If you're looking to move, now is a good time

WIMAUMA

Karen Cochran didn't want to sell her four-bedroom, three-bath Riverview home for $225,000. Just a few years earlier she entertained offers $100,000 higher.

But Cochran, a Keller Williams Realtor, knows it's a buyer's market. "I looked at the future — at what I was going to be gaining," she said.

Before she sold her house in May, she noticed a 3,600-square-foot, five-bed, four-bath, custom-built Wimauma home on nearly 2 acres, complete with slate flooring and a private movie theater.

It was a short sale, priced just over $250,000.

She scheduled a tour, and when she walked in and saw the high ceilings, jacuzzi tub and giant kitchen, with two ovens and a commercial-grade refrigerator, she thought, "I think we found our home."

She put in an offer for $250,000 and got it.

Cochran, 44, her husband and her teenage daughter settled into their new home two months ago. Her favorite part is the upstairs patio that overlooks their natural Florida back yard, filled with pine trees and scrub palmetto.

She sits on the patio and drinks coffee while watching the squirrels jump from tree to tree.

"It's really peaceful out here," she said.

The previous owner was a carpenter, she said, and he customized everything, including the unique Australian cypress floors. She's sad the man had to sell his home in a short sale, especially since he worked so hard on it. But she's glad it didn't go into foreclosure.

Though the family has unpacked most of their belongings, Cochran and her husband have more plans for the house. They want to buy a projector and industrial popcorn maker for the movie room, and they plan to fence the property, buy an electric gate and install a fountain in front of their U-shaped driveway.

They also intend to build a double fireplace that serves the family room and master bedroom.

Cochran advises homeowners, who are not underwater on their homes and who want to relocate, to consider moving now. As long as they didn't buy at the height of the market and wouldn't stand to lose much, they might be able to gain much more, she said.

For an additional 1,000 square feet, Cochran only pays an extra $100 more a month on her mortgage, she said.

"There are so many deals out there. People need to look at them," she said. "It's a nice home, and I'm glad I did it."

Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at jvandervelde@sptimes.com or (813) 661-2443.