Archive for May, 2008
Good Reasons to House Hunt in the St Petersburg area
May 30th, 2008 categories: News and Views
“There are good reasons to house hunt,” says James Thorner, real estate writer for the St. Petersburg Times. Known for months of down articles on the local real estate market, we see glimmers of confidence and rebounding in this morning’s article. He knows economists still see potential homebuyers as content sideline sitters, but Thorner sees our current prices as financially sound.
Tampa Bay is doing better than much of Florida in its housing outlook, and St Petersburg is doing better than the collective Tampa Bay.
Is it the right time to buy? It depends. Is St. Petersburg the right place to buy? It depends. Just as no doctor should give a universal prescription for every patient, no real estate agent should give one generality to all prospective buyers or sellers. Real estate is very local, and recommendations relate to individuals.
If you’d like to discuss our market and your needs, contact The Simms Team at RE/MAX Metro in downtown St. Petersburg.
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Broadwater homes to contract
May 29th, 2008 categories: Broadwater
Two more homes in Broadwater have gone under contract - one listed at $700,000 and another listed at $535,000.
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Nothing new on the lot
May 29th, 2008 categories: Teardown Chronicle
It’s hurry up and wait. That’s not unusual in the construction process.
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Teardown Chronicle: All Cleared
May 24th, 2008 categories: Teardown Chronicle
Teardown completedThis is what the site looked like today. The house is demolished; the pool is gone and filled in; the property has been smoothed off.
You can see the view that was the motivation of the owner for purchasing this lot and planning to build a new home on it.
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Morning Smiles
May 21st, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
Ruby at The VinoyMornings when “The Coffee Boys” meet in the lobby at the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel in St Petersburg, they are cheered by Ruby! Her smiling face greets us, her words welcome us, and she brings a wonderful start to our day.
Each weekday morning we few Vinoy Club members gather at our spot in The Vinoy lobby (after our time in the gym aka Fitness Center), drink our coffee, read our newspapers, and discuss local and world events. The constant is Ruby, whose smiling face greets us, who asks us how we’re doing, and who starts us off with wonderful days in the paradise of St. Petersburg, Florida. Ruby is truly a jewel, and we look forward to seeing her most mornings.
The Renaissance Vinoy Resort is luck to have Ruby on its staff and we’re happy to have her welcome us most mornings. Thanks, Ruby, for starting us off on wonderful days in St Petersburg!
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Demolition 2
May 20th, 2008 categories: Teardown Chronicle
Demolition Day 2 - May 20, 2008
Today it rained most of the day, so not much more was done on the demolition. Very little rubble remains and one dumptruck load should take care of the remains. The pickup was gone tonight when I checked, and already the neighbors are starting to walk by in the evening to check on what’s happening.
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Ovation clients hear Interior Designer Troy Beasley
May 20th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
Todd Beasley, interior designer, speaks to Ovation owners and friends of JMC.
This evening at the Museum of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, Florida, JMC invited owners of Ovation, a luxury condo in downtown St Pete, and other friends to hear Todd Beasley, Interior Designer, talk about Hot Trends. Todd is designing two model condominiums in Ovation, JMC’s latest luxury condo project.
The evening began with a cocktail reception in the outdoor garden of the Museum of Fine Arts and
continued in the Marly Room where Todd Beasley shared the latest Hot Trends in interior design and how to evaluate them. Todd shared slides representative of the trends and stayed after his presentation to discuss specific questions and concerns of the attendees. Beasley & Henley (Stephanie Henley is wife and partner of Todd Beasley) have worked with JMC for nearly a decade and find that JMC really cares for its clients. I’ve found, after working with JMC for two decades, that they build a superior product, care about their customers and listen to them, and truly stand behind their construction.
Tonight was a typical example of how they add continuing value to their clients and friends.
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Old house comes down May 19, 2008
May 20th, 2008 categories: Teardown Chronicle
Click to enlargeDEMOLITION DAY 1
Most of the house came down the first day of work. This piece of equipment, from Glasbrenner, Inc, has “House Killer” written on its arm, matching the front license plate of the pickup truck nearby. The rubble was hauled off by a dumptruck. Prior to actual demolition, utilities had to be disconnected and a demolition permit obtained.
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Another $5 Million+ home sale in Tampa Bay
May 20th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
A $5,600,000 sale in Tierra Verde in May 2008 matched the top 2008 price set in March 2008 by a $5,600,000 sale on Harbour Island.
The Tierra Verde sale was a single family waterfront home with 9,404 sq ft. Tierra Verde is an island community connected by drawbridge to St. Petersburg, just north of Ft DeSoto Park, named the #1 beach in the United States.
The Harbour Island sale was a single family waterfront home with 8,601 sq ft. Harbor Island is an island community just south of downtown Tampa, connected by a causeway.
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First You Buy the House
May 19th, 2008 categories: Teardown Chronicle
Actually you’re buying a lot rather than a house, so don’t be concerned with what the house looks like or the condition it’s in. You do want to be concerned about the things you can’t change: the view, the lot size, the desirability of the location.
This is your opportunity to offer the seller an “as is” contract and one that lets the seller take whatever they’d like from the house. I’d suggest that you do make the offer subject to a seawall inspection, and subject to a feasibility study, which would include determining the flood zone of the property, the elevations at various points on the property, government and/or neighborhood zoning restrictions and required setbacks, whether the home you want to build will fit within the buildable area of the lot, and whether you can build the dock and boat facilities that you want at a reasonable cost.
You will want to look at the other homes in the neighborhood and the trends, so that you don’t overbuild for the area - unless you knowingly decide to do that. Of course you’ll want to determine the water depth at low tide, realizing that low tide is lower at some times of the year than others. You may also need to know if there are any fixed bridges between you and the Gulf of Mexico (true “sailboat water” involves both water depth and water access to the Gulf). Will the size and design of your new home be compatible with the existing homes in the neighborhood?
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