October 2014

Tampa Property Tax Portability timelines with Bob Henriquez from Hillsborough County Property Appraiser

There are many Tampa Bay area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here to learn about our “Your Home Sold Guaranteed in 29 Days” program or for a free property valuation so you know what your home can sell for in today’s market. You may also call me at (813) 359-8990 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Andrew Duncan has Bob Henriquez from Hillsborough County Property Appraiser as a guest to talk about the timeline of Homestead portability on The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay.

Bob explains that the way the law is written, some people think they have 2 years to port their tax savings or Homestead Cap to the new home. But in reality, you have 2 tax years. As we are coming close to the end of the year, if you were to close on a home between now and Dec 31st, you have until the end of next year and not 2 full years. You will have a year and 2 months.

Tax Year vs Annual Year

Some people forget timing of tax year vs annual year which are not the same thing. This is one of the things to take into consideration when you are thinking of purchasing towards the end of the year.

Consumers get focused purely on the price that they forget about those little terms and timelines that could cost them money. An example of this is when someone wants buy a home and moving up and they also need to sell their home in order to bring their homestead over to their new home. The window shrinks as they move towards the end of the year.

Andrew shares that he has seen this before where some people go back and forth for weeks for a couple of thousand dollars when in fact, in those two weeks, they have missed filing for their Homestead which could have saved them a lot more money.

For more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

*The Duncan Duo and RE/MAX Dynamic has moved. As of 10/11/2014, our new address is 6320 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33611

Video Proof of Tampa Bay Guaranteed Sale Program by Duncan Duo w/ Immediate Cash Buy Out

Listen to Del from Safety Harbor talks about his experience working with The Duncan Duo who bought his home for cash and closed within 25 days. He relayed how even the home owners association sent him a letter expressing gratitude for selling to The Duncan Duo who, unlike a rental property, will renovate the home and improve values in the neighborhood.

To see more video testimonials of satisfied home sellers of The Duncan Duo, click here.

*The Duncan Duo and RE/MAX Dynamic has moved. As of 10/11/2014, our new address is 6320 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33611

The Duncan Duo Weekly Podcast 10-26-2014

Tampa Bay Home Values Assessments vs Market Value Hillsoborough County Property Appraiser

Listen as Andrew Duncan talks about Tampa Bay Home Values Assessments vs Market Value Hillsoborough County Property Appraiser with guests Paul Arrington from Arrico Real Estate and Property Management, John Morgan from FBC Home Loans and Bob Henriquez, the Hillsborough Property Appraiser.

Paul starts off by explaining how some people confuse their assessment with their actual market value. For example, if a home owned for 10 yrs is homestead exempted they are looking at their assessment as oppose to the market value. Over time, by virtue of having homestead exemption, the individual living in the home has realized some tax deferment. The new purchase price will markedly increase their assessment because the new purchaser will not have the benefit of the Homestead exemption of 10 years.

What is a good way to estimate their taxes

It's a function to Save Our Home Assessment cap, Bob explains. In the wake of the Save Our Homes constitutional amendment if you have a homestead property, your taxable value or tax assessment or highly regulated government value vs the market or just value can only go up at any given tax year 3% or inflation whichever is less. You are accruing tax savings over the course of those years. When the home is sold, it will reset the cap. The value of the home starts at the just value again or the purchase price.

It is also depends on the time of the year, and the time the home is sold because the market is fluid and dynamic during the year.

The market value/just value is based on a lot of different factors and not just the sale price. It's a compilation of sale prices of like homes within a similar neighborhood or similar subset of sales.

Appraisal value vs Assessment value

People often get confused when they get their appraisal done and they see the assessment and see those 2 numbers are different. A lot of people believe that the assessed value is the market value or the tax value is the market value. And when they get their appraisal back or a year or two down the line, they see those two numbers differ.

John shares that they see that more often from out of state buyers because a lot of them don't understand the Homestead and how exactly the assessments are done here.

