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Category Archives: Good Things

St. Petersburg Top Recommended Restaurants and Venues

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While St. Petersburg, FL offers beautiful homes, within the alluring downtown area, it also allows people to experience their dining with authentic American, Ethnic and Gourmet cuisines. All for which these highly recommended Restaurants and Venues, through Trip Advisor, can stand by their Certificate of Excellence. You can enjoy your dining experience, from brunch to dessert and coffee to cocktails; plus entertainment, for an evening out on the town. So, here for your pleasure, are a few of the top four (4) Venues or Restaurants, within St. Petersburg, FL. This is the first out of a Five (5) segment series, of Top rated Restaurants and Venues, within the Pinellas County area. They are rated from 4 to 5 on the scale of 1 out of 5, with 5 being the most pleasurable dining experience that is listed on Trip Advisor. These establishments are rated from Budget dining to $$, $$$, $$$$.

$ First, the #1 – recommended restaurant is Mazzaro’s Italian Market. They are noted for their fine Italian/Mediterranean cuisine and dining experience. They also offer a Deli, with fine meats and products. This facility is rated 4 out of 5 with 1,800 reviews, and a value saver. Their atmosphere is family and children oriented, as well as, handicap accessible. They also offer parking, and Outdoor seating, plus they accept most major credit cards, such as: American Express and Discover. Their menu consists of assorted cheeses and wines, sandwiches, dinners and pastries, along with an separate coffee and alcohol area, for your fullest dining pleasure. Price ranges from $2.50 for appetizers to $7.00 and above, for dinners. Mazzaro’s can be found on the 2900 block of 22nd Ave. North, St. Petersburg, FL.

$ (Budget Menu) – Now we come to the Bodega Comida Cantina Café, which listed as the #2 Restaurant with 244 reviews, and its cuisine rated as #5, on Trip Advisor. This café is located on the 1100 block of Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL. Its expense range is listed as budget menu items. Their cuisine ranges from Latin, to Cuban, and to Caribbean, with a mixed menu that includes: veggie and Cuban sandwiches, pork, and plantains, as well as alcoholic beverages. This venue offers a family and children atmosphere, with Outdoor seating, handicap accessibility, and carry-out. For those interested in a real authentic Cuban sandwich, this is the place to add to your venture.

$$$ Third on our list, is the Parkside Grill, which is listed as #4 on Trip Advisor with 860 reviews and is rated 4.5 in dining experience. This restaurant, offers a panoramic view, of the Vinoy Yacht Basin, as well as a romantic atmosphere. They serve free range meals and non-gluten products. Their cuisine consists of an American, Seafood and Contemporary menu, plus a children’s menu where their prices range from $5 to $7. Now, with this establishment being a fine dining venue, their prices range anywhere from $5 to $42 for items such as ala carte, salads and dinners, which may also include Market Value item’s, as well. This Restaurant offers fine dining service that is carried through from brunch to late night. One can find this venue within the 300 Block of Beach Drive, in the atmospheric section of St. Petersburg, FL.

$ Finally, we have Paciugo, which is the #1 listed, and recommended Dessert Restaurant, on Trip Advisor. This establishment is rated as #5, with 576 reviews. They offer a romantic atmosphere, for families and children. Some menu items that can be found at this delicious, dessert Venue are: Sea Salt Caramel, Gelato, Sorbet, multiple flavors of ice cream, and gluten free products. They are wheelchair/handicap accessible, and are open from early morning to late night, and offer carry-out, and outdoor seating. You can satisfy your sweet tooth, by visiting Paciugo, on the 300 block of Beach Drive, N.E., St. Petersburg FL 33701.

Congratulations Maria

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Maria 1335 46th Ave NE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations Maria on the purchase of your new waterfront home at 1335 46th Ave NE St. Pete FL 33703 on shore Shore Acres. It was a pleasure working with you, I feel we found the right house, one you will be very happy in for many years to come. I’m looking forward to enjoying a glass of wine on your new dock!

3% downpayment loans are back! 620 credit scores or above

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A new program from Wells Fargo & Co. promises to make it easier for prospective borrowers to apply and qualify for a low downpayment residential loan.

