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Welcome
Hi, I'm Stephanie Passman. Welcome to my blog, where you'll find the latest videos, good news about my clients, testimonials and articles I've written.-
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Thanksgiving Greetings 2019
Hope we all can feel grateful in our lives at this time.
Fall Is the Time for Home Maintenance
Here is the letter I sent to my clients last week. It’s not necessarily a favorite topic for us at this holiday time of year, but it’s good advice for those who regard their home as an investment.
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Fall in Florida is the time to start thinking about home maintenance, for a number of good reasons. One reason is that the weather is becoming more manageable now, and it’s more reasonable for doing homeowner chores.
But beyond the normal desire to clean up after the summer and spruce up the house for the winter holidays, this is also a good time to make a list of any deferred maintenance and start making plans to deal with it.
My long-standing suggestion is always to plan to have your home in good shape for the spring market, even if you have no intention of selling it. We have to take care of our investments with routine upkeep, and the best way Continue reading
Congratulations Atilio and Carolina
Congratulations, Atilio and Carolina, on the successful purchase of your new home!
Housing Market Snapshot: Fall 2019
This is the letter I sent out to my clients last week, with a summary of economic and other conditions in our housing market.
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Here is my fall Housing Market Snapshot. In general we have a viable market that continues to do the very best it can with the limited inventory, and that continues to out-perform the national economy as a whole.
I hope you find this round-up useful.
U.S. Economy and Housing Market, September 2019
Interest rates are heading back down as we speak. In 2018 we were on a course to be at 5% by last Christmas, and now NAR economist Lawrence Yun looks for the rate to level out at around 3.3% by end of year for a 30-year fixed mortgage.
National Economy
The Fed gives its reasons as a slowing of the economy from its last few years of expansion, and trade wars have brought much uncertainty to markets too. Whether this slowdown in economic activity passes the threshold to be called a recession, is debatable. Noted economist Continue reading
Congratulations, Michelle, Ed and Marjorie
Congratulations Michelle, Ed and Marjorie on your successful closing!
Congratulations Bill and Sandy
Congratulations, Bill And Sandy, on the successful purchase of your new home – welcome to St. Pete!
Congratulations, John
Congratulations, John, on the successful sale of your property!
Congratulations Gary and Giovina
Congratulations, Gary and Giovina, on the successful purchase of your new home!
Thankful to Have as Our Realtor – Review
I don’t know what to say about this testimonial, except how grateful I am to receive such glowing praise. They were actually experienced buyers, just a little rusty. And they were a delight to work with because they understood the value of my guidance. In this sense, they’re the ones who made it succeed.
I wanted to write and let you know how pleased we were with all the services you provided us during the purchase of our home in St. Petersburg. Since we haven’t been in the market for a home in over 12 years, there were many things to learn again and you were extremely patient helping to guide us through the process in a way that fit for us.
Even with a tremendously challenging seller, we always felt comfortable that you had our best interests in mind and were not just trying to make a sale. In particular, we wanted to thank you for being so diligent in following up with the items that were not possible to address prior to closing. It was refreshing that you went out of your way to assist in resolving these issues even after you had been paid.
One of the other ways that you exceeded our expectations was being so available and ensuring we had all the relevant information to make an informed decision. We never felt like you were rushed or had somewhere else to be. Despite all the challenges we faced during the process we are very happy in our new home and are thankful to have you as our realtor. Our only regret is that we didn’t use you to sell our other house.
Many thanks for all your efforts on our behalf. We would be happy to speak with others about your fine work if that would be helpful.
– Paul & Stephanie Kurtz, March 2019
May Bulletin – Investment Property for First-Time Buyer
Here’s the May letter I sent to my clients recently.
It’s that time of year to think of college. Young people are either graduating or breaking for the summer, and most are already thinking about accommodation for the upcoming semesters.
But does it have to be a rental?
Although it may sound surprising, right now is also the perfect time to think about a young person’s first real-estate property.
