Straight from the Top!

If you purchased your home in Hillsborough County last year, this is very important. Failure to properly file for Homestead Exemption with the Property Appraiser could cost you hundreds of dollars. The application must be submitted on or before March 1. Florida allows up to $50,000 (additional 25,000 does not apply to school taxes) to be deducted from the assessed value of a primary residence.

You must have legal or beneficial title to the property recorded in Hillsborough County by January 1 of the year of application and establish Hillsborough County as your legal domicile and reside on the subject property and be a US citizen or Permanent Resident. Homestead exemption is automatically renewed each year afterward until ownership is changed.

If you are on active duty in the military, you can qualify by providing proof of Florida residency such as a Florida driver license or LES (Leave and Earnings Statement). Once you have done this and are transferred on orders and you maintain your Florida residency, you can retain the exemption by providing a copy of your orders and mailing address to the Property Appraiser.

To apply, you will need:

· Proof of Florida residency (i.e. Driver license)

· Proof of Citizenship (i.e. voter registration or permanent resident card)

· Address of property, tax bill or deed/title.

· Social Security numbers for your spouse and any owner who resides on the property

· If you own a mobile home or have a special type of ownership, such as a trust, please call the Property Appraiser’s office at 813-272-6100 for more information.

Other exemptions that may be available:

· $500 for Widow/Widower

· $500 for Personal Disability

· $500 for Blind Disability

· $5000 for Veteran Disability

· Property Tax Discount for Veterans with Combat Related Disability

· Property Tax Exemption For Deployed Active Duty Military Personnel

· Service Connected Total and Permanent Disability

· Total and Permanent Personal Disability

· Senior Citizen 65 years of age

· Live-in Parents/Grandparents

You may file by going in person to complete the application at any of the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Offices by March 1. The application is also online at http://www.hcpafl.org. You may print a sample and instructions that you may use and return by mail. Please call the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser at 813-272-6100 for more information. If you live in Pinellas, Pasco, or Polk Counties, please contact your local property appraiser for more information.

There are some good investments out there.  This is the actual speadsheet analysis for a contract we just wrote on a home for sale in Valrico.  Now is the time to wisely buy Florida real estate in the Tampa Bay area!

There are lots of incredible deals on homes in the Tampa Bay area, especially in the waterfront condo market, which seems to have taken the biggest hit when the real estate market dropped a few years ago.  You just need to know how to shop for the best deals.  If you are interested in buying or selling a home anywhere in the Tampa Bay area, or you need property management group, please let me know.

Would like like to see how to actually analize an investment to make sure it works for you?  Please review the following:

http://youtu.be/HQUkg96Xbl0

I recently attended the Grand Opening for the new development in Apollo Beach, Waterset.  It’s an incredible place with great places for social and family gathering, walking, and ideal for nature lovers.  This should be an ideal location for our MacDill AFB family, and we serve a lot of those through USAA.

My favorite builder, Ashton Woods Homes, is there as well.  They build an incredible house, their floor plans are spectacular, and the brand new state of the art Design Center is something to see.  If would like information on Ashton Woods or the Waterset community, just click on the “Waterset” button, or contract one of our sales associates and we would be happy to provide you with anything you need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuI9oup4jt4&feature=colike

Your truly,

Jeff Shaw, CPA, CAM, TRC, Broker
USAA Preferred Broker
Certified Distressed Property Expert
 (813) 643-0054

To me, one of our primary responsibilities is to do the best we can to assist those who take care of us, i.e. our military family, our policemen, our firemen, our teachers, and all those we have a debt to because of their unselfish giving to our country and communities.

You may have noticed we just added the USAA link on our web site home page, whereby USAA members can get up to $3100 back when buying or selling a home.  We also offer full property management services as well for those who are moving, but will be maintaining a home in the Tampa Bay area.  We have other special programs for law enforcement officers, firemen, and teachers.  If you are interested in any of the programs, please contact our Relocation Department at 813-643-0054 or email C21ShawRelo@aol.com.

We offer discounts and assistance on moving, appliances, motel rooms.  We can also assist you with a host of other necessary services when moving,  buying or selling, many with significant discounts through our Friends and Family Program.

If I can ever be of assistance to you, please call me at 813-643-0054 or email me at Jeff.Shaw@century21.com.

Sincerely,

Jeff Shaw
Broker

Twenty-five billion dollars (this is what it looks like with a dollar sign $25,000,000,000) for distressed homeowners in the 49 state settlement with five of the nation’s largest lenders; Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. The benefits are for borrowers whose loans were owned or serviced by these lenders.

This is a very large and complex settlement and it appears not all the details have been worked out, but based on the research I have done, it appears the settlement will benefit homeowners and borrowers in several areas including but not limited to:

· Allow thousands of distressed homeowners to complete loan modifications and stay in their homes.

