The Best Backyard Ideas in Florida

In the summertime in the state of Florida, there is only one thing to do: enjoy everything that is outdoors. That includes celebrating in your own backyard. But if you are looking for ways to improve your own backyard, or if you are looking for some of the best backyard ideas around, then you have found the right post. Here is a list of the best backyard ideas in Florida, with a particular emphasis on homes in the Tampa Bay area.

#5) 10628 Pontofino Cir., Trinity

5 Beds | 4 Full Baths | 1 Half Bath
5,739 inside sq. ft. | 1,751 outside sq. ft.
$1,299,000
     
Enter into a custom-built Mediterranean masterpiece home in the heart of the gated Champions Club community. Some of the best backyard ideas in Florida can be found outside of this home. There, a true paradise overlooking the 11th hole of Fox Hollow Golf Course awaits you. Relax in front of the outdoor fireplace, enjoy surround sound music with flat screen TV and built in Viking gas grill.

#4) 1422 Circle Dr., Tarpon Springs

4 Beds | 4 Full Baths | 1 Half Bath
4,177 inside sq. ft. | 1,578 outside sq. ft.
$1,300,000
    
This executive waterfront home sits on approximately 7/10 of an acre estate overlooking the Anclote River with your own private beach. Some of the best backyard ideas in Florida include a beautifully designed Pebble Tec pool with spill over spa. Nestled under large oak trees and a professionally landscaped backyard, this home sits on a peaceful, secluded street.

#3) 10031 Milano Dr., Trinity

5 Beds | 5 Full Baths | 1 Half Bath
6,373 inside sq. ft. | 1,820 outdoor sq. ft.
$2,500,000
   
This St. Tropez model embraces a relaxed elegance, re-defining how luxury feels, lives, and plays. This magnificent Tuscan-inspired estate - surrounded by towering, moss-laden oaks with picturesque grounds, overlooking the Fox Hollow Golf Club's 2nd green - has some of the best backyard ideas in Florida including a lagoon style, Pebble-Tech salt water pool. This pool also boasts a waterfall, a slide, and a gas heated grotto spa. Plus, the outdoor kitchen and fire pit are a first-class.

#2) 16104 Gulf Blvd., Redington Beach

5 Beds | 4 Full Baths | 1 Half Bath
4,781 inside sq. ft. | 2,000+ outside sq. ft.
$2,499,000
     
Upon entering through a private garden, you are greeted with the great room's soaring ceilings with skylight, fireplace and a wall of windows framing the stunning Gulf water view. The backyard feels like a private resort with an amazing pool with built-in table, spa and ample patios leading out to the beach and Gulf beyond. A large lanai transitions from the resort living outside to the elegant living inside. You can’t have a list of homes with the best backyard ideas in Florida without have a beach home on the list!

#1) 11438 Hammock Oaks Ct., Lithia

4 Beds | 5 Full Baths | 3 Half Baths
10,029 inside sq. ft. | 4,107 outside sq. ft.
$2,499,999
    
Explore this showcase residence with over 4,000 square feet of backyard space. It truly is one of the best outdoor spaces in Tampa Bay. The oversized pool deck is the entertainment centerpiece of the residence and features an outdoor kitchen, heated spa, a massive rock waterfall feature, a center island with three mature foxtail palms, a fire ring and fixed torches around the perimeter of the two-story pool enclosure. Above one of the two three-car garages, an office suite accessible by catwalk from the main residence completes the amazing range of offerings of this Mediterranean masterpiece.

I hope you enjoyed this list of the best backyard ideas in Florida. Make sure you share this post across all of the different social media outlets you have. Thanks!

Winning in Business Like Jim Furyk Wins in Golf

This weekend is The Open championship. The Open, commonly known as The British Open here in the United States, is the premier major golf tournament in Europe. It features the best players around the world competing at the oldest and most prestigious golf venue, St. Andrews.

