Granite countertops take second place to quartz
Thursday, 23 February 2017
WASHINGTON – Jan. 25, 2017 – Granite is falling out of favor with homeowners. The engineered stone of quartz instead is displacing the long-reigning granite as the top-choice for kitchen countertops. “About 75 percent of our clients are opting for quartz over granite,” says Bill Millholland, executive vice president of the design-build firm Case. “More
- Published in General, Housing Market, Investors, Local, Luxury, Real Estate, South Tampa, St Petersburg
Higher inflation one more reason to buy a home now
Sunday, 19 February 2017
NEW YORK – Jan. 20, 2017 – Annual inflation hit a 21/2-year high in December amid rising gasoline prices as a core measure of inflation increased moderately. The consumer price index rose 0.3 percent, the Labor Department said Wednesday, matching economists’ estimates. Prices were up 2.1 percent the past year, the largest annual jump since
- Published in General, Housing Market, Important, Investors, Local, Luxury, Mortgage, News, Real Estate, South Tampa, St Petersburg
Which Tampa Bay neighborhood home values will rise most this year? The answer may surprise you.
Tuesday, 07 February 2017
Most Tampa Bay residents have never heard of Westminster Heights. But the St. Petersburg neighborhood could give a lot of bang for the buck when it comes to investing in real estate this year. Lying south of Central Avenue between 49th and 58th Streets S, Westminster Heights tops Zillow’s list of the five bay area
- Published in General, Housing Market, Investors, Local, Luxury, Real Estate, South Tampa, St Petersburg
Tampa, once dubbed dangerous for bicycling, now one of ’50 Best’ in U.S.
Monday, 30 January 2017
TAMPA — Just two years ago, Tampa was receiving brickbats for being one of the most dangerous cities to navigate on two wheels. The Tampa Bay region had just been named one of the worst metropolitan areas for bicyclists and pedestrians. The same report by the National Complete Streets Coalition dubbed Florida the most dangerous
- Published in Blog, General, Local, News, South Tampa
Why buy a home? Top 10 benefits of ownership
Thursday, 26 January 2017
LAWTON, Okla. – Dec. 19, 2016 – Buying a home may be the American dream, but it’s also a monumental task: You have to clean up your credit, apply for a mortgage, scrape together a downpayment, and then move all your worldly possessions in after you close on the deal. Phew! So then why do
- Published in Blog, General, Housing Market, Important, Investors, Local, Luxury, News, Real Estate, South Tampa, St Petersburg
Competing metros: Tampa Bay rebounds to best performance in decade in Milken Institute rankings
Sunday, 22 January 2017
Here’s a feel-good column to unwrap this holiday season that will reveal the Tampa Bay metro area is rebounding as one of the better performing, larger metro areas in the United States. That’s great news after a decade of rough times in the bay area economy, hitting a low ranking among the nation’s top 200
- Published in Blog, General, Housing Market, Investors, Local, Luxury, News, Real Estate, South Tampa, St Petersburg
Here’s how construction work is progressing around Amalie Arena as downtown Tampa’s reshaping begins
Wednesday, 18 January 2017
TAMPA — Construction workers have been digging up the roads in downtown Tampa for months, marking the first steps toward building Strategic Property Partners’ $3 billion vision for the redevelopment of Tampa’s urban core. At its peak, nearly 100 workers are replacing old water and sewer pipes under the roads on Channelside Drive, Morgan and
- Published in Blog, General, Local, News, Real Estate
What’s the state of St. Petersburg’s economy? Despite some hurdles, it’s hard not to celebrate the boom
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Everyone should take a moment to appreciate the stunning transformation of St. Petersburg from its former nickname as “God’s Waiting Room” to a city whose abundance of economic development opportunities under way nearly defies the ability of its leaders to capture them all. City officials tried, nonetheless, on Tuesday. The city’s second annual “state of
- Published in Blog, General, Housing Market, Investors, Local, Luxury, News, Real Estate, St Petersburg
Lots of positive trends in today’s housing market
Friday, 06 January 2017
WASHINGTON – Dec. 2, 2016 – What fall slowdown? In many markets across the country, the housing market is showing anything but the typical seasonal slowdown. In fact, a report released by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) finds just the opposite. Existing-home sales eclipsed June’s cyclical sales and, in October, zoomed to the highest
- Published in Blog, General, Housing Market, Investors, Local, Luxury, News, Real Estate
It’s a good time for move-up buyers to sell
Monday, 02 January 2017
NEW YORK – Dec. 2, 2016 – Smaller homes have seen significant price growth over larger ones, and that means some homeowners may be sitting on a lot of equity – more than they may realize. With mortgage rates still low by historical standards but expected to edge up soon, homeowners with equity in their