Top 10 Homes to Fall in Love With Right Now in Tampa

Top 10 Homes to Fall in Love With in Tampa Bay Right Now
Valentine's Day is a holiday that should be shared with the loved ones in your life. So on this Valentine's Day, make sure to give the special someone in your life a great reminder of your love and gratitude. And by love and gratitude, I mean some chocolate and roses! But if sweets and flowers aren't your thing, here are the top 10 homes in Tampa Bay to fall in love with right now.



#10
1900 S. Cardenas Ave., Tampa, Fla.
$6,900,000
  
Located in prestigious Golfview, this magnificent home is situated amongst towering oaks on approximately 4 acres overlooking a large pond and the 4th green of Palma Ceia's Golf Course. The 10,771 square foot mansion boasts 7 bedrooms, 6 full baths and the highest quality construction and amenities. There is intricate millwork throughout including a library paneled with 200 year old sunken cypress, custom built-ins throughout the home, Mahogany transoms, and coffered ceilings.

#9
3401 S. Beach Dr., Tampa, Fla.
$3,599,000
  
This 5 bathroom, 5 full bathroom, 2 half bathroom Mediterranean home with a gated entrance features a protected, double lift boat dock with your own private beach on the outside plus 6,801 sq. ft. of living space on the inside. Access the master suite bedroom upstairs, via either the elevator or the grand staircase.

#8
19105 Merry Ln., Lutz, Fla.
$2,750,000
  
Encompassing over 9,000 sq. ft. of beautifully designed living space, this home features 5 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths, library, wine room, gym, gallery, pool, spa and 4 car garage. Downstairs features luxurious master suite with separate baths and closets; “state-of-the-art” gourmet kitchen with dual dishwashers and ovens, Wolfe Gas cooktop with griddle overlooking the family room and Italian custom bar; butler’s pantry; formal dining room has ceiling fresco and 800 bottle wine room; formal library with gas fireplace and Vincenza stone carved limestone mantle and endless views of the lake and pool.

#7
11410 Trotting Down Ln., Odessa, Fla.
$2,950,000
  
Enter your equine estate though massive security gates over a circular, paver-filled driveway. Improvements completed in 2008 includes 11,900 sq. ft. under all roofs. This home features 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 1 half bath plus a 3-car garage. The true highlights of this house include a separate 4-car storage building and workshop with room for an RV and a 9 stall horse barn.

#6
826 S. Edison Ave., Tampa, Fla.
$2,470,000
  
Enjoy Historic Hyde Park charm in the comfort of a home built in 2007 complete with all the modern conveniences. Relax on the front porch or balconies & take in the bay views. Custom designed & built to commercial standards, the structural details are exceptional such as 2-story poured concrete construction, hurricane windows & doors, steel framing, custom fabricated steel staircase, & 45 KW generator. The main house has 4 bedrooms 6 ½ baths, chef’s kitchen, open floor plan, media room, downstairs guest room, office with custom built-ins, fitness room, 2 laundry rooms & loads of storage space.

#5
12302 Stonelake Ranch Blvd., Thonotosassa, Fla.
$3,200,000
  
This home is nestled on just over 3 acres overlooking Lake Hendry. It features a grand foyer with a double, floating staircase; a living room with an exquisite ceiling and gas fireplace. The master suite boasts coffered ceilings, sitting area, and crown molding. Special amenities include a wine cellar, craft room with custom built-ins, a mud room, plus an upstairs & downstairs laundry rooms, custom dog shower, game room, billiards room, and theatre room.

#4
2477 W. Country Club Ave., Tampa, Fla.
$5,995,000
  
This magnificent estate boasts over 12,000 heated sq. ft. on an impeccably landscaped one & a third acre lot. Detailed millwork, rich textures, exquisite flooring & gorgeous custom design finishes are noticeable throughout the entire home. Each one of the 6 ensuite bedrooms has its own custom designed bathroom. Adjacent to the main house is a charming 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom guest house with its own porch. This estate is securely enclosed behind a beautifully crafted Chicago brick wall with electronic wrought iron gates & gas lanterns.

#3
1030 N. Island Blvd., Ruskin, Fla.
$6,300,000
  
This beautiful private island is surrounded by Tampa Bay - offering the ultimate in peace, tranquility and privacy. The compound spans over 5 acres with 800 ft of wide open bay frontage with its own island helipad. Surrounded on 3 sides by water, this gated island community is home to only a handful of homeowners. This estate has been meticulously updated with the finest of finishes, property features over 7,800 sq. ft. of living quarters, and detached guest home perfect as an in-law suite.

