A SOURCE FOR REAL ESTATE & TAMPA BAY INFORMATION

How does solar affect selling a home in Tampa Bay? It comes down to ownership. A system you own outright conveys with the home and can add appraised value, while a leased system or power purchase agreement is third-party property that adds nothing to the appraisal and has to be transferred to your b

Is it better to buy a Tampa Bay home in an LLC or a land trust? For a primary residence, a Florida land trust is usually the better fit, because under F.S. 689.071 the resident beneficiary keeps the homestead exemption, the Save Our Homes 3% cap, and standard mortgage financing while gaining title-r

How do you transfer a Tampa Bay home to family the right way? The deed you choose decides almost everything. A quitclaim deed transfers ownership immediately and permanently, while a Florida lady bird (enhanced life estate) deed lets you keep full control during your life and passes the home to fami

Do you need approval to renovate a historic home in South Tampa? Yes — if the home sits in one of Tampa's four local historic districts (Hyde Park, Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, or Ybor/Barrio Latino) or is a designated local landmark. Exterior changes visible from the public right-of-way, additi

How do you contest a property tax assessment in Tampa Bay? You contest a Tampa Bay property tax assessment by filing a petition — Form DR-486 — with your county Value Adjustment Board within 25 days of the date your TRIM notice is mailed, which is usually in mid-to-late August. An independent specia

What does it mean when a Tampa Bay condo is "non-warrantable"? A condo is non-warrantable when the building — not the buyer — fails the project standards Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require, so a conventional or conforming loan can't be sold to them. Common triggers include underfunded reserves, a la

How does earnest money work on a Tampa Bay luxury home? In Florida, earnest money — the good-faith deposit that goes with your offer — is commonly 1% to 3% of the purchase price, though luxury buyers often commit a flat five- or six-figure sum or a structured deposit: an initial amount, then an addi

What is a Coastal Construction Control Line permit, and when do you need one in Tampa Bay? A Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) is a jurisdictional line, set under Florida Statute 161.053, that marks the landward limit of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's authority over the

What do you need to know about selling a home during a divorce in Tampa Bay? Florida is an equitable-distribution state, not a community-property state, so the marital home is divided fairly rather than automatically split 50/50. Under the Florida Constitution, both spouses must sign the deed to con

How does a seller rent-back work after closing in Florida? A seller rent-back — formally a post-closing occupancy agreement — lets the seller stay in the home for a negotiated period after closing while the buyer takes title. In Florida, the FR/BAR contract's Rider U makes the sale contingent on bot

How do you protect your money from wire fraud at a Tampa Bay real estate closing? Get your title company's wire instructions early and directly, confirm them by phone using a number you looked up independently — never one pulled from an email — and treat any last-minute change in instructions as fra

What should you know before buying a teardown lot in South Tampa? On a South Tampa teardown, you're paying for the land and the location, not the house. The structure often carries little or even negative value once you account for demolition and the cost of building to current flood-elevation stand

Where are short-term rentals allowed in Tampa Bay? It depends on the city — and sometimes on the zoning district within the city. Florida law (F.S. 509.032(7)(b)) blocks local governments from banning vacation rentals or regulating how often or how long they rent, but ordinances adopted on or before

What is a Florida 4-point inspection, and when does a Tampa Bay luxury buyer need one? A Florida 4-point inspection is a one-page report from a Florida-licensed inspector documenting the age and condition of a home's roof, electrical system, plumbing, and HVAC. It's not a building-code or statutory

How does title insurance work on a Tampa Bay closing? Florida is one of a handful of states where title insurance premiums are promulgated by the Office of Insurance Regulation — the rate is the same no matter which underwriter or title agency you use. On a $1M Tampa Bay home, the owner's policy run

What is a CDD fee in Tampa Bay, and is it a property tax? A CDD fee is a non-ad valorem assessment levied by a Community Development District — a special-purpose unit of local government created under Chapter 190 of the Florida Statutes — to finance and maintain a community's infrastructure. It is n

What do Florida's milestone inspection and SIRS rules mean for an older Tampa Bay condo? Two reports now drive most older-condo deals in Florida: the milestone inspection, a structural safety check required once a building three or more habitable stories tall reaches 30 years of age (or 25 if it sit

How does luxury waterfront home insurance work in Tampa Bay in 2026? A Tampa Bay waterfront home doesn't carry one insurance policy — it carries a stack. Wind (hurricane) coverage sits inside an HO-3 or a separate Citizens wind-only policy, federal flood insurance through the National Flood Insuranc

What does Florida’s flood disclosure law require Tampa Bay sellers to disclose in 2026? Florida Statute 689.302 requires every seller of residential real property to deliver a separate Flood Disclosure form (Florida Realtors FD-2) to the buyer at or before the sales contract is executed. Effective O

Should a South Tampa luxury seller order a pre-listing appraisal or trust the agent's CMA? For most South Tampa homes under $1M with healthy recent comparable sales, a strong agent CMA — a Comparative Market Analysis built from current Stellar MLS data — does the job. Once the price band crosses rou