When buyers in Tampa Bay, Florida, are searching for a home, they also consider the lifestyle.

In order for a buyer to buy here in St. Petersburg and the whole Tampa Bay area, the house must fit, and the lifestyle must fit (of course, the price needs to fit as well).

One buyer I’m working with narrowed his choices down to a townhome community in the Carillon area, and a condo community in Manatee County. Both had adequate space; both had two car garages (the real kind, side by side); both had granite counters and crown molding. The one in Carillon overall had the better floor plan and more the feeling of a house - but the community only had a swimming pool. Golf and fitness were nearby, but not in the community. In Manatee County, the units were either first floor or second floor (second floor was larger, a better floor plan, and better view), but had better views, and within the community there was a golf course, fitness center, soon-to-be-built country club - all within the gated community. So it’s not always a case of which is the better house - it’s the whole lifestyle package.

Last week I showed downtown St Pete property to a couple. Among their criteria was lifestyle - they wanted to be able to walk to the restaurants, shopping, entertainment,art. None of the townhomes we looked at had quite what they were looking for in a home, so I took them on a 5 minute drive to a new Craftsman bungalow,   with high quality, energy efficiency, old charm with new amenities. They loved the house - but it was too far to walk to everything they wanted to walk to. Right house, but not the right lifestyle.

It always takes the right combination of home and lifestyle to make a sale. 

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