SI Real Estate Tampa and The Beaches

SI Real Estate Tampa Bay is excited to see what 2016 has in store for the housing market. We were pleasantly surprised with the uptick in real estate activity in 2015. Of course everyone is turning the page to the New Year, and consumers are contemplating what to expect in the housing market. The professionals here at SI Real Estate fully believe this year will be an even better one, eclipsing the fantastic turn-around last year that took place throughout the US. Some of the key reasons for this that we are going to talk about: interest rates/lending, inventory, and pricing. Interest rates have been historically low since the recession began. They are still extremely attractive, even with the negligible increase last month. Yes there should be at least a couple more increases in 2016, but they will likely be small bumps like the quarter point increase in December. This is not expected to affect the attitude of home buyers and will actually help strengthen the economy. Lending...

Real Estate Pulse:  Recapping 5 years! Active Housing Market keeps persuading buyers and now sellers The last 5 years of the real estate market has been a wild ride to say the least. In 2010, first time home buyers increased dramatically over the norm due to the large tax credit given out by the federal government.  That triggered the highest number of first time buyers ever. While this group accounted for half of the homes purchased in 2010, the other key players were the international (cash) investors who were purchasing the rock-bottom-priced inventory. This same group of investors and first time home buyers were the main consumers of real estate through 2012.  By this time, the excess inventory had been purchased one way or another.      In 2013, values of homes were finally catching up and or exceeding the mortgage pay off(s).  Finally sellers and their listings began trickling into the market. This segment of the housing market was prev...

All year long we have been watching the real estate market heat up in Florida. There are many reasons why we are seeing a different resurgence this year!   A few of the key catalysts are: the Florida Legislature, interest rates and PMI insurance reductions. Each of these played a high valued role in the 2015 housing market. Combining all three, we can see housing is more affordable and there are a lot more people looking for housing!   Florida Governor Rick Scott is very enthusiastic about the housing market citing this past month as another remarkable one for the state. He is particularly proud of his tax cuts, saying “our work to cut taxes and create a business friendly environment is creating jobs and attracting more families to Florida because there are so many opportunities for success.” The team at SI Real Estate could not agree more. We have been helping families relocate to the Tampa area all year long, and know many more families are relocating this year,...

It’s no secret by now that Florida is pushing past the recession this year in 2015. Economists and experts have been optimistic all year, and the data is continuing to back them up. Sean Snaith, a highly respected economist at UCF says Florida’s GDP will continue to climb at least through 2018. Could we really see economic growth lasting that long? Snaith fully believes so, citing average housing prices up, payroll being up and real gross state product steadily rising for a while now. The SI Real Estate team fully agrees, as we are seeing rising home prices as well as increasing rents here in Tampa, Florida. After all, our state boasts sunshine, beaches, palm trees, sand, and year-round weather which are all basically recession proof. The desire for people to own homes in Florida or relocate here has never dwindled. The appeal of Florida has always been strong considering all that this state offers. The issue people were facing was selling their current homes, whi...

July New Home Sales up 25%! If you have been following SI Real Estate’s blog this year… we have been tracking the housing market from January all the way through now.  As predicted, the market has been rebounding all year! The most recent news is fantastic, with New Home Sales up 25% in July 2015 versus July 2014.  That is a LARGE rebound in a short amount of time. Another pertinent statistic for tracking the real estate market: we saw an increase of new home sales from June to July, up 5.4% or 26,000 more home sales in July. The numbers that were just released reflect what we are seeing here in Tampa Bay. SI Real Estate’s most recent for sale listings have been extremely active, one of which went under contract in just 6 days - pretty much for the exact listing price too. Homes priced at $750,000 + have been seeing increased activity as well.  Around 6% of all new home sales in July 2015 were at the $750K+ price range.  That is 3% more than June, ...

It’s no secret the housing market is making a strong comeback. Inventory is incredibly scarce.  Buyers are confident enough in the economy to be actively searching for real estate to purchase. This is leading to a shortage of ready-to-move-in homes. When there is a housing shortage, buyers need to act quickly and sellers are now stepping in. This has been the driving force behind skyrocketing pending home sale statistics. Probably the most positive statistic (there are many this month) is “45% of homes sold within 30 days of being listed”. That is a staggering number compared to what we were seeing since the recession began. Another major factor leading to the housing market surge is because of the historically low mortgage rates. If you could afford a $300,000 home last year, you can get approved for a $330,000 mortgage today. This is due to rates hovering right at 4% and buyers have more purchasing power after sitting out last year. We have not seen this much bu...

Real Estate Pulse:  Tampa’s Rental market is on fire!   Act on it or the property will be gone in a flash! SI Real Estate is a full service real estate boutique in Tampa Bay, including property management.  We have seen a significant increase in rental activity since February, 2015. As the year has progressed, so has the interest in Tampa’s rental market!  Right now, our agents are finding that rental listings are gone in a New York minute.  We are receiving calls and emails from an abnormal amount of new residents relocating to our area, causing the demand to drastically outweigh the supply. This trend has not gone unnoticed by property developers in the area especially our urban core. They are purchasing land and building multifamily high end rentals, rather than luxury apartments or condos for sale.  Jeff Vinik has been at the forefront of this new demand. Starting with revitalizing the Channelside District.  The city of Tampa an...

