Owning a Condominium in the Tampa Bay Real Estate


For those who wanted to buy second homes and make real estate investments, condominiums in Tampa Bay real estate are popular choice.

The reason why a lot of people seek their second homes and make investments in Tampa Bay real estate is the benefits they will get with living in condos. The Tampa Bay has a lot to offer such the beauty it possesses, rich sunshine, perfect and attractive beaches. It also has attractions such as Busch Gardens, Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World.

Now, you may be asking why you should buy a condominium over a single-family home. In buying a single home, one is required to purchase homeowner's insurance, in order to protect financing from lenders and to secure you from theft, loss because of fire and the likes. But in terms of buying a condominium, the insurance is already included in the monthly maintenance fee, so there is no need for you to purchase separate homeowners insurance policy.

If you buy a single-family home, then you are entitled to maintain your own home and do the lawn yourself. But in owning a condominium, you can do other activities you desire while someone cleans the gutters and do the lawn. This maintenance is actually included in the Condominium's maintenance agreement, so you do not have to worry about the gutters and to the lawn.

Of course, safety of the family and the security of the Tampa real estate property, are very much important to you. In owning single-family homes, you have to purchase some pricey gadget alarm system to protect your family and homes. But in owning condominiums, the condos are protected twenty four hours a day everyday, so even if you are away, you know that your property is secured and protected.

In a single-family home, it is easily be detected if the owner is away, by means of lights off, and no activity is happening around the home. But in condominium, there are always some activities that covers that you are away from your property.

Another benefits of owning a condominium, are the amenities that you can take advantage of. These wonderful amenities are fitness rooms, pools, spas, restaurants, hair salons, tennis and golf to its residents and the likes. In a single-family home, it could be impossible to have all of these amenities.

But you have to bear in mind that having a lot of amenities requires higher maintenance fee. Because putting all these amenities up costs a lot. But of course, these amenities are the ones that make the residents relax and enjoy. Actually, amenities are the factors that make owning and living in condominiums a popular one. So the more the amenities the better it will be desired.

So now that you know all the benefits you can get in owning a Tampa Bay condominium, so you will have the place to go to, enjoy and relax and feel the beauty of Tampa Bay, the beach and the sun will make you feel at peace and relax. You do not even have to worry about no vacancies on resorts and hotels if you wanted to have a vacation.

If in case you need to have additional income, if you are not staying in your condo everyday, why not consider renting your property.

Now, if you wanted to have your very own condominium now, start contacting your Tampa Bay realtor. They can help you in searching for the second home, investment property that you wanted.

Perils Of Purchasing Pre-Construction Condos In Panama City, Panama


Although feeling my years as I rapidly approach my 32nd birthday, I by no means tout myself to be a seasoned real estate expert. However, I am a pretty observant chap who likes to read up on subjects and study trends from several angles. This is more than I think most folks do when jumping onto the investment bandwagon’s flavor of the month. I am amazed that people generally don’t want to know the details of the Atkins’ Diet or the Debt to Equity Ratio of Google. Instead they seem only to care that everybody else says it’s a winner.

In the 80s it was junk bonds. In the 90s it was day trading and the dot-com boom. In the 2000s it was housing. I am not alone in predicting that in the late 2000s the hot investment will be “international real estate”. Before I get too comfortable on my stump I must disclose, I was involved in the dot-boom and now the international real estate trends. But I’ve learned that whether dancing Salsa or investing, timing is everything. And unless you pay close attention regarding when to get in and get out, the toes being stepped on may be yours.

This brings us to the current condo boom in Panama City. The volume of construction here, the ambition of these projects and the luxurious amenities being promised is really awe-inspiring. Panama City is not some third-world town just being discovered. It is a modern capital enjoying a full-tilt gold rush. Dozens of skyscrapers are in progress and many more awaiting approvals. Big names like Trump are here, in addition to investment groups from South America, Spain and the Middle East. Innovative exterior designs, opulent materials, slick brochures and well appointed model units are all being utilized to sell pre-construction units like Budweiser at a tractor pull. Some buildings have sold out within weeks of the initial offering. Buyers are snatching up units with little more than rough renderings and a price list.