Borrowers who use the yourFirst Mortgage program can purchase a home with a downpayment as low as 3 percent, an announcement Thursday indicated.

The San Francisco-based company said the program is intended to help first-time homebuyers and low- to moderate-income consumers become homeowners.

Fannie Mae is acting as a partner in the program.

According to Wells Fargo, the program features fixed interest rates. Prospective borrowers with less than 10 percent down can earn an interest rate reduction of 12.5 basis points by completing a homebuyer education course.

Expanded credit criteria include nontraditional sources like tuition, rent and utility bill payments.

The loan is fully documented and underwritten, and income from others who will reside in the subject property – such as family members or renters – can be considered for debt-to-income ratio calculations.

Downpayments and closing costs can come from gifts and downpayment assistance programs.

“yourFirst Mortgage is a conventional loan that avoids the complexities associated with loan applications for previous affordable lending programs,” the news release stated.

“There are a lot of conventional loan products with low downpayment options, but the criteria are so complex that it creates barriers for many qualified borrowers,” Wells Fargo Home Lending Executive Vice President Brad Blackwell said in the statement. “With yourFirst Mortgage, we wanted to provide access to credit and simplify the experience while maintaining responsible lending practices.”

Copyright © 2016 Mortgage Daily, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

The Price Group invited to the Real Estate Advisory League!

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The Real Estate Advisory League have invited The Price Group to join the inaugural class of the REAL 1%!

REAL members are handpicked by a selection panel comprised of real estate enthusiasts from varied backgrounds, which includes various aspects of residential and commercial real estate investment and management both in the U.S. and internationally.

No member of the REAL selection panel is a licensed real estate agent. This means that each REAL selection panel member is completely unaffiliated with any real estate brokerage or agency in order to maintain a completely unbiased and uninfluenced selection process – a selection process which results in members that are proud to identify themselves as the REAL 1%

Among the objective criteria REAL 1% consider:

  • Number of sales within the past 12 months
  • Number of active listings
  • Overall Agent experience
  • Presence within the agent’s specific/local market
  • Overall online and social media presence
  • Customer and peer reviews on leading unaffiliated online real estate websites

Sales prices are up!

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Sales are holding strong, even as the typically slower months approach. Average sales prices for single family homes are up 15% from this time last year, and average closed sales for single family homes and townhouses/condos combined are up nearly 14% from this time last year. While active listings were down from September 2014, new listings are up.

With the winter season fast approaching, now is the time to purchase a new home and lock in homestead and save hundreds of dollars on taxes, don’t wait until next year. With fewer buyers typically buying at the end of the year, this is your opportunity to take advantage of the current inventory.

Don’t wait, check out all available homes on the market at http://davidpricerealtor.com/homes-for-sale-search/

The Price Group Recognized Among Top 1%!

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Exclusive Celebration of Success Event in Palm Beach

ST PETERSBURG, FL (October 7, 2015) – The Price Group has been recognized among the top 1% of sales associates affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Florida for 2014. David Price attended a gala event in Palm Beach last week to honor the top regional associates from NRT LLC, the largest residential brokerage in the U.S.* The event included more than 125 Coldwell Banker sales associates from Atlanta, Baltimore, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Washington, D.C.

“It takes a tremendous amount of hard work, dedication and passion to reach this level of business in real estate, and The Price Group is among the best of the best,” said Kate Rossi, executive vice president, Southeast Region, NRT LLC.

Participating agents were treated to dinner, dancing, networking and professional development at The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach.

 

 

Saturday Morning Market Returns to St Pete!

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The Saturday Morning Market is celebrating its 13th season this year!

Open from Oct – May, it has grown to become the largest one-day-a-week fresh market in the Southeast US, with about 10,000 customers each week.

While great food, interesting crafts and live music are all wonderful elements of the market, this spirit of community is what really defines the market experience.

Many customers have shared that they think that the market is the most significant improvement to quality of life in St Petersburg.

This year there are around 200 approved vendors filling about 130 spaces. A core group of regular food and plant vendors, and a rotating group of craft vendors. They come from as far away as Port Charlotte, Orlando, and Tallahassee, and represent a wide variety of ethnicities and nationalities, contributing to a rich multicultural experience of food, crafts and music.

