Arona A., Author at Real Estate In Tampa Bay Florida

10 Reasons why you want to live in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.

Posted on November 13, 2020November 13, 2020 by Arona A.

10 reasons why you should move to st.pete fl

Did you know that downtown St. Petersburg is one of the more desirable areas to live in the Tampa Bay Area? The downtown area has this hip beachy vibe that’s appealing to all ages.

Here are 10 reasons why you should move to downtown St. Petersburg.

Do you like live music? Downtown St. Pete hosts lots of live concerts in the park at the pier and other venues. Check out the Mahaffey Theater for shows and other events, Jannus Live, and Vinoy Park. There are also lots of bars and restaurants that offer live music.
Love the Beach? You are just minutes from the beach! Head to the beach to soak up some sun, fishing, boating, or go for a stroll to see a beautiful sunset.
Sports Teams- Like Soccer or Base Ball? Take in a Tampa Bay Rays game at the Tropicana Field or a Rowdies game at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies is a Professional soccer team.
Do you like art? Check out the amazing art galleries in downtown St. Petersburg. The Chihuly Collection at Morean Arts Center and The Dali (Salvador Museum). You also have your pick of local art galleries that feature local artist works.
The shopping is fantastic! Check out the Sundial in St. Pete for premier shopping, and dining. You can also shop one of a kind local boutiques for clothes, jewelry, and crafts.
At downtown St. Pete we have your choice of the best restaurants ranging for all budgets. You can try the local seafood to upscale Asian to casual dining. We have all sorts of culinary delights from American to Latin flavors. Check out our one of a kind and mouth-watering dessert shops.
Beach Drive! This is the premier destination for shopping, nightlife, food, and culture. Dine while taking in the gorgeous views. Whether you’re having breakfast, lunch, or dinner there are so many amazing restaurants to choose from.
Check out the Festivals! We’ve got lots of festivals to choose from. Rib Festival, Beer Festival, Music Festival, Food festivals, Hot Sauce Festival, you name it we’ve got that festival.
Do you like Craft Beer? Downtown St. Pete is known for it’s Craft Beer. Here are just a few of the places you can visit, Bayboro Brewing, St. Pete Brewing, The Ale and the Witch.
Are you an outdoorsy person? Downtown has many green spaces that line the waterfront that’s great for exercising, people watching, or just reading a book, lounging, and hanging out with your best friend. You can find a cozy space to sit and enjoy the view.

These are just some of the things that you can enjoy if you move to downtown St. Petersburg. Contact your neighborhood Realtor to find you a great condo or bungalow in the downtown St. Petersburg area.

Why Investing In Florida is a Good Idea!

Posted on October 23, 2020October 23, 2020 by Arona A.

Is Buying in Florida a good investment?

Buying real estate in Florida is a great investment. Not only is it a place where everyone wants to vacation. Florida has beautiful weather, that low key lifestyle, lots of attractions for the whole family.

Another attraction is Florida has no income tax.

In Florida, we have had a lot of real estate development, and that’s great for investment buyers because the prices of homes are still reasonable.

We have a strong demand for rental properties, condos, single-family homes. We have vacationers looking for options to rent besides staying at hotels.

Finding homes for investors and second home buyers

What are some good places to buy investment properties in Florida?

Some great places to buy an investment property in Florida are Tampa, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Kenneth City, Seminole, Largo, Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Belleair, Dunedin, and Orlando.

If you are looking to invest contact us for some great investment properties.

Your Home Buying Checklist

Posted on October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 by Arona A.

Are you a home buyer in Pinellas County, Florida

Separating your wants -vs- your needs.

Here are a few tips for home buyers that are shopping for houses. How to narrow down your search.

What do you need in a Home?
What do you want in a Home?

Before you even start shopping think about what you actually need in the home for you and your family. There is a huge difference in what you want compared to what you need. If you work from home all the time you may need a home office. If you work from home once a week you can also say I need a home office. Is a home office really necessary if you only work once a week from home? The bigger the home, the more expensive, so it helps to break down needs versus wants.

2. Be realistic about your finances

Look at your finances, determine what you can afford to spend monthly for your mortgage. Do you have money for a down payment? Do you have money for escrow? This will determine what price range of homes you can afford.

3. Talk to Lenders, get pre-approved.

This is a letter from a lender that you give to the sellers to show that you are serious about buying their home. It says that the lender is committed to lending you this much to purchase their home.

Once you determine that you are ready to be a homeowner talk with a Realtor about market conditions. This is one of the biggest investments don’t just wing it.

How to make an offer on a home?

Posted on October 20, 2020October 20, 2020 by Arona A.

You have found a home in your favorite Florida neighborhood that fits all your needs, and you decide you want to make an offer.

How do you make a strong offer on a home?

A strong offer is an offer that can be 5% less than the listing price usually. In today’s market with so few homes available for sale it may be in your best interest to go strong with a full price offer or 2% less than the listing price. When you make your offer you also want to show the seller that you are serious by submitting your pre-approval letter with your offer. Make it sweeter by putting down a healthy earnest deposit maybe around 1% of the sale price. Add some cash to the deal. Sellers like shorter inspection periods, that would be attractive to a seller. You can also offer the sellers a quick closing. (contact a realtor to help you with this step)

Arona McGinley Realtor in Tampa Bay Florida.

A Counter Offer

What is a counteroffer? Normally your first offer may not get accepted. There may be a counter-offer from the seller and you will need to respond to it when it is presented. You can either accept the counteroffer or go back with another offer, if that’s not accepted you can walk away from the home.

Why use a Realtor when making an offer?

