www.tampahouseman.com How do you find foreclosure properties to buy in Brandon Florida?  Well, the easy answer is call me!  Seriously, finding foreclosed properties is easy for realtors because we have instant access to all properties that are listed on MLS.  Plus, to make it easier, we have access to a system that searches and delivers tax records for bank owned properties.  But, if you are a brave soul and want to go it alone, here are some tips to finding foreclosures.  Fee based foreclosure service companies:  These companies will provide a list of foreclosures in your area for a fee.  RealtyTrac is one and try www.foreclosure.com. Auction Houses:  There are many auction houses both nationally, regionally, and locally.  To start your search, Google "Real estate auctions" for local a... 06/21/2009

www.TampaHouseMan.com If you are looking for real estate in the Brandon, Florida or Greater Tampa area, the big question for sellers is do I sell now ....and if "I want to sell now, what do I price my home at".  Here's the honest truth.  This is a horrible time to sell your property.  But, you have options.  if a career move or divorce requires you to vacate your home, you can either rent it and hope to get enough rent to cover the expense of owning the home.  That doesn't mean you need enough rent to just cover the mortgage payment.  Remember that not only do you have monthly mortgage payments, but you may have escrowed taxes and insurance, property management fees, and unforseen repair bills.  Your other option is to sell it.  "What price do I set?" is the common question.  The answer... 06/18/2009

South Ridge in Bradon is a private neighborhood located off of Kings Avenue north of Bloomingdale. The neighborhood was originally built by Pulte. South Ridge has low HOA and no CDDs. South Ridge is quick commute to Downtown Tampa or MacDill Air Force Base.  The prices for the homes in the community start in the high $100,000's. It is also a easy  to get to Tampa International Airport, Tampa's attractions and Tampa's Performing Arts Center. It is also just minutes from Brandon Westfield Mall  or Brandon Hospital.   Whether you ever wanted a luxury home with a view of Tampa Bay, or a condominium or townhome you can find them and more in the Brandon area. Brandon has a wide range of real estate choices and we can help you find your dream home.         The contents of this posting are the ... 06/17/2009

www.TampaHouseman.com Bank Owned Properties in Brandon Florida Bank owned properties are sometimes called REO's (Real Estate Owned).  They are properties that have gone to foreclosure but have been passed up by the buyers and investors on the courthouse steps.  Once that happens, the bank needs to sell the propeties because it does not want to sit on the home inventory and have to carry the cost of maintaining it and paying property taxes and the like.  If a bank owns a property, it is likely there are great opportunities for the savvy home hunter.  For example, some REO's are passed up because of damage to the interior.  If you are handy, you could go in and fix it up and make it more valuable by just giving it some elbow grease.  If you are a buyer looking to find a great bank owned p... 06/10/2009

Providence Lakes is ideally located close to Brandon Westfield Shopping Center, and just minutes to the Crosstown Expressway for easy access to downtown Tampa and MacDill Air Force Base.  It is also a quick commute to Channelside, Ybor City, Tampa International Airport, Raymond James Stadium, The Ice Palace, Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, and Tampa's Performing Arts Center. Providence Lakes in Brandon is a community of homes from the $100,000's to the low $300,000's. Providence Lakes subdivision surrounds several community lakes. Providence Lake is located off of Providence road just south of Lusden. It is close to several restraurants and Westfield Shopping Center. The subdivision has no CDD's and a low HOA.  Let us help you find your perfect real estate in the Ta... 06/09/2009

www.TampaHouseman.com If you are looking for a short sale or bank owned (REO) property in Brandon, FLorida or anywhere in the Greater Tampa area, you should use a real estate professional who uderstands this type of sale.  Here are a few ways to find a qualified Realtor: Ask friends, family or anyone you know if they know someone who has gone through a short sale.  A warm referral is the best type and gives you a comfortable basis for making the decision because they helped one of your friends. Call a real estate office close to the area you are looking or go to a local open house.  The agents that work these areas tend to understand the micro-market and can give you better information on values and trends.  Make sure you ask the agent if they have expeience in short sales. Search your ... 06/09/2009

www.TampaBayHouseman.com Brandon Florida Real Estate Looking for a short sale, foreclosure or bank owned property in Brandon Florida? When working with any buyer or seller, I don't assume that they know what all the real estate terminology means.  Of course, there are sophisticated buyers out there, but most of the people we work with are normal folks..busy in their own lives and very good at whatever their job or profession is but not necessarily up to speed on the complexity of a real estate transaction.  This is where a well trained and experienced Realtor can help.   With this unusual economic condition, there are a few terms being thrown around these days that describe distressed properties.  Over the next few days, I'll explain what some of them mean.   SHORT SALE A short sale is ... 06/05/2009

