Welcme to Tampa Bay Florida

Tampa Florida is the "heart" of Tampa Bay, an ideal hometown for young families and retirees alike. Tampa Bay's weather is delightful. The average year-round temperature is 72°, a refreshing 60° in January and an average of 82° in August.

Our phenomenal weather fosters an abundance of outdoor recreation. The Hillsborough River, stretching 56 miles, offers fishing, canoeing, and boating. There are numrous camping areas and hiking trails as well as nearly 200 parks, 136 picnic areas and 80 playgrounds. There are swimming pools, tennis and racquet ball courts, and dozens of golf golf courses as well as professional baseball, hockey and football teams including the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Lovers of art, music, dance and theater enjoy a wealth of galleries and museums like the Tampa Museum of Art, Museum of Science & Industry and University of South Florida's Contemporary Art Museum. Broadway musicals and operas excite patrons continually at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Lowry Park Zoo entertains families with frequent events as does the award-winning Florida Aquarium.

The Tampa lifstyle is further enhanced by several annual events including the Gasparilla Pirate Fest, Tampa's own version of Mardi Gras, the annual Strawberry Festival, and the MacDill AFB Air Show. Thanks to wonderful weather there are dozens of arts and crafts shows, parades, street festivals year-round.

The University of South Florida, University of Tampa, and Hillsborough Community College campuses plus other smaller insitutions of learning add an academic flavor to the area.

World-class medical care is available at Tampa General, University Community Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Tampa and at St Joseph's Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital and many other smaller health care providers.

In Tampa and the surrounding Hillsborough and Pasco County communities of Temple Terrace, Brandon, Lutz, Wesley Chapel, Land O'Lakes and Zephyrhills, there are homes and condos from the most luxurious to the very affordable. There is something for everyone on the Tampa Bay Florida real estate market. And with recent home price declines, there are very attractive bargains to be found right now.

For more information on popular Tampa Bay communities, including golf course communities, visit my Tampa Florida website. I'd be delighted to show you all that Tampa Bay Florida has to offer. You may also E-Mail Me or call me on my cellphone at (813) 263-6806 for immediate service.

Selling Your Tampa Bay Home Now Might Be A Smart Move

At first it might sound odd, but right now might be the best time to sell your Tampa Bay, Florida home.

Every home has things about it that you wish you could change. You may or may not have noticed these issues when you bought the home but you can't fix them now for various reasons. Maybe the cost would drive your investment in the home beyond what the local neighborhood would support. Or, maybe your home cannot be changed to suit your current needs and desires because of its physical structure, the lot size, it's locale, or changes in youe own personal circumstances. Maybe it was near a great school when you bought it, but now the kids are grown and that school nearby is just a source of noise and traffic congestion. Realtors call these home problems, it's "unchangeables."

"But why is right now a good time to sell when prices have dropped as much as 20%," you ask. Here's why. While the price you can get for your current home may be down, so is the price of a home that doesn't have it's drawbacks, or "unchangeables." With recent home price declines and interest rates at historically low levels, NOW may be the right time to step up to the home you originally wanted but just couldn't afford.

Let's take an example. Supposing you bought your home three or four years ago for $300,000, but it has lost 20% of its value and can now be sold for closer to $240.000 -- down $60,000. But, the home you originally wanted that sold then for $425,000 is now down by that same 20% to $340,000, a drop of $85,000, almost one and a half times the reduction your own current home took.

And with so many homes currently on the market, if the seller of that $425,000 home that's now worth only $340,000 needs to sell, it is very possible that, with the help of an aggressive Realtor, you can negotiate that price down even lower. Chances are that if you could afford the home you paid $300,000 for 3 or 4 years ago, you can probably afford the home you always wanted if you buy it now that prices are so depressed.

As a bonus, when home prices start to rebound, you'll not only have the nicer home, but that new home's price will rise even faster than your old one with those troublesome "unchangeables."

For help in finding the right Tampa Bay Florida home for you and your family, visit Cheryl Stimac's Tampa Florida Real Estate website. For more immediate help, call Cheryl at Red Shoe Realty, LLC on her cell phone at 813-263-6806 or E-Mail her today. You'll be glad you did.

