A SOURCE FOR REAL ESTATE & TAMPA BAY INFORMATION

How do you price a home when there are no comparable sales in the neighborhood? When a home sits far above its neighborhood’s price ceiling, there are no comparable sales to price against — so we built the value case two ways: an expanded comp search across Tampa’s adjacent premium markets, and a co

Should You Rent First or Buy Right Away When Relocating to Tampa Bay? Rent first if you don't yet know which Tampa Bay neighborhood fits your life — a year of local knowledge is cheaper than a six-figure resale mistake. Buy right away if you already know the market, because renting delays Florida's

Can you buy a Tampa Bay home without seeing it in person? Yes. Florida's transaction framework supports a fully remote purchase. A live video walkthrough and the Florida Realtors Sight Unseen Property Disclosure and Acknowledgment (SUP-1) handle the showing, the FR/BAR “As Is” contract's inspection

Do you have to replace an older roof before selling a Tampa Bay home? No — Florida law protects roofs under 15 years old from age-only insurance denial, and a roof 15 years or older can stay insurable with an inspection showing at least 5 years of remaining useful life (F.S. 627.7011). What roof age

What does Florida's Seller's Property Disclosure have to reveal, and what does Johnson v. Davis require? Florida's Seller's Property Disclosure is the seller's written statement of known defects that materially affect a home's value — structural and roof issues, water intrusion and drainage, floodin

Can you sell a Tampa Bay home without being in Florida? Yes. Florida law fully supports remote real estate closings, and out-of-state sellers close Tampa Bay transactions every week without setting foot in the state. You have three paths: remote online notarization (RON), legal in Florida since Janu

Should you take a cash offer over a financed offer on a Tampa Bay luxury home? Not automatically. Cash removes the two contingencies that most often kill a deal — financing and the lender's appraisal — and can close in as little as one to two weeks instead of the 30–45 days a mortgage usually needs.

How do you establish Florida domicile after buying a Tampa Bay home? Florida has no state income tax and no day-count residency test of its own, so establishing domicile is about proving you intend to make Florida your permanent home — and severing the ties that let your former state keep taxing you

Should you sell your Tampa Bay home or rent it out? For most Tampa Bay homeowners, selling beats renting unless the property can clear its full carrying cost — including the property tax increase that comes with losing your homestead exemption and Save Our Homes cap. Renting a former homestead for m

How do you buy a new home in Tampa Bay before selling your current one? You have four workable paths: make your offer contingent on your current home's sale using the FR/BAR Comprehensive Rider V, borrow against your existing equity with a bridge loan or a HELOC opened before you list, tap a securit

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

How does a Florida wind mitigation inspection save a Tampa Bay luxury homeowner money on insurance? A licensed inspector completes a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802) — required by Florida Statute § 627.0629 — that documents seven hurricane-resilience features on a Tampa

What's a jumbo loan in Tampa Bay in 2026, and how is it different from a conforming mortgage? In Tampa Bay, any single-unit purchase that requires a mortgage above $832,750 is a jumbo loan in 2026 — that's the FHFA baseline conforming limit for Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and every Florida county

What should a Tampa Bay buyer negotiate in a luxury new construction contract? The four levers that matter most are the deposit and escrow structure, the allowance and change-order schedule, the warranty (with Florida's new statutory one-year backstop under F.S. §553.837 layered on top of the builde

What happens to a Tampa Bay home closing if a tropical storm enters the cone? If the National Weather Service issues a Tropical Storm Watch, Tropical Storm Warning, Hurricane Watch, or Hurricane Warning for any part of Florida, most homeowners insurance carriers — including Citizens Property Insuran

How is the sale of a Tampa Bay second home or vacation property taxed? Selling a Tampa Bay second home or vacation property triggers federal long-term capital gains tax — typically 15% or 20%, plus a 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax for higher earners — on the gain above your adjusted cost basis. Flor

How do you sell a Tampa Bay home held in a trust or estate? The path depends on how the home is titled. A home in a revocable living trust sells almost exactly like one in your own name — the trustee signs, supported by a Certificate of Trust under F.S. 736.1017. A home owned by someone who has died

How do Florida property taxes work when you're relocating from a high-tax state? Florida has no state income tax, but it funds local government primarily through property taxes. As a relocating buyer, you'll pay annual property taxes based on your home's assessed value multiplied by the local millag

What does the NAR buyer-broker settlement actually require me to sign as a Tampa Bay buyer in 2026? Since August 17, 2024, every buyer working with a real estate agent in Florida has had to sign a written buyer-broker agreement before touring a home — including virtual tours. In Florida, that agreem

Should you waive the home inspection on a Tampa Bay luxury home? In most cases, no. The Tampa Bay market in 2026 no longer rewards waived inspections the way the 2021–2022 frenzy did, and the issues an inspection tends to surface on a $1.5M–$5M home — aging seawalls, insurance-disqualifying roofs, o