Simple Home Staging Advice from Your Gay Realtor

Selling your home in New Port Richey, Port

Richey, Trinity or Hudson Florida will require you hire the right real estate professional for the job.  Having a local gay real estate agent on your side when selling your home is important to not only procure a buyer and sell your home but it has been my experience that my gay customers prefer to work closely with a gay real estate agent because I understand your needs and concerns and my customers can be themselves around me.

The first home staging tip I have is to "gay down" your home.  Let's try and minimize the gay decor around the house.  You want minimal bric-a-brac around and we want to keep the buyers focused on the home and the rooms, not the Herb Ritts coffee table books or an excessive number of gay pride or rainbow items.  I'm not asking you to hide or straighten up you home. I am asking and suggesting that we make the home the focus and not your things.  While writing this I paused to grab another cup of coffee and noticed that we would have to "Gay Down" our home and put away a few things as well. 

Should you have a vacant home to sell, buyers will

make more attractive offers on homes that are furnished and homes that are staged as opposed to those that are empty.  One reason is that buyers often think that a vacant home is a financial burden on the seller and that the seller will take a lower offer because they want to "get rid of the house".  A furnished home will always present itself as inviting and a place people will want to live in.  Professional stagers offers a variety of services at various prices and I can help you find a professional home stager that you "click" with. 

Your homes marketing and advertising is very important to showcase your staged home.  I work diligently to photograph your home well and edit the photos to make sure they are the best possible marketing photos for your home.  These photos are used in your virtual tours, social media advertising, blog advertising and website advertising. I can create a website for your home to attract more buyers.  The key element to successful advertising of your home, is proper staging and furnishing.

Please contact me if you or someone you know is in need of a gay real estate agent in the New Port Richey, Trinity, Port Richey or Hudson area of Pasco county in Florida.  I work hard for my customers and provide you with the highest level of service and commitment to get your home sold.

  

written by Michael J. Gallo

Title Options for Gay Married Couples in Florida - Tenants by Entireties

I would like to congratulate you if you have

recently become a legally recognized gay married couple in Florida and I know you have a lot to do both before and after your wedding, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the title of your home together. Whether you already own a home as a couple or you are going to buy a home as a couple, you will want to consider a couple of things before moving forward. Things like how will we take title on our home and who is the right gay real estate agent to help us.

I am going to start with any couple that was not living together prior to getting married. Now that you are married, you most likely will begin discussing buying a home together as a married couple.  You will want to consult your attorney before making any title decisions but most people will want to take title as "Tenants by Entireties". This form of land ownership in Florida is only used with a married couple.  The Tenants by Entireties will provide that when one spouse passes, the ownership will transfer directly to the surviving spouse without the need for probate.  The Tenants by Entireties ownership also protects the homestead from creditors of one spouse affecting the other. Please consult your attorney if you have any specific questions about Tenants by Entireties if you are a gay married couple.

Those of us who owned our home before getting

married to our longtime companions, most of us took title as "Joint Tenants with Full Survivorship Rights" since that was the best we had before having the right to marry as gay people.  You may want to consider having your home re-titled "Tenants by Entireties" as a gay married couple to further protect you and your spouse in the future.  If you are not sure if changing your title is the right choice for you and your partner I urge you to consult your attorney before making any major decisions regarding your marriage and the title to your home together.

Please contact me if you or someone you know is in need of a gay real estate agent in Western Pasco county Florida.  I am your local gay real estate professional in New Port Richey, Trinity, Port Richey and Hudson Florida. 

 

The content of this article is not meant to be legal advice, please consult your attorney or local title agency for answers to your specific questions.

written by Michael J. Gallotitle 

Affordable Living for Gay People 55+ in New Port Richey Florida

Finding affordable places to live as a gay person

or couple may seem like a daunting task but I am here to tell you about a wonderful 55+ community in New Port Richey Florida that is a great place for gay people to retire to or downsize their homes. Pointe West Condominium community is an affordable condominium community for people age 55 and over. The community is not exclusively gay but the community is very friendly to all people and located inside the gated community of SummerTree in New Port Richey.

How Affordable are the Pointe West Condominiums?

Right now you can buy a 2 bedroom condominium in Pointe West for anywhere between $35,000 to $45,000 depending on how updated the condo is. You can buy 1 bedroom condos in Pointe West for anywhere from $22,000 to $30,000.  

But Wait! There's More! 
Homesteaded condominiums in Pointe West pay

about $75-$150 in Annual taxes (taxes may vary).  Most homeowners are getting insurance for under $1,000 a year.  There is monthly maintenance fee of $252 for 1 bedroom and $292 for 2 bedroom units which vary if the condo has a garage or not.  These monthly fees are for 2015.

Here is what you get for your monthly fee:

Roof repairs and replacement. Annual termite inspection. Basic Cable. Trash Removal. Landscaping and Irrigation. Gated community. Heated Pool, Spa, Billiard Room, Fitness Gym, Tennis courts, shuffleboard, clubhouse.  The SummerTree recreation center has events pretty much every month for your entertainment. When you look at everything that you get for the monthly fee, you can see why we say Pointe West Condominiums are highly affordable homes for gay people over age 55. The SummerTree Golf Club is open to the public. 

Here are the main things you should know:

• Pets are limited to 2 with a maximum weight of 20 pounds at maturity each. 
• 1 full time resident MUST be age 55
• You cannot rent out your condo until you own it for a full 12 months
• Many of the condos have been remediated for soil settlement and are fully insurable as the repairs were done under the association's insurance.
• Each condo has 1 assigned parking spot (excluding units with garages)

These are the main things you need to know prior

to looking at buying a condominium in Pointe West. If you meet the requirements and you are interested in affordable living as a gay person or couple, please contact me. You can fill out my online contact form and ask me anything you want and I will respond within 24 hours. Please keep me in mind if you know someone who is looking for a gay real estate agent in the New Port Richey, Trinity or Port Richey area. http://GayRealEstate.info 

written by Michael J. Gallo
Florida Luxury Realty