Shopping For The Best Mortgage Rate Like A Boss  You’ve browsed around online, looked at some houses on your smart phone. Zillow ads have been popping up in your news feed and you’re deciding to take the plunge and get serious about buying a new home. Its an exciting time, but now its time to think about the boring stuff like shopping for a mortgage. Here’s some tips that will help you shop for a mortgage like a pro and avoid the pitfalls that can end up costing you an arm a leg or worse your dream of owning that new home!         1) First tip, keep it local: You’ll no doubt become the victim of re-targeting ads, and the online mortgage offers will seem to come out of the wood work. Once you get some google history of searching for homes it will spill over into what we call targeted ad... 08/13/2018

I buy houses Spring Hill Florida   407-739-5773    www.WeBuyHousesFlorida.com .  Creative problem solving to deal with your unique situation. Cash offer with minimal contigencies. Close on the date of your choice - as quickly as 2 weeks. Any condition - from ugly to beautiful. Fire, sinkhole, and storm damage homes are ok. Any area of Florida. All situations - foreclosure, divorce, relocating, inheritance, tenant problems, etc. Also, I have a Florida real estate license.  So if our price and terms are not what you are looking for, our team can put together a professional marketing plan to sell your house for top dollar.  Either way, we want to help you get that house sold quickly.  Please pick up the phone or fill out the "contact us" form on our website.  Let's make a deal.  407-739-57... 05/22/2018

by Spring Hill Realtor Silvia Dukes, PA, Tropic Shores Realty Just SOLD!Pool Home - Spring Hill, Florida!Private Backyard with Water View Contact Silvia Dukes, REALTOR and Broker Associate - Tropic Shores Realtyto learn more about marketing your Spring Hill home for sale!Call 352-584-7441 Today, my buyers happily closed on this beautiful two bedroom, two bath pool home in Spring Hill, Florida.They first contacted me in September 2015 with their plans to relocate to Florida from New Jersey. Not quite ready then, we identified their needs and preferences.  I sent them properties to view online so that they could get a feel not only for our Spring Hill home market but also a good idea of what homes in their price range would be like. This January, they finally came to Florida for good and ... 02/28/2018

My mind is still spinning from all the CRS Sell-a-Bration events, networking, and education sessions over the last few days! I  I just returned from Dallas where I attended Sell-a-Bration, the annual real estate conference for Certified Residental Specialists. It’s been a whirlwind of informative education sessions addressing topics such as video marketing for real estate, listing and marketing strategies, luxury real estate auctions, tax issues affecting real estate investments as well as tax changes for the real estate practitioner, and how to use IRAs to invest in real estate, just to name a few.The opening session featured a top national, motivational speaker, Mel Robbins, talking about how to take control of your life -  “5-4-3-2-1 GO” was buzzing throughout the rest of the two day... 02/07/2018

This four bedroom pool home in Spring Hill, Florida will be coming on the market and be available for viewing soon. If you are looking for a spacious pool home in Spring Hill, put this home on your list - the wait could be worthwhile.  Property Details:Living Area:  1759 square foot under heat/airTotal Area under Roof: 2984 square footBuilt:  1980This home also features a large enclosed lanai - a great additional space for indoor/outdoor living!   For more information about this or other Spring Hill homes for sale, please contact Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate with Tropic Shores Realty in Spring Hill, Florida.  Call 352-584-7441 today!  01/31/2018

Home sales in the golf course community of Timber Pines in Spring Hill, Florida performed very well in 2017!While the total number of homes and villas sold in the Timber Pines golf course community remained stable, sold prices for homes sold in Timber Pines were on the increase compared to the previous year!     In 2017, 239 homes sold in the Timber Pines community - only four units more than in 2016. Inventory level throughout the year was low so that homes went under contract quickly once they came on the market. The average days on market from listing to contract was just 44 days, down 19 days from the average of 63 days in 2016. Homes in Timber Pines were built from 1982 to 1998 and range from smaller maintained villas to large golf course homes with pool and other amenities. Becaus... 01/29/2018

The Florida Realtors winter business meetings continued today. I started by attending the Professional Development Committee meeting and then the Legal Update with lots of great infomation about the latest rules and legislation on various subjects including copright, MLS of choice, and disclosure issues.  The highlight of today for me was the Global Business Committee that I am a member of. International real estate is my passion and I will not miss an opportunity to learn more about doing business with people from other countries.Today, the Honorable Ken Okaniwa, Consulate General of Japan, was addressing the Global Business Committee members with a presentation about investing in Japan.   Japan has a robust economy and a great infrastructure, they are also innovative and have a sophis... 01/26/2018

