Now is the perfect time to visit one of Gainesville best attractions, Kanapaha Botanical Garden. Walk through the 1 ½ miles of paved walkways viewing the stand of Chinese royal bamboo, giant Victorian water lilies and Asian snake arums. As you walk through the garden there are different areas that highlight certain types of plants and flowers.
Here are just a few of these specialized areas:
In the Herb Garden you can learn what herbs are native to the Gainesville area and also what herbs can be used for medical purposes.
The Bamboo Garden is an amazing display of different types of bamboo which is the fastest growing vascular plant. Some bamboo can grow as fast as 2 inches an hour during the shoot season.
The Woodland Garden which is home to plant that thrives in a more wooded area. Some of the plants you can expect to see are the Asian snake arums and spike mosses.
The Hummingbird Garden is home to flowers that attract hummingbirds, who like tubular flowers that are red, orange or pink. There is only one hummingbird that is native to Florida the ruby-throated hummingbird.
Don’t miss the Children’s Garden which is an interactive garden designed just for children. They will enjoy hunting for fossils, sea shells and other artifacts at the Treasure Wall. Teach your children about plant pollination at the wildflower meadow and vegetable garden. And young and old alike will enjoy trying to figure out the hedge maze.
The Gardens offer benches and gazebos through out for those who want to relax and take in the beauty of their surroundings. Spend the day exploring the gardens and learning more about native plants of Gainesville.
Pending home sales in June edged lower in contrast to the spring surge when buyers rushed to take advantage of the home buyer tax credit, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
The Pending Home Sales Index declined 2.6 percent to 75.7 based on contracts signed in June. Down from 77.7 in May, and is 18.6 percent below June 2009 when it was 93.0. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said lower home sales are expected in the short term. “Over the short term, inventory will look high relative to home sales. However, since home prices have come down to fundamentally justifiable levels, there isn’t likely to be any meaningful change to national home values. Some local markets continue to show strengthening prices.”
Let’s take a look at the Gainesville FL real estate market for July.
Gainesville FL area single family home sales saw sold listings decrease by 30% in July 2010, when compared against July 2009. New listings saw an increase of 1%. Pending sales saw a 8% decrease and the average sales price increased by 2% to $199,357, while market times increased by13 days.
Gainseville Area Single Family
New Listings
Pending Sales
Sold Listings
Avg. Sales Price
Days on Market
July 2010
418
182
161
$199,357
173
July 2009
412
198
229
$196,146
160
The Gainesville FL area Condo/Townhome market saw pending sales increase by 10% in July 2010 when compared to July 2009. While new listings were down by 12% and sold listings decreased by 56% in July 2010. The average sales price decreased by 23% to $96,635 when compared to July 2009, while the average market times decreased by 44 days.
Gainseville Area
Condo/TH
New Listings
Pending Sales
Sold Listings
Avg. Sales Price
Days on Market
July 2010
80
40
30
$96,635
137
July 2009
91
36
68
$125,170
181
For the latest Gainesville FL real estate market conditions in your area, please call me at 888-424-8841 or visit MyGatorCondo.com.
Spend the day in Gainesville visiting the Florida Museum of Natural History. Currently on display is the CSI: exhibit, which will take you into the world of forensic entomology. After you have inspected the insects to solve the crime, head out to see some live butterflies in the Butterfly Rainforest. You will be able to walk through this outdoor screen enclosure where you will be able to see butterflies in a lush subtropical environment.
Step back in time 65 Million years in the Hall of Florida Fossils and marvel at the Earth’s history. You will be amazed that 90 percent of the 500 fossils on display are real. A large number of these fossils were found within 100 miles of Gainesville. This exhibit will enthrall everyone in your group.
Next you will step into a hammock forest of Northwest Florida, try to locate some of the local plants and animals, don’t forget to look under the logs. From the forest you head into the Cave where you will experience what it is like to be inside of a Florida cave. From the Cave you will head into a pitcher plant bog, which depicts the Seepage bogs. Then you will head into the waterways of Florida where you will learn about the local Indian Nations that used to live along the rivers. In the Tidal marshes you will learn about the changing tides that make life in these marshes challenging. Move out to the coast and the Barrier Islands of Florida. The Northwest Florida waterways and wildlife exhibits are an amazing journey though Florida.
Don’t miss the exhibit on South Florida People and Environments where you will learn about Florida’s pre-Columbian past. Have fun this week in Gainesville at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The prospect of relocating to a new place can be somewhat unsettling as you face emptying your present house and filling up your Gainesville Florida home. Not only must you deal with the onus of packing and the logistics of your physical move, you also find yourself a bit anxious–and possible sad– about leaving a place where you’ve grown comfortable. No wonder so many people dread making a move!