In today’s market, it’s very competitive and you need someone that is looking out for your interest. The sellers have their agent and the buyer should have their own agent to help them with making the offer and negotiating for them. Don’t go house shopping without your Realtor, you could end up paying way too much for that home.

Sellers Market – Best time to sell is now!

Posted on September 17, 2020September 17, 2020 by Arona A.

There’s never been a better time to sell your home in Florida. With low-interest rates at a record low you can find lots of buyers looking for homes in the Sunshine State. If you were looking to sell your home this would be a great time to get your home on the market.

Here are some tips for getting your home ready for the market place.

Find a listing agent
Look around your home and think about decluttering. What are all the things that you need to pack away to make your home look and feel more spacious? Purge your overflowing closets, pack away collectibles, knick-knacks, remove things off your kitchen countertops to get a cleaner look.
Hire a professional cleaner. The first impression of your home will go a long way. Clean carpets, scrub tile floors, windows, moldings and scrub your bathrooms. Your home must be in pristine condition.
Paint, Paint, Paint, this is a cheap way to give your homea more welcoming and new look. Choose colors that a neutral and would appeal to most buyers. Remember your are trying to appeal to the masses.
The outside of your home should look just as good as the inside. Powerwash the dirt off the home, clean the gutters, give your home a facelift by doing some light landscaping. Paint your front door and add a decorative mat that invites someone to enter.
This is my number one tip… pack away family photos, toys, and awards. You want your home to be warm and welcoming, but you also want the buyer to envision themselves living in the home with their family.

Theres never a better time to sell your home

Now that you have your home looking great, its time to put it on the market. Best of luck!

Why is the Appraisal so critical to your real estate transaction?

Posted on July 3, 2020July 3, 2020 by Arona A.

Did you know that the appraisal can make or break your real estate sale? The appraiser works for the bank, not the seller or the buyer.

In real estate transactions, we have 3 significant players – the buyer, the seller, and the lender. The Appraiser is the eyes of the lender in the field. An Appraiser plays a vital role in every real estate transaction.

For example, we have a real estate transaction of a sale price of $300,000. The buyer is putting 10% down which is $30,000. He is getting a loan in the amount of $270,000. Everyone so far thinks this home is worth $300,000, obviously, the buyer thinks this because he made an offer for the sale price of $300,000.

The lender now sends the Appraiser out to the home to get an appraisal of what the home is worth. Here is where it can become pretty tricky. When the appraiser goes out here are a few things that can happen:

The appraiser determines that the value of the home is higher than the sales price, maybe its $305,000 instead of $300,000. This is great news because we can go ahead with our transaction.
The appraiser, appraisers the value of the home at $300,000 which is the sales price. Excellent! We move ahead with the transaction.
The appraiser values that home lower than the sales price for example $290,000. This becomes a problem for all parties involved. A couple of things can happen here which is not so great for the parties involved.

The Lender can still lend the buyer the money to purchase the home but only for $290,000, not the $300,000 sale price.
The seller can either eat the $10,000 and sell the home for $290,000 instead of $300,000. This can sometimes happen, where the seller comes down to the new appraisal price.
The buyer can buy the home at $300,000 but would have to bring additional money to the table. You can see this happening in a seller’s market. The loan is now $290,000 with a down payment of $29,0000, the loan amount would be $261,000. The buyer has to bring an extra $10,000 to purchase the home at $300,000.
The last thing that can happen is that the whole transaction blows up because neither party is willing to negotiate.

You can see how the Appraiser is vital to a real estate transaction. It does not matter what the buyer or the seller thinks the home is worth. It matters what the Appraiser thinks…that’s what counts!

What is a 4 Point Inspection?

Posted on March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 by Arona A.

Your offer has been accepted to purchase your dream home, and now you have to set up an inspection to make sure the home is in good condition.

When buying a home, you will have to get a home inspection if you’re getting a mortgage and even if you are purchasing with cash. You want to have a home inspection done no matter what the situation. By having a 4-point inspection done, it lets the bank or the homeowners know the quality of the home that they are purchasing.

A 4-point home inspection includes

Foundation
Roof
Electrical
Plumbing
HVAC systems
Damages caused by termites, flood, fire, and mold.

Any of the above can impact the value of your home. If a home inspection is not done, and later you find out that the foundation is cracked or the roof is rotted, this can be a costly fix for the buyer.

Once something is revealed in the home inspection you can negotiate with the seller for a lower asking price.

Who can do a 4-Point Home Inspection?

A Florida licensed general contractor
Architect
Building Inspector
Engineer
ASHI Home Inspectors
FABI Building Inspectors
NACHI Certified Home Inspectors

**A Home Owner cannot do a Home Inspection

Why you should have a Foyer in your home

Posted on March 28, 2020March 28, 2020 by Arona A.

A Foyer whether big or small is a space that you welcome your guests. This is a space that you can vamp up with color, glamour or make it cozy and intimate. A foyer can add value to your home when selling it.

What is the use of a foyer in a home?

Your foyer is a space that you greet your guests or anyone that happen to knock at the front door. It gives you an opportunity to greet an unexpected visitor without them entry into your family space.

Is a foyer necessary?

I believe a foyer is necessary for any home. It can be the one area that is kept neat and tidy to greet guests that calls on you unexpectedly. You can create an illusion of a grand entry to your home to wow your guests.

What do you need in a foyer?

Since we live in Florida you should have

RUG – a weather-resistant rug. This should add a wow factor to your foyer.
SEATING – I also love having a bench with a couple of bold color pillows.
MIRROR – I love having a mirror in a foyer. It can open up a small space and make it appear larger.
TABLE -Have a console table for things like keys and other knick nacks.
FLOWERS -Have a nice flower arrangement or a couple of books.