April is National Fair Housing Month

Forty years after passage of the "Fair Housing Act," an alarming number of families are still denied housing and need the protections ofthis landmark law passed and signed into law in 1968. Kim Kendrick, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity said, “This report underscores the importance of HUD’s continued enforcement, education, and outreach activities to ensure that all Americans have equal access to housing opportunities.”

More than 10,000 people filed housing discrimination complaints in 2007 alone. Most of the complaints were by people with disabilities, but HUD also found racial housing discrimination to be the second most frequent reason individuals filed complaints under this law.

Read the full article on HUD's website.

Persons who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination they should contact HUD at 1 (800) 669-9777 (voice), (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Additional information is available at www.hud.gov/fairhousing.

If you have questions about Tampa Florida or Tampa Bay Florida real estate, visit my Tampa FL real estate website. Thanks for visitng my blog.

Baby Boomer Retirees Will Drive Tampa Bay Real Estate Comeback

It was the prospect of baby boomers retiring en masse to Florida that fueled the Florida real estate boom, and it now looks as though the actual arrival of thousands of baby boomer retirees over the next few years will be what it takes to help the Tampa Bay real estate market rebound from its current doldrums.

Speaking at a forum sponsored by the University of South Florida's Institute for Public Policy and Leadership, Brad Edmondson, the former editor of American Demographics magazine, said there has been some decline in the rate of population growth in Southwest Florida as evidenced by the fact that school enrollment is slightly below forecasted levels.

Edmondson predicted that Southwest Florida and Tampa Bay populations will not decline as some as predicted. Once the current housing correction passes, the region will grow again thanks to an influx of those new baby boomer retirees.

"The supply of retirees for the Tampa Bay, Florida area is about to grow explosively," Edmondson said. Edmonson believes that even though only 20% of Americans aged 60 and older move across state lines when they retire the Tampa Bay area will get more than its share. "The number of people entering their 60s will grow 5 times as fast as it did during the 1990s," Edmondson said. "This is an age group that thinks Tampa Bay is a very attractive place to live."

While not all forum participants were quite as positive, one area developer and home builder said he was sure that Florida will going to continue to grow.

If you're interested in buying Tampa Bay real estate, you may want to buy now before the big surge of baby boomer retirees starts driving prices back up again. For more information and assistance in achieving your retirement real estate goals in Tampa Bay, Florida, please contact me at (813) 263-6806 or visit my Tampa Bay real estate website today. You may also just E-mail me. I'd be happy to be of assistance to you.

Gov Crist Addresses Florida Realtors on Property Tax Amendment

With “Vote Yes On 1” signs raised high, Florida Realtors greeted Governor Charlie Crist this morning with a standing ovation, thanking Crist for his efforts to cut property taxes. The governor addressed Realtors attending the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) Mid-Winter Business Meetings in Orlando.

  “When was the last time you could go to the ballot box and pass yourself a tax cut?," he asked. "Tell everyone you see to vote for Amendment 1. It’s critical to Florida’s economy,” Governor Crist added.

  Read the Full Story on the Florida Association of Realtors' website. Then please call upon me for assistance in buying or selling Tampa Bay real estate . You may also call me directly at (813) 263-6806 or email me at cheryl@cherylstimac.com

This story, copyrighted by the Florida Association of Realtors, is presented here for your information only

Why Move to Tampa Florida

Tampa Florida offers many advantages to those considering moving to a warmer climate.

Tampa has beautiful weather year-round. The average high temperature is 82 degrees. The average low temperature is 63 degrees.

The Tampa Bay area includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater and their beautiful beaches and is centrally located on Florida’s west coast on the Gulf of Mexico.

Many public companies have headquarters or major operations in Tampa Bay, creating a healthy business and jobs climate. And, the State of Florida has no state income tax and a sizeable property tax exemption for homeowners.

Tampa is rated # 8th in the nation for recreation. Tampa Bay offers many recreational activities including dining out, shopping, golfing, cruises, water sports, fishing and attractions like Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium and Lowry Park Zoo. Tampa Bay is less than 2 hours drive from Orlando with all its attractions.

