For new Florida Home Owners, now is the time to file for Florida Homestead Exemption for 2020As a new Florida Home owner who purchased a Florida home in 2019 and are using it as your primary residence, you should now take the time to file for Florida Homestead Exemption! In Hernando County, Florida, the Homestead Exemption provides for a reduction in the taxable value of the home by $50,000.  Most importantly, it also places a cap on the annual increase in assessed valuation thus protecting home owners from sudden spikes in assessments and consequently property taxes.Here is an example of the property tax calculation for a home without and with homestead exemption: 1. Without homestead exemption - the property taxes are $1,838.64  2.  Here is the property tax calculation for the same ho... 01/20/2020

Shopping For The Best Mortgage Rate Like A Boss  You’ve browsed around online, looked at some houses on your smart phone. Zillow ads have been popping up in your news feed and you’re deciding to take the plunge and get serious about buying a new home. Its an exciting time, but now its time to think about the boring stuff like shopping for a mortgage. Here’s some tips that will help you shop for a mortgage like a pro and avoid the pitfalls that can end up costing you an arm a leg or worse your dream of owning that new home!         1) First tip, keep it local: You’ll no doubt become the victim of re-targeting ads, and the online mortgage offers will seem to come out of the wood work. Once you get some google history of searching for homes it will spill over into what we call targeted ad... 08/13/2018

I buy houses Hernando County Florida   407-739-5773    www.WeBuyHousesFlorida.com .  Creative problem solving to deal with your unique situation. Cash offer with minimal contigencies. Close on the date of your choice - as quickly as 2 weeks. Any condition - from ugly to beautiful. Fire, sinkhole, and storm damage homes are ok. Any area of Florida. All situations - foreclosure, divorce, relocating, inheritance, tenant problems, etc. Also, I have a Florida real estate license.  So if our price and terms are not what you are looking for, our team can put together a professional marketing plan to sell your house for top dollar.  Either way, we want to help you get that house sold quickly.  Please pick up the phone or fill out the "contact us" form on our website.  Let's make a deal.  407-73... 05/29/2018

I buy houses Weeki Wachee Florida   407-739-5773    www.WeBuyHousesFlorida.com .  Creative problem solving to deal with your unique situation. Cash offer with minimal contigencies. Close on the date of your choice - as quickly as 2 weeks. Any condition - from ugly to beautiful. Fire, sinkhole, and storm damage homes are ok. Any area of Florida. All situations - foreclosure, divorce, relocating, inheritance, tenant problems, etc. Also, I have a Florida real estate license.  So if our price and terms are not what you are looking for, our team can put together a professional marketing plan to sell your house for top dollar.  Either way, we want to help you get that house sold quickly.  Please pick up the phone or fill out the "contact us" form on our website.  Let's make a deal.  407-739-5... 05/29/2018

I buy houses Brooksville Florida   407-739-5773    www.WeBuyHousesFlorida.com .  Creative problem solving to deal with your unique situation. Cash offer with minimal contigencies. Close on the date of your choice - as quickly as 2 weeks. Any condition - from ugly to beautiful. Fire, sinkhole, and storm damage homes are ok. Any area of Florida. All situations - foreclosure, divorce, relocating, inheritance, tenant problems, etc. Also, I have a Florida real estate license.  So if our price and terms are not what you are looking for, our team can put together a professional marketing plan to sell your house for top dollar.  Either way, we want to help you get that house sold quickly.  Please pick up the phone or fill out the "contact us" form on our website.  Let's make a deal.  407-739-57... 05/22/2018

by Spring Hill Realtor Silvia Dukes, PA, Tropic Shores Realty Just SOLD!Pool Home - Spring Hill, Florida!Private Backyard with Water View Contact Silvia Dukes, REALTOR and Broker Associate - Tropic Shores Realtyto learn more about marketing your Spring Hill home for sale!Call 352-584-7441 Today, my buyers happily closed on this beautiful two bedroom, two bath pool home in Spring Hill, Florida.They first contacted me in September 2015 with their plans to relocate to Florida from New Jersey. Not quite ready then, we identified their needs and preferences.  I sent them properties to view online so that they could get a feel not only for our Spring Hill home market but also a good idea of what homes in their price range would be like. This January, they finally came to Florida for good and ... 02/28/2018