Big gains in March Home Sales Florida and National market is heating up in 2015 SI Real Estate has been monitoring and reporting the increased activity in the housing market this year. Last month we reported about skyrocketing first quarter new home sales. This month all of the home-sales reports, including both new homes and resale homes echo those same sentiments. Some of the markets reporting sharp rises in March 2015 home sales include the following: Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Atlanta, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Houston, and Seattle. The Real Estate market in Florida has been scorching hot, especially in Miami, Boca Raton and Tampa Bay. Our neighbors to the North (Georgia) are also seeing the same trends. Nancy See, of Atlanta Fine Homes says “I’m seeing a lot of multiple-offer scenarios when a house is well-priced… Buyers are having to act very quickly to get the house they want. It’s almost like a buying frenzy”. This type of great news has not been reported since ...

SI Real Estate has been watching the market in Tampa Bay closely this year. We have reported several times since the beginning of 2015 that the market is on the upswing, with statistics to back it up. Hillsborough County just released more first quarter data, and the real estate market is continuing to surge! Housing data released Monday by Florida Realtors showed 3,213 single-family homes sold, 28.6 percent more than February 2014. Buyers are finding that inventory is still thin, causing prices to rise. The Tampa Tribune interviewed Thomas O’Bryant, executive director of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. “Home prices are going up,” he said. In Hillsborough County, the median price for a house in February was $177,000, up 7.3 percent over February 2014. “Sales of townhomes and condos also were on the upswing in Tampa Bay (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties) The median price was $106,400, a 12.1 percent bump” from February 2014. We are seeing more activ...

Almost everyone over the age of 20 has said the phrase “that’s it, I’m moving to Florida” at some point during their life. Usually it is said out of frustration with the weather, or another popular reason being high taxes elsewhere. In the 90’s and early 2000’s, Florida was an incredibly popular destination to move to. The younger crowds flocked to Miami or Tampa, the wealthy to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and then the retirees to Naples or Fort Myers.   Since 2007 though we have been lagging behind…. Until recently. Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida, says Florida's economy is now solidly passing the Nation’s. Not only are we recovering fully, but we are about to start leading the pack again. Tourism is back to full throttle. Booking hotel rooms or going out to dinner is becoming a serious issue again with all of the traffic. People are spending money again and are confident the economy has stabi...

Earlier this year the president reduced private mortgage insurance rates. FHA loans were more attainable for first time home buyers. Home owners that wanted to refinance and reduce their monthly payments could also participate in the reduction. Now Freddie Mac is about to roll out a new appealing option for home buyers: 3% down payment mortgages coming in March! Contributing to continued Real Estate recovery and stability, the guidelines of qualifying for this type of loan will not be as loose as the guidelines from the adjustable rate mortgage disaster in 2007-2008. Donald Layton, CEO of Freddie Mac, assured everyone that the 97% loan-to-value option will be limited to borrowers who can prove a “very good income”. Basically comforting the skeptics that this option will not be available for the average loan applicant. He also reinforced that “underwriting standards are stronger than ever”. Obviously they have learned from their past mistake of handing out mortgage loans to anyo...

Early 2015 quarterly reports reflect heavy increase in real estate activity, especially new homes. D.R. Horton is a nationally recognized home builder and has developments throughout the United States. They have been the largest home builder in the U.S. 13 years in a row. On Wednesday, D.R. Horton reported a dramatic increase in new home sales highlighted by “sales orders increased 40% in value to $2.1 billion” from the first quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015. These numbers are significant considering that first quarter home sales are usually lack luster. What does this tell us? With the rising consumer confidence reports, buyers are investing in real estate and new homes sales are spiking. D.R. Horton has increased their land acquisitions and developed more communities recently to keep up with demand. Donald Horton, Chairman of the Board said ”our weekly sales pace has accelerated in January 2015, and we are well-positioned to capture demand in the spring sellin...

"Latest Home Sale Data reflects strong demand for affordable homes as 2015 kicks off” Back in 2008/2009 after the Real Estate market crashed, economic and Real Estate experts were repeatedly forecasting a 6-7 year recovery period. They all highlighted 2015 as the year we would see resurrection in the housing market. Well that prediction seems to be coming to fruition now! We are seeing many positive reports and trends from late 2014 to early 2015. We are starting to see the rebound all around Florida, but extra activity in Tampa Bay. The excitement/enthusiasm is building here and our team here at SI Real Estate is noticing. Normally home sales in January are expected to be lower than in July or August. However, this month the Home Sale Data is showing that buyers are confident again. Tampa Bay has surged in January with 4,700 homes sold so far. That is 23.5% better than December ’14 and 22.8% better than January of ’14. Buyers are aggressively purchasing, and homes a...

