Real Estate Information

Autumn Woods, Palm Harbor is today's 30 day real estate update.  For this 30 day reporting period, we saw one brand new listing come on the market and went under contract after only 13 days on market.  This is a sure-fire indication that the price was right.  This home is at:

3160 Autumn Dr., Palm Harbor and was listed for $440,000, with 3,507 square feet, a pool, 4 bedrooms and a 2 car garage.  Autumn Woods is a community with very nice, larger homes.

There are 4 other homes in Autumn Woods listed for sale at $329,900.  One is a distressed property, bank owned.  It has 3,213 square feet, 4 bedrooms, a pool and 2 car garage.  It has only 11 days on market.  This can be an excellent home for the real estate investor.

The other three active listings have 97, 14 and 10 days on market.  The 14 and 10 days on market listings are new listings however have been on the market for a while, just now are listed anew after expiring or being withdrawn.

For information on real estate activity in a specific neighborhood, visit Sun Bay Associates' Market Snap Shot for real time real estate activity in the neighborhood you select.

For information on real estate sales in the greater Tampa Bay area, visit Sun Bay Associates' FREE home search and design your own unique real estate search.

Distressed property is becoming a great vehicle for the real estate investor, or the first time real estate investor, to build equity and postive cash flow.  If you know anyone who is behind on their mortgage, have them visit Sun Bay Associates's Distressed Property site for free reports.  If you are interested in becoming a real estate investor, contact us at Sun Bay Associates to learn about the various ways to make cash flow work for you.

Happy House Hunting!!

Fairway Estates, Dunedin continues to have an active real estate market.  This wonderful community abuts the Dunedin Country Club and golf carts are the way to get around in this golf community.

For this 30 day period, there are 11 homes listed for sale in Fairway Estates, Dunedin, FL.  The average list price is $236,909 and the list prices range from $114,900 to $499,900 with the average days on market at 150.    Days on market is one gauge that real estate investors use to help determine if a property is priced correctly.  The more days on market a house is listed, that tells the real estate investor that the price is being rejected by the market of buyers.

One home in Fairway Estates is currently under contract, after only 4 days on market. 

1401 Hagen Ave. was listed for $175,000, has 1,425 square feet and a 2 car garage.

In this last 30 day period, 4 homes sold in Fairway Estates, Dunedin.  Two of these are distressed property, bank owned.

One of the distressed properties is:  1242 Taylor Ave., listed for $159,000 and sold for $168,000 after only 19 days on market.  The sale price reflects the current market value and as often happens when a house is priced correctly, the final sale price was higher than the list price.  This is especially true for bank owned distressed property since the banks want to price houses correctly so they can get them sold and off the books.

The other bank owned distressed property in Fairway Esates was 1310 Fairway Dr., listed for $165,338 and sold for $165,338 after only 49 days on market.

Two other homes in Fairway Esatates sold in the past month.

1159 Burke Ave., listed for $224,900 and sold for $211,000 after 142 days on market.  This is a 3 bedroom house with a 2 car garage.

2326 Armour Dr., listed for $268,000 and sold for $255,000 after only 47 days on market.  This also is a 3 bedroom home with a 2 car garage and has a pool.

For information on specific neighborhoods, visit Sun Bay Associates' Market Snapshot for real time information on real estate activity in the neighborhood your have interest in.

Here is the January 30 day real estate sales update for Indian Trails, Palm Harbor.  This is a terrific neighborhood in Palm Harbor, just off the Pinellas Trail, and has streets lined with big live oaks.  At Christmastime, Indian Trails has some of the finest holiday lights on the homes in all of Pinellas County and people come from miles around to cruise through this beautiful community to look at the festive decorations.

In the past 30 days, here is the real estate sales activity in Indian Trails.

One new listing, at 1401 Indian Trail South, listed at $216,000 and only 6 days on market.  This is a large house with 2404 square feet and a pool.  This is a distressed property, bank owned house.

Another listing in Indian Trails is 1300 Indian Trail South, listed for $244,900.  This is a distressed property, short sale.

Three houses are under contract in Indian Trails.

1429 Rolling Ridge Rd., listed for $240,500 with 129 days on market.  This is a home with 2,599 square feet, a pool and a 2 car garage.  This is a distressed property, short sale.

2437 Seneca Ct., listed for $189,900 and under contract after only 42 days on market.  This is a 2,279 square foot home wiht pool and 2 car garage.  This is a distressed property, bank owned house.

1392 Indian Trail North, listed for $227,000 and under contract after only 5 days on market.  This is a 3,136 square foot home, with a 2 car garage.  This is a distressed property, short sale.

For professional assistance to purchase a home in Indian Trails, please contact us, or a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) to ensure that you can navigate the complex process of securing a distressed property.

All the above houses are distressed property.  To learn more about distressed property, both for investment purposes or to get a home at below market price, visit Sun Bay Associates' distressed property site and get free reports on short sales and foreclosures and the differences between them.

For those who would like to learn more about the real estate sales in a specific neighborhood, visit Sun Bay Associates' Market Snapshot and get real time information on real estate sales in whatever specific neighborhood you care to research.

If you prefer to create your own real estate search for the greater Tampa Bay area, visit Sun Bay Associates' FREE home search and get real time information on real estate sale through the Tampa Bay area.

Country Woods, Palm Harbor is a wonderful community that abuts the Dunedin line and is almost part of Dunedin yet has access to the Palm Harbor University High School and other Palm Harbor schools.  Country Woods is also very close to the Pinellas Trail and the Dunedin Causeway which leads to Honeymoon Island and the ferry to Caladesi Island.

In the last 30 days, there has not been a sale, however there are 5 houses that are active listings and one house is now under contract.

The five houses listed for sale range in price from $349,900 to $439,000 and the days on market range from 3 to 717.  The average list price in Country Woods, Palm Harbor is $388,560.  The house with the most competitive list price is:

2713 Beagle Path Lane, Palm Harbor is listed for $349,900 and only 17 days on market.  This home has 3,246 square feet, a large fenced backyard and a 3 car garage.  It has no carpeting, and does have hardwood and travertine tile floors.  This is the lowest list price in Country Woods.

The one home under contract had been listed above $400,000 and when it was reduced to $399,000 it went under contract after only 69 days on market.  The details for this home are:

2744 Country Woods Lane, listed for $399,000 has 3,486 square feet, a pool and 2 car garage.

If you would like details on the real estate market in your neighborhood, visit Sun Bay Associates' Market Snapshot.  This will give you real time information on the real estate market in the specific neighborhood you are researching.

For real estate market information on the greater Tampa Bay area, visit Sun Bay Associates' FREE home search and design your own unique real estate market search.

Happy House Hunting!!

This 30 day real estate update is for Bay Arbor, Oldsmar, FL.  There are currenty 7 properties listed for sale in Bay Arbor, Oldsmar.  Of these, one is new in the last 30 days. 

382 Ventura Dr., Oldsmar is listed for $284,900 and has a pool, 1,708 square feet and a 2 car garage.

Of the active listings in Bay Arbor, the list prices range from $249,900 to $299,000 and the days on market range from 14 to 423.  One house, at 324 Bay Arbor Blvd. is a distressed property, bank owned.  It is listed for $254,900 and as 139 days on market.

The largest house listed in Bay Arbor is listed for $299,000, is a 2,240 square foot home with 3 bedrooms, 2 and 1/2 baths and a three car garage.

There is one house under contract in Bay Arbor.

404 Wingate Circle, Oldsmar, listed for $240,000 after only 35 days on market.  This is a 2,053 square foot house with a 2 car garage, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.  It is not a distressed property.

One house sold in Bay Arbor in the last 30 days.

400 Ventura Dr., listed for $280,000 and sold for $280,000k after 146 days on market.  This house was a distressed property, short sale.

For specific information on a neighborhood you may have interest in, visit Sun Bay Associates' Market Snapshot page for real time real estate information in that neighborhood.  If your preference is to design a real estate search for the greater Tampa Bay area, visit Sun Bay Associates' FREE home search site and create your own unique real estate search.

If your are interested in distressed property, or just curious, visit Sun Bay Associates' distressed property site for current and FREE information on distressed property, short sales and foreclosures.

Happy House Hunting!!

Today's 30 day real estate update, the first of the new year, is for Baywood Village, Palm Harbor.  This charming waterfront community, on the Gulf of Mexico, is a mix of gulf front and canal waterfront homes, has a great location close to downtown Old Palm Harbor, is very near to the Pinellas Trail, and just may be the best kept secret of a waterfront community in Pinellas County.

In the last 30 days, there were 14 properties listed for sale in Baywod Village, Palm Harbor.  Nine of these are waterfront homes.  The list prices range from $107,900 to $935,000 and the days on market range from 103 to 736.  Of these 14 properties, 3 are distressed property, two short sales and one bank owned property.

There are 4 houses under contract in Baywood Village.  Of these, 3 are distressed property, two short sales and one bank owned property.

357 Westwinds Dr., listed for $124,000 with 80 days on market is a distressed property, short sale.

225 Westwinds Dr., listed for $125,000 is a distressed property, short sale, with only 1 day on market.

332 Westwinds Dr., listed for $159,500 with 19 days on market is a distressed property, bank owned.  This is a waterfront home.

335 Crosswinds Dr., listed for $360,000 with only 32 days on market is a waterfront home and is NOT a distressed property.  This is a 2347 square foot home with a 2 car garage.

The days on market is a very strong indicator of how well priced a home is.  When a home is for sale for over 100 days and has no offers, it is very likely priced too high for the current market conditions.  One should take note that of the four homes under contract, the days on market are 1, 19, 32 and 80.  This indicates that the market readily accepted the list pricing of these homes. 

The average days on market of the homes that are still for sale, and NOT selling, is 261.  This is a very strong indication that the market is not accepting the list price of these homes.  Each of the homes listed for sale in this last 30 day period in Baywood Village has more than 100 days on market, indicating that the market is not accepting the pricing of these homes.

Four houses listed in Baywood Village expired in the LMS in the last 30 days.  The days on market for these were 182, 211, 291 and 692.

For information on any listing in Baywood Village, Palm Harbor, simply contact us at 727-939-1515.

If you would like to perform a real estate search in a specific neighborhood, visit Sun Bay Associates' Market Snapshot for real time real estate information in that neighborhood.

If your preference is to create your own unique real estate search in the greater Tampa Bay area, visit Sun Bay Associates' FREE real estate search site and design whatever real estate search you want that fits your needs.

To learn more about distressed property, and short sales or foreclosures in particular, visit our distressed property website for free reports and other information.

Happy New Year!!

Today is the final 30 day update for 2010 and we will do the real estate update for Highland Lakes, Palm Harbor, a very desirable 55+ community.  Highland Lakes has access to Lake Tarpon, has three par 3 golf courses, a clubhouse, fitness center and lots of activities.  Highland Lakes is the largest 55+ community in Palm Harbor.

The real estate activity in the last 30 days, for single family homes and villas shows there are 70 properties for sale, ranging in price from $44,900 up to $450,000 - which is a lakefront home on Lake Tarpon.  The average days on market for the homes for sale is 172.  The lakefront home, listed for $450,000 has 1,037 days on market.

In the last 30 days, six homes have come on the market in Highland Lakes, Palm Harbor: 2 villas and 4 single family homes.

There are 15 homes under contract in Highland Lakes with list prices ranging from $59,900 to $185,000.  The average days on market is a little over 100 days.

In the last 30 days, 10 homes have sold in Highland Lakes.  The listed prices ranged from $72,000 to $799,000 and the average days on market was 114.  The home listed for $799,000 was a bank owned property and sold in 0 days for only $85,000 so this is one that is a statistical outlier.

The average sales price for these 10 homes in Highland Lakes was $97,940, average days on market was 114.  The sold prices ranged from $69,000 to $162,500 and the days on market ranged from 28 to 479.

The lower the number of days on market, the closer the price is to the market value.  When a house comes on the market at a price higher than the market is willing to pay, it sits on the market getting little showing activity, as a rule, until the price is dropped to a value the real estate market (buyers) is willing to accept.  In the current market, the longer the house sits on the market, the lower the final sale price is likely to be because the values are continuing to decline.  Thus, it is better to price your house correctly as the outset in order to get the best possible price instead of hoping to get more than the market is willing to pay.  Time is not a seller's friend in today's real estate market.

If you would like more information about a specific neighborhood, whether in Palm Harbor or elsewhere, visit Sun Bay Associates' Market Snapshot for a real time look at the real estate market in that neighborhood.

If you would like to see a broader picture of real estate in the Tampa Bay area, visit Sun Bay Associates' FREE home search and design your own real estate search.

Happy New Year!!

A very common question we get from sellers is "Why not price my home high enough to leave room to negotiate?"  This is just about the most common question we get when talking with sellers and potential customers.  It would be really peachy to just say that it is a good idea, go ahead and price your home above the market, someone will buy it.  But we can't.  The following is meant mostly for our market, Tampa Bay.

In truth, we do not take the easy way out, and by giving the customer the hard facts of today's real estate market, they may decide to list with an agent who is willing to put their home on the market at a too high price, let it sit for six months and cost them money and time.  The most successful way we have found to address this question is to make a visual so they can "see" our point about the current market.  After showing the customer all the data from our research into prices in their neighborhood, surrounding area and the greater area also, including less than positive data from NAR and the local and national media, there are many who still immediately ask why not build in negotiating room.  One response we have had success with is to let them know the reality of pricing and the way the market searches for real estate.

If the house has a market value of $175,000 and they want to price their home at $200,000, for the "wiggle room", we let them know the market that is looking in their real price range doesn't even see their house because it is too high and is in a different search bracket.  Buyers, and agents, often search in $25,000 brackets and if someone is looking for a home in the $175,000 range, because that is what they are approved for, they are not going to even look at anything priced for $200,000.  They won't often even look for anything priced at $180,000 since they are not approved.  Today's buyer is very savvy and is aware that if houses are priced too high, there are many, many others that are correctly priced and there is no point in getting into a haggle over a few thousand dollars for an over-priced house when there are many others that will accept a price that is fair on the first offer.

For example, one visual that has been successful is to compare the price of a house to catching a train.  I know the train is scheduled to leave the station at noon.  So I show up at ten after and wait, and wait, and wait.  Why?  Because the train has already left the station.  In this market, the prices are not going up, so why price a house above the market?  All that does is cost the seller time and money, because in this down real estate market, the longer a house is on the market the more value it loses.  Thus, being priced for "negotiating room" is being too high in the marketplace and buyers are not even going to find the house to consider making an offer that the seller might accept.  In other words, that train has left the station and your house is going to sit on the market, become a stale listing, lose value and after six months of being ignored by the market because the seller wanted more, and the agent allowed it, the customer is going to feel that the real estate agent did not do his job.

So, the customer must realize that realtor consultants are working to sell your home.  Otherwise, the customer does not sell her home, loses time and money and by the way, the realtor not only does not get paid, but also loses money.  An overpriced listing is almost worse than no listing at all.  It is the responsibility of realtor consultants to price a home correctly in this market to best serve their customers.  As long as prices continue to fall, there is no point to price your home higher than where the level has already been.

Today's Neighborhood Scoop 30 day real estate update is for Royal Stewart Arms, Dunedin.  This 55+ condo community is on the Dunedin Causeway at the entrance to Honeymoon Island and just a quick ferry ride to Caladesi Island, two of the best beaches in the United States.

For this 30 day update, Royal Stewart Arms has 25 condos listed for sale.  The average price is $164,077 with 152 days on market.  The average list price per square foot is $168.  Since our last update, 2 condos have come up for sale in this desirable 55+ condo community in Dunedin.

7 Dundoon Pl., #103 is listed for $157,900 and has only 2 days on market.  This is a 957 square foot 1 bedroom/1 bath condo.  The list price per square foot is $165.

9 Forbes Pl. #210 is listed for $189,900 and has 30 days on market.  This is a 975 square foot 2 bedroom/2 bath condo.  The list price per square foot is $195.

In the last 30 days, 3 condos have sold in Royal Stewart Arms.  The average selling price was $153,000, average days on market was 44 and the average price per square foot was $146.

The largest, at 1181 square feet is a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo and was completely renovated with new kitchen, bathrooms and tile floors in the last six months, and new air conditioner and air handler installed in 2009 too!!  The list price for this stunning condo was $199,950 and the sale price was $195,000, with a price per square foot of $165.  This unit had only 55 days on market.

The other two units sold were:

7 Elgin Pl., #308, listed for $129,900 and sold for $117,000 after only 25 days on market.  This is a 970 square foot 2 bedroom/1 bath condo with the sale price per square foot at $121.

7 Elgin Pl., #803, listed for $159,900 and sold for $147,000 after 51 days on market.  This is a 975 square foot 2 bedroom/2 bath condo and the sale price per square foot was $151.

If you are interested in the real estate activity in your or any specific neighborhood, check out our Sun Bay Associates' Market Snapshot for real time real estate listings and sales.

For real estate activity in the greater Tampa Bay area, check out Sun Bay Associates' FREE home search and design your own personal real estate search.

Fortunately, the real estate market in the 55+ condo community of Royal Stewart Arms does not currently have any distressed property listings.  If you would like to learn more about distressed property, short sales or foreclosures, check out Sun Bay Associates' distressed property site for information and free reports.

Happy House Hunting!!