If your selling your beautiful Florida home or even if your just thinking about selling your home, one of the best things that you can do is to make sure your real estate agent takes as many high quality photos of your home as possible. The Greater Tampa Area Realtors (GTAR) MLS requires your real estate agent put in a minimum of one photo of your property into your MLS listing, but they allow up to 12 full-color photos for each listings. Almost ANY home in the Tampa Bay Area can offer the opportunity for 12 good photos. Even smaller homes can provide some great yard and neighborhood view shots.  It drives me crazy to see just 1-3 photos in the MLS, when I am searching for homes for sale in Brandon, Valrico and Lithia, FL for my Buyer clients. I cannot believe what a great disservice th... 04/19/2010

The National Association of Realtors publication "Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey," covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2009, shows vacation-home sales rose 7.9 percent to 553,000 last year from 513,000 in 2008, while investment-home sales fell 15.9 percent to 940,000 in 2009 from 1.12 million in 2008. Primary residence sales rose 7.1 percent to 4.04 million in 2009 from 3.77 million in 2008. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun advised, “The typical vacation-home buyer is making a lifestyle choice, with nine out of 10 saying they intend to use the property for vacations or as a family retreat. Investment buyers primarily seek rental income, with six in 10 planning to rent to others, although one in five wants a family member, friend, or relative to use the home.”  Ha... 04/16/2010

Here is what we at Florida's Beautiful HomesTM consider our top ten tips for first time home buyers.  See if they make since to you.  1.  Be picky, but don't be unrealistic.  There is no perfect home. 2.  Do your homework before you start looking.  Decide specifically what features you want in a home and which are most important to you.  3.  Get your finances in order.  Review your credit report and be sure you have enough money to cover your downpayment and your closing costs. 4.  Don't wait to get a loan.  Talk to a lender and get prequalified for a mortgage before you start looking. 5.  Don't ask too many people for opinions. It will drive you crazy.  Select one or two people to turn to if you feel you need a second opinion. 6.  Decide when you could move. When is your lease up?  Are... 04/16/2010

  Getting your personal finances in order is a key ingredient for being able to qualify for buying a home.  In these financial hard times that we find ourselves in this is even more important than ever.  Here are 8 steps that will help you get your personal finances in order.  1. Develop a family budget. Instead of budgeting what you'd like to spend, use receipts to create a budget for what you actually spent over the last six months. One advantage of this approach is that it factors in unexpected expenses, such as car repairs, illnesses, etc., as well as predictable costs such as rent.  2. Reduce your debt. Generally speaking, lenders look for a total debt load of no more than 36 percent of income. Since this figure includes your mortgage, which typically ranges between 25 percent and ... 04/16/2010

First in a Series for First Time Buyers When you’re thinking about buying your first home, it’s essential for you to be confident in your decision to buy instead of rent. However, you may not know about the many great reasons to buy a home! Here are just a few of them: Smart Investment- When you invest in a home, it offers the possibility for appreciation in value. The equity becomes yours when you’re still paying off your mortgage. You even get to live in it while your investment matures.   Tax Advantages- Since both mortgage interest and property taxes are tax deductible, homeownership can save you significant amounts of money every year. Planned Housing Costs- You decide how much you spend on your home, including repairs and improvements. Unlike renters, homeowners with a fixed-rate ... 04/14/2010

*Please click here if you would like to see MLS Home Search Listings in the Gated Golf Course Community of Diamond Hill including pool homes, shortsale listings for homes in a pre-foreclosure or foreclosure status behind in payments, bank approved shortsales, REOs or bank owned real estate in this beautiful Valrico Golfing Community in zip code 33594*Ammenities include playground, gated entrance community, community pool, deed restrictions, golfing, Recreation Building, Tennis Courts, Fitness Center, golf course lots and views.This golf course community is located near shopping, restaurants, easy access to I-75, I-4, and Downtown Tampa.All Services are FREE to Buyers!! Ask me about Buyer Incentives - Sharing up to 20% of my commission with you at closing when you purchase a home for $10... 04/12/2010

Valrico homes for sale in Valrico Florida - Valrico Homes and Real Estate by Communities. This is an MLS search for: Valrico Homes, in the Valrico Real Estate market of Valrico, FL. School information, Buyers tips and relocation guide for home buyers available. We're your Valrico Realtors with experience, knowledge, and dedication to service. Here you will find listings in the Valrico community / subdivision but may include Valrico town homes, condos, and villas on a custom MLS search. 04/11/2010

