Properties, Houses and Condos for Sale in St Petersburg Treasure Island Florida

Why I love to live in Treasure Island Florida.

The Tampabay area is just wonderful, I live in Treasure Island, used to live in Saint Pete Beach and my office is in Madeira beach just down the street from Redington and Indian Rocks.

 It doesn’t matter in which one of these beach communities you live, they are all wonderful. We all get a beautiful sunrise every morning and we have the most spectacular sunsets every night.

 The “South Beaches” of Pinellas and that is everything south of the Clearwater bridge to the Skyway bridge consist of little beach towns.

I will list them from the north to the south. There is Belleair Beach and Belleair Shores followed by Indian Rocks beach and Indian Shores.

South of that we have Redington Shores, North Redington Beach and Redington beach. Next is Madeira beach and Treasure Island, Saint Pete Beach, Isla Del Sol and Tierra Verde.

 It sounds like a long long strip, but in reality I am talking about a 20 mile stretch give or take.

All the Redington something’s are just 10 blogs long. My point is that it realty does not matter in which beach community you live, you will be able to walk to the beach, walk to restaurants and bars and shopping. 

These beach communities are very laid back and easy going. We have a good mixture of single family homes, condos and hotels.

We have the tourist season but it is nothing like the Miami area. It does and did not change the character of our little beach communities.

So, when you are down here for a visit you need to go to Sunset beach, that is the south end of Treasure Island. Sunset beach is a very diverse community with lots of really really old little beach shacks as well as modern new construction.

Sunset beach in Treasure island has a lot of positive energy and it is kind of artsy. People are very creative, you can easily see this just by walking around, looking at the mailboxes and other things they have displayed in their front yard.

Once you are in Sunset beach, you have to stop at Caddy’s Waterfront restaurant, have a drink or a bite to eat and enjoy the beautiful beach.

Another must see is John’s Pass right at the Bridge that goes from Madeira beach to Treasure Island. This place is a lot of fun for the whole family. You will find a lot of little shops and stores and souvenir places, ice-cream parlors, restaurant and bars. The best thing about John’s Pass is the boardwalk.

Make sure you take a stroll along the waterfront and watch the boats go in and out of John’s Pass. If you want to do some Parasailing or fishing or jet skiing or rent a boat, John’s Pass is the place.

You next stop should be Pass a Grille. It is the south end of Saint Pete beach just behind the Don Cesar hotel. Pass a grille has a lot of history and walking around you can feel and see it. Have a drink at the Hurricane roof top terrace and watch the sunset or go to the Black Perl for a nice dinner. Talking about dinner, 

The Wine Cellar in Redington is a nice place to go for upscale European food, The Gulf Bistro in Madeira beach has outstanding French food and the Perl in Treasure Island is a gourmet restaurant that you do not want to miss.

Top of the line is of course the Don Cesar in Saint Pete beach, they have a wonderful Sunday brunch. For breakfast we can recommend the Frog Pond in Redington and there is also one in St. Pete beach.

Or go to Tierra Verde to the German Crepes house and have a European breakfast. If you just want a fantastic cup of coffee and croissants, you have to go to Casa Del Pane, a little Italian place in St. Pete beach.

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in Saint Petersburg Florida, give me a call. I know the market, I know the neighborhood. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach. Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Tampabay areas.    727 410 7777

Why I love to live in Treasure Island Florida.

Treasure Island | Dinner at the Perl.

What a treat.  It is this time of the year again where we have our annual office diner party .We try to go to a different place every year but I have the feeling that this has stopped as of last night. We had a fantastic time at the Perl here in Treasure Island. I just love everything about this place.

 First of all, you can't beat the location, right in downtown Treasure Island next to a cigar bar and a dance bar (for the after dinner things) The Perl  has a really welcoming and  cozy atmosphere and you can feel this the moment you walk in. It is as if Karim ( the owner | chef) and his wonderful staff, invite you into their living room and you instantly feel at home and well taken care of.  

Talking about the Staff, everybody at the Perl is very knowledgeable and friendly and pays attention to you. We had the pleasure of being served by Nick, by far the best  "host" you can find anywhere on planet earth.

I am using the word "host" deliberately, a waiter is just someone that brings you food, a "host" is someone that  cares  and takes pride in his job.  As always, he was funny and in great spirits and we all had a wonderful time.

Now let's talk about food. There are a lot of good cooks in our area and Karim is probably the best one of them but what really sets him apart is his love for food and his love for cooking. You can see it in the presentation and you taste it with the very first bite.   