Nearly 200 of the world’s best golfers, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth, will compete to win the top prize, the Claret Jug. The world of professional golf is cutthroat, competitive, and arduous. These players and many others will exert an extra level physical and emotional strength to win this major.

Much like in the business world, there are many players and the competition can be fierce. However, only a few businesses turn out to be winners. You can learn a lot from the style and habits of the most prominent business winners or the most rapidly expanding companies, but those traits may not be so easy to duplicate.

Instead, to truly win in business, focus on longevity, focus on consistency, and focus on character. In other words, to truly win in business, you need to win like Jim Furyk wins in golf.

Undeniably, even for those that do not follow professional golf, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are widely regard as household names. More recently, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth can be added to the list of household names as truly great and rising stars in the game of golf. But for those that do not follow golf, here’s a name you might not know: Jim Furyk.

Jim Furyk has been playing golf professional since 1992. Since then, Jim has climbed to number four on the all-time money earning list, collecting nearly $65,000,000. Mr. Furyk has won 17 tournaments, including the 2003 U.S. Open. His first tournament victory came in 1995 and he most recently won in April of this year. He also won the 2010 FedEx Cup. Since 1996, he has collected 22 top-10 finishes out of 75 major appearances. 

Yet, despite all of these accolades, you probably have not heard much of Jim Furyk outside of the golfing world. That is exactly how Jim Furyk likes to win. He focuses on longevity, consistency, and character. And that is exactly how you should plan to win in business.

In the business world, we are often caught up with the greatest of all time or the brightest stars of today. Think of the IBMs, the Coca-Cola’s, the Berkshire Hathaway’s, and the AT&T’s of the world. These companies are behemoths that have been winning in business for a very long time. Everybody knows who they are and everybody likes to talk about them. In the golfing world, you can compare them to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Then, there are the rising stars of the business world that everyone can’t stop talking about. Think of the Ubers, Facebooks, and the Teslas of the world. These are new companies with new ideas that are out to change the world. In the golfing world, rising stars like Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are looking to shift the conversation to the next generation of stars.

While there is nothing wrong with being a big company or a growing business, are you focusing on the right things to win in your business? Are you focusing on longevity? Are you focusing on consistency? And are you focusing on character? Jim Furyk has been playing golf professional for over 20 years, winning a tournament nearly every season, ranks number four on the all-time career earnings list, and has given away hundreds of thousands of dollars through his foundation.

If you focus on winning in your business like Jim Furyk focuses on winning in golf, you can truly be one of the great companies.

Good People & Great Questions: The 2 Things You Need to Succeed in Networking

There is a basic concept that you need to understand to succeed in business. It does not matter if you are an employee at the bottom of the corporate ladder or if you are the owner of the company, everyone can benefit from mastering this concept.

The concept is this: companies don’t do business with other companies. The people that work for companies do business with the people at other companies.

In order to truly succeed, you need to maser this concept. The best way to get better at this is to enhance your “people” skills. By enhancing your people skills, I mean:

• Getting more people to know you,
• Getting more people to like you, and
• Getting more people to trust you.

There are several hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to get people to know you. There’s a whole advertising industry dedicated to doing just that. However, the single most effective way to get people to know, like and trust you is to network.

Yes, networking.

For some people, this word conjures loathing. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people thrive in a networking environment. I am here to say that there is a way for everyone to succeed at networking.

The first step to networking is to find the right event for you. There are several classic networking organizations like your chambers of commerce, an industry association, or a trade show that are great places to find networking opportunities. But those are just the tip of the iceberg.

The best networking events are the ones that aren’t considered networking events – or at least ones you didn’t think qualify as networking events. Think of a high school reunion, or your co-ed softball team, or perhaps your homeowners association as an opportunity to network.

You may be thinking to yourself, how can these events be considered networking events? Easy. Business gets done with direct communication between people. Where there is an event or a meeting with more than just you, you have the opportunity to do business.

Now that you are looking at everything you do as a networking event, it is easy to get people to know you. This is the easiest of the three steps. The next steps can get a little more challenging. Once you have enough people know you, you must get most of them to like you.

