Tampa Bay Real Estate Blog: Market Insights & Guides

What does Florida's Amendment 3 mean if you're buying or selling a home in Tampa Bay? Amendment 3, on the November 3, 2026 ballot, would raise the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes from about $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and cut the annual assessment cap on non-h

The short answer In Florida, a listing can end three ways. Expired means the term in your listing agreement ran out. Canceled means you and your brokerage agreed to end the listing early. Withdrawn (shown as Temporarily Off-Market in Stellar MLS) means the home is paused but your agreement is still

The short answer If your South Tampa home has had steady showings and no offers after about 30 days, price is the likely issue, and one well-supported reduction beats several small ones. Before you cut, compare your price per square foot with what has closed nearby, not with what neighbors are askin

Do you pay capital gains tax when selling your Tampa Bay primary residence? Only on the gain above the federal Section 121 exclusion — $250,000 for a single filer or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly — and only if you owned and used the home as your primary residence for at least two of t

Should you auction your Tampa Bay luxury home or list it traditionally? An accelerated-marketing auction compresses a high-end home sale into a fixed window — roughly 60 days from launch to closing at the largest platform — in exchange for an as-is, no-contingency sale and a buyer's premium that run

What happens to a Citizens insurance policy when a Tampa Bay home sells? Nothing transfers. A Citizens Property Insurance policy covers the named policyholder, not the property, so a buyer has to qualify for coverage on their own — under eligibility rules that include a 20% private-market test, a dw

What is a CLUE report, and why does it matter when buying or selling a Tampa Bay home? A CLUE report — short for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange — is a LexisNexis database record showing up to seven years of insurance claims tied to a property and its owner. Florida carriers check it when t

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

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

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 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

How does a corporate relocation package affect buying or selling a home in Tampa Bay? Most corporate relocation packages take one of three forms: a lump-sum payment, direct reimbursement of approved expenses, or a full home-sale program run by a relocation management company (RMC). Home-sale program

What happens to a lease when a Tampa Bay home is sold? In Florida, a written lease survives the sale. Under long-standing Florida law, the buyer takes title subject to the existing lease and steps into the seller's shoes as landlord — same rent, same term, same obligations. The seller must transfer

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

What should you check before buying a Tampa Bay home with a pool? Before buying a Tampa Bay home with a pool, order a dedicated pool inspection with leak detection, confirm the pool and any screen enclosure were permitted, verify the pool meets Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter