A SOURCE FOR REAL ESTATE & TAMPA BAY INFORMATION

Can you use a VA loan to buy a high-end home in Tampa Bay? Yes. Since the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act took effect on January 1, 2020, VA loans carry no loan limit for borrowers with full entitlement — a qualified buyer PCSing to MacDill Air Force Base can finance a South Tampa home above th

What happens to the furniture when you sell a furnished home in Tampa Bay? Furniture does not convey with a Florida home unless the contract says it does. The standard FR/BAR contract transfers fixtures and a specific list of items — appliances, ceiling fans, light fixtures, window treatments — but

What's the best way to take title to a Tampa Bay home? For most married couples buying in Florida, tenancy by the entireties is the default and usually the right answer — it carries built-in survivorship and shields the home from creditors of one spouse alone. Unmarried co-buyers default to tenants

How much does a private golf club membership cost when you buy a home in Tampa Bay? Buying a home in a Tampa Bay golf community does not include the club — membership is a separate purchase with its own application, initiation fee, and dues. At the top of the market, Avila Golf & Country Club is inv

How do the 2026 SALT cap and mortgage-interest rules affect buying a luxury home in Tampa Bay? For 2026, the federal SALT deduction cap rises to $40,400 for most filers — quadruple the old $10,000 limit — which means a Tampa Bay property tax bill that used to be mostly nondeductible can now be writt

Should you renovate or tear down when buying an older South Tampa home? The answer usually turns on three things: the flood zone, the structure's value relative to the lot, and whether the home sits in a local historic district. If the house is in an AE flood zone and the cost of the work would reac

What should you check before buying a Tampa Bay home on well water and septic? Before buying a Tampa Bay home on a private well and septic system, order a dedicated well and septic inspection during your contract's inspection period — Florida has no statewide law requiring one at sale, and a standar

Can you assign a pre-construction condo contract in Tampa Bay before closing? Usually only if the developer lets you. Florida law generally presumes contract rights are assignable, but nearly every Tampa Bay pre-construction purchase agreement overrides that default with an anti-assignment clause —

How does condo association approval work when buying a condo in Tampa Bay? Most Tampa Bay condominium associations have the right, written into the declaration of condominium, to approve or reject a buyer before a sale can close. You submit an application with a fee capped by Florida law at a $150-p

How does Save Our Homes portability work when you move within Florida? Florida lets you transfer — “port” — up to $500,000 of your accumulated Save Our Homes tax savings from one Florida homestead to the next. You file Form DR-501T alongside your new homestead application (Form DR-501) with the prop

Can You Sell a Tampa Bay Home With a PACE Assessment? Yes — but in most sales, the PACE balance gets paid off at closing from your proceeds. A PACE assessment is collected on your property tax bill and carries a lien of equal dignity to county taxes under Florida's PACE statute (F.S. 163.081, former

Can you still negotiate on a downtown Tampa condo? Yes. In 2026, a buyer I represented closed on SkyPoint Unit 1614 at 777 N Ashley Drive for $660,000 — $99,000 below the $759,000 list price — in 47 days from our first meeting to keys. The short version Thirteen tours. One offer. Nine days from cont

Can you buy a Tampa Bay home with an assumable mortgage in 2026? Yes — if the seller's loan is a VA, FHA, or USDA mortgage, a qualified buyer can take it over at the seller's original interest rate, which for loans written in 2020 and 2021 often sits well under 4 percent against a market running nea

How much negotiating room do luxury buyers have in Tampa Bay right now? More than they had during the low-inventory years. Tampa Bay has settled into a broadly balanced market in 2026 — inventory remains elevated compared with the 2021–2023 lows, even after tightening through the summer, and homes a

Can you sell or buy a Tampa Bay home with open permits or unpermitted work? Yes — but not without dealing with them. Open and expired permits surface in the municipal lien search most Tampa Bay title companies order before closing, and most lenders won't fund until they're resolved. Florida sellers

How does FIRPTA withholding work when a foreign seller closes on a Tampa Bay luxury home? When a foreign person sells a U.S. real property interest, federal law (26 U.S.C. 1445) requires the buyer to withhold 15% of the gross sale price and remit it to the IRS using Form 8288, generally within 20 da

Can you sell a Tampa Bay condo with a special assessment? Yes — a levied or pending special assessment doesn't stop a Florida condo sale, but it changes the mechanics. Under the current FR/BAR Condominium Rider (revised June 2025), a special assessment levied as of the contract's effective date defa

How do Tampa Bay homeowners protect themselves from deed fraud and title theft? Every Florida clerk of court now offers a free recording notification service — required by state law since July 1, 2024 — that emails you within 24 hours when a deed, mortgage, or lien is recorded under your name. Hills

What is an estoppel certificate, and what does it cost in Florida? An estoppel certificate is a legally binding statement from an HOA or condo association listing everything owed on a property — regular assessments, special assessments, fines, and other charges — so the buyer takes title without inh

Why do home sales fall apart between contract and closing? Most contract failures trace back to financing, appraisal, insurance, or inspection issues. In the Tampa Bay market, insurance and lender requirements are the most common late-stage deal killers — and both are solvable with the right team in