009

Songwriters' Concert Sunday, March 8, 6-8 pm at the Adele Grage Theatre716 Ocean Blvd at 7th StreetAs usual, the event will be held inside the theater--and there is no admission charge. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. This event is brought to you by the Atlantic Beach Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee. Performers, please email or call Mike Shakelford at (904)610-7461. Prepare 2 original songs of 7-8 minutes combined maximum. Our intimate event is a wonderful way for artists to meet and for everyone to enjoy playing and listening to truly awesome talent.  Whether you write, sing, play or simply enjoy good music, plan on being with us. Our musical host, Mike Shackelford and his fellow talented performers from our region will once again transform the Atlantic Beach Theater into a mag... 03/06/2009

Here are the February 2009 stats and February 2008 for comparison - 2009 3 Homes Sold Lowest price: $228,000 Highest price: $385,000 Shortest Days on Market: 192 Longest Days on Market: 385   2008 3 homes sold Lowest price: $186,000 Highest price: $403,000 Shortest Days on Market: 105 Longest Days on Market: 412 The number of homes sold year to year has remained flat, however, that is much better than a decrease. Also, the lowest sold price increased very nicely year to year, which is not the story for many other parts of the beaches overall.  The overall days on market has increased slightly - this points somewhat to pricing, as a properly priced and property presented properties generate showings, which in turn, bring in offers. If you are not getting showings, you are not priced cor... 03/06/2009

Heritage Bank in Ponte Vedra is sponsoring a free shred day on 3/16/09 at their office.  Anyone can bring their paper documents, x-rays, CD's, DVD's, computer hard drives and back up tapes . All documents and materials will be collected in locked secure bins. The bins will be transported to the Shred For Good's secure facility in Green Cove Springs where it it wll be shredded, baled and recycled. This is a great opportunity to dispose correctly of the above items.  Shred For Good is a secure document destruction business that employs people with disabilities. For additional information, please call 904/280-5655.   Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty.  She helps buyers and sellers throughout... 03/06/2009

As of this very moment, there are 21 bank owned properties, also called REO or foreclosures for sale in the Multiple Listing Service in Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach. Here are the ones priced under $350,000: America's Cup Circle   3 BR/2 BA , 1188 SF $72,900 Penman Road  2 BR/2 BA ,1211 SF,  $99,900 Main Street, 3 BR/2 BA ,1352 SF,  $132,900 Sunrise Circle, 2 BR/2.5 BA,, 1472 SF,  $174,900 Magnolia Street, 3 BR/2 BA, 1286 SF,  $179,900 Tallwood Road, 3 BR/2.5 BA, 1966 SF,  $194,900 5th North, 3 BR/2 BA 1357 SF,  $235,000 Paradise Oaks Lane, 3 BR/2 BA, 1756 SF, $249,900 Margaret Street, 3 BR/2 BA, 2198 SF,  $275,000 Paradise Lane, 3 BR/2.5 BA,  1952 SF, $279,900 Palm Way, 4 BR/4 BA, 2796 SF , $309,900 23rd North, 3 BR/2 BA, 1898 SF, $325,000 Some of these homes a... 02/22/2009

I know we all talk about how to price homes in the current market.  I myself check multiple avenues to ensure I'm helping my sellers to price their homes correctly.  Of course, this research takes into account the motivation of the sellers, and their timeframe, both of which are crucial components. How do you know if you are, in fact, priced correctly? One easy way is to see how many showings you are getting in the first few weeks of the listing being active.  If you have none, the unfortunate answer is your home is NOT priced correctly for the condition, age, and location of the home. If you have less than 1-2 showings per week, you are not priced correctly also. I am currently working with a seller who has had 8 showings in the first 18 days of a listing - this confirms the home is pr... 02/22/2009

Here is information about this wonderful event that comes to the Jacksonville area on an annual basis: Friday, February 27 Writers' Workshops - FREE 8:30 a.m. Registration/9 a.m. Workshop Best-selling author Steve Berry will host the day long opportunity to talk directly with authors about the basic elements of writing. Book Brunch and Young Writers Awards with David Baldacci 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. $50 (signed copy of book included) Best-selling novelist David Baldacci will host a brunch to discuss his career and current novel Divine Justice, and will present The Young Writers Awards. Saturday, February 28 Book Festival - FREE 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. • National best-selling authors • Book sales and signings • Author panel discussions Children's Chapter - FREE 9 a.m. - Noon • Celebrity readings and... 02/20/2009

