Properties, houses and condos for sale in St Petersburg Treasure Island Florida

Vacation Condos for sale in Madeira Beach and Redington, Tampabay

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:46:27 -0600

Vacation Condos for sale in Madeira Beach and Redington, Tampabay

We have a lot of people that are looking to buy a vacation property in Madeira Beach and Redington Beach or anywhere else in the Tampabay area. They are from Canada or somewhere up north and they want to buy a condo so they can come down to the Tampabay area for a vacation and rent it out while they are not using it themselves. Please be aware, there are rental restrictions in each condo association and this can make a huge difference in your rental income.

Here are just a few vacation condos for sale in Madeira Beach and Redington Beach with the different rental restrictions.

Beach Place condo 3 days

Collwood condo 7 days

Gulf Mariner condo 90 days

Madeira Bay condo 3 days

Madeira Cove condo 30 days

John's Pass condo 3 days

Sandy Shores condo 3 days

Tower Isle condo 90 days

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Tampabay 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

New waterfront condo listing in the wonderful gated waterfront community of Seminole Isle

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:24:50 -0600

New waterfront condo listing in the wonderful gated waterfront community of Seminole Isle.

This subdivision is only 4 years old and everything is like brand new. The clubhouse is gorgeous, has a huge kitchen and a social room overlooking the incredible tropical pool area.

Seminole Isle also features tennis courts, a gym, a boat and fishing dock, a little private beach, a BBQ area, 2 huge waterfront cabanas, a long walk way overlooking the serene natural beauty of Lake Seminole and storage area for your canoes.

The condo itself is on the 6^th floor and has beautiful water views. High ceilings, gourmet kitchen, open floor plan, plantation shutters, lots of mirrors, screened in balcony, inside laundry room, covered parking and much much more. There is no better value in town; the owner has spent over $50,000 in upgrades.

Seminole Isle is one of a kind waterfront community in the heart of Pinellas County. You are not only buying a condo you are buying a relaxed but yet energetic lifestyle. This top floor waterfront condo has 1500 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. This is not a Short Sale, so no disasters here and it is also available for lease option. New waterfront condo listing in the wonderful gated waterfront community of 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

Ocean front / waterfront condo for sale at Mansions by the Sea in Treasure Island Tampabay.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:17:38 -0600

Ocean front / waterfront condo for sale at Mansions by the Sea in Treasure Island Tampabay.

You have to see the views to believe it. This is a corner condo on the 10^th Floor in the Mansions by the Sea towers here in Treasure Island Tampabay on Sunset beach.

This condo is simply beautiful, not only the views over Saint Petersburg and the Gulf of Mexico but also the inside with very relaxing neutral colors, open floor plan and updated kitchen. This gated condo community here in the little beach town of Treasure Island has a lot to offer. Wait until you see the beautiful pool area overlooking the beach. This is a one of a kind property, live right on the beach. Ocean front / waterfront condo for sale at Mansions by the Sea in Treasure Island Tampabay.

Shores of Long Bayou in Seminole, waterfront condo / townhome community in Seminole Tampabay Florida

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:55 -0600

Shores of Long Bayou in Seminole, a waterfront condo / townhome community in Seminole Tampabay Florida

Shores of Long Bayou. A lot of people don't know that it exist or where it is. This gated condo community with about 340 units and 23 condo association is just off Seminole Blvd and 62^nd Ave. the tiny little street that leads to it is unknown and nobody ever takes it. Shores of Long Bayou is hidden away at the southern part of Lake Seminole. Once you enter through the gate you are in a different world. The community of Shore of Long Bayou was built between 1998 and 2004. It sits on 77 acres of beautiful waterfront. with 25 acres of lakes and ponds, and little parks and nature preserves.

Shores of Long Bayou in Seminole, a waterfront condo / townhome community in Seminole Tampabay Florida has all the amities you can possibly dream of. A 1.7 mile nature trail that is perfect to take your morning walk or a sunset stroll, pools and spas that have tropical landscaping and make you feel like you live in a vacation resort, a gym that is well equipped and encourages you to a work out once in a while, shuffle board courts that you can use with your friends for some fun after work, let me not forget the tennis courts that you can use anytime or the waterfront community dock. Shores of Long Bayousits right on Lake Seminole, you can spend day fishing or just watch the wildlife and enjoy this relaxing feeling you get. Talking about Lake Seminole, once tidal flats, it was created in the 1940^th Shores of Long Bayou is only 4 minutes away from Seminole park. A recreation facility that attracts lots of people. The park offers a few boat ramps and parking for cars and trailers, 13 picnic places with BBQ grills, a playground for children, a walking trail that also allows biking and rollerblading, water fountains, beautiful areas to lay out in the sun and watch the water, gazebos and shelters, rest rooms, a softball field and volleyball courts and on it goes. Lake Seminole Park is a beautiful place to spend an enjoyable day, more than one million people visit every year. Dogs and other pets are welcome as long as they are on a leach.

