Most real estate professionals, sellers and buyers would agree that home buying has become a more arduous process of late. Says Davidson Realty President Sherry Davidson, “There are quite a few home loans initiated that never come to fruition.  It’s a function of tougher qualifications and more complicated transactions.” Davidson Realty, Inc., based in World Golf Village, hopes to improve the home buying process with an on-site mortgage lender available six days a week, Monday through Saturday. 

Davidson Realty has teamed with three mortgage lenders who will provide on-site consultation for home buyers at its office in World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. The varied institutions include First Atlantic Bank, a local community bank based in Jacksonville and St. Augustine; Dolphin Home Mortgage, an independent mortgage professional, and Bank of America, the large corporate bank. Rotating on-site at Davidson Realty’s offices, the lenders provide straightforward advice and honest assessments for home buyers and real estate professionals alike. Explains Davidson, “Gone are the days of pre-qualifying for jumbo loans and breezing through closings. Our goal is to help home buyers know from the get-go how much of a loan they can really qualify for in today’s market.”

Have you ever noticed how groups of women who have been friends for years and years tend to fall into certain “roles”? Like on Sex in the City, if I said “the smart one” or “the romantic one” you would probably know exactly which characters I was talking about. If you watched The Real Housewives of Orange County, I bet you know which lady is “the ditzy one” and which lady is “the professional one”.  My group of long time girlfriends definitely have our roles within our group too…it is an interesting dynamic to watch.

The reason all of these thoughts popped into my head is because Limelight Theatre’s final play of their 18th season is the Dixie Swim Club. Guess what? It is about five women who became friends in college and who continue to meet each year at the same beach house and share their lives together over the next six decades. Of course, the “roles” ebb and flow through their lives, but for the most part there is the successful one, the sexy one, the tragic one, the caregiving one and the innocent one. Watching how they share and grow and stumble and get back up makes you consider the value of your own friendships and your own identity. Along the way though you laugh quite a bit – and cry just a little too. So grab your group of girlfriends and head to Limelight Theatre this weekend. Because of the show’s huge success during its original run, the Limelight Theatre is offering “held over” performances this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. After the show, share a glass of wine or two with your friends and try to figure out which “role” you play in your own group! And, if your group is especially interesting just let me know, we may be able to start a Real Housewives of World Golf Village!

Times are good for First Atlantic Bank. A little over three years old, the local bank was unscathed by the recession.  With no bad loans, First Atlantic enjoys a 4-star rating from Bankrate.com – the second highest rating in the Jacksonville/St. Augustine area.  According to Luciano Noir-Jones, St. Augustine Market Executive Vice President, the rating means, “Depositors money is safe with us.” 

Perhaps even more surprising in today’s environment is that First Atlantic Bank is lending. “Our capital is strong,” said Noir-Jones. “We’re actively lending to local businesses, from retail stores and restaurants to service-oriented companies, in Jacksonville and St. Augustine.  We anticipate doing about 20 SBA loans this year,” he added. 

First Atlantic is also strong in residential home lending. First Atlantic is one of the few lenders still doing construction to permanent loans and lot loans. Says Noir-Jones, “We underwrite and keep residential loans on our books, instead of selling them off.  This allows us to be more flexible for cases where a borrower, or the home they are buying, do not fit in the ideal box – recent examples are a high loan-to-value situation and a condo loan.”  First Atlantic recently teamed with Davidson Realty to have the bank’s Residential Mortgage Officer Jay Pardue onsite at Davidson’s office in World Golf Village two days a week.  Says Davidson Realty President Sherry Davidson, “This is a great opportunity for homebuyers since they can get expert advice on home loans on the spot.”

First Atlantic Bank has two locations in Jacksonville and two locations in St. Augustine – at Palencia and at Cobblestone Village. It has local investors and local board members. It’s tuned into the Northeast Florida market. Sherry Davidson recently joined First Atlantic’s Advisory Board. “We’ve been a very happy customer of First Atlantic, so I welcomed the opportunity to join fellow business owners on their Advisory Board. Rare is a bank that never fails to treat you like a valued customer,” said Davidson.

