Check Out Your Neighborhood Before Trick or Treating

Its that time of year again and taking your kids out trick for treating can be a fun experience and not to sound alarmist, but you might want to check out the sex offender website before taking your kids door to door.


Florida law states that only offenders that require law enforcement supervision are not allowed to participate in Halloween.  That leaves a large percentage of sex offenders legally able to hand out candy to children on Halloween.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement provides a website where you can map out the registered sex offenders in your neighborhood and steer clear of those houses this year.

You can search your neighborhood here: FDLE Neighborhood Search

Manatee Viewing Center Preps for New Season

Last year more than 300,000 people came to see the Manatees at Tampa Electric's famous viewing center in Apollo Beach.  During the off season the company has been making some upgrades to the facilities to make sure it can continue to attract the crowds.

I have still yet to go, but have always wanted to and this year I'll definitely be making the trip down.  This year Teco installed a new 40 foot observation tower that promises grand views of the bay area.  The tower is part of a nature trail loop that takes visitors through three types of Florida ecosystems and a chance to get up closes to the wildlife and plants that are a part of them.

I'm sure the Manatees will be enough to hold my daughter's attention.  But if not, the education center has gotten a facelift as well with new interactive displays and games.  

The viewing center makes it into Kristen Hare's "100 Things to Do in Tampa Bay Before You Die" and it looks like I'll be crossing it off the bucket list this year.

You can find out more info on the viewing center by visiting their website.  www.tampaelectric.com/manatee.

Things To Do in Carrollwood: Week of 10/27

There's always something to do in Greater Carrollwood!

Carrollwood Cultural Center is hosting three shows this week.

Florida Treasures: A "Viva Florida" History Exploration scheduled for Tuesday Oct 28th @ 10:30am - A show in which two tourists find themselves transported back in time 500 years.

Our America scheduled for Oct 30th @ 10:30am - A.C.T. for Youth presents a show exploring Asian American, Latin American and Native American culture as well as the history of the underground railroad.

War of the Worlds scheduled for Oct 30th @ 7:30pm - Mas Community Theater will perform a reenactment of the controversial 1938 broadcast


Side Splitters is hosting Florida native comedian Frankie Paul, Non-Perishable food items donated to Metropolitan Ministries are being accepted in lieu of admission for some shows (check with http://www.sidesplitterscomedy.com/  )


Tampa Pitcher Show is hosting a Halloween party on Oct 31st @ 9:00pm by Hellcats Burlesque with an Amateur Burlesque show and costume contest.

Carrollwood Springs is hosting their community garage sale, Saturday Nov 21st @ 8:00am.  The subdivision is located off Casey rd just north of Ehrlich on the right hand side.

Tampa Voted as 6th Snobbiest City

My first thought on reading through the list of Snobbiest cities in America (as voted upon by Travel Magazine readers) was at least Miami is worst then us.  Which is usually the case, in my humble opinion.

Now according to the readers, our "snobbiness" centers around the SOHO or South Howard area of town.

“The upscale Southside delivers good people-watching and dolphin-watching along Bayshore Boulevard. It’s also where you’ll find the Epicurean Hotel, which has a wine shop and a cheeky dessert shop called Chocolate Pi, that faces local institution Bern’s Steak House."

I never thought of Tampa as snobby, but what do you think?

See Click Fix

Is it really that simple?

Every homeowner knows the frustration of the pothole you drive over every time you're making your way home after a long day of work.  Or the street light that doesn't come on right outside your house.  But who do you contact to get that fixed?  I'm sure someone else has reported the problem... I don't really want to go downtown and stand in line at a government office to report the problem.  And then I'm sure it'll take months for someone to come out.

Thats where SeeClickFix comes in.  I learned about this company yesterday during a real estate class I was taking, the instructor is an avid user and preached its simplicity and success.  Essentially, you download the app on your smartphone, register and report issues with pictures, geolocation and comments which is all submitted to your local governance for them to comment on and remedy.  And its all free.

Sounds pretty simple right?  Well I have signed up and I will provide a follow up with my experience on the app in the coming weeks.  If you want to give the app and service a try let me know how it goes and I will include your comments in the follow up article.

www.seeclickfix.com

Northdale Market Report: March 1st - May 20th 2014

22 homes sold in Northdale from March 1st to May 20th 2014.  That number is down from 29 homes during the same period last year.  (A trend we are seeing across all NW Hillsborough neighborhoods)

Average home sales price did increase 24% over the same period last year to $216,863.

