While it’s good to take a moment to express the depth of your love to your special someone on Valentine’s Day, doing so should be at the top of your list every day. So, every day, remember to tell your loved one or loved ones what is in your heart and how you feel about them. It will make each day special for them and for you.
One of the main concerns parents with young children have when looking for a home in the St. Petersburg – Tampa area is the quality and location of the local schools. These are important factors to buyers when they’re deciding which neighborhoods they may want to live in, and have their Realtor® target for property searches and tours.
The Florida Department of Education publishes report cards for all elementary, middle and high schools, including charter schools, throughout the state. As a service to our readers and clients, for the next several weeks we will breakdown, in alphabetical order, the ratings schools in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties received in the 2010-2011 academic year.
|
|
If quality schools are a factor in deciding where to purchase your home, be sure to check their report cards to see how they compare with other neighborhoods.
For more information, please contact Chris today at 727-642-9107.
What’s one of the main reasons our local economy hasn’t experienced a more rapid improvement? Jobs. There simply aren’t enough of them to meet the needs of the greater St. Petersburg – Tampa area. But that’s about to change, at least in part.
Amazon, arguably the world’s largest online retailer, is poised to create over 1,000 full-time jobs, and even more seasonal jobs in Hillsborough and Polk counties once they open two new fulfillment centers in Ruskin and Lakeland. Site work has already begun on both new locations.
The 1.1-million-square-foot Ruskin warehouse center will be located within a 1,000-acre corporate park at Interstate 75 and State Road 674. The smaller Lakeland operation will be located at 1760 County Line Road. Both locations will benefit from excellent nearby transportation infrastructure, which will also be a boon to workers commuting from the surrounding areas.
And both locations are currently in economically challenged areas. Ruskin was targeted as a major growth area before the real estate market tanked in the late 2000s. Since then, jobs have been scarce and growth has been next to nonexistent. Those who have stuck around the area see the Amazon announcement as a first step toward attracting other companies to Florida and to the St. Petersburg – Tampa area.
This could be the major job creation coup Southwest Florida has been waiting for. Local officials and residents are excited at the prospect that relatively high paying jobs will be created, which could be a boon to just about every facet of the overall market in Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas and even Manatee counties.
In all, Seattle-based Amazon will invest over $200 million in state-of-the-art facilities here. Additional fulfillment centers are also under consideration as part of Amazon’s over $300 million commitment to its expansion into the Florida market.
The two centers will each process different types of Amazon orders. The Ruskin center will fulfill smaller orders like books, electronics and consumer goods while the Lakeland center will process larger orders [Read more…]
Since its debut in 2007, Martinis For Moffitt has become one of the most anticipated and successful fundraising affairs for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center’s Advanced Prostate Cancer Collaboration (APCC) initiative. In 2013, Moffitt netted over $100,000 from the July event, bringing the total raised over seven years by Martinis for Moffitt to well over $500,000.
Martinis For Moffitt is produced jointly by Chris Hounchell & Associates and Bay Area Advisors. The event took place July 20 at the Straz Center for Performing Arts – Morsani Hall.
The Moffitt Cancer Center treats hundreds of prostate cancer sufferers each year from throughout St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida and from around the world. More than eighty percent of the gross charitable donations from Martinis for Moffitt directly benefit the Moffitt Cancer Center.
While Moffitt’s world-class doctors provide the highest level of care for their patients, they’re also working tirelessly to find a cure for a cancer that takes the lives of over 27,000 people each year.
Stay tuned for future posts on Martinis for Moffitt, we’ll announce the 2014 date shortly. But don’t wait until the event to donate, we seek donations year-round Advanced Prostate Cancer Collaboration (APCC) initiative.
As part of our series of blogs on neighborhoods found throughout St. Petersburg and Tampa, we’ve covered St. Pete’s Historic Old Northeast area. But since it’s original posting, we’ve received quite a few inquiries from readers wanting to know more about the history of Old Northeast and what makes it so historic and appealing.
