A guide to gulf coast living in the Sunshine State

The Florida lifestyle is great: many are lured to stay longer and eventually reside in the Sunshine state because of the laidback beach living and the romance of seaside towns.  Florida’s Gulf Coast forms part of the Gulf of Mexico, with a coastline of 770 miles, thus promising endless water-related activities and enough seashells for a sizable collection.  The twin cities of Clearwater and St. Petersburg were voted as the best beach destination in the United States.

Aside from lounging on a quiet beach and getting a natural tan, visitors can frequent numerous museums, galleries, charming historical venues, and natural attractions.  Here are three out of the many gulf coast areas where you can spend a vacation or decide to set up residence:

Clearwater

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It is a peninsula located in Florida’s West Coast, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and Tampa Bay to the east.  Active families will appreciate living here because of diverse beach activities, playhouses, festivals, and extensive park system. 

St. Petersburg

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It is a cultural hub of central Florida and the Gulf Coast because of nationally renowned museums, performing arts centers, and galleries.  A popular attraction is the St. Petersburg Pier that hosts shops, restaurants, and an amazing nightlife.

Tampa

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This place has a lot of amusement parks and a single day’s activities can be spent on shopping, attending sporting events, and fine dining at gorgeous hotels.  Tampa has old cigar factories and unique buildings that boast amazing architecture. 

Gulf coast living and entertainment need not be limited to the beach alone.  Countless experience await for every tourist and residents alike. 

Melissa Yardy is a professional real estate broker for over 30 years that has access to thousands of Pinellas County and St. Pete Beach homes. Check more real estate updates here.

Real estate forecasts: Investment trends to keep an eye on

The culmination of the business year brings about inventories and financial summaries that chronicle both successes and failures. Citations are made for the most profitable industries, and those that boomed despite slow economic growth. Among the successful business sectors are financial services and real property investments involving construction.

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Considering a positive trend in these industries, wise investors are sure to hit maximum gain by extending projects to the busy seasons of the following year. Recapping 2014’s notable developments, investment experts relay the following forecasts for the real estate industry next year:

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• The comeback of the “smile philosophy,” that is, real estate projects move through a literal smile geographically, with investments initiating in the northeast regions, down to south, then back up toward the northwestern part of the country;

• With high-end apartment buildings becoming more problematic, single-family markets still lead the market in terms of condominium development. Multi-dwelling units are projected to decrease in demand;

• With home prices geared toward pleasing the seller than the buyer, lending standards will loosen up, allowing more shadow banking to emerge;

• Second-tier cities are set to lead the market recovery next year. With bay area, 24-hour cities becoming swamped, more deals can be made in traditionally 9-to-5 cities. Urbanization in these cities will transform housing, dining, and walk-to-work offices creating consistent economic growth;

• Watch out for millennials. These young generation will move the market but not as homeowners, as they postpone purchasing a home until later in life, but as renters. Looking into how this generation perceives housing poses a huge challenge, but millennials are a great source of potential business activity as well;

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• Telecommuting and online shopping are also shaping the future of real estate property investments. With more home-based work and more options in retail shopping, more commercial spaces are left empty. The conversion of malls and traditional offices for mixed-use is seen to be profitable.

Scouring the market for the most profitable sector is an arduous task necessitating extensive research. Getting a hint from industry experts would be a great exercise in ensuring continuous success in real estate investment.

The president of a RE/MAX Preferred office in St. Pete Beach, Florida, Melissa Yardy is the go-to person of individuals and families who wish to make a successful investment in the real estate. Learn more how she can help you land a good deal here.

Melissa Yardy: Sell Your Home Quickly by Choosing the Right Home Price

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One of the most important yet challenging aspects of selling a home is figuring out which price tag to attach to it. The right price will almost guarantee you a quick sale, while the wrong price will cause you to cheat yourself out of a profit or result in your home sale process dragging out for months unnecessarily, according to expert real estate broker Melissa Yardy. A few tips can help you to price your house wisely for sale.

