Here in Gainesville, Shands just sent out acceptance letters for next year’s medical residents.  Congratulations for those of you who were accepted!

Relax

One of the million things you have to do before starting work is find a place to live.  Most residents want a home near Shands. You know you’ll be busy and don’t want headaches so you want something that doesn’t require much maintenance. You also want a home that isn’t too expensive (you’re still paying off student loans) but in a safe & clean neighborhood.

Places to live in Gainesville

Here is a list of places to live in Gainesville that other residents liked.  These neighborhoods have many homes available between $200,000 and $300,000 – and they are conveniently located.



View Communities in Alachua County in a larger map

SW Gainesville & Archer Road

Shands, UF, and the VA hospital are all on SW Archer road and very close to each other.  There are several communities along Archer Road that are within a 30 min drive during rush hour which are popular with residents.

Hickory Forest

Market Update
This community was built in the late 1990′s and is generally made up of 1-story frame homes with great room and split-bedroom floor plans.
Homes for Sale in Hickory Forest

Haile Plantation

Market Update
Started in the mid-1980′s there are still a few lots being built on in Haile. There are around 1,000 homes but they are tucked away into smaller sub-sections that each have their own personality. The heart of Haile is The Village Center and the Golf & Country Club.
Homes for Sale in Haile Plantation

Longleaf

Market Update
This is a new community, with 4 phases planned it is half way through development. The beach-entry pool and 24 hr fitness center are highlights here. Also – the monthly fees include front yard maintenance – so you don’t need to worry a lot about mowing! It is developed by Robinshore and Tommy Williams.
Homes for Sale in Longleaf

NW Gainesville

There are some areas in NW Gainesville with easy communtes along I-75 that are less expensive to buy in.

Ellis Park

Market Update
Ellis Park is a relatively new neighborhood being developed by Robinshore. Phase 2 is under construction now.
Homes for sale in Ellis Park

Broadmoor

Market Update
This neighborhood was built in the 1990′s and has been completed for years. The homes are +/- 2000 sqft and prices range from $200k to $300k for the most part.
Homes for Sale in Broadmoor

Downtown

There are also condos in downtown Gainesville with more to do nearby them that are much closer to Shands / UF and prices have come down to make them more affordable for a resident’s salary.

Union Street Station

Market Update

Condos For Sale at Union Street Station

This condo community is in the heart of downtown. Many people affiliated with the University of Florida live here and bike to campus or Shands. There are also many professionals who work in the courthouse and nearby legal offices who live here.

On the ground floor there are shops and restaurants, the second floor houses offices, and the top three floors are condos.  There is a private interior courtyard for the residents. The security system controls access to the elevators on the ground floor and the parking garage on the third floor.

Living here is about privacy, convenience, and being in the center of the action (such as it is) in Gainesville.

Things to do in Gainesville

Todo in Gainesville

http://www.we-promise.com/todogvl.php

Living in Gainesville

http://www.gainesvilletoday.com/2007/03/1431/Adam_Bolton:_10_Things_I_Love_About_Gainesville/

Homes for sale in Ellis Park

Homes on the Market

There are 9 homes for sale in Ellis Park.  The average stats are:

To see all the specifics on the homes for sale now just click on the house photo.

Recent Activity

There are no homes sold yet this year.  4 homes are showing up as under contact, all of them appear to be new construction.

It looks like two of them are new homes that the builder completed as spec homes.  They originally asked -these numbers are averaged together – $325,000 ($151/sqft) when they first went on the market 10 months ago and were asking $290,000 ($135/sqft) when they went under contract this month.

The other two look like they were contracted to be built about a year ago, so we might assume that they are under construction now and the buyers didn’t want the homes right away.  Next time I am in Ellis Park I’ll take a look at the sites to see what things look like, if you are out there please give us all an update -Lot 98 on 19th Road & Lot 121 on 110th Drive.

Ellis Park Market Stats - click to view larger graph

Prices for resale homes

Prices peaked in 2007 at an average of $321,000 ($136/sqft) and have come down in 2008 to $227,000 ($121/sqft).

During that time 9 homes were marketed that didn’t sell.  They averaged an asking price of $319,000 ($136/sqft) when they first came onto the market and $303,000 ($129/sqft) when they came off the market.  These homes were almost 500 sqft larger than the 4 homes that sold.  It seems the buyers were more comfortable paying less money for a smaller house at the time.

Time to Market a resale home

When a home sells in Ellis Park it happens, on average, between 3 and 4 months after it was listed for sale.  (That doesn’t mean that all homes sell in that length of time, many that never sell are on the market much longer before they are removed.)  The homes listed in 2008 that didn’t sell were on the market an average of almost 10 months.

Number of Sales

In Ellis Park there have usually been only a handful of resale homes closing each year – 6 or fewer.  New construction in the neighborhood has slowed down quite a lot, to only about 20% of the activity we saw during the boom years.

New and Resale Market Stats - click to view larger graph

Forecast

Robinshore has been offering some excellent incentives to buyers, and keeping the neighborhood on track with new sales.  While this is important for maintaining a base for neighborhood vitality the competition causes pressure on the prices of resale homes.  The reverse happened when demand was high – you can see where the price per square foot for resale homes peaked above new homes in 2005 and 2005.  So now with lowered demand, prices for resale homes have to be competitive with what the builder is willing to offer buyers on a brand-new home.

If you would like information grouped in another manner feel free to contact us!