He is very creative but won't overdue it.  Everything is made from scratch with  the freshest food you can find. The menu is a pleasure to read, perfect balance between International, Moroccan and American food.

He accommodates all your "special wishes" and I am not just talking about the "substituting rice for potatoes thing".

 Last night, one of us wanted Sauce Béarnaise with her filet, now this is not something that you have in your pantry or you can just open a can. First of all, it is not easy to make a Sauce Béarnaise from scratch but the much bigger deal is that it completely interrupts your  "kitchen process" 

See a restaurant kitchen is a highly organized place where everybody has his job and follows and unwritten "plan" which is needed to get the food out in time etc. So, interrupting this process  to accommodate "special wishes" ( in our case very very special wishes) is something you won't find anywhere else.

So, again, we all had a wonderful time at the Perl here in Treasure Island. The food was fantastic, the service was awesome and the atmosphere just brought it all together. If you  visit Treasure Island you should not miss out on this experience. Put it on you to do list, you will be delighted.

Treasure Island | Dinner at the Perl.

Treasure Island Florida Real Estate

Treasure Island is a beautiful little beach town in Tampabay Florida. We have about 7500 locals and depending on the time of the year, a couple of thousand tourists.   Therefore Treasure Island Florida Real Estate should really be split into two categories, homesteaded properties where people actually live year around and investment properties, second homes, vacation homes.  For today, let’s focus on the second group, buyers from out of town that are looking for a condo or home on the water, intracoastal or beach.

Right now you can buy a one bedroom one bath about 400 plus square feet condo on the beach for about $120,000. Or a 2 bedroom 2 bath round about 1000 square feet on the Gulf of Mexico for $300,000 and up. Both of these condos can generate a substantial amount of rental income and that helps to offset the expenses.  Treasure Island Florida Real Estate will cost you some money to maintain during the year. Taxes, monthly maintenance fees, electric etc all these items can add up.  Just to give you an idea, for a 2/2 condo on the beach that you paid $300,000 for, you have to calculate about $13,000 to $15,000 per year. So, if you could get this amount as income from renting your condo, it would really make a lot of sense when you are thinking investment.

As a buyer of Treasure Island Florida Real Estate as an investment property or second home, you need to watch out for a few things. One of them is the rental restrictions. Every condo association here in Treasure Island has a different rental policy and therefore you can generate a different rental income. The best is probably a 7 day minimum, meaning you can rent as many times per year as you want to as long as each rental period is at least 7 days.  If you get into rental restrictions that say 3 month minimum or 6 months or even only yearly rentals are allowed, you can easily see that it will be very difficult to generate enough rental income to offset your expenses.

Treasure Island Florida Real Estate

Do I have to pay the property taxes for my new home in Treasure Island St. Petersburg at closing?
No, here in Tampabay Pinellas county property taxes are paid in arears.

You will actually get money back at closing, it is a credit from the seller to the buyer for his unpaid portion of the yearly property taxes.

You will only have to pay something if the seller for whatever strange reason has already paid the taxes till the end of the year ( he gets his bill in November)

Now if he has already "prepaid" the taxes you would owe him for a month or two.

If you have more real estate questions concerning buying or selling here in St. Petersburg, go to our local real estate website.

Is it cheaper to own a waterfront condo than a single famliy home on the water in Treasure Island, St. Petersburg Tampabay?

Own a condo verses a single family home in Treasure Island, Saint Petersburg Tampabay

There are a lot of things to be said about the difference between buying a condo or a home but for now we will just focus on the monthly cost of homeownership here in St. Pete.

A 2 bedroom 2 bath waterfront condo around 1000 square feet usually comes with a condo maintenance of fee of $350 to $550. (Yes, we also have huge luxury waterfront condos that have a maintenance fee of $700 or $1000 per month.) Each condo association in Treasure Island, St. Petersburg is different.

The numbers below are for a single family home here in St. Petersburg. When you compare this to a condo fee of $400 or $500 you will see that the monthly condo association fees aren’t so bad after all.

Don’t forget, you also have to pay taxes.

In my example the home value on both properties is $500,000 and they have the same property taxes.

Expenses for a single family home in Treasure Island, Saint Pete.

