Tampa Bay Life

We are officially starting our monthly newsletter.  Frankly, I don’t know what kind of information would perk your interest on a regular basis, yet we’ll try to provide only high quality content.  We are Realtors, so naturally we want to share news related to real estate in St Petersburg and Tampa Bay area.  But we [...]

Have you ever been to a botanical paradise?  If not, come visit Sunken Gardens, located on 4th street in St Petersburg, FL.  It is over 100 years old and features some of the oldest tropical plants in Tampa Bay.  It’s a great place to come and unwind.  Sit in the shade of the trees and [...]

By guest blogger/writer Jared Diamond The real estate forecast for 2013 is cautiously optimistic.  Modest gains are expected in leasing, rents, and pricing across the nation.  Quick profits will still be a distant dream for developers and investors who have been hoping to make a killing, after all, the recession continues and taxes and prices [...]

What Will Take Place Of This Historical Building In St Pete? A well-familiar structure in St Petersburg, FL at 232 2nd St N came crashing down.  A nearly 100 year old building of a unique mission-style was recently demolished.  It was sitting vacant for several years, slowly deteriorating.  I often wondered about the fate of [...]

President On Treasure Island, FL In Miami Beach folks can ride bikes and roller blade along the trail paved directly on the beach.  There’s a place in Pinellas where you can do the same, that place is Treasure Island.  Granted, it’s not as long or as fancy as the one in Miami but that’s your [...]

RNC in Tampa and Surfing in St Pete It is Monday afternoon, I’m sitting by the window at Bayfront Baby Place watching Isaac.  No, not my newborn.  My second daughter, baby Natalie came into this world yesterday, quite dramatically, but she’s fine and recovering well at All Children’s.  Isaac hasn’t arrived yet, not to St [...]

Flash flood in west St Petersburg 6.05 left my office in Downtown St Petersburg. Thunder. No rain. 6.10 started raining, hard. 6.15 can’t make it to my neighborhood because my street is flooded. 6.20 looking for a spot to park my car in my neighborhood. Water rips off plastic engine guard at the bottom of [...]

And Fun In the Sun On Treasure Island In the heat of a summer day there are few things better than enjoying a cup of Hawaiian-style shaved ice.  Well, that plus spending some time on the beach.  You can do that with ease if you live in Tampa Bay.  Just head to Treasure Island and [...]

And Why Saturday Morning Market in Azalea Park is the answer. We’ve all been enjoying Saturday Morning market in Downtown St Pete for a decade now.  It is a vibrant weekly event featuring dozens of produce and dining vendors, local artists and musicians.  It is probably one of the best places to hang out with [...]

Overnight Waterfront Homes – Thanks to Debby For many people in Tampa Bay today’s situation is far from being exciting. Tropical storm Debby blasted through our area and not only did some damage but also caused some unpleasant flooding. While some are having fun, kids skim boarding in their driveways, folks riding through streets in [...]

How about a vacation on Indian Rocks Beach? Shady cottages, quaint businesses, less crowds, few high rise condos…These features characterize perfectly the uniqueness of Indian Rocks Beach, my favorite among them all (and there are many here).   Every time we cruise through Indian Rocks on Gulf Blvd, I confess than I’m a little jealous of [...]

A Morning Walk In St Petersburg, FL Have you even been on top of the St Pete Pier?  Many have, but have you watched the sunrise there?  I was fortunate enough to be there before the sun came up a few days ago and the guards have just opened the elevator and let me in.  [...]

What will the new St Pete Pier look like? The news about the total restructure of St Pete Pier is no longer news.  We’ve all been hearing for a while about this plan and possible architectural ideas of what the future Pier should look like.  Not too long ago we’ve written a post about the Pier and [...]

Help!  I need to sell my home in St Petersburg! Some say the real estate market in Tampa Bay is improving.  While it may be so in some areas of St Petersburg and other cities of Pinellas, it is still a challenging time to sell your home.  We talk to sellers daily and all of them have [...]

Got Florida Real Estate Tax Bill? If you live in St Petersburg, Florida just like me you have probably received your real estate tax bill.  You either have it escrowed and paid by your lender, who then breaks it down and adds to your monthly mortgage payments, or you pay one lump sum. HOW IS [...]

Short Sale Relocation Assistance Program by Bank of America. What is it all about? We love your real estate questions and we enjoy answering them to the best of our ability.  The big news for St Petersburg and all Tampa Bay residents in the past few weeks was the fact that Bank of America rolled [...]

Wells Fargo makes a terminally ill seller pay defficiency after short sale We’ve processed hundreds of short sales.  In deed, in St Petersburg and all Tampa Bay area the words “short sale” have become so common, people mention them whiling drinking their Starbucks coffee and socializing with friends, and the local news talk about short [...]