Differences between Residential & Commercial Mortgages

Andrew Duncan talks to Jorge Gonzales from FBC Home Loans and Gene Snyder from Platinum Bank about the differences between qualifying for commercial loan vs residential loan.

When applying for residential loan, they will take a look at your credit, income and your assets. They want your debt to income ratios to be in line to afford the property. They will also have the appraisal come and make sure it meets Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines or for whatever program they need. Andrew adds the importance of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because the mortgages are being backed by them so they have to fit their box as oppose to the commercial side where there is no box to fit into.

In Commercial loans, there are a lot less boxes to check on the commercial side. In commercial lending bank, it is based more on the relationship with the borrower and not specific to any projects or any boxes to check.

Andrew talks about his first hand experience when Platinum bank financed his new office building*. He raves at how they did an awesome job for him with great competitive rates, etc.

It's a full credit underwriting that they do and not just a bunch of boxes to check. It has to do with all the financials, their history and experience. He shares that he writes 20 pages to get an approval where they tell the whole story which will get them through committee.

Andrew explains that the committee is basically a group of advisers or the board from Platinum Bank that sit down and discuss whether to approve the loan or not as oppose to the residential world where it's more of a computer or sometimes an underwriter looking at the application. Gene agrees and says that these are local decision makers who may know the business, the applicant and would be able to weigh the pro's and cons of approving the application.

The Duncan Duo Weekly Podcast 10-19-2014

Student Loan Debt is reducing home sales, more buyers getting down payment help, legal pitfalls in Tampa Bay

Andrew Duncan talks to John Morgan from FBC Home Loans and Shawn Yesner from Yesner Law about how student loan debt is reducing home sales. They also discuss how student loan debt is requiring many first time home buyers to get down payment help from the bank of mom and dad. Yesner goes into some pitfalls of family joint ownership and parents loaning money or giving money to kids for down payment.

Andrew starts off by saying student debt could reduce home sales by 8% this year. He asks about the impact this may have and why more and more buyers are going to the bank with Mom and Dad.

John says that 30% of the time, student loans are causing buyers to get lower what they can be approved for or not get prequalified at all. These buyers are out of school, just starting their career, and certainly not at their peak income which eats away from their buying ability.

Sean There have been a lot of legal discussions over Student loan debts which talks about all the possible things that could happen with student loan debt that people feel like is impacting the market. One of the things being discussed by the Federal Congress has been debating to make student loan debt dischargeable

under certain conditions in the bankruptcy court. For years, student loans have not been dischargeable. Bankruptcy won't get rid of the obligation to pay though. Recently, the code was changed to take even private student loans are now dischargeable. There have been discussions and bills being introduced where bankruptcy may now be one avenue to get rid of student loan debt.

Andrew shares a statistic he saw in an article - borrower's purchasing power declines by 44,000 with every 250 per month of student debt. Because of how advantageous the student loan payback is, borrowers usually owe a high amount. Sean agrees and adds that because of the repayment terms, it goes on for a long time.

Andrew asks if the student loan debt the reason why more and more first time home buyers go to their mom and dad for loans and down payment help. Sean says that there were a couple of parts to it. One is that the parents could help with non occupant co borrower which is available on the FHA program as well as conventional. They are also seeing a lot more gift funds for the down payment.

They both warn people need to be cautious of the difficulties in mixing family and money. Sean sites that they've had many situations where they could avoid gift issues by making the children sign a promissory note and record a second mortgage in favor of mom and dad. That way, it's not a gift. Mom and Dad's money is protected, it's secured by the house. It might wait until after the closing to have these documents recorded but they can make it legal, a proper document, and secure it with the house.

For more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

Has Your Listing Expired? We Can Help.

We here at the Duncan Duo want to be your number one Tampa real estate resource. That goes for all things - including expired listings. In fact, we've sold hundreds of homes that have expired from the MLS. We specialize in it.