www.TampaHouseMan.com Dear Readers, If you are reading this, you are probably interested in buying a home in Brandon or the Greater Tampa Bay area.  If you are like me, you'll want to know all the great things about living in Brandon and the Greater Tampa area.  Here are a couple of my favorite topics: Love sports?  Depending on the season, you can go watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for football, Tampa Bay Rays for baseball, Tampa Bay Lightning for hockey and Tampa Bay Storm for Arena football.  And if that's not enough, you can see the New York Yankees baseball team during spring training.  This is an unbelievable combination of sports teams and all within 30 minutes of Brandon Florida. Love the water? Whether you are a boater, enjoy a quiet walk along the beach, or want to canoe down t... 06/04/2009

Sterling Ranch is a community of homes from the $100,000's to the low $300,000's.  The subdivision has no CDD's and a low HOA. The neighborhood has a beautiful community pool and park. It is off of Providence Road just south of Lumsden in Brandon. Sterling Ranch is ideally located close to Brandon Westfield Shopping Center, and just minutes to the Crosstown Expressway for easy access to downtown Tampa and MacDill Air Force Base.  It is also a quick commute to Tampa attractions and airport. It is also just a little over an hour to the Magic Kingdom! Call us today to see real estate in Sterling Ranch of Brandon.       The contents of this posting are the property of Pam Mabe and  Solaris Realty of TampaBay. Pam Mabe is a broker working in the Pinellas and Hillsborough area helping buyers ... 06/02/2009

Stonewood is located in south Brandon near John Moore Road and Bloomingdale. Stonewood is to be a small community of 49 luxury estate homes all on a 1/3 of an acre or more many with conservation or pond views. Sunrise Homes is building these luxury homes in Stonewood. Nearby schools are Kingswood Elementary, Rodgers Middle and Bloomingdale High.  Prices for the homes strart in the $400,000's with square footage ranging from the mid 2000's to the mid 4000's. Stonewood of Brandon is located near many entertainment and area attractions such as, Adventure Island, Busch Gardens, Lowry Park Zoo and Raymond James Stadium. If art and culture is your calling this community offers easy access to the Tampa Bay Museum of Art, Tampa Theater and Tampa Performing Arts is within 30 minutes. There are m... 05/26/2009

Brandon Florida is a wonderful community just outside the major metropolitan area of Tampa.  Every couple of days, I will blog about some of the great features this area has to offer those who are contemplating a move. At EXIT Bayshore Realty, we work with many military personnel who are moving to or from an assignment at MacDill Air Force Base.  A common question is whether to live in South Tampa or in Brandon.  Here are a couple of thoughts to help you make your decision: THE DRIVE FROM BRANDON TO MacDill AFB This drive is easy!  I do it all the time because our office is all the way down near the front gates of MacDill Air Force Base.  The key is to get a SunPass and use the Leroy Selmon Expressway.  It's the only way to go.  I do try to avoid the major rush from 8-9 am and have neve... 05/26/2009

Brandon, Florida has many great buying opportunities for first time homebuyers. Low interest rates and affordable pricing in Hillsborough County makes this a great time to get into your first home. In addition, you may qualify for an $8,000 first-time buyer tax credit. First-time buyers may be able to claim a credit worth $8,000 - or 10% of the home's value, whichever is less - on their 2008 or 2009 taxes. In order to qualify for the credit, the home purchase must be made between Jan. 1, 2009 and Nov. 30, 2009. Buyers cannot have owned a home for the past three years to qualify as "first time" buyer. They must also live in the house for at least three years, or they will be obligated to pay back the credit. Additionally, there are some income restrictions: To qualify, home buyers must ... 05/21/2009

Brandon Florida has many great opportunities for buying short sales and foreclosures.  The short sales are a bit trickier to land, but I've experienced some recent success getting the lender to accept a low offer.  I just had one approved that was listed at $165K and we offered $135K.  The buyer thought I was crazy sending him that one because he was only approved at $135K.  I told him that you never know what they will take until you submit an offer.  To his delight, they accepted the $135K and he ended up getting the opportunity to own a much nicer home than he thought he would get.  It even had a very nice pool.  Foreclosures, REO's (Real Estate Owned), and Bank Owned properties which are all the same thing, are a little easier to pick up.  Typically, we are seeing a 48 hour turn aro... 05/21/2009

