Property search at the bottom of this page

11% of the GROSS fees earned by Ed DiMarco Reality, LLC and Ed DiMarco Professional Services, LLC will be donated to 1 of the 3 preselected charities of your choice. Click here for details.

I opened Ed DiMarco Realty, LLC because I knew there was a better way of doing business in these rapidly changing times. I believe that a real estate broker should be a consultant and trusted advisor, not a salesperson. I’ve built my business on integrity and working hard in my client’s best interest. I stay informed on all the latest industry news, and I have an unmatched technical savvy when it comes to marketing your property on the internet.

As a knowledgeable and experienced broker and investor, I have the expertise, qualifications, and sophistication required to assure all of your needs are met. As a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator with 2 master’s degrees focused on negotiation and influence as well as many other invaluable interpersonal and analytical skill sets, I’m an exceptional negotiator committed to assuring my clients get the best possible outcome on every sale. I have a bevy of professional and academic designations which demonstrate my own commitment to constant improvement and being the best in my field.

I have a different type of business model. I offer the best full service, and I offer a variety of consulting, limited representation, and MLS listing services. With the information available via the internet, many clients don’t need a full service package, but just need help with part of the sale. Additionally, many clients need an experienced advisor to determine more complex issues concerning commercial and investment strategies.

 Why operate a real estate brokerage and a business consulting and personal coaching firm? They are synergetic businesses. By excelling in one of the most competitive and challenging sales jobs, I’m able to gain insight into what it means to be exceptional negotiator, marketer, entrepreneur, and to be in charge of every aspect of running a business. Likewise, by practicing leadership coaching and business consulting, I develop an intricate understanding of the emotional and psychological challenges people face when making a large purchase. Furthermore, by constantly pushing myself to develop ways of helping others become more successful, I myself grow exponentially, which in turn allows me to better serve all of my clients. Why hire a business consultant who doesn’t have real world experience running a successful business?

There is a myth that says if you want to be the best in your field you have to specialize in one area, i.e. real estate. I have found that to be truly excellent in any one field, you have to master the skill sets that compliment it. My expertise in reading body language and behavior; interpersonal, organizational, and intrapersonal communication; influence; leadership; business management; practical psychology; and philosophy, allow me to be exceptionally good at the services I provide. I offer a free consultation for each of the services I offer.

As a personal development coach, I preach that you should do what you love and what you are passionate about, so that is what I practice in my own life. These professions are what I love doing, so a 70 hour work week is usually a lot of fun and highly engaging. I look forwarding to working with you.

Respectfully,

Ed DiMarco

Housing Market Forecast for Pinellas and the Greater Tampa Bay Area for March 2012

As I predicted in my November 2011 Housing Market Forecast, housing prices have continued a slight creep downward as inventory levels also move downward. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, prices in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area have fallen .17% in the last quarter, 4.97% in the last year, and 40.26% over the last 5 years.

According to the Costar Group, the total dollar amount being invested in multifamily is on the rise, which makes it the hottest investment class in real estate with an average price per square foot rebounding from it low of about $36 in the 3’d quarter of 2010 to above $50 in the 3’d quarter of 2011. I have noticed the availability of good multifamily investments in the under 500k class dwindle over the last year. While historically I have always recommended multifamily to investors with less than $200k for a purchase, I am now recommending portfolios of cheap bank owned single family properties. Some of these properties can be picked up for less than 30k. The Costar Group also reports a median capitalization rate of just over 7% and occupancy rates in the mid-90s.

In the commercial sector, the Costar Group shows retail as the leading class with an upward trend in prices. Office space and medical office space remain at record low prices with record high vacancy rates, but they are still outperforming warehouse space. According to Jones Lang LaSalle, office space vacancy rates in the Tampa Bay area are at 21.9% with an average asking price of $21.44 per square.

The economy in the Tampa Bay Area is still showing incremental signs of improvement. For the first time since May of 2009, unemployment has dropped to below 10% (Google Public Records). According to data cited in a report by the Pinellas County Economic Development Board (PCED), tourism has remained relatively stable over the last several years in terms of both the numbers of tourists and the dollars they have spent. While the population in the greater Tampa Bay area is expected to grow by 5.4%, the population in Pinellas County is expected to fall by .5% which will have an adverse effect on property values.

In summary, I am still predicting housing prices to finish bottoming out by years end and to start a very slight trend upward. Multifamily seems to already be on an upward trend and the other commercial real estate classes will likely follow suit over the next year. All in all, we are looking at a flat market and economy for at least the year to come, and I am predicting only minor growth over the next several years barring a potentially negative black swan event.  

Reprints permitted so long as they contain the byline, “By Ed DiMarco, Realtor, M.S., M.A. at EdDiMarco.com”