The easiest way to get people to like you is to ask great questions.

The best way to get other people to like you is to show that you truly care about them, their needs, and their wants. When you ask a great question it shows you care about them. A great question shows that you have taken time to either research this person and their interests, research their company, and/or research their industry. When you ask more detailed questions than “what do you do” you are setting yourself up to get a lot of people to like you.

Learn a little more about the person with whom you are talking, and they will almost certainly take more time to remember you, and ultimately, more time to like you.

Finally, the last step to mastering this important business concept of people doing business with people is to give other people a reason to trust you.

In a business sense, trust means much more than honesty and integrity. While these are certainly qualities every businessperson should posses, trust in a business sense also can mean experience, expertise, loyalty, accountability, technical knowledge, and track record.

To really master the art of getting people to trust in you and your business, you need to show the other people you can be worthy of their trust. Setting up personal one-to-one meetings and giving sales presentations are the best way to establish this trust from the beginning. In these meetings and presentations, you can focus on how you and your track record of expertise and technical knowledge will help other people solve a problem.

You have already found other business people, you have already got other people to like you, now you must close this loop by having these people trust you. With this established business relationship, there is no reason it should not continue into the future.

There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of businesses throughout the country. The only thing each of these businesses has in common is that each company is run by people. To be truly successful in business, you must master the concept of doing business with people. The best way to do business with people: get them to know you, get them to like you, and get them to trust you.

Why Price Per Square Foot is the Worst Real Estate Tool

In the real estate industry, a common tool used by professionals is the price per square foot measurement. This metric allows real estate professionals the ability to compare and contrast properties based on a single number.

For example, a home that measures 1,500 square feet of heated living space that is also currently selling for $200,000 would have a price per square foot ($/SF) of 133.33. 

While this single measurement can be easy to read, and it can be used across many properties, using price per square foot is one of the worst tools you can use to compare properties. 

The price of a home, or a condo, or a townhouse, or any type of property is dependent upon several factors. Unlike most goods, a standard price does not exist for properties. This is due to the fact that no two properties are exactly alike. Properties may be similar in many ways, but no two properties are ever exactly the same.

If we look at the pricing of goods, say toilet paper, a unit price (the equivalent of a price per square foot) is an excellent tool to use when comparing goods and determining value of the good. If you find a 12-pack of toilet paper for $8.99 but find a 20-pack of the same brand and variety for $12.99, which one should you choose? If you use the unit price method you will find that each roll in the 12-pack costs 75 cents, while each roll in the 20-pack only costs 65 cents. In this example, the 20-pack toilet paper is a better value.

Why is this tool useful for comparing goods and not real estate? It is because goods are identical, and real estate property is not.

This poses a dilemma for those looking to sell real estate. There is no single way to set a price for a property to which everyone would agree as everyone has different preferences as to what is most important to them.

There are several methods of coming to a listing price and each involve either re-estimating the construction costs of the project, appraising the value of the land, or comparing other similar properties.

This final method of reaching a listing price for a property, comparing similar properties, is the most common method of reaching a listing price for a piece of property. It uses the concept of substitution, evaluating the cost of one property based on the similarity of another property.

With this comparison method, one must take into account several factors including size of home, bedrooms, bathrooms, garages, pools, age of the property, condition of the property, location of property. Since several factors are considered, it is not advisable to use only one statistical measure to evaluate a property. 

Imagine comparing the retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal to other players by only using his free throw percentage. Using only one metric would diminish his overall value. Similarly, if you only used Shaq’s points in the paint metric, you would wrongly infer that the rest of his game was equally powerful.

Here is an example scenario in which price per square foot might be used in the real estate industry and why it is wrong to use it.

Assume you have a fictional neighborhood with several different types of homes. Each home is a different size, different shape, with different numbers of bathrooms, bedrooms, garages, and pools. Each home has different levels of finishes, and each home was built at a different time. Clearly these properties are not identical.