My mind is still spinning from all the CRS Sell-a-Bration events, networking, and education sessions over the last few days! I  I just returned from Dallas where I attended Sell-a-Bration, the annual real estate conference for Certified Residental Specialists. It’s been a whirlwind of informative education sessions addressing topics such as video marketing for real estate, listing and marketing strategies, luxury real estate auctions, tax issues affecting real estate investments as well as tax changes for the real estate practitioner, and how to use IRAs to invest in real estate, just to name a few.The opening session featured a top national, motivational speaker, Mel Robbins, talking about how to take control of your life -  “5-4-3-2-1 GO” was buzzing throughout the rest of the two day... 02/07/2018

Hernando Beach, Florida, is a waterfront community located just north of Tampa along the the Gulf coast of Florida. The area was first developed in the 60s as a waterfront community and homes are located on wide canals. Some neighborhoods of Hernando Beach are located on saltwater canals with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. Other neighborhoods are located on freshwater canals and boaters will use a boat lift to gain access to the saltwater canals that lead to the Gulf of Mexico.   Hernando Beach is a popular boating and fishing community that offers many different styles of homes in a wide price range. If you think you cannot afford waterfront living, you need to take a look at the waterfront homes that are available in Hernando Beach!  Waterfront Homes for Sale in Hernando Beach, ... 02/01/2018

This four bedroom pool home in Spring Hill, Florida will be coming on the market and be available for viewing soon. If you are looking for a spacious pool home in Spring Hill, put this home on your list - the wait could be worthwhile.  Property Details:Living Area:  1759 square foot under heat/airTotal Area under Roof: 2984 square footBuilt:  1980This home also features a large enclosed lanai - a great additional space for indoor/outdoor living!   For more information about this or other Spring Hill homes for sale, please contact Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate with Tropic Shores Realty in Spring Hill, Florida.  Call 352-584-7441 today!  01/31/2018

Home sales in the golf course community of Timber Pines in Spring Hill, Florida performed very well in 2017!While the total number of homes and villas sold in the Timber Pines golf course community remained stable, sold prices for homes sold in Timber Pines were on the increase compared to the previous year!     In 2017, 239 homes sold in the Timber Pines community - only four units more than in 2016. Inventory level throughout the year was low so that homes went under contract quickly once they came on the market. The average days on market from listing to contract was just 44 days, down 19 days from the average of 63 days in 2016. Homes in Timber Pines were built from 1982 to 1998 and range from smaller maintained villas to large golf course homes with pool and other amenities. Becaus... 01/29/2018

The Florida Realtors winter business meetings continued today. I started by attending the Professional Development Committee meeting and then the Legal Update with lots of great infomation about the latest rules and legislation on various subjects including copright, MLS of choice, and disclosure issues.  The highlight of today for me was the Global Business Committee that I am a member of. International real estate is my passion and I will not miss an opportunity to learn more about doing business with people from other countries.Today, the Honorable Ken Okaniwa, Consulate General of Japan, was addressing the Global Business Committee members with a presentation about investing in Japan.   Japan has a robust economy and a great infrastructure, they are also innovative and have a sophis... 01/26/2018

Make Magic in Real Estate" is the 2018 motto for Florida Realtors who are kicking off the year this week with the mid-winter business meetings and installation of 2018 officers.   It's been a busy two days already for me with leadership planning meetings for the Residential Real Estate Council of Florida. What has been known as the Council of Certfied Residential Specialists has recently been renamed to Residential Real Estate Council (RRC) and the council is undergoing some rebranding. We have a great team of leaders who will work for the members in Florida and continue to offer top education, programs, and events throughout the year.   We also heard from top economists in the country and Florida about the economic outlook nationally and in Florida including an update on the residentia... 01/25/2018

The Orchard Park community in Spring Hill, Florida is a neighborhood consisting of approx. 143 properties including some vacant land parcels.    Orchard Park is nestled between Waterfall Drive to the West, Linden Drive to the East, and Spring Hill Drive to the South which makes it convenient to shopping, dining, and all other area amenities without experiencing through traffic.  The Orchard Park community was developed in the late 80s so you will find homes built in the late 80s, 90s and 2000s. There are currently only two properties available for sale in the Orchard Park neighborhood and two others are currently under contract. These homes range in price from $199,900 to $310,000. In 2017, there were eight home sales in the Orchard Park neighborhood with an average sales price of $186,... 01/23/2018

