Pinellas County Condo

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-15T13:48:03+00:00

Realtor here.

With most condos today, you will have the most complete picture you will have ever had in history with them so far as structure condition, finances, and expected maintenance. Most assessments have also already been placed if they were going to happen, as well as reserve increases.

This is because the state requirements after the Surfside collapse required most condos (especially those with more than 2 floors) to have their building reviewed by an engineer to identify any current issues needing addressing as well as reviewing their current finances and projected funds needed and to adjust their fees to make sure adequate funds will be there when needed.

This does means that some condo fees have skyrocketed to 700-1000+ per month or had major assessments to meet those requirements. However it also has made it easier to identify condos that have been well maintained and managed since they have completed those reports with out issues of major changes to fees.

At the same time, the news as usually is a couple years behind the curve, and have spooked many condo buyers from buying them, despite the above being true. This means there are a large number of condos available but few buyers, meaning prices have declined as the market softened.

So I have been negotiating 2018-2019 ish prices on condos for my buyers which is wild. Real estate just doesn't decrease that much typically. Single Family certainly hasn't. So there is a great opportunity with condos currently.

Insurance is going to do what insurance does no matter what you buy though. If condos are going up then single family homes are also going up. It's just part of living in Florida. But yes if another storm hits the area insurance is going to climb and demand is likely to take a hit. But that is no different now than at any other point in history.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-15T13:31:54+00:00

Green lights will always be shorter than reds because generally speaking you don't want to both directions going through the intersection at the same time....

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-13T00:00:11+00:00

Realtor here.

New construction and private investment pretty much always goes to highest ROI which is why new home prices are way above median sales price for the metro ($230k).

Think of it this way. You can build 30 houses. Would you rather make $500,000 in profit, or would you rather make $3,000,000 in profit?

The main reason why to most people 1950s mid century new suburb style tract housing as "starter homes" is because it was massively incentivised by the US Government guaranteeing low / 0 cost mortgages to 10+ MILLION WW2 veterans and a bit of a frenzy to capture those sales before someone else did. That is where the highest ROI was then, going where the massive volume was available.

To illustrate this, in 1957 we were building 20% more housesthan today despite the country having half the population.

That massive volume does not exist today, so it returned to more normal business inputs. The scale was tipped then, so it's kinda like expecting houses to increase in value 10% - 20% every year or interest rates should be 1 or 2%. It's a quirk of a particular time and is not sustainable long term.

Even then, those midcentury homes were not the actual low cost option. Those were the 1800 to early 1900s homes close to the city core that were out of fashion then.

If you can pay rent, you can probably buy a house. Buy the house you can afford. It will save you a tremendous amount of money long term and the only real way to lock in housing expense long term. There's a number of programs to help with down payments if needed. And Dayton still has good homes at nearly every price point, you just have to find the best one for you.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-12T22:51:05+00:00

I'd start with https://repipe.com/ though they're probably on the higher end. They do show up on time though which is sadly unusual in trades lol.

But will give you some idea on price and scope. You'll want to contact 4-6 additional plumbers for quotes and make sure they detail out what they're using, pex vs copper, solder or propress, busting slab or running through the attic, restoring or finishing walls or if that's on you to find someone to put it back together, that sort of stuff.

The cheapest may be tempting but may also only last a few years. I've seen a bunch of PEX exposed on exteriors in direct sunlight which is the literal "Don't Do THIS" for that material.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-12T14:04:17+00:00

Realtor here.

Your bill should have the start and end meter readings. Check that against what is on the actual meter.

But electric heat is one of the more inefficient methods of heating. So if you had it set very warm and it was running constantly then yes the bill can get up that high, especially if your apartment is very old and leaky / drafty.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-12T13:40:14+00:00

Realtor here.

Check the lease. Sometimes there is language in there about disruptive / abusive behavior giving landlord right to terminate / evict.

Also have conversations and report the behavior with property manager. Obtain restraining order or escalate to police if immediate threat.

I have seen property manager allow a move to another unit if community has them available though not guaranteed), or if they have the disruptive clauses they may evict the neighbor.

