Plantation at Ponte Vedra planning a multi-million dollar amenities refresh.

The Plantation at Ponte Vedra will move ahead with a multi-million dollar plan for an amenities refresh that includes adding a park and pavilion, renovating the beach club and upgrading the private golf course.   Starting in August 2015, work will commence on an open air pavilion, playground, and a sports/activities area.  Beach club renovation and golf course rehab are scheduled for late 2015, early 2016.   Homes in The Plantation range from the $500Ks to over $1M. 

Maronda and Lennar are building in Lexington Park from around $200K.  

Lexington Park by Lennar and Maronda Homes has quite a few late model resales along with their new construction. It's located on the Northside, just beyond the I-95 North Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) exit off of Pecan Park Road. Being close to I-95 and a quick ride to I-295, Lexington Park makes for an easy commute to Downtown, Jacksonville’s Westside and Orange Park.

Spec homes, to-be-built and late model resales all available in Lexington Park.

Lexington Park is in close proximity to the River City Marketplace and its endless shopping, dining and entertainment offerings. Lexington Park models are priced from around $200K, with floor plans ranging in size from

…

Currently, just two new townhomes remaining in Willowcove.    The Nocatee lifestyle doesn't exactly scream townhomes and condos. But the reality is, they sell as fast as they can build them.   In 2007, Pulte put in Del Webb townhomes and Tidewater condos. Since that time, Dream Finders is the only builder to start a townhome project, Willowcove, and there are only two of them left.     As of this writing, there are four resales in Tidewater and Del Webb, and three of them are under contract.   Why aren't more builders investing their resources in townhomes and condos at Nocatee? The Willowcove Townhomes, for example, make a lot of sense if you're not a fan of mowing the lawn, but you still want to live in 2,500 square feet…

Richmond American introduces Julington Oaks in Mandarin By: Alan Aptheker   Richmond American is building Julington Oaks, a 33-home community in close proximity to San Jose Blvd,/SR-13 and Julington Creek, in Mandarin. But don't mistake this for Julington Creek proper. Julington Oaks is situated just shy of the Julington Creek bridge near relatively new Julington Creek Road shopping center that includes Metro Diner, Fresh Market and Hurricanes Grill and Wings.   It's an upper-middle/high-end enclave that give buyers the shaded wooded Mandarin setting they're looking for without getting into the mega-development, Julington Creek, at Race Track road a few miles south on SR-13.   This will be a very private and quiet space, just far…

David Weekley Windward Model in Oxford Estates. Their models start at about $369,900.   David Weekley and MasterCraft Homes are starting to build out Oxford Estates in St. Johns. There are no CDD fees, it's gated, all gas, and it's part of that Northwest St. Johns County district that boasts some of the best schools in North Florida.  

• David Weekley models range $369,900 to $422,900, 2,622 to 3,684 square feet, 3/2.5 to 5/4.5, and all three car garages.  
   
• MasterCraft models start at $379,000 up to $439,000, 2,720 to 3,685 square feet, 4/3 to 5/4. Again, all three car garages.
   

MasterCraft Kitchen design available in Oxford Estates. Their models will start at around $379,000.

Estates is located off of one of the most

…

Crosswater at Pablo Bay has been busy from day one, breaking ground in September, 2013.

Four of the area’s biggest homebuilders converged on the tract of land that is now Crosswater at Pablo Bay, just down the street from the Mayo Clinic on San Pablo Road. What they've created has turned out to be a huge success.

Cornerstone, Providence, Mattamy, and David Weekley have all experienced robust sales, with some builders looking at the successful end of a great run, as they come close to being fully sold out.   

Providence, for example, has only five remaining inventory homes left in Crosswater. They sold 54 out of 59 homes in Phases One and Two.

Crosswater at Pablo Bay is just off San Pablo Road about a mile from J. Turner Butler Boulevard, not

…

Plummer Creek Phase II will feature wooded preserve and lake view sites.

Dream Finders has broken ground at Plummer Creek Phase II, new single family homes west of I-95, north of the Jacksonville International Airport.    Northside new construction is heavy, because people are finding the wooded, natural setting as a great alternative to Mandarin, JTB, and Intracoastal, without the nasty commute, and it's quite a bit more affordable.   Dream Finders, like many new Northside Community builders, is not charging CDD fees at Plummer Creek. 

It used to be the airport was a hike for most of us. Now, not so much. You're minutes from downtown, JIA, and not a bad ride to Southside and the Beaches via the Dames Point Bridge. The River City

…

Mattamy Homes, Pulte and several other new home builders in the desirable Bartram Park corridor, but Mattamy still has the only neighborhood of Single Family Detached homes in the popular Bartram Park area.  Bartram Park Preserve, the Mattamy Homes development is offering one and two-story single family home designs. Mattamy is working on building more than 400 homes in the growing Bartram Park development just north of the Duval County/St. Johns County line. 

At $5.3 million for the 50 acres purchased by Mattamy, Bartram Park Preserve will also be one of the largest tracts of land to be built up in Bartram Park since the popular community was developed in the mid to late 2000’s, 

Bartram Park is being developed by Eastland Company LLC, and the area

…

Deconstructing HAMP and HARP

By: Alan Aptheker

Homeowners, by in large, haven’t taken the full advantage of the super-low mortgage rates to refinance their homes, for reasons ranging from dinged credit, to more stringent lending standards.

A couple of responses to this dilemma are worth a re-look: The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). They both were established in 2009, and as we move into 2015, time for some remedial reading about HARP and HAMP.  

HARP is a lifeline for qualifying borrowers who are current on their payments, and whose mortgages are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and can refinance even if they have insufficient equity to qualify for a traditional

…

Jacksonville New Home Incentives: They're clearing the books for 2014.

It's the end of the year, and New Home Builders are offering great incentives and specials, especially on spec homes. Many Builders have unadvertised incentives and specials that Bloom Realty are made aware of before they’re advertised. Indeed, some specials are sent directly to us by the builders, and not generally known by the general homebuyer community.  

One great example of these special unadvertised offers: $10,000 to $15,000 design credits to upgrade your custom-built home are being offered by scores of new Jacksonville homebuilders. Upgrade to custom tile and flooring, higher grade appliances and countertops, all compliments of the many new homebuilders who want your

…