Great deals in Treasure Island right now. There are a few Sun ketch townhomes for sale under way $200,000.

It is a great community right on Isle of Capri. All of the units are around 1000 square feet (give or take) and they have a huge oversized 3 car garage.  This is a great price considering that these units sold for $280,000 ad $290,000 just a few years ago.

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us.   727 409 8706

This is a great deal right here in Treasure Island. Perfect vacation getaway. One bedroom one bath only 3 a few walking minutes from the Treasure Island beach. Boca Ciega Shores is a small condo complex here in Treasure Island. The unit is completely updated and just waiting for you to move in. Asking price is $99,900. You can live here year around or use it as a vacation property and rent it out while you do not use it.

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us.   727 409 8706

The drum cicle on Treasure Island.

Just a reminder, every Sunday night for sunset a lot of people gather on the beach in Treasure Island on the corner of Gulf Blvd and 104 Ave. Everybody is in a good spirit, people listen to the drums, dance in the sand and celebrate a Beautiful Sunset. Treasure Island is a unique place and this event is very unique too. Come out and play one of these days.

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us.   727 409 8706

Treasure Island sunsets.

Caddy's in Treasure Island Florida is one of my favorite spots to watch the sunset. You can sit on the roof top, have a nice cocktail and enjoy the sea breeze while you watch a beautiful sunset. It does not matter how often I go, the sunset is always different. The colors and cloud formation are amazing.

Just imagine you would live here..................

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us.   727 409 8706

I am not sure what to do anymore.

I had the same photo up for years and it is like branding yourself.

Than as years went by I really NEEDED a new picture so people would still recognize me. It took forever to change the picture on all the websites and. . .

Now that everything is finally changed I have a different haircut and different color and do not look like my picture at all anymore. Thinking about this I came up with the idea of posting different pictures on different sites.

What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea?

What will it do to my  "branding"?

Will it confuse people or will it stick out and therefore be remembered even more?

One picture on my business card another picture on my website and yet another picture on my blog?

Should these pictures be completely different, like hair up, hair down, yellow dress, red dress, green background, blue background? Or should I try to keep them as much alike as I can?

What are you doing with your pictures?

How old are they?

Do you use the same picture everywhere?

Was your picture taken by a professional photographer or is it just a "snap shot"

Would love to get your input

Anne Hensel

What a great combination. Pat Grosso is absolutely awesome.

If you are looking for a Title company here in St. Petersburg, Treasure Island, Madeira beach I can only recommend Chicago Title on St. Pete Beach, next to PJ's restaurant at the corner of Gulf Blvd.

The closing agent is Pat Grosso and she is fantastic, very passionate about her job and right on the ball. She does not miss a beat and she will go beyond her duties to get a deal closed. I have known and worked with Pat Grosso for years now , and it is about time that I write this post and let everybody know how good she is at her job.

Just to give you an example, last week we had a closing, with some "minor" problems. like

Buyer was divorce, but all of a sudden we find out he is married. . . . .

The wife is out of the country and UPS can not deliver the closing package because the wife has the maiden name on the door.

Lender all of a sudden realizes it is not a condo; it is a single family home, so the program is wrong.

Mortgage Company forgets t send money.

Lender has the date wrong on the HUD statement and therefore the money does not add up. Buyer is going on vacation the day before closing and forgets to leave the money in escrow.  This was a total disaster, and we would have never been able to close the deal if Pat had not invested a ton of energy and worked really hard on this one.

So, Mr. Seller, if you have a contract, take it to Chicago title, Pat Grosso, she will get the job done.

Anne Hensel

Real Estate Broker ABR, E-PRO,

C-CREC, TRC, ASR, RECS, AHS

St. Petersburg Florida

www.AnneHensel.com

Real Estate updates Treasure Island Florida

As of today 2/2/08 we have a total of 416 active residential listings (not including for sale By Owners) in Treasure Island. Starting with an asking price of  $122,900 for a small condo on Gulf Blvd and it goes all the way up to $3,999,000 for a new construction condo right on the beach. So far this year 5 units have been sold and 13 are under contract supposed to close in the next few weeks in Treasure Island

In Treasure island 17 of the 416 listings are single family homes off the water; they range from $257,000 to $699,900.

62 single family homes are on the water asking prices range

From $474,900 to $3,499,000.

