This is the first question almost every seller asks me, usually before they’ve even decided to list. Should I redo the kitchen first? Fix the bathroom? Just paint and go?

A client asked me something last week that I get more often than people would guess.

Before kids, my husband and I took  many trips together. Just the two of us. No logistics beyond our own, no one else's schedule to work around, no one to pack for but ourselves.

Most people who drive down San Jose Boulevard think of it as a connector — a long road that runs past The Bolles School, through neighborhoods built in the 1980s, down to the Southside and back toward downtown. And for much of its length, that's exactly what it is.

There's a moment I've come to recognize on every walkthrough.

I've walked through a lot of old Jacksonville houses. Most of them, you can tell within five minutes whether the bones are worth the fight. Every once in a while, one stops me in my tracks — not because it's perfect, but because you can feel exactly how good it could be.

This Fourth of July weekend, the country turns 250 years old. There will be fireworks over the St. Johns River in San Marco, cookouts from the West Side to Mandarin to the Beach and a lot of noise about freedom and fresh starts.

Summer is officially here in Jacksonville — and so is a real estate market that's asking everyone to think a little differently than they did two years ago. If you're buying, selling, or even just watching from the sidelines, here's what the data is telling us right now and what it means for you.

By Joy Hicks — The Renovation Real Estate Agent — joyhicksrealtor.com

By Joy Hicks — The Renovation Real Estate Agent — joyhicksrealtor.com

By Joy Hicks — The Renovation Real Estate Agent — joyhicksrealtor.com

By Joy Hicks — The Renovation Real Estate Agent — joyhicksrealtor.com