  Every year around this time folks have either just finished filing their federal Income Taxes or are in the process of completing them to meet the deadline which is right around the corner. In light of the recent passing of the Health Care Reform Bill, no one knows for sure what the will mean to your taxes in the future. One thing is for sure though, since the passing of this law, we will be paying for years to come. For those of you too young to remember I quote the Beatles 1966 Revolver album song, “One thing is for sure though, the Tax Man Cometh”.... 813-653-1241 04/07/2010

What does this mean and why? Here's my take…. In 2007 I came across a real estate broker out of Dacula, GA by the name of Matt Fagioli. Matt, along with other pioneers that I met online or in person were talking about things like web 2.0, business blogging, social networking and SEO. These topics were all new to me as I was used to the real estate market of old, back in the mid 1980’s when I first started as a young real estate whippersnapper. Matt, along with other pioneers such as Lane Bailey, Susie Blackmon, Mary McKnight and Midori Miller were talking and writing about internet marketing on websites like ActiveRain which were all new to me. I listened intently to them talk and write (Blog) about these and other topics. It was all good information, but the thing that shocked me the m... 04/07/2010

Meadow Woods is located in a rural area of Valrico. Meadow Woods is a community of with exquisitely designed homes adorned with luxurious features and graceful architectural details. Abbey Grove is a community of larger homes, many with large oak trees. Meadow Woods is conviently located just east of Brandon, with a quick commute to Tampa using either the Crosstown Expressway or Highway 60. It is also a quick commute to Tampa International Airport, Raymond James Stadium, The Ice Palace, Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, and Tampa's Performing Arts Center. Whether you want a luxury home with a view of a lake, or a home in a gated masterplan community, or a condominium or townhome you can find them and more in the Valrico area. Meadow Woods and  Valrico have a wide rang... 04/03/2010

Hello Florida's Beautiful Homes Fans. This on-demand radio format gives you timely and trustworthy news, interviews and in-depth reports on buying, selling and owning a home. Please click on the arrow above and give this new feature a whirl. Please let us know what you think, likes dislikes etc. We appreciate your time. 03/29/2010

Home sales in Valrico, FL during the past four months include 126 total single family homes. This does not include the surrounding areas such as Brandon, Seffner, Lithia, and Riverview. We will be posting these statistics in a separate report. The most popular size home had 4 bedrooms and numbered at 79, followed up by a 3 bedroom homes with 61. Statistics showed that the most popular type of financing was by obtaining an FHA mortgage (58), which was followed up by Cash sales at 44. I believe that the number of Cash sales is indicative of the number of investors currently in the real estate market.            Valrico, FL Home Sales 11/09 – 02/10 Price Range 2 BR 3 BR 4 BR Total Units $29,999. & Under 0 0 0 0 $30,000.- $29,999. 0 0 0 1 $40,000.- $49,999. 0 0 0 1 $50,000.- $59,999. 0 1 0 ... 03/21/2010

This is a wonderful time to find Affordable Real Estate for Sale -- really nice homes at a terrific price. Click on the links below in order to see listings for sale in the Brandon area, including Valrico, Riverview, Lithia, Apollo Beach, Gibsonton and Seffner -- including foreclosed homes, shortsales, bank owned or REOs, as well as pool homes and New Construction Inventory homes with local builders. Brandon Affordable Real Estate for Sale Valrico Affordable Real Estate for Sale Riverview Affordable Real Estate for Sale Apollo Beach Affordable Real Estate for Sale Lithia Affordable Real Estate for Sale Seffner Affordable Real Estate for Sale Gibsonton Affordable Real Estate for Sale  Now is a WONDERFUL TIME to be a Home Buyer!! Low Prices and Low Interest Rates, Tax Credit, and Generous... 03/15/2010

Click here please in order to see new homes for sale in Harvest Field subdivision located in Valrico Florida in Hillsborough County.  In this search you will find Harvest Field Real Estate for sale including new homes, shortsales, foreclosed homes, preforeclosures, HUD homes, bank owned homes and REOs.Please let me know if you have any questions about any Harvest Field Listings that you are somewhat interested in.Looking forward to hearing from you.  All Services are FREE to Buyers!! Generous Buyer Incentives Available to Buyers that use me as your realtor.Warmly,Stephanie LeFewHarvest Field Valrico Real Estate for sale - Harvest Field RealtorTampa Home Buy Realtywww.TampaHomeBuy.com tephanie@tampahomebuy.com 813-624-3332 / 813-991-1355 03/11/2010

Come check out the Valrico area. It is nestled against Brandon, FL. It is very easy for the residents to catch the Crosstown to get to Tampa or MacDill Air Force Base. There is also a mall nearby and lots of eateries.   It is also a quick commute to Tampa International Airport, Raymond James Stadium, The Ice Palace, Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, and Tampa's Performing Arts Center. Here are some of the newer subdivisions in the Valrico area, click on the subdivision if you want more information about them: Abbey Grove | Crosby Crossings | Culbreath Estates | Fern Grove | Oakwood Terrace | Southern Oaks Grove | Summergate | Valterra | Wedgewood If Valrico is not what you are looking for, we can assist you in finding the right community for you. We can help you find ... 03/11/2010

Florida's Beautiful Homes™ along with Realtors across the state will be offering customers the opportunity to reach dozens of prospective buyers in a single weekend as part of the Florida Open House Weekend sponsored by the 115,000-plus member Florida Realtors.   On Saturday and Sunday, April 10-11, 2010, Florida's Beautiful Homes™ will conduct open houses at properties in our service market areas. Blue balloons, featuring the Realtor “R” in white, will denote those homes that are part of the statewide open house campaign. Balloons will be on display simultaneously at open houses from the Panhandle to Key West. Florida Open House Weekend comes just before the April 30, 2010, deadline for the federal home buyer tax credit. Homes need to be under contract by April 30, 2010, and closed by... 03/09/2010

Valrico is a great place to live! It is very easy for the residents to catch the Crosstown to get to Tampa or MacDill Air Force Base. There is also a mall nearby and lots of eateries.   It is also a quick commute to Tampa International Airport, Raymond James Stadium, The Ice Palace, Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, and Tampa's Performing Arts Center. Here are some of the gated subdivisions in the Valrico area, click on the subdivision if you want more information about them: Abbey Grove | Arista | Bonterra | Canterbury Oaks | Diamond Hill | Eastmonte | River Hills | Savannah Landings Townhomes | St Cloud Landings | Summergate | Twin Lakes | Valrico Forest If Valrico is not what you are looking for, we can assist you in finding the right community for you. We can help... 03/07/2010

Valrico is located in Hillsborough County and is near Brandon, Lithia, and Riverview.  Valrico Florida is close to everything - Interstate 75, Brandon Hospital, the Brandon Campus of HCC, Tampa International Airport, Downtown Tampa. Are you considering a relocation to MacDill Air Force Base or Tampa,  Valrico is a really nice town to consider moving to and buying a home or other real estate.  Right now is a terrific time to be a home buyer. Please click here in order to view Valrico new home construction,Valrico condos,Valrico townhomes, Valrico single family homes, Valrico land and lots, Valrico luxury homes, Valrico pool homes, Valrico shortsales and preforeclosures,  Valrico bank owned homes and real estate or REOs. Please let me know if there are any questions that I can answer for ... 03/05/2010

As a veteran with 20 years of service I know first hand what it means to be a professional and to serve with pride. Stephanie Lefew exemplifies those values in her profession as a realtor. My wife Kim and I could not have had a better experience in searching and buying a home if not for her. She exceeded our expectations with her expert knowledge and attention to detail. She genuinely cares and will go that extra mile to insure her clients are getting the best possible service. Using my veteran's benefits we elected to go with a VA loan and expected a red tape nightmare but with her recommendation of Craig Nesbit a mortgage specialist it was a easy process. He had all the answers and saved us $1000.00 in unnecessary fees the day before closing! We are extremely happy with our new home ... 02/22/2010

Abbey Grove is located in a rural area of Valrico, north of Highway 60 off of Valrico Road. Abbey Grove is a new community that was built by Mercedes Homes. Abbey Grove is a community of with exquisitely designed homes adorned with luxurious features and graceful architectural details. Abbey Grove is a community of larger homes, many with three car garages. Abbey Grove is conviently located just east of Brandon, with a quick commute to Tampa using either the Crosstown Expressway or Highway 60. It is also a quick commute to Tampa International Airport, Raymond James Stadium, The Ice Palace, Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, The Florida Aquarium, and Tampa's Performing Arts Center. Whether you want a luxury home with a view of a lake, or a home in a gated masterplan community, or a condomini... 02/07/2010