Tampa Bay

The 4 Best Colleges In Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay Relocation

November 11, 2021 By Deborah Ward

The Tampa Bay area isn’t just a paradise of beaches and boats. It has some pretty great colleges too. So if you want to get your tan on while you get your brain in gear, Tampa might just be for you. Here are a few of the best pickings:

Saint Leo University:

Saint Leo University is a Catholic university that offers a liberal arts education. It has over 15,000 students, making it smaller, but offers many locations and online degree programs. SLU looks to offer a balance for the student in growth personally, educationally and spiritually. It was established in 1889 and has grown to be one of the top universities in the south as rated by U.S. News & World Report. It offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs from its School of Arts & Sciences, School of Education & Social Services, and School of Business.

University of Tampa:

U of T has about 8,000 students and is also ranked one of the best by U.S. News & World Report, as well as Forbes and The Princeton Review. U of T offers over 200 academic programs and each is taught by faculty who are experts in their field. They offer smaller class sizes which allow students and faculty to interact on a level second to none.

The University of South Florida:

USF has campuses in St. Pete, Sarasota and Tampa, and is a public university. Tampa is home to the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, and Pharmacy. St. Pete is home to the College of Marine Science. USF is one of only four public universities in Florida classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities. It has more than 180 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels.

Hillsborough Community College:

For the student who is looking for a more convenient and inexpensive way to continue their education, HCC has a program that can get you ready for the work world or to your next step of a 4 year college to complete that degree. They have five primary campuses, three satellite locations and the Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education (ICCE) located adjacent to the Dr. Gwendolyn W. Stephenson District Administration Center on Davis Island. They offer Associate Degrees in Arts and Science, technical programs, health science programs, adult vocational programs and dual enrollment for high school students.

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.

Tampa Bay Home Seller Tips – Make Your Home Worth More

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You have a home in Tampa Bay and you want to sell it. Maybe you owe a lot on it, or you have another house in mind to buy and need a certain amount from the sale. So, of course, you want to know what is your home worth or what can you sell it for. That number depends on a few things like location, condition and staging, and here are some tips to get the most from your sale.

The first factor is location. Where is your home located? What are other homes in the area selling for? Are they similar to yours? Are homes taking a long time to sell? Are there jobs, high crime or other negatives? If the home is well kept, in a nice area with access to transportation, good schools and good jobs, it will sell for more money. If the home has acreage and similar homes are selling well, you’ll do better.

The next two factors are tied to each other. Your home’s condition and staging are also very important in determining price. If your home is well maintained and has been updated, it will sell for a higher price. Buyers don’t want to have to move in and immediately improve. So make major repairs, repaint in a neutral color scheme. It makes it easier for the buyer to see it as their home, not yours. Then clean it and stage it. Move everything and clean behind and under appliances and furniture. Declutter and depersonalize it. Remove excess furniture and make rooms look spacious. Make sure each room has adequate lighting.

The best thing you can do is rely on your Realtor to tell you what needs to be done, and what your home is realistically worth. She knows value and how to improve it. Listen, fix, clean and stage and then take your check to the bank!

Want an honest opinion of what you need to do to get your Tampa Bay home “show ready”? Give Deb a call today!

727-410-0336

Tampa Bay Home Selling Tips : How To Price Right For Your Neighborhood

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

One of the best Tampa Bay home selling tips is how to price right. It is also one of the trickiest parts of selling your home. Pricing it right for not only what you need out of the sale, but for the neighborhood and to make sure it sells. So how do Realtors figure out that magic number? A few things come into play, especially in Tampa Bay. Here are some home selling tips for pricing right for your neighborhood.

Check the comps

First, know what other homes have sold for in Tampa Bay. Check comps, or comparable homes, for their sale prices. Do NOT look at listing prices. Other homes may have been overpriced or underpriced. Comps also tell you if your home and the sold home have the same amenities. If the comp house has been updated with granite counters and your home still has laminate counters, the asking price of your home won’t be as high.

