3927 Star Island Dr. Holiday Florida, Lakefront Home for Sale

Living the Florida lifestyle for many people means living on or near water. The home at 3947 Star Island Dr. in Aloha Gardens of Holiday Florida is located on a chain of lakes where you can enjoy beautiful sunsets from your backyard or enjoy a day of boating through the number of lakes your home has access to.  There is an non deeded dock just past the homes seawall where you can moor your boat, kayak or canoe.  You can even just sit out by the lake and enjoy a cocktail or two. This home is truly the western Pasco county Florida lifestyle.

The homes interior offers an updated kitchen

as well as both bathrooms being updated. The master suite has a full tub/shower combination and newer paint and carpeting.  The second bedroom also has newer paint and carpeting.  The main living ares of the home are tiled and those rooms have also had a recent coat of paint applied. Don't worry that all that paint the owner did will need to be covered up, they painted with all white so you can chose your own colors for your home and not have to cover any dark colors.

The large family room is under roof and air and is included in the homes square footage. This room has also been re-carpeted and painted recently and is wired for cable.  Don't worry that you won't have an outdoor living area, this home has a large back yard that is fully fenced and offers two patios for your enjoyment.  All of the appliances are included in the sale of this home and the the air conditioner was replaced in 2011 and the roof has been replaced in 2001. This home qualifies for FHA, VA or Conventional financing and flood insurance is required but don't fret, the sellers have had hurricane shutters installed as well as an alarm system which will help reduce your overall homeowners insurance.  This is a truly Move In Ready home.  Contact me or your favorite real estate professional to make your appointment to see this adorable lakefront home.

Why Calling to See Homes "Today" Usually Won't Work

Your time is valuable and using it wisely when house hunting is important. Working as a Realtor in Port Richey Florida, I often receive phone calls and the customer asks "what can you show me today?" or "Were in town now and want to see some homes".  You are going to waste time calling multiple real estate agents until you find one who has absolutely nothing going on that day and can quickly put together some showing appointments for you.  You will most likely not get to see everything on the market due to your short time frame for appointments which is not in your best interest.  The other side of the coin is that you are now using an agent who...had no other business to attend to. (I'll just leave that there)

In order for you to utilize your time wisely, here is how a typical buyer showing process works.

1- You provide proof of funds or a mortgage pre-approval. True professionals will not show you homes without this.
2- You need to have a conversation with your agent about what you want in the home and the price range you are comfortable with.
3- Your agent then goes to the MLS. They search for homes that fit your criteria. 
4- We pull permits and read sellers disclosures to see if the home qualifies to be included in your showing list.
5-They read the showing instructions and call the listing agents to schedule the appointments for each home. They juggle the appointment times to accommodate the home owners schedules. 
6-We then print out the info sheets for both ourselves and you.  
7-We then map out the route we will need to take to make all of the appointment times.

In the midst of this, we also have to schedule other customers and coordinate with home inspections and closings.  I highly suggest if you are going to be in the area to look at homes you contact a local agent in advance and schedule a day to see homes or you may end up with a less experienced agent or you just might not get to see any homes. Plan ahead and use an experienced real estate agent who can help you see the most homes in your time frame and that fit your criteria. 

Pricing Your Home to Sell is Easy With This One Tip

When selling your home, everything rises and falls on price. You may not be able to update your kitchen, you can't move the home to another neighborhood and you can't think that buyers will pay any amount you want.  There is One Tip that you need to know in order to price your home to attract a buyer.

Over 95% of Home Buyers Start Their Search ONLINE

In order to price your home competitively for your local market and to attract home buyers you will need to understand how your prospective buyers are searching for a home. 

Whether your buyer is surfing the consumer real estate websites like Realtor.com or they are having a real estate professional do the search for them, all home searches have a minimum and maximum price range. Home buyers have access to your homes tax record and assessed value and can easily look up recent sales in your neighborhood on Realtor.com so they already have a value range for the homes in your neighborhood.  All Realtors(R) have access to the same information and it will be reflected in your homes comparative market analysis that your listing agent brings to you. Should you price your home over your neighborhoods value range the buyer and/or the real estate agent doing the search will Not See Your Home. 

