Dan Swings Blog

“COMMUNICATION”

Analyzing the situation; means thinking about the subject, purpose, sender, receiver, medium, and context of a message

Choosing a medium; involves deciding the most appropriate way to deliver a message, ranging from a face-to-face chat to a 400-page report.

Evaluating messages; means deciding whether they are correct, complete, reliable, authoritative, and UP-TO-DATE!

Following conventions; means communicating using the expected norms for the medium chosen.

Listening actively; requires carefully paying attention, taking notes, asking questions, and otherwise engaging in the ideas being communicated.

Reading; is decoding written words and images in order to understand what their originator is trying to communicate

Speaking; involves using spoken words, tone of voice, body language, gestures, facial expressions, and visual aids in order to convey ideas

Turn Taking; means effectively switching from receiving ideas to providing ideas, back and forth between those in the communication situation.

Using technology; requires to understand the abilities and limitations of any technological communication, from phone calls to e-mails to instant messages.

Writing; involves encoding messages into words, sentences, and paragraphs for the purpose of communicating with a person who is removed by distance, time or both.

As the TBGCC grew, Many elements became prevalent and sections of the community that met legal specifications were anointed as HOAs (Home Owners’ Associations).  Today TBG&CC consists of ten HOA’s.  Eventually, Transeastern Properties went bankrupt and Engle Homes (TOUSA) came in as the Declarant, taking over the unsold property lots.  Falcone Enterprises retained ownership of the TBG&CC amenities.

In 2010, following a majority vote of the eligible residents to purchase the amenities, Starwood Corporation loaned the master association $3.75 million which enabled the residents to own the amenities (as the Tampa Bay Community Association).  The $3.75 million was paid to Falcone Enterprises and to Engle Homes (TOUSA).  At that point in time the residents of TBG&CC took over ownership of the amenities and Starwood Corporation owned all of the unsold lots. During the following year, the Master Association made interest-only payments to Starwood Corporation.   By the end of that year, the Finance Committee of the Master Association had facilitated a 15-year mortgage with BB & T Bank.  The amount owed to Starwood Corporation was paid, leaving Starwood with ownership of all the unsold lots and the residents as owners of the amenities.

Starwood then sold lots to two builders – K. Hovnanian and Lennar.  Homes began to be built and sold in large numbers.  Eventually, Lennar sold off all their homes, and let their remaining lots go into foreclosure. It was determined the quality of home Lennar provided could not compete with the lesser quality of K. Hovnanian, the last builder to develop the remaining lots.

Throughout the years of its existence, TBG&CC has been governed by several Boards of Directors.  When Transeastern Properties was the owner a three-member Board of Directors consisting of their employees was the governing body.  After 2010, a three-member Board of Directors consisting of two Starwood employees and one resident member took over the governing role.  Effective December 2014, the Master Association Board of Directors were seated.  The Master Association Board consists of ten members, each elected by their respective HOA’s.  There is also a Presidents’ Council that includes the Presidents of each of the HOA’s.  That Council is advisory only.
We’ve gone through 2 managers and it appears our community is in good hands.

A few of the residents are still around and experienced the drama and politics in the early stages of development in Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club!  Beginning in June of 1993 when the land was purchased by Dr. J. C. Benefield as Colonial Village Mobile Home Park.  In February 1994 Gulfstream Procurements (AKA Dale Whittington) purchased the land from Dr. Benefield and the property was renamed Tampa Bay Golf & Tennis Club, Inc.  At that time the Community Center, the tennis court, the shuffleboard courts and the swimming pool were built.  Old Tampa Bay Drive only went as far as the tennis court.  There was also a nine-hole golf course  (hole number 1 is now number 4).  Dale Whittington purchased the development and began building homes.  The original homes that he sold were frame houses with vinyl siding.   He did not start building concrete block and stucco homes until sometime in 1995.

When the homebuilding cycle began Whittington made a lot of deals with many of the prospective owners.   After he would negotiate new homes by buying their trailer, boat, vehicle or something of value that encouraged the new homeowners to commit to a new home purchase. He built homes for those new residents. The deeds for all of the new homes read as follows:  “Tampa Bay Golf and Tennis Club.”  The residents of the new community formed a CAC (Citizens Advisory Committee), and the CAC expressed its views on a variety of issues that arose.  For example, the CAC was concerned about the organic landfill that developed south of the community along Old Pasco Road.  There was also concern about the status of being a senior (55 plus) community.  In 2015 a new President’s advisory board was formed and it was determined that not enough identification was present at each entrance to protect this status.

In 1998 Dale Whittington sold everything to Transeastern Properties, Inc.  A major investor in Transeastern Properties was Falcone Enterprises.  During these years, new sub-HOA’s were created and developed, and Transeastern built these homes. Lennar Homes (aka U.S. Homes) showed an interest in the community and purchased from Transeastern Properties. As TBGCC began to develop growing pains it was determined the new name for our community would be changed to Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club (TBG&CC), although many deeds still list the “Tennis Club.”  The golf course was expanded into an 18 hole championship course, an Executive Course was added and the Clubhouse was erected.  Those amenities were all owned by Falcone Enterprises.

