PACA Announces January Meeting

Rep. Will Weatherford is scheduled to address the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations (PACA) on Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Land O Lakes Community Center--5401 Land O Lakes Blvd., Land O Lakes, FL.

January 5, 2009 UPDATE: Due to the special budget session of the state legislature, Rep. Will Weatherford will not be speaking. Pasco County Commissioner Michael Cox will be the featured guest this week:

Cox will detail county spending and answer questions from residents during a meeting open to the public and media on Thursday.

A Buyout for New Home Builder TOUSA by Standard Pacific Homes?

Discussions are underway for a possible merger/buyout of TOUSA (Engle Homes, etc.) a new home builder with local presence in Live Oak Preserve. Tousa filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.
FULL STORY

New Tampa and Wesley Chapel -- A 2008 Year In Review Slideshow

Lennar Corp. 4th Quarter Results

Lennar Corporation, one of the nation's largest new home builders reports today 4th quarter 2008 net losses of $811 million, with deliveries down 36% and new orders down 46%.

Parkview Homes

After a series of builders with local presence either have ended up in bankruptcy or have departed the market, James Thorner of the St. Pete Times today writes about Parkview Homes' predicament. Parkview has presence locally in Country Walk, in Wesley Chapel. Full Story

Creation of Meadow Pointe V Community Development District

Public notices of plans for the contraction of Meadow Pointe III and Meadow Pointe IV Community Development Districts, and the creation of Meadow Pointe V have recently been published in the newspaper.

Of course the obvious question is why is there a need to carve out a separate community development district from MP III and MP IV in Meadow Pointe?

Pasco Co. representatives were not available today when I called because they were at the Board of County Commissioners meeting. More info to follow when I get a better understanding of this.

Copies of the petitions are available for inspection at the Development Services Offices, Growth Management/Zoning Department, West Pasco Government Center, in New Port Richey. (727) 847-8140. The public hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on January 6, 2009 at the Pasco County Courthouse.

Note: December 17, 2008 Update: Upon review of the application and petition for the creation of MP V, it appears that it will consist of 149+ acres along Meadow Pointe Blvd. in the general vicinity of where SR 56 will connect to MP Blvd. 941,800 sq. ft. of commercial space and 393,200 sq. ft. of office space. For details contact the Growth Management Offices of Pasco Co.

Salvation Army Thrift Store

The Salvation Army Thrift Store under construction on CR 54 (west of I-75) in Wesley Chapel is targeting February 7, 2009 for an opening date.

Construction Begins on Water's Edge Church

Construction of the Water's Edge Church on Overpass Rd. in Wesley Chapel has begun. Additional info: Church website

Cafe Istanbul coming to New Tampa

Sign announcing Cafe Istanbul in the former Cafe Parisienne location on Cross Creek Blvd., in New Tampa. No opening date at this time.

Grand Opening of Regions Bank in New Tampa

Regions bank in New Tampa is having its Grand Opening today from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. Free food and drinks; Moonwalk and face painting for the kids and drawings for adults! Located at 6202 Commerce Palm Blvd. next to the "new" CVS in Tampa Palms. (813) 972-2131.

In Desperate Times, Home Sellers Resort to Desperate Tactics

Home sellers are now resorting to desperate tactics to sell their homes, from Smudging to Voodoo!! Watch the video!:

While there are no statistics to show how successful these measures are, I suspect more traditional approaches when taken seriously, are ultimately the reason that a home sells. ie. Price, condition of home and its showing appeal, availability for showings, etc.

Oh, and one more thing. It has become increasingly more difficult for real estate agents to schedule showing appointments. So many real estate agents now have become "part time" and it can take two or three days to get a call back when I call for showing appointments. Of course the home owners have no idea that their home doesn't get shown because of poor response from the listing agent who may be working full time as a barista in a coffee shop without them knowing. With so many homes on the market, when calling to schedule showing appointments, often times I just have to move on to other homes to show when I can actually speak to the listing agent to schedule the showing appointment!

Christmas without snow in Florida Video

Foreclosures To Be Included in Determining Property Values by County Appraisers

County Property Appraisers are now planning on using foreclosures to determine property values. While this may mean a lower assessed value on your home in the future, it may not translate into lower property taxes. Full Story

New Signs for Tampa Palms

Work on the first of the new signs in Tampa Palms is underway:

Future look of village signs in areas 1 & 2:

New Tampa Home Market Report For November

Our local MLS reports that 44 single family homes sold in New Tampa in November, 2008. Sold prices ranged from a low of $145,000 for a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom Cross Creek home to a high of $545,000 for a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom, pool home in Grand Hampton.

There are 512 single family homes listed for sale in New Tampa in our local MLS with prices ranging from $96,900 for a bank owned home to $2,999,000 for a Tampa Palms home on 10+ acres.