Your best price position when selling your home is the middle to upper middle of your neighborhoods market value range. 

I am more than happy to create a market analysis report for your home in Port Richey, New Port Richey or Trinity Florida at no obligation to you. Contact me online and request your market report. 

Why We Love Florida and Live in New Port Richey

Loving where you live is important to ones

overall happiness and we Love Living in Florida and the cities of Port Richey and New Port Richey. Port Richey and New Port Richey are called the "Twin Cities of Florida" located along the Pithlachascote River and the Gulf of Mexico where you can enjoy boating, fishing, waterfront dining and more.  With many local parks, both city owned and state run you have a variety of choices in your outdoor activities. 

Just a few things we Love about Florida
We own more bathing suits than coats.
We Don't Shovel Snow
Our Seafood is caught and served to us the same day
Flip-Flops are acceptable shoes almost anywhere and almost year round
We have the Best Sunsets on Florida's west coast
We Don't Shovel Snow
Iced Tea is a year round beverage
Boating is a way life
We Don't Shovel Snow
We use our barbecue grills year round
It's never cold on Halloween
We Fry our Thanksgiving Turkey 
We Don't Shovel Snow

Living in the cities of Port Richey and New Port Richey Florida for over 20 years I can't think of a place I would rather be. We are located approximately 30 miles north of Tampa and St. Petersburg. We can be at Bush Gardens in about 40 minutes and Walt Disney World in about an hour and a half. Close to Tarpon Springs and Weeki Wachee Springs where the Mermaids live, there is no shortage of activities for you in the Port Richey Florida area.  I'm your local real estate professional in the Port Richey and New Port Richey Florida area and I am here to answer any of your questions.  Contact me online and I will respond within 24 hours or less. 

Port Richey Florida Parks You Should Visit

Living in the Port Richey and New Port

Richey area of Florida, you have some great choices in Parks to visit on the weekends for picnics and fun or if you want to see the stunning sunsets along the Gulf of Mexico.  Being your local real estate expert in the Port Richey and New Port Richey area, I feel it o my job to mention these parks in my advertising of my customers homes for sale and to new home buyers in our city. Port Richey and New Port Richey have been called the "Twin Cities of Florida" and each city has it's own police force, mayor and city council. 

Wterfront Park in Port Richey is located at 8119 Old Post Rd. This is a large park with plenty of room for kids and adults to run and play in the open field. There is a playground area and covered shelters for bar-b-cues and birthday parties.  You can enjoy walking the trail along the bayou, fishing off the back pier and there is even a kayak or canoe launch dock to the south side of the park. There are restrooms and there is no fee for parking and entry like the state and county parks.  This years 4th of July Laser light Show was located at Waterfront Park and residents along the Bayou and Gulf could see the show. 

Brasher Park is one of our little gems along

the Gulf of Mexico and it is not easy to find so it is a real favorite of local residents. Located at 4951 Koons Rd. Brasher park offers non motorized watercraft launching, beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico and a large playground, picnic tables and restrooms. If you are looking for a quiet park out of the way of traffic and in a beautiful setting, Brasher Park is the place to visit. 

Oelsner Park is a great spot to enjoy lunch in the Miller's Bayou neighborhood. Located at 5218 Miller Bayou this park offers picnic tables and full restroom facilities. You can wade in the water and shore fish or you can enjoy a quiet evening watching the sunset.

Another local park is Nick's Park located at 7929 Bayview Street. This park is favorite for local boat owners and during the boating season this park can get pretty busy with people launching their boats. Nick's Park has the only city boat ramp and trailer parking is limited but you can use the parking lot at  nearby Waterfront Park if you need to.  Nick's park also offers a dock, fishing and restrooms. 

Wilmslow Park has been renovated thanks

to a grant from Florida Development Assistance Program.  This is what is called a 'Pocket Park" it truly is an oasis in the Harbor Isles neighborhood area just west of Miller's Bayou. This park can be walked and there area plenty of benches the sit and enjoy the weather and the passers by. This park has a fountain that is my favorite place to sit when I am there.  This park has no restroom or shelters. 