Back to Shores of Long Bayou in Seminole, a waterfront condo / townhome community in Seminole Tampabay Florida. Since I am a Realtor I better tell you about some of the great deals you can find at Shores of Long Bayou. For now I will concentrate on a gorgeous 1324 square feet condo built in 2001 With relaxing water views onto the natural vegetation surrounding Lake Seminole. The condo has an open floor plan with a nice size kitchen, plenty of storage and lots on natural light coming in. The asking price is $163,000 Where else you can find this for under $170,000 ??? Pets up to 25 Pounds are allowed, and you also get a full size garage with the condo. Live here year around or use this perfect retreat as a second home and you can also rent for a minimum period of 3 month if you are not in town. At the moment the lowest price unit in Shores of Long Bayou is $ 163,000 and the highest price is $399,000 Like I said earlier, Shores of Long Bayou is hidden away but within minutes you are on Seminole Blvd where you can find all kinds of stores, malls, restaurants, you name it. Tampa airport is only 30 minutes away and within an hour and a half you can be at all the Disney world attractions.

The City of Seminoleis located just minutes from the beautiful beaches and the Gulf of Mexico. It was incorporated in 1970 and has about 80,000 residents. I do not have any kids, but my friends and clients tell me that the city of Seminole has one of the best school systems in Tampabay. It is a very active community with lots of fun things to do for all age groups. People love Seminole, since it is so close to the beaches you get the "beach life style" without paying the big price tags.

If you need more information on the area, check out a few of the links below or call us for more great deals in the city of Seminole like single family homes for sale or "Seminole Isle"properties for sale or "Beachway" condos for sale or a bunch of great townhome communities. Hope you enjoyed the little information aboutShores of Long Bayou in Seminole, a waterfront condo / townhome community in Seminole Tampabay Florida.

Seven Strategies for your credit cards

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:47:34 -0600

Via National Credit Fixers - Matt Listro:

We're officially four months away from the Credit Card Holder's Bill of Rights going into effect. And, if certain Democrats have their way, we're only thirty days away. But, for the sake of argument let's assume that the CARD Act provisions will wait until February 2010 to become enforceable law.

During these last few days of the credit card world's version of the Wild Wild West we should continue to see credit card issuers behaving badly, very badly in fact. The mega-credit card issuers have a shrinking window of opportunity to finish remolding their cardholder base to look more like what they will finally deem as being to their liking. This means consumers will continue to suffer the at the hands of their credit card companies, that is of course unless they employ one or more of the following strategies.

1. Don't Not Use Your Card - Ok, the poor grammar was intentional and corny but I think I've made my point. Credit card issuers are in busy to make money and make a profit. They can't do either unless you are using your credit card. And, the best news is that you do not have to carry a balance from one month to the next in order to drop a few dimes in your credit card issuers pockets. Each time you use your credit card the merchant (aka the place you used the card) has to pay the bank a fee. This fee is called interchange. It technically comes out of your pocket because many retailers will build the assumed fee into the price of the merchandise but it sure doesn't feel that way when we buy stuff with our credit cards. So, knock the dust off your cards and use them for modest purchases. Don't revolve a balance and don't get into a position where your balances spiral out of control and you'll be fine.

2. Shut Up! - In the past a viable strategy to get fees waived and interest rates lowered was to call your credit card issuer and complain or otherwise plead your case. That's still a decent strategy but beware. Your credit card issuer might turn the tables and start asking YOU questions in order to determine whether or not they still want to do business with you. If you call them and THEY start asking questions about your job status and salary then end the convo and hang up or you might just end up with a closed credit card.

3. Open Another Card, NOW - One of the worst strategies I see people employing today is the 1-card strategy. You should have MORE cards, not fewer cards. In the ideal mix of credit model - a consumer should have 3-5 credit cards (personally I endorse 4 or 5 cards). Clearly this is a credit score play as well since having more available and unused credit limits are always good for your credit scores. So, if you have one or two credit cards right now, think about opening at least one more. This gives you options in case one of your credit card issuers starts behaving badly towards you. Nothing is more empowering than saying "I'll take my business elsewhere" and then actually doing it.

