What's the difference between a realtor and a broker?

When buying and selling real estate, you can get hit with a lot of terminology! One of the first and most important questions you’ll want answered is whether you’re working with a single agent or a transaction broker. (You can read more about that here!) But it’s also important to know if the person representing you in the transaction is a Realtor or a Broker. First, what’s the difference?

What is a Realtor?

A Realtor is also known as a sales associate. These are licensed real estate professionals who are able to represent buyers or sellers in the purchase or sale of properties. They earn commissions on the transactions they help to close. As real estate professionals, they

What are HOAs and CDDs?

 Duval, Clay, and St. Johns Counties all have many pre-planned communities that charge the homeowners HOA or CDD fees. These two fees can feel confusing; what is the HOA money used for and what is the CDD money used for? And why do some communities charge both?

 It’s important to know the difference between these fees and specifically how much they are in each community. Your Realtor should be giving you that information prior to shopping for homes because it could affect your ability to afford a home and its monthly payment.

What is an HOA?

HOA is short for Home Owners Association Fee. This is a fee that is determined by the governing body, or board, of the housing community in which your new home might be located.

Top family photo destinations in Jacksonville and surrounding areas.

 Jacksonville and its surrounding areas have some of the most beautiful locations to capture the perfect family photo. 

 Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

829 Riverside Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32207

Located in Jacksonville Florida, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is a popular destination for photography. They have several different gardens that have breathtaking views of beautiful flowers and the St. Johns River. The most popular time of year is during spring when the gardens are in full bloom. For more information, contact events@cummermuseum.org.

Treaty Oak

1207 Prudential Dr. Jacksonville, FL 32207

 Treaty Oak is a huge southern live

When should you reduce the list price of your home?

As most of you know by now, the 2022 real estate market is like none we’ve ever seen in Florida. For a brief period of time, interest rates were lower than they’ve ever been and home prices were still well below that of the rest of the country’s average. But as the desire went up, the inventory began to diminish. This drove home prices up, which caused more people who may not have chosen to sell their homes in 2022 to sell them at a huge profit. 

 It’s a Sellers’ Market

The market is still very “buyer heavy” meaning that there are more people who need homes than there are people who are willing to sell their homes. But that doesn’t mean that every home that hits the market sells

Best Burgers In Jacksonville

Jacksonville has amazing restaurants that offer award winning burgers that will leave even the biggest burger enthusiast speechless.

 1.Dano’s Diner

1487 Mayport Rd. Jacksonville, FL 32233

 Formally Known as Home Plate Diner, Dano’s Diner is one of  the best places to go for great American food. Dano’s Diner serves some of the best burgers named after some of the best baseball greats in history. Not only do they make a great burger, you can also play burger roulette allowing the chef to choose the toppings of his choice for your meal. Hours of operation vary so check out their Facebook page for updates.

2. Carolina Jax

2548 Oak St. Jacksonville, FL 32204

 Described as a down to earth

​​Marketing with Pro Photography, Video & Floor Plan

Every home listed for sale on the open market goes onto a searchable website called the MLS. This site is accessible only by Realtors but can be shared with you as a client through a separate portal. The listings on the MLS are then sent out to hundreds of other home-listing websites like Zillow and Realtor.com. This is the first and most important step to marketing your home; after all, if no one knows your home is for sale, how will they buy it?

 But listing your home for sale in the MLS is not enough. You’ve got to list it right and list it smart!

 Photography

 It seems simple enough - without pictures of your home, buyers aren’t going to know if they want to see

Yoga Studios in the Jacksonville Area

Jacksonville and it's surrounding areas offer a wide variety of yoga studios that specialize in different types of classes that range from beginner to advanced for the whole family to enjoy. 

Yoga Mix Neptune Beach

810 3rd. Street #A Neptune Beach, FL 32266

Voted #1 yoga studio in the 904, Yoga Mix offers classes seven days a week with two studios that focus on 10 different yoga styles. Having two studios under one roof allows you to experience hot yoga in the heated sun studio and non heated in the moon studio. Yoga Mix Host’s events throughout the year and they have a charming in-house boutique. 

Rebel Studio

605 State Rd. 13 Saint Johns, FL 32259

 Classified as a Hybrid Boutique

Buying or Selling a home virtually

During a global pandemic, it is essential that your Realtor has the ability to help you buy or sell a home virtually. While it is ideal to both visit potential new homes in person or allow buyers to see your home up close and personal, it’s not always possible or safe. The first step is to find a Realtor you trust. Your Realtor should be prepared with all the digital tools imaginable to ensure that you get an experience as close to actually being there as you can. And, of course, you’ll need a Realtor who is a Single Agent to you. If you’re not familiar with what that means, please read here!  https://www.roundtablerealty.com/blog/what-is-single-agency-and-why-does-it-matter.html

 Buying a home

Live Music Festivals

Great Atlantic Southern Rock Revival Music Festival

 The Great Atlantic Southern Rock Revival Music Festival will be held Saturday, March 19, 2022 form 12:30pm to 7:30pm at the Seawalk Pavilion Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250.This festival showcases live music from regional and local artists. There will be food vendors, arts and crafts booths, and fun activities for kids. This is an event the whole family will enjoy and there is no admissions fee to attend.

 Springing the Blues Music Festival

 Springing the Blues Music Festival will be held April 1st through 3rd 2022 at the Oceanfront Seawalk Pavilion & Latham Plaza Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250. This event will begin Friday 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm,

Pros & Cons of For Sale By Owner

You don't know what you don't know, are you leaving equity on the table?

 A home that is for sale by owner, referred to as a FSBO (pronounced Fizz-Bo) means the homeowner is going to sell the home directly to the buyer with no real estate agent involved. Often, a homeowner will choose this method of sale because there are no commission fees as there is no Realtor. While this cost-savings is appetizing, there are risks involved and sometimes a homeowner might actually lose money on a FSBO if they’re inexperienced.

 Costs

 Pro - FSBOs save money on Realtor commissions. Typically a seller pays the real estate agent’s commission on both sides of the transaction, their Realtor and the buyer’s Realtor.