tampa4u's Blog: REAL ESTATE stuff

The idea of a short sale may not be that short after all. A short sale is termed as such, because the mortgage company or the lender is willing to sell the home “short” of the total loan amount owed on the home. This process is not accepted or allowed by every lender, but for the home owners who have chosen a short sale and been approved by the mortgage company, there are a few things that need to be taken care of before the home can be listed for sale.

A short sale leaves the lender with less money than originally owed. For this reason, the lender will want to gather financial information on the home owners before approving the final go ahead for the short sale. These financial documents will need to prove that the home owner is n dire straights and…

TAMPA, FL, April 1, 2008:  Tampa4U.com Realty, Inc, amidst the slow real estate market, is opening a new office in Channelside, FL. Tampa4U has become known as "The" real estate website in Tampa largely due to their attention to customer service and knowledgeable agents. In a bold effort to spread their knowledge to a larger resident base, the Channelside office is being launched. Tampa4U has managed to set their real estate cause apart from other Realtors in the Tampa area by thinking “outside of the box” and suprisingly, by just answering their phones and returning calls immediately. Read the rest of this story.

Residential real estate is a constantly changing world where markets are good and bad, and where buyers and sellers can turn from good to bad as is the case in any situation where money is involved.  Once the tough negotiations are done you can relax, prepare for this newest chapter in your life, and wait for your closing date.  The closing is the final step in executing a real estate transaction.  It is here where papers are signed, titles are transferred, and keys and information are exchanged, along with large sums of money.  Wait a minute!  Why are you relaxing?  This is heavy stuff!  Are you equipped to handle this on your own or should you have a lawyer by your side? Let’s look ahead to see what you are facing, then you can make the right decision…

Whew! What a weekend this have been so far and it's not over yet. It's only Saturday. Either the buyers are out in herds or those who've bookmarked us are finally calling. But this weekend have been a record for us as far as showing properties in these 3 areas of Tampa: Westchase, Carrollwood, and South Tampa.

In the past, we'd be lucky if one or two people look in these areas. Lately we've been getting lots of inquiries specially in Westchase, (our web hits for Westchase Real Estate have quadrupled) and surprisingly, higher end homes. Today alone we had at least 10 clients each looking at each of these areas. Needless to say our agents have their hands full.

South Tampa have been getting a lot of attention also but mostly from investors trying to…

Using colors is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to shift the energy in your home based on Feng Shui theories. The colors you should use in Feng Shui should be based on the five elements including earth, fire, metal, water, and wood. Each of thee elements should be placed on specific areas in your home to map the entire space and bring out the beauty of color in your home. Below are the list of elements and their corresponding colors to help you know what colors you should use on specific areas of your house.

• Fire – represents passion and energy. Usually, the fire element is recommended in the northeast and the southwest portion of your house. You can use the colors red, pink, orange, purple, and yellow to represent the fire element.
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First and foremost, for a limited time, we're featuring Tampa bank-owned properties on the "Red-Box Deals" on our site.

In the recent weeks, we've had significant increase in inquiries for short sale homes and foreclosures. Most buyers just look at the price tag without realizing that these prices are brokers opinion only and that these prices have NOT yet been approved by the bank (lenders). To a certain extent these have been abused by some. i.e., homes normally selling for $300K may be listed for $160K, with a fineprint stating "subject to third party approval" (bank/lender). Even at a full asking price offer of $160K, if the house appraises for $280K, the bank may counter with $280K. Ref: Short Sale: Not for the light hearted buyer

We've been…

Two of the most important concerns in the health of your family are whether or not your home has instances of lead throughout it, and whether or not you are breathing radon gas vapours.  Radon is a colourless and odourless radioactive gas that can get trapped beneath your house and cause serious health problems.  It has been the cause of over 20,000 lung disease related deaths every year and it is assumed to be in millions of homes.

Radon slips into your home from underground, seeping into crawl spaces beneath your home, through the sump pump, gaps in the basement flooring and walls, and even your water supply.  It is undetectable unless you have a trained professional come in.  These professionals will run diagnostic testing to see if the radon levels…

Green Building in Tampa? What is it and Why do we care? The green building movement is all about using our resources efficiently to create a clean environment for ourselves. This includes: efficient use of energy, recycled building materials and using fewer chemicals, low impact use of land, efficient use of soil and water, and improved indoor air quality.

Green building of homes now accounts for nearly $2 billion in annual spending in the US and is expected to grow to at least $6.5 billion by 2010. In Tampa Bay, Oldsmar based Nohl Crest Homes is the area’s first green homebuilder. Quoted from their site "Every new Nohl Crest Florida home is now a green home ~ built with the environment in mind. As a green builder, our construction practices and…