Real Estate & General Blog

I can imagine getting out of debt.  I can imagine living in that house.  I can imagine growing a successful business.  I can imagine meeting my soul-mate.  I can imagine someone I love turning their lives around.  It's negative thinking which prevents us from creating the life we desire.  In othe...

     These are times of the greatest opportunities we've ever seen in recent history.  They are times of fear and uncertainty as well.  Just like our collective egos, fear is not something which can be destroyed.  In this New Year, let's get real, we will all have fears.  By accepting this fact w...

     The Warrick Dunn Foundation(WDF) rewarded another single mother through its Homes for the Holidays (HFTH) program last week in Tallahassee.   Dunn launched HFTH during his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997.  His vision was to honor his late mother's dream of home-ownership....

Understand the Assessment Process-  Find your local county property assessor's office.  Become familiar with the timing of the assessments.  Also know what the process is for filing an appeal.  Make sure to take note of the deadlines or you'll be waiting another year for a review.  Also, know wh...

Lewis Renieri is the man who invented the MSB (Mortgage-backed Security) in the 1980's.  Subsequently, this led to an explosion in home-ownership.  His solution to the foreclosure meltdown is to reduce principal balances.  This is one of many solutions to entice homeowners to pay there mortgages ...

      Last night I got a wild hair to teach myself to make sushi.  Naturally, I tried to imitate one of my favorite things, save money, and learn something new all in one fell swoop.  Two and half hours later I produced my first sushi rolls.  I was so proud I even took photos.  You might think th...

A couple of highlights from this week in real estate:     The appraisal institute just posted some newsworthy information.  The federal government does not regulate appraisal management companies (AMC's).  Only six states to date have enacted legislation on them.  16 states report they plan on le...

RIVER HILLS MARKET UPDATE 11/11/2009  After review of the market area, it was evident over the last three months there was a slight rise in median sales values.  Currently, the median value for River Hills is $285,000.  This is up from the previous three months at $267,000.  The average sales pri...

  Distressed Sales Report* TAMPA BAY AGGREGATE  Type of Sale      % of All Sales    Avg List $/sqft     Avg Sale $/sqft CONVENTIONAL            57%                $114                          $106 BANK-OWNED               23%                $59                            $57 SHORT SALE          ...

MEDIAN VALUES IN FISHHAWK RANCH STABILIZING! As of 9/24/2009: After review of the Fishhawk Ranch area in Lithia, Florida it was evident over the last three months there was a STABILIZATION in median sales values.  Here's some market highlights: Absorption rate INCREASE (CLOSED SALES) 27/mo. to 37...