The average asking price in Treasure Island per square foot for single family homes on the water is $417.

Sold prices for the last 6 month was $332 per square foot.

Please keep in mind that these numbers are for all of Treasure Island, they might be totally different for a specific neighborhood or type of house or type of waterfront.

If you think about buying a property here in Treasure Island you need to talk to your Realtor and get a detailed comparative market analysis before you make an offer.

In times like this, some houses are priced below market value and other are way above market value. So, as I always say "Do your homework" educated yourself and get all the information you need to make a good decision.

Real Estate updates Treasure Island Florida

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us.   727 409 8706

Anne Hensel

Real Estate Broker ABR, E-PRO,

C-CREC, TRC, ASR, RECS, AHS

St. Petersburg Florida

www.AnneHensel.com

Paradise Island on Treasure Island

To me this in one of the nicest subdivisions Treasure Island has - but than again beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I like Paradise Island on Treasure Island because it has a little bit of everything.

Single family homes on and off the water most of them are primary homes. It also has the "Village of Paradise" a town home complex, again some on the water some off the water." Paradise Island Tower" is a condo complex and "La Costa Brava"  has small villas.

Right now, Real estate prices here on Paradise Island, Treasure Island ranges from $155,000 for a 1 bedroom 1 bath 785 square feet villa to a 2850 square foot  4 bedroom 2 bath  single family home on the water for $1,450,000. So there is something for every lifestyle.

Paradise Island also features a few small parks and the public Treasure island Golf and Tennis club, which is great to have and supports and active lifestyle.

Also, Paradise is right off Central Ave and only 4 minutes from the beach and downtown Treasure Island, close to shopping and restaurants and 15 minutes from Downtown St Petersburg. This little Island has a great feeling to it, lots of character and charm. Neighbors actually know each other and they gather every two month for some fun activities.

Also, the "voluntary association" organizes a huge yard sale every year and a Christmas party. The entrance to Paradise Island is a long 2 way street with lots of beautiful mature palm trees in the middle.

Come see for yourself, Paradise island on Treasure island is a beautiful place to call home.

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us.   727 409 8706

Anne Hensel

Real Estate Broker ABR, E-PRO,

C-CREC, TRC, ASR, RECS, AHS

St. Petersburg Florida

www.southbeaches.info

Pinellas County Taxes, important for you

Florida has voted   YES  on January 29^th.

Now you need to find out what it really means for you and your property.

It might make a big difference for you and it might not.

Educated yourself, it is your money.

If you have bought and sold your homesteaded property in the last 2 years,

please contact your local property appraiser's office.

You might be able to save some money.

The portability provision of Amendment 1 is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2007.

Sellers may transfer their Save Our Homes credit.

So, do yourself a favor and go the property appraiser's website. For Pinellas County it is   http://www.pcpao.org/

They have great information, a Save your Homestead calculator and a great question and answer page.

Also look at the millage rate chart and how the property appraiser's office comes up with the assessed value of you house or condo. Check out their Glossary page, it explained all these word that sound like a foreign language to us.

Pinellas County Taxes, important for you

Make sure you do not miss any dead lines, such as

March 1

Filing deadline for Homestead, Widow/Widower, Senior, and Disability Exemptions for Florida residents

Filing deadline for Institutional Exemptions (non-profit, religious, educational, etc)

Filing deadline for Agricultural Classification

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us.   727 409 8706

This is good news for our Pinellas County St. Pete area.

For most of us this might just be the right time to refinance. Not only because of the two big rate cuts this month but also and especially if the cap for Jumbo loans will be raised. The new cap on Jumbo loans will have a big impact for the beach areas where a lot of people have Jumbo loans and they are about 1% higher in interest rates than conventional loans.

So, go check with your mortgage broker or lender, depending on what you have now, you might easily save 2% maybe even more.

Think about combining the first and second and maybe an equity line into one low fix rate mortgage.

Just be careful, make sure you understand all the fees involved and

(Here is the Realtor speaking) try to negotiate them.

Also, do not go out and shop "too much" make sure you tell them your credit score and do not let everybody pull your credit scores; it might hurt your points.

A friend of mine just refinanced and went from a 9.2% interest rate to a 5.75% rate. A client of mine just purchased a Condo as a second home and got a 5.5% rate. So, do your homework, it might save you a lot of money to take action soon.