PRUDENTIAL REAL ESTATE FEEDS LISTINGS TO CYBERHOMES, GOOGLE BASE AND OODLE-TAMPA, FL

Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., has begun flowing at least 140,000 for-sale property listings to Internet hot spots Cyberhomes.com, Google BaseTM and Oodle. The move positions Prudential Real Estate affiliates’ listings in front of the growing ranks of consumers who shop online for real estate and related services and information.

“Prudential is sending its affiliate listings to Cyberhomes, Google Base and Oodle for a couple of simple reasons,” explains Dewey Mitchell, President, Prudential Tropical Realty. “The sites are very popular among consumers, and each offers a rich search experience with a lot of useful information. Our listings as well as our services and resources are now readily available to the millions of consumers who frequent these great Internet sites.”

Prudential Real Estate teamed with Cyberhomes earlier this month to offer “Value Range Estimates” and “Property Profiles”, free consumer services now available on Prudential.com/realestate. Through Cyberhomes, Prudential Real Estate listings also will appear on AOL.com.

Moreover, Prudential Real Estate’s marketing plans include display and banner advertising on Cyberhomes and Oodle.

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“Our mission is to drive significant consumer traffic to our listings,” states Mitchell. “Aligning with Cyberhomes, Google Base and Oodle will help us get that job done.”

Online listings include property descriptions, photos and company/listing agent contact information. In addition to Cyberhomes, Google Base and Oodle, Prudential Tropical Realty listings also appear on Frontdoor.com, PropSmart.com, Trulia.com, Yahoo! Real Estate and Zillow.com. They are also featured as part of its “Company Showcase” on Realtor.com.

Cyberhomes valuations provide access to most of the same information from Fidelity National Information Services, the leader in property information, services and technology for REALTORS®, appraisers and lenders, to created detailed, proprietary analysis of a property and the surrounding community. Cyberhomes enables the exploration of real estate data ranging from property facts, value estimates and a variety of important indicators of local and national changes in the housing market.

Google Base enables structured data such as real estate listings to better surface on the Google search engine improving the quality of search results. Real estate listings from Google Base are available on Google MapsTM. Google, Google Base and Google Maps are trademarks of Google Inc.

Oodle allows consumers to buy and sell through online classifieds. Bringing together more than 40 million listings from over 80,000 sites, Oodle improves the way people buy and sell locally. Oodle offers the most comprehensive search, convenient email alerts and information to empower consumers to make better buying decisions.

Thinking about buying or selling real estate in the Tampa Bay Area? Have a Real Estate question?
Feel free to email or call us 813-784-7744
Rae Catanese and Michelle Jordan, Realtors.

Search MLS, get a market analysis, search for sold homes and more.  Prudential Tropical Realty

When everything was going your way and it all seemed so good it made you scared, right? Looking at the South Tampa Real Estate stats for March, that’s what you should be feeling now. It’s all going our way. Every stat is positive. Last month I declared us to be in a “Sustained Recovery”, but the March numbers exceed that description.

The number of transactions is up by 40% over last March in spite of a reduced inventory with less selection. Buyers who have been on the sidelines are jumping into the market to take advantage of prices that are still bargains.

The Average Price Per Square Foot is up. Way up. If you have read this report before, you know that this is my favorite indicator of real value. The Median Sales Price is up, indicating fewer distressed sales. The Average Sales Price exceeds the Twelve Month Average. The Median Sales Price exceeds the Twelve Month Average. So, ..the number of sales is up, and the prices are up. Hasn’t that been our definition of recovery all along?

By Bruce Tigert, Bayshore Title-

You can download the full South Tampa Real Estate Report here

P.S. Our inventory has become so low, that if you’ve been considering selling your home, now would be the time to do so.  Contact us to see what your home is worth.

There’s a saying that a property is worth whatever someone is willing to pay. Here in the South Tampa Real Estate market buyers are willing to pay more. In our capacity as a seller’s agent, we are experiencing multiple offers in all price ranges. People are willing to pay asking, if not above asking price because interest rates have come down so low. From my experience, properties that are priced well aren’t staying on the market more than a week. Sometimes only one day.

If you wait much longer to buy a home, you may wind up paying even more.

How to get your offer accepted.

I wouldn’t be afraid to offer a higher amount than the price a property is listed at, especially if your Realtor says there are multiple offers on the home.

Why would you risk offering more?

First, if the property doesn’t appraise, you’ll be able to renegotiate or back out of the contract.  Just make sure you have an appraisal contingency in the offer, even if you are paying cash.  If it doesn’t appraise, the seller will most likely sell it for the appraised value.

Why has the Tampa Real Estate market become so competitive?

Our inventory is down to five months, which is half of what it was this time last year. What that means is that if no new  homes came on the market, we would sell every home on the market in five months! 

Our average sales price is up by $16,302 as well.  You can see the latest MLS stats here.

How does a seller create a bidding war?