When you need a local real estate expert in Port Richey or New Port Richey Florida contact me. I have lived and worked in the area for over 20 years and I have the experience and knowledge you want in a Realtor. 

Top 5 Must Know Facts About Selling Your Condominium

You have enjoyed your condominium and now you want to sell and move on to the next chapter in your life. Selling your condo is a little different than selling a single family home and here are the Top 5 Things You Should Know before listing your condo for sale with a Realtor(R).

1. Condominium sales in Florida require that you, the seller provide the Rules and Regulations and updated addendum, Articles of Incorporation and the condo association financial statements for the current and previous year.  Sometimes owners do not have these documents for various reasons and having an experienced real estate professional helps in getting them
2. Your Realtor(R) needs to have the experience and the knowledge to find out exactly what is required for you to transfer the property. Usually there is a required application and background check and a fee associated with the application process.
3. Right of First Refusal. If your association has a right of first refusal, your agent needs to know if it is by the association itself or the members.  You may not know this but your real estate professional should have the ability to get this information. If your agent is inexperienced the right of first refusal may hold up your closing.
4. Advertising of your condo for sale must be done properly and advertised in the MLS the right way. Condominiums are Not single family homes. Often times the foundation and the land is not included in the condo deed. It's up to your Realtor(R) to know this if you don't. 
5. Hire a real estate agent who has experience in selling condominiums. One who will take photos of the clubhouse, pool, golf course etc... Ask them how many condominiums they have sold. I sell about 15 condominiums a year and I always know when the buyers agent has little experience in condo sales.

You deserve the highest level of customer service from your Realtor(R).  It is our job to get all the necessary documents from you or advise you where to get them as well as verifying that the buyer received them and the buyers application is complete and returned on time with any pet photos, vet records, fees and a copy of the purchase contract.  I am always here to help if you have any questions regarding selling a condominium in New Port Richey Florida. You can contact me online 24/7 and I will respond the following business day. 

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What is the Difference Between a Realtor(R) and a Real Estate Agent?

I want to start by stating that I have a knowledge of Florida license law regarding real estate. I am not proficient in license law in other states. In Florida a real estate license is "Active" only when it is carried under a licensed Broker. We generally refer to the license as being "Hung" with a broker as state law requires the licenses of each agent be displayed and hung up somewhere in the physical real estate office. Real estate agents who do not join the National Association of Realtors(R) and the Florida Association of Realtors(R) and their local Board of Realtors are classified as real estate licensees. They have a license and they can practice real estate. However they are not Realtors(R) and Do Not Have Access to the MLS system under their own name.  These licensees are usually "referral agents" of the Broker to whom their license is hung and are most likely part-time agents or slowing down in business in an effort to transition into retirement.

Keep in mind that most large Brokerage firms, including Florida Luxury Realty require their agents to be Realtors(R). 

What Is a Realtor(R)?

• A real estate licensee who joins the National, State and Local Board of Relators(R)
• A licensee who attends Realtor(R) Code of Ethics Training
• A licensee who takes an oath to Follow and Uphold the Realtor(R) Code of Ethics

Realtors(R) are not only held to a higher ethical standard than those who possess a license and are not Realtors(R) we are also better educated and trained. Generally the licensees local board of Realtors(R) offers classes and training that is not available to those who are not Realtors(R) we meet with city and county officials, we meet with county property appraisers, senators and other professionals in our industry so we can be better informed about our local and state laws and policies.

Only a Realtor(R) can use the Realtor(R) logo or call themselves a Realtor(R). You may see email addresses or website domain names that have a ".Realtor" exchange. This domain exchange and email can only be used by a Realtor(R) member. I am happy to display my domain and email as it shows people that I am a highly skilled professional in the real estate industry and I hold myself to a higher ethical standard of business than those who are simply license holders. 

If you are speaking with real estate agents to assist you in selling or buying a home, I urge you to ask if they are a Realtor(R) or not. You may decide that you want a better trained agent or a full time agent and you might not know that if you don't ask. 

written by Michael J. Gallo all images are property of the author.