Tampa Real Estate News Blog

I found two new ways to save paper today. One has to do with phone books and the other has to do with airline ticket jackets. First and more importantly, who uses paper phone books anymore? Not too many people actually look up a number anymore - there are many electronic ways to get telephone numbers today. So, be sure to recycle your old phone books - don’t just toss them in the garbage! You can go to one of the many dropoff locations if you don’t have recycling in your neighborhood. Or, better yet - call Verizon and ask them to take you off their phone book delivery list at 1-800-888-8448. If you haven’t used a telephone book in over a year, chances are you aren’t going to in the future.

Next, Delta Air Lines is the first airline to stop the use of paper ticket jackets when people check in at the airport. The vast majority of people use electronic ticketing anyway so it’s not that big of a deal, but a small paper saving nonetheless and one that’s sure to catch on to other airlines.

It’s kind of funny but we still get requests from customers who want us to send them a real estate book. There hasn’t been real estate books in years. Every Tampa Bay MLS listing is online we always tell them. Yet there’s still people who don’t believe us. A very small segment of people, mostly older, will ask us to send them listings by mail. We are always happy to accomodate this type of person. After all, not everyone is comfortable online and as Real Estate agents we need to be sensitive to this. But, we always have someone patient available to help any customer learn how to search for properties on our website. So, if this is you, don’t hesitate to ask!

Another funny real estate story. One of our “hopefully” future customers is tired of looking at the photos of our listing in Chateaux Des Lacs on our website. So, they asked their Realtor to ask us to PRINT out the photos for them so that they can look at them from their lounge chair. What’s a listing agent to do? Of course, I said. PRINT PRINT PRINT. Unfortunatley, sometimes we just can’t save paper, but often times we can.

Any other new ideas on saving paper? Let me know in the form of a comment below.

Sounds to good to be true but I believe him. Ashley Morgan with UpstartBlogger is really going to give away a free blog. Not just any blog but a 5 character domain name blog. Go find out how, that’s what I did. And, good luck!

For the first 8 weeks of the year the number of “new” listings put on the market declined. That’s great news. Getting the inventory down will help sales increase. Early in the year there were almost 2000 fewer single family home listings put on the market than the year before for the same time period. Plus, homes under contract for this period are up 22% from Jan 2008. That’s even better news.

Condos appear to have stabilizied as well. For the first 2 months in 2008, they are showing a 17% increase in sales. Considering the glut of inventory for condos, this is something we are all waiting for.

What buyers would be interested in hearing is that the Tampa Bay Area Housing Affordability Index has shot up dramatically for March of 2008 - due mostly to the decline in sales prices already this year. So, that makes home buying more and more attractive to those looking for a good deal.

Below is a list of the some of the hot areas for February 2008 Real Estate Sales - all are within 90-97% of the asking price!

St. Petersburg (north) - 85 houses and 41 condos
Seminole - 47 houses and 33 condos
Dunedin - 35 houses and 25 condos
Palm Harbor - 30 houses and 26 condos

While this is probably not to be taken as a market rebound, it’s darn good news in a continually challenging real estate market. We are hearing this more and more and it’s really true — NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!

Call us for more info at 1-888-423-5775. Search for Tampa Bay Homes, you are going to like what you see.

James Thorner, we are sick of negative articles about the real estate market. I think your article in the St. Petersburg Times on April 30 is just a little too dramatic. We all know that Tampa Bay area home prices are back to 2005 prices. That’s nothing new. And, except for the people who bought houses in the later part of 2005 and early 2006, it’s really not so bad as you try to make it sound. Home prices have risen steadily over the past 10 years in the Tampa Bay area. What more we could ask for? Your article says “sales prices are about 89 percent higher than they were at the start of 2000″ - that in itself is a very good thing. The whole country has suffered a downturn in housing prices and the economy and we, in the Tampa Bay area, are in fact better off than many other places around the United States. We have so much going for ourselves here and now, due to the pricing decrease in home prices, we are only that much more desireable to people up north who want to move here.

Toward the later part of 2005, when home prices were at their peak many of my friends and colleges were leaving the Tampa Bay area because they felt they could no longer afford homes, taxes, and insurance. And, many people thought they had missed the boat on Florida relocation. I, for one, am glad that is no longer the case. Our area is a great place to live and home prices have become affordable once again. So come on down ya’ all - we will take good care of you!

Vegas style slot machines arrived on the scene at the popular Seminole Hard Rock Casino and the crowds have followed. But visitors are wondering if they pay as well as the previous bingo type machines Hard Rock offered previously.

Regardless, Casino president John Fontana is predicting a huge impact on the new slot machines appeal to customers. By the fall of this year, Hard Rock will have added more table games including blackjack, Pai Gow poker and baccarat.

Many people are signing up for the Players Club in Tampa because the rules for its loyalty program has been expanded to offer bigger discounts to bigger spenders. As it looks right now, the 250 room Hard Rock Hotel is being booked by Players Club members who are taking advantage of deep discounts and free night stays.

Is this a good thing for our city? I would welcome your comments. Not being much of a gambler myself, I can think of better ways to spend my time. There are many other things to do in Tampa.

Pinellas County Commissioners have gotten the go ahead to purchase 4.4 acres of Palm Harbor land and add it to the expansion of Wall Springs Park. There are a total of 12 parcels of five homes that will be demolished and turned into new parkland. The owners of the property have been approached by developers in the past and have turned them down. Dave Brinson says, “We always felt that once the county bought the spring, it made sense for us to make it part of the park system and not develop it.” “There are some of the most beautiful, gorgeous oaks anywhere in the county back there,” he said.