What do you have going on Thursday nights? I bet it doesn’t compare to the great music and atmosphere of Concerts in the Plaza! Have you heard about this? Thursdays at 7 PM up until Labor Day you can listen to a wide variety of music in St. Augustine’s Plaza de la Constitucion for FREE! All you have to do is bring a lounge chair or a blanket to sit on. You can even have a nice picnic dinner with your family while enjoying blues, bluegrass, jazz, country, swing, folk, or pop rock.

There is even a concert tonight, August 12th – Big Pineapple will be playing some Hawaiian Jazz!

Ok, so coming up:

August 19: Mischief Express (Popular American Jazz Standards)

August 26: Rob Peck & Friends (Acoustic R&B/Classic Rock)

 September 2: Skin ‘n Bonz & The Big Hungry Boys (Old-Time & Bluegrass)

September 6: The St. Augustine Jazz Society

This is a great way to spend a date night or a night on the town with the family and who could ask for more when it’s free! And, what better place than downtown St. Augustine with all the beautiful oak trees and quaint little shops. It’s the perfect place to relax or get up and dance. Go out and try something new on a Thursday night and let us know what you think!

Check out this website to see a map to the Plaza or to get any more information: http://www.staugustinegovernment.com/sites/concerts-plaza/index.cfm or call (904) 825-1004

If you weren’t able to make St. Johns County School Superintendent, Dr. Joseph Joyner’s very informative presentation at Davidson Realty’s Davidson Speaker Series a couple weeks ago, you might not be aware of these very impressive facts. Here are 5 reasons parents should choose to send their kids to our schools:

1. St. Johns County Schools ranked in the top 14% of the nation in “What Parents Want” in public schools.
2. Our schools received first overall ranking out of 67 counties on FCAT scores
3. On the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (compared to other districts in the state) Grade 3, 4, and 5 took first place in both reading and math. Grade 9 and 10 took first in reading. Grade 11 took third in science. The list goes on and on!
4. The School System has received an A grade eight years in a row (one of only 10 school districts in the state)
5. And, lastly, we are lucky enough to have Dr. Joseph G. Joyner as our Superintendent. He was the 2009 Florida Superintendent of the Year!

Dr. Joyner also explained how selective the process is in choosing teachers for your children. He listed future plans to expand the schools to accommodate more children. He talked about how even with budget cuts, the children’s activities and fun have not been sacrificed. The schools still provide art and PE, which a lot of schools can’t say. These really are only a few reasons why our school system is excellent. For more information go to www.stjohns.k12.fl.us

The World Golf Foundation recently announced that the next World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the World Golf Village on Monday, May 9, 2011.  The ceremony’s date is very fortunate and strategic, as it is targeted to kick off the week of festivities and competition of The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.  The direct tie-in between the world-famous, globally-broadcast Players Championship and the sport’s Hall of Fame and Shrine induction should be of great benefit for all aspects of the game, the region and our community.
 
The announcement was made on July 22 by Jack Peter, World Golf Foundation COO and Tim Finchem, PGA TOUR Commissioner. Jack Peter said, “Staging the annual Induction Ceremony in the heart of the golf season, just before one of golf’s most thrilling events, is a great opportunity for the Hall of Fame.” The World Golf Foundation is also keen about developing and scheduling other related events and activities, wrapped around that timeframe, that can extend the appeal and relevance of the induction
 
A few years ago, the PGA TOUR was successful in moving the famed Players Championship from March to May. Doing so, created a stand-alone platform for the event and eliminated any interpretation that it was a warm-up to the Masters. Now, the golf season features a 5 month series of showcase, major tournaments, from April to August, comprised of; The Masters in April, The Players Championship in May, The US Open Championship in June, The Open Championship in July and The PGA Championship in August.