From what we have been seeing, my opinion is that sometimes sellers and their agents are pricing desirable homes on the low side, below market value, to create bidding wars and drive the price up.  Sellers could wind up getting the same, or a little more, as they would have if they’d priced it higher. Seems like a “game,” but this strategy is what’s working at the moment.

What are your thoughts? Are you in the bidding war game?

If you’ve been thinking of selling your house and want to schedule a consultation you can contact me here. 

 How To Inspect An AC System Before You Purchase A Home

Purchasing a new home is obviously a big investment and potential home buyers should be confident that the properties they are considering are in good working condition. One of the most important aspects of homes in the Tampa, FL area is the air conditioner system, as it plays a huge role in your comfort, energy costs, potential maintenance costs as well as value of your new home. Before you purchase a home with the intention that you will not be replacing all of the appliances (or just the AC), consider how important their proper function is to the sale of the home. Although you may not have the tools or training to do a thorough inspection, there is a simplified way to inspect your homes air conditioning system that every potential buyer can follow.  Of course, hiring a certified home inspector will also help determine the condition of the unit.

What Is the Age of the Air Conditioner?

One of the most important things to check regarding the homes AC unit is the age. This is important because it can factor into the warranty, the condition, as well as the energy efficiency, or SEER rating of the unit. SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio measures air conditioning and heat pump cooling efficiency.

For machines that were built before January 2006, the minimum allowable SEER rating for a new central AC unit was 10. For machines built after this date the minimum allowable rating is 13. To be sure you get the most efficient machine, look for a machine with a high SEER rating and that was built post-2006 or more recently. A machine with an existing warranty can also be an important consideration for buyers wishing to flip homes for resale value.

Is the AC Cooling Adequately in All Rooms?

While walking through your potential new house, get a feeling for the temperature in each room. Are they equally cooled? Do you notice any significant disparities? If so, the air conditioner may be problematic and you may need to install a new AC in the home to remain comfortable.

Check for Condensation

While walking through the home examine the ducts to see if there is any condensation around them. Also check the indoor unit to see if it is leaking. Condensation can harbor mold which can affect the air quality in your home as well as contribute to illness. Signs of moisture are one of the first signs that your new home will require new AC installation or repair.

Guest Post by A&R Heating & Air

This post brought to you courtesy of A&R, an AC installation (www.actrends.com ), repair, maintenance and sales provider in the Central Florida area. We have been servicing residential and commercial clients for over 25 years with a commitment to excellence and dependability. For more information visit http://www.actrends.com.

Designed to be a trendy, urban neighborhood, walking distance to shopping, restaurants and theater; Channelside was the hot spot a few years ago for those eager to live close to Downtown Tampa. Over development and the crash of the Tampa Real Estate market, turned the residential area of Channelside into a ghost town. But, that has all changed as many of the buildings have sold out and shops and restaurants have begun to sprout up.

Last year, The Towers of Channelside sold out all their remaining condos, approximately 150 units, at a 40% discount from the original pricing. The development actually lost their FHA financing and buyers had to come up with 20% to put down. Pretty amazing considering units were priced from 160,000.00 to almost 1 million dollars.

There was never a lack of interest to live in the Channelside area, the issue has been getting financing.

Ventana in Channelside was the first condo project to receive FHA approval, which only requires a 3.5% down payment. Ventana Condos went up for auction in November of 2009, however all of the units did not sell at the auction. Unfortunately, Ventana also lost their FHA approval as many short sales started to dominate the market and sellers were unable to make their HOA payments. Another factor in receiving FHA approval is the percentage of owner occupant units versus rentals. Most condominium buildings have a cap of 20% allowed for rentals, which exceeds FHA guidelines. You can read an article on non-warrantable condos here.

The Slade Condos just turned into a rental community after trying to sell their units at above market price. One of the big obstacles is that they didn’t qualify for FHA as well, which means a buyer would need to put 20% down, and that is out of reach for many first time home buyers. Pricing started in the 140′s to 300′s.

Skypoint Condos in Downtown Tampa is the only high-rise building that does have FHA approval. Unfortunately, inventory is very low compared to a year ago.

Harbour Place City Homes, along with Island Place and Island Walk, may be a good option as well. They are just South of Channelside on Harbour Island, and currently FHA approved. Both developments were built as apartments and then later converted to condos. Building codes are not as strict for apartments, therefore, when the conversions took place, the developers were not required to add any additional insulation.  This is something you may want to consider if you plan on purchasing a conversion.

Grand Central at Kennedy in Channelside does have special financing available. They offer a low down-payment of only 5%, however they are not FHA approved. Pricing for a 2 bedroom 1 bath condo starts at 179,900.00 and there are several floor plans to choose from. The contemporary building appeals to investors because there are no rental restrictions. Rentals have become a hot commodity since anyone who has gone through a short sale or foreclosure cannot purchase another home for at least 2 years. Rental rates have also skyrocketed due to supply and demand.

If you would like a current list of condos for sale in the Channelside District or Downtown Tampa, please contact Rae Catanese-at Prudential Tropical Realty (727) 344 9815

Search MLS listings in Downtown Tampa and Channelside