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

Music, Movement and more in St. Pete Beach

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:52:08 -0600

St. Pete Beach, FL: A brand new program for Pre-Kindergarten kids ages 3 to 6 is coming to the St. Pete Beach Community Center. "Music, Movement and More" is a dynamic program that engages kids each week with a different theme. Every week the theme corresponds to a different song and dance, a take-home craft project and snack time, such as Bunny Hop week where kids dance and play to the classic 50's tune, make wearable bunny ears and tails, and prepare and eat a delicious snack of "rabbit food." The program runs every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30pm to 7:45pm at the St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, and costs $15.00 per week. All classes are led by a licensed early childhood facilitator with over 20 years experience. Call 363-9245 for more information.

Become a water safety instructor, St. Pete Beach

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:38:32 -0600

Become a water safety instructor, St. Pete Beach

St. Pete Beach, FL: St. Pete Beach Aquatics is offering Water Safety Instructor Classes are beginning soon. The classes will be held from 3:00pm to 7:00pm on Fridays at the Tampa Bay Turner Swim School. Session I runs from March 12^th to April 23^rd and Session II runs from April 30^th to June 4^th. Students must be 16 years old to enroll and course fees are $125.00 for residents $150.00 for non-residents. For more information on becoming a Water Safety Instructor, contact the pool at 363-9264.

Happy and healthy in a tough economy, Saint Pete Beach

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:35:39 -0600

Happy and healthy in a tough economy, Saint Pete Beach

St. Pete Beach, FL: The St. Pete Beach Community Center is now offering a class to keep you healthy and happy in this tough economy. "Minerva's Healthy Living," led by instructor Liz Dalbo, teaches how to plan, shop and cook with a healthy perspective. Learn how to read labels, eat more whole foods, and cook simple and fun meals and snacks while saving money. Participants in the class will learn ways to stretch a dollar around the house by learning how to make homemade non-toxic cleaning supplies, recycle household items and more. Every single class will cover tips on stretching your dollars, fitting in exercise and healthy eating and will help bring peace, fun and happiness to your life. Classes are held Monday evenings from 7pm-8pm at the St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive. Contact instructor Liz Dalbo at (727) 643-7525 for more information.

CO-ED SOFTBALL LEAGUE STARTING IN ST. PETE BEACH

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:31:38 -0600

CO-ED SOFTBALL LEAGUE STARTING IN ST. PETE BEACH

ST. PETE BEACH, FL: The St. Pete Beach Community Center is now registering teams for its Friday Night Co-Ed Softball League. All games are played at Egan Field in St. Pete Beach beginning in Mid-March. Cost is $350.00 per team. Teams can pre-register at the Community Center or download the application on our website www.spbrec.com. Teams must consist of a minimum of 4 girls and 5 guys. Call 363-9245 for more information.

Oilspill in Treasure Island. Hands arcoss the sand.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:18:40 -0600

Hands arcoss the sand.SOME OF US WILL BE BEHIND THE BILMAR IN TREASURE ISLAND.

I was here some 15 years ago when we had the oil spill. Treasure Island and the other beach towns felt like ghost towns, all the tourists left within a day or two, I will never forget how sad it was to see all the dead birds and fish on the beach, businesses had to close down, restaurants were empty, black oil everywhere in the white sand. You could not walk on the beach anymore.................I hope I never have to see this again. There are lots of other ways to get energy. We are in Florida, the sunshine state for crying out loud EVERY HOME SHOULD HAVE SOLAR PANELS ON THE ROOF.

You've probably heard about ‘Hands Across the Sand' - an effort to raise awareness of efforts to drill for oil off our coast. It is a coordinated effort throughout the entire state, with people lining up on the beaches to show opposition to drilling efforts. Check out the details at www.handsacrossthesand.com.

There are groups organizing on all of our Gulf Beaches. Just wanted to let you know that there will be a group out on Madeira Beach at 134^th Ave. and the official Madeira Beach group will be at Archibald Park, but hopefully the line will stretch between the two and beyond! There will also be groups at Clearwater Beach/Pier 60, Upham Beach, TradeWinds Island Grand and TradeWinds Sandpiper Suites, Indian Rocks Beach, Ft. DeSoto Park - North Beach Bird Sanctuary, Belleair Beach - Morgan Street Access Park, Gulfport Casino, Lassing Park Beach - Tampa Bay, Pass-a-Grille, Redington Shores Beach Access County Park, St. Petersburg: Clam Bayou/Bermuda Bay, Treasure Island - St. Petersburg Municipal Beach and Tarpon Springs - Fred Howard Park. Check out the website for more details!

