Clearwater Florida - Home to Pinellas County Government for 95 years.Ed Rybczynski, a well known, national Mortgage Fraud speaker, asked today what stories and tidbits do you know about your hometown that you could share. So today I was thinking about how often we've all heard that, "all politics is local". Well this was even true here in Clearwater almost 95 years ago. When the Tampa Bay area was originally settled Clearwater, St Petersburg & Tampa were all part of Hillsborough County. Over time the people of now Pinellas County, known as West Hillsborough, started to feel that their tax dollars would be better spent here. Local leaders wanted more control and input on how their tax money was spent and pressure to secede from Hillsborough County grew. After years of feuding and politic... 08/21/2007

  Clearwater Florida is Getting Greener Today many Clearwater home owners are looking for ways to be more "Eco Friendly" - from recycling to using green products when possible.  The desire is often there before the products. Local residents oftne tell me they'd like to be more "eco-friendly" but they aren't sure where to start. Well, now it's going to be even easier for everyone to find more environmentally friendly products in Clearwater, Florida and everywhere else that has a neighborhood Home Depot.   Why? Because Home Depot is working aggressively to fully implement its new Eco Options program. They are working to get the best eco-friendly products into their stores for their customers. They invited all the suppliers of their 176,000 products to submit any "green products" they have... 07/28/2007

Clearwater Florida Real Estate - Today was a great day in Real Estate for me. Leah Ross, my Tampa Bay Mortgage Expert and I had the pleasure of helping a special Clearwater home buyer purchase their new home. To the Clearwater Home Team, helping her buy her Clearwater home represents so much more than a Real Estate commission check because our business is built on referrals, on caring and on relationships  - days like today are the icing on the cake and the pure joy in the journey.  People often ask me what I like about being a Realtor and I have to say "today" is what I love about being a Clearwater Real Estate agent. I love... Helping someone courageously embrace the adventure in their future and their new home;Working with local home buyers to find them their dream home and then to s... 07/27/2007

July 24/07 I started this journey into realestate investing almost a year ago, and it hasn't gone that well. I am a property locator. I have no problem finding the deals, my problem comes when it comes to talking to the sellers. I don't know why but I feel like I am bothering them when they are going through a hard time. But I have faith in myself that I will get over that. My other frustration is that I want to rehab. But because of my credit and the fact that I have no money, I haven't been able to do that either. But again I am not giving up. I know this is what I was meant to do. Its just getting there thats taking a little longer than I would like.  I read all the time that you don't need credit or money to do this, I don't think thats true. I can't even get a hard money loan. Whic... 07/24/2007

I just went to Google to check to see who was showing up with articles on one of my favorite cities, Clearwater FL.You are never going to believe what came up!  A whole market report with articles from Inman including current listings and state on our market?!?What do you think about that?  Decent info?  Or waste of time? 07/12/2007

Clearwater Real Estate | Pool Homes -Backyard Paradise of Unpleasant Surprises?We live in a wonderful part of Florida and there's nothing better than a cool dip in a backyard pool on a hot summer day. Can't you just picture floating in the pool, relaxing, rejuvenating. This is how it should be...Now let me tell you what can happen if you don't do your homework when you're buying that Lovely Tampa Bay Pool Home.Jack and I spend the majority of our time working with Tampa bay Homebuyers and are big advocates and believers in Home Inspections. I am a member of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) which allows me to be a resource to my clients through my relationships with some of the areas most accomplished remodeling professionals.  In a stat... 07/06/2007

Clearwater Real Estate Agents Save "Condo Buyer 10%" and "makes Buying FUN" Clearwater FLorida Real Estate Agents, Cyndee and Jack Haydon, Realtors receive another Tampa Bay area Home Buyer video testimonial. Now is a great time to buy local real estate- we are seeing the market pick up and condo and home buyers ready to act now are reaping the benefits. - Many Tampa Bay home or condo buyers under estimate the benefits of working with professional Clearwater Beach Buyers Agents like us. We are knowledgable consultants to our home and condo buyers in the Tampa Bay Real Estate Market providing our Tampa Bay home and condo buyers detailed research and information to make informed decisions with no pressure; We are determined, effective negotiators often achieving saving like the one's Cath... 07/05/2007