Electricity                                                                                         average of $250 per month

Water                                                                                               average of $100 per month

Lawn service                                                                                    average of $100 per month

Inside pest control                                                                             average of $50 per month

Outside pest and weed control                                                           average of $100 per month

Pool service                                                                                     average of $70 per month

Sewer                                                                                             average of $30 per month

Trash                                                                                                 average of $ 40 per month

Basic Cable & internet                                                                     average of $80 per month

Replacing sprinkler heads                                                                 average of $40 per month

Insurance                                                                                        average of $250 per month

Painting outside every 5 years                                                          average of $70 per month

Resurface your driveway & pool every 10 years                               average of $50 per month

With the above mentioned expense you are looking at $1200 per month for a single family home here in Treasure Island, St. Petersburg Tampabay.

Most or nearly all of these services are included in your monthly condo association maintenance fees.

Now, compare this to a condo fee of $500 or $600 per month.

Please keep in mind every condo and every single family home that you buy will be a little different but I believe this will help you understand where the money goes.

If you have more real estate questions for St. Petersburg Tampabay check out our local real estate website

Should I really get a termite inspection when buying a home in Treasure Island Saint Petersburg?

YES, it will cost you $70 give or take and after the inspection you know what is going on.

 If live termites are found, you can go back to the seller and ask for treatment or the inspection can't find anything, you have peace of mind.  

If you choose the right Inspection Company they will even warranty their report for a year and treat for free if you have a problem within a year of Inspection.

For more real estate question and answers about buying or selling a home or dondo in St. Petersburg Tampabay please check our local real estate website.

Sunset Vistas here in Treasure Island 

You might have seen my Real Estate Market Report for all of Pinellas County earlier this week.

The Real Estate business is very local and statistics from the National Association of Realtors about the Florida real estate market or statistics from the Pinellas Realtor organization for Pinellas County do not help us if we are looking for a specific subdivision, in this case let's take a look at Sunset Vistas, a waterfront Condotel  in Treasure Island.

This Year, 10 units have sold in Sunset Vistas, 4 are currently under contract and 10 are active listings.

The average sold price was $ 265,555.

The lowes sold price was $214,000 for 203 N   (lowest floor closer to street but still with a water view)

and the highest sold price was $360,000 for 506 W (higher floor, direct Gulf front unit, unobstructed views)

Both units have the same floor plan, same square footage and same furniture BUT the rental income in the West Wing is higher.

5 of the sold units were distressed sales and 2 of the pending condos are also distressed sales. NO distressed sales in the 10 acitve listings.

In October 2006 the highest sales ever in Sunset Vistas Treasure Island was condo 501 W. It sold for $715,000. Compare this to recently sold unit 506 W and you can see that prices have been cut in half over the last 5 years.

Like I always say, I do not have a crystal ball but I have a feeling that the prices at Sunset Vistas here in Treasure Island have bottomed out. Will the sales prices now JUMP up again? I thing it will take a some time to see an increase in prices again but as long as we are not going down any further here in Sunset Vistas I think owners and new investors are fine and Sunset Vistas is a good investment property to buy.

Please keep in mind, Real Estate is local, subdivisions like Sereno, Silver Sands, Lands End, Mansions by the sea etc have completely different numbers and history. If you need a market report for YOUR neighborhood please call or e mail anytime.

Real Estate Market Report for July 2011 Pinellas County, Treasure Island, Sunset Vistas.

Treasure Island Sunset Vistas is a waterfront Condotel.

Sunset Vistas here in Treasure Island was built in 2005 and has a total of 192 condos, all with a view onto the Gulf of Mexico, a view onto the beach. Some face southwest others northwest and some of them a facing directly west.

Pet are not allowed in Sunset Vistas. Sunset Vistas is a great investment property here on Treasure Island, the condo docs allow daily rental and the income can be really really good.

As in most Condo Hotels the owner usage is restricted to 90 days per year and therefore as you might guess, you cannot homestead this property.

These Sunset Vista condos have come down dramatically in price from when they were sold a few years ago. Now you can get them somewhere from $300 per sf. to $500 per sf (depends on the view) Nearly all of the Sunset Vista condos are 2 bedroom 2 bath units around 900 sf., granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. They come completely furnished, and rent-ready. On-site rental office is in place or you can rent them out yourself.

The Sunset Vista is a true vacation resort, it features a cafe, 2 pools, a spa, a tiki beach bar, a fitness room and beautiful landscaping. If you are looking for a vacation home or income property the Sunset Vistas might be it for you.

The location is great; right on the sandy beaches in Treasure Island, about a ¼ mile from John's Pass, 40 minutes to Tampa airport. If you want to buy a beachfront condo and use it yourself a few times a year and rent it out the other times, Sunset Vista is a great choice.