4. Don't Hide Behind Great FICO Scores - FICO published a study earlier this year and the findings showed that the median FICO score for a consumer who has seen his or her credit limit reduced was 770. A 770 FICO score is fantastic in any lender's book and especially in this credit environment where lenders are gravitating to stronger borrowers. What this means is that just because you have great FICOs it doesn't fully shield you from adverse treatment from lenders.

5. Go Small and Go Local - I was speaking with John Ulzheimer, founder of credit dot com and a nationally recognized credit expert and he made an interesting point. He said that we, as consumers and watchdogs, tend to focus on the largest 5-10 banks and tend to forget about the thousands of lenders who are NOT treating their customers poorly. Credit unions are a great example of these lenders. If you are sick of how you're being treated by your Manhattan bank then perhaps you need a local credit union or local bank on your side.

6. Don't Exit The System - The blogs are on fire with angry consumers who are claiming to have sworn off credit for the foreseeable future because of how they are being treated by their lenders. "From now on if I can't pay cash for it I won't buy it." Eh, that plays well on the big screen but it's not realistic. Carrying around cash to pay for things is a bad idea. And good luck using debit cards for things like business travel and European vacations. Stay in the system, please.

7. If All Else Fails, Litigate - If you're finding yourself saddled with a garbage credit report because of errors and you can't the credit bureaus or lenders to correct your files then think about filing a lawsuit. You certainly wouldn't be alone. There will be over 8,500 credit related lawsuits filed this year. Collections agencies are the targets in most of them but certainly the credit bureaus and lenders are in the cross hairs a fair amount too. Just be sure to hire a lawyer who knows what he's doing.

So there you have it, seven solid strategies to hopefully minimize your chances of being treated poorly by your creditors. And while there are certainly no guarantees that you'll exit this credit environment without a few scars, you can certainly make yourself as immune as possible by doing a few easy and inexpensive things.

Good luck!!

☺

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street 4th Floor
East Hartford, CT 06108

credit repair company

How much should I pay for a condo in Sunset Vistas in Treasure Island Tampabay on Gulf Blvd.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:32:23 -0600

How much should I pay for a condo in Sunset Vistas in Treasure Island Tampabay on Gulf Blvd.

You do not need to be a Realtor or an appraiser to find the right price for these condos. All it takes it common sense. All of the units are the same, same size, same year built, same color, same floors, same kitchen, same furniture same everything BUT the view.

There are 13 units in a row going all the way from the street to the beach angled so each unit has a view of the water. The building has five floors above parking. The units have 3 digit numbers the first number is the floor and the other two are the position on the floor. It starts with 1 at the street site and goes up to 13 which is closest to the beach.

So, right now unit units in Sunset Vista Treasure Island

408 is listed for $299,000

302 is listed for $306,000

403 is listed for $309,900

Now here we have unit 201 listed for $399,000. I hope the seller does not wonder why it has been on the market for 1132 days. This unit is on the lowest floor and the furthers from the beach.

All this said, one last thing. Don't just "stumble" into the Real Estate market, do your homework first, be prepared find a good Listing agent or selling agent that knows Treasure Island, someone that does a lot of online advertising and marketing for a listing and comparative market analysis for a sale, check out his or her testimonials, "Google" the name.

I hope I gave you a good answer to your question. How much should I pay for a condo in Sunset Vistas in Treasure Island Tampabay on Gulf Blvd.

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

Selling/ listing my home or condo in Treasure Island, how do I find the right asking price?

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:21:01 -0600

Selling/ listing my home or condo in Treasure Island, how do I find the right asking price?

The answer to that is very easy, have your Realtor (make sure it is a local real estate expert) do a comparable market analysis for you or get and official appraisal. (From an appraiser that knows the area well) Yes, that's how easy it is. No if's and but's, no guess work. Keep in mind we homeowners all think that our house or condo is so much NICER that the neighbors. Our children are so much smarter than the others and on we go. It is impossible for a home owner to be unbiased or objective about their own property. There are too many emotions involved and we simply cannot see a clear picture. Talking to your friends and neighors won't help either, they are not experts and they do not want to "hurt your feelings"

Keep in mind, in this kind of market is it more important than ever to ask the right price for your home or condo. If you are priced wrong, nobody will make an offer and you will sit on your listing forever.

I am a Realtor in Treasure Island and also a homeowner in Treasure Island, if I want to know what I could sell my home for, I would ask one of my fellow Realtor here in Treasure Island. I can do the comparable market analysis for ever home or condo in Treasure Island BUT for my own. I simply can't see it objectively.

Hope this helps you a little bit to answer the question Selling/ listing my home or condo in Treasure Island, how do I find the right asking price?