We all know that Florida is a great vacation spot, white sand and blue water comes to mind.  And Clearwater is certainly all that.  Located in Pinellas County with  a population of over 108,000 a far cry from the original population of 343 in 1900, according to the US Census Bureau. Since tourism makes up a large part of the local economy Clearwater is very concerned about the beaches.   See what some visitors from around the world have to say about the Clearwater Beaches Any great vacation spots offers more that just beaches, so, you can also dine at many fine Clearwater restaurants.  The area also holds annual festivals such as the world Iron-Man Championship, a Jazz festival and the Hispanic Heritage festival. LOOKING TO PURCHASE CLEARWATER REAL ESTATE? Cyndee & Jack Haydon Look no f... 06/12/2007

This is not another everybody knows article about the great advantages of buying real estate. Yes, it is a great buyer's market and yes, you can get the house in that street you always wanted and now it's even affordable! But I already told you about this. This month I want to tell you why the over publicized event of Zillow.com did not scare me. Not a bit. Not even when a couple of clients warned me about the possibility of being replaced by a computer database: homes, prices, and days on the market. That sounded like fun! I immediately went on line and checked out my house, the curiosity was just way too strong, so I admit it, I pretended not to be in real estate and asked Zillow.com "How much is my home worth?" Wow, about 80K more than I would have guessed, and probably even 80K more... 06/09/2007

Every year Stephen Leatherman, known as Dr. Beach, rates the ten best beaches in the U.S. Generally it's a beach in Hawaii or Florida. The highest ranking this year, though, for a Florida Beach is #2 which went to Caladesi Island State Park beach in Clearwater. Florida also had #9 - Lighthouse Point Park in Daytona Beach and #10, Siesta Beach in Sarasota.  Hawaii had 2 beaches on the list this year - #4 is Hanalei Beach on Kauai and #6 is Hamoa Beach on Maui.  The #1 beach is ----- (drum roll) ----- Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina! Accessible only by boat or plane, it has 14 miles of unspoiled, undisturbed barrier beach. Dr. Beach admits, though, that the sand is not as white as here in Pinellas County.Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. ... 06/08/2007

CRITICAL POWER It will probably take a miracle to grant Clearwater mayor's wishes, but given that it is over a decade since there has been a good miracle in Clearwater, I think it's time for another, and I hope I could help. Here is why...Believe me: Clearwater is the lifestyle you've always dreamed of. It's a small town of friendliness, affordable housing, good schools and growing business opportunities. It's a true-officially voted-beach lover's paradise, it's the new 9-million dollar Cleveland streetscape, the new multi-million dollar beach walk, the new downtown marina with gorgeous water taxi that will take us back and forth from the white sand beaches and all the new shopping and restaurants of downtown. What more can we ask for? Apparently our Mayor Frank Hibbard dared to ask for... 06/07/2007

Ok, this is my first rant....I am writing to share something that happened today and ask your advice since I'm sure others have had this happen and I wanted to hear how you handle this situation. I've always said I appreciate ALL comments but now I know that if you're someone who knows I would NEVER do business with you please move on and DON'T leave your thoughts here...Now I'm not talking about people with a difference of opinion, or other local professionals...this is something completely different...  Here's the history, There is a local professional who recently joined Active Rain. We have had several very,very, very bad business dealings with this person.  We told this person directly some time ago that we would NEVER do business with this person or their company EVER again - and ... 06/07/2007

Save our Homes explained by Cyndee Haydon, Realtor ~ Clearwater, Florida  When working with First-time home buyers and families moving and relocating to Clearwater, Clearwater Beach and the Tampa Bay area they usually have lots of questions about how Save or Homes and local property taxes works. Here's some info I hope you'll find helpful...Back in January 1995 the Florida Constitution was amended to create a cap on rising property values which are used to calculate our Florida property taxes on homes and condos. This amendment now limits annual increases of the assessed property value to 3% or to the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.  It's important to note that this cap is applied ONLY to the property value - not the property taxes. Property taxes could actually rise more than... 06/06/2007

I have to admit it: being a real estate agent in Florida is pretty good, seriously. It is not like being an agent in some remote area, where I would have to find another job.It is already 2007. In Clearwater is a wonderful warm tropical day. Fort Harrison Boulevard is peaceful. You know what? I feel like going to the beach. I pick up a good (I thought) magazine and I read that 1) the bubble has burst! 2) real estate is not "hot" any longer 3) the bubble has burst! I look around the white beach and look at all these new, luxury condos under construction. Didn't they read the news? I rush home over the new 64 million dollar bridge, I glance at downtown and  its  new landmark SuperPower building, I hear the rolling machinery working on the 9 million dollar facelift of Cleveland Avenue paid... 06/03/2007