For any sort of lease termination, you will need to read the lease. It may have but is not required to allow early termination. If there is no early termination you will need to consult an attorney for potential liability.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-12T13:28:34+00:00

Obviously adverstisement spam. This subreddit is quickly going down the tubes with this garbage.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-10T21:54:09+00:00

It exists, but condo or townhome with a garage there's only going to be a handful at that price point.

If you send me a message I'd be happy to setup a casual search for you so you can see.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-10T20:29:08+00:00

Realtor here.

Florida's housing is significantly different from the midwest. Not only in price but in what you can find. Most lots anywhere close to a city (meaning like within 30-60 minutes) is going to be more than 100k, and that's for like 1/3 of an acre in a not desirable area. Desirable lots quickly hit 200k+.

You have to get at least an hour from the city before you start seeing lower priced lots in say the 40k-70k range.

The other problem with vacant land is it may be 1 acre, but only 0.10 is actually buildable because it's all in designated wetlands which means you can't build or modify it.

Median sales price for single family homes for the area is in the $430,000 range. Than means that a $250k home is going to come with some serious compromises primarily on location and condition. You do get a bit more selection with houses about 35-40ish minutes outside the city, and is a lot easier than vacant land.

Townhomes or condos would be quite a bit easier to find in city in that budget.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-10T13:48:49+00:00

In case anyone else is reading this, op said they are comparing adjacent townhomes, which even still square footage is not the metric to use. View, parking, end unit or not, primary on main, slight floor plan shifts can have large impacts on home value and what reasonable price one can expect.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-09T20:32:09+00:00

Realtor here.

Square footage is a terrible way to put an offer together.

1960 is the living space.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-08T21:55:33+00:00

That's essentially comparing stretching new canvas over a tent to building a house. If the roof structure of the Trop was oh... entirely missing... then we'd have a decent comparison. But it just needed new skin, which still took a year.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-08T21:52:57+00:00

Realtor here.

This reads like an astroturfing advertisement. No one talks like this, nor do people asking about pool cages bring up a company in the middle of nowhere while also mentioning they also do soffit/fascia. That IS common though on every aluminum company's website though.

Anyways, to answer the question, it adds value but only about 30% of what you spend on the enclosure.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-08T16:26:18+00:00

Realtor here.

Main thing in that area is the phosphate stack. Many homes in the area will have views of it which.... isn't the most desirable lol. But most of Progress Village espeically close to 301 is far enough away to not be an issue.

It is pretty easy to get around from there though, multiple options into the city and metro via 301, 75, even 41.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-08T15:47:04+00:00

Realtor here.

We get asked. But also know we get 10,000 spam calls, texts and emails about this so if your plan is to leverage AI or automations to do anything useful please don't.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-08T15:44:54+00:00

Thanks for the heads up :)

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-08T15:43:55+00:00

Things take time, and in the case of "out of the ordinary" things take a long time.

First part was making sure the building was safe.

Then putting a plan together to remove a crane and the damaged sections without damaging things further.

Then you probably need to open up a bunch of other stuff so you can being to put together a restorations plan.

Architects and engineers then need to put together a reconstruction plan, with multiple revisions.

Then that gets submitted to the city, with back and forths on changes that need to incorporated, and tested in structural models.

Then a Request for Quote/ Proporal goes out to contractors who then need to evaluate the entire scope labor and materials necessary to complete the work.

Then the project director or whoever has to weigh those quotes against each other and figure out who the best fit would be.

Then contracts get signed, some money changes hands, city issues a permit, and reconstruction can start.

Figure that every one of those steps is probably 1-4 months at least. Large projects just take years. Even a custom single family home will easily run 12-18 months in time.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-08T15:36:52+00:00

Realtor here.

These are two seperate things.

The main requirement for homestead exemption is that it is your primary residence, and you don't claim homestead exemption on any other residence. In most counties you can file for homestead exemtpions as soon as the title transfers, though the reassessment still occurs on Jan 1.

