Congratulations, Jan and Diana on the sale of your property!
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Welcome
Hi, I'm Stephanie Passman. Welcome to my blog, where you'll find the latest videos, good news about my clients, testimonials and articles I've written.-
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Congratulations Greg and Diane
Congratulations, Greg and Diane, on your closing – and welcome back to St. Pete!
Thanksgiving Greetings in 2021
Hope it’s a Happy Thanksgiving for you!
Housing Market Snapshot October 2021
Here’s the housing market snapshot I sent out last week to my clients. The giddiness I commented on back in June has abated, and the fundamentals of the market seem very sound. Supply chain issues are topical, not least in the housing market, where available inventory for frustrated buyers remains – and will remain – very scarce.
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Housing Market in October, 2021
Here’s my brief snapshot of the housing market in October of 2021.
Bottom line, not much is changed since my previous one in June of this year. The market is cooling, as we all know, but the fundamentals remain consistent, and transparent. The mechanism of the market, in my view, is working exactly as it should, indicating a strong and healthy housing market.
And the Snowbirds are returning!
The Canadian border will open in November to allow our cooped-up neighbors to the north to fly south this winter and rediscover their warm retreats. After some 19 months of separation, that’s a lot of pent-up desire heading this way and all I can say is, “Welcome Back, Snowbirds!”
CoreLogic has a recent report showing the amazing surge in equity of US homes over the last year. Mortgage-holders saw close to a 30% gain in home value year-over-year by Q2 of 2021. This was not great news for prospective buyers, except to show an unrigged market where supply and demand still work exactly as they should. Continue reading
Housing Market Snapshot June 2021
Here is the Market Snapshot I sent out last month. I usually send out a snapshot of the housing market each spring, and I delayed this one a little, but we now have lots of data to see how the wind is blowing – bottom line, the situation looks pretty sound.
I didn’t bombard people with data points, but just gave the highlights of where we are and where we’re going. As always, if there’s anything you want to explore in more detail, give me a call.
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Housing Market in May, 2021
Summary
Economists expect the price gains to settle by the end of 2021, returning to the normal, single-digit gradual appreciation. We can expect more inventory to come up for sale as the pandemic eases and America opens up, as consumers finally spend money they’ve been holding back, and as the industry transitions, very carefully, out of loan forbearance and back into regular payment stability.
The housing market appears giddy, with huge price gains and bidding wars, but we’re actually seeing a superbly fit market mechanism operating precisely as supply and demand should operate. The housing market has been the one bright spot in the US economy for several years, and has come through the pandemic more robustly than anything. Continue reading
Thank You!! – Review
Well, I’ve had some beautiful testimonials in my time, but this one blew me away when it came this week. What can I say, except thank YOU, Pattie. It was a pleasure.
Dear Stephanie,
I can’t tell you how happy I am at this moment, so close to stepping into my new life. You’ve been my guide throughout this journey and I am so grateful for your broad knowledge, savvy, professionalism, and negotiating chops. You made what could have been an excruciating experience a piece of Death by Chocolate cake.
Seriously, this is the third house I’ve bought and it is the best homebuying experience I’ve ever had. I trusted you and you never gave me any reason to regret it.
Thank you for negotiating a great deal for the property that is now PattieLand, thank you for respecting my needs and wants, thank you for your patience, thank you for sharing my confidence that my home was out there and by gosh you found it. And big, big thanks for all the encouragement, laughing, and that first step onto the white, soft sand of Florida.
In a world full of mediocre agents, you’re one in a million, Steph, and a blessing to your clients 😙
Thank you forever,
Pattie
— Pattie Roberts, March 2021
Congratulations Pedro and Mildred
Congratulations, Pedro and Mildred, on the successful sale of your condo!
Using an IRA to Buy Property
Here’s the latest letter sent out to my clients. It’s a brief overview I wanted to create to inform people that an IRA can be used to buy property, and it’s a valuable investment tool for the right application.