Make Magic in Real Estate" is the 2018 motto for Florida Realtors who are kicking off the year this week with the mid-winter business meetings and installation of 2018 officers.   It's been a busy two days already for me with leadership planning meetings for the Residential Real Estate Council of Florida. What has been known as the Council of Certfied Residential Specialists has recently been renamed to Residential Real Estate Council (RRC) and the council is undergoing some rebranding. We have a great team of leaders who will work for the members in Florida and continue to offer top education, programs, and events throughout the year.   We also heard from top economists in the country and Florida about the economic outlook nationally and in Florida including an update on the residentia... 01/25/2018

The Orchard Park community in Spring Hill, Florida is a neighborhood consisting of approx. 143 properties including some vacant land parcels.    Orchard Park is nestled between Waterfall Drive to the West, Linden Drive to the East, and Spring Hill Drive to the South which makes it convenient to shopping, dining, and all other area amenities without experiencing through traffic.  The Orchard Park community was developed in the late 80s so you will find homes built in the late 80s, 90s and 2000s. There are currently only two properties available for sale in the Orchard Park neighborhood and two others are currently under contract. These homes range in price from $199,900 to $310,000. In 2017, there were eight home sales in the Orchard Park neighborhood with an average sales price of $186,... 01/23/2018

Just SOLD! Pool Home in The Palms of Seven Hills, Spring Hill, Florida!Private Court Yard - Golf Course LocationGated Community – Low HOA Fees Contact Silvia Dukes, REALTOR and Broker Associate - Tropic Shores Realtyto learn more about marketing your Spring Hill home for sale!Call 352-584-7441 This three bedroom, two bath pool home in the desirable community of The Palms of Seven Hills received an offer and was sold before I was able to put the sign in the ground!  The lucky buyer had been in town just prior to this home coming on the market and called me immediately to find out more.  A month later, he received the keys to his new Spring Hill home and my sellers are happy to move ahead with their own plans.   This pool home backs up to the Seven Hills Golf course in Spring Hill, Florid... 01/19/2018

Florida is a popular destination for home buyers from foreign countries as indicated by the 2017 Profile of International Activity in Residential Real Estate in Florida released by the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).    Here are a few highlights from the survey covering the 12 month time period from August 2016 to July 2017:   Foreign buyers purchased $24.2 Billion Dollars of residential property making up 21% of Florida's residential dollar sales. This represents 61,300 residential properties or 15% of the residential market in Florida.  Nationally, foreign buyer purchases account for 5% of national sales volume.  Foreign buyers typically purchase more expensive properties. The largest fractions of foreign buyers came from the following geographic regions: Latin America/Caribbe... 01/16/2018

Home sales in Hernando County, Florida, continued to improve overall once again in 2017 compared to the previous year. The good news for home sellers in Hernando County is that homes that are positioned correctly are selling quickly and home prices are on the upswing. Home buyers have to content with a limited inventory of homes for sale and are often facing competition from other buyers over the same home.   How do Hernando County home sales in 2017 compare to those in 2016?In 2017, 3737 residential properties were sold. This represents a decrease compared to 2016 by 63 units or 1.7% fewer sales. Total dollar volume of residential properties sold in Hernando County in 2017 was $579,386,205. This presents an increase of almost 63 Millionen Dollars or 12.1% compared to the year 2016. The... 01/10/2018

When I first saw the word Weltanschauung pop up on ActiveRain I was a little surprised. As a native speaker of German, I didn't have any issues pronouncing, spelling, or understanding the word. What I was curious about though was what a - literally translated - "world view" has to do with a blogging platform such as ActiveRain.  Photo Credit: Pixabay.com The point is that ActiveRain is much more than a just a platform. It is a community, comprised of people from many different walks of life, joined by common or similar interests and professions mostly surrounding the real estate industry. ActiveRain has given members an outlet to let their voices be heard about topics that are of interest to not only to other members but also the public in general. The Oxford dictionary defines Weltansc... 01/08/2018

