Tampa Florida Real Estate News & Listings Presented By Homeward Real Estate

Orginal owner

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:22:43 GMT

Wood floors in all areas except bedrooms. All appliances convey as does 2 reserved parking spaces just steps from front door. Only 2 units at halls end. Nice interior 10x15 storage space. Pool, gym, party room, garden. Harbour Island resterants and shopping located across the street.

Terriffic Carrollwood Home

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:59:55 GMT

I am so proud to present this home that's truly outstanding! Love to cook, the kitchen will fit your dreams. Love to entertain - take a look at the lanai,pool and outdoor kitchen. Room for many guests. Need a yard for the kids to play B-I-G yard. New tile floors, updated bath with separate jetted tub and shower. King size master bedroom.Need a private bedroom and bath for college student or Mom It's all here.

Take a look at the tour, then give me a call at 813=340-3300 for a private showing.You won't be disappointed

Practical Home Staging Tips

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:36:00 GMT

You should pay attention to every detail of the home, but if budget is a real factor, then you might have to pick and choose your projects carefully. Staging with paint is a cheap and highly effective technique, since it is all labor and requires no substantial investment. Interior lighting is also easy to upgrade and can be as simple as installing the ideal size and wattage bulbs for a cheap fix. Home staging with window treatments can be done inexpensively and can really brighten up a home.

You should always remember the main goals of staging a property:

Provide a pleasant, neutral palate of colors that will be appealing to potential buyers.

Create a sense of proportion, which typically means getting rid of things, rather than buying more, to balance the overall impact of the space.

De-personalize your style and taste from your home. Make buyers see themselves living in your home, NOT YOU.

De-clutter and organize everything.

Improve curb appeal and exterior landscaping.

Draw attention to the fine, positive details in your home and camouflage the less desirable aspects of the property.

As an experienced Home Staging Consultant, I do my best to help out as many people as possible by providing them with a lot of free information and even personalized guidance. Here is what I tell people who inquire about easy home staging:

Concentrate on the entry way, kitchen, master bedroom, master bath and living areas. Make sure the front of your house looks pristine, as a positive first impression is crucial. Finally, invest lots of time in cleaning, since this can make the biggest difference in potential buyer opinion and it's free to do. If I can help you with your staging project, please call me.

Posted by Ann Alderson's Staging Blog at 7/10/2009 1:28 PM
Categories: Homes for Sale

Should I Buy a Home Now?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:27:00 GMT

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.

New $7,500 Tax Credit for First Time Buyers

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:27:00 GMT

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 was just signed by President Bush with some amazing benefits for first time homebuyers. Call everyone you know who wants to buy their first home (or who hasn't owned one in three years), this is too good to miss - it's a $7,500 tax CREDIT (not deduction but a credit).

If you have not owned a home in three years, you qualify as a first time home buyer. If you buy a home after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009, you qualify for this credit. Call your friends who just bought a home since April 9th and tell them they may take $7,500 off their tax bill if they qualify. It has to be your principal residence, so rentals do not count.

The tax credit is 10% of the cost of the home, up to a maximum of $7,500. This is not an additional deduction that lowers the amount of income to be taxed, it is a tax credit. In other words, you take $7,500 off your tax bill. But there is a catch; the credit you receive now is actually an interest-free loan that must be repaid.

The loan has no interest, and will be paid back over 15 years. You get the credit on your 2008 taxes, but you start paying it back on your 2010 taxes that are due in 2011, so you get at least two years without a payment. You pay back 6.67% of the credit each year, so for a $7,500 credit the payment is $502.50 per year. If you stay put for 15 years, you pay it off with no interest.

What happens if you sell the house? You pay the balance back at the closing. So, you get $7,500 now, and pay the rest of it back if you make money on the sale of your house. What happens if you do not make enough money when you sell your house? They forgive the rest of the debt.

Other restrictions stipulate that you have to buy your first house in three years before July 1, 2009, not have super high income, not use bond financing and buy anywhere in the US.

If you'd like to learn more about this program, please call me!