Here’s the full article.
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An IRA Can Purchase and Hold Property
I often mention to clients how you can use your IRA to buy a property. If you didn’t know this was possible, it’s worth becoming familiar with the idea.
The first thing to say about this is that it is invariably complicated, so turning to a professional for advice is absolutely recommended if you want to explore the idea.
Requirements
The point of the IRA is to defer taxation on income by saving it for a later date (usually retirement), and the IRS has stringent requirements Continue reading
Congratulations Bambi
Congratulations, Bambi, on the successful sale of your home. Happy trails on your new adventure!
Preview – Heart of St. Pete with Water Views!
Listing Tomorrow – Call 727-289-3289
Click for Online Brochure
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470 3rd St. S, Unit 702 • St. Petersburg, FL • 33701 ~~ $330,000
Imagine living with great views of Tampa Bay and downtown St Pete, only steps from restaurants & entertainment, USF, soccer games, Dali Museum, Mahaffey Theater, parks, and the new pier. This end unit condo features an updated kitchen with s/s steel appliances, and granite countertops, plank tile flooring throughout, remodeled bathroom, a private balcony, new windows and the convenience of two (2) assigned parking spaces. The property offers a rooftop deck for entertaining, pool with cabana and grilling station, night and weekend security, secured entry, 24 hour fitness center. Heat & A/C are included in your monthly HOA fees, but you maintain climate control. Don’t miss out on this one!
2 Beds 1 Bath • 983 Sq. Feet • Updated Kitchen & Bath
City and Water Views • New Insulated Windows • Wrap-around Balcony
Congratulations Ashleyrae and Brian
Congratulations Ashleyrae and Brian, on the successful purchase of your new home!
Congratulations Teri and Sheryl
Congratulations, Teri and Sheryl, on the successful sale of your beach bungalow!
Fall 2020 Market Snapshot
Here’s the Fall Snapshot of the housing market that I sent out to my clients recently. The accumulated data give a pretty upbeat view of a fairly stable situation, and after a pretty robust summer, there’s a lot to report.
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It’s been a very robust summer for real estate, and the top news of course is the mortgage rate now sitting around 2.87% for a 30-year fixed. That’s a historic low, and actually lower than some adjustable rates right now. The Fed has said very clearly that it has no intention of raising rates anytime soon.
So it’s a good time to refinance for homeowners sitting in place, and a great opportunity for buyers, who have been showing all summer that they are VERY serious to purchase. The pattern so far has been one of multiple offers with highest-and-best showdowns, cash ruling as king, few contingencies, and short closing times. This is good news for sellers – if we could find any!
Homeowners continue to hold onto their properties, and values continue to appreciate. As we saw in spring, price comes from supply and demand. There’s no indication of distressed property coming to market in any volume, and the numbers suggest no great flood of foreclosures looming. Homeowners in general have good equity positions, and in my opinion they will simply stay in their homes forever and age in place rather than sell below value. So I don’t see any force causing prices to fall.
Listing preview – Remodeled Beach Bungalow
Listing Tomorrow – Call 727-289-3289
Click for Online Brochure
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142 Beach Ave • Redington Shores, FL • 33708 ~~ $485,000
STUNNING bungalow is COMPLETELY RENOVATED and fully furnished with Beach Access less than a block away! Why suffer condo restrictions when you can own on the West side of Gulf Blvd steps from Redington Shores Beach? Or make extra income as a vacation rental. New Kitchen with quartz countertops, S/S appliances, with a peninsula perfect for entertaining. 2 large bedrooms with walk-in closets sit aside a renovated bathroom with exterior access great for after a day at the beach. Outside is a quaint deck with plenty of seating to gather and enjoy the outdoors. a storage closet for beach gear, a laundry closet with newer washer/dryer and a tandem carport. Come tour this home today!
