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Saint Petersburg, FL Real Estate News

By Anne Hensel, Realtor - Broker - St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island
(South Beaches Real Estate Professionals)
The Short Sale nightmareHomes for sale, condos for sale, signs everywhere, under appraised value, best price per square feet, in foreclosure, short sale and I could go on and on and on.When it comes to homes and condos we have a huge inventory here in Pinellas County and a lot of them are short sales.Unfortunately "Short sale" is a term that people are not familiar with.Buyers and sellers do not really know what they are getting into and what to expect.The short sale process is a nightmare for everybody involved.The Buyer, in most nearly all cases he has to wait forever ( 6 weeks, 8 weeks) for the bank to give him an answer on his offer and in the meantime he is bound to his offer and  can't back out to pursue another deal.The Seller, also waiting for the bank, trying to negotiate with ...
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By Will Merritt, Tampa Bay's Most Trusted Lender
(TampaBayLoanOfficer)
How many of your feel like you have your feet on the break and gas at the same time?????You can't open the newspaper or listen to tv or radio without  hearing about how bad everything is. Everywhere you look someone is telling  us the sky is falling. The media would have you believe that the apoclypse of our way of life is inevitable!Let's face it folks, it;s easy to follow the crowd and run scared. We are a aware that the media has no clue and how dangerous this pessimistic view is to people's perspective. We are not hearing about people or companies that are trriving because bad news sells better! Make sure you are not one that is following the crowd and burying your head in the sand. Use everyone else's panic (most of which is just perceieved) to your advantage. In a good way folks! ...
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By Pam Joffe
(Solaris Realty)
In 1900, St. Petersburg was a sleepy town of just over 1,500 people and part of Hillsborough County. Today St. Petersburg is a thriving metropolitan community. St. Petersburg is the fourth largest city in Florida with a population of almost 250,000. It is located on a beautiful peninsula on the west coast that is bordered by Tampa Bay to the east and the Gulf of Mexico on the West. St. Petersburg has 244 miles of shoreline. The shoreline borders Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, Gulf of Mexico and the intra-costal waterways. St. Petersburg also has Fort DeSoto Park one of the Nation's top rated beaches. It also has the largest municipal marina with 610 boat slips and nine boat ramp locations. TSt. Petersburg also has over 130 parks with approximately 2,300 of public lands. It also has a seven ...
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  Waterside @ Coquina Key in St. Petersburg, Florida is a gated complex in an ideal waterside island. You can walk in your neighborhood for 3 miles along the Tampa Bay coastline. You can enjoy watching the dolphins play, boats sail by or see the cruise ships go out to sea. You can also go swimming in the pool that boarders the Tampa Bay Coastline. Waterside at Coquina Key has a north village and a south village. Waterside @Coquina Key is for those who love the water. Every home has some type of water view, either a lake, canal or of Tampa Bay. Many of the homes overlook their own private boat slip. The community also has dry dock storage for boats. The south village is home to the Waterside Yacht Club. Besides activities involving water, residents can take advantage of the three resort ...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
400 Beach - rental market update for February 2008400 Beach is a brand new condo building in downtown St Pete, overlooking Tampa Bay. Closing only started in December 2007 and are still ongoing. There are 93 condos in the high rise.Currently there are five units available for annual, unfurnished rentals. ranging from  $3,500 to $5,000 per month and ranging in size from 2,450 sq ft (2 bedroom) to 3,288 sq ft (3 bedroom). The building is 4on Beach Drive, with lots of restaurants, shops, museum and waterfront within a couple of blocks. Onsite is a fitness center and common recreational faciities including bar and pool table, and the pool and pool deck overlook the waterfront. 
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By Billnulls Blog Florida Realty Professional, AHWD
(Charles Rutenberg Realty)
Vinoy Park's Crawfish Festival is coming again! The 8th annual Crawfish Festival will take place from March 7th through March 9th in Vinoy Park in downtown St Petersburg!The festival will kick off at 4:30 pm on Friday, March 7th with live music, plenty of excellent food along with arts and crafts! There is a 30,000 ft pavillion and even a special kids tent!!!There will be over 10,000 pounds of Cajun style crawfish prepared for this weekend long event!!! Be sure to check this out if you are looking for something to do with the family!!!If you are considering buying or selling in the St Petersburg, Clearwater, Safety Harbor, Dunedin area give us a call today! With years of experience in the area, we are here for all of your real estate needs! We would love the opportunity to earn your bus...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
  Ooze and Schmooze is a new restaurant planned for 400 Beach in downtown St Petersburg. Combining the instant success of Parkshore Grille, a block away, and the renown of Ooze's owner Sir Robert Irvine of the Food Network, this seemed destined for success. I first posted about this last August.One of my clients, a few weeks ago, told me that Irvine may have been ONE of the queen's chefs, but he was never THE chef (from the UK and traveling there frequently, they speak with some authority). The last week an article about "Sir" Robert Irvine and his alleged resume was written in the St Petersburg Times. I blogged about it, and since then, the story has taken on a life of its own.To learn more ...