To compare and contrast properties in this neighborhood, adjustments need to be added or subtracted to the other properties before coming to a conclusion on a price for your subject property. For example, if your subject property is a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home, you would need to subtract value from a 4-bedroom home but add value to a 2-bedroom home so each home is similar in nature.

If you used the price per square foot measurement before adjustments, your data would be skewed because each property is not the same. As we established earlier, trying to compare data of differing objects in not advisable. If you used the price per square foot measurement after adjustments, your $/SF figure would be rendered useless as you have already made adjustments to come to a price. You wouldn’t need further evaluation of data as you already have a price to compare. 

While the price per square foot measurement seems like an easy and readily usable tool for comparing real estate property, it is not a worthwhile tool to use. Instead, there are several factors that need to be analyzed and evaluated before coming to a listing price. Like most things in life, there is no shortcut. Do not rely solely on a price per square foot measurement as your only method of comparison.

When It Comes to Real Estate, Think Like a Nun

When it comes to real estate, the three most important words are “location, location, location.” But when it comes to making an investment in real estate, the three most important words are “time, time, time.”

To understand how time and location go hand in hand in real estate, it is best to think like a nun and a priest.

The tried and true method to making money in real estate is to purchase a property in a great location, for a good price, and plan for the eventual growth and development of the area around your property. The key ingredient is to understand an area grows over a period of time, typically measured in years and decades and not weeks and months.

Nuns and priests have the fortunate ability to think in terms of not only years and decades, but centuries and millennia. Their focal points were set well in the past and their vision extends well into the future.

For example, the nuns of The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany started the St. Joseph’s hospital system in the Tampa Bay area in 1934. Today, the St. Joseph’s hospitals are part of a larger organization that stretches throughout the west coast of Florida.

One of the reasons St. Joseph’s hospital were so successful was because of the nuns’ vision of how the real estate market would look several years and decades into the future.

In 1984, St. Joseph’s purchased nearly 30 acres of land in southern Hillsborough county to build a state-of-the-art hospital. The only problem was that there were fewer than 5,000 people living in South County at the time. Today, the Apollo Beach-Ruskin-Gibsonton-Riverview-Sun City area is the fastest growing part of the county and has been for the last several years. The nuns’ foresight into future real estate use helped pave the way for the $225 million St. Joseph’s Hospital South.

Another example can be taken from the Jesuit order. From its inception in 1899 until the early 1950s, Jesuit High School was located in downtown Tampa. Then, in 1954, the campus moved to its current location along N. Himes Ave. At the time of the move, there were nothing but cow fields for as far as the eye could see.

Fortunately, the Jesuit priests had the foresight to understand that while there may have been very little around the campus at the time, the future potential of the real estate around the campus was tremendous.

Today, that area now houses the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice facility and stadium, the New York Yankees spring training and minor league facility, a very large office park, medical facilities, and several other key developments in the West Tampa and Westshore neighborhoods.

To really make a meaningful return and improvement on your investment in real estate, make sure you use time to your advantage. While location is one of the most important qualities of real estate, your use of time is just as important. To really use time to your advantage, and to make the most out of your investment in real estate, think like a nun.

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Nico Hohman is a licensed real estate professional with a construction background in Tampa, Fla. Nico caters especially to first-time home buyers; home sellers; renters looking for a new apartment; and those looking to purchase and renovate a fixer-upper. Follow Nico on Twitter @TheNicoHohman, Like the Hohman Homes Facebook Page, share your favorite pins on the Hohman Homes Pinterest boards, and keep up with the latest from Hohman Homes at the LinkedIn Company Page.

The 3 R's of Becoming an Expert

The following blog post was written in response to a presentation by Shawn Rhodes, a top-20 Toastmasters International speaker and business and leadership consultant, about the importance of employee engagement and the success of a company by becoming better in everything that you do.

Think of the experts in your field, or think of the experts that you readily know in other fields. Imagine the Bill Gates’, the Payton Manning’s, the Meryl Streep’s, the Warren Buffett’s, the Annika Sorenstam’s, and the Neil deGrasse Tyson’s of the world. These people have all reached the pinnacle of their respective fields, from business to sports to entertainment and to science. But what makes them any different from the average individual in that same industry?

