2015

J.T. Brown & Brian Boyle Share Their Christmas Experiences

J.T. Brown and Brian Boyle share their Christmas experiences and what they liked most about Christmas.

J.T. Brown

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Brian Boyle

What Home Buyers need to do and review right now if you're getting a mortgage & buying in 2016

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, Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor and expert together with Arnie and David Diaz of Waterstone Mortgage give practical tips to home buyers as the year comes to a close. They talk about what preparations home buyers need to do to set them up for a smooth pre-qualification in the New Year.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

Anton Stralman & Alex Killorn Share Their Favorite Christmas Memories

Anton Stralman & Alex Killorn share their favorite Christmas memories. They discuss some of their past Christmas presents they received and what they love most about Christmas.

Anton Stralman

Alex Killorn

Ryan Callahan and Erik Condra Share Their Favorite Memories About Christmas

Ryan Callahan & Erik Condra share their favorite memories during Christmas about their families. They both enjoyed Christmas as children and now look forward to seeing their own children enjoy their Christmas traditions.

Ryan Callahan

Erik Condra

What Can We Expect from Tampa Real Estate in 2016?

With a potential rise in interest rates and an election year on the horizon, I thought it'd be a good time to predict what we might see out of the Tampa market in 2016.

Before I do this, I'd like to tell you that our market is very broad and that not every neighborhood will experience the same level of appreciation. Real estate is unpredictable and I cannot say with complete certainty what will happen in your local neighborhood.

Regardless, we expect appreciation to continue in 2016. We expect prices to rise by about 10% and sales will likely rise by 10% because builders are creating a lot of inventory.

Our population is also increasing, and inventory is low, so this means prices will inevitably rise. We expect 2016 to be a really terrific year for Tampa real estate, especially for sellers.

New developments beginning downtown will create inventory, and it will bring a lot of buzz to our area. We expect a lot of new employers to come to town, and this means that job growth will increase. New jobs will positively affect our real estate market in 2016, so I am definitely looking forward to this year.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Your neighborhood could have a different path in 2016, so contact us or check our website for a more detailed report.

How to Sell Your Home During January in Tampa

Don’t forget to check out Andrew Duncan on National TV- CNBC’s Power Lunch ‘Power House Segment - on Thursday 12/31 at approximately between 1:20-1:40PM EST talking about a few of the Duncan Duo’s listings (if you want this type of national exposure for your home, you should call us to sell your home in 2016) and the Tampa Real estate market. You can see his segment from July here.

Contrary to popular belief, the winter is a great time to sell a home. The New Years cheer spreads out into the real estate market, and you can harness it as a seller.

Our real estate market doesn't suffer from a seasonal slowdown like most other places in the country. However, we still see a drop in inventory during the winter because it's simply inconvenient to sell at this time.

This is why buyers and sellers that are in the market during the winter are very motivated to buy a home. They may have to buy or sell for employment reasons, or they may have some other extenuating circumstance where they must buy or sell a home.

This gives you a good chance to capitalize on these captive buyers and sellers. You have a very good chance to negotiate for a good deal whether you're buying or selling. If you're looking to buy an investment property, then now is the time to do so!

There are also tax benefits to buying a home before the end of the year. You will receive a Homestead Exemption a year earlier. This is significant when tax season comes around.

Don't take the winter off because the market will be crowded by the time you're ready to buy or sell. You'll be fighting other buyers and sellers, and you won't get a deal like you can right now.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to speaking with you!

Matt Carle Shares with us His Favorite Christmas Memories

Matt Carle shares with us his fondest Christmas memories from his family. You always knew there would be a hockey stick under the tree Christmas morning.

Matt Carle

Why its better to Buy a home instead of renting in Tampa Bay & Sarasota 970WFLA Real Estate News

Andrew Duncan, Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor and expert talks about the advantages of buying a home instead of renting in Tampa Bay and Sarasota. Randy Noon of Buyer Protection Group Home Inspection Service and Arnie Diaz of Waterstone Mortgage also share their thoughts about what's happening in the market and the financial options for those who are thinking about buying a home.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

Tampa Bay & Florida Mortgage Rates expected to rise & impact Real Estate Market after next Fed Meeting

Andrew Duncan, Tampa's #1 Realtor and expert spoke with David Diaz on The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970WFLA, about the expectation of rising interest rates after the next Fed Meetings. Mortgage rates are still hovering in a very good rate (below 4). What a lot of people are worried about is the upcoming FED meeting on the 15 and 16th of December. If rates go up, it will hurt the buying power which not only affects the buyer but also the seller. They discuss how that will impact the market and what is expected in 2016.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

Anton Stralman Shares His Hometown

Anton Stralman shares about his life in his hometown and some of the attractions. It's a quieter town but has what you need, such as shopping and restaurants. It's also an old town, so there is neat medieval and older buildings to view.