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

A day in a Realtor's live here in Saint Petersburg Tampabay

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:08:44 -0600

A day in a Realtor's live here in Saint Petersburg Tampabay

I just have to write this. A few days ago we closed on a property in St. Pete for a client of mine and at closing when we talked about the little obstacles we run into during the process, my buyer said "I always thought it was easy to be a Realtor, I had no idea what you have to deal with" Ever since that conversation this sentence is stuck in my mind.

What do our buyers and seller think we are doing all day long?

I am one of the Realtor who tries to make buying and selling real estate in Saint Petersburg a good experience for the buyer and seller and therefore I deal with most of the "Little Things" myself instead of bothering the buyer or seller with it. I aim to have two happy parties at the closing table and not a buyer and seller that are mad at each other or mad at the banks or the other Realtor or the Title company or or or. But by doing so, my clients think the deal was a walk in the park and do not understand how much work, time and energy was involved.

So, today I will just give you a "list of thing that happened"

Original plan (so much for time management) was to work out of my house till noon and fine tune my new website so it can go live.

6.30 Woke up and had a cup of coffee while I switch on my computer.

7.00 I started working, have 57 e mails, deleted most of them.

Answer one property inquiry about a condo that is already under contract, did comparable sale on a listing inquiry, did a property search for a few clients, looked at the new bank owned and short sale listings in Saint Petersburg, started to write my newsletter for this month, added a price change to the MLS search, downloaded real estate pictures of waterfront home to my computer, e mailed a bunch of waterfront homes to a buyer up north. Printed an offer that I had received and started a file, forwarded this offer to my seller.

Called my seller and left a message to see if he got the offer.

Called the listing agent to see if water was on one of the properties here in St. Pete that we need to do a home inspection on.

Called Title Company to see if they had received one check I send yesterday and to find out if another one from last week had cleared.

Answer a call and gave a clients some phone numbers for home inspectors.

Answer a realtor's call about a listing that I had in St. Pete

Called one of my owners to set up a showing.

Printed a few properties and made 5 phone calls to schedule showings for my buyer and to get showing instructions

Answered a phone call about the condo budge of Seminole Isle.

Answered a phone call about rental restrictions in Sunset Vistas on Treasure Island

Made about 10 phone calls to mortgage brokers to find out who can still finance Condotel.

10am, left the house, got my Starbucks coffee, stopped at the bank to drop of a commission check. Run into a buyer that saw my car sign and had a few real estate questions about Madeira beach. Finally got to the office about 11.30 am

Made 12 phone calls to banks about short sale listings we have, faxed a short sale package for the 4^th time to the same bank (they lose them. . .)

Wrote up an addenda to a contract to get an extension for closing date.

Looked over a 30 page home inspection report. Called my seller to talk about inspection report.

Checked my messages on Listing book.

Talked to my website provider about a new feature.

Showed a condo in Sereno complex in Madeira beach.

Ordered condo docs for St. Pete Beach Yacht and Tennis club.

Called another agent to get a missing signature on a contract.

Answered a few more e mails that came in during the day.

Made a few phone calls to find a real estate sign that got lost.

Called the city of St. Pete to find out watering restrictions on a particular house.

Hunted down Title Company in Treasure Island which did not send the HUD statement in time.

It is 5.40pm now, leaving the office to check on a lockbox that is apparently not opening. Go to Silver Sands in St. Pete Beach to take some additional condo and beachfront photos for a buyer.

Made it home by 7 pm only to find more emails to answer and phone calls to return.

Being a Realtor here in sunny Saint Petersburg Tampabay and showing beautiful waterfront properties is fun and interesting and I love all the different things you have to do, but it is not a Walk In The Park. Long hours and lots of problems that need to be solved.

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

How is the Treasure Island Real Estate market doing, have we reached the bottom yet?

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:16:21 -0600

How is the Treasure Island Real Estate market doing, have we reached the bottom yet?

Isn't this the million $ question everybody has? Well, I do not promise you an answer (because I do not have a crystal ball) but I will give you some interesting numbers and fact so you can draw your own conclusion.

Treasure Island has 5694 housing units.

306 are for sale right now, this is only 5.3%

86 homes or condos have sold so far in 2009 with 133 days in average on the market.

6 of them sold for over $800,000. Last year it was 6 units over $800,000 in all 12 month.

Nothing sold for less than $100,000

Between $100,000 and $200,000 we sold 22 units

Between $200,000 and $300,000 we sold 22 units

Between $300,000 and $400,000 we sold 11 units

Between $400,000 and $500,000 we sold 8 units

Between %500,000 and $ 600,000 we sold 10 units

Between $600,000 and $ 700,000 we sold 4 units

Between $700,000 and $800,000 we sold 2 units

Between $800,000 and $2,550,000 we sold 6 units.

