Dining out in Downtown St. Petersburg Florida

Park Shore Grille300 Beach driveThe food was wonderful, the atmosphere was great and the service was outstanding. What more can you ask for?It was a Friday night about 10 pm we called and made reservations for 14 people for dinner, will be there in 5 minutes. . . .It doesn’t matter where you go, you know that 14 people unannounced it going to be a disaster. Well, not in Park Shore grill. We all had a wonderful experience.The service was very friendly, knowledgeable and fast.Of course we all ordered different food and it arrived at the same time within 20 minutes from our order. As always they showed how creative they are in their presentation.I had the “Park Shore oysters” and “Carpaccio”The Oysters were outstanding, served on a bed of rock salt with little bacon bits and a nice cheese crust. When you order something like this you kind of already prepare yourself, the oysters might be too cooked and the cheese crust is crumbling. Well, not at Park Shore grill.The Oysters were still cold and juicy the crust was crispy. Whoever took them out of the oven had perfect timing.My Carpaccio was sprinkled with truffle oil; it gave the dish a very nice twist. So, altogether, it was a great experience. 

Great Deals on houses and condos in St. Petersburg

Every buyer wants a good deal.Here in St Pete we have some great real estate deal, waiting for a buyer. Deals are out there, you just have to find them.You or for this matter, your realtor has to do a lot of research, gather information, understand the real estate market here in Saint Petersburg, know the area,look at comparable properties, check out the listing history of the house or condo, pull public records on the property and most important find out how motivated the seller is.This makes all the difference between a good deal and a fantastic deal.In today’s market the buyer has a huge advantage.Tons of inventory and in some cases extremely motivated sellers.Tropic Breezes in Madeira beach Florida is one exampleIt is a 20 unit condo hotel complex across the street from the beach, walking distance to shops and restaurant and other attractions. Great curb appeal; units are all remodeled within the last two or three years, heated pool and great rental potential.Right now one of the units is on the market; the asking price is $115,000 In the same building, just one floor higher a very very similar unit sold in Oct. 2005 for $ 195,000 This is a great property if you want a vacation home here in Florida and at the same time want to rent it out for the rest of the time.. 

Sell houses in Tampa bay Florida

Before the Real Estate market crashed here in St Petersburg, it was easy to find the right sales price for houses and condos.Now it is a whole different story.You have to do your homework and understand the market situation.First thing is to find a Realtor that knows the Real estate market and the St. Petersburg area.  Your Realtor will do a CMA, comparable market analyses for you.You have to look at everything that sold in your neighborhood in the past few months; this tells you what buyers paid for homes or condos in St Pete.You also have to take into consideration that prices have gone down over the last year, and some areas have not bottomed out yet.So what your neighbors sold for 6 month ago might be more than what you can get in today’s market.Also look at all the listings that are pending sales.What was the asking price for it and keep in mind that they will most likely close way below asking price.Last step is to look at the active listings, or a better word, your competition.What are they asking and how does this compare to the “sold and under contract” listings.Buyers in today’s real estate market will not pay more than fair market value; chances are they want to pay less.So, before you get your hopes up and put your property on the market, talk to a realtor and take a very hard look at the CMA.  If you really want to sell your home, you need to price it right. The inventory is extremely high in Pinellas County and buyers can pick and choose.I have not seen a full price offer in two years, what I see is a lot of low ball offers. Everybody wants to buy the best deal. 

Everyone that wants to buy real estate

has this question.

Do you think they will accept less than asking price for the home?

The real Estate market here in Florida, St. Petersburg for this matter has change dramatically.

There was a time when I answered this question by saying “They might be a little negotiable on the price, and we should try to make a lower offer, but if you really want to buy this property, you have to be prepared to pay full price “That was the time when we had a low inventory, lower property taxes, banks eager to lend money, a stable economy and we would get multiple offers on a house or condo within 30 days.Well, this time has gone, the inventory is at an all time e high, banks are very careful when it comes to lending money, nobody can call our economy stable and houses and condos sit on the market forever, the only times when we see multiple offers is with foreclosures and short sales.Today, my answer is much longer and not this easy.Will they take less than asking price?

“There is a very very good chance that they will take less, it depends on how motivated they are. I have seen properties sell for 30 to 40 % less than they sold for in 2005”

The Real Estate market has gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market overnight.

Great deals, short sales etc.

Great condo hotel unit, directly on the wide sandy beach of Treasure Island Florida. About 625 heated square feet, granite countertops, complex is only 6 years old,

Asking price is  $250,000.

Units like this in the same building sold for $450,000 to $480,000 last year.

This is a great investment opportunity, come spend your vacation here

and rent it out the rest of the year.

We have some fantastic deals here in Pinellas County Florida.

Tons of inventory, short sales, pre foreclosures, and bank owned, you name it.

Don’t miss out, this is the time to buy.

 

Home inspection – Cosmetic or Warranted items.

This information is important for buyers and sellers here in Pinellas County.

In Florida there is no such thing as a  “ Standard report “

Every home inspection report looks different.

Some of them are 30 page books with pictures etc.

Others are 1 page handwritten “notes”

It doesn’t really matter on which site of the deal I am, representing the buyer or the seller,

home inspections are a nightmare for the buyer, the seller and the realtors.

 

The buyer naturally wants everything repaired

The seller naturally thinks there is nothing wrong with his house

and does not want to repair anything

The realtors try to figure out what is a warranted item as mentioned in the Far 9 contract and what is cosmetic.

 

 I have seen 10 page reports on brand new condos and guess what, at the end everything was in working order and nothing was broken and we closed the deal

I have also seen 3 page reports that killed the deal and we never went to closing.

Somehow people get caught up in little details that do not really matter when you see the big picture.

Just one example.

I showed a condo to a couple, the screen door “sqiiiiiked” when the wife opened it. The husband said, do not worry, a little WD 40 will do the trick. Nothing was ever mentioned again about the “Sqiiiiiiiiking” door

That is until the home inspection report came in and the inspector managed to write a whole paragraph about it.

So, now we have a problem

The buyer all of a sudden wants a new screen door and the seller says it is working I am not replacing it.

 

It does not matter if you are a seller or a buyer, please before you sell or buy a house, talk to your realtor and make sure what the home inspection is all about and what you can expect.

It is very important that you have all this information before you see the report.

Buying and selling Real Estate should be a fun and pleasant experience and it should not be clouded by the lack of information or understanding

So, again, please talk to us Realtors and get the information instead of getting upset.

    

 back yard with jacuzzi