What To Do On... Saturday 13, 2010

STEP 1	Go to the beach at 1:00 for one hour, rain or shine. WEAR BLACK! When everyone is lined up around the entire state, it will look like one big oil slick in the aerial photos that will be taken.
STEP 2	At 1:30 PM EST, join hands for 10 minutes forming lines in the sand against oil drilling in our coastal waters.
STEP 3	Leave only your footprints.

NEW PICKLEBALL LEAGUE NOW FORMING IN ST. PETE BEACH

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:26:06 -0600

NEW PICKLEBALL LEAGUE NOW FORMING IN ST. PETE BEACH

ST. PETE BEACH, FL: The Pickleball trend has been growing in popularity at the St. Pete Beach Community Center, so much so that a new Wednesday night league is now forming. This league is open to anyone who enjoys the game and wants to take it to the next level with tournament-style play. Teams of two people can register for the 8 to 10 week season for just $50. Registration is going on now; call the Recreation Division at 363-9245 for details. All games will take place at the St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive.

Kelley Poole
Marketing and Rental Leader

Indian Rocks Beach Homeowners Asso. Happy Hour

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:26:54 -0600

This Thursday is our February Happy Hour, being held at The Pub in Indian Shores, starting at 6pm. Enjoy drink specials, appetizers and mingle with friends. Everyone is invited, this is not a meeting, and as always, there is NO Cover Charge!

February 20 is our next Movies in the Park, weather permitting. This is a Free movie in the Nature Park, starting at dark, with free popcorn. Bring your own chairs and blankets. We should be announcing the movie soon.

We are planning our Glow Bowling night on February 26. It will be at the Twedt's Lanes 13100 Seminole Blvd. This is black light, "glow-in-the dark" bowling. It starts at 9pm and costs $13/person, including shoes and unlimited bowling until 1am. At our last bowling night we had about 35 people. We expect this one to be even more popular and need to make sure we reserve enough lanes, so if you plan to attend please RSVP to me, becky@irbhome.com.

Boat Club: February 18th is our next Boat Club Meeting at Jimmy Guana's. It starts with happy hour at 6pm and the meeting at 7pm. February 21st is the Boat Club's Brunch at Island Way Grill. This was a very popular event last year. Over 80 people attended. If you plan to join us by either car or boat, please RSVP to boatclub@irbhome.com

Don't forget, on March 9th we will be having a city election.

See you Thursday!

Becky Griffin, Treasurer

Indian Rocks Beach Homeowners Asso.

And the best use for a Publix paperbag is.............

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:19:14 -0600

And the best use for a Publix paperbag is.............

Use it as a new toy for your cats. Trust me it is better than TV to see my two cats play with the paper bag. One jumps in the bag and starts running around the house. The other one just sees a fast moving paper bag going by and attacks it. This goes on for a while till number one hits a wall or is tired of being attacked. When you have two 3 months old kittens in the house everything turns into a toy.

Inspecting real estate in Nashville, TN...

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:27:33 -0600

Via Michael Thornton - Nashville, TN area Home Inspector (Complete Home Inspections, Inc.):

Inspecting real estate in Nashville, TN...
Electrical problems, both large and small, are sone of the issues that I find while inspecting properties in the Nashville real estate market. Other than the rust on the plug face, all looks well. The trained eye of the inspector not only focuses on the rust, but the burn mark on the upper left corner of the outlet.
While not a "deal killer" when GFI (ground fault interrupter) outlets get burned, it is best to replace them to prevent future failures. Replacing this $20 item can be the difference between serious injury or death.

Complete Home Inspections/Complete Video Promotions

© 2010 michael thornton | complete home inspections, inc./complete video promotions | brentwood, tn | 615.661.0297 | www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com
Helping YOU Help Others Live THEIR American Dream

Finding a listing Realtor in Saint Petersburg Tampabay

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:30:29 -0600

Finding a listing Realtor in Saint Petersburg Tampabay

Is easier than ever. Go to Google and type in the Realtors name.

This alone will give you a great indication. If the realtor of your choice does not show up on Google page one, and you cannot find him, the buyers will not be able to find him either.

Years ago, all you or your realtor had to do was put a sign in the yard and people would knock on your door, ready to buy.

Times have changed, the market has changed.