If your home or condo here in Treasure Island is listed under $400,000, you have a good chance to find a buyer, over $400,000 the air gets really thin.

Sales of existing single-family homes in Florida rose 25 percent in first quarter 2009 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to FAR

Existing home sales rose 28 percent last month with a total of 15,850 homes sold statewide compared to 12,339 homes sold in June 2008, according to FAR. Statewide existing home sales in June increased 13.8 percent over May's statewide activity.

In Florida's year-to-year comparison for condos, 5,241 units sold statewide compared to 3,771 units in June 2008 for a 39 percent increase. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $112,900; in June 2008 it was $180,400 for a 37 percent decrease according to the Florida Association of Realtors.

How is the Treasure Island Real Estate market doing, have we reached the bottom yet? Having all the above information, I think it is it safe to say that we are doing much better than last year. Still, from my experience as a Realtor here in Treasure Island I have to say that there is no balance yet. My phone rings off the hook for a whole week and as soon as you hear some "bad news" on TV or Internet, my phone goes dead for a few days. Buyers know that they can get some incredible deals right now, but they are still a little jumpy. They do not want to miss the boat but then again they are afraid the prices might go down even further.

That brings us back to the second part of our question, How is the Treasure Island Real Estate market doing, have we reached the bottom yet?

Yes and No. Foreclosure fillings are way down, short sales close faster, there is a lot of cash money out there (48% of all sales in Pinellas county in the first 3 quarters were cash deals) A few subdivision in Treasure Islandhave already seen the worst, other still have a little ways to go. Last year we did not have any real estate for sale under $100,000. Right now we have 7 listings already under $100,000 active on the market and a ton of Short sale to be closed soon. Yes, the prices are still adjusting but we will soon see a "new normal"

My advice to sellers is to price your home or condo at fair market value if you are serious about selling. If you are way overpriced, do not even bother putting it on the market, nobody will make an offer and you will get very frustrated about the whole situation.

My advice to buyers is, do NOT be shy, make offers, this is the time to buy. Have your Realtor do a detailed comparable market analysis for you so you know you are getting a good deal.

Ok, this is it for today. Thank you for your interest in , How is the Treasure Island Real Estate market doing, have we reached the bottom yet? I hope I was able to give you some good information so you can form your own opinion.

Have a beautiful day

Anne

Mansions by the Sea, Treasure Island Luxury living

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:08:41 -0600

Mansions by the Sea, Treasure Island Luxury living
The Mansions by the sea was built in 1980 and it is located in Treasure Island Florida at the end of Sunset Beach. Mansions by the Sea is a gated community and consists of two "Towers" Yes, over here we call a 12 story building a tower. Building A (street number 7650) sits directly on the beach, building B (street number 7600) is just a few feet south of it and set back by maybe 100 yards from the beach. Both buildings of Mansions by the Sea offer wonderful views onto the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway and Blind Pass.

The units are really nice and very spacious and a one bedroom has at least 1015 sf. with huge balconies. A two bedroom unit in Mansions by the Sea could be 1510 heated square feet, also with nice size balcony. The corner units have huge wrap around balconies with 180 degree view onto the water. Right now asking prices range from $265,000 for a one bedroom to $999,000 for a 10th floor 2 bedroom 2 bath corner unit. Between the two Mansions by the Sea towers we have a total of 144 units.

Amenities are heated swimming pool, tennis courts, a gym, game rooms and a sauna. Now let's talk about location. Like I said, Mansions by the Sea is on Treasure Island at the end of Sunset beach, honestly, can it get any better than this? This little area is made for beach lovers and people that enjoy sunsets, sunrises, fishing, boating and a relaxed life style. Mansions by the Sea is just a fabulous complex.

The maintenance fee is about $400 a month and you can rent a unit between $1500 to $4500 per month depending on the size and time of the year. Pets are not allowed in Mansion by the Sea.
Please give us a call or send an e mail if you need more information about this community in Treasure Island or want to know what is available for sale.

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

Direct beachfront condos in Madeira Beach for sale.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:02:58 -0600

Direct beachfront condos in Madeira Beach for sale.

The other day I talked to a buyer from up north. He wanted to buy a direct beachfront condo in Madeira beach but thought that there are not too many complexes right on the beach with waterviews.

Here are just some of the condo associations in Madeira beach that are direct waterfront.