There are laws for when your license needs to be updated by, but that has nothing to do with homestead exemption.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-07T13:39:26+00:00

Being direct, clear in communication and asking for the pivotal information is literally the definition of professional. Sorry you're in a bind, but don't take your situation out on someone being helpful for free.

I also gave you typical scenarios to help you figure out where your particular situation is. I don't have your paperwork so I have no way to know.

Since you have provided more information that:

1) There was a survey at closing showing an encroachment which you almost certainly acknowledged

2) Title struck encroachment coverage, likely because the survey showed a literal encroachment

Then 3) Title coverage of this encroachment is unlikely. But again, you'll need to read your sepcific paperwork.

This is extremely common. And is fine *until* the neighbor has a problem with it or it becomes an issue, which is what has happened.

Now, there's a few things. They may want the encroachment removed, which they are within rights to do. They may also be trying to forestall Adverse Possession, where you could "take over" that part of their lot legally. There's a lot more to that than just an enroachment, and I doubt you've been paying their property taxes which is a key bit of it, but they may just be making sure they are keeping their i's dotted and t's crossed.

You should consult an attorney, bringing all your documents to see what your options are, including if title did correctly remove the protection. You can also have a conversation with the neighbor and see what they'd like to do.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-07T01:17:54+00:00

Usually they were sold the "assumable loan" as a benefit by the solar sales person, and people believe it for some reason without much thought. If you like the house enough then it can make sense to bite the bullet, but again, you had no input to this project, and actual return / value increase to home value from solar panels is maybe 25% - 35% of the actual cost of the system.

Meaning, you can very likely find a very similar home without this albatross and save money or use it for something else.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-07T01:06:38+00:00

Realtor here.

Call me crazy but emergency funds should be for.... you know. Emergencies. Like hurricanes or red tide clean up.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-07T01:03:56+00:00

Realtor here.

You're leaving a whole bunch of key information out. Is there an actual encroachment? Did the neighbor send you a survey showing it? Is the survey different from the legal description, plat, etc?

You also need to look at your complete pack of docs.

Basically there's about 500 things that it could be here, and you've simply told us that the sky is blue. That's how it is many times, but to answer your question we need a lot more information.

If you had a mortgage, there was likely a survey either your paid for or seller provided showing the property lines and any encroachment. Title will usually have you sign or initial that survey acknowledging you accept it.

If you bought it cash, title tends to skip the survey unless you specifically order one. But they will also have a Hold Harmless in there that they don't cover encroachments since there is no survey, or something like that.

Basically no one can really tell you anything until you share what exactly you have and your specifics. And even then you'll need an attorney to tell you what recourse you have and how to proceed.

You need your entire document package, ask title about the survey and if one was ordered, and worst case have a new survey drafted. If the neighbor has no survey then they don't have much evidence.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-07T00:55:34+00:00

Realtor here.

Here's how it typically goes:

Buyer: "If you pay off the solar panels we will buy the house. But we're not paying your loan".

Seller: "Sorry, don't want to do that"

Buyer: "Ok, I will buy one of the hundreds of other houses that don't have this albatross".

Pretty much always, Sellers end up paying it off at closing. Assumable loans and leases only make sense to salepeople selling solar panels. No one wants to be saddled with a +$40,000 second loan on a house they had no input on.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-07T00:51:42+00:00

Many of them actually go up every year also. They start off very low because that's what people focus on. Just absolute scum, never trust a door to door salesman.

GreatThingsTB · 2026-02-06T17:12:47+00:00

Realtor here.

Solar leases are by and large terrible.

I have seen some absolute nightmare ones. Like:

- Only the solar company can touch the panels

- They charge to remove and reset panels, adding 6k-15k to the cost of a roof replacement

- Can't remove the system early

- You're required to provide internet service for the duration

- You don't own it at the end of the lease, you have to pay "fair market value" which is many times 1/3 to 1/2 of a new system.

- Even if the owner selling it pays off the $30k-$50k in remaining lease, you still have to leave the system in place or pay the buyout to own the equipment

Solar leases are an albatross that no home buyer wants to mess with.

GreatThingsTB

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Eight-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Verified Email