Tampa Bay is home to many of Florida’s finest golf courses and country clubs.

Tampa was rated one of the Top 10 cities in the United States for the healthiest lifestyle. And it's cost of living is lower than the average of United States cities.

Tampa Bay is home to 25 colleges and universities including medical schools assuring a lively nightlife for singles and young marrieds as well as great health-care, academics and performing arts for residents of all ages.

If you'd like more information on Tampa Bay and its attractive lifestyle, visit my website at http://www.redshoerealty.com/

How to get a good deal on a house! (but remember, good deals do not come perfect.)

If you want to get a great deal on a home, you must buy from a motivated seller. How do you find a motivated seller? Often, sellers that are going through a job relocation, a divorce, or some other life change are motivated. These sellers are likely to give away equity. And unlike a foreclosure, you get a property disclosure which will give you a history of any home repairs. Also, the seller warrants their statements about the condition of the property. These properties are often in better condition than a foreclosure because the sellers are keeping the properties in “marketing” condition. Your Realtor can help you locate motivated sellers and distressed properties.
Homes that are in the process of selling before foreclosure are often sold as “short sales”. A “Short sale” means that the bank or lender accepts less than the current mortgage balance for the property. Usually, before a lender will agree to a short sale, the seller must be in default (that is they must be behind in their payments, or have stopped making payments altogether.) In these situations, the seller is said to be “over-encumbered” and owing more than the home is worth. A short sale might bring the price in line with market value, but not below market value.
Speed is not a virtue of a mortgage company when they are dealing with short sales. These days, the bank mortgage representative has a stack of files with home sellers that are in the same situation. They are in no hurry to give you an answer as your contract is not on top of the pile. If you are patient, a purchase of a short sale can put you in a positive equity position but don’t make an offer on a short sale property if you need to move into a home quickly.
I have bought and sold many investment properties. My motto is “good deals do not come perfect”. You may not get the perfect floor plan. You may have to paint the interior. You will have to fix things and you will need to clean the carpet and chemically treat the “green” swimming pool. In the end, you will come out with a beautiful home and a strong equity position. This is the typical condition of a pre-foreclosure or newly foreclosured home. Neither the owner nor the bank wants to put money into a property that they are taking a loss on. It is on this type of home where you can get the strongest equity position.
When you buy the reduced price home for your primary residence, you will be able to make improvements and get a return on your hard work. Remember, the tax rules are now written that if a home is your primary home, in most cases, profit when you sell is not taxable. To maximize your profit, buy with the intent to stay in the home for a minimum of 3 to 5 years. This will allow time for the market to improve and for your investment to increase in value.
If buying homes that need work does not appeal to you, in our current market new home builders and sellers of existing homes are giving some wonderful deals. Many are paying all closing costs, and making changes to the home as requested by the buyers. To get a good deal, it is wise to buy when others do not want to. This is the kind of market where you will have them greatest power.

What happened to expected property insurance reductions

According to an article in the WCTV Tallahassee Headlines, only about half of the insurance companies doing business in Florida have complied with a new rate filing law to date. Insurers are supposed to pass property insurance savings on to consumers from the state's assumption of $15 billion in risk. So far, the results are mixed at best.

“We’ve seen some increases and we’ve seen some decreases ... on their original filings from March,” said an Office of Insurance Regulation spokesman.

The most upsetting has been the request by Allstate Insurance for an average 42% hike with another 28% hike for a subsidiary. These filings come at the same time the state has issued subpoenas to insurance companies to find out why rates have not decreased as expected.

When asked about the insurance company filings to date, Gov. Crist said it looks like a violation of law when they ask for increases and don’t pass on the saving they’re supposed to under the reforms the legislature put through in the special session.

The good news for policy holders is that any property insurance rate increases won't take effect until they are approved and the governor says that it is doubtful.

Some of these rate increase requests are being driven by insurance ratings services who are also under investigation for possible collusion in insurance rate setting.

Need information about Tampa Bay real estate, call upon Cheryl Stimac of Red Shoe Realty.