What will happen to your home when you die? Will it get passed on seamlessly to your heirs? Or will the government and creditors get some or all of it? What if you become incapacitated later in life and cannot care for your home? What will happen? Those are touchy questions, but the first set of questions is inevitable, and the second is possible. If we care about what happens to our home Continue Reading
Should You Hire a Property Manager to Manage Your Vacation Home?
Some of Personal Realty Adviser’s Snowbird clients ask about renting their vacation homes when not in use to help generate extra income. If you’re contemplating renting out your vacation home when you’re not using it, you might be asking yourself if you need to hire a property manager. Remember that Vacation Home property managers are different from those hired to manage annual rentals. “A Continue Reading
10 Ways the Title to Your Home Can Be in Jeopardy
Most homeowners are unaware that many factors can jeopardize the ownership of their home, which is, for most of us, the most significant investment we will make in our lives. While this is a scary proposition, knowledge can help you avoid these pitfalls. We consulted our title expert, Carla Hall of America’s Title Corp, to explain the top 10 title issues she encounters. Before diving Continue Reading
What Type of Shifting Real Estate Market Are We In?
When selling or buying real estate, timing is essential. Homeowners that are thinking about selling their homes today long for the strong Sellers’ Market of recent years past. They may feel they missed their window of opportunity, and in many cases, they are correct. Buyers think their time has come! They THINK the sellers’ market is gone, and they should now be able to buy their dream home at Continue Reading
To Stage or Not to Stage? Can You Really Afford NOT to Stage Your Home?
Having well-planned strategies to stage your home can positively impact your final selling price. The cost of staging a home usually is well below that of the first price reduction if a home remains on the market for too long. If a home remains on the market for a month without an offer, the average selling price drops 5%. On a $500,000 home, that’s $25,000. “Statistics show the best chance of Continue Reading
The Florida Homestead Exemption: A Powerful Tool with Powerful Tax Benefits
One of the highest costs of homeownership can be property tax, which varies according to the city or county in which you reside. Understanding and taking advantage of the Homestead Exemption can help homeowners reduce their property taxes in both the short and long-term, especially in a booming market. “Florida laws pertaining to property taxes are unique, and many of our clients relocating Continue Reading
Our Favorite Things To Do In St. Petersburg
This blog has a bit of a different focus than most of our articles. It shares information we often are asked to provide for many of our transplant clients – homebuyers who have relocated here (St. Petersburg / Tampa Bay area), usually from other states. When their first guests are soon to arrive, they often ask for tips about off-the-beaten-path activities they can share with their visiting family Continue Reading
Top Considerations When Buying a Condo
The first step in the home-buying process is assessing what type of property best suits your needs. For many, the choice is between a condominium or a single-family home. “Before jumping in with both feet, we advise buyers to take some time to assess whether condo living is right for them,” said Robert Coscia, Broker and Owner of Personal Realty Advisers. “We often have buyers who start down Continue Reading
Home Buying 101… For EVERYONE
Home buying can be a tremendous challenge for many people, especially in this constantly shifting and changing real estate market. Homebuyers need strong guidance from trusted and experienced real estate professionals, as you will find at Personal Realty Advisers. “It’s more than just first-time homebuyers,” said Robert Coscia, Broker and Brokerage Owner of Personal Realty Advisers. “Home Continue Reading
The Benefits of Signing a Buyer’s Agreement with Your Broker
Buying a home is a significant investment—one of life’s biggest purchases—and it can be a complicated, lengthy process, so you want a real estate agent who will be fully committed to you. An experienced agent will dedicate a great amount of time to help you achieve your goal; likewise, they want their buyers to be fully committed to them in return. One way this mutual commitment is often Continue Reading