“Our clients appreciate the variety of opportunities in our area. Each area offers something special from waterfront to water access, small lots to large lots, historic to new construction and much more. From the beautiful horse farms to the magnificent oceanfront homes, North Florida has whatever a client wants. It has the hills and waterfront of Arlington, the roaring ocean of the beaches, clubs and resort style properties of Ponte Vedra and golfing communities in almost any area of town you wish. North Florida also has Mandarin with is majestic oak trees; Southside from historic San Marco to the fabulous gated communities, Westside from Riverside/Avondale’s history to country homes and investment opportunities, Orange Park/Fleming Island with tennis, golf, water and more. South St. Johns and Clay counties offer a unique life style in beautiful surroundings with options for living. What clients like best is we have what they want and can show it to them. Compared to other parts of the country, we have some of the best buys, too.”
— Sheron Dorsey Willson,
director of training at Prudential Network Realty
“The most attractive part of North Florida is the potential and growth. It is a good time to buy in this area because there are new subdivisions and neighborhoods being developed and the prices are reasonable. There is still a small town feel where one can feel good raising children comfortably. Least attractive is that you still get the Northern chill unlike Tampa or Miami. There also is no true major downtown area like New York, Chicago, Atlanta and St. Louis. The job market is not as versatile and transferees that may be looking for a change in careers or jobs find that there is a loss in salary when making such a decision.”
— Scott Williams, Watson Realty
“Most attractive are the beaches; least attractive are the prices at the beaches.”
— Judi Schuyler, New World Realty and Property Management, Inc.
“The last customers that I have sold homes to this month preferred the West Intracoastal area. They did not like the northside of Jacksonville because it is too long a distance to get to work and the lack of social activities.”
— Julia Blanton,
Prudential Network Realty
“Weather is the most attractive to my mortgage clients relocating. Least attractive is the arts are not that established in Jacksonville. This is not my opinion, but one I have heard many times over the past five years, especially if they are from New York. I feel we have many wonderful things to do, but it is interesting in the perception we receive.”
— Jacque Parillo, First South Bank
“Most attractive is the eagerness of Jacksonville including the residents, business people and small businesses to grow and develop into the city we’re capable of being. A constant positive comment is even with our growth, we are striving to maintain a ‘down to earth’ attitude and friendliness of the long-time Jacksonville residents to visitors and tourists. Least attractive is the quality [or lack thereof] regarding service, especially food service from the burger drive-throughs to the polished high-quality establishments. Lack of experienced staff is a consistent complaint from clients and colleagues.”
— Terri Fitzgerald,
Prudential Network Realty
“The most attractive is the employment market. I can’t think of a thing that is the least attractive. Most people talk about all the things they like rather than don’t like. I think Jacksonville is a wonderful place to live. I know several close friends who originally moved here for what they thought would be just a year or two [such as myself with my husband’s job transfer]. Every one of them has ‘fallen in love’ with Northeast Florida and made it their permanent home. I’ve also done loans for quite a few people who have moved elsewhere and come back to Jacksonville.”
— Laura G. Smith,
Countrywide Home Loans
“I would have to say the most attractive part of Jacksonville is East Arlington. It is close to the beaches without the beach price. The location is great for our military. It is also a straight shot downtown to the Jacksonville Landing and to Alltel Stadium.”
— Cristina Engel, KB Home
“The most attractive item that draws people to North Florida is the sunshine. North Florida is truly still a small-minded town with a vastness that is diverse for every type of personality. It still has housing that accommodates most clientele and is affordable, but yet is a city that has the potential to grow into bigger and better things. Our attractions are enough where there is a constant interest but we need to think on a larger scale. We try to be an Atlanta but we do not have the shopping facilities nor the draw that Atlanta has. But, watch out — we will be placing Jacksonville on the map sooner rather than later. There is so much potential for growth, stability for housing and employment, and the desire to grow. On the more negative aspect though, our downtown is downtrodden and especially needs a facelift, which is coming. We have such a small skyline and the bed of interest is commercial, at best, downtown. Prudential Network Realty along with the City Council and financial backers are going to create a new atmosphere downtown with the Shipyards. The Shipyards is just one of the beginnings to reshape the First Coast and the rebirth is overdue. I particularly like the diverse development areas like Ortega, Avondale, San Marco and St. Nicholas because of their uniqueness. Investors of both elements in residential and commercial are creating a future of innovation and accomplishing the commitment of supporting a vision of business growth and the demand for enriching the quality of life on the First Coast. Partnerships have allowed us all to enjoy a better lifestyle and better climate than most large cities. I commend and respect those with the vision and interest to extend their commitment in building our communities.”
