Clearwater Homes For Sale

Pool Homes For Sale: Safety Tips | Clearwater and St. Pete

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Pool homes in the Clearwater and St Pete area are plentiful and worth your time and interest. Having safety rules in place when you have a pool home is essential.

If you are looking at homes in Clearwater or St. Pete, many of them will have pools. During Florida summers they can almost be considered a necessity. But if you have kids, or neighbors with kids, there should be some safety rules that you should follow.

Having a pool home in Clearwater or St. Pete can be great fun, but it is also a big responsibility. Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in young children, and if you have kids, or there are kids in your neighborhood, your pool home is going to draw their attention. It only takes a few minutes for a child to drown. So think about doing the following.

Fence it. Better yet, extend the fence around your lanai too. Keep the fence or lanai locked. The fence should be at least four feet tall, and designed so that hand and footholds are few and far between so climbers can’t easily climb and keep things like chairs that could be used like step stools away from the fence. Also consider an audible gate alarm on the fence. If you have kids, keep access to the pool from inside the house locked as well. Your pool home can be lots of fun but keeping the safety of kids in mind will make your life even better.

Also consider getting an in-the-water pool alarm too. When activated it will alert you if anyone jumps or falls in the pool. Also if you have a pool cover, consider a locking one, and never allow anyone to swim with the pool partially covered. If you have removable ladders, remove them when the pool isn’t in use.

No kids? Well, adults, pools and alcohol are a bad combination!

When you have a Clearwater St. Pete pool home make sure your child learns how to swim. Learning to swim is a good start, but don’t assume they are safe to swim alone. Institute a rule that no one goes in the pool alone. Use a buddy system and always supervise their swim time. Do not leave the pool area to do other things, like answer the phone or do other chores. When supervising, supervise.

Learn CPR and be sure that anyone supervising knows it as well. Babysitters must be certified, or don’t allow swimming when you aren’t home. Keep rescue equipment by the pool. Keep water depth in mind and enforce strict rules about diving. Never allow in above-ground pools, and for in-ground pools, allow diving only from the diving board.

Have fun and be safe! A pool home in the Clearwater St. Pete area can be a great asset and lots of good times.

Thinking of buying a Clearwater or St. Pete pool home? Please make sure to check the Florida state laws for pools safety

Top 5 Reasons to List with a Realtor

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling your home can be a chore, and if you think you can handle everything yourself, think again. Listing with a Realtor to sell your property will save you time, save you aggravation and make you more money in the long run.

A Realtor provides a lot more than most people think. Selling a home isn’t just plop a sign in the front yard and wait for the buyers to come. During the selling process they do more than just bring people to look at your home. They provide advice, facilitate contract negotiations, facilitate inspections and attend settlement with you. They earn their commission.

A Realtor should give you honest advice on what needs to be done to your home to have it in the best shape to get top dollar. You have lived in it and seeing it through fresh eyes isn’t easy, so let the Realtor be them for you. They will point out the places that need repair or updating, what is clutter and how to stage your home to make it look its best. He or she will also have specific knowledge of what buyers in your area love and hate, and can suggest how to play these aspects of your home up or down.

A successful agent is successful for a reason; they are good at what the do. A good agent can sell your home for more money in less time. They will know how to properly price your home, making it visible to those who are looking. The faster it sells the less money you spend on mortgage payments, real estate taxes, utilities and other carrying costs. That in and of itself will more than pay for the commission.

Most seller’s have no idea what it takes to market a home. What about contract negotiations? What you “save” on commission will easily be spent on hiring a real estate attorney to either do the contract work, or bail you out of trouble after the sale if issues come up.

A Realtor is familiar with real estate law and can do everything for much less.

Save yourself the headaches and frustration, use a good Realtor who can give you advice, get you the most for your home and do it in less time!

Looking for Tampa Bay Realtor to help get your home sold fast and for top dollar? Give Deb a call today! 727-410-0336

A History of St. Petersburg Florida

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

St. Petersburg, Florida is on the west coast of Florida in Pinellas County, Florida. It is often referred to by locals as St. Pete, and formally shortened its name in 1994. It sits on the peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

St. Pete was founded by John C. Williams, who migrated there from Detroit, Michigan, and by Peter Demens. Williams purchased the land in 1876, and Demens brought the terminus of a railroad there in 1888. St. Petersburg was incorporated on February 29, 1892. The city was named after Saint Petersburg, Russia, which was where Peter Demens was born and raised.

According to a local legend, Demens won the right to name the town in a coin flip with Williams. Williams then, as the loser, got to name the first hotel. He named if after his birthplace. The Detroit Hotel still exists downtown, but has been turned into a condominium. The oldest running hotels are the historic Pier Hotel, built in 1921, formally Hotel Cordova and The Heritage Hotel, built in 1926.

Philadelphia publisher F. A. Davis turned on St. Petersburg’s first electrical service in 1897 and its first trolley service in 1904. The city’s first major industry, wholesale fish sales, was established in 1899 when Henry W. Hibbs, a native of Newport, North Carolina, established his wholesale fish business at the end of the railroad pier. This pier extended out into the shipping channel. Between 1906 and 1908 the shipping channel was dredged and the deeper channel opened St. Pete up to increased shipping.

In 1914, airplane service across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg to Tampa started. This is generally considered the first commercial airline. The company was the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line. Their pilot was Tony Jannus, and an annual award, The Tony Jannus Award, is presented annually for outstanding achievement in the airline industry.