Villa Madeira, Trillium Condo, Surfside, Shores of Madeira, Sereno, Seaview, Sea breeze, Sandy Shores, Princess Condo, Ocean Sands one and two, Madeira Vista, Madeira Towers, Madeira Norte, Las Brisas, Collwood condos, BellArte on the Gukf, Arie Dam, Arena de Madeira.

2 bedroom 2 bath condos in these communities range between $275,000 to $1,000,000

As you can see, plenty to chose from here in Madeira beach.

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

What better way to start your day.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:06:40 -0600

I moved 5000 miles to live in Florida, to be in the sun, to listen to the waves, to swim in the Gulf ....

Now that I am here I often forget to appreciate the beauty we have. Not today. I met with a friend at 8.30 this morning and we walked on the beach for an hour and a half and then went to breakfast at South Beach. It was a great way to start a Sunday morning and a good reminder why I am here. The water was very calm, the Pelicans and seagulls were out, people were fishing at the beach, it was just beautiful, relaxing and gave me a lot of energy. I just love Florida.

I took these pictures on Madeira Beach

You tell me what this is. I have no clue.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:47:54 -0600

That's what I found when I walked the beach this morning. It is always interesting to see what come onshore after a storm. You see things that you usually never find on our prestine beaches here in the Tampabay area. Does anybody know what the organge thing is?

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

Why are there Monkeys and Rhinos in my Chimney?

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:20:28 -0600

I just love this creativity.

Via Charles Buell, Seattle, WA, Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com):

     When we bought our house----long before I was a Seattle Home Inspector----and started making it livable, I was heavily influenced by a couple of fun movies playing at the time: Jumanji and Jurassic Park.

     The house had wall-to-wall shag, puce-green carpeting----if one could really call it carpeting. There probably was a microscopic Jurassic Park of critters living in the thing. The carpet was more reminiscent of one of those cat clawing poles that people have in their homes.

     In the dining room, there was a 2’ x 6’ runner on top of the carpeting. This runner covered over a humongous hole the sun had burned through the carpet. This runner had been nailed all around its perimeter with roofing nails----an inch apart----kind of like the nailing pattern you might see on the underside of an upholstered chair or like the rivets in a jet wing. The nail heads were all shiny from wear----quite attractive and “sparkly.”

      Most of the rooms had wood strip flooring under this carpeting that did re-finish quite nicely. The hallway however was another matter. It had been patched numerous times and covered over with linoleum. The adhesive was not about to be removed either. So I decided to do a “painted rug” to deal with the matter. Here is a picture of what it looks like.

     I think you can see the Jurassic Park influence. I took actual ferns from the garden and rolled them in paint and then pressed them onto the floor----bunches of different colors----bunches of different layers.

     I had another Jurassic moment on an inspection the other day---or perhaps it would be more correct to say the chimney was having a Jurassic moment. Hopefully a bunch of manic monkeys, two hundred pound mosquitoes and raging rhinos are not going to come flooding out of it----like in Jumanji.

Charles Buell

Click on the Rose to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

I AM pulling my hair out. Should I start my day with a Brandy instead of coffee?

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:25:22 -0600

When is the last time you received a READABLE offer?

I love new technology and I embrace it and if you know what you are doing, it actually works. You can get a READABLE copy of an offer or contract from A to B in no time with no hassle. If you do not know what you are doing and you cannot get a READABLE copy from A to B then PLEASE go back to the basics and snail mail or hand deliver it. What on earth is so complicated about that? Sorry I am venting, but for the last few months I have hardly seen a good copy of a document.

Somehow the other agent manages to shrink it to death or fax it so many times that it comes in as a huge mess of black lines or they scan it and it is so light that you cannot figure anything out or it has so many initialed changes that you don't know what on earth they finally agreed upon...........

Am I the only one complaining?

Am I taking this too serious?

Is my expectation too high?

Do I need to get new reading glasses?

Should I ask my doctor for a Xanax refill?

Should I start my day with a Brandy instead of coffee?

Vacation Condos for sale in Treasure Island, Tampabay

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:11:24 -0600

Vacation Condos for sale in Treasure Island, Tampabay

We have a lot of people that are looking to buy a vacation property in Treasure Island or anywhere else in the Tampabay area. They are from Canada or somewhere up north and they want to buy a condo so they can come down to the Tampabay area for a vacation and rent it out while they are not using it themselves. Please be aware, there are rental restrictions in each condo association and this can make a huge difference in your rental income.

Here are just a few vacation condos for sale in Treasure Island with the different rental restrictions.