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By Tina Miller
(Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast)
Well, the word is Tampa Bay is going to recover relatively quickly to our slower market. I don't know about other agents, but I know my business has picked up dramatically. Buyers are coming off the fence and out of the woodwork. It's still a STRONG buyer's market, so we have to work a little harder than in the boom days of '04 and '05, but there is a constant stream of communication between myself and many an internet lead and local and out of town buyers. Now the trick is to get good offers put in and accepted, and help our poor sellers get out of their homes with some money left over. It is happening and I'm glad to be a part, it's nice to get paid again and help these people get into and out of these homes. I think it's going to be a great year!!!
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Parkshore Plaza on Beach Drive in downtown St Petersburg is a luxury condo completed in 2006 with 97 units and 29 stories. On the ground floor is Parkshore Grille, with indoor and outdoor dining, as well as various shops.Currently there are 16 units on the market, ranging from $679,000 to $3,000,000. These can be further sorted as follows:City homes (both flats above the shops and townhouses):     3 units from 1,686 sq ft to 2,979 sq ft), priced from $679,000 to $1,700,000.Tower units (starting on the 4th floor)     01 units have 2,384 sq ft and face north, then east          4  units from $875,000 to $1,100,000      04 units have 2,736 sq ft and face south, then east           2 units from $975,000 to $1,399,000     02 units have 3,081 sq ft and face east (full water view), then north ...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
When you talk about this to someone, eyebrows raise, and sometimes men will leer just a bit - they're thinking NUDE sailboat races instead of NOOD  (National Offshore One-Design) sailboat races. Three days of NOOD regattas are taking place in St. Petersburg, in sight of land, just off The Pier. Some 1,000 sailors are racing in this famous regatta, hosted by the St Petersburg Yacht Club, a well known sailing club. One of the racers is Jennifer French, certainly a contender. If she wins, she'll be the first female winner of NOOD, and also the first disabled winner. The St Petersburg Yacht Club and the St Petersburg Sailing Center have two young teams in the races - one of high school boys and the other of high school girls.St. Petersburg has been home for many international sailors, inclu...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Bayfront Tower Condominium - downtown St Petersburg - Market Update  Bayfront Tower was the first of the downtown St Petersburg water"front" condos, built in 1975. We locals consider this waterfront, since it has a wonderful, open view of the water, but in reality, two streets and two parks separate the building from the water. This is one of the largest downtown condos with 240 units. Most of the recent condo buildings have their common facilities on a lower floor, but this one has the 28th and 29th floors as common areas, so the views are magnificent. Units have just one parking space, but it's currently the only building that has valet parking included in the monthly maintenance fee. Many of the units have been totally renovated and some owners have combined two adjacent units to mak...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Accessoreez and  Image Creations of Florida hosted a designer's showcase event in St Petersburg. I was fortunate to be invited to this private event, planned to make a quick stop for 15 minutes, and then spent over an hour there. Not only did I have a chance to talk with old friends and meet some new ones ... I saw some wonderful wearable art, some for me and some for my home. Linda and Jack Albrecht, friends and clients, have been serving the Tampa Bay interior design community for more than a dozen years - creating wonderful cast paper art,  providing unique faux painting for homes, framing original artwork and prints, Giclee (pronounced zhee-clay) artwork pieces, and providing customized pieces for residences and commercial buildings. Linda has partnered with a long-time friend (we d...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
A comment to a recent post of mine on downtown St Petersburg luxury condosmentionedcondos, probably 40 years old or so,...that are simple, have views, and have an old time laid back feel. More like old St. Pete I imagine than the Miami feel some of the newer condos give off.The specific reference was to a complex called Whispering Waters where a 1 bedroom condo starts at $177,000. (a 55+ community). Nearby are: Shore Crest condo, starting at $175,000 for a 1 bedroom condo (also a 55+ building),  North Shore Normandy, starting at $229,000 (no age restriction)Harbour Hill, starting at $224,900 (55+)and right downtown you have:Townview, starting at $238,000 (no age restriction)Bayfront Tower, starting at $282,000 (no age restriction)and a real oldie from 1927:Flori de Leon, starting at $95...
