Sale Price Range:  $27,000 – $499,000

Sold Price/Adjusted Net Average:  1.28

Average DOM 244

Housing Sold Analysis

Sale Price Range:  $6,900 to $6,200,000

Average Sale Price/SqFt:  $88.11

Average DOM 108

According to the Florida Department of Revenue, state sales in January broke records for the month, jumping 12.5 percent, and matching an increase not seen since August 2006. Pinellas County improved by double digits.

University of Florida:  Consumer confidence among Floridians drops again in April to 73 down from March marking a three month decline.  As reported in March if this holds to last year, confidence will keep falling through August.

Between 2010 and 2011 Tampa/St. Petersburg saw the second largest influx on new residents in Florida over the period 36,573 residents moving in. Florida had population gains for the first time after several years of flat or negative numbers.

Tampa Bay Area businesses saw improvements with this year’s snow bird season. Notable was the return of retirees that stayed the season through the end of April.

Sale Price Range:  $10,000 – $400,000

Sold Price/Adjusted Net Average:  1.28

Average DOM 176

Housing Sold Analysis

Sale Price Range:  $1,000 to $2,250,000

Average Sale Price/SqFt:  $83.65

Average DOM 111

Florida House approved a series of tax breaks, increasing the corporate-income tax exemption on businesses from $25,000 to $50,000. Gov. Rick Scott said it was “a huge victory” for Floridians, and would help businesses create more jobs.          UPDATE 3.9.12 Florida Senate voted to put this tax break on the fall ballot because local governments balked.

University of Florida:  Consumer confidence among Floridians drops again in March two points   to 74 down from February. This repeats the trend seen last year. If this holds to last year, confidence will keep falling through August.

Recent economic and real estate factors indicate that most of the Sunbelt geographies have already hit their cyclical lows and during the next 6 to 12 months are likely to surpass national growth rates this according to a special office report issued by Jones Lang LaSalle. Notably the hardest hit in Florida is Tampa Bay.

Many entrepreneurs “love what they are doing and don’t see the point of retiring” says Patricia Greene, Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson College. Exit planning is essential in the new norm knowing when to use it is the key.

Sale Price Range:  $99,000 – $170,000

Sold Price/Adjusted Net Average:  1.51

Average DOM 158

Housing Sold Analysis

Sale Price Range:  $5,000 to $1,800,000

Average Sale Price/SqFt:  $80.27

Average DOM 108

Florida House approved a series of tax breaks, increasing the corporate-income tax exemption on businesses from $25,000 to $50,000. Gov. Rick Scott said it was “a huge victory” for Floridians, and would help businesses create more jobs.

University of Florida:  Consumer confidence among Floridians dropped one point in February to 76 from January. This modest decline follows two months of rising levels of confidence in the economy.

According to real estate search engine Trulia, “House hunters near and far eye Florida real estate”. Baby-boomers who plan to retire see Florida as America’s retirement capital.

Zillow’s home- value forecast predicts a drop of 4.6% this year (2012) in the Tampa Bay housing market. Yale University economist Robert Shiller said the housing market “might be on the verge of recovery” but “might not”.

Sale Price Range:  $25,000 – $500,000

Sold Price/Adjusted Net Average:  2.169

Average DOM 255

Housing Sold Analysis

Sale Price Range:  $5,000 to $1,865,000

Average Sale Price/SqFt:  $100.68

Average DOM 126

Florida ranked #5 in states for taxes on business according to the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index.

University of Florida:  Florida consumer confidence index surges 7 points in January 2012. It does appear that the economy maybe slowing from the 4^th quarter of 2011 to the first quart of 2012. While Florida trends are now doing better then the national trends.

Case-Shiller reports home prices in Tampa are especially low and Economists say home prices are likely to begin rising first in hard-hit Florida.

Mason-Dixon Poll:  18 percent of baby boomers mentioned Florida as a top relocation destination. One third of baby boomers are open to moving across state lines to find assets.

Florida highlights

Warm year-round climate is important to 85.5 percent of baby boomers.

Beaches or ocean nearby is important to 60 percent.

58 percent plan to buy a home in their relocation destination.

Attracting 0.3 percent of the baby boomers to our area is estimated to add 1 billion dollars per year in new economic income through jobs and new business.

Business in Tampa Bay, Florida MSA

Since the Thanksgiving holidays the snowbirds have been arriving and arriving and arriving. This has been great for local business owners. In additions the 4 quarter economic growth has lifted the local business activity to levels not seen for 4 years. This is a great start to your strategy for selling a business. The first quarter of 2012 should continue to be strong for business due to the great weather in the Bay Area this season. Also many of the snowbird’s home area economies are a lot better than ours in the Tampa Bay Area (specifically home prices). Just remember that Easter is the second Sunday of April ending our snowbird season.

Strategy #1. Do all you can to bring in business. Increase your Revenue while increasing the net during our local season. “Early Bird gets the Worm”

Strategy #2. Do not add permanent costs to doing business. Be able to cuts cost at the end of the 1^st quarter quickly.

Strategy #3. Start Exit planning in February.

The second quarter drop could be bigger in Tampa Bay then nationally because of the strong snowbird season. It has been a five month ride that will leave as the overall economy slows down for the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters. During this time the Buying season for Tampa Bay area Businesses will start to increase as has existing housing sales, with an average day on the market of 125 days. Tampa will also start to see the “New Return” of the baby boomers into the bay area for retirement in a bigger wave due to their postponement of this move for the last 4 years.

Exit planning (Selling) for local business owners is now very critical vs. the alternative (closing the doors). Some planning thoughts;

1. Businesses for sale; days on the market average well over 180 days and as long as 2 years.
2. 2^nd and 3^rd quarter reduction of competitors. What will that do?
3. M1 cash on the side line is larger than ever in history for purchases.
4. Tampa Bay led into the decline and will start out in the 4^th quarter 2012.
5. Do Not “just hold on”

I think this would have been better at the beginning of the year but I followed the thought “Early Bird gets the Worm” and it is proving out. At the end of the month I will post economic data relative to the Tampa Bay Area market.