SI Real Estate Tampa and The Beaches

Since 2010, the Floridian housing market has been stabilizing, and this pattern continues through 2014. According to Florida Realtors Association, Florida’s housing market has had an increase of sales and median prices since 2013.   In fact, the statewide total for single-family houses sold in October was over 21,800, an increase of nearly 18% since October 2013.   Statewide, even the sales price of single family residences has increased nearly 5%. Be assured, these are signs that the housing market is not only gaining momentum, but truly stabilizing and becoming a healthy and prosperous industry once again.  According to Sherri Meadows, President of Florida Realtors , October of this year marks the 35 th month in a row (nearly 3 full years) that the state wide median sales prices have rose for both single family homes, and for townhouse-condo properties. Florida is on track to close out 2014 with tremendous momentum, more than we’ve had in years. The statewide...

Tampa is centrally located on the west coast of Florida and has many alluring attractions.  Everything is available to us; from the many Orlando Theme Parks to our celebrated sunny beaches. Many of our best kept secrets in Central Florida are known only to its residents. One of the popular treasures of Tampa Bay is South Tampa. Its energy and popularity have continued in full force, even during the economic adjustments.  It’s easy to understand why, once you've visited South Tampa. South Tampa is home to several mini neighborhoods. Davis Island, which is one of the most beautiful areas in the city, is about to get another make over. One example, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, a low-slung brick home on Davis Island is scheduled for demolition to make way for a brand new 6 million dollar mansion. This West Indies style home will be over 7,300 square feet and is slated for completion in late 2015. Housing on Davis Island isn't the only thing that’s getti...

A New Home may be the very best option for you to review!  “Thousands of new homes are under construction in the Bay Area.” According to the WFLA and the Tampa Bay Builders association, Tampa Bay has been booming with constructions. Since 2011, the housing market has been steady, and new home building has been slowly increasing. This could be due to the continuously low interest rates on mortgages over the past 2.5 years.  There are at least 3,000 new home construction starts in Tampa Bay this year, and there are still more coming.  Why new homes?  There are many floor plans and color options to choose from. You will enjoy less competition in the contract and offer process. Enjoy the streamline procedure of one stop shopping in a new construction development. These are just a few of the innumerable options available.  Jennifer Doerfel, the current Vice President of the Tampa Bay Builder Association says that if consumer confidence stays where it is, ...

Plans for retirement are important to start thinking about during your career. There are many ways to plan for retirement by investing your money. You can invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or real estate. In recent years, more investors have been reaching for the real estate industry. Investors purchase homes and rent them to tenants, creating a stable form of income with little expenses. Real estate isn’t always easy to invest in, but it is more stable. Stocks have the tendencies to rise and fall with investment trends over the course of a year; however, a rental property with a locked in lease generates predictable and stable income. This is ideal for risk adverse investors, or investors who are getting a later start in building their portfolio. There are many opportunities to invest in real estate. The first of which being crowdfunding . This new concept is to split up the cost of a venture (or in our case, property) into sections and having different investors purc...

Recently, bankers have joined loan guarantors to push the ease the proposed capital rules for mortgage insurers. The bankers advised that easing up on the proposed rules will make real estate financing even more affordable for buyers seeking a new home and loan.  Along with the bankers, the National Association of Realtors discussed the importance of having accessible mortgages for first time home buyers. According to the Wall Street Journal , Citigroup and Bank of America are providing mortgages at discounted interest rates as a part of their efforts to help borrowers with low incomes or lack luster credit histories. These discounts are larger than what other banks currently offer on fixed-rate mortgages with high credit scores. This new home loan program encourages borrowers to pay points as a means to receive an even larger discount rate. A point upfront fee lowers the interest rate on a mortgage, and one point is equivalent to 1% of the loan. If you have a $100,...

“Where were you on September 11 th ?” is a question you’ll hear a lot today. Some of us were in school, others were at work. When the news was broadcast, Americans all over the country were in disbelief. America hadn't had an attack of this scale on its own soil since Pearl Harbor. As a country, we were devastated. As a country, we were united. With empowering speeches from former President George W. Bush, we came together as a nation and declared that we will not stand for acts of terrorism. We would unite as Americans and support the victims of this tragedy. We would act to prevent this from happening again, to America or to anyone in the world.          On this day, we chose to remember those who have lost their lives in the World Trade Center. We chose to grieve with the families who have lost someone when the towers fell. We chose commemorate the firefighters and police officers who gave their lives to help trapped victims.   ...

Now is the time to act on purchasing your home. The housing market climate has drastically improved and builder confidence is at the highest level it has been in nearly a decade.  Recent mortgage and inventory trends are allowing you, as a first time buyer or a repeat buyer, to make your move.  But are you ready?  Purchasing a home is one of the biggest financial investments that is made in a lifetime. Although you might be ready to buy your home, there are a few ways to simplify the purchasing process, making it smooth sailing for you.  Here are four key ways to prepare for your new home purchase:  Credit: When purchasing a home, make sure to check up on your credit. The higher your credit score is, the more likely you’ll be able to finance your purchase with lower interest rates. Credit is influenced by many things, so it’s imperative to be mindful of it.  Do not purchase anything from a car, furniture, or take on any debt before, during or after...