Welcome Aboard, Manatee County
Tampa Bay Homebuyer is three issues old and already we're growing. With this issue, we're pleased to welcome Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County to our pages.
More and more, as growth moves south from Tampa and north from Sarasota, Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County has become a residential hot spot. Our readers and our advertisers thought we ought to be covering this burgeoning area, and we agreed. So, in this issue you'll find a Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County section in our main feature as well as Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County community listings and school statistics.
And, as usual, we've got the comprehensive editorial coverage you've come to expect from Tampa Bay Homebuyer.
For example, we have a profile on the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors, better known as GTAR.
Did you know that Tampa real estate professionals were the first in Florida to form an association aimed at promoting professionalism in the industry? That was back in 1913, so this group has a rich tradition of helping buyers and sellers and promoting the region as a great place to live.
Also in this issue there's a story on the differences-and sometimes they are subtle-between production, semi-custom and custom homes. As the name implies, a true custom home is a one-of-a-kind creation built from a unique set of plans. But now, many production builders are offering more opportunities for buyers to personalize their standard plans, especially with fixtures and finishes.
Somewhere in between are semi-custom builders, who have standard plans for buyers to choose from but allow them significant leeway in making changes. This informative story also offers advice on how to work with your builder in creating the home of your dreams.
Inside the home, organization is always an issue. In Florida, especially, where high water tables generally prohibit basements, our closets and garages have become repositories for, well, stuff.
In this issue, we have a story on closet and garage organizing systems. Maybe the packrats among us can't be persuaded to throw out our accumulated treasures, but we can at least be prodded to create order from chaos.
Finally, a head's-up about an exciting event we're bringing to the Bay area in conjunction with Greenspring Media Group. Mark your calendars for the first annual Luxury Home Tour, a chance for you to walk through the region's most exclusive, exciting and intriguing custom homes.
Only homes priced at $1 million and higher will be featured-and they'll be beautifully furnished and decked out with all the latest bells and whistles.
The big event is Sept. 29 and 30 and Oct. 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15. Our company and Greenspring have produced Luxury Home Tours in Naples, and Greenspring has produced similar events across the country with great success. Look for more details in our July/August preview issue.
That about covers it for this issue. As always, if you feel we aren't covering an aspect of the new home industry that would be helpful to you as a buyer or a relocator, please let me know. We're here to help.