I started to work for Jim & Sherry Davidson (pictured below), the master developers of World Golf Village, about 10 years ago. I remember Sherry taking me for a tour of the King & Bear at World Golf Village right after I joined the team. There were two homes in Bearsford, one in Kingsbury and one in Waterbury by the Links. That was it…four total homes. Today, there are almost 700 homes behind the gates of King & Bear. So, I guess you can say I have seen World Golf Village evolve over the years. However, that wasn’t the true beginning of the World Golf Village story. It actually started many years before the first homes were built!

Over the years I worked with Jim & Sherry and the rest of the Davidson team, I have heard bits and pieces of thousands of stories about the early days. Jim recounts making deals on nothing more than a handshake with honorable men and Sherry tells of how exciting it was when a UPS delivery truck bounced down a dirt road and found the construction trailer for the first time. Along the way, they ran into difficult times and colorful personalities. And they found a way to survive both!

Each month, we introduce you to a resident of The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village. For February, we talked to Jason Hill. Jason moved into TuscanWood about two years ago with his wife and children. Meet Jason…
 
1. What is your favorite thing about living in WGV?  

THE AMAZING LANDSCAPING AND WILDLIFE, THE TREES AND FOLIAGE MAKES IT FEEL AS IF THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN HERE FOR AT LEAST 50 YEARS.
 
2. What one goal do you hope to accomplish this year?  

I JUST OPENED UP A NEW LAW FIRM HERE IN THE WORLD GOLF VILLAGE AREA, SO MY GOAL IS TO GROW THE LAW OFFICES OF CURTIS & HILL, P.A. INTO ONE OF THE PREMIER LAW FIRMS IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA.
 
3. Is justice or forgiveness more important?

WHILE I BELIEVE STRONGLY IN JUSTICE, FORGIVENESS IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE.
 

It was 2:00pm Wednesday afternoon when I received a text from my husband.  A group of corporate people were in town and would meet us for dinner in St. Augustine at 6:00pm that evening.  My first thought was thank goodness I recently had my hair and nails done. Then I panicked- I have nothing to wear!  I’ve recently lost a lot of weight and have a very limited selection of clothing that fit without safety pins.  I admit I am a seasoned shopper so normally this would be a wonderful challenge. I would head to the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville or my favorite, the Mall at Millennia in Orlando and return with several options, but the clock was ticking. Where do I find the perfect Little Black Dress in St. Augustine?

Aaron and Kate McDaniel are the winners of our Happy Couple Photo Contest. The Heritage Landing residents won folks over with their lovely beach embrace photo, getting the most votes and great support from friends and family.  Davidson Realtor Lyn Sappington was the McDaniel’s Agent when they moved into Heritage Landing in January, 2009, and she was not surprised that they won the contest.  She said, “Kate and Aaron are a wonderful and loving couple that truly enjoy each other’s company, which makes them a pleasure to be around.” They look forward to a romantic dinner at Le Pavillon in St. Augustine (the grand prize) when Aaron returns from his Iraq tour of duty in May.  We wish them all the best!

Our next Sneak Peek Saturday Open House will be March 6 from 1 to 4:00 PM at The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village. This time we are doing it a little differently! Instead of touring homes in a neighborhood, we are focusing on homesites in the King & Bear.

There will be five featured homesites. On each of these sites, there will be a tent with refreshments, as well as a knowledgeable professional – including custom homebuilders, lenders, or a Realtor from Davidson Realty. They will share information with you on the advantages of building custom homes in Northeast Florida over buying existing homes. They also will be able to talk about the best ways to position a home on the sites to maximize views and solar efficiency, among other things.

If you visit all five of the featured homesites, you will be entered to win a $100 gift card to Donavan’s Pub – in honor of the upcoming St. Patty’s Day!

We also will provide a map of the neighborhoods so you can visit other golf course and preserve homesites at your leisure. Just let me know if you have any questions or suggestions about our next Sneak Peek Saturday!

Many years ago, before World Golf Village was even imagined, much of the land here was either pine plantations or dairy pasture.  The pastures were adorned with majestic Live Oak trees.  The trees, livestock and wildlife co-existed and the trees thrived in their native habitat.

