SI Real Estate Tampa and The Beaches

Who you choose to represent you when you buy or sell your home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make during your move. Your real estate agent can make the process easy, quick, and painless – or long, expensive, and painful. Here are 5 adjectives you should for in your real estate agent if you want to get the most out of the sale of your home or your home purchase: 1. Tenacious Real estate is at times a complex world. There are seemingly endless challenges to navigate through: the house you love was snatched up by someone else; someone put a bid in on your home and then pulled out at the last minute; there are issues with the community, or zoning, or construction! These are some of the reasons why you need a savvy real estate agent who is tenacious, never gives up, and doesn’t stop until you have successfully bought or sold your home at the right price with the least obstacles. The best real estate agents are the ones who not only have plan B, but plan C, D, a...

With Spring comes new trends and fresh real estate concepts. If you’re looking for an innovative addition to your existing home and living space – here’s your answer!  Introducing ‘Shedquarters’! This new real estate trend is now emerging and offers your outdoor space a new twist. You’ve heard of the ever-popular ‘Man Cave’, maybe you’ve even created the ultimate lounge area in your own home, but now it’s time to clean out the lonely forgotten shed in your backyard, or bring in a new shed and start from scratch! Here we will imagine the endless possibilities that your own personal ‘Shedquarters’ could provide for you… and your family! We all need an escape from time to time; a distraction-free room to relax and rejuvenate. Design a She Shed to include all of your favorite hobbies & luxuries. Add a fresh coat of paint to brighten up the space, along with some comfortable furniture to design the perfect reading nook. Need an artistic escape? Hail as Hobby Headquarters and...

FOR SALE ~20437 Autumn Fern Avenue~ Absolutely pristine 4 bedroom, 3 bath home located on a picturesque conservation lot in Live Oak. Just built in 2011 and has ample space for your family to grow and stretch in this 2600 sq ft, 2 story, 2 car garage home!!  Just listed for $286,900! Beautiful 42” espresso cabinets and granite counter tops accent the generous gourmet kitchen with stainless appliances. Easy access to your huge screened in lanai to complete your outdoor space. The flex room downstairs is perfect for any office, den, library or even a formal dining room.  Upstairs you’re greeted by a loft space with lots of natural light. Down the hall, you’ll find the Master suite complete with dual vanities, granite counter tops, your walk-in shower and garden tub.  The community of Live Oak offers many amenities and recreational activities to enjoy such as: a clubhouse with fitness center, multiple pools, tennis courts, a covered playground, an...

As spring flourishes around us, the real estate market blooms as well! Are you considering making a move this year? Now is the perfect time to prepare for this home selling season! Keeping in mind a few simple marketing tricks to make your home stand out from the competition! First and foremost, jump on the spring cleaning bandwagon! Sometimes the small details of cleaning the inside of closets and clearing away clutter are forgotten, but these particulars are noticeable to potential home buyers. As articulated by Michele Lerner of Realtor.com, “While everyone has clutter, buyers want to see a fantasy version of your house in which they can envision living”. You can do it! While cleaning, take notice that all of the small repairs that have fallen by the wayside have now become more apparent. Take advantage of this time to move those repairs to the top of your to do list. Replacing doorknobs, updating fixtures, pressure washing the exterior of your home, and adding fresh m...

Welcome to Tampa, Florida! Home of the Buccaneers, the Lightning, the Rays and Florida’s powerhouse of business and economic development. Lifetime locals and newcomers alike, have been the beneficiaries of Tampa’s expansive business, entertainment and real estate advancements. Making the list yet again, Tampa ranks #8 on Forbes’ list of Fastest-Growing American Cities. A major player in Tampa’s growth over the past couple of years has been the ever-expanding Tampa International Airport. Not only has this project enhanced the Tampa traveler experience, but it has also created thousands of local jobs, contributing to Forbes’ 2.43% projected job growth for the Tampa Bay area in 2017. The construction of new terminals and shops combined with the employees to be hired for these new facilities makes for the perfect employment boost! Moving towards downtown Tampa, the Riverwalk District and Riverwalk Tower is ready to impress! This 52-story office and luxury residential building will ...

By and large, we saw a healthy housing market last year – but what should we expect as we embark on a new real estate journey in 2017?  For home buyers, this is your que to strike while the iron is hot! If you’ve been waiting for the right time to buy your new home – your wait is over! Increase your buying power by taking advantage of these lower mortgage rates before we see an increase between 2017 and 2018. As Bill Dallas, CEO at Cloudvirga explains, “We expect GDP [gross domestic product] to increase 2.1% in 2017 and 2.0% in 2018, which in turn would cast an upward pressure on mortgage rates”. Alternatively, sellers are also at an advantage. For those with changing household sizes, moving up or downsizing may be a motivating factor for selling your home. Our current seller’s market, combined with buyers seeking low interest rates, makes for a swift and profitable seller transactions! As Theresa Williams-Barrett, Vice President of consumer lending and loan adminis...

As the buzz of New Year celebrations have settled down, many people are taking a closer look at the pulse of the real estate market for the year ahead. Whether you are considering buying a new home or selling your existing home, 2017 is looking like a promising year for your potential real estate transactions! Kicking off 2017, Realtor.com has released their yearly forecast, predicting a sales volume increase of 4.17% across the southern Florida market. Despite South Florida’s strong population growth and stable job creation, 2016 saw a decrease in home and condo sales – making this year’s sales prediction music to the ears of Realtors and investors! “There is more inventory on the market [in South Florida] than a year ago and prices haven’t fully recovered so it is more of a value play for buyers than other parts of the country” says Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Realtor.com . Additionally, our neighbors in Jacksonville and Orlando, FL are among the top 10 markets e...

