How did the Tampa Bay real estate market do in 2017? We’ve got the final numbers for you today.

The fourth quarter is a great time to put your home on the market in Tampa Bay because you’ll face less competition and the buyers you encounter will be more serious about buying. Selling your Tampa home? Get a free home value reportBuying a home? Search all Tampa homes for sale It’s been a fantastic year to buy and sell real estate, and we’re now heading into one of my favorite times to put a home on the market.  It’s the fourth quarter, and we’re entering the holiday season. A lot of sellers have been taught to believe that it’s a good idea to take their home off the market during the holidays because nothing sells then.  Well, I’m here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Tampa Bay is a year-round market with a strong fourth quarter. Would it surprise you to know that last year, a full 25% of the homes that sold in Tampa did so in the fourth quarter? Out of 33,422 home sales across the entire year, 8,831 sales occurred during the fourth quarter.  If you’re thinking of taking your home off the market and listing it after the new year or once spring comes, have you considered taking advantage of the fact that inventory will be lower now because so many other sellers plan on doing the same thing? You’ll face less competition, and you’ll deal with fewer but more serious showings because buyers who look for homes during the fourth quarter tend to be more serious. Last year, a full 25% of the homes that sold in Tampa did so in the fourth quarter.Who are these buyers? They include:Out-of-towners flying in over the holidays who want to tie in visits to friends and family with their home-shopping trip.People who are starting new jobs at the first of the year and need a new place to live.In-town residents who want to purchase a home and close on it before December 31st so they can put a put a homestead exemption on it.People who are busy with work and have some time off over the holidays to shop for their homes.If you’ve been thinking about making a move but have been assuming it would be best to wait until after the holidays to do so, pick up the phone and give me a call so we can go over which options are best for you. If you have any more questions about our Tampa Bay market, feel free to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you.

Have you heard of this amazing down payment assistance program that is available in our state? Today I’m bringing you the details. Selling your Tampa home? Get a free home value reportBuying a home? Search all Tampa homes for sale Today I’d like to tell you about a little known program that has already thousands of people buy homes. This program can give you up to $15,000 toward your down payment. Unfortunately, many of today’s potential buyers have never heard of this program, so we want to spread the word to all of our friends and clients who might be able to take advantage of this wonderful program before it’s too late! Back during the housing crisis, the federal government designated funds to help in the bailing out of the housing crisis. However, because not all of this money was used, the funds that were left over were given to several of the most affected states in order to aid in their recovery. Florida was one of those states. As a result, state bond money is being given out to aid in home purchases in many counties here in Florida. Not only does the program give you up to $15,000 toward your home purchase, it also doesn’t need to be repaid as long as you stay in the house for at least five years. State bond money is being given out to aid in home purchases. But this down payment assistance program isn’t going to last forever—funds for the full $15,000 assistance are running low, and are set to run out around October 31-November 3 this year, and once they do, the program will change. While the program will continue, the amount of money that is offered will be dropping to $7,500, and the repayment requirements are stricter should you sell the home. So, who qualifies for this program? If you have not owned a home in the last three years, or are a veteran, you may qualify.  Additionally, the income requirements are less strict than you might think. In fact, you can still qualify as an individual with a base salary of up to $82,600. This program is absolutely worth checking out. If you know anyone who would benefit from this program, please feel free to forward this message on to them, and call us immediately for more details. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

You should have already received in the mail your county’s assessment of your home’s value for 2017. Here’s what to do if you think it’s too high. Selling your Tampa home? Get a free home value reportBuying a home? Search all Tampa homes for sale We’re nearing the end of the summer, which means that your TRIM notice from your county containing the proposed assessed value of your home for tax purposes in 2017 has been sent out. It’s not a bill that you have to pay, but it is something that you are going to want to open and read carefully. If you feel that your assessed value is unfairly high, or that you are entitled to an exemption that you have not received, you do have the right to contest it with the county appraiser’s office. However, you only have a short time period in which to do this so acting fast is key. We're here to serve as a real estate resource for you. If you need some advice, give us a call or send us an email and we would be glad to help. It’s important to know that this assessment may not reflect what your home would sell for today on the open market—if you need to know what your home would sell for, just call us, and we’re happy to discuss what your home is worth. If you have questions about how the Property Appraiser determines an assessed value for your home, check out the informative discussions at each of the county websites: Hillsborough County Property Appraiser website Pasco County Property Appraiser website Pinellas County Property Appraiser website Remember, if you feel your assessment is unfairly high or a mistake has been made, you have the statutory right to appeal it.  Keep in mind that you only have a short time to do so, so don't wait. Here are some helpful links: How do I appeal my Hillsborough County tax assessment? Pasco County Real Property Value Appeal Form How are values determined by the Pinellas County Appraiser? We also wanted to remind you that our referral rewards contest is still going on. If you know someone who is looking to buy or sell a home in the Tampa Bay area, send them our way and you could win a wonderful vacation on us. Give us a call at 813-907-2555 or email us at [email protected].

