rmasse10's Blog: All Categories

I am a huge advocate of Social Networking and how it applies to Real Estate.  I teach Social Networking to the Agents in my office, usually 3 times per month.  The classes are typically overflowing and can go for some 3+ hours.  In either event, the one thing that most agents feel is that they should receive instant gratification.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  You build your Social Network, all the fingers of the web, to catch people as they fly on by.  I am often asked which Social Networks to create profiles in.  My answer is typically the big ones with the most traffic are a good start, and then whatever the ones that you find interesting that you will maintain your presence in.  Social Networking is exactly what the words say, Social and…

The Tampa Real Estate market is on the move!  Homes are going under contract and closing.  People are coming out of the woodworks and wanting to see any home that says "DEAL" although the homes are well priced now a days.  The market is definitely coming around as reported by Forbes and other sources.  Even Warren Buffet came out and said that now is the time to buy real estate.  He didn't become the riches man in the world because of bad advice.

What I think is happening is that anyone that needs to move finally got the push off the fence and the ones that were looking from the sidelines are now playing in the game.  One interesting fact though is that from a Tampa Homes inquiry perspective, there are more women looking for property than ever…

It was an interesting 4th of July for me yesterday.  I went to a cookout at a friends house...just so happens to be a home inspector, and his brother in law came over as well.  The conversation was light most of the day and then he asked me that loaded question thinking he already knew the answer, "How is the Real Estate Market"?  And my reply was "very busy".  I watched his jaw drop in disbelief...under normal circumstances he would not have believed me, but I turned to his brother in law...who I said was a home inspector, and he replied, "He is right, they have been selling alot of homes, I have been doing the inspections on them so I know".

Most people listen to the hype on the TV and radio and newspaper, but the Real Estate Market is a Local…

There are a whole lot of smart things we do in life and then there are a whole list of dumb things we do as well...if you are buying a home in Tampa Bay the smartest thing you can do in this market is hire a Buyers Agent to ensure you get the best possible deal possible.  A Buyers agent will ensure that you are represented, your financial requirements are met and your financial strategies are secured.  If you don't hire a Buyers Agent to assist you in your quest to buy property, you will end up dealing directly with the Listing Agent in most cases which will act as a Transactional Broker.  This type of representation gets you no leverage whatsoever and it is up to you to negotiate the best deal that you can since no one is going to help you.  In 9 out of…

Little Harbor, located in Ruskin Florida, overlooks Tampa Bay.  Secluded from most tourists visits, Little Harbor is truly a hidden Gem.  White sand beach, on the water restaurant, tennis courts, basketball courts, private marina, helipad for all of you out there with a helicopter, and soon to be beach club and marina club.  This location is truly a dream come true for those that like seclusion and privacy but want to be surrounded with amenities galore.

Currently available are Waterfront Condos, waterfront Townhomes and waterfront Single Family Homes with docks.  Prices start at an amazing $80,000.  There is nothing like this anywhere in the Tampa Bay Real Estate Market.  This hidden Gem won't stay hidden for long at these prices.

Please visit us online…

I have been negotiating short sales for some time now and would like to give all you out there some advice that seems to work for me.  Our Short Sale Conversion Rate has been greater than 85% and we have done probably around 20-30 right now so not bad considering the statistics I keep hearing are around 10% conversion or less.

It is kind of interesting to hear the term Short Sale as most people have no idea what that really means.  Most people think it is a sale that will happen quickly...guess again.  A short sale is a term that implies that the Owner of the property is short on funds for repaying the loan.  In our board, the Seller and Buyer must sign the contract first and then submit it to the bank for third party approval.  This may take a very long time as the bank has to decide how much money they are willing to lose.

On the other hand, a Tampa Bank Owned Home or Tampa REO are homes that have gone thru the foreclosure process, the bank has reclaimed the property, it did not sell at auction and the bank has absorbed the loss.  A sales price is set and you have no third…

How hard does a Short Sale have to be.  It is pretty hard right now to get the paperwork together, get all parties to sign off and submit to the bank just to wait anywhere from 30 days to 6 months for a response.  Our board locks the buyer and seller in when they both sign, so this is not for the faint at heart.  But when the listing agent starts to pull crap like sneaking in other offers while the bank is in the middle of negotiating yours, one it is not allowed per our board rules and it's just not right.  On top of being unethical, it is down right sneaky and agents like that should not be in this business.

The bad thing about this situation is that this is not an uncommon thing happening in the Tampa Real Estate marketplace.  The good thing is that…