Treasure Sands 30 days

Sun Ketch 30 days

La Costa Brava 90 days

Key Capri 183 days

Land's End 7 days

Sunset Vistas 3 days

Bay Breeze 14 days

With a 30 day rental minimum you have a good chance of renting it about 4 to 5 times a year

With a 90 day rental minimum your chances of renting it are twice a year, maybe only once a year.

If you buy a 3 or 7 day rental property, you can do great with the rental income.

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

Sereno, luxury waterfront condos in Madeira Beach Tampabay for sale

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:08:03 -0600

Sereno, luxury waterfront condos in Madeira Beach Tampabay for sale

I just love the Sereno in Madeira Beach. This is a beautiful property here in Madeira Beach. The Sereno is only 4 years old and all the units have great views onto the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. You get a perfect sunset every night. The asking price for this 4 bedroom 3 ½ bath 3400 square feet luxury waterfront condo is $1,000,000. If you are looking for a great waterfront real estate deal here in Madeira Beach, this might be it.

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

HERE----take your dang business card back!

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:12:17 -0600

Some things are really scary.

Via Charles Buell, Seattle, WA, Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com):

     After ordering pizza---delivered----to your new home the day you move in, the next big event at the home is the housewarming party. The one you hold for all your friends and family----to show off your new digs.

     Having been invited as the "honored home inspector" at such events on more than one occasion, I have to wonder how many of these parties end in a less than perfect manner, or even in tragedy, as the back deck collapses under more weight than it has ever seen before.

     I know what can happen when decks are not built properly----and many are not built properly----often by weekend warriers that “think” they know what they are doing.

     Inadequately bolted (or not bolted) ledgers, rotten supports, lack of diagonal bracing, improper stairs, inadequate barriers and other conditions can result in falls and spilled beer. Either way---this is not the type of party to be at, as the honored inspector, when the deck fails. I would not even want to hear about it collapsing later if I was not there.

     As a result, I trash a lot of deck installations----I am not about to be embarrassed at the party----and have to take back all those business cards.

Charles Buell

Click on the Rose to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

Direct Gulf front condos or house in St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, and Redington Beach

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:02:24 -0600

Direct Gulf front condos or house in St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, and Redington Beach

I have a lot of buyers from Canada or somewhere up north and most of them are looking for direct Gulf front condos or homes. Buyers find a lot of real estate listing for sale on the internet and sometimes the description can be confusing and you cannot figure out "Is it direct Gulf front or across the street"?

Here is a great thing to remember, look at the address. If the home or condo is located on Gulf Blvd and has an EVEN street number it most likely is a direct Gulf front condo or home. Only in a few cases do we have a tiny little road that runs parallel to the west of Gulf Blvd, but for most part Gulf Blvd here in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Redington, Indian Rocks and Shores runs directly along the beach.

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

Short Sale in St. Petersburg Tampabay. Start to finish in 3 month with Citibank.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:42:39 -0600

Short Sale in St. Petersburg Tampabay. Start to finish in 3 month with Citibank.

As always, Real Estate Short Sales can be difficult, it depends on a lot of things but I have to say this one with Citibank was painless. We listed a Short Sale property here in Saint Petersburg Tampabay on 8/5/09 had some problems with showings because of renters but managed to get an offer on it beginning of September. BPO was done end of September, bank countered the offer buyer did not accept the counter, property went back on the market the second week of September. We got another offer on this Short Sale the first week of October Citibank accepted it the first week of November and we got a clear to close and Citibank is forgiving the significant difference between mortgage amount and sale price. So, Short Sale in St. Petersburg Tampabay, start to finish in 3 month with Citibank.

Citibank was great to work with on this Short Sale, not at all like Bank of America.

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

Lands End waterfront condos for sale on Treasure Island

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:17:57 -0600

Lands End waterfront condos for sale on Treasure Island

Just a quick update on active listings on the Lands End vacacion condos. At the moment there are 9 active units.

Address	Subdivision	Water Front	Prop Code	Sq Ft	BR	Full Baths	List Price
7537 Bayshore Dr # 402	Lands End Sunset	Y	CONDO	700	1	1	$319,000
7467 Bayshore Dr # 303	Lands End Sunset	Y	CONDO	1,140	2	2	$525,000
7435 BAYSHORE DR # 306	LAND'S END SUNSET BE	Y	CONDO	1,115	2	2	$547,500
7467 Bayshore Dr # 3-401	Lands End Sunset	Y	CONDO	1,255	2	2	$550,000
7466 Bayshore Dr # 205	Lands End Sunset		CONDO	1,140	2	2	$555,000
7434 Bayshore Dr # 205	Lands End Sunset	Y	CONDO	1,140	2	2	$574,900
7480 Bayshore Dr # 205	Lands End Sunset	Y	CONDO	1,115	2	2	$575,000
7402 Bayshore Dr # 402	Lands End Sunset	Y	CONDO	1,140	2	2	$730,000
7564 Bayshore Dr # 301	Lands End Sunset	Y	CONDO	1,115	2	2	$747,900

Information taken from Suncoast MLS

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

Seminole Isle waterfront condos and townhomes for sale.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:21:36 -0600

Here is a quick update on the active waterfront listings in Seminole Isle Tampabay.

