Help from the city of jacksonville to save historic homes

[fsu813]

"A closed private community."

- i must have slipped past the gates then

[fsu813]

ironic definition ironic (ī rän′ik)

adjective

1.meaning the contrary of what is expressed
2.using, or given to the use of, irony
3.having the quality of irony; directly opposite to what is or might be expected

[ChriswUfGator]

2009 was great for local real estate, better than 2008 for sure.

Setting the bar awfully low there, aren't we?

[ChriswUfGator]

The housing market, which we keep hearing is improving, is still not at the very bottom.

Really? Are you a realtor? Is your 8-5 business real estate? Just because Springfield has yet to hit rock bottom does not mean that other areas of town are thriving and doing well. 2009 was great for local real estate, better than 2008 for sure. 2010 is already very, very good for most real estate companies locally, if you don't think so, call a few. Heck even got back from the boat show, where its harder to sell boats than even real estate, and many brokers said it was better show than 2008. Most had sold more boats already this year than they did all of last year.

As for Springfield, I laugh at those who say they want the City to manage their programs. Are you for real? They can't even manage their own city budgets, yet, you want them to manage what paint people can put on their house? Get real.

How can anyone say whether or not Springfield has "hit rock bottom" or not?  Higher sales in 2009 than in 2008 and increasing sales in 2010 suggest that perhaps the worst is over....

More sales may just be due to lower prices. If you're selling twice as many widgets as last year, but doing so at 1/2 price, are you really any better off? This is literally econ101...

[CS Foltz]

Property values across Jacksonville are down and then some..........no matter where! From what I have seen 20 to 25% at a minimum and the market will be down for maybe 2 years more before starting up again! So if you have cash or can afford it buy now.............I heard they have stopped making more land.......unless you live next to a volcano!

[sheclown]

Main Entry: trendy

1 : very fashionable : up-to-date <he's a trendy dresser â€" Sunday Mirror>
2 : marked by ephemeral, superficial, or faddish appeal or taste <trendy ideas about success>

â€" trend·i·ly \-də-lē\ adverb

â€" trend·i·ness \-dē-nəs\ noun

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trendy
â€" trendy \-dē\

Trendy, as in superficial, is not a good thing.

[mtraininjax]

More sales may just be due to lower prices. If you're selling twice as many widgets as last year, but doing so at 1/2 price, are you really any better off? This is literally econ101...

LOL! Most of what you people know about real estate you pickup from the local 6 pm news. Call a realtor and learn something about the local market. 

[ChriswUfGator]

More sales may just be due to lower prices. If you're selling twice as many widgets as last year, but doing so at 1/2 price, are you really any better off? This is literally econ101...

LOL! Most of what you people know about real estate you pickup from the local 6 pm news. Call a realtor and learn something about the local market.  

Hardly. Realtor and mortgage broker here, at least till I decided I'd rather be a lawyer. As to taking your advice, I don't talk to myself, well at least not yet, and certainly not on the phone. I guess I can get an extra line if the schizophrenia kicks in...

[Miss Fixit]

Let's revisit the "Econ 101" comment:

The person who has lost money on the property selling at 25% less than a year earlier is certainly not better off, but the fact that someone else is now willing to buy the property at the new, lower price suggests that the market may be bottoming out, especially when there is an overall increase in volume of sales.

[ChriswUfGator]

Right, but that's kind of looking for a silver lining in the clouds.

For the market to be doing "well" in any real sense, you want see not only healthy sales but also the sales activity not to be driven mainly by massive (and ongoing) price declines. What you're getting now is prices that've declined so steeply so quickly that it's pushed people off the fences who were formerly ambivalent about buying, made the formerly unaffordable affordable, etc. Declining prices and foreclosure sales are responsible for a nice chunk of sales.

So anyhow, this is what I meant by "econ 101". Yes, you're selling more widgets this year than last, but not under conditions that you can really describe as any real improvement except in numbers alone. Prices have only declined further since '08.

[strider]

From the July/ August edition of SPAR Coucil's newsletter:

In comparing April/ May 2009 to 2008.  Totals sales volume in dollars was down 77%.  Total units was down 38%.   The average dollars per square foot was $ 33.00 per SF in 2009 compared to $ 93.90 per SF in 2008 (which was already signaficantly lower than 2007). Average Totals days on the market has also doubled in that time period.

Yes, these numbers are about 8 months old.  (I haven't seen a newer set yet).  Yes, we have been hearing that there has been additional interest and even some new home construction. However, even this article, which was written by a realtor, says expect to have at least another 12 to 18 months of foreclosures, ETC. The house I used as an example in my earlier post just came on the market in the last couple of weeks.  Expect more to hit at those kinds of prices: 70% of it value just a few years ago.

Prices may or may not be at the bottom.  Hopefully they are close to the bottom. Springfield, as well as the rest of jacksonville, has a long, hard road ahead yet.

[Timkin]

I agree, historic homes SHOULD have special treatment & be better protected. I mean, once they tear it down, thats it. Over a hundred years of history gone, and you can never get that back.

Its a shame the city doesnt work with individuals who just want to buy & restore a condemned property. Im not talking about a big investing firm who just wants to sit on the property forever either, which is counterproductive. I mean real individuals who are looking to make it their home one day. This is much healthier for the neighborhood.

It seems like to the city, a condemned property is a condemned property. I dont thinks thats quite fair when talking about historic districts. But to them, its business as usual. Be nice is there were a special program offered to get financed and also protect the home from the city bulldozers, while not slapping a bunch of fines & fees on the buyer. Are there any other cities who have something similar??

  You are living in a City where little emphasis is placed on a building's age..  Please do not misunderstand me, I love old homes (and buildings)  I just firmly believe that quality and workmanship does not exist in much of our modern structures.   Our City Management's mindset needs a drastic change (and this is among the top 5 reasons, I personally feel it needs to change. )

I am pro-preservation ... We have significantly more old homes than commercial Landmarks left, although I am certain there are some beauties that have fallen that were residences as well.

  I would personally like to see much more emphasis placed on Individual Neighborhood Preservation, and the City as a whole.  We still have quite a few beautiful old homes and I hope they will remain.. We really lack in Historic Buildings in General , outside of residential and this is sad IMHO.