#2
16314 Millan de Avila, Tampa, Fla.
$6,900,000
  
Architectural design and timeless elegance portrays this magnificent brick estate situated on 1.7 acres overlooking a golf course, pond, and conservation within Avila. Encompassing over 11,700 square feet of beautifully designed air conditioned space, this traditional home offers 5 bedrooms, 6 full and 2 half baths, richly paneled study, play room, game room, gym, exercise room, 4 car plus golf cart garage, pool, spa, and pool cabana with outdoor kitchen. Three sets of stairs ascend to 4 en suite bedrooms, game room, gym and exercise room with half bath.

#1
5014 The Riviera St., Tampa, Fla.
$5,000,000
  
Our number one home on the Valentine's Day list is the Villa Terracina. Built in 1925 as the crown jewel of Beach Park on Old Tampa Bay, this magnificent Jazz Age Landmark estate sits on a majestic gated waterfront lot with lushly landscaped gardens, privacy, play areas, outdoor kitchen complete with dishwasher and pizza oven, guest or staff quarters and your own private boat house with protected dockage on a recently dredged canal leading to the bay. Featuring almost 7,000 sq. ft., it offers beautiful, expansive, sun-filled spaces with high ceilings and a very versatile floor plan.

5 Ways to Prepare for Home Ownership

For 95% of all Americans, buying a home will be the most important financial purchase in their lifetime. As such, you want to make sure that you are making the right decisions. To give you a better understanding of the steps involved in buying a home, below is a good checklist of the things you need to consider before buying your next home.

First, you need to create your home wish list. Ask yourself several questions: where do you want to live? What do you want in your new home? What do you need in your new home? To get a better understanding of the things you need to consider before buying a home, check out this list of questions to ask.

Second, you need to get your financial situation in order. You need to determine how much you can afford. Typically, you can afford a home that is between two and three times your gross income. You need to start saving money as well. A home is an expensive purchase and you need money to put a home. If buying a home is truly important 

Thirdly, you need to find the right real estate professionals to help you throughout your purchase. While the role of real estate professionals has changed over the years, real estate agents are still just as important in the transaction process as they were 50 years ago. To find out what to look for in a great real estate agent, read these guidelines. 

Fourth, you need to lock down your financing options. The majority of home buyers will use some sort of leverage to purchase their home. Today, interest rates are low and financing a home may provide better financial returns that purchasing a home with cash. Have your real estate professional connect you with a great mortgage banker who will present the right financial plan for you.

Finally, you need to track your home buying purchase from the moment you start looking at homes to the day you close on the home. There are countless steps you need to take to ensure you can get the keys to move into your new home. Use this checklist to keep your home purchase on track.

If you follow these steps, solicit the help of various real estate professionals, and read all of the literature possible on buying a home, you will be well on your way to moving into your new home.

6 Tips for Finding the Perfect Neighborhood

Your neighborhood has a big impact on your lifestyle. Do you want to be in an urban district where you can live, work, and play? Do you want to live in a rural area with lots of land and very few neighbors? Or, do you want to live somewhere in between? When it comes to real estate, location is the most important factor to consider when buying your new home.

Follow these six steps to find the perfect community to call home.

#1.
Make a list of the activities — movies, health club, church, etc. — you engage in regularly and stores you visit frequently. See how far you would have to travel from each neighborhood you’re considering to engage in your most common activities. If travel and commute time are important to you, find areas that are closest to  your most commonly visited places.

#2.
Do you have kids in the public school system? Check out the school district. Even if you do not, good school districts have a positive impact on resale values of homes. For more information on the public school systems in the Tampa Bay area, click here.

#3.
Find out if the neighborhood is safe. Consider not only the number of crimes but also the type — such as burglaries or armed robberies — and the trend of increasing or decreasing crime. Also, is crime centered in only one part of the neighborhood, such as near a retail area? Check out the makeup of a neighborhood by using the mobile app Sitegiest.

#4.
Determine if the neighborhood is economically stable. In the Tampa Bay area, check out the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation to see what will be happening to the Bay area economically in the near and distance future. The Urban Land Institute also has excellent information on the real estate climate at large, especially within the commercial and development spheres. High remarks in these categories means overall growth for neighborhoods.

#5.
See if you’ll make money. Unless you never plan on putting your home on the market to resell, making a profit on your home purchase is always an important factor when selecting your home. A real estate professional will be able to approximately calculate your rate of return on your home based on past and expected future real estate data.