We use unique strategies to market our homes and we would love to help you sell your expired listing. We make it look brand new by improving the photography, descriptions, and exposure of your home.

We'll do this with no risk to you. Our guaranteed sale program dictates that your home sells in 29 days or we'll buy it! Want proof? Check out our website for testimonials from people whose homes we bought through the program.

We would love to show you there is still hope in getting your home sold. Sit down with us for a free consultation - we'll show you how we're drastically different from other agents.
If you have an expired listing you want sold, give the Duncan Duo a call today. We'll make it happen so you don't have to!

The Duncan Duo Weekly Podcast 10-12-2014

Tampa Bay Top Realtor gives advice to help Tampa Bay First Time Home Sellers Sell quick top dollar

Andrew Duncan has Robert Johnson, Director of his listing team, as guest on The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA. Listen as they give advice on how to help first time home sellers sell quick for top dollar.

The main thing sellers are not thinking about when they consider the equity they might have on their home is the actual closing costs in selling a home which does not only include the realtor costs. It's not that they don't really think about it, sellers usually get surprised when it's brought up.

Andrew adds that there are a lot of websites that provide home value but they don't usually do justice to it because they don't have all the data about the home which factors in the condition, they can't factor in borders for schools, etc.

Robert discusses that though Zillow has many good things about it, the Zestimate is one of the things that isn't that great. He uses South Tampa as an example. Zillow doesn't really differentiate between North of Kennedy and South of Kennedy. The comps provided in Zestimate includes those from South of Cambria which makes the value inaccurate. He also mentions other areas like Westchase and Carrollwood. These sites don't understand what the boundaries of these neighborhoods are and what affects the value of the property.

Andrew highlights that these sites are great for exposure. He says that they pay hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to get more eyes on their listings but doesn't agree that they are correct in estimating the value of your home on the computer which is why this profession exists.

This is why it is important to have a professional go look at the property, as Robert says, to assess and get the correct value.

Andrew mentions some of the services they provide like a stager crew they work with, and how they constantly give advice to their clients on what to improve, the changes they can make to maximize the value of their home without necessarily spending money. Just little things that could help sell the property.

Making sure the home is priced correctly is something very important. Andrew goes on to say that someone who's been paying attention to the market would have a better understanding of the correct values as compared to someone doing it for the first time.

Another thing that first time home sellers need to understand is the process and how it works. They need to be open to educating themselves about the process. He explains further that when working with a great real estate team, they will be providing the seller steps and guidance on what to do. He mentions that they make sure that all their clients' listings have great photos on a good weather day, as just one of the steps to setting up their clients for success.

Robert closes the discussion by agreeing with Andrew and adding "Trust the process. Trust that we are working for your best interest."

For more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

South Tampa Best Realtor Home Tour Video 'HomeBody' film of Luxury Home - 3305 W Vasconia St

South Tampa SPECTACULAR CUSTOM-BUILT BUNGALOW built in 2007 w/ GLEAMING WOOD FLOORING - LOADED W/ UPGRADES & custom finishes! Boasting nearly 3500 sq ft of living space, this 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home is the EPITOME of “TURN-KEY-LUXURY’ & is MOVE-IN READY! This home features an OVERSIZED family room w/ full bath & access to the EXPANSIVE SCREENED-IN LANAI equipped with POOL/HEATED SPA combo! Combination living room, dining room & kitchen w/ BREAKFAST BAR provide plenty of space for entertaining w/ a perfect blend of open & formal space! Kitchen boasts BEAUTIFUL solid wood cabinetry, granite countertops, stainless appliances, large pantry & large island w/ instant hot water. The private office downstairs is perfect for the work at home entrepreneur. Step into your LUXURY MASTER SUITE w/ HUGE WALK-IN CLOSET, Dual Vanity, custom tile, GARDEN TUB w/ separate WALK-IN SHOWER & DUAL SHOWER HEADS for a SPA-LIKE EXPERIENCE! Ascend to the loft area off of the master & utilize as a den, office, or could make a nice nursery. The EXTRA bedrooms (floorplan could support a 5th bedroom w/ slight modifications) are spacious w/ large closets & the guest baths including a JACK & JILL feature contemporary vanities & upgrades. This home also features an OVER-SIZED 3 CAR GARAGE w/ extra rear entry. MASSIVE detached workshop has plenty of room for all YOUR TOYS! Awesome neighborhood-Located at end of street-No thru traffic! Very Private! Plant High School District & All A-Rated schools! Other bonuses: non flood zone and high elevation, double insultation so it stays nice and quiet! This LUXURY home will sell FAST!