As you will soon discover, there are three important ways experts differentiate themselves from other people doing the same things you do. Obviously, hard work, luck, timing, and perseverance all have their hand in elevating an individual to expert status. However, some of these factors may be out of your control at times. Instead, focus on these controllable ways to set yourself apart from the pack.

Results

The first – and best – way to distinguish yourself as an expert is to produce results. You must not only be able to produce in the short-term, but in the long-term as well. So called ‘one hit wonders’ are not considered experts. Those that produce high quality, better-than-expected work almost every time are the ones that deserve the moniker expert.

Each one of the named people in the opening paragraph have produced results time and time again. Bill Gates successfully started and grew one of the largest hardware and software companies in the world. Payton Manning elevated himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League both on and off the field. Meryl Strep consistently produced award-winning work every time she appeared on screen. Warren Buffet is simply known as an ‘oracle’ for being the best value investor of all time. Annika Sorenstam left her mark on the on the LPGA tour by winning more majors and more tournaments that any other woman golfer. Finally, Neil deGrasse Tyson showcased how scientists can also turn into rock stars.

Simply put, results matter.

Research

Anyone working in any field can produce high-quality work every now and then. The key for an expert to produce topnotch work on a consistent basis is for them to know and study their craft. Research isn’t all about holing yourself up in a library, pouring hours and hours into textbooks. Research is all about learning new perspectives, taking chances and risks, and honing your craft.

Going back to the examples in the opening paragraph, Bill Gates spent years tinkering on his computers and software until he found the best product to sell to the masses. Then, he continuously tweaked his products to make them better and more appealing (almost) every time.

Payton Manning is legendary for the amount of time he spends watching game film of his opponents and studying the playbook. He knows every assignment on every play for not only himself, but for every player on his team and every player on the other team. There’s a reason players spend six days practicing and one day playing in the game.

Before Meryl Streep steps foot in front of the camera, she knows everything there is to know about her character. And not just what her character will say, but what her character should feel and think about other things that are happening both on and off screen with her character. Audiences respond when they sense her emotions through her actions and not just her words.

The Oracle of Omaha, better know as Warren Buffett, can spend months or even years pouring through thousands of financial documents and management strategies of a company before deciding to buy or a sell a company. No one understands better than he does what fundamentals of a company make it the perfect acquisition.

If a great round of golf can be accomplished in under 70 strokes, Annika Sorenstam knows she must practice every one of those 70 strokes 700,000 times. Golf is not so much of a sport that relies on athleticism as it does near flawless repetition. For anyone who has ever played golf, hitting one, five or ten great shots on one particular day is easy. Hitting 70 perfect shots seven days a week makes you an expert.

Lastly, Neil deGrasse Tyson did not stumble upon becoming America’s favorite astrophysicists simply by passing a college physics classes. Neil spent years not only learning and surrounding himself with the top experts in his field, but he also taught the masses about astrophysics. Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you that they learned more about a topic by teaching it than by being the student.

To put it another way, an expert understands the more they do their homework the better the results on their tests will be.

Role Model

The last – and sometimes most challenging – way to make yourself an expert is to be a role model to those who aspire to be like you. There are several experts in their fields who have accomplished great results and have dedicated themselves to their craft. However, when it comes time for those to follow their lead, these so called experts fail.

For every Payton Manning there is a Tiger Woods. For every Meryl Streep there is a Charlie Sheen. And for every Warren Buffet there is a Bernie Madoff. These unfortunate examples, while great in certain regards, fail to live up to the highest of expectations of becoming a role model for others. An expert must make it his or her mission to not only produce great work but to also be a great person.