Saturday 9am-2pm

101 1st St S, Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701

www.saturdaymorningmarket.com

St Pete Wine and Food Festival & Beer Night This Weekend

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Sa12027716_1387422611557047_6056681649332281605_nmple fare from Tampa Bay’s best chefs and restaurants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beer Night St Pete

Featuring over 100 beer and cider selections from local, regional, and national breweries and all-inclusive food from area establishments, BEER Night is the perfect chance to experience first hand Tampa Bay’s emerging craft beer scene. In fact, the area was voted the second best beer town in America by USA Today!

Two 10,000 square foot tents full of great beer and awesome eats, all for one price. Walk through the entrance and put your wallet (or purse) away. Everything is covered! Even the water.

DJ, dozens of picnic benches to hang out on and three different restroom areas included

Friday, September 25th 5:30 – 9:30 PM (North Straub Park)

https://www.facebook.com/beerstpete

 

Grand Tastings

This signature event features both Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions. Guests will enjoy fine wines, and sample fare from the area’s best restaurants and chefs, and take in free cooking demonstrations from local and world-renowned chefs.

The refined, upscale, grand tasting caters to a clientele that likes to indulge in great food, fine art and gourmet products. One price provides unlimited tastings of fine wine and food.

Tampa Bay’s Best Chefs are bringing their finest cuisine to the inaugural St. Pete Wine & Food Festival. Experience firsthand some of the most amazing, exquisite and unique epicurean cuisine to grace an area food festival.

Saturday and Sunday 12:00 – 5:00 PM North Straub Park

http://www.stpetewineandfoodfest.com/

 

 

Clearwater Power Boat Racing

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power boat
Do you have plans for this weekend? If not you should consider taking friends and family to Clearwater Beach to watch Power Boat Racing. This should be a fun event for the whole family! The Price Group will be heading over their on Saturday and Sunday, if you have a boat or a friend with a boat I’m told watching the race from the water is a lot of fun. There should be over 50,000 people watching the race from the beach and over 2,500 boats in the water.
There will be lots to do on Clearwater Beach to keep everyone happy, as well as a firework display after the race on Sunday.

For more info on the event check out http://www.clearwatersuperboat.com/

Government, Bank’s Mistake your Gain (Still)

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florida foreclosureAs the summer months wind down and the chillier winds roll in through the fall months and into early winter, many Americans look out their windows at their cold and dismal hometowns. Their neighborhoods, strewn with fallen leaves or dirty snow, strongly fortify dreams of a second—or a first—homes in paradise. But with Florida real estate inventory, and subsequently prices, as conducive as ever to a buyer’s market the dream is as achievable as ever.

 
We all know the story of the early-2000’s housing bubble. Inflated by banks selling to the subprime mortgage market, a brand new segment in 2002, the bubble got bigger and bigger until it finally popped in 2007. But five years was long enough to do plenty of damage to markets across the country, particularly in Sun Belt areas. And right under the bubble was southwest and the west coast of Florida.

 
A tool to increase buyer confidence, writing bad mortgages actually didn’t start with the banks. Rather it started with the administration taking initiative to combat the fallout from the 2001 terrorist attacks. And many consumers took the bait in the name of achieving the American dream. The issue with this is many didn’t have the income to support mortgage payments, nor did they have to prove it. This was thanks to a brand new tool called the ‘No Doc’ loan, short for ‘no documented proof required.’

 
Needless to say, many of these mortgages were foreclosed on, left as bank-owned properties. As a matter of fact, in 2006 right before the bubble burst, 21% of subprime mortgages went into default. This compares to the prime loan statistic of less than 1%. Of these, most were in Florida– where statewide there were nearly 325,000 subprime mortgages issued.

 
Fast forward to 2015, and Florida still has the highest rate of late mortgages. Statewide, over 18% mortgage holders are late or about to face foreclosure. And when banks foreclose, they are not looking forward to sitting on excessive supply; they want to turn and burn to the highest bidder. And with an inventory glut the highest bidder typically isn’t bidding too high lately.