All too often some of our most beautiful trees are sacrificed by the development around us.  There are many special preserved trees in World Golf Village, but the most famous of them all, a prestigious Southern Live Oak stands in Heritage Park, in the King & Bear neighborhood.  In pre-design and development plans for our St. Augustine master-planned community, the tree, known as The Heritage Oak, stood right in the path of a planned major thoroughfare, Oakgrove Avenue.  Through intrinsic design and environmental sensitivity, Oakgrove Avenue was re-designed to preserve the tree and make it a neighborhood landmark.  This was a major accomplishment and a testament to the commitment to excellence by Davidson Development.

Retirees and anyone nearing retirement age will not want to miss February’s Sneak Peek Saturday at The Cascades.  The popular active retirement community will host the Sneak Peek Saturday open house event on February 6 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Sneak Peek Saturday visitors may enter to win a flat screen television, perfect for watching The Super Bowl, by signing up at the open houses.

The Cascades offers an array of amenities, including a grand 22,000-square-feet clubhouse, fitness center, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, walking paths, tennis and bocce ball court.  Homes in The Cascades start in the $100,000s. The Sneak Peek Saturday series invites the public to tour open houses throughout the master-planned community on the first Saturday of each month.  Home shoppers enjoy an up-close look at World Golf Village home offerings in an inviting and casual atmosphere. Complimentary refreshments are served.

You have fallen in love with your Northeast Florida new home? It is beautiful and comfortable, just what you always wanted.  You are happy to host guests and parties, and you are having fun with furnishings.  Your home is beginning to portray your interests, your style and your character.  You learned about what works well in your home during this past holiday season.  Is there anything missing?

Your home needs to “find its place” in the community.  By that I mean an attention to your home’s landscape can provide the finishing touch.  Once you start to consider the “design” of your yard – not just a random or formula approach to planting – you can extend your personality and show your pride in your neighborhood.  A well-designed landscape, together with a quality-care, maintenance program can add immense appeal to your home and signal your commitment to preserving and upholding your neighborhood’s desirability and values.

The stars seemed to align to get Davidson Realty agent, Pauline Cake, to World Golf Village. Pauline moved here from San Diego in 1996 and recalls the daily articles anticipating the World Golf Village. On her first trip to Anastasia Beach, she drove past the I-95 exit and said, “That’s what I see in the newspaper every day. That’s where I want to work!” At this point, World Golf Village was in the beginning stages of construction.  She became the third employee hired at the World Golf Village Resort Hotel (now Renaissance) and held various positions from Sales & Catering Manager to Executive Assistant & HR Administrator. She watched World Golf Village grow from the ground up.

In 2002, she called Davidson Realty President, Sherry Davidson, and joined the Davidson Real Estate sales team. She had 5 years experience selling real estate in San Diego, where she sold new construction, so she knew selling in the master-planned community would be a perfect fit. In 2004, her husband, Woody Cake, joined Pauline to make the dream team of Realtors! Pauline says to this day, she couldn’t and wouldn’t want to do it without him.

New construction is heating up in The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village.  In fact, four new projects have either already started or are planned to start this quarter in The Crest, Laterra Links, GroveWood and The Cascades. The activity is good news not just for our own premier golf community, but for the entire North Florida real estate market. Says Sherry Davidson, President of Davidson Realty, Inc., “We started seeing a recovery to the real estate market in mid 2009 and the trend continues.  In January 2009, there was not a single new construction project on the horizon, but we’re starting January 2010 with several different projects.”

Under construction in The Crest are two new custom homes.  The Crest is one of the exclusive neighborhoods of The Estates where home prices start in the $600,000s.  Homesites in The Estates are generously sized, dotted with ancient oaks and loblolly pines, and ideally situated nearby the King & Bear Clubhouse and the Swim & Tennis Center.

Scheduled to be completed in February 2010, a new spec home is being built by Providence Homes in GroveWood. The 2,559-square-foot home will have four bedrooms and three baths, and is priced in the mid-$300,000’s.  GroveWood is a family-oriented community where young children learn to ride their bikes along oak canopied sidewalks.