— Donna Hodges,
Prudential Network Realty
“I think my customers love the northeast weather and the water. The least attractive part of Jacksonville is the lack of technical jobs.”
— Carol von Rabenstein,
Prudential Network Realty in Mandarin
“Most attractive are the quality of life and the Ponte Vedra Beach school system. The least attractive is the traffic from beach to town.”
— Tom Barry of PV Club Realty
“The comment I hear the most often about living here comes especially from out-of-towners. They like the fact that they can drive here in less time from their hometown up north than going further south. They also like a bit of change of season. On the other end, the people who don’t like it here are looking for a more tropical climate. Like, I wish I were in it right now.”
— Chris Rich, ICI Homes at Turtle Shores and Royal St. Augustine
“Least attractive thing about North Florida is the drive time to and from work. We are, after all, the largest or one of the largest cities in square miles in the U.S. which is not necessarily good when it comes to commuting. The second least attractive thing about North Florida is shopping, or what those coming from big cities see as the lack thereof, but hopefully that will soon change. The most attractive is that they love it including the beautiful beaches, climate that allows year-round outdoor activities, the variety of cultural activities, wonderful schools, nice and friendly people and the pro football.”
— Clare Berry,
Berry and Company Real Estate
“My prospects are always commenting on the beauty of the area. The ocean and golf courses are hard to beat and of course we have both. If their budget allows, they choose to live as close as possible. However, for those who are not beach people or golfers, the downtown area is quaint and very beautiful also. In general, the diversity of our economy and the fact that we are somewhat resistant to downturns in the economy are very attractive. The least attractive is that many prospects that are really into boating feel the area is not quite comparable to areas south such as Sarasota, Ft. Lauderdale, Naples and the Keys. They comment on the beauty of the waters further down and the warmer climate in winter.”
— Kim Davis,
Ponte Vedra Beach Realty
“The most attractive to my customers, who are builders and developers, is the growth. Not only in people moving to the area but the growth in income and new jobs that have almost insulated North Florida from the recession that the rest of the country seems to be experiencing. Least attractive is harder to answer. Maybe the diminishing supply of affordable land for development would be the most obvious at first glance.”
— Tom Adair,
Washington Mutual Bank
“As a commercial property management company, Marketmasters’ customers are business owners. We specialize in retail strip shopping centers and our prospects are a good mix of experienced and new business owners. The experienced owners are either looking to expand a base they already have in the Jacksonville area or expand into the Jacksonville area with a proven product. Just under a third of our leases are to out-of-towners or with those whom have been here less than a year. They cite the same three reasons for coming here. They say they have been here before and can’t believe how much it has changed due to the growth, they have read or heard that Jacksonville is a booming town with the growth or they say they have a good ‘gut feeling’ about the place. Then, they will usually add the comments about the weather, the snowbirds, the Jacksonville Jaguars and that it is a city ‘in harm’s way’ due to the growth.
“But better than two-thirds of the leases we write, about 55 to 65 a year, are to home folks. Half are to the experienced and expanding and the rest are to dreamers. I am in my fifth year with Marketmasters and am still amazed at the number of new business owners looking to rent 1,000 square feet in which to start their business. Their penchant is the same: ‘Jacksonville seems to be on a continual growth spurt so I have decided to take my chance now and I know there is a need for ‘widgets’ in this town’. And many of them have achieved their goals, if not their dreams [nobody dreams of working 70 to 80 hours a week as an entrepreneur]. After two, three or four years they lament the rising costs of materials, the lack of quality workers [who will work cheap] and the finicky attitudes of their customers. But are they ready to bail out? Heck, no! They are sure they are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. And I’m proud of them.”
— Neil O’Donnell,
Marketmasters of the Southeast
“The resounding answer has been by far the proximity and beauty of the beaches. Most of the people I have worked with who are relocating to this area have found our beaches to be a great feature. The least attractive thing about our area is the fact that everything is very spread out and the road systems are extremely crowded.”
— Kelly Bowman Cogdill,
Resource Mortgage