More of the history will be posted in the near future. For all you Realtors that follow my blogs, this should help clear up some of the rumors and illusions shared by some residents.

It appears Teresa is making sales happen in Tampa Bay Golf and CC.  She knows the market, she’s got the buyers and she’s listing homes with the right value and they sell quickly.  Can’t say enough good things about her.

Need your home sold and would like great representation, call me. I’ll set you up with showing appointments or refer you to Teresa. Together Teresa and I will make it happen.

Looking forward to working with you.

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I would like to share some statistics, and some observations from brokerages other than myself and RE/MAX Coastal Real Estate to provide a broad view of constructive questions to ask yourself.  I’m humbled by all your compliments in my performance, however, it’s not just me, it’s the research we network and share.

Homes are expensive, and getting even more so every day. (Also, water is wet and the sky is blue!) Making an offer over asking price—sometimes by absurd amounts—has become a harrowing norm for today’s buyers.

But even as the market rockets upward, there are always those buyers. You know the type: You visit their new home for a dinner party, and halfway through the meal, they lean over to whisper in your ear.

“We got a killer deal,” they say. “Under list price.”

How much below asking price should you offer on a house? Or is it something you shouldn’t try at all? The not-so-simple answer: It all depends on the market you’re in and other factors you should weigh before you lowball with abandon.

Every home buyer wants to score a deal, after all. But set your offer too low, and you could risk offending the sellers and having them write you off completely. As such, it’s all about striking the right balance. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you figure out that happy medium.

Your ability to present a lower offer will depend greatly on current market conditions—meaning if it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market,” suggests Cynthia Jacinta Keskinkaya, co-founder of the Keskinkaya Dartley Team at Douglas Elliman in New York City.

So before you make any offer, determine what type of market you’re in. Traditionally, buyer’s markets come with a lot of flexibility on price, because available inventory is high and houses tend to sit on the market for longer. Here, sellers tend to be more willing to negotiate because offers are few and far between.

In a buyer’s market, I would not hesitate to submit an offer that’s around 10% below asking,” advises Chris Cloud of EXIT Heritage Realty in Haymarket, VA. “Most sellers will at least see that as worthy of a counteroffer.”

In a seller’s market, on the other hand, it’s much harder to go below asking price at all, because inventory is low, and multiple buyers tend to be interested in the same properties. So, in this case, it’s best not to lowball at all, and offer list price. Your agent can help you determine which market you’re currently in, or here’s more advice on how to tell if you’re in a buyer’s or seller’s market.

How long has the listing been active?

“By paying attention to the property history, you can get a better idea of the demand for that house,” notes Jennifer Carlson of Coldwell Banker in East Greenwich, RI. “Two days on the market? Probably not a good idea to go in with a lowball offer $50,000 below asking price. A whole year on the market, with price reductions? Go ahead and roll the dice. The longer a house has been on the market, the less of an upper hand the seller has in negotiation.”

However, Michael Russell of Ratchet Straps USA also emphasizes the importance of making sure a lowball offer doesn’t insult the seller, if you want it to be taken seriously. “The rule I’ve always followed is to never go more than 25% below the listed price,” he says. “Chances are, after fees, commission, and sentimental value, the sellers are already hurting. If you dip below that point, they may disregard your offer entirely.”

Fortunately, info on how long a house has been on the market can be easily found on most listings—or if not, any good real estate agent will have access to this information through the multiple listing service. Ask them to pull it up for you, and use it as a reference as you draw up your offer.

How does the price compare to similar homes in the area?

Once you have a general sense of how much wiggle room you have to work with, it’s time to look more specifically at recent sales in your desired neighborhood. Ask your agent to work up a comparative market analysis (also called a comp or CMA), which will show you the list and sale prices for similar homes that have sold in the last few months. Use that as your guide.

“The comparables should be your go-to on a first offer,” says Shane Lee on behalf of Realtyhop. “If, for instance, a similar property in the same neighborhood is quoted $10K less, then it makes sense for you to go $10K below the asking price.”

How badly do you want the home?

Last but not least, ask yourself: How would you feel if your offer got rejected? If you think that you’ll regret missing out on the home, it may be worth it to consider offering exactly what they’re asking for—or a bit more—to seal the deal that the home will be yours.

If you want the home badly enough, you need to make the seller an offer they can’t refuse,” advises Jenny Ditty Kang, JD, a real estate agent with WR Realtors in Louisville, KY.

However, if you think you’ll be able to move onto the next property without issue, there’s no harm in trying to score a deal.

This last piece of advice may be the most subjective of all, but it’s true. Remember, submitting a low offer is always a risk. Ultimately, it’s up to you to determine how much of a gamble you’re willing to take on the house.