Check out more of our luxury home real estate films in Tampa Bay and how we can do this to help you sell your Tampa Bay Luxury home by going to www.TampaHomeVideos.com.

How Can a Pro Photographer Get Your Home Sold Fast?

We can't tell you how often we see luxury homes listed at over a million dollars with photos that look like they were taken with a cell phone. Sometimes it's obvious a Realtor hasn't even left their car to take the picture; we've even seen photos that look like the car was moving at the time they were taken! These unedited photos taken with inferior technology aren't going to help get your home exposure. In fact, they may even result in getting it less exposure.

The Duncan Duo is passionate about real estate photography. We know how important it is to make a good first impression on internet search sites. We employ advanced technology, like drones, in order to get great images of your home. We use Nikon and Canon cameras and wide-angle lenses to capture high-definition photos of your property. We're also one of the few agencies that shoots video. While less than 1% of agents use video to market their listings, we shoot video of every single home we list to give viewers a walk through experience.

Because we use innovative techniques to capture the essence of your home, we will get it both national and international exposure - something other agents can't promise. We understand that photography is an art that can't be done by anyone; that's why we hire professionals to get the job done right. If the first picture an online viewer sees doesn't pop, they are going to click 'next.' We use this technology to ensure every viewer can't resist clicking on our listing.

Many agents today don't understand the importance of first impressions - they think photos don't matter because buyers are going to come look at the property anyway. Consumers don't think that way. Today, consumers want all the information at their fingertips before looking at a home. If your listing doesn't have photographs that attract the eye because they aren't edited or taken at the right angle, it will hurt your ability to get your home exposed to the largest pool of buyers possible.

If you need to see it to believe it, go take a look at the homes we have listed online. You'll see how we go above and beyond to get your home sold. If you're interested in getting your home sold quickly and for top dollar, give us a call or shoot us an email. We'd love to help you make the most of your real estate experience!

The Duncan Duo Is Moving!

The Duncan Duo is excited to announce that we're moving to a bigger space! In fact, our new locations is about three times as big as our current one. There will be more parking and more room for all the cutting edge technology we use here to ensure you have a top-notch real estate experience.

The new location is at 6320 S Dale Mabry, just a few blocks from the entrance to the MacDill Air Force Base. We'll be sending out additional emails with more information about the move in the coming weeks. We're excited to continue helping our clients, as well as expanding and helping the clientele around the air force base.

The building is two stories. The Duncan Duo Team will be on the second level, while our strategic partners - mortgage lenders, title companies, attorneys, etc - will occupy the first floor. Our goal is to have a New Home Center in our building that will allow clients, in a one-stop shop setting, the opportunity to look at inventory, marketing material, and brochures for all the builders across Tampa.

We can't wait to make the move and further enhance the service we give our great clients. We want to thank everyone we've worked with in the past who have helped us reach the point where we can expand like this. Thanks for everything, and keep your eye open for more news on the big move!

The Duncan Duo Is Now Ranked in the Inc5000!

Thanks to our many satisfied clients, we've recently been recognized by Inc Magazine as one of the fast growing privately-owned companies in the U.S. We're ranked as the 8th fastest growing privately-owned company in Tampa and number 1,052 nationally. These rankings are among companies of every industry, which makes the recognition especially meaningful.