It’s a good time to revisit an article I wrote about Why Your First Home Should Be an Investment Property, which you can find at that link.
Here’s a quote from the article to think about for college life:
“One of the best ways for parents to give their children a good start in life is to help with the purchase of a rental property when they go to university. A duplex in the college part of town, that kids buy themselves, takes care of housing and represents a very stable form of income for them as they grow.”
As I said in the article, if I could give one piece of real estate advice to young people, it would be to get started owning property as soon in life as possible. Time spent paying rent and trying to save for eventual home ownership is time and money wasted.
The article spells out the advantages to the first-time home buyer, which allows a low down-payment, less-than-perfect credit, and also the purchase of a rental property of up to 4 units. College-age people are in their best time of life to share accommodations with others, and it’s the perfect time to share a duplex, triplex or four-plex.
The difference lies in owning it.
Being young and buying a first home is actually a huge opportunity to begin creating wealth early in life. And a multiplex is a great way to do it.
— Stephanie
Congratulations Teri and Sheryl
Congratulations, Teri and Sheryl, on your new beach house investment property!
Congratulations, Mark, Cecilia and Sharon
Congratulations Mark, Cecilia and Sharon on the successful sale of your home!
Housing Market Snapshot: Spring 2019
This is the letter I sent out to my clients last week, with a summary of conditions to expect this summer in our housing market.
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Here is my spring Housing Market Snapshot. The quick takeaway is that we have a basically normal housing market, robust enough to grow on its own strength regardless of any slowdown in the larger national economy.
Here’s the picture of the housing market we can expect through this summer.
Congratulations Sean
Congratulations, Sean, on finally closing on your new urban townhome!
Congratulations Paul and Stephanie
Congratulations, Paul and Stephanie, on the successful purchase of your new home!
Listing – Magnolia Heights Bungalow
Just Listed – Call 727-289-3289
Click for Online Brochure
Click for Photo Album
3043 14th St. N • St. Petersburg, FL • 33704 ~~ $275,00
This concrete block home features original hardwood floors, in a rustic finish, encased windows and doors and arched pass-throughs. The updated kitchen has stainless steel appliances, granite counters, subway tile backsplash and tile flooring. Both bathrooms have updated fixtures, toilets and tile. All the bedrooms are located on opposite sides of the house providing great privacy. The master bedroom has new vinyl plank flooring with en suite bath. The French doors off the dining room lead you to the spacious back deck and large backyard perfect for entertaining family and friends and maybe a future pool? This home is truly move-in ready with updated wiring, freshly painted interior, and new roof and hot water heater both replaced in 2018. Schedule your showing today!
3 Beds 2 Baths • 1142 Sq. Feet • Updated Kitchen, Baths and wiring
NO FLOOD INS • New Roof and W. Heater
Congratulations Gary and Giovina
Congratulations, Gary & Giovina, on the successful sale of your home!
Congratulations Laurie
Congratulations, Laurie, on your latest investment acquisition!
Listing: Historic Old SE Bungalow
Just Listed – Call 727-289-3289
Click for Online Brochure
Click for Photo Album
126 21st Ave SE • St. Petersburg, FL • 33705 ~~ $469,900
This 1925 bungalow offers 3 beds & 3 baths, office and a detached garage with an apartment. You will be greeted by a covered front porch perfect for that morning coffee or evening glass of wine or just hang out and visit with the neighbors. You will be delighted by the original hardwood floors and quaint wood-burning fireplace. Dining room features original built-ins and there is a sunroom with lots of light and the main floor bathroom. The 1st floor master features French doors and an en-suite bath. Upstairs are 2 additional bedrooms with walk in closets, office and the charming bathroom with its original medicine cabinet and claw foot tub. The apartment provides additional income or is perfect for college students, in-laws or guests. It is currently rented for $900 a month. A large fenced in back yard. This home is a must see!
4 Beds 4 Baths • 2204 Sq. Feet • Wood-burning Fireplace
Original Hardwoods • Garage Apartment
Posted in For Sale
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