The fourth quarter is a great time to put your home on the market in Tampa Bay because you’ll face less competition and the buyers you encounter will be more serious about buying.

Have you heard of this amazing down payment assistance program that is available in our state? Today I’m bringing you the details.

You should have already received in the mail your county’s assessment of your home’s value for 2017. Here’s what to do if you think it’s too high.

How is the Tampa real estate market doing? May and June set new records in home sales, and prices are on the rise.

We’re once again holding our referral rewards vacation giveaway, and there are three ways you can enter for a chance to win. Selling your Tampa home? Get a free home value reportBuying a home? Search all Tampa homes for sale We want to take the opportunity to thank you for referring your friends, family, and coworkers to us years. We’ve enjoyed and appreciated helping you, your friends, and your family with their real estate transactions.We appreciate helping you and being able to give back with our vacation giveaway.To commemorate our gratitude, we’re once again holding our referral rewards vacation giveaway. There are three ways you can enter this giveaway:Buy a home with us.Sell a home with us.Refer us someone who needs to buy or sell a property. Official rules are here at our office. The Winner will be chosen on December 2nd, so there's still plenty of time to participate! In addition, we want to remind you that it’s a fantastic time to buy or sell in the Tampa Bay market, and we’re here to make that easy for you.   If you have any questions about our giveaway or our Tampa Bay market, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We look forward to helping you. Congratulations to all of the buyers and sellers we've helped so far in 2017:  SOLD:  20662 Amanda Oak Ct 10007 Spanish Cherry Ct 20132 Heritage Point Dr 19506 Coachlight Way 21130 Ski Way 34421 Blue Ash Ct 4306 Ashton Meadows Way 12368 Foxmoor Peak Dr 19107 Mandarin Grove Pl 5125 Palm Springs Blvd Unit # 152 5013 Landstar Way 19135 Dove Creek Dr 7909 Tuscany Woods Dr 1328 Standridge Dr 5106 Rolling Hills Ct 1530 Lake Parker Dr 9707 Meadow Field Cir Unit # 970 16509 Foothill Dr 4628 Ashburn Square Dr 17807 Willow Lake Dr 10144 Arbor Run Dr Unit # 115 1024 E Comanche Ave 11621 Bristol Chase Dr 17593 Fairmeadow Dr Unit # 3 18205 Wimbledon Green Pl 2748 Lantern Hill Ave 1424 Saddle Gold Ct 4787 Wandering Way 27164 Hawks Nest Cir 5415 Braddock Dr 30921 Prout Ct 4508 Spring Rd 4520 Tarpon Dr 16315 Parkstone Palms Ct 2121 Roanoke Springs Dr 8616 Egret Point Ct 18435 Eastwyck Dr 16340 Ashington Park Dr 2433 Willimette Dr 845 Seddon Cove Way Unit # 845 9523 Bayside Ct 7515 S Wall St 35535 Wickingham Ct UNDER CONTRACT:  6311 Voyagers Pl 16839 Nikki Ln 5026 W Dickens Ave 18121 Nassau Point Dr 16147 Colchester Palms Dr 30321 Randall Manor St 4818 Londonderry Dr 3046 Pointview Dr 6967 Towering Spruce Dr 1123 Crimson Clover Ln 810 Jacaranda Dr 5544 Shasta Daisy Pl 9007 Quail Creek Dr 63xx Fitzgerald Rd 15647 Leatherleaf Ln 18401 Eastwyck Dr 1416 Saddle Gold Ct 2016 MaCaw Ct 21607 Hidden Creek Trull Drive Lot 0015 Butterfly Kisses Lot 032 3241 Cordoba Ranch Blvd 17809 Howsmoor Pl 7732 Timberview Loop Daisy Lane

Our Tampa Bay market is so hot it’s breaking records. Where is the dividing line between buyers and sellers, though? Selling your Tampa home? Get a free home value reportBuying a home? Search all Tampa homes for sale The numbers are in for the month of March, and it was a record-setting one for our Tampa Bay market. Two very important year-over-year statistics prove how well we did compared to March 2016. First, there were 3,283 closed sales, which was an increase of 22%. To put that into perspective, our market traditionally averages between 2,200 to 2,500 sales per month. Across the market, prices were up roughly 8.7%. Depending on your neighborhood and price range, however, this figure can vary. March was a record-setting month for our market. What do these statistics mean? We have a clear dividing line where we switch from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. In Tampa, that dividing line is right around the $500,000 mark. Under that price point, we have less than a six-month supply of inventory. Over that price point, the inventory starts to climb.  To get a more in-depth look at the latest statistics our spring market has brought, click on this link.  Who do you know who might need help buying or selling? As a friendly reminder, our Referral Rewards Vacation contest is taking place again this year, and there is still time to refer your friends and family who have real estate needs. Our winner will be drawn in December. If you have any questions about our market, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I would be happy to help you.