Flipping through the television channels and social media, you may have noticed that many people are shifting towards downsizing their living space. Shows like  Tiny House, Big Living  and  Tiny House Nation  document the trending transition to tiny homes. So why are so many Americans jumping on the tiny home bandwagon? According to  TheTinyLife .com , the average home is 2600 square feet – compared to the minimal square footage for tiny homes, averaging between 100 – 400 square feet! Those joining the Tiny House Movement are doing so to protect the environment, live frugally and have the freedom to travel. With their petite structure, m any tiny house homeowners have found financial freedom that would have been difficult to achieve had they opted for a mortgage on a traditional home. The savings from high property taxes, lower maintenance costs and less major repairs are illustrations of many sources of household savings through  Tiny Homeown...

Traveling back to the 1960s, homeowners were just beginning to enjoy the luxury of having a television in the home.  The families of the 1990s experienced the convenience of owning their very own computer. Fast forward to 2016, and not only has technology advanced in the way of entertainment, but it has become a part of our everyday lifestyle.  For years, technology has filled our homes – now our homes have become an integral part of new age technology. While the definition of a  smart home   is debatable, most consider a smart home a house that has remotely controlled systems including temperature, lighting and electronic devices. Once considered a luxury for the wealthy, smart homes have become a mainstream component of homeownership. Combining security with convenience, smart homes offer families enhanced peace of mind. Beyond the ability to remotely access security footage from your smart phone or tablet, some smart homes have the unique capabilit...

It’s time to take the next step and buy your first home. Where to begin, you ask? By and large we find ourselves scouring the internet for real estate listings and then driving by potential homes only to find that it’s been sold, or doesn’t live up to those beautiful online photos. Here’s the good news! Before getting too wrapped up in the home searching process, there are a few steps you should take to save yourself time, money and lots of disappointment. First and foremost: Prepare Your Credit for Mortgage Approval .  Now that you’ve decided to turn those rent payments into mortgage payments, the natural tendency may be to start looking for your dream home. But taking a step back to analyze your finances will be of absolute benefit to you when it comes to the mortgage approval part of the process!  The preliminary home search stage is the perfect time to check your credit score and the contents of your report.   If needed, you may dispute any erro...

For those selling your home, you may have seen an influx in Generation Y, or “Millennial” buyers flocking to your open house in recent years. Yet, with the most recent U.S. Census confirming that Millennials have surpassed the Baby Boomers, it’s no surprise the number of Millennial home buyers is on the rise. So what does this mean for the housing market? According to Realtor.org, “For the third straight year, the largest group of recent buyers were Millennials, who composed 35% of all buyers, more than the combined amount of younger and older Baby Boomers at 31%”. Millennials are a new brand of home buyer. Contrary to previous generations, Millennials are delaying marriage and family to a later time in life. Whereas, home buying is at the forefront of their priorities. Seen as a smart investment, these young purchasers are seeking the stability and security of home ownership. In most markets, Millennials are finding that renting is more expensive than buying - even aft...

It’s no secret that spring is the busiest time for home buying and selling. Homeowners planning to put their homes on the market should start preparing NOW!  Following these few easy tips can make for a much smoother selling experience. If you are a prospective home seller, here are a few guidelines to help you get ready for the Spring Market: Minimize Clutter Don’t you love walking into a newly furnished model home? The open, clear, fresh new home is one you can picture yourself living in instantly.  What you don’t see in this model home is a stack of magazines on the table, perhaps a stack of mail or even children’s artwork casually hanging on the refrigerator. While everyone has clutter, buyers want to see the model home version of your home for sale. A home they can envision living in.  Putting away single framed family photos, clearing off shelves and counters can also help reduce clutter instantly.   Start Packing! As you begin to clear...

Real Estate Season - Home Buying and Selling Hot Springtime Demand About To Start!     The first month of each year when home buying starts to heat up is always April. Experts at the Florida Association of Realtors are expecting the next 4 months (April to July) to have the highest number of buyer and seller transactions all year. Considering real estate transactions have already started this year off at an extremely fast pace, it is exciting to think about the upcoming spring season of 2016.   Sellers will remain in the driver’s seat at all pricing levels. Inventory of homes around $100 to $125K are sparse and extremely competitive, down 8.6% since January of last year. At this price point, there are typically investor type properties needing work and / or updating. You can also find homes and townhomes that attract first time homebuyers looking to step into the real estate market. Overall inventory has been sub 4 month levels all year long here in Florida, a...

Now that the Real Estate industry has final numbers from 2015, they are releasing that data and the subsequent results of last year. As we have reported many times throughout the last 12 months, 2015 was a very strong year in the housing market. After reflecting on 2015, FL Realtors President Matey Veissi states “Florida’s economy is in growth mode, more jobs are being created and mortgage interest rates remain at historically low levels which will continue to drive the state’s housing market in 2016.” Let’s see what else the 2015 FL housing market report says and the impressive numbers it contains. We are going to grade the major indicators we talk about and how we feel they did in the last year’s market.   Total closed sales on existing homes  is always a leading indicator for housing market experts. In 2015, there were 274,769 resale transactions! That is an increase of 12.4% from 2014, which is enormous. On the pricing side of resales, there was another sharp increas...

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,...