Address	Subdivision	Prop Code	Sq Ft	BR	Full Baths	List Price
7296 Marathon Dr # 303	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,500	2	2	$179,000
7069 Key Haven Rd # 204	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,500	3	2	$180,000
7194 Key Haven Rd # 203	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,500	2	2	$185,000
7194 Key Haven Rd # 504	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,500	2	2	$200,000
7194 Key Haven Rd # 503	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,500	2	2	$208,000
7194 Key Haven Rd # 604	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,500	2	2	$215,000
7069 Key Haven Rd # 603	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,500	3	2	$239,000
7296 Marathon Dr # 205	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,700	2	2	$249,900
7375 Conch Blvd	Seminole Isle Twnhms	TOWNH	2,090	3	2	$250,000
7368 Islamorada Cir	Seminole Isle Twnhms	TOWNH	2,088	3	2	$255,000
7171 Conch Blvd	Seminole Isle Twnhms	TOWNH	2,088	3	2	$269,900
7194 Key Haven Rd # 206	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	2,100	3	2	$270,000
7070 Key Haven Rd # 205	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,700	2	2	$275,000
7194 Key Haven Rd # 306	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	2,100	3	2	$295,000
7194 Key Haven Rd # 505	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	1,700	2	2	$329,900
7296 Marathon Dr # 501	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	2,100	3	2	$389,000
7040 Key Haven Rd # 306	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	2,100	3	2	$389,900
7296 Marathon Drive # 401	Seminole Isle Condo	CONDO	2,100	3	2	$445,000

Information taken for Suncoast MLS

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

3 bedroom 3 bath waterfront condo for sale in Boca Sands St. Pete Beach Tampabay.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:09:03 -0600

3 bedroom 3 bath waterfront condo for sale in Boca Sands St. Pete Beach Tampabay.

This is a beautiful property here in Saint Pete Beach. Boca Sands is only 4 years old and the units have great views onto the Intracoastal waterway AND the Gulf of Mexico. Sunrise and sunset all in one location. The asking price for this 3 bedroom 3 bath, 2350 square feet luxury waterfront condo is $500,000 (way below market value) If you are looking for a great waterfront real estate deal here in St. Pete beach, this might be it.

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

Vacation Condos for sale in St. Pete Beach Tampabay

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:55:17 -0600

Vacation Condos for sale in St. Pete Beach Tampabay

We have a lot of people that are looking to buy a vacation property in St. Pete Beach or anywhere else in the Tampabay area. They are from Canada or somewhere up north and they want to buy a condo so they can come down to the Tampabay area for a vacation and rent it out while they are not using it themselves. Please be aware, there are rental restrictions in each condo association and this can make a huge difference in your rental income.

Here are just a few condos for sale in St. Pete Beach with the different rental restrictions.

Boca Shores 30 days

BridgeHampton Bay 30 days

Constellation 90 days

Intrepid 90 days

Weatherly 90 days

Vistas on the Gulf 3 days

Three Palms Point 90 days

With a 30 day rental minimum you have a good chance of renting it about 4 to 5 times a year

With a 90 day rental minimum your chances of renting it are twice a year, maybe only once a year.

If you buy a 3 or 7 day rental property, you can do great with the rental income.

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint PetersburgTampabay 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

Even from the Brooklyn Bridge this looks like trouble!

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:41:02 -0600

Via Charles Buell, Seattle, WA, Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com):

     There are not all that many roofs that I do not walk on---but one of the kinds I don’t usually walk on is steep metal roofs. If one thinks back to their childhood---they make slippery-slides out of metal for a reason. I know there are plastic ones, but they are not nearly as good as metal ones----unless there is water running down them.

     So, I was looking at this one from the eaves and from the ground, to make as good an assessment of the roof as I could.

     I think everyone can see in this picture that there is no flashing around this vent pipe.

     From the attic side, it is as clear as blue sky and green grass that there just “ain’t no flashing.”

     WHOOPS!

Charles Buell

Click on the Rose to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.