Old Northeast Hostorical Tree Is Coming Down In the beginning of July this year we had a storm in St Petersburg and I’m sure you’ve noticed a few downed trees in the area.  One of them unfortunately was this huge tree on 20th Ave NE in the heart of Old Northeast.  The tree split and [...]

Watch The Sunset At Don CeSar on St Pete Beach The summer is slowly passing by, so we are taking every chance to spend some time on the beach.  Being Florida residents we don’t chase the sun trying to get tan like tourists do, but we do like to watch the sunsets.  St Pete Beach [...]

Free Red Bull in St Pete? Yeah, I was getting tired at my desk right around 4 pm and all of a sudden there it was, a cool little Mini Cooper with Red Bull logos all over it and a gigantic Red Bull can bolted on its roof.  A couple young ladies (should I even [...]

Do YOU like Popsicles? The hard part is over; you have found your home destination: Tampa Bay, the perfect place!  But have you found a perfect dessert shop in your area yet?  If you have, please share a link to your favorite dessert place below.  Not long ago my cousin moved to the east coast for school and recently visited St. Augustine.  [...]

Scalloping in Steinhatchee, FL No city noise, fresh air and a serene nature setting.  It’s Steinhatchee!  If you want a little break from your busy St Petersburg or Tampa lifestyle, perhaps you might want to try scalloping.  Just three and a half hours north is a perfect place for this fun activity.  Scallops are plentiful [...]

Have you seen this Google Maps car in your neighborhood? I’ve already written a post about the Google Maps street view vehicles driving through St Pete and Tampa Bay neighborhoods and what it means for you.   But recently I actually had an opportunity to see one for myself.   Driving on 5th Ave N in St Petersburg, [...]

Boats, snorkeling and cornhole.  It’s Memorial Day weekend in St Pete Beach!   St Pete Beach on Memorial Day As I write this post on the evening of Memorial Day I can smell something delicious on my neighbors grill.  I hear them splashing in the pool and laughing loudly.  There’s something good about this day.  There’s something [...]

And some things are simply huge.  I’ve lived in America for over 8 years now and I’m a proud citizen.  Several aspects of American life have fascinated me throughout the years.  For example, the American mentality for being the best of the best  and the vision of making a comfortable lifestyle accessible to everyone.  In [...]

Largo Central Railroad and Pawfest Weekend Last Saturday we headed to the Largo Central Park.  This is probably one of the nicest city parks in Pinellas County.  There’s a lot of money being spent there on maintenance and activities, all for the good of local residents.  Currently a brand new playground is being built and I [...]

The answer is yes! St Petersburg FL offers endless “Kodak moment” opportunities. One can never get tired of photographing St Petersburg. If you live in Tampa Bay and love taking pictures – you know it.  There’s a great combination of office towers, condominiums, marinas with boats, historical buildings and parks to take a perfect city [...]

Do you live in St Pete? Maybe you should read this book! By Emily Zobanov, our guest writer The Seamless City:  A Conservative Mayor’s Approach to Urban Revitalization that Could Work Anywhere is now available on Amazon.com.  The book is divided into two sections.  The first reveals Baker’s views on how to plan a great [...]

Is it a video tour or a virtual open house? Well, it’s both! The idea behind bringing the video tours to our buyers is to make them feel as if they were experiencing their own private open house.  Virtual tours and slide shows just can’t do it, no matter how nice they are.  If you can [...]

Paddling through Clam Bayou in Gulfport A few weeks back my wife took me kayaking as a part of her birthday surprise to me.  I never thought I’d enjoy it as much as I did.  Searching for an adventure doesn’t come to me naturally but I will often join yours if you invite me.  We [...]

Have you even been to Indian Shores? It was a beautiful weekend in Pinellas, especially if you were spending it on the water.  Clear skies and a light breeze created the perfect weather for being on the beach.  Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores are beloved locations for many tourists but especially for Tampa folks.  I suspect it’s [...]

Why Listings Expire in St. Pete, Tampa And Anywhere Some listings don’t sell during the listing period for a variety of reasons, including: 1)     market conditions (oversupply of homes available for sale); 2)     property condition; 3)     listing period too short; 4)     uncooperative owner or tenant; 5)     overpriced; or 6)     poor marketing effort. Except for the [...]

1920’s: The Florida Land Boom   Easy credit.  Sky-high real estate prices.  Speculation. Sounds like the housing situation of recent years but these trends were the norm in early 1920’s Florida.   The Victorian Era was long gone and the new middle class had leisure time and money to travel.   Florida was readily accessible through railways [...]

Seminole, Fl home sales and listings stats Today we’re giving you a quick update on the Seminole, FL real estate market.  This town is an exciting place to live where you can find the county’s best schools, family friendly neighborhoods and be close to the beach.  Located on the west side of our peninsula, Seminole [...]