2 Beds 1 Baths • 956 Sq. Feet • Updated Kitchen & Baths
Walk-in Closets • New Roof 2019
Listing Preview – Riviera Bay on Double Lot
Listing Tomorrow – Call 727-289-3289
Click for Online Brochure
Click for Photo Album
321 Patica Rd. NE • St. Petersburg, FL • 33702 ~~ $249,000
Welcome home to Riviera Bay! Located close to Riviera Bay Park, this is a fantastic opportunity to move into one of the most sought after areas of St. Petersburg. The home has been nicely updated and sits on a large .25-acre lot with majestic oaks and plenty of room for everything! You will appreciate the park like setting and non-through street. Step inside to an updated kitchen, bamboo floors throughout main living areas and rooms with lots of windows creating light and airy spaces. All this and located in the neighborhood that has so many amenities such as 2 parks, community boat ramp, Christmas Eve boat parade, and conveniently located with easy access to Tampa and Downtown St. Petersburg. Schedule your private showing today!
3 Beds 1.5 Baths • 1132 Sq. Feet • Updated Kitchen & Baths
• Double Lot • New Roof 20166
Spring 2020 Market Snapshot
This was the Market Snapshot I was able to send out recently. I delayed my usual spring Market Snapshot this year, as I reported at the end of March, with the pandemic crisis in full flow. We have enough data now for a brief snapshot of the housing market.
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In general, home values have no reason to fall and economists expect continued appreciation. Housing market activity has been quarantined, but pent-up intentions are now being released into the marketplace. Housing economists expect some busy summer months, followed by a lull in fall and winter, with a renewed surge of activity in spring of 2021.
Lifestyles have been adapting to the new conditions, and this may shift the demographic trends a little, and certainly has added a few new procedures to real estate transactions.
Continue reading
March/April Housing Update
This was the brief note I sent out to my Clients recently:
I hope you are well during this crisis.
I said last month that I would send my regular spring Market Snapshot to you in March, and obviously that became difficult. There is not much data on the housing market at present – it’s very much a moving target. My guess is that lots of people will stay in place until we get a better handle on the new normal in America.
All of American life has been pushed back a few months, so I’ll send a report when the situation becomes more stable. Meanwhile, stay safe and remember to take walks in the fresh air.
Talk soon!
It now looks, here towards the end of April, that we have enough reliable data that I’ll be able to send out a report on the housing market in early May.
Spring Clean and Prep Your Home Investment
This month I sent my annual reminder out to my clients that springtime is the natural time to spruce up the house, and also a good time to check its market-readiness and market-worthiness:
You may have no intention of selling your home but that’s no reason not to have it feeling as good to live in as one that’s been prepped for the market. It’s important to keep maintenance up on a property, as we all usually learn from hard experience over the years […]
There are many good reasons for keeping your home in a condition that can be made market-ready in a short period of time. Not only is such a home a greater pleasure to live in, but keeping a home up to scratch makes our greatest asset truly valuable as a hedge against sudden surprise.
Most people who’ve put their home on the market at one time or another have been surprised by the sheer workload that can arise in order to turn a comfortable and lived-in property into something suitable for display to a potential buyer. We tend to put off a lot of things that we suddenly have to get done all at once.
If you’d like to read more about this and other aspects of market preparedness, take a look at my article explaining why you should Always Be Ready to Go On the Market in 30 Days.
Florida Land Trust to Protect Your Home
This is the letter I sent to my clients this month.
I wanted to share an article I wrote about land trusts. I find that many people don’t know about them, and I like them.
Protecting our property is one of our chief concerns, and the land trust is one of the ways to shield against litigation, which happens more often than we might think. Florida is one of the handful of states that have legislated clear law for the use of these instruments.
I wrote this article 3 years ago concerning the Florida Land Trust and why someone might be interested in one. This is my view, and one should always seek professional legal and accounting advice, but I hope you find it useful.
You can find the article here: How to Protect Your Property
