Here is your monthly guide to special events, festivals, local happenings and fun things to do in St Augustine, Florida. So, whether you are a local or a tourist visiting our Nation's oldest city- here you will find many exciting things to do in my hometown, St Augustine. Here is a list of things to do in March, 2015.

February 27th-March1st 2015–  30 th annual Cathedral Festival– Enjoy carnival rides, games, live music, fireworks, silent auction and good food. To view more information and ticket prices- visit http://thecathedralfestival.com/info.html

March 6th-8th- St Augustine Lions Seafood Festival- Enjoy over 100 arts and crafts exhibitors, live music, delicous food, kid games, bounce houses and more. For more information visit: http://www.lionsfestival.com/Index.shtm

March 7th Lighthouse 5K and Night Festival- From 4-9pm Get fit while benefiting the Junior Service League and St Augustine Lighthouse & Musuem. Enjoy refreshments, music, kids activities and of course lighthouse climbs. For more info, click here:  https://www.facebook.com/lighthouse5krun

March 13th-14th- World Wild Rodeo- For more information, visit: http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/listings/view/23226

March 14th- St Augustine's St Patricks Day Parade-downtown St Augustine- 10:00 am

March 14th-15th-St Augustine's Celtic Music & Heritage Festival- Enjoy Scottish and Irish heritage in this fun festival. See more information visit: http://www.celticstaugustine.com/

March 28th- University of St Augustine's- 16th Annual USA 5k (Health Fair & Fun Run)-For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/USA5K

Have fun and see ya next month!

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Reasons why you should always hire a  Realtor® when you are buying or selling your home. There are many reasons you should hire a  Realtor®, but here are just a few of the top reasons why you should consider hiring a realtor when buying or selling your home.

1. Fiduciary Responibility: Realtors® have the experience and knowledge to guide you through a stressfree and important staple of your life and to assist you in protecting one of the biggest investment you and your family will ever make. When you work with a  Realtor® our fiduciary responsibiltiy is to protect you and your financial interest. As a  Realtor®, we are bound to a strict Code of Ethics that we must all adhere to while practicing in any real estate transaction.
2. Help finding the right home for your family:  While browsing on the internet is a great way to start you home search- many times the pictures will not show the true condition of the property. If you are working with a full-time realtor, in most cases they are already familiar with the property and can help answer questions regarding the property and whether or not it can be financed.
3. Real Estate Regulations: In real estate, just like every home is different, every transaction can be different too. The laws, rules and regulations are forever changing and varys from state to state.  It is important to have someone on your side that not only undertands the rules and regulations but is kept current with the forever changes and can put their knowledge to work for you.
4. Contracts and Negotiations: Finding the home and meeting new people is my favorite part of being a  Realtor®. However, there is more to finding your dream home, than just looking at beautiful homes in hoping to move in the next day. Negoatiations can be key for may families looking to buy or even sell their home. It is important to have a  Realtor® working for you on either side of the transaction that is looking out for you best interest. Today's contract's can be very complez and confusing for many people. As  Realtor® we deal with these complex contracts on a daily basis and are familiar with the forever changes that occur from time to time.
5. Financing: For buyers: Prior to your home search, it is important to know how much of a mortgage you can afford, that way you are prepared in making the necessary steps to make an offer on a new home. For Sellers: It is also important to know that your buyers have been qualified with a mortgage so that the transaction does not fall apart half way through the transaction, which in turn can waste weeks if you are not familiar with the process.
6. Pricing and selling the home:  For buyers: it is important to know that the price of the home is around the market value of the home when making an offer on the home. I will point out many websites are not reliable when give you estimated market values, buyers and seller beware!  For sellers: It is also important to know what your current value is and again you can't rely on some of the websites that will show you estimated values, they are just not as accurate as you think they are!!!

Here is a fun video that shows many of the responsibilities of a Realtor®! Think twice before purchasing such a big investment without using someone on your side!  Enough Said!