Location counts

That leads to some of the other reasons why homes are found at different price points. One of those items is location. Where is the home? Is it in a gated community? Is it in a great school district? Does it have a homeowners’ association that keeps the quality of the neighborhood higher? Is it a waterfront or water view property? All of these things will mean you can price your home higher. However, location can have negatives as well. Is the home on a busy street that is noisy or unsafe for children? Is it near an airport or railroad tracks? Is the neighborhood decaying? All of these may mean that no matter how gorgeous your home is, you won’t get top dollar.

Home condition

Another home selling tip is that home condition affects price . Is the home updated? How new is the roof? What about the home’s systems (electrical, plumbing, heating and AC)? Are they up to date or in need of repair? Have the appliances been updated? The important rooms to focus on are kitchens and baths. They are also the most expensive, but they are what buyers look for to be fresh and up to date.

Pricing your home right is important. If you aren’t sure what to ask, bring in a Tampa Bay real estate professional like Deborah Ward and let her do it for you.

Give Deb & her team of Tampa Bay realtors a call today! 727-410-0336

Tampa Bay Real Estate Agents : Why Hire The Deborah Ward Team

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Looking to buy or sell real estate in the Tampa Bay or Clearwater Beach area? Using real estate agents for either buying or selling is smart. Finding one that is experienced, backed by the resources of a national firm, and able to handle whatever size home you need to buy or sell,well, that means hiring The Deborah Ward Team.

Deb, the Irish Realtor, and her team will make you their priority, no matter where you want to look or what your budget.

Deborah Ward Team Is Here To Help You

The Tampa Bay area has all kinds of real estate, from condos to single family homes, in any size. Whether you are looking for beachfront, Gulf view or your dream home wherever it may be, The Deborah Ward Team will be there to help. No matter where your home for sale may be, Deb and her team will lend you their expertise in preparing it for sale and finding buyers who want it.

Affiliated With Keller Williams Realty

The Deborah Ward Team is affiliated with Keller Williams Realty, and while she is an independent Realtor, having the resources of Keller Williams at her fingertips means success for you. The team is comprised of Deb Ward, Robert Cancelli, Shelly Crosson, Nathalie Probst.

Deb And Her Team Specialize In You

This team of experts are selling Florida living from the beaches to the intracoastal waterways and everything in between. They know how to buy and sell no matter if the home is a single family home, condo, townhouse or villa.

Upsizing or downsizing? Deb and her team will help you no matter your budget or lifestyle. Whether you are buying or selling big or small, their expertise is selling your home, or finding your dream home. Some Realtors specialize in expensive real estate. Deb and her team specialize in you and what YOU need.

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Shelly Crosson

Should You Worry About Flooding If You Buy A Tampa Bay Home?

October 27, 2021 By Deborah Ward

If you are looking for homes in the Tampa area you know that their proximity to water is close. Not only that but hurricanes can be an issue with causing floods. So, should flooding be a worry while you are house shopping? Let’s just say that you should keep it as a checkbox on the list of items to consider.

Intercoastal or beachfront properties

For the most part it’s obvious that there are lots of coastal properties that need flood insurance. If you’re beachfront or a bay intercoastal front property then yes, you’ll most likely need flood insurance. There are also inland areas that have the potential for flooding problems in stormy weather due to tidal surges from the Gulf of Mexico or Tampa Bay. However, there are plenty of properties that are high enough that they don’t require flood insurance.

The best way to be sure depends on where the property or properties you are looking at happen to be located. If it’s in Hillsborough County they have a website that will allow you to enter the street address of a home to see where it falls on the flood zone map:

http://hillsboroughcounty.org/en/residents/property-owners-and-renters/homeowners-and-neighborhoods/find-my-flood-zone#/

The site also has an explanation of which zones require what

Pinellas County doesn’t have that, but you can get an idea from the FEMA website, which has flood zone lists for every state.

In Pasco County their county property appraiser has included flood zone/flood insurance requirement information with each property appraisal. The cool thing with this is that you can view a particular property and have the computer “paint” in any flood zones that might exist.

Go to http://pascopa.com and click on record search, enter the street address for the property in question and get the tax id number for the property. At the top of the page you will see a link that says Show Map. Click that and use the drop-down menus to select additional layers and add the layers for FEMA Flood zones.

Why worry when you can find out for sure?