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First, your real estate broker should be able to come up with comps for you – the prices at which homes that are comparable to yours have sold for. Review these comps and get an average sale price from them. Your home’s asking price ideally should be within the 10 percent range of your neighborhood’s average home sale price.

It is also good to use buyer psychology tactics when creating the “perfect” price. For instance, instead of setting a home price to $205,000, try making it $199,995. This will allow you to capture home buyers who engage in range searching – such as searching for homes from $150,000 to $200,000. There is also proof that prices beneath a “century” figure are naturally more captivating to buyers.

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You also may want to look for a “soft spot” in your neighborhood’s inventory. If several homes have price tags that range from $175,000 to $177,000, for example, and the next batch of homes are being sold for more than $190,000, you may benefit from pricing your home at about $180,000.

It is also worth noting that spring is the best time to sell a home, while the winter season is usually the slowest time. This is when people’s minds are focused on the holidays, not necessarily buying or selling their homes. With guidance from a proven real estate broker, you can increase your chances of getting your home sold quickly and taking advantage of today’s Florida real estate market.

Melissa Yardy Will Negotiate a Low Price for Your Next Home Purchase

Negotiating prices is difficult for many people. Because car buyers dread the process, many have flocked to dealers who do not negotiate prices. Dealerships sell dozens of cars daily so they are accustomed to and adept at the negotiation process. The average person is unskilled because he or she only buys a car every few years. Similarly, people who buy houses do so only a few times in their lives. They do not know all of the important issues surrounding home buying. For this reason, they may hire a real estate agent to help them through the process. These agents participate in buying and selling every day so they are quite skilled in this arena.

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If you plan to buy a home in the Gulf Beaches area of Florida, it would be in your interest to engage Melissa Yardy. Melissa has been a real estate agent for more than thirty years, which means that she has participated in the purchase and sale of thousands of homes. Her experience will help you buy your next home for the minimum amount of money necessary to close the deal expediently.

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Because Melissa Yardy has been a real estate agent in the Gulf Beaches area for all of her professional life, she will be very helpful to you. For example, she knows which parts of Pinellas County are in the highest demand and she understands how to focus on certain shortcomings of houses to negotiate the price downward. Also, she might counsel you to make an offer below the asking price, focusing on the condition of the carpeting or the wood floor. The seller would have to invest money to upgrade these furnishings, but you may be willing to accept them as is.

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Buying a home is the biggest purchase you will make in your life. Ask Melissa Yardy to help you minimize your costs.

Happy house hunting: The search for that dream home

Shopping for a home can either be a fantastic experience or an extremely stressful one. That is why it is important for future homeowners to know what they want in a house they will eventually buy before the househunting even begins. The process may sound simple, yet, with all the buying mistakes and nightmares discussed online and seen on TV, purchasing that dream home is not necessarily a walk in the park.

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To begin with, buyers need to identify what type of house they want. Do they want a colonial home, or perhaps a single-detached property? They also need to determine the size of the property, the age of the home (newly built or previously owned?), the house layout, even the compromises they are willing to handle. Being as specific as possible with all the requirements will help in zeroing in on properties closest to that dream home.

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Another important consideration is the location. Home buyers need to have a neighborhood or a community in mind where they want to settle. Once they have chosen an area, they can start combing online real estate listings or driving around the community to spot that “For Sale” sign. It is also important that home buyers pay attention if the area has good schools, if there is a hospital or a grocery store nearby, or if it is easily accessible by public transport. Home buyers need to get an idea about the local real estate market, even crime incidence.

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These are just two of the basic things home buyers need to figure out prior to their house hunting adventure. And to make the most of the experience, buyers have best work with a licensed and experienced realtor who can offer sound advice on a property or even negotiate deals on their behalf.  


 Whether you are looking for a new home or selling one, Melissa Yardy can help. With over three decades of professional experience, Ms. Yardy is well-versed in the ins and outs of investing in real estate. Check out her credentials and featured listings here.