Tampa Florida Real Estate Blog

Team Masse is currently looking for Tampa Real Estate Agents to assist in the wave of clients looking to purchase either Investment Property, First Time Home Buyers, or Vacation Homes.  The Tampa Bay Real Estate Market is currently a Buyers market and these people are getting while the getting is good.

If you are currently Lic. in the State of Florida as a Realtor and would like to be a part of the most aggressive Real Estate Team in the Country, Please check us out here Keller Williams Realty Tampa, fill out the information for a private consultation.

We look forward to speaking with you!

With the advent of Social Networking, it is no surprise to see the numbers come out of National Association of Realtors for Florida Association of Realtors regarding the 2007 Buyer profile for the Tampa Real Estate Market and beyond.  In the report, it was identified that 38% of Home Buyers found their home on some Social Networking site similar to LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace or the like.  And again no surprise, of the age bracket of 18-24, 76% used some form of Social Network to find a home.

With the increasing popularity of Social Networks, these numbers are sure to climb in future years.  We are all transitioining into a Digital World whether we like it or not! and I my friends, LOVE IT!

Foreclosures, Short Sales, REO, Repossessed, Bank Owned what is the difference between these terms.  If you are looking for these properties, look no further, check us out at Tampa Bank Owned for FREE access to all residential and commercial properties available for sale.

Tampa Foreclosures is a property that has or is going through the foreclosure process, in other words, the lender is trying to get the property back due to lack of payment per the mortgage agreement.

A Tampa Short Sale is where the bank has authorized the current owner of the property to sell the property for less than what is owed the bank.

A Tampa Repossessed or Tampa Bank Owned Home is where the property has been taken back by the bank and the bank is now the owner of the property.  At this point, the bank will try to sell the property rather than carry it for any given period of time.

If you have the money, and have the time, there are some great deals to be had, just be patient.  There are alot of out of country people looking at these properties right now because our dollar is weaker and the deals are a plenty.  Don't miss the rush, because whent they are gone, they are gone. 

Well the time is now.  With home buyers spending more time on the Internet searching for homes, NAR reports 87% start their search on-line although I believe the number to be higher, just goes to show that people who claim that they hate technology are using it every day (you're reading this blog aren't you).  And am I excited.  I can finally take something that I love, and apply it to an industry that is full of old dogs wanting to learn new tricks.  It is an exciting time for Real Estate right now.  The face of Real Estate is going through a time of change and you can either embrace what is coming and become a part of it, or you can move on.

With the advent of Video email, Viral Marketing, Social Networking, the walls of Real Estate are coming down.  Think about it, 10 years ago, if someone from Canada, for example, wanted to view property available in the Tampa Real Estate market, they would have to buy a plane ticket or drive for days, get a hotel, find a Tampa Realtor to take them around to view these homes, then when they were done, pack it up and reverse the process back home (hoping that they found something on their trip or they would have to do the whole thing all over again).  Now the same process that took a week takes hours, they log on to their favorite Realtor site, type in their search criteria, maybe something like Tampa Foreclosures, and presto, the listings come up, all the information needed, virtual tours or video tours, contact info, mortgage info, etc.

What a world we live in...this stuff is great and I am looking forward to the next big change, whatever it may be, I will embrace it completely, and you should too!

I think there is alot of confusion about what to expect when buying a Tampa Foreclosure, so hopefully this will clear just a few things up.

1. This is not a transaction where you can dictate the closing date.  Banks are scrambling to keep up with the avalanche of homes going into Foreclosure and Short Sales.  The banks want to get these homes off their books as fast as they can, but they do not currently have the policies or personal in place to handle this.  You must be patient as they deal with this situation.

2. Make sure you have all your financing in place.  This is no different than buying a "regular" home.  The banks do not want to "mess around" with people "just looking".  You will not be taken serious and the bank will not respond to your requests or offers.

3. The banks have NOT "lived" in these homes so there will be no property disclosure, nor do they want to offer you a warranty.  They do not know anything about the home and you will, in most cases, be buying this home "as is".  Get an inspection!  You can negotiate based on this report, but make sure your Tampa Realtor knows what they are doing!

4. The Bank's don't care what your situation is.  This is not a typical seller.  There is no emotion involved with the bank.  This is all economics and accounting, so if you think that you can get into a serious negotiation with the bank, think again.  The bank knows what they need for that property, and that is pretty much what they are going to tell you.  Don't get me wrong, the banks will negotiate, but they already know what their "drop dead" price is and will not go any lower than that.

So if you are serious about buying Tampa Foreclosures, Team Masse is a group of "no nonsense" agents that have worked extensively with the banks and lenders.  We have formed relationships with many local Financial Institutions to help expedite your transactions as well as assist you in establishing that "drop dead" value that the banks will not go below.  So when you are ready to buy, please let us know!

Coming from the Boston area, and knowing what it meant to have waterfront property versus waterview property, I did not expect the same descriptions here since the Tampa Area is right on the waterfront, but not so.  In MA, waterfront means just that, waterfront, but waterview, means whatever you want it to...it could mean that the water is off in the distance but is easily viewable, or it could mean that you need some binoculars, climb up on the roof, during the winter months when there are no leaves, and then off in the distance, on a cloudless day, you can see something that resembles water.

When you are shopping for waterfront property in the Tampa Bay or surrounding areas, you need to make sure what type of waterfront property you are looking for.  If you have a boat, you will want Waterfront with Dock, with water access.  If you do not have a boat and just want to be on the water, you want waterfront, without water access.  Make sure that your waterfront is exactly what you are looking for.  Waterfront could mean a canal, lagoon, lake, pond, or a water retention area.  We deal with alot of people from other states and most people think that waterfront is waterfront...well it is not.

So before you buy that Tampa Real Estate investment property that sounds too good to me true, it probably is.  Just make sure that you are getting what you think you are getting.

Team Masse handles Waterfront Property, Investment, Residential, and Commercial Property in the Tampa Bay Area.  If you have any questions about the Tampa Real Estate market or about Tampa Foreclosures, please don't hesitate to call.

  Thats a good question, a question that I have been asked quite a bit lately and to be frank with you, I ask myself the same question.  The state of Florida never seems to do anything easy and there is a calculation that can be done to figure it out.  You will need first go the the county assessors office to determining what your current taxes are - Hillsborough County Assessors Office.  Ok, now make special note of your "Just Market" and "Assessed Value".  Now go to this page (Tax Portability Calculator) and put in the values that you noted to calculate what your savings will be.

I hope this helps you and if you are interested in looking for a home to move to, please check out our Tampa Florida Real Estate Home Search Page to start your research.  As always, our services are FREE to Buyers.