The Refinery. American modern cuisine in Tampa Bay. Last week was my birthday, and by the way, thank you all for the Facebook birthday wishes, all several hundred of them!  Well, my wife had a little surprise for me, actually two surprises.  In the morning she took me kayaking at Clam Bayou, which is located [...]

Hot Winter Day At Taco Bus! What a beautiful day it was this past Saturday!  You could get sunburn being outside for too long.  It’s full blown spring time in St Petersburg and all Tampa Bay. No wonder “snowbirds” and tourists from all over the world are flocking to our area.  I was told many were [...]

Do You Own A Mid Century Modern Home In Tampa Bay? What style home is your home?  If it is a 50-60’s era home, it might very well be a mid century modern home.  From 1955 through the first half of the 1960’s, a huge change in home design took place creating mid-century modern homes.  The style [...]

Orlando-Tampa High-Speed Rail Line. To Be Or Not To Be? Many have heard about the high-speed rail line project.  The line was supposed to connect Tampa and Orlando and provide a quick commute for businessmen as well as for tourists visiting Disney World, who would want to get away from the parks’ busy life to [...]

Tampa Bay Dining Discoveries. Beirut Cafe. Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and so many people we know probably went to Carrabas and various steakhouses to celebrate.  One of our favorite places, Cafe O’Bistro, came to mind, but after making a phone call there we found out they are booked for the night.  There were no [...]

IS YOUR REALTOR BRINGING ON A PHOTO DISASTER? We’ve been working with home sellers and buyers for a long time.  Yet, it still amazes me sometimes to see how agents advertise listings.  I also can’t, in the right mind, understand why the home sellers list their homes with the agents offering this type of marketing.  PHOTO TAKING MISTAKES [...]

TAMPA LISTINGS AND SALES… WHERE ARE WE TODAY? LISTED HOMES STATS According to local MLS there are currently 4,899 homes listed for sale in Tampa.  2301 (47 %!!) of these home are listed under distressed circumstances (short sale, pre-foreclosure or bank owned).  This makes Tampa area a bit more “toxic” than St Petersburg and Pinellas [...]

What’s the Deal With That Sign? Have you ever tried to read this sign while driving down Park Street in St. Petersburg?   I’ve never bothered to stop there and wander but after driving by it for a few years I finally know what it says.   I’m still curious about Panfilo de Narvaez and the ancient [...]

SHORT SALES FLOOD IN TAMPA BAY CONTINUES? We’ve all seen the decrease in real estate prices in the last 5 years.  Home prices in Tampa Bay dropped near 50% from where they were at the peak of the market in 2005-2006.  As a result nearly 40% of all home sold in St Petersburg and greater [...]

Google Maps Street View. Are You Using It? You have probably seen a Google vehicle on the streets of your city.  Google has sent out one with a special camera mounted on it to every street of our country and even in places around the world.  All this work just to give us a street [...]

Quick Facts About Florida.  How Will They Affect You? Just read some interesting facts about Florida in Florida Realtor® magazine.  As Realtors® we are continually studying local and state real estate market and statistics.  So, we thought you may be interested to know that in Florida there are: -          1,000 people move to Florida each [...]

In short about Peter Demens Many of us know that St Petersburg, FL was named by a Russian immigrant Mr. Peter Demens.  He named it after St Petersburg, Russia where he spent many years in service.  As a successful Russian entrepreneur he made good money in selling off lumber coming from trees that grew in [...]

Celebrities And Famous Who Call Tampa Bay Home Oh, Tampa Bay!  What a beautiful place!  “Snow birds” love you, tourists from all over United States embrace you with joy and foreign visitors come to your white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and free beer (well, not so free any more) at Busch Gardens. [...]

The Snell Arcade Building By Emily Zobanov, our guest writer Do you ever wonder about that beautiful old building on the corner of Central Avenue and Fourth Street in downtown St. Pete?   This 1926 gem is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Judy Lowe Wells is the author of C. Perry Snell: His Place [...]

St Pete’s Central Aventue Through A Wide Angle Lens Since The HOME Team’s office is located Downtown St Petersburg, I like taking a break and stroll down Central with my camera in hand.  I’m no experience photographer, but I wanted to share with you a few shots I took today Downtown St Pete. ART REVIVAL [...]

If You Build It – They Will Come? The Pier Downtown St Petersburg. By guest writer Emily Zobanov Ideas and opinions are astir concerning The Pier, the famous (or infamous) inverted pyramid we all love or love to hate. Recently the city of St. Petersburg’s Pier Advisory Task Force issued a report titled “Alternatives For [...]

