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Your neighborhood snapshot
Homes like yours within 1 mile
Recent and current listings near you. Your home's value is a conversation, not a number off a screen, so Regina prepares it personally.
| Address | Beds · baths · sq ft | Status | Price | Distance |
|---|
Nearby listings from public-record and listing data provided by RentCast. This is not an appraisal, a broker price opinion, or a comparative market analysis, and it cannot account for any home's condition, upgrades, views, or water access.
the upside
Listings show square footage. Regina sees what a buyer will pay.
A website cannot walk your seawall, stand on your dock at sunset, open the kitchen you renovated, or call the buyers already waiting for a home like yours. Regina's in-person valuation finds the number a buyer will actually pay — and what it would take to get more.
Pick a time that suits you, in your home or on video. Our team will also reach out personally within 48 hours.
A National Audience.
A Whole Team.
Your best buyer may be in California, Las Vegas, Wisconsin, or Pittsburgh right now, picturing life on the Gulf. Regina Sotomayor and the Homescene | SERHANT. team put your home in front of them — with a full team of agents, our own in-house creative agency, Driven Media Group, an operations team that handles every deadline, and SERHANT.'s audience of more than 10 million followers.
Developers trust our team with entire condominium towers. This handbook shows how we bring that same team and that same reach to one home — and what a great sale looks like, what it costs, and what to ask, whoever you list with.
Get the Handbook
thirty years in, and a whole team behind every sale
Eleven Chapters.
One Team.
every page earns its place
Who's Buying on the Gulf Coast
the whole country is looking
The Team Behind Your Home
the organization behind your sale
What Your Home Is Worth
a number you can trust
When to Sell in Tampa Bay
on the market's clock
Getting Your Home Ready
certainty sells
Your Launch, Step by Step
lights, camera, listing
Reading an Offer Beyond the Price
read the fine print
Contract to Closing
every day counts
What It Costs: a Sample Net Sheet
to the last dollar
What Florida Requires You to Disclose
the whole truth
Seven Mistakes That Cost Sellers Money
fortune favors the prepared
Chapter One
the whole country is looking
Who's Buying on the Gulf Coast
Your buyer may not live here yet. The Gulf Coast draws buyers from across the country — and the right marketing reaches them long before they book a flight to see your home.
#2
Clearwater Beach's rank among all U.S. beaches in Tripadvisor's 2026 Travelers' Choice awards — the only Florida beach on its world list.
10M+
Followers across SERHANT.'s channels — the most-followed brand in real estate, and the audience your listing launches to.
117
Five-star reviews for our team across Zillow and Realtor.com, from buyers and sellers on this coast and beyond.
Where our buyers come from
Out-of-state buyers are often paying for the lifestyle, not the square footage. They decide from a screen first — which is why the way your home is filmed and shared matters so much.
SERHANT. agents who can send buyers your way
When a SERHANT. agent in New York, Boston, or Texas has a client relocating to Florida, they can refer that client straight to our team — often before the buyer has spoken to anyone local.
What this means for youMore qualified buyers competing for your home, and a buyer who already knows why they want to live here.
Sources: Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Beaches 2026; SERHANT. 2026 company announcements; Zillow and Realtor.com team profiles.
Chapter Two
the organization behind your sale
The Team Behind Your Home
When you hire Regina, you hire the infrastructure of her entire organization — a full team of agents, a dedicated operations staff, our own in-house creative agency, and a national brand — working your sale from every side.
Strategy · pricing · negotiation
Thirty years in real estate and $1.45B in new development represented. Regina sets the strategy and the price, and runs every negotiation on your sale.
The Homescene | SERHANT. team
Open houses, showings, and buyer follow-up covered by a full team — so your home is never waiting on one person's calendar.
Client care · operations
Scheduling, paperwork, deadlines, and your weekly update — handled before you have to ask, from listing agreement to closing day.
Our in-house creative agency
Listing film, photography, reels, posts, launch and open-house campaigns — produced within 48 working hours of the creative brief.