Welcome to your Real Estate Update for Sand Key Condos and Homes in Clearwater, Florida 33767June 2, 2007  Today, we have 5-single family homes for sale on Sand Key priced from $1,199,000 to $847,500. In addition, we have 250-condos for sale priced from $3,500,000 to $295,000. List prices are negotiable, so let us know your budget, and we will find a beach property for you at the lowest price. So far this year, 2-single family homes have sold from $925,500 to $817,500. In addition, 35-Condos have sold from $2,660,000 to $280,000. Add to that, 1-single family homes that have a status of pending sale or active with contract priced at $1,174,900 and 6-condos that have a status of pending sale or are active with contract priced from $799,000 to $289,000. This Sand Key Condo and Home Real Es... 06/02/2007

Welcome to your Real Estate Update for Island Estates Condos and Homes in Clearwater, Florida 33767June 2, 2007   Today, we have 39-single family homes for sale in Island Estates priced from $3,250,000 to $649,900. In addition, we have 140-condos for sale priced from $1,785,000 to $159,900. List prices are negotiable, so let us know your budget, and we will find a beach property for you at the lowest price. So far this year, 6-single family homes have sold from $1,030,000 to $750,000. In addition, 27-Condos have sold from $1,089,000 to $253,000. Add to that, 2-single family homes that have a status of pending sale or active with contract priced from $1,495,000 to $879,000, and 4-condos that have a status of pending sale or are active with contract priced from $294,000 to $125,000. This ... 06/02/2007

Great Florida Bird Trail - Clearwater, Florida Over 500 species of birdshave been spotted in Florida - we're a birdwatcher's paradise. This Fowl Trail is actually the Great Florida Bird Trail and information is provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  The Great Florida Bird Trail is made up of 2000 miles of self-guided highway trails throughout Florida. There are 445 birding sites located throughout Florida. These trails were designed to conserve and promote "Florida's bird habitat by promoting birdwatching activities, conservation education and economic opportunity" (Source: GFBT Home page)The Great Florida Bird trail is divided into 4 Sections and each one has it's own birding trail guide.  Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties birding sites and trails i... 06/01/2007

Die Stadt Clearwater im Pinellas County in Florida liegt nördlich von St Petersburg am Golf von Mexico. Durch die ausgezeichnete Lage und den herrlichen 45km langen, feinsandigen weißen Strand erfreut sich Clearwater /St.Petersburg immer größerer Beliebtheit.Auch das Wetter spielt hierbei eine große Rolle. Die Gegend um Clearwater ist besonders stolz darauf, an 361 Tagen im Jahr von Sonnenschein verwöhnt zu werden.Der kilometerlange Sandstrand von Clearwater Beach lädt zum Spaziergang oder Sonnenbaden ein, oder genießen Sie einfach abends die traumhaften Sonnenuntergänge bei einem Glas Wein in einer Strandbar oder direkt an einem der vielen Picknickplätze im benachbarten State Park.Die Wassersportmöglichkeiten kennen hier kaum Grenzen. Powerboot, Jetski, Parasailing, Tauchen und Segeln ... 05/31/2007

Clearwater Florida 33767 6 Reasons to get a Home Inspection before you buy a Clearwater Home Some people think expensive defects will be obvious. However, a lot of expensive defects are hidden and take some investigation to uncover. For example:1. Roof Roof problems can be difficult to spot from the outside. The surface of a roof may look good, but you may find defects once you look at the other side of the roof and find stains, mold, or even where insects and rodents have gnawed away at the support members of the roof.2. Plumbing Some of the most costly problems to fix are with the system that brings fresh water in and the system that takes sewage out. Inspectors look for telltale signs of problems during the inspection.3. Electrical  Many home owners buy a home and then find there is ... 05/27/2007

Clearwater, Florida ~ Threshers BaseballTampa Bay has lots of baseball - we have several teams that do their spring training here, we have our own Professional team - the Devil Rays but my favorite is "baseball with a bite" - The Threshers - our local team affilated with the Philadelphia Phillies.Now I have to provide a disclaimer up front - I am not your typical baseball fan. I don't have a favorite team and don't know any of the standings - but I love fun and there's nothing better than good wholesome family fun to me. So I feel lucky to live within 10 minutes of Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. This is the home of the Threshers and any game is a good time - check out their schedule! At the Bullpen Grille they serve your typical baseball food - hotdogs, popcorn, peanuts and ... 05/26/2007