Anton Stralman

Sarasota & Manatee 2015 Real Estate Stats EOY and how they compare to Tampa

Last weekend on The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970WFLA, Andrew Duncan spoke with David Diaz about the EOY 2015 real estate statistics for Sarasota and Manatee Counties. They discussed how prices have risen as have the number of sales, but that condo and townhome values are starting to soften. They also compared the stats to Tampa’s home sales stats and discussed how the peak periods in the 2 markets are different (Sarasota can see a peak in winter months due to population increase, retirees/vacation buyers) whereas Tampa’s strongest months are generally in the summer (December due to homestead exemption still continues to do well though). However, the 2 markets do not see large fluctuations in # of sales like northern states do in the winter.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

J.T. Brown and Tyler Johnson Share What's Great About the Tampa Bay Lightning Fans

J.T. Brown and Tyler Johnson discuss what's great about having their fans and home crowd cheering them on in the stadium. The advantage of playing on home ice and having your fans fighting for you to win really makes us play our best.

J.T. Brown

Tyler Johnson

Craigslist Rental and Real Estate Scams to Avoid in Tampa Bay from 970WFLA Real Estate Radio Show

Andrew Duncan, Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor and expert talks with Paul Arrington from Arrico Property Management about some of the scams happening on craigslist. There have seen many renters get scammed by people who didn't own homes but posed as owners or property managers on craigslist. Listen as he and Paul give practical steps to take to protect yourself from these situations.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

Sell During the Holidays in Tampa

Many homeowners think they should wait until spring to sell their homes. However, that's a myth cultivated by years of living up north. Because of warm weather all year long, the Tampa market doesn't experience huge drop-offs in sales like other markets experience in the winter. There are several reasons why selling during the holidays is a smart move.

There are not as many people selling. This time of year, buyers are motivated and determined. With fewer homes on the market, you have less competition. You have a better chance of getting a better price. Waiting to sell might be a mistake since the rest of the competition will list in the springtime.
Gain a clean slate for finding a new home in the spring. You can get your finances in order, clear everything off the books by the end of the year, and hit the market ready to buy in the spring.
There's an increase in population. Snowbirds come down to Tampa and fall in love. If you wait until spring, you will miss out on that whole audience of buyers.
The saturation rates often favor sellers. The saturation rate describes the number of homes on the market versus the number of homes sold. This can vary neighborhood to neighborhood, so talk to a real estate agent to make sure.
Interest rates are expected to rise next year. Buyers will lose buying power, so they cannot pay as much for your home. Get in front of that rate hike and sell your home now before prices go down.

As you can see, there are many reasons why you should sell this holiday season. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Tampa Home Values & Real Estate Statistics from #1 Tampa RE/MAX Realtor - November 2015

Andrew Duncan, Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor and expert talks about the Sales Stats from the Oct 15 report of The Greater Tampa Association of Realtors (GTAR) which comes out every month.

As expected around this time every year, the average sales price and number of transactions starts to drop a little bit. This is usually seen more in November and December and not as much in October. Although the average sales price dropped a bit from September's stats, there was a 6.5% jump from last years numbers. Average home selling is about 65-70 days, 3 months of inventory. 2562 homes sold in October vs 2646 homes sold in September but compared to last year's, there was still about a 6% jump for the average number of sales. There's a 20% faster sale cycle as compared to last year. We're still in a seller's market with 3 months of inventory.

Andrew reminds everyone that not because these are the statistics, it doesn't mean it applies to all neighborhoods in Tampa Bay. It would still depend on the area and price range of your home.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

Why is NOW the best time EVER in Tampa Bay to be a landlord & buy rental property

Andrew Duncan, Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor and expert talks with Paul Arrington of Arrico Property Management about why it's a great time to be a landlord in Tampa Bay. There are a lot of great investment opportunities, not just for flips but for long term investment returns.

Some of the reasons why it's a great time to be a landlord are because rental rates have increased to the double digits in the Tampa Bay area while caring costs have gone lower (insurance cost, HOA fees), some of the HOA restrictions are softening as well.

Paul gives expert advice to those who are thinking of buying an investment home. Before you start investing, you need to map out a plan consult with a great realtor and property manager who can guide you through the process in order for you to get the best return in your investment.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.

Brian Boyle's Favorite Thanksgiving Experiences

Brian Boyle of Tampa Bay Lightning shares his favorite Thanksgiving experiences.

Brian Boyle

FHA loosening Condo financing will help condo values rise

Andrew Duncan, Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor and expert talks with Arnie and David Diaz of Waterstone Mortgage about condo financing and how FHA loosening guidelines will help condos in both Tampa Bay as well as Sarasota / Bradenton. There are so many condos out there that are undervalued and selling for lower prices because of the financing obstacles that are presented with those condos.

FHA is changing some of it’s rules which should allow more condo buildings to get FHA approval which would increase the ability of people to buy it and in effect would increase prices. Condo values have been depressed because of 25+% down payments being needed and if FHA loosens up, it could have a dramatic impact on condo values and demand.

To get more Tampa Bay Real Estate news and advice from Tampa Bay's #1 Realtor, tune in to The Duncan Duo Real Estate Show on 970 WFLA - Tampa Bay every Sundays at 10 am.