Pricing your Spring Hill home for sale is an important part of marketing. Without the right price, all advertising and promotion could result in nothing, not to mention all the efforts you as the homeowner go through when putting your home on the market.Recently, while looking through homes for sale that are listed in our local multiple listing service, I noticed that some homes are priced at odd numbers. And yes, there were those that were just one dollar - and in the extreme just one penny - below the next price point marker. This may be a great pricing strategy for supermarket goods but most homebuyers will see right through this and recognize it as a pricing gimmick. After all, for all practical purposes the home is priced at $200,000.Sometimes home sellers are afraid of going to th... 01/07/2018

The old year is coming to an end and soon we will celebrate the beginning of 2018! Many of us enjoy some fireworks to  start off the new year with a bang!To make sure the party will be well remembered and everyone will be safe, here are a few fire safety tips for handling fireworks: always make sure children using fireworks are supervised by an adult never give fireworks to small children buy fireworks only from reputable vendors never attempt to make your own fireworks always read and follow the directions on the label be sure to have water nearby in case of emergency light only one fireworks item at a time never attempt to re-ignite a piece of malfunctioning fireworks store fireworks in a cool, dry place dispose of fireworks properly never throw fireworks at or in the direction of ano... 12/29/2017

In 2017, I worked on five home sales where all furnishings were included in the sale, sometimes right down to silverware, towels, linens, and decorative items. The sellers took away only personal items.Even now, I am working with two different properties where buyers requested in their offer that the furniture is to be left with the house. Sometimes it makes good sense to offer a home fully furnished or turn key. Especially in areas where many people own vacation, winter, or second homes, it is convenient to leave the furnishings with the house when it sells. For this same reason, some buyers specifically look for homes that include furniture and other furnishings. Sometimes, buyers make offers that include furnishings even though the home has not been offered as a furnished home.   The... 12/27/2017

Under Contract: Pool Home in The Palms of Seven Hills, Spring Hill, Florida!Private Court Yard - Golf Course LocationGated Community – Low HOA Fees This Spring Hill pool home is now under contract.  For information about other available or upcoming homes, contact Silvia Dukes, REALTOR and Broker Associate with Tropic Shores Realty.  Call 352-584-7441 Buyers do look for homes and make offers during the holidays and this three bedroom 2 bath pool home in the Palms of Seven Hills community in Spring Hill, Florida is the perfect example! When I met with the sellers to discuss the marketing and sale of their home, we discussed the three reasons to list their Spring Hill home for sale over the holidays rather than waiting until the new year. They listened and they were rewarded with showings ... 12/22/2017

Just Listed! Pool Home in The Palms of Seven Hills, Spring Hill, Florida!Private Court Yard - Golf Course LocationGated Community – Low HOA Fees Contact Silvia Dukes, REALTOR and Broker Associate with Tropic Shores Realtyto find out more information and schedule your showing!  Call 352-584-7441 Just in time for the holidays! Don’t let this beautiful pool home in the desirable Palms of Seven Hills neighborhood get away. The Palms of Seven Hills is a small gated community with low monthly HOA fees that include lawn maintenance, street lights, security gate and common area maintenance.   Property Details:Living Area under Heat/Air: 1898 SFTotal Area under Roof:  2515 SFBedrooms: 3Baths: 2Garage: 2Lot Size:  6,300 SF       This spacious golf course home offers plenty of space for living and... 12/10/2017

 Contact Silvia Dukes, REALTOR and Broker Associate with Tropic Shores Realtyto find out more information about living in the desirableTimber Pines community and available homes for sale!  Call today! 352-584-7441 This beautiful Timber Pines home has now sold! Featuring an open floor plan, the main living area flows into a large family room with lots of windows for a beautiful garden view. This home was on the market for only 4 days before the full price offer was accepted and my seller was delighted to be able to move forward with her moving plans.  This home was move in ready and the buyers will be able to enjoy their new home for the holidays!   Living in the Timber Pines 55+ Golf Course Community in Spring Hill, Florida Timber Pines in Spring Hill, Florida, is considered one of Flor... 12/09/2017

It's great to get together with friends and colleagues and it's extra special during the holidays. Today, a group of Certified Residential Specialists from the Tampa Bay area got together for a holiday luncheon at the Rusty Pelican in Tampa, Florida.Everyone had fun and a good time over good food and great conversations. We also learned about some changes to the CRS designation and received information about upcoming classes and programs.As in every year, we also collected toys and gifts for children with cancer. By time the event was over, the gift table had filled up to capacity!  Of all REALTORS® working today, only about three percent have completed the advanced training, education, and transaction experience required to earn the CRS designation. Working with a Certified Residential... 12/06/2017