So why am I skeptical? First, I’m cautious because my Irish-American parents taught me healthy skepticism. Second, I have been both a buyer and agent involved in the sale of these condos, so I understand the current relationships between buyers, realtors and developers in Panama. I also have a tourism business here and observe that there just are not THAT many foreigners traveling to Panama for pleasure or to live/work/retire. So here are my concerns about this condo boom:

Hyper Supply – The pace at which construction is occurring is staggering. A new project is announced every week. The developers generally got the land cheap or owned it for years, have excellent credit and/or seats on the board at the bank and know how to make deals happen. The biggest families in Panama are doing the majority of the developing and just cannot seem to build these condo towers fast enough. The result is an enormous amount of condo units coming online in the next 48 months. Can the market absorb this supply?

Promises, Promises – As developers jockey for customers, they are making increasingly lofty promises for amenities (you need to see what Trump “guarantees”) such as marinas, imported materials, elaborate social areas and beyond. As construction costs rise and margins shrink, I would not be surprised if corners are cut and amenities vanish.

Delivery Timelines – I bought a pre-construction condo almost two years ago. I moved in this week, a year after the promised completion date. While developers juggle so many jobs and materials, machinery and talented work crews become scarce, one can only expect delivery dates to get stretched out even further.

Construction Costs – As the workforce sees developers getting fat, they will no doubt want to dine at the same troth. The project where I purchased my condo had several strikes. As for materials, with rising demand, suppliers can naturally adjust prices, resulting in shrinking margins for developers. A contractor I know in Costa Rica recently told me it is nearly impossible to get steel there because Panama is consuming so much.

Over Estimating Demand – Aside from speculators, who is really buying all these condos? As a realtor and travel agent, most of the buyers I have met are purchasing units for investment or part-time living. Panama is a great place, but it’s not Miami…and the condo market imploded there not long ago. To demonstrate comparable demand online, where many travel and real estate searches begin, take a look at these stats. These numbers are from Yahoo’s keyword estimator service.

Key Phrase / # Searches Last Month

Miami travel / 33,419
Costa Rica travel / 9,851
Panama travel / 2,913
Miami FL real estate / 85,959
Costa Rica real estate / 24,766
Panama vacation / 6,531

These numbers put this Panama boom in perspective, no? Could it be that the boom is developer driven and not demand-driven?

Unrealistic Prices – The run up in prices for new units in Panama has been startling. Prices for some projects have doubled before breaking ground. Prices have risen to a point where foreign buyers will begin to compare prices here with those in their home cities or more fashionable locations. It is one thing for Panama to be hyping $150,000 ocean view apartments. It is quite another to expect foreigners to snap up $500,000 units by the bushel when Panama still does not have wide brand appeal.

Greed – At the core of any bust is good old fashioned greed. Let me tell you amigo, I’ve seen greed rear its nasty head here in Panama. Developers are pulling nasty tricks to squeeze a few extra bucks out of buyers now that they believe they’re in the driver’s seat. For buyers who secured pre-construction units “too early” and paid “too little”, developers are enacting clauses to raise the price or even find ways to cancel contracts so they can resell units for higher prices. Regarding amenities and detail work, basic items are suddenly considered extras. I personally had to pay a multitude of oddball fees and fines, although some were dropped with some minor efforts from my attorney. When buyers start getting a bad taste in their mouth, this boom could end even faster than it started. As the old adage goes, a satisfied customer tells one person. An angry one tells everybody. While Panama is still fighting the ghost of Noriega with one hand and climbing to success with the other, it is in no position to get greedy.

So what’s my advice? To quote the Greeks, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. Finished product is out there and often represents hidden value. There will be opportunities to snag completed units in the next few months as I believe some speculators have over extended themselves and will need to put their condos on the market. Units in older buildings and in less hip areas like Bella Vista and El Cangrejo offer excellent upside while the market fixates on newer, shinier product. There are still opportunities to make money in this market. But analyze worst case scenarios and make sure you can live with them. For as sure as gravity, for every boom…there’s a bust.

Condos In Sacramento At Villages Of The Galleria - Tuscan Style Resort Living


The Villages of the Galleria near Sacramento and in Roseville California offers buyers the opportunity to own a piece of real estate that is truly one of a kind. With the Sacramento condo market growing and job growth strengthening, Roseville provides a short commute to many job opportunities, local universities and the ability for buyers to live and work in a new condo and housing development. With the population growth of Sacramento approaching over 400,000, many condo and home owners have chosen to improve their quality of life in one of Sacramento’s surrounding areas. The Villages of the Galleria provides this opportunity. Its one, two and three bedroom condos are competitively priced and the variety of floor plans offer buyers a condo for every lifestyle.