Tampa Bay’s Deals Of The Week The HOME Team of Charles Rutenberg is starting a weekly update on the best Real Estate deals.  We will limit these 3 listings to Tampa Bay / St Petersburg area and will try to show you homes that, in our opinion, are best buys.  What are the criteria?  Well, [...]

Vacation On The Beach In Florida? How About St Pete Beach! I love St Pete Beach.  It’s not just one of the largest beach communities along the shores of Pinellas County, but it is also probably the most popular vacation place for tourists who come to Tampa Bay.  They are coming from NY, Michigan, Pennsylvania [...]

2010 Final Stats from The HOME Team / Charles Rutenberg At the end of this year we thought it would be nice to look back at 2010 and review some sales and listings statistics. We will take St Petersburg, FL as an example. LISTED In St Petersburg there are currently 3,387 homes for sale. 1,348 [...]

…Is it possible? So how do you go from listing to offer in just 18 days? Well, it’s not always easy but it’s simple.  It all boils down to doing a job and doing it right.  Just like an assembly line worker has a check list of things he must do in order to build [...]

HAFA www.makinghomeaffordable.gov info is used for this post. The Federal Administration’s Making Homes Affordable Program is a critical part of the effort to stabilize the housing market and help struggling homeowners get relief and avoid foreclosure. Making Home Affordable includes opportunities for homeowners to modify or refinance their mortgage to make their payments more affordable. [...]

Is Loan Modification Possible? Let’s talk about HAMP www.makinghomeaffordable.com info used for this article Many homeowners are struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments on time perhaps because their interest rate has increased or they have less income.  A Home Affordable Modification through the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable Program will provide them with more [...]

Have You heard about HDR images? By now you’ve probably heard about HDR photography.  I’ve seen some beautiful HDR pictures of Tampa Bay and St Petersburg.  According to Wikipedia: “high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest [...]

Treasure Island Fun and Real Estate Just before sunset, I like taking the boat out into intracoastal waters or the Gulf of Mexico just off St Pete Beach.  At that time of day you’re bound to see dolphins and enjoy stunning views.  There are many boat launches all around Pinellas County.  If you keep your [...]

Interview With A General Contractor, Joe Esposito If you’ve ever undertaken a construction project, you know how hard and time-consuming it can become.  I had a privilege to interview one of the best local General Contractors, Joe Esposito, the owner of J&J Builders and Developers. I’ve personally worked on multiple properties from minor renovations to [...]

Chattaway Drive-In In St Petersburg FL, Review and Video If you’re into “old Florida”, the Chattaway restaurant is a must-visit spot in St. Petersburg.  This local favorite has been around since the early 1950’s.   The outdoor atmosphere is casual-kitsch. Here’s a great description from www.Poynteronline.org    The Chattaway, a Southeast gathering spot at 22nd Avenue [...]

Skeet and Trap Shooting in St Petersburg, FL Video Ok, no, I am not talking about another homicide in Tampa Bay.   If you live in Pinellas County and love individual competitive sports, maybe Skyway Trap and Skeet club is a place for you to visit. This type of shooting is actually fun! There are lots of [...]

How Much Do You know About Florida’s Pink Lady, The Don CeSar Hotel? By Emily Zobanov If you find yourself on St. Pete Beach, you can’t miss the lovely Don CeSar Hotel.   This hotel, in all it’s pink glory, presents a striking contrast against Florida’s clear blue skies.   Listed on the National Register of Historic [...]

Radio Talk Show, on St Pete Houses, By St Petersburg FL Realtors Many of you know that John Rurkowski, Charles Rutenberg Realty broker has been hosting a radio show now for a few week on 1340AM.  The show is called Today’s Agent and covers multiple real estate topics.  I was fortunate enough to be on the show [...]

Planes And The Philli Flyer – It’s The Hangar I had my first lunch at The Hangar today and I really enjoyed it.  This place opened not long ago at Albert Whitted Airport terminal.  I expected it to be good, since the same owner runs Parkshore Grill and 400 Beach Seafood, and these places are always [...]

Good Eats Around St Petersburg And Beyond What is good living without good eating?  Being one of St Petersburg Fl Realtors, I work with buyers that are new to our area and I often get a question: so where’s a good place to eat around here?c Of course, then I ask what they mean by good, what type of [...]

Parking ticket in downtown St Peterburg I happened to be in a wedding this past Saturday and it took place in a downtown St. Petersburg park under those huge Banyan trees.  Yes, the two-hour limit on the parking meter wasn’t sufficient and there was a brightly colored slip on my windshield by the time I got back to the [...]

Welcome to www.HomeTeamTampaBay.com! Our goal is to become your trusted real estate advisors.  We know that whether you are a buyer, a seller or simply browsing – you want information.  That’s what we’ll strive to provide in order to keep you knowledgeable and up to date on what’s going on in St. Petersburg real estate and beyond.  We [...]