There are a lot of key architectural elements that set Old Northeast apart from the rest of St. Petersburg. Most obvious are the brick streets sided by granite curbs. Anyone who has walked through the neighborhood bounded by 4th Street North, 5th Avenue North, the waters of Tampa Bay, and 30th Avenue North have also noticed the hexagonal block sidewalks. But those are just a few of its unique features.
Another thing that sets Old Northeast apart is the architectural and natural diversity of the community. In an area containing over 5,000 homes and around 9,000 residents, a walking tour reveals an eclectic mixture of Prairie style, Colonial Revival, Bungalow style, Mediterranean Revival and Williamsburg style homes. Mature landscaping, much dating back to the early 1900’s when the subdivision was started, includes huge live oaks, jacarandas, pines, palms, maples and magnolias. Some streets are well known for their attractive canopies of overhanging trees that give them a feeling of richness and privacy.
Many northerners feel very much at home when visiting Old Northeast. It’s not what they expect from a Florida neighborhood. But considering that most of the early Old Northeast settlers came from the actual northeast and brought with them their own northern design styles, it’s understandable.
Also notable is the history surrounding and within integral parts of the neighborhood. The historic Vinoy Park Hotel is considered the cornerstone of the area. Odd then that the Vinoy almost came under the wrecking ball after being virtually abandoned in the 1970s. Its restoration and re-opening in 1992 was cause for celebration and coincided with the widespread rebirth of downtown St. Pete, which now sports a vibrant nightlife, an abundance of cultural activities, excellent restaurants, live music venues and a great place to walk and enjoy its many parks and open spaces.
Of course, one of the things that makes Old Northeast so special is its proximity to [Read more…]
2013 has been a year filled with many wonderful happenings and blessings. We hope the same is true for all our readers.
Christmas came early to the Hounchell household this year. My wife, and our three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, welcomed the newest addition to our family, a son, on September 8. For us, Christmas could not be any merrier.
And we could not be more tired. Ha!
Tampa markets. Sure, we’re not back to the volume and prices we saw prior to the 2006 downturn, but the market has rebounded nicely. Foreclosures and short sales are down. Home prices have risen steadily, and the overabundance of homes for sale has diminished drastically. Confidence in the market is back. And, confidence in the economy, both locally and throughout the nation, is growing. Mortgage rates are still low and lenders are increasingly active. Sellers are seeing many more full price offers, and in some case multiple offers.
Whether you are a seller or buyer, the market is stable again, and the time may never be better than now to buy or sell.
Looking ahead, we see the U.S. economy continuing its steady growth, so too the St. Petersburg-Tampa real estate market. We also anticipate a growing foreign market. Sales to Canadian buyers have been strong in 2013, and the view for 2014 is more of the same. We’re also hearing that visits from Europeans will be on the increase in 2014, which may signal a return to a more global interest in Florida real estate.
Whatever your holiday plans, make sure to spend as much time as possible with your families and friends. Be safe and join all of us at Chris Hounchell & Associates in wishes for a happy new year.
Time Running Out On Flood Insurance Rate Increase DelayWe recently posted a blog on the mushrooming costs to consumers of the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance program, and the trickle down effects resulting from federal legislation reforms adopted in 2012. The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act was designed to reduce the program’s nearly $24 billion debt, and to pass-on higher costs and decrease federal subsidies to those living in high-risk areas.
The real-life result includes flood insurance premiums increasing by 400% to 800%, prospective buyers backing out of the market, decreasing property values, plummeting home prices, mortgage defaults, declining tax revenues and increases in foreclosures. Not at all what Congress intended.
In late October we learned of a Congressional move to delay the law from going into effect for four years but without a date set for hearings. As a stand-alone bill, it has little or no chance of passing before Congress adjourns for the holidays.
However, a last ditch push is on to attach the delaying legislature to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is a pre-holiday “must pass” measure to keep our military funded for 2014. But it’s not a slam-dunk.
There are those in Congress who believe Biggert-Waters should remain in place as passed, and they are getting more and more vocal in their opposition to making any changes at all. Representative Maxine Waters, the California Democrat who co-sponsored the 2012 law, is not among them. She feels strongly that the law should be delayed until the problems leading to the unintended consequences are fixed.