Sacramento has been providing its residents professional sporting teams, multiple job sector employment, historical culture and nearby outdoor recreational activity. It was California’s first charter city and holds claim to the beginnings of the gold rush, Pony Express and first continental railroad. With both the American and Sacramento Rivers just minutes from the city center and an abundance of parkland, Sacramento has been recently named by Newsweek Magazine as one of America’s ten best cities. It is these attributes that have helped fuel the condo and housing market in and around Sacramento and paved the way for new communities. Roseville has made itself a pinnacle of such developments and continues to grow as an extension to the Sacramento condo and housing market. Come see why the Villages of the Galleria offers the very best of Roseville condo living in a resort style setting.

The recent boom in the condo and housing market in Roseville CA has been offering affordable condos for first time homebuyers, repeat homebuyers and investors. Roseville is the center for Placer County arts, culture and recreation. With the Magic Circle Theater and Tower Theater, Carnegie Museum, Diamond Oaks and Woodcreek golf courses, The Galleria Mall, historical landmarks and many other attributes, it’s no surprise that Roseville is attracting new condo and home owners at such a rapid pace.

Part of Roseville’s many appealing features is its ability to grow while still maintaining a quality of life that is difficult to find in highly dense urban settings. With the population estimated to be 25% of Sacramento’s, Roseville maintains small city lifestyles with big city payoffs. Capitalizing on low unemployment, the City of Roseville offered 74,610 jobs in 2005 to a labor force of 49,700 – drawing on Sacramento to fulfill the gap.

These are just some of the reasons why many home and condo owners have chosen Roseville for home, work and play.

Condo - Loft Lifestyle


With the popularity of condos and lofts skyrocketing in recent years, especially in Minneapolis; these home choices have become a major player in the local real estate market. Condos and lofts offer a distinctly different package than a typical home: first there is the convenience of location. Typically condo and loft complexes are located within the city limits and as such provide excellent access to the business core, and the other great amenities of a major metropolitan area.

Condos and lofts also are great living options for busy professionals or people who simply cannot afford the time to take care of a traditional home and yard. That being said there are some things that you should spare some time for in a condo. Becoming an active member in your complex's association is important as they make the decisions that affect your home and life. Condo living can be quite rewarding as they possess a close-knit community and an element of safety that is not present in a normal home.

The other main asset that condos offer is an abundance of desirable extras that are normally extremely expensive to attain in a home. Many complexes feature spas, fitness rooms, outdoor recreation facilities such as tennis courts and a number of other amenities. These things are remarkably expensive in a normal home and the upkeep is equally as daunting. Condos offer these things and the maintenance is seen to by professionals hired by the association. One of the most important aspects of the loft or condo is the fact that to purchase a basic condo is usually far cheaper then purchasing a basic house so it is an option that appeals to the wallet as well.

Minneapolis is the ideal place to find yourself a condo or loft as the real estate market here is thriving and lofts and condos are at the apex of popularity. New developments are cropping up across the city with many occupying old warehouses and factories creating a distinct loft style of living. Minneapolis is definitely a great place for a loft or condo.

Lofts and Condos: Living In Style in Minneapolis


One of the most surprising elements of today's real estate market has been the resurgence of loft condos. These open floor plan living spaces first gained popularity as artist live/work spaces and were home to a fairly eclectic group (stereotypically) Lofts lost some notoriety when the condo boom began, the abundance of new condo projects ensured that condos were the living space of choice.

But like all good things, lofts did not fade into obscurity,in fact they have made an amazing comeback and are now dominating the real estate scene in Minneapolis. The heart and soul of the loft market in this city is the numerous old factory and warehouse conversions. These homes incorporate everything that has made the loft one of the most highly desirable homes in the nation. Exposed brick walls, concrete floors, visible ductwork and enormous windows all add a distinct feel and style to the lofts that make up the Minneapolis market.

Lofts and condos are possessed of a fantastic lifestyle as the community style buildings offer a great array of services and amenities. From health clubs/fitness spas to communal rooms and gated, secure entries; loft condos impart a lifestyle of relaxation and an atmosphere of elite style to those who choose to call them home. Lofts are also a fantastic place to really let your "designing self" run wild. The open floor plans and abundance of wall space means that you can easily bring your own theme and style to any loft. Lofts are truly a space that is open to personal interpretation and taste.