More than 85% of all home buyers find their new house or condo on the internet.

You need to find an aggressive, creative and innovative Realtor

to assist you in every step of the way.

Don't simply choose the neighborhood realtor,

financially, selling your house is probably the biggest deal you will make in your live, make sure you hire the best person for the job.

You real estate transaction is too important to take chances.

Don't just hire a Realtor, you need more than that.

You need an expert in the field that knows the Saint Petersburg Tampabay real estate market inside out.

You need a team of knowledgeable and passionate professionals on your site.

Realtors that understand the new market, that sees the signs of time.

Honest, straight forward people that take their jobs serious, that treat you with respect and give you the best service possible.

Don't just pick the first realtor that knocks on your door.

Take a little time and interview and compare different people.

Do NOT simply choose the Realtor that offers you the highest listing price.

Make sure you know exactly what you get for your money.

Make sure you feel comfortable with your choice and very important, make sure you and the Real Estate agent you choose are communicating.

Selling a home in today's market involves so many things and so much paperwork, it isn't easy anymore.

It is hard work, long hours and it cost a lot of money for advertising and marketing and last but not least a lot of energy and time.

If you decide to list your property here in St. Pete Tampabay with us,

we promise to do our very best to assist you and guide you towards a successful real estate transaction. We also work with foreclosures and short sale properties. Our commission structure is flexible, fair and tailored to your situation.

Finding a listing Realtor in Saint Petersburg Tampabay

Simply call 410 7777 or e mail us to get started.

Damn, we’re in a tight spot!

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:27:58 -0600

Via Charles Buell, Seattle, WA, Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com):

     One of my favorite movies is “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” In the movie, Everett, played by George Clooney, says, “Damn, we’re in a tight spot,” whenever he and the boys find themselves in the middle of one predicament after another.

     During the field training portion of the Home Inspector Training course at Bellingham Technical College, we routinely encounter crawl spaces that must be inspected. At a recent field training inspection, one of the students was probably saying to himself, "oh brother, where art thou," as he snapped this picture of me, “in a tight spot.”

     Many inspectors are not able or are not willing to get into spaces like this.

    It is up to each inspector to figure out what is safe for them to enter----as well as their own limitations. They also must learn how to write about the areas they could not inspect in their reports.

     This particular crawl space was a great teaching tool because I was able to photograph serious structural damage that could only be seen by entering the space. The following picture shows the rim joist and the sub-floor all along the rim joist completely rotted away. It looked like this all along the ten foot length of the crawl space----approximately 8 feet behind me in the first picture.

     Later I could show the students dramatic pictures of how important it is to cover in the written report the fact that they did not inspect the space.

    In Washington State, if the Licensed Home Inspector is a Licensed Structural Pest Inspector, we are mandated to call for proper access to be made and that the space be properly inspected when access is made. It is currently vague as to whether a Washington home inspector that is not a structural pest inspector would be required to make this recommendation. This is another example of the importance of hiring an inspector that maintains both licenses.

     It is also a good idea to advise clients of the likelihood of hidden conditions in spaces like this. It is also a good reminder of the fact that there will ALWAYS be areas of every home that will have limited or no access.

    If the inspector cannot get in there, it is highly likely that no one else has been in there for a long time either.

Charles Buell

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Click on the Rose to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

Want to sell your house or condo in Saint Petersburg Tampa Bay?

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:25:40 -0600

Want to sell your house or condo in Saint Petersburg Tampa Bay?

Need to find a listing agent and determine

the correct price for your property?

Here is our special offer for sellers in the 727 area code.

There is no charge for both of these real estate services.

Evaluation of your property.

We will visit your home, take a look around and sit down with you to identify good selling points, make suggestions for changes if needed, help you understand your competition, give you tips and tricks to get the best price for your property and create a comparable market analysis for you.

You will get our honest, impartial and objective opinion of your situation.

So, if you list your home with us or not, you will get a lot of valuable information

that will help sell your house or condo.

. This service is free and you have no obligation to us.

Real Estate Consultation.

There are a lot of different steps involved when selling your home.

You need to know all these things and understand them.

That is the only way to prevent a lot of trouble, legally and financially.

Get your house ready for showings,

Negotiate the sales prices,

Watch out for contingencies,

Understand the sales contract,

Monitor the mortgage process,

Calculate the closing costs,

Deal with home inspectors, appraisers,

Title companies, termite inspectors, Mold inspectors,

Home warranty, the survey and on goes the list.

