We are very fortunate to be living in St. Johns County for many different reasons.  One important fact that you may not be aware of is that St. Johns County has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) since 1973.

The NFIP is a federal program enabling property owners in participating communities,  such as St. Johns County, which includes The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, to purchase insurance protection against losses from flooding.  The NFIP was established by Congress in 1968 and is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government (FEMA), stating that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance, to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community, as a financial protection against flood losses.  A SFHA is a high risk area (A or AE), defined as any land that would be inundated by a flood having a 1-percent chance of occurring in any given year (also referred to as the base flood).

When I was a little girl, Christmas was a magical time. I would literally become giddy with excitement. But as the years passed, it was harder and harder to get in touch with that feeling. Some holiday seasons I didn’t feel it at all. Then I discovered St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights! Although the event lasts from November through January, I like to go on a brisk December evening with my family and friends. As we drive into downtown St. Augustine and see millions of white lights twinkling throughout the city, I get that old feeling again!

Depending on the activities scheduled for that evening, we may tour a historical inn and hear romantic stories from our guide who is all dressed up for the holidays or we may take a train ride to see many, many more lights or we may simply stroll through the narrow streets and stop in a quaint restaurant for a glass of wine or a decadent dessert – sometimes both!

There are some people who make everyone they come into contact with feel happier. Mark Downing, managing partner of CornerStone Homes, is one of those people. So, it is no wonder that 99% of CornerStone Homes’ clients will happily recommend them to their family and friends!

Of course, there are a few other reasons too. When I spoke with Mark Downing recently, he shared that the foundation of CornerStone’s success is built on attention to detail and customer care.

If you know Mark, he has a quiet confidence about him. And it was in this humble, but assured manner, that he recommended I compare the finished work in a CornerStone Home with any other builder’s home.

Well, we just had another successful Sneak Peek Open House in Heritage Landing at World Golf Village on December 5. Families from around the area strolled through five homes in the community that are available for sale through Davidson Realty. One of them told me they like being able to look at a bunch of homes without any pressure. And that is great – because that’s exactly why we host the Sneak Peek Open House every month! Since we encouraged visitors to bring toys to donate to Sertoma Toys for Tots this month, the event was a double success. Thanks to those that donated!

As I mentioned, we normally have Sneak Peek Saturdays on the first Saturday of every month, but since the first Saturday in January is the day after New Year’s, we thought we would skip January and host the next event on February 6.

We’re bringing a little giggle to the jingle this holiday season. We want to see your most amusing holiday photos. You know the ones: junior crying on Santa’s lap, the dog dressed up like Rudolph, bad reactions to a gift. Get the picture? If you have the funniest photo, you could win a $100 Visa gift card.

Email your photos to pdavidson@davidsonrealtyinc.com. We’ll post them on Facebook and let fans vote for their favorite. The deadline is Friday, December 18th so don’t delay! Voting will be the week of December 21st, and the winning snapshot will be announced on Monday, December 28th on Facebook. Fan us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/WorldGolfVillage or follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/WorldGolfVillag

Winter is my favorite time of year and nothing gets me more in the Christmas spirit than St. Johns County’s Festival of Trees! This wonderful event combines holiday cheer AND giving with proceeds benefiting two St. Johns County Charities – The United Way of St. Johns County and The Empty Stocking Fund. This event is free and open to the public!

Anytime between Friday, December 4th and Sunday, December 13th, come see a beautiful display of over 65 decorated trees and wreaths throughout the St. Johns County Convention Center adjacent to the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village. Visitors are welcome to vote for their favorites for a $1 donation or take a tree or wreath home with you by bidding through the silent auction.

You can vote on categories like “Through a Child’s Eyes”, which honors the best representation of the spirit of the season as seen through the eyes of a child. The public also votes on categories like, “Handcrafted with Heart”, “Good Sports Tree”, “Holiday Memories”, “Greatest Gifts”, “Nature’s Beauty”, “Non-Traditional Theme” and “Spirit of the First Coast”. It really is so much fun to stroll around and vote on your favorites, especially with interesting categories like these.

The new owner of Laterra Links, Homes by Deltona, a division of the Deltona Corp., has selected Legacy Builders of North Florida to build five new multi-unit buildings in 2010. Construction is expected to start in January. The Laterra Links buildings each have four premium coach homes. According to Legacy Builders President John Unkefer, “We expect the first building may be completed as early as July 2010, with all five buildings, a total of 20 units, to be completed before the end of 2010.”

Laterra Links is beautifully situated around golf holes two through eight of the King & Bear. The Laterra Links concrete-constructed coach homes will continue to range from two to four bedrooms and 2,160 square feet to 2,780 square feet, with two-car garages and screened lanais. Various high-end finishes are offered at Laterra Links, including granite countertops, stainless appliances, wood floors and more. The neighborhood’s beautifully appointed amenity center was recently completed. The 7,200-square-foot facility features a fitness center, pool, veranda, event room and kitchen.

For the past eight years, the Limelight Theatre has somehow enticed St. Augustine-area celebrities to get dressed up in over the top costumes and lip sync while dancing on stage. And they do this with the greater St. Augustine community watching – and, quite frankly, giggling! Of course, with the open bar starting an hour before the curtain rises at 8:00 p.m. – and staying open throughout the entire evening, the laughter flows more easily! In addition to the fabulous entertainment and the open bar for all ticket holders, delectable hors d’oeuvres are served by the St. Augustine Independent Restaurant Association and the Limelight Theatre gives away all kinds of door prizes throughout the evening too. Can you tell this is one of my favorite fundraisers of the year!

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.