As with its surrounding sister cities, St. Pete has a great history to go with its great beaches!

Can You Afford A Tampa Bay Waterfront Home

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

The cost of a home isn’t just the price to purchase it. Homeownership also includes things like insurance. In Florida not only is homeowner’s insurance part of the cost, but also flood and hurricane insurance. That can make owning a waterfront home in Tampa Bay more expensive, but not impossible either!

Over the last 5 to 10 years Florida has dealt with some very destructive storms. Because of that many insurers won’t write any kind of real estate policies in the state. That makes owning a waterfront home problematic, but not impossible.

Homeowners insurance

Homeowners insurance is a policy that protects the homeowner from a few different things. First is liability issues should someone injure themselves while on your property. Second, it covers damages to the property in the case of a fire, break-ins (including property stolen) or other kinds of disasters that don’t involve floods or hurricanes. There are different riders, or additions that you can add. Your mortgage company will require that you have a policy, and will probably escrow money monthly to pay the premiums for you.

Flood insurance

Flood insurance is procured through a federal program that requires certain areas to have insurance that will fix your home if it is flooded. Obviously, living at the waters edge is a place that will require it! Again, your mortgage company may require it as well and may escrow and pay the bill from the escrow. Flood insurance will pay to fix your home and replace damaged items if it is flooded. The problem may come in when the flood is because of a bad storm or hurricane. Which leads to…

Hurricane insurance

Hurricane or storm insurance is insurance you can purchase that will fix your home and replace belongings damaged in a bad storm. As several bad hurricanes have proven in Florida, they can be utterly devastating. The Gulf area is sometimes spared hurricanes, but not always. Purchasing hurricane insurance is prudent.

Yes, it all adds up, and finding a company that will write policies for waterfront homes that are affordable can be challenging, doing so isn’t impossible, and is a smart move.

What is a Jumbo Loan – Does it Matter to You or Your Luxury Realtor

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

A jumbo loan is a mortgage on anything above $417,000.00 and your luxury realtor can help you figure out if you should sell your luxury property above that amount.

So now you’re selling your luxury property in Florida. Perfect, because people are starting to get back into the market, even for luxury properties. However, like most people, they’ll need a mortgage, which means a jumbo mortgage. That changes the picture, mostly about who you want to sell to, and here’s why.

Conventional mortgages actually have limits as to how much it can be written for. Why? Because mortgages are commonly bought and sold on secondary markets, and are backed by FNMA (Fannie Mae) and FHLMC (Freddie Mac). Over certain amounts neither will back the mortgage. Those mortgages are considered jumbo loans. A jumbo mortgage is a mortgage that is above the conventional mortgage limit of $417,000.00. They were common in many areas of the country when property values were at their peak. Most mortgage companies offer jumbo loans in the conventional formats like fixed rate or interest only loans. There are also LTV or loan-to-value limits that lenders have as well. For most jumbo loans there is usually an 80% or 90% loan-to-value limit on the loans.

Jumbo loans are risky for mortgage companies because of the lack of federal backing. Another reason is because luxury properties can be harder to sell in a short amount of time. Why is this problematic? Well if the buyer defaults on the loan, a short sale will probably not happen. Larger luxury homes are more apt to be affected by valuation shifts. This can hurt a lender if the property goes into foreclosure. Interest rates are usually a bit higher on jumbo loans as well.

In Florida, any mortgage loan over $417,000 is considered a jumbo mortgage. This is lower than other areas of the country, and may mean that the definition of “luxury properties” is different in Florida. If you are selling a property you need to ask your realtor about how to price your home. Why? Those jumbo loans are harder to get, and adjusting your price down just a few thousand dollars may mean the difference between a lot of bids from prospective buyers with conventional mortgages, and someone who will need to qualify for a jumbo loan. It will matter not only to your luxury Realtor but also to you in the long run as a jumbo mortgage may be harder for your prospective buyer to get.

Looking for a GREAT Tampa Bay Luxury Realtor who can help you make sure your home is priced right? Give us a call today 727-410-0336

Why You Should Ask If Your Realtor Is A “Listing Agent”

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

It doesn’t matter what kind of Realtor you hire, right? WRONG! Realtors can specialize as a buyer’s agent or listing agent, and depending on what you need, getting the correct specialization is key. So what are the differences?

Listing agents are real estate agents who deal with sellers. They talk with prospective sellers and help them decide to sell. Once they get the listing, they market the property to attract buyers and other general real estate agents who might have buyers that are interested in the property.

Their focus and responsibility is the sellers whose homes they list.

Buyers agents represent buyers exclusively. They work with buyers to find properties that fulfill the requirements the buyers have for a home. They have no interest specifically in the homes they show. Their responsibility is to the buyer, not the seller.

Most agents are usually a combination of both of these. But make sure that you find one that will represent your interests, as a buyer or a seller. If you are a buyer, don’t rely on a listing agent to worry about your interests. They won’t, no matter how nice they may be. Their responsibility, legally, belongs to the seller.

If you are thinking about listing your home for sale, make sure you are working with a Realtor who focuses on selling listings. Now they may have a buyers agent on their team, but you want to make sure that the agent selling your house is a professional listing agent.

A couple of things you can do to check is ask how many homes the agent listed this year, what their list to sale ratio is and their marketing plan for your listing.

If you are looking for a great listing agent to hire in the Clearwater or St. Petersburg area, give Deborah Ward! 727-410-0336