Sterling Ranch is a community of homes from the $100,000's to the low $300,000's.  The subdivision has no CDD's and a low HOA. The neighborhood has a beautiful community pool and park. It is off of Providence Road just south of Lumsden in Brandon. Providence Lakes is ideally located close to Brandon Westfield Shopping Center, and just minutes to the Crosstown Expressway for easy access to downtown Tampa and MacDill Air Force Base.  It is also a quick commute to Tampa attractions and airport. It is also just a little over an hour to the Magic Kingdom! Call us today to see real estate in Sterling Ranch of Brandon.       The contents of this posting are the property of Pam Mabe and  Solaris Realty of TampaBay. Pam Mabe is a broker working in the Pinellas and Hillsborough area helping buyer... 05/14/2009

LOCATION, LOCATION!  This beautiful Townhouse complex of Vista Cay is located in the heart of Brandon in an exclusive gated community. The townhome complex has a community pool and is near Kingswood Elementary School. Vista Cay is located off of Kings Ave just north of Bloomingdale. Vista Cay is conveniently located to downtown Tampa and MacDill Air Force Base via I-75 and the Crosstown Expressway.  Vista Cay is also a quick commute to Tampa International Airport,attractions and Tampa Performing Arts Center and to the nightlife at Channelside and Ybor City. Several golf courses are also conveniently close by.         The contents of this posting are the property of Pam Mabe and  Solaris Realty of TampaBay. Pam Mabe is a broker working in the Pinellas and Hillsborough area helping buyers... 05/12/2009

  Foreclosures Affect Your Home's Value When it comes to foreclosures, your neighbors could have a serious affect on your ability to sell or refinance your home. Your credit score having virtually little or no effect on your ability to refinance your home. Comparable sales or Comparables as defined by Wikipedia, are real estate appraisal terms referring to properties with characteristics that are similar to a subject property whose value is being sought. This can be accomplished either by a real estate agent who attempts to establish the value of a potential client's home or property through comparable market analysis or, by a licensed or certified appraiser, when performing a real estate appraisal. A lender will require an appraisal when making a loan on a house or when you refinance. ... 04/17/2009

  First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Overview     • In 2008 Congress created a $7,500 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. • It went into effect April 8, 2008 and was set to expire July 1, 2009. * The big problem: It had to be repaid over 15 years. People viewed it as a debt and not a benefit. NAR, working with Realtors® across the country: • Succeeded in having the the repayment requirement for 2009 removed. • The credit has been extended to on or before November 30, 2009 and can be claimed by those who closed on homes on or after January 1, 2009. It is still repayable for 2008 purchases. • The credit has been expanded to $8,000. • But, it is still only for first time homebuyers. Credit Details • The new Credit is an $8,000 REFUNDABLE Tax Credit (or up to 10% of the purchase price). • So if... 04/17/2009

Hickory Woods of Brandon is an exclusive gated community built by Ryland Homes from 2003 - 2005. The homes are elegant custom homes all on larger lots, most half an acre or more. Hickory Woods is located just south of Bloomingdale off of John Moore Road. Nearby schools are Cimino Elementary, Burns Middle, and Bloomingdale High School. Come see this gorgeous community of Hickory Woods in Brandon. This single family home community  is a great community for any family. As Hickory Woods is conveniently located near schools, dining, shopping, and major highways for easy commuting, Hickory Woods has access to all the amenities that Tampa Bay has to offer.     The contents of this posting are the property of Pam Mabe and  Solaris Realty of TampaBay. Pam Mabe is a broker working in the Pinellas... 04/06/2009

Free Florida MLS Property Search I recently received a letter from a client who wanted to express his appreciation for the FREE Tampa Bay Area MLS Property Search Service that Diamond Dwellings Realty offers on our website.  The client went on to say that he appreciated the fact that our website did not make him jump through hoops in order to have access to this invaluable tool for locating homes and properties in the Tampa Bay Area.  In fact you can search all of the property currently listed in the MLS state wide on our website. It is our belief at Diamond Dwellings Realty, that if we provide service prior to our representing people, the majority who benefit from this service will come back to us when it's time to sell or make a purchase. This theory has proven itself time and time ag... 03/17/2009

Woodberry is located in North Brandon off of Lakewood Ave. Woodberry is a gated community of single family homes starting in the $200,000's. Wodberry has beautiful homes that are convenient to everthing in Brandon. It is just a mile north of  Regency Square and The Brandon Westfield Mall. There is many dining opportunities just south of Woodberry. Woodberry is just 20 minutes from Downtown Tampa and 30 minutes to MacDill Air Force Base. FishHawk Trails is also a quick commute to University of South Florida, Hillsborough Community College, Tampa International Airport, Raymond James Stadium, The Ice Palace, Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, and Tampa's Performing Arts Center.     The contents of this posting are the property of Pam Mabe and  Solaris Realty of TampaBay. ... 03/14/2009