tampa4u's Blog: SHOUT OUTS

When it comes to the real estate market and the slump felt across America, there are a few areas of the business sector that are booming. These markets have little to do with physically selling homes and more to do with the home trashing that occurs when the home is foreclosed upon. If you own a home cleaning business, general contracting business or a landscaping business you may not be crossing your fingers for the inevitable up turn.

Home cleaning businesses traditionally market their services to the public sector. But, with the huge rise of home foreclosures, these small mom and pop businesses are seeing a rise in sales for their services. When a home is going into foreclosure, the anger surrounding the fact that the homeowner will lose their pride…

Across the nation the value of the dollar is dropping and the real estate market is declining.  Could it turn out that one will end up helping the other?  Thanks to the ailing American dollar, foreign investors have good reason to buy real estate in the United States.  A favorite choice among foreign real estate investors is the sunny state of Florida.

The nearby attractions of Florida make it a popular vacation choice.  No matter where you are you have access to warm and sandy beaches.  There are also various attractions all over Florida.  With the British pound trading 2 to 1, it creates a good opportunity for U.K. residents to purchase property in these fabulous areas of fun and leisure in the sun at a bargain price.  Tampa is one of the top choice…

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 -…

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…