Sunset Vistas Treasure Island waterfront condotel

Treasure Island Fl Mansions by the Sea

Here are two pictures of Mansions by the Sea in Treasure Island that give you a very good idea of how the two buildings are situated.

People always ask, “is this the complex closest to the beach”  or “ are you talking about the north or south tower” or “ the one close to Lands End or the one Close to the Park”

Looking at the pictures you will understand where the questions come from.

Avenues here in Treasure Island start with the low numbers in the south and the numbers go up as you go north.

So 7600 Bayshore drive is the Mansions by the sea building closest to Lands End in the south  and 7650 Bayshore drive is the one closest to the Park in the north. All of these Treasure Island Mansions by the Sea waterfront condos have stunning views.

Treasure Island and its mailboxes.

Walking or driving around Treasure Island you will soon notice that some people get very creative when it comes to their mail boxes.

If you keep your eyes open here in Treasure Island you will notice some very special designs.

I just love them. For some reason Treasure Island here in Tampabay has the most unique mailboxes I have ever seen. See for yourself. 

It happens to me every year and every year I am soooooooooooo surprised of how dependent we are on electricity. It is summer in Fl and with our big thunderstorm that roll in we often lose power. Usually it is for a few minutes but today I am out of power for 2 hours already and it is supposed to take another two hours. Drives me crazy !!!!!!!!!!!!! Trust me, until you really have a complete power outage you do not know how disabled you are. I have a ton of things to do today but 99% of them require internet. Well if the power is out the internet is out. You cannot listen to music, you can’t watch TV, you can’t cook, you can’t make a cup of coffee, you can’t, you can’t, and you can’t.  AND don’t forget, the AC is out of order too. It is scary how much we need electricity.

Mansions by the sea was built in 1980 and it is located in Treasure Island Florida at the end of Sunset Beach.

Mansions by the Sea is a gated community and consists of two “Towers” Yes, over here we call a 12 story building a tower.  Building A (street number 7650) sits directly on the beach, building B (street number 7600) is just a few feet south of it and is set back by maybe 100 yards from the beach.

Both buildings of Mansions by the sea offer wonderful views onto the Gulf of Mexico, Intracoastal Waterway, downtown St Pete and Blind Pass. The units are really nice and very spacious and a one bedroom has at least 1015 sf. with huge balconies. A two bedroom unit in Mansions by the sea could be 1510 heated square feet, also with nice size balcony.

The corner units have huge wrap around balconies with 180 degree view onto the water. Between the two Mansions by the sea towers we have a total of 144 units. Amenities are a huge heated swimming pool, tennis courts, a gym, game rooms and a sauna. Now let’s talk about location.

Like I said, Mansions by the Sea is on Treasure Island at the end of Sunset beach, honestly, can it get any better than this? This little area is made for beach lovers and people that enjoy sunsets, sunrises, fishing, boating and a relaxed life style. Mansions by the sea is just a fabulous complex.  Pets are not allowed in Mansion by the sea and the minimum rental period is 30 days.

Sunset Vistas here in Treasure Island was built in 2005 and has a total of 192 condos, all with a view onto the Gulf of Mexico.

Sunset Vistas is a great investment property here on Treasure Island, the condo docs allow daily rental and the income can be really really good.

As in most Condo Hotels the owner usage is restricted to 90 days per year and therefore as you might guess, you cannot homestead this property. These Sunset Vista condos have come down dramatically in price from when they were sold a few years ago.

Now you can get them somewhere from $300 per sf. to $500 per sf (depends on the view) Nearly all of the Sunset Vista condos are 2 bedroom 2 bath units around 900 sf., granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. They come completely furnished, and rent-ready. On-site rental office is in place or you can rent them out yourself.

The Sunset Vista is a true vacation resort, it features a cafe, 2 pools, a spa, a tiki beach bar, a fitness room and beautiful landscaping. If you are looking for a vacation home or income property the Sunset Vistas might be it for you.

The location is great; right on the sandy beaches in Treasure Island, about a ¼ mile from John's Pass, 40 minutes to Tampa airport. If you want to buy a beachfront condo and use it yourself a few times a year and rent it out the other times, Sunset Vista is a great choice.

Today, let's talk about the Amadeus in Treasure Island well, I guess the name gives it away, it was designed by an Austrian architect. He came here on vacation, fell in love with the area and decided to start a little project.

The condo complex was built in 1996 and it sits right on the water in Treasure Island on 104^th Ave across the street from the Treasure Island public park. Altogether Amadeus has 10 units, which is considered a small condo building here in Treasure Island.

