1. I highly recommend using a property management company to manage your property with the tenant. But, in any event, KNOW what your lease says. Florida is a Landlord State, which means the laws of the state of Florida are there for protection of the owner/landlord. This makes Florida, in my opinion, one of the best states possible to own an investment/rental property.

2. Make sure there’s a paragraph on “Use of Premises” in your lease. This paragraph states what the tenant can and cannot do while living in your property (i.e. no trampolines, athletic equipment, etc.) It disallows any items or activities that can cause interference with the insurance coverage. Tenants cannot run a business, daycare center, etc. out of the property.

3. If you are going to allow pets, have incorporated in the lease a “pet agreement”. This states exactly what the pet is, what breed, how many pounds, even their name. Obtain a picture of the pet for your file, and then you know it is a 15 pound dog, not a 50 pound dog that’s going to be living in your property. Meet the pet, first.

These are just a few things throughout the lease that you need to have in writing to protect yourself as the owner. Remember, do your homework on the prospective tenant, do your inspections once they’ve moved in (Davidson Property Management does 3 inspections during a 12 month lease, which the tenant also signs off on – we take pictures each time, plus driving by the property every 30 days).

If you have any questions feel free to call me at (904) 484-2170 or email me at eevans@davidsonpropertymanagement.com

PENDING SALES: Pending sales are up in June 2010 by 20% over June 2009 and by 46% over June 2008. Many people expected pending sales to drop dramatically when the housing credits ended in April. The pending sales did decline about 28% in May, but they increased in June about 15% over the May numbers.

CLOSINGS: The closings reported year-to-date through June 2010 are 8,161 compared to year-to-date numbers through June 2009 of 6,377 closings.

SALES PRICE: The median sales price has increased from $135,250 in April to $139,995 in May to $143,090 in June 2010. We are still seeing most of the sales in the lower price ranges but there seems to be stability in the homes priced under $250,000.

DOM: The days a home is on the market before selling has averaged 102 days throughout 2010 compared to an average of 112 days through June 2009.

INVENTORY: The inventory of homes available continues to decline, which is good news. There is a 10.6 months supply of inventory in June 2010 compared to 15.2 months available in June 2009. Five to six months of inventory is considered a balanced market.

ZIP CODE 32092: The average sales price in the 32092 zip code which includes The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, Murabella, Samara Lakes, Meadows, Heritage landing, St. Johns Golf and Country Club, Wingfield Glen and South Hampton was $193,310 in April, $201,922 in May and $265,180 in June 2010.

If you are considering buying, selling or renting a home, I recommend working with a knowledgeable professional. The transactions we are seeing are more complicated and challenging. To find a good value and get the home to closing, you need someone who can guide you through the process. For more information, please feel free to contact me.

I became a Buffini & Company Certified Mentor™ following an intensive two-day training and serve as the group Facilitator. The 100 Days to Greatness® program is a 14-week, step-by-step training course that combines training from industry expert Brian Buffini, video role-playing, exercises and live accountability sessions – creating a comprehensive, practical learning experience. Our Davidson Realty “students” learn how to build and maximize relationships in order to cultivate advocates for life and accelerate their business. We already have several Agents enrolled, but my hope is for ALL our Davidson Realty Agents to participate.  Please join us for the next class on July 26^th.  Give me a call to register, or learn more about the program.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Carol VonRabenstein from Columbia, Ed Gil from Cuba, Mirtha Barzaga from Cuba, Jurgen “Jerry” May from Germany and Vanessa Cunningham from England all described the journey that brought them to America.  We were all “moved” in more ways than one, of the hardships that some of them endured and had an overwhelming sense of respect for the tenacity, strength, fortitude and resilience it took for them to leave their home and come to a completely different country. One thing rang true in all five cases; they were so thankful to have made the decision to come to the US.  They are all now American citizens and they love our country as much as if they had been born here.

As our group listened to and contemplated the international stories, we realized, that sometimes perhaps we take for granted how lucky and blessed we are to live in such a wonderful country.

Snapper Fromage (4-6 People)

5 Egg yolks whipped until frothy, add 2/3 jar of Kraft Mayonnaise, mix thoroughly.

Add 6-8 packages of fresh grated parmesan cheese until mixture is very thick, it should almost be like a thick paste.

I buy pink snapper if possible for this dish, but Red Snapper will do. You want the fish market to filet and debone the fish.

Prepare fish by cutting shoulders from belly side and trim off dark meat vein. Fish pieces should be 1/2” to 3/4” thick. You can stack belly-side pieces to achieve desired thickness. Wash fish filets and pat dry; put on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam non-stick spray. Put layer of fromage sauce about 1/4” thick over each filet. You can refrigerate the fish, once prepared, for 2-3 hours prior to cooking. Put in pre-heated oven at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes and then broil until brown. (BE CAREFUL – it is easy to burn fromage sauce). Take out of oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes prior to serving. I serve with pasta (linguine) and clam sauce.

 *Note: The fromage sauce may also be used on chicken breast.

Jim