I am sure that you have read that now is the best time to buy a home due to the federal incentive programs, attractive interest rates and variety of homes on the market. In a complimentary fashion, now is also the best time to purchase a residential lot and commence home construction. Generally, lot pricing has become highly competitive and is now at some of the best rates seen in decades. Most importantly, pricing for new home construction is almost at an all time low. Major building materials and components, as well as all of the various trade labors, are aggressively discounted. Builders and contractors are at their most humble state – meaning they are accommodating, negotiable, cooperative and extremely eager to work.

In that regard, we suggest you consider the lot availability in King & Bear at World Golf Village. The King & Bear, home to the first-time-ever, one-time-only, collaborative golf course design by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, is a gated, secure neighborhood that will have only 968 total residential homes, once completed. Of those, there are only 129 single family lots which overlook the prestigious King & Bear golf course. As of November 18, 2009, there are only 23 of these remarkable lots available for first-time buyers. A few of the lots are lake front, providing a gracious setback from the golf vistas and golf activity. Five of the lots are along the 350′ wide thirteenth fairway, shaded with majestic Southern Live Oaks. The other golf front lots are all situated to create broad, open vistas over 2 and 3 parallel fairway corridors, creating 600′ to 1,600′ views across the golf landscape to the distant conservation forestlands.

We hear so many sad stories about public school funding being slashed. About how arts and humanities are no longer being taught. About how behavioral and discipline problems are rampant in schools. However, if you visit Wards Creek Elementary School in St. Johns County, you will see a very different reality!

The school was built in 2007 and now teaches over 700 students between kindergarten and fifth grade. The kindergarten to third grade classes have a teacher/student ratio of 1 to 18. The fourth and fifth grade classes are 1 to 22. The school has received an A+ rating every year since its opening! To see how this was achieved, I visited the school. Don Campbell, the principal, was kind enough to give me a tour.

One of the first things you notice walking through the school is how well behaved and polite the kids you encounter are. Campbell said this is because his team sets the standard from the beginning. From day one, they promote character, trustworthiness, caring and discipline. He also says the parent involvement at the school is incredibly high, which helps a great deal. Some days there are more parent volunteers on the campus than staff! This creates an environment where the kids are ready and able to learn, which means teachers get to actually teach! This is one of the reasons they receive over 600 applications for every teaching opening they post.

The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village is excited to share that the Sneak Peek Saturday in December will be in Heritage Landing. On December 5 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., a variety of homes throughout Heritage Landing at World Golf Village will be open for tours. This event will continue Davidson Realty’s tradition of hosting community-wide open houses in World Golf Village on the first Saturday of each month.

The Sneak Peek open house in December will also serve as an opportunity to contribute to Davidson Realty’s toy drive for Sertoma for Tots, an organization that collects and distributes toys to underprivileged children in our local area. Toys will be collected at each home on tour as well as at Davidson Realty at the main entrance to World Golf Village. As always, we will be serving festive treats in one of the homes on tour too!

The World Golf Hall of Fame 2009 Induction Ceremony will honor legends and great contributors to the game of golf President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Christy O’Connor, Jose Maria Olazabal and Lanny Wadkins. In addition to returning Hall of Fame members and the 2009 Class of Inductees, this year’s ceremony will feature other special presenters including Jim Nantz, Christy O’Connor, Jr. and Arnold Palmer. Residents at World Golf Village can purchase an exclusive package that includes seating in a reserved VIP section and be part of the private, post-induction gala at a special price of $125.

The World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony, to be held Monday, Nov. 2, is free and open to the public. Attendees can set up chairs and blankets on the World Golf Hall of Fame lawn and enjoy the outdoor ceremony at no charge. Regular pricing for event packages for those who would like special seating and admission to the post-induction gala is $150; but homeowners at World Golf Village can purchase the package at $125. Those interested in purchasing VIP tickets should call 904-940-4102.

I love the water, so naturally, I love being on boats. Any kind of boat. For any reason. I will admit that there was something about kayaks that made me uneasy though. I didn’t like the thought of putting half of my body into the dark hull…it seemed very claustrophobic to me. I guess this explains why I didn’t quite know what to do when I received a kayak as a Christmas present two years ago. I just kept staring at the thing every time I walked through my garage. Eventually, I decided I had to at least try it! So I took it to the water and launched it.

I moved quickly through the water with very little effort, which surprised and delighted me. As soon as I went around the first bend in the river, I got the same feeling as when I drove a car – by myself – for the very first time. Exhilarated. Independent. Free. It was about that time that I also started to pay attention to the rest of my environment – the sun sparkling on the river, turtles sunning themselves on logs, the soft sound of the oars breaking the water. It was a total escape from my hectic everyday life. And the combination of all these feelings made the experience magical. Within five minutes of launching my kayak for the first time, I was hooked!

Needless to say, I was thrilled to learn that Six Mile Creek that runs through World Golf Village offers a world class paddling experience. It is pristine and provides an “old Florida” feel. There is only one dock along its entire length from CR 208 to CR 13A, so you can escape and connect with nature, which in this area has a beautiful wildness to it. You can launch at CR 13A Bridge at Outback Crabshack. You can find directions at Outback Crabshack. If you paddle south you will enter Six Mile Creek. If you prefer something more populated, you can paddle north and hit the St. Johns River.