Our success is due to the fact that our team does things differently. We have experienced over 400% growth in the past few years because we never stop getting better. The different things we do in the real estate industry has allowed us to better serve our clients by continually innovating to improve our results. That we're ranked in the Inc5000 is a result of our success helping buyers and sellers in an industry that doesn't typically see such fast growth.

One of our core values is innovation, and we don't plan to stop. We want to continue getting better so we can better serve you down the road. Thanks for all the support, we look forward to seeing you all soon!

Tampa Palms Luxury Home Video Tour - "Weekends" - 4916 Londonderry Drive

There are many Tampa Bay area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a free property valuation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (813)359-8990 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Check out our home video tour of Tampa Palms Luxury home.

This SPECTACULAR HOME has been REMODELED TO PERFECTION, offers a CLEAN, URBAN, MODERN FEEL, and is LOADED w/ UPGRADES & CUSTOM FINISHES! Nestled on an OVERSIZED CONSERVATION HOME SITE, this home offers STUNNING CURB APPEAL w/ an extended covered entry, column accents, upgraded landscaping & OVERSIZED side-load garage! There are 4 bedrooms, a DEN w/ CUSTOM BUILT-INS, & a LARGE BONUS ROOM that could be easily converted to a 5TH BEDROOM! This home also features neutral 18x18 tile throughout most of the home w/ WOOD PATTERN TILE flooring in the MASTER & SECONDARY BEDROOM SUITE. The kitchen is UNSURPASSED w/ 3 island work stations, SLEEK STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES, Décor bun warmer & DOUBLE OVENS, a vegetable sink, COUNTER-TOP GRILL, recipe desk, 9 drop pendant lights & smooth finish EUROPEAN STYLE CABINETRY. The master retreat features TWO MASSIVE WALK-IN CLOSETS w/ CUSTOM SHELVING! You'll be impressed by the SIZE & amenities of the MASTER BATH! It boasts DUAL sinks, separate dressing table complete w/ make-up lighting. There is a large water closet w/ BIDET and PHONE, SURROUND SOUND, JACUZZI TUB, HEAT LAMP LIGHTING, & large walk-in shower w/ MULTIPLE SHOWER HEADS! The BONUS ROOM is MASSIVE & has a full bath & WALK-IN SAUNA! The LANAI has beautiful PRIVATE CONSERVATION VIEWS, soothing pool/spa & OUTDOOR KITCHEN! Recent upgrades include a newer A/C system, BRAND NEW ROOF, exterior paint (2013) & a 1/2 house generator connected to natural gas! Don't wait, schedule your showing TODAY!

Check out more of our luxury home real estate films in Tampa Bay and how we can do this to help you sell your Tampa Bay Luxury home by going to www.TampaHomeVideos.com. You can also check out our other homes for sale by clicking here.

The Duncan Duo Weekly Podcast 10-5-2014

Tarpon Springs Home Seller rave about The Duncan Duo selling their home in days!

Tim, a happy home seller in Tarpon Springs talk about his positive experience with working with the team.

His home was previously listed with another agent for 6 months. Upon hiring The Duncan Duo, he got 2 offers in the first 2 days!

"The closing went perfectly. very professional. Robert Johnson was great. We had Angela helping us along the way through the process...extremely positive. I would highly recommend The Duncan Duo."

To hear more from our happy clients, click HERE.

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The Duncan Duo at RE/MAX, Best Tampa Realtors Reviews

"I had been trying to sell my home for almost 2 years with other agents and was unsuccessful. After hearing about the Duncan Duo on the radio I decided ... more "

5.0/5.0

by jinkysboutique

"Words cannot describe how great the Duncan duo and Robert Johnson has been! They have done everything they said they would do, they kept me up to date ... more "

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by user1535883

"Awesome experience selling my home (under contract in a week, closed in a month)....I have spoken to many realtors and most were terribly uneducated ... more "

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by waterstracy00

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