6 of the units have a direct water view 4 of them have a view from the balcony. Like all of the newer condo buildings, the ground floor is covered parking. Amadeus has a nice size community dock and a swimming pool right on the water. A friend of mine lived there for a few years and we had a great time using the dock and waterskiing right in front of it. Most of the units are 2 bedroom 2 bath condos but they also have some 1 bedroom units. Due to it's location, only a few walking minutes from the beach and Publix grocery store, reastaurants and bars and because it has a 7 day rental policy the condos at Amadeus have a great rental history and can be considered investment propery. The only draw back ( in my mind)  is that it does not have an elevator. Some people care about this, others don't  Each unit has 1.5 parking spaces (I know, nobody has 1.5 cars) All the condos in Amadeus have extra storage units downstairs, this is actually a great thing, you can put all your sandy beach stuff in the storage and never have to drag the sand into the condo.

I have sold a few waterfront condos in the Treasure Island Amadeus building and I know the building pretty well, so if you have any questions, just give me a call 727 410 7777
Treasure Island, Amadeus waterfront condos for sale

Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condos , how many parking spots do they have?

I was in Lands End Sunset Beach Treasure Island this morning, meeting an appraiser for a waterfront condo that we have under contract.

The appraiser had never been in Lands End so he had a ton of questions. We went to the onsite management office (helps a lot if a condo complex has one)

He got all but two questions answered.

How many parking spaces altogether.

Well there are 177 waterfront condos in Lands end, each one has at least one covered parking spot under the building and a few units have more than one spot and there is maybe 100 additional unassigned spaces out site but nobody knew exactly how many parking spaces Lands end here in Treasure Island had. I wonder why this would be important for an appraisal. Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condos , how many parking spots do they have?

Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condos, how many units are owner occupied?

As I mentioned before, I spend the morning with an appraiser in Lands End because we have a waterfront condo under contract.

 He had a bunch of questions for the condo management and one was “how many units are owner occupied, how many are rented?

Of course neither the condo management nor I had the answer for him. There is just no way of knowing this. Lands end is a straight forward condo complex with a 7 day minimum rental policy, not a Condotel. So there are no restrictions on owner occupancy or a “ have to rent” policy.

Some people live in Lands End year around, some use it as a second home and spend every weekend in Lands end and other use it as an investment property and have a rental agent finding vacation renters for them. Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condos, how many units are owner occupied?

Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condo and their amenities.

Lands End in Treasure Island is an amazing property.

You get the best of both worlds.

If you want to you can live here year around or rent it out to vacationers from all over the world.

Lands End in Sunset Beach Treasure Island is a gated waterfront condo community with a 7 day rental policy.

All units have a water view either direct beachfront or Intracoastal. Lands’ End has a lot to offer, the amenities are just great. A huge heated pool and a few spas, tennis courts, volleyball court, BBQ areas, Shuffle board, and a beautiful clubhouse. Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condo and their amenities.

Ouch, Ouch Ouch or better known as Stand up Paddle boarding in Treasure Island.

I went Stand up paddle boarding for the first time tonight. I am hurting!!!  I know I won’t be able to move a single muscle in the morning.

I wanted to try this new Sport because every time I see a Paddle boarder it looks so peaceful and relaxing and easy, just wonderful. Well I wanted this feeling too SOOOOOOOOOO of I go Paddle boarding.

The class was supposed to meet at the Blind Pass bridge at 6 pm. Turned out it was just me and another woman and the instructor.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate long instructions and I am not very patient but 3 minutes and off  you go guys…………… that is a little short.

Anyway Cathy and I had a good time and we paddled along and along and along. I all of a sudden we realized that we were about 4 times farther out than we were supposed to go and we finally went back (against the current) Paddle boarding is a great exercise and I will do it again but do NOT be fooled about the peaceful, easy going look, IT IS HARD WORK !!!

Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condos 2 bedroom or 1 bedroom

Right now there are 10 condos on the market for sale and 3 are under contract in Lands end out of 177 total condos.  

The lowest price is $260,000 for a one bedroom and the highest asking price is $659,000 for a two bedroom.

I spend a few hours this morning in Land’s End while working with an appraiser and a home inspector.

Like always, when I am in Land’s End here on Beautiful Sunset Beach Treasure Island I feel like I am on vacation and I do not want to go back to work.

If you need more information on Lands End or want to see some of the units please give me a call.

Treasure Island, Lands End waterfront condos. 2 bedroom or 1 bedroom.

Check out some of the beautiful Sunsets we have here in Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach, Madeira, Tampbaybay.