When studying the lives of experts, you will notice that several of them are products are great timing, luck, hard work, and exceptional perseverance. But, while some of these traits are sometimes out of our control, the best way to become an expert is to focus on the things you can control. Of these things, the three greatest ways to become an expert are to produce consistently great results all the time; to continuously hone and evolve your craft to make it better; and to make your life and your life’s work for the betterment of those around you. If you can do those three things, you are well on your way to becoming an expert.

The Best Mother-in-Law Suites in Tampa Bay

This weekend is Mothers' Day all across the United States. This weekend we celebrate and honor all the women in our lives starting with our mothers, our grandmothers but also our wives, sisters, aunts, and any other special women we love and hold dear. We honor the women in our lives by treating them extra well and by showering them with gifts and extra attention to show and tell them how much we care and appreciate them.

To extend that tradition into the real estate industry, we honor the houses across the Tampa Bay area with rooms - or houses - dedicated exclusively to mothers with the mother-in-law suite! Here are the top 5 houses across Tampa Bay with mother-in-law suites.

#5 16616 Villalenda de Avila, Tampa, Fla.
8 Bedrooms | 7 Full Baths | 3 Half Baths
17,140 total square feet | $5,500,000
Villalenda de Avila is an eight bedroom grand estate that will impress and entertain the most prominent of guests. Enjoy the ultimate in privacy with scattered mature trees amidst gorgeously manicured lawns and spectacular lake views. The palatial entry way opens to your main foyer with a grand staircase. Don't forget, the separate mother-in-law house has a with full kitchen and bath, plus a separate 1/2 bath for pool visitors. 

#4 5014 S. The Riviera St., Tampa, Fla.6 Bedrooms | 6 Full Baths | 2 Half Baths
10,616 total square feet | $4,400,000
Villa Terracina was built in 1925 as the crown Jewel of Beach Park on Old Tampa Bay. This magnificent Jazz Age Landmark estate sits on a majestic waterfront lot with lushly landscaped gardens. This architectural gem on close to an acre has been perfectly updated by the present owner to reflect the contemporary sophistication of today's luxury buyer. The commercial grade kitchen features double Wolf ovens and gas range, refrigerator and a freezer, prep island and separate Breakfast island. Don't forget, the separate mother-in-law house can comfortably hold up to six people.

#3 901 Palacio de Avila, Tampa, Fla.9 Bedrooms | 11 Full Baths | 2 Half Baths
26,380 total square feet | $4,999,000
Encompassing over 18,000 square feet of heated space on approximately 3.4 acres, this estate will satisfy the taste of the most discriminating buyer. The exceptional features on this home include a grand foyer, a theater room, a wine cellar, two kitchens, a personal elevator, an indoor pool, five fireplaces, an an eight car garage. Don't forget, the separate mother-in-law house can double as a staff quarters as well.

#2 400 Canterwood Dr., Lakeland, Fla.
4 Bedrooms | 5 Full Baths | 1 Half Bath
14,630 total square feet | $4,900,000
Enjoy your private Equestrian estate on approximately 3.5 acres in the prestigious Canterwood neighborhood. The main house encapsulates over 5,000 square feet of heated space while boasting the luxuries of a modern kitchen. The formal area of the home includes a dining room suite, highlighted by baby grand Tokai piano. The detached horse barn has a dedicated tack room, modified to allow for horse stalls. Don't forget, this mother-in-law suite is perfect for relaxing after a day on the range.

#1 15572 Gulf Blvd., Redington Beach, Fla.
6 Bedrooms | 5 Full Baths | 2 Half Baths
7,065 total square feet | $3,750,000
This piece of Redington Beach history was built by the founding father of Redington Beach, Charles Redington, in 1931 as his personal residence. The intricate roof lines, covered walkways and cedar siding give this large estate a warm old-world charm. Not only that, the classic feel blends perfectly with the tasteful updates including an amazing stone fireplace and magnolia wood floors. Don't forget, this two-bedroom mother-in-law suite is the perfect home away from home for your mothers (and the rest of your families too!)

Make sure you honor the special women in your life this weekend in your own special way, but always make sure to give you moms a hug and a kiss. Happy Mothers' Day!