Contact your representatives, and urge them to stop the decimation of the real estate market by attaching the delaying measure to the National Defense Authorization Act and passing it immediately. You’ll find your representative’s name below with links to their contact information.
PLEASE ACT NOW!
Happy Hanukkah, Or Hanu-Giving, Or Thanksgivukkah 2013!Not since 1888 has Hanukkah, known also as the Jewish Festival of Lights or the Feast of Dedication, and Thanksgiving fallen on the same day. And according to those in the know, it won’t happen again for 79,000 years.
This year, Hanukkah begins with the lighting of the first of nine Menorah candles at nightfall on November 27, and lasts for eight days to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the second century BC.
People are coming up with some creative rewordings for Hanukkah this year. “Thanksgivukkah,” and “Hanu-giving” appear to be the leading alternatives.
To all our Jewish friends and associates, all of us at Chris Hounchell & Associates wish you and your families best wishes for this most important observance.
The Hounchell family is growing. We’re now a family of four after the birth of our son, along with our daughter, whom couldn’t be more helpful and happy to have a little brother. Chrissy and I are so incredibly fortunate to have each other and ourbeautiful children. Everyone is healthy and life is good.
It’s at these special times of the year when we take time to stop, and consider how thankful we really are for all we have and all we share. Life’s bounties are many, and we look forward to continued good fortune.
This is also a time of year when we stop to consider those less fortunate than ourselves, those for whom there’s not as much, or anything, for which to be thankful.
Our family would like you to consider volunteering your time to provide those less fortunate than ourselves with something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.
Each year the St. Petersburg Area Command of The Salvation Army helps hundreds of our Pinellas County neighbors by collecting food, and serving Thanksgiving dinner to individuals and families who cannot afford to do so on their own.
If you’ve never volunteered your time to help others on Thanksgiving, try it. It’s a satisfying, heartwarming experience to become part of a hard working team that fills bellies and hearts, puts smiles on faces, gives good cheer and makes a difference in other’s lives.
From November 18-22, The Salvation Army needs donations of trucks, drivers and loaders to go to schools to pick up and unload food that will be distributed throughout our community to those in need. But their are many other volunteer needs throughout December.
Thanksgiving is November 28. The Salvation Army is also looking for volunteers to help prepare, set-up, serve and cleanup after the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Meal times are 2-4 p.m.
Consider taking just a few hours of your Thanksgiving Day to make our community part of your family by helping make the day one of thanks for them as well
Visit The Salvation Army or call Gail Stark at 727-550-8080 ext. 332 for more information
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Housing Inventories in St. Pete –Tampa have declined, the trend is now multiple offers – sellers love ‘em, buyers – not so much.Housing inventories in the St. Petersburg – Tampa area have declined, and prices have recovered to the point that sellers with appropriately priced real estate are getting multiple offers, often full-price offers and more. That’s music to their ears. It puts them in a position to negotiate the highest and best offer, sometimes over appraised value. For buyers, it means they need to be ready to make an immediate decision and out maneuver the rest. For everyone, it can be stressful.
An experienced Realtor will guide you through the process. Multiple offers are not uncommon these days, but they need to be handled delicately, lawfully and ethically.
Sellers often want to immediately jump on strong offers, especially on houses that have just hit the market. But that’s not always the best decision. Often, a Realtor will advise the seller to step back and see if additional bids materialize. They usually do, and when they do the seller is in the position to select the best price and terms being offered, or ask the competing parties to come back with their best offers before they make a decision. Some Realtors and sellers will negotiate privately with each prospective buyer and then choose the winner.
Buyers never want to hear the phrase “multiple offers,” especially if they really want a particular home. And if they do really want that particular home, they need both to be patient and be armed with all the information a seller, Realtor or bank could ever need. The key is to show the seller you’re serious and you’re ready, willing and able to close the deal within his or her time frame.
Here are some key considerations for today’s multiple offer market:
But at the end of the day, trust your Realtor.
For more information, contact Chris today at 727-642-9107.