We will spend an hour or two with you in our office and explain the process, step by step.

All this is free of charge

Please call us 410 7777 or send an e mail to make an appointment.

We are happy to meet with you.

Seattle Home Inspector, Rusting in the Rain!

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:23:40 -0600

Via Charles Buell, Seattle, WA, Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com):

     What does it mean to be, ”rusty?”

     One definition is that we are “out of practice.” In other words something we may have been very adept at is no longer as easy to do----or done as well. Another way to look at this is the idea that if we do not stay on top of things----if we do not keep current with what is going on around us----we are not going to be able to function as well in environments we previously thrived in. This might be equated to learning new computer skills or blogging skills.

     Take this light fixture----the fixture would like to still be “functional,” but it has not done what it takes to stay functional and up to date.

    The funny thing is, in this case, the light may NEVER have been prepared for the life it was asked to live. This fixture, for years, was only “masquerading” as a real light fixture becuse many of its components are not even rated to be out doors.

     In our lives we always need to stay vigilant that the skills we are using, actually fit the tasks they are given.

     Now sometimes (or even eventually) it is OK to let go of our past lives as we move into new arenas or times in our lives. Sooner or later it becomes just fine to let the old things rust away. I have always found incredible beauty in rusting things----often they have greater beauty in their decaying state than they ever could have had in their useful state.

     There should be absolutely no regrets in letting our previous lives fade and rust----and take on a beauty of their own different from what we even remember. Often they become sweeter in memory than they ever were in reality. Time and the elements can contort our pasts into something we could not have imagined or could have created----had we tried.

But the irony is that we did!

Charles Buell

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Click on the Rose to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group

PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.

DeCroe, is my "ethereal" home inspector assistant and occasionally flies into my blog and other people's blogs to offer assistance. To find out more about her beginnings just click on Raven.

Everybody is talking about a Short Sale In St. Petersburg Tampabay, Pinellas County.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:06:34 -0600

Everybody is talking about a Short Sale In St. Petersburg Tampabay, Pinellas County.
But most people are not familiar with the term Short Sale.
For homeowners that need to sell their property but can not find a buyer for the price they need to pay of their mortgage, a short sale sometimes is the only option other than going in foreclosure.

Here in St Petersburg Tampabay the market is over floating with Real Estate listings. People have bought properties 3 or 4 years ago and have paid more than they could get in today´s market.
Now these homeowners need to sell and can´t find a buyer. If someone makes an offer it is usually much lower than asking price. The home owner might not get his money back or he might not even get the amount of the mortgage back.

Now the options are limited, file for bankruptcy, or go into foreclosure.
The other option, which might make much more sense, is a short sale.

Our St. Petersburg Tampabay area is high on the list for cities with Short Sale properties.
Talk to your bank or lender, see if they will accept less than the mortgage amount and forgive the balance.

There are a lot of factors that come into play and it is not as easy as it sounds, but you and your Realtor can work on it and chances are, you get out of the deal without loosing everything.
See, banks are not in the Real Estate business, so they do not like foreclosures at all, they do not want to homes or condos, o, they are motivated to find a better solution. In some cases it can be loan modification but in most cases that I have seen here in St. Petersburg Tampabay it is a Short Sale.
To get things started, have your agent prepare a CMA that shows the real market value of your property, take this and documentation of your income and reasons why you have to sell and bring it to your bank. (or let us do it for you)
Do it early, do not wait till the very last minute, this process takes a little time and time is not on your site.
So, get started before it is too late.

Give us a call if you need additional information
727 409 8706

New listing in Shores of Long Bayou, a gated waterfront community in Seminole Tampabay.

Anne Hensel Real Estate Professional buy or sell St. Pete — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:35:02 -0600

New listing in Shores of Long Bayou, a gated waterfront community in Seminole Tampabay.

Just a heads up, coming soon a beautiful condo with incredible water views in Shores of Long Bayou.

Open floor plan, neutral colors under building parking. Call us today to get more information.

If you think about buying or selling a house or condo in the Saint Petersburg Tampabay Florida area, please give me a call. Ask me about waterfront homes or condos in St. Pete beach, Treasure Island, Madeira beach, Seminole and other Clearwater Tampabay neighborhoods. Find out what we can do to sell your home or condo and what the value of your property is. Check out great real estate deals or visit condo associations like Seminole Isle.

We also work with short sale bank owned and foreclosures. Find a property or go to my website for more real estate information or simply contact us. 727 409 8706