Hi,

Winter has arrived in Gainesville! After a warm Florida Christmas, the cold front came in and gave us a taste of what we can expect for our short winter. Although as I write today it’s a comfy 68 degrees.

I don’t know about you but I’m happy to see January. Not only is it an end to all that crazy yummy food and festivities, it is a motivator to end old habits that don’t serve us and evaluate and plan for what does. I know we don’t need a new year to do this but it’s nice to see just the same. I teach a yoga class at the Tioga branch of Gainesville Health and Fitness Center and take many other classes at one of their three beautiful locations and all the classes are full of new folks. The churches are fuller, more people are outside walking. It’s nice.

The real estate activity has been slow through the holidays as no one really likes to move at this time. It should start picking up as we move closer to tax return season and spring. Although we still rent houses year round the winter is the slow time. Being a university town we get a spurt of activity for the winter semester but not much.

Now is a good time to start thinking about your future plans for your property. Are you going to want to sell it this year? Renew your tenant’s lease? Do you need to upgrade or downgrade your own living situation and want to hold on to the property and rent it- or sell?  This is the time to plan. Look at what you’ll need to do in ways of repairs or improvements and work towards getting your property ready. Spring comes quickly and that’s a good time to put properties on the market for sale or rent.

We are always happy to give you a market analysis for the rent or sale of your property and can advise you on repairs or improvements to net more from your property. Whatever your direction just make a plan and put it on your calendar so that you can follow through and make it happen.

We took advantage of the slow time during the holiday’s to go to Louisiana. I was born a poor white girl from the other side of the railroad tracks….. Bahahah!! Funny but true…. For a couple of the elementary years we actually lived in the swamps of Manchac Louisiana, off north pass on Byrne Bayou (my maiden name). We had a generator for electricity and a manual hand pump for water. We hunted alligators, ran trout lines and crab pots. It was quite an adventure and education for us kids. Of course back then I didn’t see the value of it all. But I look back at that and feel fortunate to have had the experience. Plus it was crazy fun to take a boat everywhere you had to go without needing to be of age to drive!

We drove to another town that I went to middle and high school, Ponchatoula, Louisiana.  We rode past the small very humble abodes we lived in that never bothered me as a kid. I had great memories of growing up in those towns. I had no idea of their addresses but I actually remembered the feel of the walk home from high school and the roads I rode my bike through, and was able to drive straight to them. That was very surprising to me. Of course the main reason I was able to find them is because absolutely nothing has changed in that small town. Louisiana’s economy has suffered for decades and it was very evident here. We sometimes don’t realize how well we have it in this wonderfully diverse, progressive, healthy economy and absolutely beautiful part of Florida. Gainesville is steadily growing and it should continue for the next few years at least. It’s a good time to own property here.

We stayed in New Orleans and did the traditional French Quarter, Bourbon Street, Riverboat cruise and Casino, as tourists do.  We rode the trolley’s everywhere just to ride them….lol. We spent time on the balconies of restaurants and pubs watching the craziness below on Bourbon Street. We had to high tail it outta there right before midnight on New Year’s Eve because it became an unmovable mob. We unknowingly 😉 wandered straight to the best balcony view of the midnight fireworks celebration possible, at a Pub on Canal Street. It was a lot of fun. I am happy to be back to my quiet little life in Alachua and done with all the holidays.

I hope you all had wonderful holidays and are looking forward to a wonderful New Year!  I’ve included some pictures of our Holiday festivities in the link below.

Cheers!

Click to see pictures from Tanya’s holiday celebrations

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Read similar blog posts from “Words From Our Broker”:

• Words From our Broker – January 2015
• Words From our Broker – November 2015