There is, however, a painless way to lessen the angst and allow you to cope well (maybe even enjoy) the relocation process–and that is organization. While you may be proficient at researching and hiring a moving company and finding a reliable Realtor to sell your current residence and help you find the perfect Gainesville Florida home, there are numerous “small” steps you can take to eliminate unpleasant surprises later on and to make the process go more smoothly.
FINANCES: To alleviate any concerns you may have about the financial ramifications of living in a new city, you can compare the cost of living in two places by visiting HomeFair.com. This site will help you calculate how far your salary will go in your new location.
SCHOOLS: HomeFair.com also provides pertinent information about school systems throughout the U.S. Here you can discover student/teacher ratio, instructional costs per pupil, special programs, number of students going on to higher education, etc. You can also Google the board of education in your new city for information.
AMENITIES: The Chamber of Commerce can help you learn about religious facilities, cultural opportunities, parks and outdoor activities, hospitals and health care availability, and a myriad of other questions you may have–perhaps adult education.
This 2 bedroom 1 ½ condo is in a great location off 34th street near shopping and restaurants. It features a living/dining room combo with breakfast bar, ceramic tile in kitchen and bathrooms and open patio off the living room.
The federal governments’ Section 203 (k) program is designed for the rehabilitation and improvement of single family properties and is viewed as a tool for neighborhood revitalization and expanding home ownership. In the past, when a Gainesville FL real estate buyer wanted to purchase a home in need of repair or modernization, he/she had to first obtain financing to finance the dwelling and then find additional financing to do the rehabilitation work. With the 203 (k) plan, however, the buyer can get just one mortgage–at a long-term fixed or adjustable rate–to finance both the purchase and the repair of the property.
USES AND APPLICATIONS: This program can be used in many ways:
1. To purchase a home and its land for rehabilitation
2. To purchase a dwelling at one site and move it to another mortgaged property for rehabilitation
3. To refinance existing secured loans on a home for rehabilitation
4. To convert a one-family dwelling to a two, three, or four family residence OR
5. To convert a multi-family dwelling to a one-family home.
This 4 bedroom 2 bath home features a living/dining room combo, family room, laundry room and fenced backyard. It needs some repairs but could make a nice home. Calendar Days 1-7: No offers will be considered for the first 7 calendar days a home is listed. The date the home is listed is counted as Day 1. Calendar Days 8-12: We will consider offers on the property only from Nsp buyers, Municipalities, non-profits organizations and owner-occupants. Calendar Days 13+: We will consider offers from all buyers.
In addition to the demands of current Gainesville FL home buyers for environmentally-friendly, or green real estate, there is also a growing segment of consumers who are looking for houses which incorporate the principles of feng shui. An ancient Chinese practice, feng shui is believed to improve one’s life through the use of color, location and positioning, and specific materials and objects, all of which combine to produce a positive energy, or chi, in your home.
The primary focus of feng shui is the positive flow of energy, which contributes to the creation of harmony in life. Integral components of the philosophy are the five elements of fire, earth, water, metal, and wood, and each of these is enhanced by color selection and use in your Gainesville FL home as follows:
FIRE – Passion and high energy. These strong colors include red, orange, purple, pink, and bright yellow.
EARTH – Nourishment and Stability. Beige and various earthy sand colors.
WATER – Ease, freshness, and abundance. Blue and Black
This condo features living room/dining room combo, wood cabinets, ceramic tile, stainless appliances and a balcony off the master bedroom. It is in a great location, off Newberry road near movie theater, restaurants, and shopping. Days 1-7: No offers will be considered for the first 7 calendar days a home is listed.**Seller will not entertain any offers until the 8th listing day at which time only offers from Nsp buyers, municipalities, non-profit organizations and owner-occupant will be reviewed for Days 8-12. Days 13+: We will consider offers form all buyers, on the 13th listing day.
researching and hiring a moving company and finding a reliable Realtor to sell your current residence and help you 
Gainesville Homes For Sale:
obtain financing to finance the dwelling and then find additional financing to do the rehabilitation work. With the 203 (k) plan, however, the buyer can get just one mortgage–at a long-term fixed or adjustable rate–to finance both the purchase and the repair of the property.
Gainesville Real Estate For Sale:
FIRE – Passion and high energy. These strong colors include red, orange, purple, pink, and bright yellow.
Gainesville Homes For Sale:
