Steve Eckhardt's Tampa Area Blog

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Luxury Home Sales In Odessa Were Hot In 2010!!!

Keystone Shores Home     northbridge at lake pretty     Odessa Home

While we’ve seen a few slow years in the non-waterfront luxury home segment, 2010 saw a welcome increase in the number of million dollar homes sold around the Tampa Bay area.  Within a 30 mile radius of Tampa, there were 51 properties sold with a price tag of $1 million or more. The average non-waterfront luxury property was a 5 bedroom, 5 bath, with 6039 square feet of living space and sold for $1,488,836, or $262 a square foot.

But, one area stood out as the clear “winner”.  Of the 51 luxury sales, 18 of the sales were in the zip code 33556 which covers Odessa and Keystone.  The communities of Dolce Vita, Northbridge At Lake Pretty, and Keystone Shores represented half of the recorded sales.  There was a 3 way tie for second with South Tampa zip code 33609 posting 5 sales, New Tampa zip code 33647 posting 5 sales, and the community of Avila in zip code 33613 posting 5 sales.

If we look at the numbers of the top 4 areas we can easily see why Odessa had so many sales.  Odessa was the only area in the top 4 with an average sales price below the average for the Greater Tampa area.  In fact, the average sales price for Odessa was almost 20% lower.  Add ease of access to downtown Tampa, great schools, convenience to shopping and dining, and it’s easy to see why Odessa was the clear winner in luxury home sales for 2010.

 

Steve Eckhardt, Broker

(813) 765-1182

 

Jumbo Mortgage Rates Fall To Record Lows

The jumbo 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to a new historic low of 4.68 percent, according to Bankrate.com’s weekly national research. The average jumbo 30-year fixed mortgage loan has an average of 0.4 discount and origination points.

According to Bankrate’s
survey, the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage inched lower to 4.24 percent while the 15-year fixed mortgage held stable at 3.48 percent. Adjustable rate mortgages were generally lower, with the (blank) 5-year ARM dropping to 3.18 percent and the 10-year ARM inching down to 3.8 percent.

Mortgage rates are very low, but based on the ultra-low levels of benchmark interest rates such as 10-year Treasury notes, mortgage rates could be even lower.

Since August, the European financial crisis has forced the spread between risk-free U.S. government bonds and those of various other bonds, such as mortgage-backed bonds, to the highest levels since the early spring of 2009. At that time, economic tensions were at a fever pitch, especially surrounding the well being of the U.S. banking system. This time, it’s Europe’s banking system in the crosshairs, but the result is much the same - a higher-than-typical cost of borrowing when compared to the rock-bottom government rates.

Bankrate’s national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.
 
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$1.4 Billion In Tampa Bay Real Estate Sales To Foreign Investors Over The Last Year

Over the last year an estimated $12.7 billion dollars in real estate was purchased in Florida by foreign investors. Over 86% of those investors bought these properties with cash.  Factors that influenced these investors include a weaker dollar, discounted costs for property and increasing rent prices. The Tampa/St.Pete/Clearwater market came in at number 3 with approx. $1.4 billion in sales.

Read more about our huge influx of foreign investment in The Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Just One Of The Many Reasons To Live On The Florida Gulf Coast!

Dr. Beach, America's preeminent beach expert, just named Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota the best beach for 2011.  Dr. Beach, who is also known as Dr. Stephen Leatherman of Florida International University, says, "The powdery sand is nearly pure quartz."  Wide swaths of open beach and gentle waves make it a paradise for anyone.  There's plenty of room to throw a blanket down and take in the sun's rays, walk along the water line or play a game of volleyball.

If you are looking for other great beaches where you can enjoy this Memorial Day weekend, check out my links to information about the other great beaches in the Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Sarasota areas.  Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

SIESTA KEY BEACH

SAND KEY BEACH

FORT DESOTO BEACH

CLEARWATER BEACH

Foreclosures In Florida Drop 59%

Foreclosures in April were a whopping 59 percent lower in Florida than a year ago according to statistics compiled by RealtyTrac.  Nationwide, foreclosure proceedings in April 2011 dropped 34 percent from April 2010.

Tampa Home Sales Up 17%

Tampa had the most active existing home sales market in the state with 7,710 sales, up 17% for the first quarter of 2011.  Florida existing home sales increased 13% and existing condominium sales increased 29% over the first quarter 2011, according to the Florida Association of Realtors

Florida's Existing Home Sales Surged In March

Florida's existing home sales surged in March, recording the single biggest month since late 2005. Sales of condos and homes jumped 36 percent from February to March, surpassing the national rise of 3.7 percent, according to figures from the Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.  Seventeen Florida regions reported higher sales last month, and it's the fourth consecutive month that statewide sales have exceeded the same month in the prior year.  The study also noted that a full 35% of buyers were CASH BUYERS. 

More Florida Buyers Are Paying Cash

Cash

With condos and homes selling for up to 60% off their all time highs, investors, move-up home buyers, and luxury home buyers are finding value in Florida real estate.  In December 2010, almost half of all buyers paid cash in the major markets in Florida. In the Tampa Bay area, over 44% of all buyers paid cash.  In Miami, over 54% of buyers paid cash.

Last year about 28 percent of all sales in the U.S. were cash transactions, according to the National Association of Realtors®. In 2008, the rate was only 14 percent.   In the last week, Zillow, The Wall Street Journal, and the Florida Association Of Realtors have all taken notice of this positive trend. 

Follow the green........when the cash buyers come back in significant numbers, watch for the market to improve!!!

Steve Eckhardt, Broker, Luxury Real Estate Professional

Contact me at (813) 765-1182

 

www.TheFloridaAuthority.com

www.SearchForTampaHomes.com

 

Check Out Steve Eckhardt's Other Social Networking Profiles

Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/CornerstoneProperties

Twitter  http://www.twitter.com/theflbroker

Flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/27264581@N08/

LinkedIn  http://www.linkedin.com/in/cornerstoneproperties

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/csmtggrp85

Is The High End Rebounding In The Tampa Bay Area?

Back in February I featured video of Matt Geiger's 30,000+ square foot estate after a private open house.  After three and a half years on the market and several reductions from an initial asking price of $19,900,000 to $9,995,000, the Geiger property has finally sold for $8 million.  The $8 million dollar sales price is the highest since May of 2008 when a 13,000 square foot waterfront estate in Belleair sold for $10,250,000.  The January edition of Forbes Magazine said a recent Bain Consulting study indicated that sales of luxury goods for 2010 nearly reached the 2007 peak of $235 Billion.  Maybe the high end in Florida is ready for a rebound!!!

Geiger House

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE INTERIOR VIDEO  -

VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED TO PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF THE BUYERS.  IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VIEWING THE VIDEO AND NEED HELP FINDING A SIMILAR HOME IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT 813-765-1182.

 

This premier estate sits on almost 28 acres and has a seperate 4900 square foot guest quarters and garage space for 6 cars.  The second (entrance level) and third floors of this home are elegant and well appointed.  The main house has 6 bedrooms, 8 full baths, & four half baths.  The rest of the home is made for entertaining.  I'll start with the resort style pool with a large fire pit in the center, a full outdoor cabana, outdoor bar, & chef's kitchen.  Between the outdoor bar, the lanai off the living room, and the seating around the pool, you could easily accommodate over 100 people comfortably.  Add the 1st level kitchen, full bar area, dance floor, DJ booth, 20 person theater, card room, cigar room, and a jacuzzi room (with a Jacuzzi that could hold 12 6'6" pro athletes) and you could easily host a party for 200 of your closest friends without disturbing the main living area. 

Steve Eckhardt, Broker, Luxury Real Estate Professional

Contact me at (813) 765-1182

 

 

www.TheFloridaAuthority.com

www.SearchForTampaHomes.com

 

Check Out Steve Eckhardt's Other Social Networking Profiles

 

My Blog  http://www.luxuryhomeblog.com

Facebook    http://www.facebook.com/CornerstoneProperties

Twitter   http://www.twitter.com/theflbroker

Flickr   http://www.flickr.com/photos/27264581@N08/

Linked In   http://www.linkedin.com/in/cornerstoneproperties

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/csmtggrp85

Why We Advertise Our Listings Exclusively On The Internet.........

Internet usage has grown 121% in the past five years. So what are people doing less? Listening to the radio and reading things like newspapers and magazines.  Did You Know ...

...For more than one-third of home buyers, the first step in the home-buying process was looking online for properties.

...90% of homebuyers used the Internet as an information source when buying a home

...77% of Internet homebuyers drove by or viewed a home they saw online

...36% of buyers first found the home they purchased on the Internet

...Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time online on social networking sites and blogs, up from 15.8 percent just a year ago (43 percent increase) according to new research released from The Nielsen Company.  If you're not using Facebook & Twitter to promote your listings, you are missing the boat.

...June 2010 was a major milestone for U.S. online video as the number of videos streamed passed the 10 billion mark. The average American consumer streaming online video spent 3 hours 15 minutes doing so during the month. (Source: Nielsen VideoCensus).  House Video is IMPORTANT.  Did you know YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine behind Google?

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/12/13/internet-now-as-popular-as-tv-survey-shows/

Steve Eckhardt, Broker, Luxury Real Estate Professional

Contact me at (813) 765-1182

 

www.TheFloridaAuthority.com

www.SearchForTampaHomes.com

 

Check Out Steve Eckhardt's Other Social Networking Profiles

Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/CornerstoneProperties

Twitter  http://www.twitter.com/theflbroker

Flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/27264581@N08/

LinkedIn  http://www.linkedin.com/in/cornerstoneproperties

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/csmtggrp85