· Require lenders who are handling the foreclosure and loan modification programs to complete them accord to standardized procedures and predetermined timelines.

· Lenders are required to provide a single point of contact

· Loan servicers are required to speed up and consolidate the sales process on short sales

· Provide funds to certain victims of foreclosures

Stay tuned and we will continue to update you with the information as we get more information from the State Attorney’s office.

Located at the East end of Bloomingdale Avenue, Twin Lakes is one of the best blends of old and new Florida. The community is located nestled between two lakes, Lake Michaela and Lake Sterns. Lake Michaela is the center of it all with a one mile walking path around the private lake, and it is stocked to make some great fishing for the residences and their guest. Take the walk and you see Florida nature at its best, with numerous species of birds there at any given time. The private park covers 15 acres with is shaded by the majestic 100+ year old massive oaks.

There are currently 9 active listings in Twin Lakes with an average list price of $258,000. The median list price currently $199,900. The average list price per square foot is currently at $101.

Twelve homes have sold in Twin Lakes this year with sale prices ranging from $148,000 to $445,000. The median sales price in Twin Lakes is $248,000. The average sales price per square was $101.25 and the average sales price was $271,667.

Twin Lakes is a nice secluded community where Bloomingdale Avenue dead ends. To Tampa, it’s a straight shot across to Bloomingdale Avenue to I-75 and the Crosstown Expressway, or the alternative route is Lithia Pinecrest. To head toward Orlando Lake just go straight North to access I-4.

It you need demographic information about the area, or if you are interested market data in any other areas, please let me know and we would be happy to supply you with that information.

Brandon Brook is a nice deed restricted community with some great deals on the market right now. The big thing is there are some incredible deals there right now. There are 10 active listings on the market, and 8 of the 10 are short sales, and some of those are at really great prices for owner occupant or the investor.

The average list price in Brandon Brook currently is just over $90,000. The median price is about $89,000. The average price per square foot is $59.40. Overall, the asking prices are ranging from $80,000 to just over $107,000. Those are some really good prices. It is a great area for military buyers, of which we see a lot of USAA members in the area, and for the investor as a rental, primarily because of the quality of the neighborhood and the location.

Brandon Brook is just off State Road 60 in Valrico, with easy access to I-4, I-75, the Crosstown Expressway and other major routes to make it an easy commute whether you are headed into Tampa or MacDill Air Force Base, or towards Orlando or Lakeland to the East.

The market in Brentwood Hills seems to be getting better with the coming year. The average sales price in Brentwood Hills has increased quarter by quarter this year, from the first quarter all the way through the middle of December.

The strongest quarter in the number of homes sold was also the third quarter with 12 homes closed during that period with an average sales price of $68.40 per square foot of living area. Pool homes are averaging about $5-6 per square foot more than non-pool homes. That equates to about $11,000 to $13,000 more for a pool home. What’s a little surprising also is that over 30% of the buyers were cash buyers.

Also is a chart showing all home in the Valrico (33594 zip code) so you can compare what’s happening to Valrico as a whole to Brentwood Hills. Overall, Brentwood Hills seems to be doing well. If you need additional information on market conditions or would like a more detailed update, please let me know.

Good news if you live in New Tampa.  New Tampa (33647 area code) includes several very nice communities, and based on recent sales, the market is certainly imporving there.  New Tampa includes Arbor Greene, Basset Creek, Cory Lake Isles, Cross Creek, Easton Park, Grand Hampton, Hammocks, Heritage Isles, Hunters Green, Live Oak Preserve, Pebble Creek, Tampa Palms, Tuscany, West Meadows and some other nearby communities.

The average home sold there in the second quarter as compared to the first quarter in 2011 was up 4.8% in just one quarter.  What's ever more amazing is that from the 2nd quarter to the 3rd quarter the average sales price jumped another 10.8%.  Those numbers are incredible or a nine month period!

The average sales price for the 3rd quarter 2011 is the highest since 2009 and the number of homes sold for the 3rd quarter was one of the strongest quarters in the last three years.

If you are considering buying or selling in the near future, now may be the time.  If you are considering up-sizing, I would absolutely give it close consideration.  Whether buying or selling anywhere in the Tampa area, or if you just want a market update for your specific neighborhood, please give me a call.

We are continuing to modify our web site to make it easier and easier for our clients to use.  Recently added subdivisions searches include Tampa Palms, Arbor Greene, Brandon Brook, Brentwood Hills, River Hills, Little Harbor and more.  We will be continuing to add, modify and restructure this site to suite you, our valued clients.

Please try our subdivision searches and let me know if you find them beneficial.