Living at World Golf Village is like the ultimate golf vacation everyday for World Golf Village homeowners like Linda Jacobs who lives at The Cascades at The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village. Jacobs holds an annual membership to the Hall of Fame, which affords her family the opportunity to take advantage of the many golf activities at World Golf Village frequent visits to the putting course and Hall of Fame. And with the PGA TOUR STOP and PGA TOUR Golf Academy right in their community, the Jacobs have taken advantage of golf lessons at the PGA TOUR Golf Academy and enjoy the convenience of shopping for golf supplies and gifts at the PGA TOUR STOP.

Jacobs and her husband moved to World Golf Village from Jacksonville in 2006. The couple considers the extras like the PGA TOUR STOP, Putting Course and PGA TOUR Golf Academy the icing on the cake to their community of choice. Coming from Jacksonville, they were already very familiar with World Golf Village and chose The Cascades because they wanted to live in a master-planned, active adult community. They enjoy the planned activities and interaction with peers in their neighborhood, the peaceful and serene atmosphere of the community and the ability to take their grandchildren, who they now live closer to, to the many golf attractions at World Golf Village.

Here are a few of the highlights of the many “golf extras” that homeowners at World Golf Village enjoy.

Whenever I am at a World Golf Village resident event or walking through Davidson Realty at World Golf Village, I ask people about the places and people that they find interesting so I can share them with you. The other day I was at Davidson Realty talking to Ashley Wood, one of their Realtors. She asked me why I hadn’t written about the St. Augustine Community Orchestra. I didn’t even know we had an orchestra here! Isn’t St. Augustine full of surprises? She told me she plays one of the three trumpets in the orchestra and that their first of four concerts for the 2009 – 2010 season is coming up! I can’t wait to see them on either October 30 or November 1 when they perform “A Little Fright Music” at the Lightner Museum.

For over 40 years, this group has provided a venue for volunteer musicians to perform light and varied programs. Right now, the full orchestra consists of around 50 musicians. They say their purpose is twofold. First, they want to contribute positively to the musical environment of the community by providing entertaining and educational concerts for the general public and special events. And, second, they want to provide opportunities for its members to learn orchestral literature and further develop both individual and ensemble musicianship and performance skills in a traditional orchestral setting. Doesn’t that sound like a fabulous organization?

For those of us less musically inclined, but that still love music and want to get involved, the orchestra is also looking for Guild members. If you simply want to support the organization by attending a concert, they will perform on October 30 and November 1, as well as, December 4 and 6, March 5 and 7, and May 1 and 2. The orchestra also performs four encore performances. Visit their web site for more details!

The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village successfully kicked off its Sneak Peek Saturdays in October featuring open houses in the Turnberry, Royal Pines and St. Andrews neighborhoods. The event, which is held from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the first Saturday of every month, will return on November 7. This time we will showcase homes throughout the King & Bear neighborhoods. Whether you are looking for a St. Augustine golf home around 2,000 square feet or a grand estate closer to 5,000 square feet, you will find something wonderful! Or, perhaps you want to come visit to see which paint colors or appliances are popular right now. Regardless of your reasons, we are happy to share what it’s like to live in our community with you!

With the holidays fast approaching, we encourage you to bring a can of food to help those less fortunate than ourselves. We will be collecting them at each home and donating them to the St. Francis House. If you decide to donate a food item, your name will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift certificate to Publix – just in time for Thanksgiving! And in the holiday spirit, we will be serving light refreshments at one of the homes on tour to everyone who visits!

From I-95, take exit 323. Go west for just over 3 miles. Turn right at the King & Bear entrance, which is just past SR 16. Maps will be available at the Gate House. If you have any questions, please call Davidson Realty at 904.940.5000. Hope to see you there!

Every time I hear someone mention John Unkefer or his company, Legacy Builders (one of the builders at World Golf Village), it is positive. The comments are about how much his clients love him, or how high his integrity is, or how knowledgeable he is. So, I decided to talk to him to find out what sets him apart from other builders and how he maintains such an impressive reputation in a difficult real estate market.

The first thing he mentioned that sets him apart is that John personally works with all of his clients. He starts out by meeting with them to understand what they want. Sometimes clients know exactly what they want and the Legacy Builders team helps them realize their dream. Other times, the clients only have pictures from a magazine to start with. Either way, the clients and John work together to create the design and architecture the client wants. John describes new home construction as a team sport – and the clients are on the team!

He also has multiple walk-thrus during the construction process – during framing, electrical, finishing, etc. – to make sure the clients’ expectations are met and managed. John emphasized the high level of open communication Legacy Builders has with each client is key to their success.

The other day I was visiting my friend, Cindy, in Turnberry – a neighborhood in World Golf Village. I was struck by how much unspoiled nature surrounded the neighborhood here. I sat on Cindy’s lanai and loved looking at the preserve behind her home. In just an hour or two, I saw all kinds of birds, including a turkey! Cindy told me about her morning walks through the Village. Yesterday she saw a doe with her yearling beside one of the Village’s lakes. She said she gets to see the sunrise above the green of the Slammer & Squire golf course and illuminate the Hall of Fame Tower. This is her life and I want it!

Not only do Turnberry neighbors enjoy nature preserves, the neighborhood also has a swimming pool, basketball court and gathering room. Cindy mentioned the neighbors get together for cookouts and swim parties. There are always children riding bikes through the neighborhood and people catching up in the streets. Whenever I drive through Turnberry, someone always greets me with a friendly wave.

Although I could think of many reasons, I asked Cindy why she bought in Turnberry. She said it just felt like home. She loves how her backyard is her own little garden right next to a nature preserve. She said it’s private, yet still feels connected and friendly. She also likes how each home is unique, which adds to the welcoming feel of the neighborhood. One day, I might just be Cindy’s neighbor!

Homes in Turnberry start in the $200s.