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Animal Attraction: A Tampa-Area Walk on the Wild Side

Whether cruising back roads or interstates around west-central Florida, you’ll see gentle hills, seemingly endless green fields, oak and pine groves and water features, such as rivers and swamps.

Aside from people, it’s also a perfect home for wild and exotic animals, many of which hail from similar climates in Africa and other continents. There are three such exotic-animal attractions near the Tampa Bay area. An excursion to any — or all — is a great learning experience for you and any visitors to your new ICI Homes neighborhood.

All three attractions cheerfully welcome visitors for entertainment and educational purposes, and […]

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Waiting to Buy a New Home Could Cost You

Home prices
Thinking about buying a new home in the next few years? Moving up your timetable could save you money. As of February 2018, Zillow states home values have risen 7.6% in the last 12 months. It also predicts homes values will continue to rise another 3.5% in the next year. Each area of the country is different but the one thing you can count on is that when home prices rise you get less home for your money.
Interest rates
Interest rates have also been steadily climbing. The Economy Forecast Agency predicts rates to climb above 5% in 2018 and […]

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A Kid’s Guide to Jacksonville

Moving to Jacksonville with the family in tow? Have school-age children who must acclimate to their new surroundings?

That can be a tall order on top of adjusting to a move. Luckily, kids sometimes are more resilient than us adults. They fold into new friendships, school groups and neighborhood hangouts with relative ease.

But, if you’d like to help them along by exploring your new hometown as a family, Jacksonville offers innumerable fun possibilities. We’ll get you started with a few suggestions.
Museum of Science & History
Located in downtown Jacksonville, “MOSH” is full of hands-on, interactive exhibits for all ages, with many […]

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A Slice of Tampa Life: Bayshore Boulevard

When in Tampa, do as many Tampa residents do — enjoy a cruise along Bayshore Boulevard.

If you’re a newly arrived Tampa-area resident, getting to know Bayshore will help you and yours with your geographical bearings of the downtown area. Plus, it’s a gorgeous vista!

Running, walking, strolling, cycling and, of course, driving, all qualify as ways to cruise the city’s most iconic street. Think of it as a vertical hub for all the main residential districts south of downtown Tampa. But, Bayshore is more than a street on a map. It’s a magnet for solitary personal workouts, daily sunrise viewing […]

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Turn Your Dream of a Vacation Home Into a Reality

Ever been on a relaxing vacation watching a glorious sunset and wished you could own your own vacation home? If so, you are not alone. According to the National Association of Realtors Vacation and Investment Home Sales: A breakdown for 2017, thousands of buyers felt the same way and turned their dreams into a reality.
Financing a vacation home
There is a misconception that vacation home buyers pay in cash or have a large down payment. NAR cites that 72% of homebuyers purchasing a vacation property financed their purchase. Of those financing, the majority put down 30% or less as a […]

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10 Things New Jacksonville Residents Should Do

If you’re a new Jacksonville resident, you probably know your way around your new community and places you must go such as grocery stores. But unless you’re familiar with “JAX,” or spent significant time here while searching for your new home, foraging further might be a challenge.

We at ICI Homes are here with your game plan. It’s a list of places to go and things to do all over metropolitan Jacksonville. Knock out several in one day, or devote an entire day to one activity.

You’ll get our bearings in no time with our list of 10 things new Jacksonville […]

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There is Hope After Bankruptcy or Foreclosure

Millions of Americans have been affected by a short sale, foreclosure or bankruptcy and may be afraid they will never be able to own a home again. Luckily, a derogatory credit item doesn’t mean an end to homeownership.

Check out the chart below to view waiting periods, by loan type, for homebuyers who have experienced foreclosure, short sale or bankruptcy, without extenuating circumstances.

*Foreclosure rates are cited from CoreLogic data highlighted in a January 2015 Forbes article.

The information voiced in this material is for general information and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

All loans subject […]

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Mosaic Development Featured in the News Journal

DAYTONA BEACH — Another big piece is being added to the white hot development puzzle already taking shape just west of Interstate 95.

On Saturday, ICI Homes will hold a grand opening event to celebrate the completion of five model homes at its planned 1,200-home Mosaic “full life” community off LPGA Boulevard, just west of the Florida Tennis Center.

Click here to read the full Mosaic News Journal article.

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Is An Adjustable Rate Mortgage Right For You?

An adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) is a mortgage that offers an introductory fixed rate for a limited period of time, then adjusts annually to reflect market conditions. This introductory rate is typically lower than a 30-year fixed rate. This can make ARM’s attractive options for the right buyer.
We all like to save money, but how can you tell if an adjustable rate mortgage is right for you?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. How long do you plan on living in the home?
If your answer is for less than 10 years an ARM may be a good option […]

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Designing Your New Home: Why Smart and Thrifty Pays Off

If you’ve never built a new home from scratch, you may not know that it’s your responsibility to select all the interior finishes and materials when the time arrives to do that.

Nope, that model home you’ve fallen for won’t be magically reproduced on your lot unless it’s exactly what you want and your budget allows. But the building process is more involved than walking into a model-home center and saying, “Yeah, this’ll work.”

That’s a good thing because all of us have individual tastes.

Buying a home as a couple or with your partner? One of you may adore the interior […]

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