An increase in average price per square foot was also noted, increasing from $90.90 to $104.46 per square foot this year.

At the time of this report, 18 homes are for sale in Northdale.

Looking for help with buying or selling a home in Northdale.  Contact me at Mike Galovic Homes and check out the Buyer and Seller Resources to take a step in the right direction.

Country Place Market Report: March 1st- May 20th 2014

A total of 19 homes were sold in Country Place between March 1st and May 20th of 2014.  This is down from 27 homes last year during the same period.

Home prices took an upswing however.  With the average home sales price increasing 9.5% over the past year.

Average price per square foot of homes sold in Country Place also increased, going from $95.5 to $108 per square foot.

At the time of this report, only 10 homes were actively for sale in Country Place.

Looking for help with buying or selling a home in County Place.  Contact me at Mike Galovic Homes and check out the Buyer and Seller Resources to take a step in the right direction.

Carrollwood Village Market Report: March 1st - May 20th 2014

17 Homes were sold in The Village in the past 3 months compared to 20 homes sold during the same period last year

Average sales price increased 12% over the past year up to $316,273.

We also saw an increase in average price per square foot.  From $114 last year to $120 this year.

Industry analysts at the National Association of Realtors are expecting Tampa home prices to rise 6% over the course of 2014.

At the time of this report there are 35 homes for sale in Carrollwood Village that have been on the market for an average of 55 days.

Looking for help with buying or selling a home in Carrollwood Village.  Contact me at Mike Galovic Homes and check out the Buyer and Seller Resources to take a step in the right direction.

Flood Insurance Update 2: Electric Boogaloo

Here we are again with more coming out about the seemingly incomprehensible new National Flood Insurance Rate Act.

The act, which was signed into law on Friday (March 21st, for those following along at home) included a grace period of 8 MONTHS for FEMA to develop guidance for insurance companies.  According to Lisa Jones, a consultant hired by the National Association of Realtors to examine the new law,  This grace period is followed by 6 month period that gives insurance companies time to revamp their software to handle the changes.

All boiled down, that means that you shouldn't expect to see immediate changes to the way the way your insurance agent details your flood insurance for some time.  In fact, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said when testifying before the House subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications, that buyers may need to work with both their insurance agent and FEMA directly to ensure they are given correct rates under the new law.

If you do happen to have increased rates now or are not able to procure the new rates when you purchase your home.  You will be eligible for a refund of the difference in premium levels once the changes are put into effect.

Step Forward in Stalling Flood Insurance Rate Hikes

Thursday the US Senate passed a measure that would stall rate hikes on flood insurance issued by the National Flood Insurance Program.

Many Florida homeowners were seeing their flood insurance rates spike ten fold over the past year, while others were being told they now had to purchase flood insurance because of a redrawing of FEMA flood zone maps.

The rate increases have added a new fear for Florida homebuyers.  In a market that is just starting to recover,  uncertainty on flood insurance premiums have seized some small markets in the area and caused flood zoned homes to sit unsold.

The bill, which now moves to the House for approval, would stall rate hikes for 4 years so that FEMA can conduct an affordability survey to better asses how and when to raise rates to cover the $27 billion in debt that has accumulated since the program's induction in 1968.

USDA Extends 100% financing for parts of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel

Many people don't know that the USDA offers a loan program for home buyers.  My conversations with clients usually go a little something like this:

"If you're looking for a lower down payment option, the USDA offers 100% financing in certain areas of town"
"The USDA?  Aren't they the beef people?"

The USDA offers these loans based on the applicant's income relative to the area's average and if the home being purchased is in a Rural Area, as defined by the department's interpretation of census data.  The great news for a lot of Tampa home buyers is that a lot of New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O Lakes is considered Rural, based on census data completed in the year 2000.

The new census data from 2010 and redrawn Rural designation maps were scheduled to take effect in Oct of 2013.  This was pushed back to January 15th 2014, and with the passing of the Omnibus Spending Bill by the US government, this was further extended to September 30th, 2014.

Interested in learning more about the qualifications?  You can visit the following links below for more info:

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/FL%20GRH.pdf - Florida Income requirements by area.

http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do?pageAction=sfhprop&NavKey=propproperty@11 - Map of approved Rural Areas

http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do - Catch all site for eligibility requirements and additional information.