New home sales are an integral segment of the continual stabilization of the real estate industry, especially in recent years, and the relationships between home builders and Realtors are allowing for the increased volume of sales. E.J. Atchner, Senior Vice President of Bank of America, notes that ‘many builders, regardless of their size, are taking a much more collaborative view of partnering with Realtors than in the past.’ An incredible 66% of all new homes sold in 2013 were original prospects of Realtors that were introduced to home builders, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2013 Buyer Profile Survey, and 88% of potential homebuyers said they will contact a Realtor to assist them through each step of the buying process. The regional marketplace expertise possessed by many Realtors provides clients with an added sense of comfort and security through the memorable, milestone purchase in becoming a homeowner. Many clients of Realtors are eager, willing, and ...

Recent data released by Florida Realtors Association indicates that the Florida housing report for Q1 was quite favorable. In fact, sales, pending sales, median prices, and closings all saw increases! Single family homes, townhomes, and condo properties experienced increases in median sales price, which is the 15th consecutive month we have seen such an increase in Florida! All of this real estate activity continues while housing inventory and mortgage rates remain extremely low. Home buyers are feeling the constraints of the low levels of inventory, especially in the new home purchase arena. Prices continue to climb, some on a month-to-month basis and others less frequently. The median days on the market for a home to sell has dipped down to only 57 days for single-family homes and 61 days for townhomes / condo properties. At least 50% of the homes in Florida re selling in less than 2 months, GREAT NEWS! Closed property sales, typically 30-90 days after buyers and sellers go t...

So far, 2012 has provided countless signs of an enhanced real estate market. We are constantly being reminded of the historically low mortgage rates, median sales prices rising, and buyers’ confidence higher than the last several years. What we may be missing out on are the real life examples of how this impacts an agent and buyer relationship. Here are some valuable bullet points that will give you a real estate reality recap! Listing price: - Usually properties do not sell for this amount. - Listing prices are most often a tool to trigger showings and offers. - Average listing price in Tampa is: $308,425 / Median Sales Price: $114,505, an impressive 14% increase from last yr. (updated mid-July) - Here is an example of a real life Tampa transaction: Recently one of our brokers sold a condo at $172K. Listing price was $155. Multiple offers were submitted. Read more about this trend here. Comparative Listings : - Investors decisions based on ROI - Homes that were purchased at the...

Although there has been a high number of a sale in the Tampa Bay real estate market the last couple of months, the industry is sending some mixed signals. What is happening in our changing market? According to The Tampa Tribune , “Homes sales are climbing, up 16 percent from a year ago and 24 percent from last month”. However since there is such a high number of bank owned and distressed properties, the median sale price is only $111,100. Of the 2,375 real estate sales in Tampa in February 2011, a large majority were bought by investors. They see properties in distress, prices continuing to decline and investors are cashing in. The spring selling season is around the corner however, and projections are expecting more traditional homebuyers to start jumping in. Most first time and repeat homebuyers are not interested in the distressed properties. They start off looking at the price tag, but are not prepared to deal with the challenges once viewing the property. They see the value ...

Pending home sales saw a jump of 10% in October which is a positive sign that the real estate market is stabilizing, according to a December 2, 2010 National Association of Realtors® article, Strong Rebound in Pending Home Sales . Housing affordability can be credited to drawing buyers to the table and causing this rebound in Tampa, Florida and across the nation. According to Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist of the National Association of Realtors®, “It is welcoming to see a solid double-digit percentage gain, but activity needs to improve further to reach healthy, sustainable levels. The housing market is clearly in a recovery phase and will be uneven at times, but the improving job market and consequential boost to household formation will help the recovery process going into 2011.” Yun went further to say, “A return to more normal loan underwriting standards and removal of unnecessary underwriting fees for very low risk borrowers is needed and could quickly help in the housing and ...

The real estate outlook is positive in Tampa, Florida as well as in most parts of the nation. A ReatlyTimes® article titled Real Estate Outlook: Sales Jump states “Single family sales jumped by 24 percent seasonally-adjusted basis over May, and were 19 percent above the totals for June 2009. The sales rebound verged on spectacular in the Northeast region – up 46 percent over the prior month. Gains were 33 percent in the South, and 21 percent in the Midwest.” “Bob Jones, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, called the latest sales figures ‘an encouraging sign’ that housing activity is springing back from the expected deep lows experienced after the credits expired.” Sales were not the only positive indicator. Home prices were 1.3 percent higher compared with the month before, but they gained 4.6 percent year-over-year, which is a very encouraging sign that sales and home prices are both on the upswing. This is good news for the overall outlook that the real estate ...

Real Estate Buyers: This is Your 11th Hour! First-time homebuyers have been making up a large share of home sales in Tampa, Florida and across the nation. The extension of the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit has been a huge factor in this equation. According to HousingWire’s article First-Time Buyers Take Larger Share of Home Sales in March , first-time homebuyers accounted for 48.2% of all home purchases in the month of March, which was greater than the previous high of 46.9% last October 2009. Thomas Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys stated “The strong participation of first-time homebuyers this spring is a welcome surprise. Many observers had felt that the pool of first-time homebuyers had been depleted last fall, but this is turning out not to be the case. Instead the normal spring-summer buying season is combining with the tax credit to produce blow-out results for first-time homebuyers.” SI Real Estate has seen first-hand the enormous affect of the extension of...