#6.
Make personal observations. Once you’ve narrowed your focus to two or three neighborhoods, go there and walk around. Are homes tidy and well maintained? Are streets quiet? How does it feel? Visit the neighborhood at different times of the day and on different days of the week. Is the neighborhood quiet and safe on a Saturday night? Looking at a neighborhood at different times gives you a better overall impression of a neighborhood.

When buying your new home, the location is the most important factor. Follow these 6 tips to make the right choice for you.

3 Tips for Buying a Home in the Fall

The fall and winter months typically see less activity than the spring and summer months for the residential real estate market. The reason is simple: fewer sellers are on the move, meaning there are fewer homes on the market for buyers. That leaves current home buyers in the fall and winter months in a less than ideal situation as inventory levels are lower and the supply of currently available homes is thinner than in other parts of the year.

However, there are ways for home buyers to increase their chances of getting their new house and lower your chances of losing out to another buyer.

1. Prepare financially
As a home buyer, when you make an offer on a home a seller will review your offer. When there are multiple offers for the same property, it is important to make your offer stand out from the other offers. Should you choose to purchase your home using financial leverage, having a pre-approval letter from a lender will make your offer more desirable to sellers.

2. Know your goals
You should know what type of property you would like to purchase before you start looking to buy a home. If you know you want a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,800 square foot, traditional style home in a neighborhood on the north side of town, and that very home comes on the market, be ready to make a decision on buying that home quicker rather than later.

3. Be patient
When there are fewer homes on the market, it may take longer for you to find the home that is right for you. Not to worry, if your timeline is flexible, be prepared to wait a few months until the right home comes up for you. Or, if you are more rigid in your time table, consider a short-term solution to get you through the colder months and wait until the next busy buying cycle.

Currently, the housing supply in the Tampa Bay market is at a two-year low. Being prepared to put your best foot forward when making a decision to buy a home is the most important step you can make when purchasing a home in a tight market.

The Best of Tampa Bay

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of great reasons to live in the Tampa Bay area.  Don't believe me?  Just watch this video and read the list below of all of the great reasons.

Video credits: ChappelRoberts

Tampa Bay has more than 4.4 million residents and we expect that number to grow to 4.6 million by 2016.

More than 20% of Tampa Bay residents are between the ages of 18 and 34.

In the state of Florida, Tampa Bay ranks #1 in buying income and #1 in retail sales (according to the Tampa Bay Times.)

Tampa Bay grows by more than 50,000 new residents every year.

The labor force grew 9.4% between 2001 and 2011 compared with a national average of 6.7% in that same time.

Tampa Bay is home to 80 world class colleges and universities including the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Ringling College of Art and Design, and Stetson School of Law that draw students from every state in the country and from over 100 countries worldwide.

25% of Florida's STEM graduates are from the University of South Florida.

Tampa Bay public elementary schools rank #3 in the nation in parental satisfaction.

35 of the top Fortune 1000 companies are based in Florida, and nine of those 35 are based in Tampa, including Publix, Jabil, TechData, WellCare, TECO, Raymond James Financial, Roper, HSN, and Lincare. Not to mention several other prominent corporations with headquarters in the Tampa area including Outback Steakhouse, PODS, Rooms to Go, and Beef O' Brady's.

MacDill Air Force base is home to the United States Central Command and the U.S. Special Forces division and coalition forces representing 67 countries from around the world.

Since 2000, the Tampa Bay are has seen more than $1.1 billion in venture capital investments.

In 2010 alone, the region produced over 1,000 new patents.

The Tampa Bay region has a GDP of nearly $290 billion.

The cost of business for the corporate, international finance, and shared services sectors ranks least expensive in the U.S. for cities with more than 2 million residents.

The Florida High Tech Corridor connects 12 workforce boards, 23 counties, 3 research universities, 14 community colleges, and 20 economic development organizations.

Tampa Bay is home to 3 international airports, including Tampa International Airport - consistently voted as the top passenger-friendly airport in the world.

The Port of Tampa is the busiest seaport in the state of Florida.

Tampa is home to several attractions including Busch Gardens, the Tampa Bay History Center, the Florida Aquarium, Lowry Park Zoo, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Dali Museum.

Three of Tampa Bay's beaches have been voted #1, according to Dr. Beach.

Tampa Bay isn't just a place to live.  It's a place to call home.  Come see why Tampa Bay Shines.