March Newsletter

It is officially March and the start to a new month!

In the March issue of our newsletter you will find events this month, featured listings, market predictions for 2023, and how to follow us on social media.

Click the attachment to check it out!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any of your real estate needs.

March Newsletter

February Newsletter

It is officially February and the start to a new month!

In the February issue of our newsletter you will find events this month, featured listings, market predictions for 2023, and how to follow us on social media.

Click the attachment to check it out!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any of your real estate needs.

February Newsletter

Real Estate Market Predictions for 2023

We have officially made it to the first month of 2023. First and foremost, all real estate is “local” in nature and my predictions are based on our area. One important factor to keep an eye on…what will happen in the broader economy. Will inflation slow? Will there be a recession? Or will the Federal Reserve deliver a so-called “soft landing”? All of these factors can have a major effect on the real estate market nationally and locally. Here are my predictions:

  1. Interest rates will decrease some
  2. Cash offers will remain strong 
  3. Foreclosures will be historically low
  4. Inventory will increase at a slow pace
  5. Demand for housing will continue to outpace supply

If you ever have any real estate needs please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always happy to help you through the process. Can’t wait to see what the next year brings for real estate!



January Newsletter

It is officially January and the start to a new month and new year!

In the January issue of our newsletter you will find events this month, featured listings, new market predictions for 2023, and how to follow us on social media.

Click the attachment to check it out!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any of your real estate needs.

January Newsletter

December Newsletter

It is officially December and the last month of the year!

In the December issue of our newsletter you will find festive events this month, featured listings, how accurate our market predictions for 2022 turned out to be, and how to follow us on social media.

Click the attachment to check it out!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any of your real estate needs.

December Newsletter

Restaurant ~ 10 Cabins ~ 13.46 Acres

Prime commercial location in the heart of the Ocala National Forest. This one of kind 13.46+/- acreage with pond includes 1200′ of highway road frontage is located at 15133 NE Hwy 314 in beautiful Salt Springs, Florida. Property is zoned RPV(which allows for RV sites and camping sites for future expansion). The restaurant is turn key(updated 1.5 years ago with new roof and lots of  upgrades with country feel), 2240 square feet and capacity of 75 seats. 10 rental cabins total ~ 8 cabins are 600 square feet with 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom & full kitchen; 2 cabins are 748 square feet with 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath and full kitchens. Detached wash house is 264 square feet and includes 3 washers and dryers for guest plus additional storage. Water plant includes 3500 gallon water tank and 30k gallon sewer/septic tank.  

Located in the heart of the Ocala National Forest w/ beautiful Salt Springs swim area, boat launch and short ride to Lake George and the St. Johns River. Salt Springs is also home to miles and miles of ATV/SxS, Horseback and hiking trails. Great fishing year round in the many lakes, rivers and forest ponds, and don’t forget about the excellent hunting too. Close to local shopping including grocery store, Dollar General, hardware, gas station, great restaurants, entertainment and more. Only short 30 minute drive to Ocala or Palatka for all your needs. 

  • Restaurant ~ 75 Seat Capacity 
  • 10 Cabins ~ 8 – 2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom &  2 – 3 Bedroom, 1.5 bathroom
  • 13.46 Acres w Pond
  • 1200’+ Hwy 316 Frontage
  • Zoning PRV(Future use approved for RV and Camping)
  • Ocala National Forest Across the Street
  • Business Investment Opportunity

Asking Price $1,300,000

For more info please contact Duke Rountree at (352) 572-1739  Info@homesforsaleocalamarion.com 

 

Wire Scam

Wire scam is something you may have heard of before. You may have even found yourself wondering how it happens. Well, I’m here to let you know that wire scam is still a thing because it still works. Here is what sometimes takes place:

Homebuyers keep losing deposits and even homes under contract because hackers jump in at the last minute and email them false wiring instructions.

Under the scam, a criminal gains access to emails from a trusted partner in a home buying transaction, such as a title company, lawyer or construction firm. They monitor back-and-forth communications until it’s time to make a deposit or send a final amount to close on the home. Since the hackers have access to a transaction firm’s email system, the buyer receives an email that actually came from the trusted business they’ve been working with. In these cases, scammers may monitor correspondence about specific transactions for months before swooping in to send fake wiring instructions.

When the scam email arrives, it appears legitimate. However, it typically contains a slight variances in the links if the buyer chooses to respond via “reply,” such as a return email address that has a “1” somewhere in the middle where an “i” usually appears.

The results can cost buyers tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

You may think it sounds crazy (how could someone make that mistake) yet there are 2,300 complaints of cybercrime a day.

It is important to be cautious during every step of a real estate transaction. As a realtor/broker, I always make sure to help my clients through the process.

November Newsletter

It is already November and the start to a new month!

In the November issue of our newsletter you will find events this month, featured listings,  how accurate our market predictions for 2022 turned out to be, and learn how to follow us on social media. 

Click the attachment to check it out!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any of your real estate needs.

November Newsletter

Our Local Market

There has been a lot of talk lately about the real estate market. Is it crashing? Is it booming? Is it a buyers or sellers market? Are prices going up or down? National news keeps giving their opinions to these questions. Well here is mine!

Don’t listen to or believe the national news! Every market is different. Real estate is local to each market and Florida is unique from all other states. Local real estate is still strong for our area!

I just closed on three deals last week and their list to sell ratios were 93.3%, 98.3% and 100%. Price it right and it will sell.

Three key indicators of a real estate market are: Active inventory, median sales price, and median time to sale. We can see that as inventory goes down, median sale price starts to increase. It’s a simple display of supply and demand – the less there is of something, the more expensive it will be. However, things may be starting to shift. After bottoming out in February 2022, active inventory has increased each month. While the median sale prices are still high, the pace of growth has started to slow, perhaps an indication that more inventory is lessening the competition among buyers who can put more reasonable deals together. Then you have to consider how long deals are taking to go from list to closed. The faster this pace, the “frothier” the market.

No two parts of Florida are the same (let alone different states) and neither are their real estate markets. Having a realtor that understands the local market is so important. If you ever have any questions I would be more than happy to help!

Go to https://www.floridarealtors.org/news-media/news-articles/2022/09/using-sunstats-changing-market to see more statistics for Florida.

5.51 +/- Acres M-1 Zoning Citra, FL

Located approx 1 mile from Citra intersection of 318/US Hwy 301. 5.51 Acres of Manufactured Zoning. 329′ highway road frontage. Short drive to I-75 via 318 or Hawthorne and quick route to Gainesville. Citra, Florida is known as the home of the pineapple orange, (originally called the Hickory orange) a name coined in 1883 for an orange (fruit) with an aroma reminiscent of the pineapple. Citra has two buildings on the National Register of Historic Places: The Citra Methodist Episcopal Church and the Armstrong House. It is home to a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant research facility. Some funs things to do include visiting Animal Rescue Sanctuary or stop by The Orange Shop for fresh squeezed Florida Orange Juice or some cool merchandise. Skunkie Acres offers horse back riding and every local loves visiting Crones Cradle Conserve with great outdoor gardens and country store full of local homemade foods and stuff. Located just short drive to Ocala or Gainesville, don’t miss this great property surrounded by horse country.