tampa4u's Blog: All Categories

We know that now is a great time for buyers to buy thanks to the high inventory of houses and lower home prices.  It is also a great time for foreign investors to invest for the same reasons above, plus the low value of the American dollar.  But why choose Florida?  Additionally, specifically where in Florida are the investment dollars well spent?  Tampa Florida is a city on the rise.  Its population growth, constantly expanding commerce, attractions, benefits and excellent school district make it a premier place to live and consequently, a solid place to invest.

Foreign Investors: Check this out: Investing in Tampa made Simple

Tampa is part of Hillsborough County and is located two hundred miles northwest of Miami, along the west coast.  It is the…

There are two ways that one can obtain a mortgage.  There are the local banks and there are larger lending institutions.  There are benefits to both of these lending facilities and there are downsides to both of these institutes.  Each individual who is willing to attempt to get the mortgage needs to look at both methods of obtaining a mortgage. 

Local lending facilities such as the banks and credit unions are great places to get mortgages because every one knows them there.  These facilities can often have instant pre-approval programs for the individual and can provide low interest rates.  The banks and credit unions do not have a lot of money to lend though, and often have more restrictions as to who can be approved. 

The local lending…

We do real estate the amateur way. We don't even pre-qualify our buyers. We don't make them sign a buyer-broker agreement. We show them as many house as they like to see and houses we feel they should see. We take them  to lunch; we take them to dinner. If they're out of state, we often pick them up from the airport and take them to their hotel. We never ask for referrals.

But we have a very good convertion ratio (almost 90%) and we have built up a network of referrals that we never asked for. We have tried different methods but we always come back to this. This, for us, is the most effective. It's all about rapport and service. We treat clients how we would like to be treated. It's as simple as that. All our agents are trained (or re-trained) like this -…

1.    Clean out the clutter - you need to get rid of everything that blocks the energy in your house. Cleaning your clutter will also help "lighten your burden" so it feels like you are creating a more harmonious environment in your space as well.

2.    Have good air and good lighting - these are two critical elements that will help your home achieve the ideal level of chi or energy. You can open the window more frequently or put plants inside your home. Likewise, it is also advisable for you to put natural light into your living space to give your home a more vibrant feel.

3.    Determine the Ba-Gua - every home has a Ba-Gua, you need to find out which area of your home is actually connected to certain areas of your life so that abundance may flow…

While everybody is hustling on closing and making offers on short sales and bank owned properties, we've been searching for alternatives to this frustrating aspect of real estate here in the Tampa Bay area. Enough of this short sales and foreclosures. Enough of the attitudes and incompetence. Welcome the alternative: Brand New Homes!

See this week's "Best Deals in Town" and our Tampa New Home Search.

Yup these are the alternatives. Most people wanting to get short sales and foreclosure properties are really looking for great deals. Currently there are lots of great deals on Brand New and inventory homes from builders in the Tampa Bay area. Builders offering very competitive pricing, Closing cost assistance, down payment assistance, and points buy down.…

RealtyTrac, an online tracker of real estate released that foreclosure was up 57% in January since last January. These numbers only increase the fears of recession and the mortgage meltdown. Many renters are scared that they will be evicted from there homes with no warning or time to find a new home. This forces people to find affordable housing as quick as possible and can really hurt there financial situation because they have to move there stuff to a relatives house or storage until they can find a new place to live.

In most states the lenders like the bank and the landlord do not have to notify the tenant of the foreclosure and the tenant usually only finds out that they have to move just a few days or weeks before they are evicted. This creates a…

You might giggle when you hear the term “Feng Shui”, either because the word sounds funny or because you relate it some mystical, new age, mumbo jumbo.  But the applications of Feng Shui are very solid.  Basically, Feng Shui refers to the proper order and organization of your life and your surroundings to maximize your potential for health, wealth, success, happiness, etc.  Open your mind for a few hundred words and try to see the practical side of Feng Shui.  

I have heard people reference the addition of crystals and wind chimes in key areas to help keep more money coming into the house and less going out, and then swear it works.  You could take the “magic” out and explain that the act itself reminded them to be more responsible with their money and…

You certainly are excited about the real estate transaction you are taking. There can be unexpected mishaps and occurrences that may spoil your real estate deal. That is why you should always aim to close your real estate deal more smoothly and hassle free.

Your transaction can be a start of a painful and horrible nightmare if you would not be careful enough about closing the transaction. Thus, it would be helpful if you would always bear in mind some of these guidelines that would make you close the real estate deal smoothly.

Inspect the property

Before closing any deal, it would just be appropriate if you would get to see and inspect the asset with your own two eyes. Before getting into negotiations, it would just be practical if you know the…