All Categories

If your home has been on the market for several weeks with no offers, you may be tempted to toss in a little incentive or lower your asking price. In the current market, “buyer incentives” have been attracting a lot of attention. The incentives we’ve heard of recently include big screen HDTVs, motorboats, cruises and even new cars. Should you consider tossing in a buyer’s incentive to get your home moving? Before you waste money on “buyer incentives”, consider other ways that mone... Read Full Post

Many parents and educators were dismayed when the state released its new school grades at the end of June. Thanks to a change in the grading system for schools, the number of Florida schools that received F’s nearly quadrupled from 2006 to 2007 – from 21 to 82 schools with failing grades. At the same time, fewer schools than last year were able to achieve A ratings, and many schools saw their grade slip at least one letter grade downward. What happened? In short, the state imposed new gra... Read Full Post

They say that it’s an ill wind that blows no one good. What they mean is that someone’s bad fortune is nearly always someone else’s good fortune. In the Florida real estate markets, that’s never been truer. When the national pundits and financial analysts say that the Florida real estate bubble has burst, they’re overlooking some important distinctions, and those distinctions have to do with the reasons that people buy real estate. Those reasons are varied, but people generally buy ... Read Full Post

Similar to the rest of Florida, the New Tampa real estate market continued its poor performance in May. Probably not a big surprise to anyone who's been tracking the housing market, which thanks to newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio stations, media wires, internet portals, internet forums, and the thousand of blogs, like this one, is just about everyone. First the good news, hmm let's see? Well, it rained last weekend, which for those living here, was a welcomed weekend event. ... Read Full Post

I've been falling behind on some of my monthly reports, but here are the figures for Arbor Greene in April 2007. The numbers haven't changed much since my last report in March. There were 3 homes sold in Arbor Greene in April 2007, a 57% decline over April 2006. There are currently 74 active Arbor Greene listings, which is 4 more than my last report on March 29th. Arbor Greene Home Sales for April 2007 2006 2007 % Change No. Homes Sold 7 3 -57.1% Average Sales Price $389,341 $391,333 0.5% Med... Read Full Post

US Home has opened its model center for its new upscale townhomes located in the community of Arbor Greene in New Tampa. They’re actually calling these Carriage Homes and these are ideal for the buyer looking for a high-end luxury townhome in the New Tampa area. There are six floor plans, ranging in square footage from 2,385 to 2,549. All units have 3 floors and 2-car attached garages and most of the units have an optional elevator. Prices range from $274,900 to $305,900 and they inventory ... Read Full Post

The good news for the South Tampa real estate market is that March 2007 sales are ahead of February 2007 sales by 22%, which was not the trend for the same two months last year. Inventories are up only a slight amount over my last report on March 19th, see February 2007 Real Estate Report. There are currently 963 South Tampa Homes, 696 South Tampa Condos, and 364 South Tampa Townhomes on the market. South Tampa Residential Sales for March 2007 2006 2007 % Change No. Homes Sold 236 131 -44.5% ... Read Full Post

I guess I spoke too soon last month when I stated Wesley Chapel seemed to be fairing well, because this month (March 2007) sales were down 23% , compared to March 2006. The average home price was down 7% for the same period. In the Wesley Chapel Community of Seven Oaks there were 13 homes sold in March 2007, compared to 11 in March 2006. The average home price in March 2007 was $381,515. In Meadow Pointe there were 34 homes sold in March 2007, down from 56 in 2006. The average price for a hom... Read Full Post

Well, first the good news, the construction on Cross Creek Blvd. is almost complete and the long awaited traffic signal at the entrance to Arbor Greene is just waiting to be programmed and turned on. In terms of home sales in Arbor Greene, there were four homes sold in February 2007, compared to five in February 2006. The average home price fell from $411,500 to $349,514 in February. There are currently 70 active Arbor Greene listings, which is up from 62 on February 13th. Arbor Greene Home S... Read Full Post

Contructions Begins on I-75 / Bruce B. Downs Fly-over After what seems like years in planning and waiting, construction has finally begun on the I-75 fly-over on-ramp, from Bruce B. Downs to I-75 South. If you’ve driven by the I-75 / Bruce B. Downs intersection lately, you can’t help but notice how much more open the area is now that they’ve started to clear the land for the project. The project will cost $41 million and construction is expected to take two years to complete. There will... Read Full Post