The county is negotiating still to buy an additional few more acres in the same area to add to the park.

Officials are counting on half of the money to purchase the property will come from a Florida Communities Trust grant but if that doesn’t work out then they will use “Penny for Pinellas Funds”.

Situated right off the Pinellas Trail, near Alt. 19, Wall Springs Park has been opened since 1989 with 84 acres. Once the county is finished with all the land acquisitions, the park will be 215 acres. Palm Harbor’s historic natural spring park is a popular favorite with Palm Harbor residents. Read more about Wall Springs Park on our website.

Tampa is considered a top choice in the real estate investor market of Florida for many reasons. The Tampa Bay area consists mainly of three counties beautified by the white sand and blue waters of the warm Gulf of Mexico. The area is comprised of about 2 million residents from various cultures and walks of life.

Tampa Bay offers a stable living environment in terms of both the natural and social climate. The abundance of natural resources promises a higher standard of living at a lower cost. One of the most favorable aspects of living in Tampa Bay is the benefit offered by the state government. There is no Florida state income tax in Tampa. Plus, the property taxes are much lower compared to those of the other northern states.

Many businesses have relocated to the Tampa Bay area because the prospects for doing business are very high in Tampa Bay. A few reasons are that we have the largest port of Florida here. Also, Tampa International Airport is ranked as the #1 airport in the United States. Tampa Bay is known to be one of the most popular destinations of the tourists, both American and foreign as well. The tropical natural environment and the welcoming sandy beaches, attract a wide range of tourists here.

Sports and leisure are a big part of the daily routine activities of Tampa Bay. We host a variety of teams, especially football and hockey, in every season. Thus it is the favorite hangout of the young population, especially students from different universities of Florida.

The beaches and the various large lakes in the area offer a wide choice of water sports and leisure activities. People come to enjoy sunbathing, boating, fishing, snorkeling, and skiing.

One notable fact is the educated population of Tampa, the most precious asset of the Bay. This contributes to an efficient workforce, which is a great asset to the flourishing business activities of this area. Tampa Bay is considered to be one of the most literate areas of the United States.

Our economic development gets a further boost with the healthy population. Tampa Bay boasts of some the best medical care facilities. To mention a few among the notable healthcare facilities are the three hospitals that bear the credit as ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ by U.S. News and World Report: Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.

If you wondered why many multinational companies are focusing towards Tampa Bay and many of them looking for a place to relocate their headquarters to this area, you would surely find the answer yourself from the above-mentioned facts. The reason to this shift of focus is nothing but the growing business activities in Tampa. This is thanks in part to the service offered by Florida’s largest deep-water port, which is located in downtown Tampa.

With the availability of rich natural resources and an excellent capacity of human power and values, Tampa Bay has become an irresistible choice for many real estate investors. The cheaper real estate in Tampa is attracting a wide range of investors, from baby boomers to retirees, who realize the potential of this area of Florida.

Annoucing a new Lipply Real Estate website! Tampa Homes By Area is a simple website designed for those that know the Tampa area by location and are searching for a home in a particular area. For example, if you know you want to live in Carrollwood, you can simply and quickly search for all the available MLS listings in Carrollwood. Go to our quick search feature at the top righthand side of every page of the website and look for Carrollwood. Or if you want to search for particular criteria just click on our MLS page where you can still search by area AND you will be able to choose different values like “gated community” or “pool”.

The websites also lists the subdivisions that are in each area along with a description of what you might expect when you live in any particular area of Tampa. Tampa is very diverse and is made of up many different styles of homes. Finding what appeals to you is hard enough, let alone trying to find the particular area you want. That’s what’s so great about this new webiste. We hope you find it easy to use!

Be sure to check out google street maps on this website. We went with the new google street view maps because this new feature has just been made available in Tampa. It’s really cool and a great thing for homebuyers because they can take a look at the street, the neighborhood and the homes next door and across the street to any home they are considering. How cool is that! Locate a subdivision in the Tampa area that you are interested and take a virtual walk down the street.

It looks like this:

On a budget? If you have the confidence and the know-how to help sell your own home, then you might want to consider our new $250.00 Flat Fee MLS Service. This is just a pilot service we are offering right now and there is no guarantee on how long we will offer it. But, if you would like to talk to us about our $250.00 home selling deal, give us a call at 888-423-5775 or contact us through our website.

What we do:
1. List your home in the MLS for 6 months.
2. Photograph the home and input up to 5 photos.
3. List your home on realtor.com.
4. Consult with you on the home selling process.
5. Answer any questions you may have.
6. Edits to price are fine anytime.

What you do:
1. Write up a MLS description on the home (with our help).
2. Show the home or allow other real estate agents access to the home.
3. Offer the buying agent a commission to show your home.
4. Handle all negotiations, contact signing, follow up and closings.

People sometimes ask me “what do you mean Tampa Bay?” — “is that a city?” What the heck does the term Tampa Bay mean anyway? Glad you asked! Let me explain. Tampa, of course, is our most well known city in this area. But, certainly there is a lot more to this area than just Tampa. We have the glorious beaches of Clearwater, the museums and night life of St. Petersburg — just to name a few. There are many more cities around Tampa that you may have never heard of. But, the Tampa Bay area is a large land mass that consists of Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Pasco County, and even many people now consider Hernando County as part of the Tampa Bay area. Right in between Tampa and Clearwater is the Tampa Bay. It’s a small body of water compared to the Gulf of Mexico but on any given day you will find many boaters and fishermen in the bay having a great time. So, the Tampa Bay area got it’s name taking into consideration the land area that surrounds this body of water. You can see a larger map that grapically describes this explanation on our Tampa Bay Subdivisions section of our website.