Tampa Bay Appraiser's Blog

TAMPA, FL – You may have heard, but in case you didn’t, Tampa has a superhero.  Former Major League Baseball manager Kevin Kennedy was among eight individuals who subdued a man threatening to blow up a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Tampa, Fla., on April 23, 2010. 

“He said, ‘I’m gonna blow the plane up and take all of you to hell with me,’” Kennedy told FanHouse.

At that point, Kennedy, along with seven other passengers, charged Stanley Dwayne Sheffield and eventually subdued him, Kennedy said.

The plane landed in Albuquerque, N.M., at 3:37 a.m. Friday where Sheffield was taken into custody by the FBI.

Kennedy, 55, is a television analyst for the Tampa Bay Rays. He previously managed the Texas Rangers 93-94 and the Boston Red Sox from 1995-96. continue reading…

Signs that brighter days are upon us:  Home Depot  is hiring after their Q4 profits were up in 2009.  “As you have positive transaction growth, you need more associates to handle that in the stores. We are going to lean into our skis a little bit.”  This is what Chairman and CEO Frank Blake said in an interview with Bloomberg News.  This means the first increase in profit since 2006 (when HD placed a hiring freeze).   People working on their homes is good for the economy.

 The recession is fading.  Consumers belts begin to loosen.  Americans go shopping.  Never underestimate the willingness of Americans to spend.  It’s just what we do.  Department store Saks is ”moving from defense to offense,” selectively rebuilding inventory and increasing investment as consumers ”come out of their shell,” says CEO Stephen Sadove.     continue reading…

Good Monday morning!  I just read over the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) report US ECONOMIC OUTLOOK and was able to glean some good news from it.  Keep in mind these are forecasts for such indicators as Consumer Confidence, Unemployment, Housing Starts, Home Prices and % Changes Over a Year Ago, and Residential Construction Start-ups.  Here are some of the highlights:

Unemployment is not forecast to start tapering off until after the first quarter of 2011.  However, consumer confidence is forecast to slowly begin creeping up from here.  New housing start-ups should really begin building steam in the fourth quarter of 2010.  Historically, this is linked to a a reduction in unemployment.  By the third quarter new single family sales should be up 23% from the previous year to date and +27% for housing starts.  Existing home prices are also forecast to up 3.6, 4.1, and 4.2% respectively for Q3, Q4, and Q1 of 2011.   continue reading…

Every year, countless people in the United States buy, sell or refinance their own slice of the American Dream.  Most, if not all, of these transactions include a simple line item for an appraisal.  It has become an understood and accepted part of a real estate transaction. ”Let’s bring in the expert and make sure we’re not spending too much on this property.”

But is this the only reason to get an appraisal? Are there other times when the services of a certified, licensed, independent real estate professional might come in handy?  You bet. continue reading…

I can imagine getting out of debt. I can imagine living in that house. I can imagine growing a successful business. I can imagine meeting my soul-mate. I can imagine someone I love turning their lives around. It’s negative thinking which prevents us from creating the life we desire. In other words, we must see ourselves on the podium accepting the trophy a thousand times before it has even happened. We are subject to change.

If we can find people who have been successful we must tell ourselves it was allowed to happen for them. We have to stop seeing ourselves as the way we are and start seeing ourselves as the way we want to be. It’s the temporary things that let us get discouraged. continue reading…