The Beaches Town Center: Where Neptune Beach Meets Atlantic Beach

by Jenn Heller

Just north of Ponte Vedra Beach and Jacksonville Beach sits two quaint beach communities thriving in local hotspots featuring fantastic dining, entertainment, shopping and of course, some of the prettiest ocean frontage to grace the First Coast. The Beaches Town Center is not just a landmark to the locals looking for good food but vacationers as well who enjoy the oceanfront hotels including One Ocean and The Seahorse. What could be better than being located directly in the heart of Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach.

Residents and area beaches locals alike love to stroll the of the Town Center for the dining selections and locally owned shopping opportunities to include boutiques of all kinds. And there's so much to choose from!

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Ponte Vedra Focus Blog Scholarship Celebrates 5th Anniversary

It's hard to believe this is the 5th year of the Ponte Vedra Focus Blog Scholarship! It's been amazing to be able to help our local students achieve great things when leaving high school and this year will be no different. The annual Blog Scholarship is sponsored by The Volen Group at Keller Williams Luxury International and Gwinn Volen. Gwinn Volen is a top real estate agent in Ponte Vedra Beach and the creator of the Ponte Vedra Focus Blog.

All St. Johns County and Duval County graduating seniors who plan to continue their education in the college arena are eligible to participate in The Blog Scholarship. "Through the years, we've read some pretty amazing blogs created by high school seniors and we have loved including them on our blog as ways to…

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Top 5 Reasons to Live in Ponte Vedra Beach

Ponte Vedra Beach is known for being a quaint resort town between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. History of this lovely area dates back to 1912 when it gained notoriety for minerals found along the dunes resulting in it being aptly named Mineral City. The titanium, rutile and zircon minerals located along the shorelines were vital in making steel for World War I.

But Mineral City was soon to find a new name. At the conclusion of WWI, local planners pulled together to begin the efforts of showcasing Mineral City as the incredible beach and resort town it is today. Named after Pontevedra, Galicia, a small town in northwest Spain, known for its hospitality, Ponte Vedra Beach made its place on the Northeast Florida coastline.

In 1928, the opening of…

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Beaches Real Estate Market Finds Its Equilibrium

By Gwinn Volen

We are moving towards a balanced market in Ponte Vedra Beach and its nearby communities.

Real estate market health is best measured by months supply of homes. Months supply measures the number of months it would take to sell all the current homes on the market given the current sales pace. Six months of supply is considered a balanced market where home prices are appreciating at a moderate pace. Lower supply causes home prices to appreciate more rapidly (demand high, supply low). Months supply for single family homes in 32082 for September 2022 was 5.1 months, in August it was 3.6 months and in September '21 it was 1.7 months. 

As supply increases, appreciation is slowing. In the Beaches area, median home prices are up 22%…

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From Full House to Empty Nest: Downsizing in Ponte Vedra Beach

Are you a proud parent that has raised the kids, ushered them into adulthood and thought, what's next? Once the kids are out of the house many parents opt to downsize. Moving to a smaller place that is much more practical once the kids are grown and "adulting" on their own means new adventures for Mom & Dad. Hilarious "Empty Nester" photo shoots have even gone viral to commemorate the event of setting those baby birds off into the real world when Mom & Dad get to take their next step! Maybe it's time to free up some precious moments to do the things they love by selling large pool home to trade down to smaller living space that meets their needs. It also makes sure the kids don't try to move back in right?

Statistically over 50% of empty-nesters…

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Mortgage Broker vs Banker: What's the Difference?

By Aaron Bacus

Why Mortgage Brokers may be better…from the perspective of a mortgage broker!

Wholesale Loan Shopping vs. Retail Loan Shopping

Brokers can shop multiple lenders. Opposed to big bank retail lenders, mortgage brokers have a diversity of lenders to choose from which allows them to find the absolute best rate for the client. 

Brokers have access to multiple loan programs. Again, big bank lenders have their loan program, that’s it. Brokers on the other hand, can shop many loan programs to find the best fit for YOU and YOUR CLIENT. This ensures complete control, confidence, and customization for each client’s unique needs. 

Mortgage Brokers Give Customers More Choice

Brokers give your clients choice and multiple options.…

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The Perfect Three Season Home in Ponte Vedra Beach

The Perfect Three Season Home in Ponte Vedra Beach

By Gwinn Volen, The Volen Group at Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners

Introducing 352 Ponte Vedra Boulevard in Old Ponte Vedra Beach:  Directly Across from the Ocean with a Pavered Beach Access.

Just one block from the prestigious Ponte Vedra Inn & Club is a Cape Cod style home with unique character and design. Bright, warm and inviting, this property is a true “three season home” with a special place to enjoy every mood and weather. 

The front porch is perfect for morning coffee and listening to the waves while the southern facing pool and yard is a great respite from the winter breezes. And then, of course you have the back deck where you can sit and watch the sunset over the 3rd…

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Coffee Shops in Ponte Vedra Beach: Welcome Foxtail Coffee Co

by Jenn Heller

At long last, Ponte Vedra Beach has another coffee option besides Starbucks! Nothing against Starbucks of course, but the area has been in desperate need of more than just a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or diner alternative for the coffee lovers of Ponte Vedra Beach.

Welcome Foxtail Coffee Co, a new neighborhood cafe, located in the Sawgrass Village shopping center just down from Publix at 260 Front Street, Suite 620.

Foxtail opened its first store in 2016 in the Orlando area, and has since been opening coffee shops throughout Central Florida and South Georgia. The Ponte Vedra Beach location is a much welcomed and needed addition to the area.

Foxtail prides itself on responsibly sourcing its beans and has a…

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Is the Sky Falling in Jacksonville's Beaches Real Estate Market?

by Gwinn Volen

There is a lot of buzz about where the housing market is going.  A quick Google News search on the term "real estate market," shows there were over 2400 articles about the housing marketing in the last seven days.

We have seen some changes in the real estate market in the last few weeks, but nothing earth-shattering or dire is happening. And if you click past the headlines in most of these articles you will see that experts are not predicting a housing market crash. A stabilization? Sure. A crash? No. There may be some Chicken Littles out there who feel differently, but the experts and the data aren't on board with the crash theory.

Year Over Year and Month over Month Statistics at the Beaches

The Market is Normalizing But…

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Piece of History for Sale in Neptune Beach

Piece of History for Sale in Neptune Beach

What’s not to love about Neptune Beach? Neptune Beach is truly a small, coastal community perfectly positioned between Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach. One of the biggest draws to this beach town is the laid-back beach atmosphere perfect for residents of all ages to enjoy anything and everything beach related. Neptune Beach hotspots includes the two oceanfront hotels, One Ocean Resort and Spa and Seahorse Oceanfront Inn. Neptune Beach also has some of the most incredible dining options you will find at the beach including Sliders Oyster Bar, Lemon Bar, Hawkers, Doro and North Beach Fish Camp. There’s definitely something for everyone’s taste buds in the Beaches Town Center in Neptune Beach.

Neptune…

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