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By David Miller, Florida Appraiser & Licensed Real Estate Broker
   The neighborhood of Pasadena Golf Club Estates consists of approximately 415 single family homes built primarily from 1953 to 1970. The subdivision has waterfront homes, non-waterfront homes and homes that border on the Pasadena Yacht and Country Club golf course.     The square footage of the homes range from 966 square feet to 4806 square feet with the predominant size being in the 1500 to 2000 square foot range. A majority of the homes are located on lots that are less than ¼ of an acre.    The neighborhood is located between the Cities of Gulfport and South Pasadena and borders on Boca Ciega Bay as well as Pasadena Yacht and Country Club.   There are currently eighteen homes for sale in the neighborhood ranging in price from $235,000 to $1,250,000. Below are pictures of a few of ...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Albert Whitted Park in downtown St Petersburg, Florida, will be dedicated tomorrow, Sunday, February 10, 2008. The is the latest addition to St. Petersburg's magnificent waterfront park system. This was a parking lot in its last life and is across from the Mehaffey Theater and future site of the Dali Museum, along the water, and adjacent to Albert Whitted Airport.Dedication is at 1:30 pm. Grand Opening Celebration, put on by the Albert Whitted Airport Preservation Society, is from 10 am to 4 pm and will include:aircraft displaysAngel Flight exhibitcontrol tower tours  free Young Eagles flightssimulator ridesaviation activities and crafts for kids.great views of airplanes landing and taking off The latest addition to St Pete's downtown waterfront parkland has a waterfront walkway along t...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Vinoy Place Luxury Condos St Petersburg Florida - Market Update February 1, 2008The Vinoy Place condos consist of 102 units - 4 towers that are 13 stories each, and a handful of townhomes to the south of the towers. Most of the luxury condos in downtown St Pete are along Beach Drive, looking out over the parks to Tampa Bay. Vinoy Place, just around the corner on Fifth Avenue, has the luxury of looking at the skykline of downtown St Pete as well as out into Tampa Bay. The units are also known for their large, wrap around balconies. They were built in two stages, completed in 2001 and 2002.Vinoy Place condos had 6 sales in 2007, a turnover of approximately 6%.  Prices ranged from $795,000 to $1,825,000. The average price was $918,317 and the price per square foot ranged from $334/sf to $5...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
400 Beach luxury condo St Petersburg Florida   -  Market Update -  February 1, 2008This week the official Grand Opening of 400 Beach took place. Several condos have already closed, 15 in December and 21 in January (nearly 40% of the 93 units). None of the restaurants and shops are open yet. Nonetheless, this was the Ribbon Cutting, complete with Mayor Rick Baker, who yet again proclaimed, "It's a wonderful day in St. Petersburg!"Prices on the closed sales at 400 Beach range from $577,150 to $1,685,000.  More than half of the units sold above $1 Million.13 units in 400 Beach are currently in the Multiple Listing Service, ranging from $934,900 to $5,500,000. Some of these are offered directly from the developer, Opus, and others are offered by owners who have closed on their units. 4 luxu...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Downtown St Petersburg Condo Rentals - Market Update February 1, 2008Several people have called us inquiring about seasonal rentals in downtown St Pete - not likely. Most of the condo buildings in downtown St Petersburg have minimum rental periods of one year. Some of them have a shorter rental period, but only allow one rental a year. For seasonal rentals, the most likely places are Isla del Sol or along the Gulf Beaches. Back to downtown St Petersburg:The newest of the new, 400 Beach Drive, only began closings in December 2007.  Current offering range from $4,000/month to $5,500/month, with an annual lease.Other luxury condo rentals with views of Tampa Bay and the downtown St Petersburg parks are available at Parkshore Plaza ($4,000/mo to $8,000/mo) and Vinoy Place ($5,000/mo to $5,20...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Straub Park St Petersburg Florida has a new look.A few days ago, while driving to the Renaissance Vinoy Resort for my daily 5:30 am exercise regime, I saw these lighted trees. Christmas decorations had been taken down weeks ago, so this was rather surprising.Chef Robert Irvine, who is opening the Ooze and Schmooze Restaurants at 400 Beach, the just opening luxury condo development in downtown St Petersburg, is sponsoring the lights in order to make the park more pedestrian friendly at night.What do the locals have to say about this? Though they like the idea of lighted trees, they object to the color of them. We're accustomed to warmer white lights, that add romance and charm to their surroundings. These lights have too much blue tint in them and are rather cold - or as one observer poi...
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By Sharon Simms, St. Petersburg FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS
(Coastal Properties Group International - Christie's International)
Vatican Exhibit at the Florida International Museum St Petersburg Florida  February 9 - May 11, 2008Yesterday evening was the VIP reception for the opening of the Vatican Exhibit at the Florida International Museum in downtown St Petersburg, Florida. As a founding member of the Board of Directors of Florida International Museum, I was also privileged to attend the pre-VIP reception to meet the Italian dignitaries here for the opening. The reception was hosted at the Renaissance Vinoy  Resort, following which the guests were shuttled to the Florida International Museum, just a few blocks away, for a preview of the exhibit, which opens tomorrow.With admission prices of $12 to $20, this exhibit is one worth seeing. Reminiscent of the Treasures of the Czars, the inaugural exhibit which open...
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