I don't know if you were able to watch part or all of the race today, or if you were one of the many who raced - if so, I applaud all of you! I watched near the half-way point, up Seminole Road, and was amazed at how many people I saw not just running or walking but supporting this fabulous cause and event. Many of us have a family member, or dear friend who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and raced in their honor. The weather today was about near-perfect for the race, and we saw many smiles and happy racers. For official results, or to check your time, go here: http://www.jacksonville.com/2009-02-15/story/262_with_donna Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty.  She helps buyers and sell... 02/15/2009

Have you noticed how when you yawn, you prompt others to yawn? Or, how you are induced to yawn when you see another person yawn? We know yawns are an involuntary respiratory reflex, which regulates the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the blood. Therefore, yawns are, essentially, contagious. My theory on the new "yawn" is the smart phone/PDA addiction. I've noticed when I see someone check their smart phone/PDA for email, or voice mail or to text, I feel absolutely compelled to do so - hence, the new yawn. What do you observe about your own behaviors in this arena, or your coworkers?  You might be curious....   Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Rating in Jacksonville Beach, FL with Prudential Network Realty.  She helps buyers and sellers throughout... 02/15/2009

  This terrific event is next weekend, 2/15/09, in the Beaches areas.   For more information, visit the official website here: http://www.breastcancermarathon.com/ The national breast cancer marathon and half-marathon will begin near the Mayo Clinic Campus in Jacksonville, Florida and follows the course through the unique beach communities of Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach. The course will detour onto 2.5 miles of beautiful hard-packed sand on the Florida coastline, which is perfect for running See the full marathon map here; http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=251513 You can join the general public in cheering on all the participants - have fun, and plan for some traffic delays along the course schedule. Carol Zingone is a Broker Associate with a 100% Custom... 02/08/2009

  Here are the January 2009 stats and January 2008 for comparison - 2009 1 Home Sold Price: $2,000,000 Days on Market not available   2008 2 homes sold Lowest price: $278,000 Highest price: $445,000 Shortest Days on Market:45 Longest Days on Market: 141 This shows a 50% decrease mathematically in homes sold, however, the price of the one sale already in 2009 is significantly higher than the prices reflected in 2009.  Add to this the $2,000,000 oceanfront home sold in January was a For Sale By Owner listing, or a non-represented listing the agent approached and negotiated an agreeable sales price for all parties, and you see there really is an active, thriving real estate market. If you are ready to list your home, call me for a comparable market analysis to see what price range you shou... 02/04/2009

 This only happens once or twice a year, so PLAN NOW and save yourself the long drive over the ditch! Saturday, April 25th, 2009, between the hours of 8:30 am and 3:00 pm representatives from the City of Jacksonville will have a mobile hazardous waste vehicle at Atlantic Beach City Hall (located at 800 Seminole Road, Atlantic Beach, Florida) to collect hazardous waste items such as: paint, paint thinners, rechargeable batteries, photographic chemicals, antifreeze, lawn & garden chemicals, pool chemicals, aerosol cans, pesticides, small propane (lp) tanks, fire extinguishers, thermometers and thermostats, fertilizer, acids, car care chemicals, drain cleaners, varnish/shellac, ammunition, used oil, flares, pc monitors, terminals, cpu's, keyboards, TV's/VCR's, printers/scanners, stereo equ... 01/12/2009

Here are the numbers of active property listings, those under contract, and sold properties for Single Family Homes in Neptune Beach, FL for the month for  2008: Active               216 active listings for Single Family Homes (no condos) Pending               34 pending  (inspections & financing have been done) Sold                      32 sold New Listings       144 Active listings have decreased by 15% year to year, which indicates "let's stick our toes in the water" sellers have gone away. Pending listings are down a whopping 43% year to year, however, with Neptune Beach being the smallest of the beach towns, there are fewer homes for sale, and no condo communities, so the pricing remains higher than what you will see in both Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach. Sold listings are ... 01/07/2009

Here are the numbers of active property listings, those under contract, and sold properties for Single Family Homes in Neptune Beach, FL for the month of December 2008: Active             78 active listings for Single Family Homes (no condos) Pending               5 pending  (inspections & financing have been done) Sold                 2 sold New Listings       5 Active listings have decreased by 11% year to year, which indicates unmotivated sellers pulling their listings off the market, which is a good thing. The pending listings are five-fold this month, which is fabulous. The sold listings are flat year to year.  New listings on the market are 54% year to year. Here are the December 2007 numbers for comparison: Active              88 active listings for Single Family Homes (no condos... 01/02/2009