SI Real Estate Tampa and The Beaches

 Benefits of Homeownership Outweigh the Pros of Renting Making the decision to buy a home can be a daunting one. Many people rule out purchasing a house, as it can feel intimidating and they don’t think they qualify. In reality, many renters have the qualifications and ability to become homeowners. It is a major financial decision but is also extremely rewarding and empowering to be able to own where you live. Here are 4 signs you may want to consider becoming a homeowner.   You love where you live and plan to stay for a while.   Renting is great for people that are new to the area and are unsure if that is where they want to live. If you’ve been living in your city for a few years and plan on settling there, it may be best to consider buying. Also, if you’ve been living there a while and working in the same industry, that will help you qualify for a loan. Mortgage lenders typically require at least 2 years of stable employment in the same industry to approve your loan. ...

Searching for a home to purchase? You’ve probably noticed the increasing inventory of new construction homes available. Builders are developing new communities all over Florida, especially in the greater Tampa Bay area. If you’re ready to start exploring the option of purchasing a model or builder home, don’t go it alone! There are countless advantages of having an agent with connections to builders and the community, along with new construction experience, by your side for a new home purchase… Always use a Realtor ® As you admire the freshly built model home, you may be surprised to learn that the “new home sales consultant” greeting you might not actually be a Realtor. Builders employ sales agents and staff to sell their homes, but these individuals are not necessarily required to have a real estate license. While not hiring a Realtor may seem like a thrifty choice, it is always in your best interest to have representation in negotiating your purchase, sel...

The National Association of Realtors® article dated July 1, 2010 Home Buyers Get Tax Credit Closing and Flood Insurance Extensions Without Lapse in Coverage; Bills Now Headed for the President reported that Congress passed two bills which directly affect the real estate market and its stability. One bill extends the home buyer tax credit closing date and the other bill reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program. These bills are now headed to the President for his signature. This is certainly good news for those home buyers in the Tampa Bay area and around the country who are trying to take advantage of the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit or the Move-Up/Repeat Tax Credit! The original deadline dates for these tax credits were that the a fully executed contract must be in place by April 30, 2010 and the deadline for closing these real estate transactions was June 30, 2010. Now the closing date deadline has been moved to September 30th, and there will be no gap between June 30 a...

Home buyers often times make mistakes that can be avoided by working with a licensed REALTOR®. It is an exciting process to search for and find that “perfect home”, but home buyers who take on the task by themselves quickly find that they would have been better off asking for the help of a skilled real estate professional right from the beginning. Finding a home for sale that a buyer likes is not the challenge, but finding a home that the buyer can actually afford, that is priced properly in today’s market so that the deal does not fall through at the time of the appraisal, and that is a good investment takes far more knowledge than a person without a real estate license possesses. Hire a professional. Interview your potential agent. The article Most Common Mistakes Home Buyers Make posted by REALTOR.com® addresses this topic. “By working with an agent from the get-go, you will only see properties that are within your budget and located in the neighborhoods that best match your crit...

According to a recent Realty Times article, “The most bearish of Wall Street economic analysts have made the same point for the past 18 months. There's no recovery or rebound in the housing market, they said, until home builders start building again.” The numbers that they have been waiting on are here. Last week the Commerce Department reported an unexpected rise of 7.5 percent in single family home starts during the month of May. New construction has been one of the weakest segments of the housing market since 2007. May’s increase was the third consecutive monthly gain in single family starts, bringing total starts, including multifamily apartment starts and condos, up by 17.5 percent. Not only were starts significantly up, but so were other key indicators of future home building activity such as single family permits, which saw an increase of 8 percent. Consumer confidence, which is extremely important for home buying, was also up for the fourth consecutive month. Sales of prev...