The weather was favorable for the first day of the Brooksville Raid Civil War Reenactment. Thousands of spectators came to the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Brooksville to walk through the soldier camps, check out the civil war merchandise in the Sutler tents before settling down to watch the battle unfold on the field.  If you missed the action today, you can still attend day 2 of the reenactments tomorrow, please click here for times and information or go to www.BrooksvilleRaid.com.   01/20/2018

Just SOLD! Pool Home in The Palms of Seven Hills, Spring Hill, Florida!Private Court Yard - Golf Course LocationGated Community – Low HOA Fees Contact Silvia Dukes, REALTOR and Broker Associate - Tropic Shores Realtyto learn more about marketing your Spring Hill home for sale!Call 352-584-7441 This three bedroom, two bath pool home in the desirable community of The Palms of Seven Hills received an offer and was sold before I was able to put the sign in the ground!  The lucky buyer had been in town just prior to this home coming on the market and called me immediately to find out more.  A month later, he received the keys to his new Spring Hill home and my sellers are happy to move ahead with their own plans.   This pool home backs up to the Seven Hills Golf course in Spring Hill, Florid... 01/19/2018

Florida is a popular destination for home buyers from foreign countries as indicated by the 2017 Profile of International Activity in Residential Real Estate in Florida released by the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).    Here are a few highlights from the survey covering the 12 month time period from August 2016 to July 2017:   Foreign buyers purchased $24.2 Billion Dollars of residential property making up 21% of Florida's residential dollar sales. This represents 61,300 residential properties or 15% of the residential market in Florida.  Nationally, foreign buyer purchases account for 5% of national sales volume.  Foreign buyers typically purchase more expensive properties. The largest fractions of foreign buyers came from the following geographic regions: Latin America/Caribbe... 01/16/2018

Mark your calendars for the 38th annual civil war reenactment of the Brooksville Raid coming in January 2018. Reenactors from all across the country will once again come to the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Brooksville for a two day event.  There will be food, music, demonstrations, pony rides for the kids and more.   Each day, there will be a battle reenactment in the afternoon. Spectator crowds typically gather hours before to get a good viewing spot, chair rentals are available.  Before and after the battle, visitors can take a walk through the camps for a glimpse of what it life was like in a soldier's camp. And if you enjoy shopping, the sutler tents - tradespeople of the time - offer anything the heart desired during the civil war period. 2018 Brooksville Raid Civil War Reenactme... 01/15/2018

There are many things you can do around Hernando Beach and Weeki Wachee even on a cold day in January. Jenkins Creek and the adjacent Linda Pedersen Park is located off Shoal Line Blvd between Weeki Wachee and Hernando Beach. The area is popular with fishermen and in the summer, people enjoy taking a dip in the swimming hole. After a few days of nice weather in the 70s, temperatures dipped low again and today the high was in the low 50s. The water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico and the canals around Hernando Beach also have cooled off considerable. Today, we went to Jenkins Creek to see if the Manatees had started to gather yet. There were about 6-8 individual Manatees in the waters. We could see them from the observation tower and the boardwalk at Jenkins Creek. There are four Manat... 01/14/2018

Home sales in Hernando County, Florida, continued to improve overall once again in 2017 compared to the previous year. The good news for home sellers in Hernando County is that homes that are positioned correctly are selling quickly and home prices are on the upswing. Home buyers have to content with a limited inventory of homes for sale and are often facing competition from other buyers over the same home.   How do Hernando County home sales in 2017 compare to those in 2016?In 2017, 3737 residential properties were sold. This represents a decrease compared to 2016 by 63 units or 1.7% fewer sales. Total dollar volume of residential properties sold in Hernando County in 2017 was $579,386,205. This presents an increase of almost 63 Millionen Dollars or 12.1% compared to the year 2016. The... 01/10/2018

When I first saw the word Weltanschauung pop up on ActiveRain I was a little surprised. As a native speaker of German, I didn't have any issues pronouncing, spelling, or understanding the word. What I was curious about though was what a - literally translated - "world view" has to do with a blogging platform such as ActiveRain.  Photo Credit: Pixabay.com The point is that ActiveRain is much more than a just a platform. It is a community, comprised of people from many different walks of life, joined by common or similar interests and professions mostly surrounding the real estate industry. ActiveRain has given members an outlet to let their voices be heard about topics that are of interest to not only to other members but also the public in general. The Oxford dictionary defines Weltansc... 01/08/2018