The brand behind us
10M+ followers, offices from New York to Texas, and S.MPLE — the brokerage's own AI platform — keeping our whole team fast and on point.
creative brief to content in 48 working hours
Built by this teamThis handbook, and the website you downloaded it from, were produced by our team, our in-house creative agency, and our AI tools. Your listing gets the same speed and the same polish.
Chapter Three
a number you can trust
What Your Home Is Worth
Online estimates guess. We price your home against what is selling right now — this month, in your neighborhood, at your price point — the same discipline we use to price every unit in a new tower.
What a Real Valuation Looks At
The last 90 to 180 days, adjusted for waterfront exposure, elevation, year built, and condition. Not every "comp" on a portal is one.
The buyer who tours your home tours three others the same afternoon. Where do you sit among them?
How many similar homes sell each month, and how many are waiting for buyers. It tells us whether the market is moving toward you or away from you.
Buyers search in brackets. A home priced at $1,525,000 is invisible to everyone searching up to $1,500,000. Sometimes the right number is just below a line.
Why the First Fourteen Days Decide the Sale
Every serious buyer in your bracket sees a new listing within days of launch — the largest audience your home will ever have. If the price is right, that audience produces showings, and showings produce offers. If the price is high, the audience passes, the listing ages, and the eventual buyer knows it. The reduction that follows almost always lands below where the correct price would have been on day one.
Automated estimatesA starting point, not a price. Portal algorithms cannot see your seawall, your dock, your elevation certificate, or your new roof — or the three pending sales that have not closed yet. I can.
Pricing Luxury & Waterfront
Above roughly $1 million, comparables thin out and every property is unique. A view, a deep-water slip, or a post-2002 build can each be worth six figures to the right buyer; the job is to find that buyer and prove the number to their appraiser.
Chapter Four
on the market's clock
When to Sell in Tampa Bay
Our market has a calendar of its own. Buyer traffic, insurance, and weather all move on a schedule, and the sellers who use that schedule do better than the ones who fight it.
The Year, at a Glance
launch here, meet the wave
Out-of-state buyers tour Jan–Apr · Storm season Jun 1 – Nov 30
The Buyer Season
Out-of-state and seasonal buyers arrive in force from January through April — touring, and ready to close before they go home. A home that launches in early January meets that wave with fresh photography and a clean price. One that has been sitting since October meets it with a price-reduction history.
The Insurance Calendar
When a named storm enters the Gulf, insurers stop binding new policies until it passes — and a buyer who cannot bind coverage cannot close on a financed purchase. Closing between August and October? Build a cushion of days into the contract for exactly this.
Your Own Calendar
The best time to talk to an agent is six to twelve months before you want to move — enough time to make the repairs that matter, gather the documents buyers will ask for, and choose a launch date on purpose instead of by default.
The rule I give every sellerDecide the launch date first, then work backward. Photography, staging, inspections, and pricing all have lead times. A rushed launch is an underpriced launch.
Selling a condo or townhome? Timing also depends on the building: milestone inspection results, reserve studies, and pending special assessments must be disclosed and will be read closely by every buyer's lender. Know where your association stands before you list, not after the first offer.
Chapter Five
certainty sells
Getting Your Home Ready
Buyers pay for certainty. Every question you answer before they ask it is money left in your pocket at the closing table.
Inspections to Order Before You List
- 4-point inspection (roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC). Most Florida insurers require it on homes 20 years or older. Ordering it yourself lets you fix issues quietly instead of negotiating them publicly.
- Wind mitigation report. Documents hurricane features that earn the buyer insurance discounts. A good report is a selling point; put it in the listing.
- Elevation certificate for waterfront and coastal homes. Buyers' lenders and insurers will ask.
- Pre-listing home inspection on higher-value homes. It removes surprises from the buyer's inspection period, where sellers lose the most money.
Documents to Gather
- Survey and permits for additions, pool, dock, or seawall
- Roof age and warranty; HVAC and water heater ages
- Insurance declarations — property, flood, wind
- Prior flood claims or FEMA assistance, if any
- Condo or HOA: declaration, budget, reserve study, Milestone and SIRS reports, minutes, pending assessments
- Mortgage payoff statement and homestead status
Preparing the Property
- Repair anything a 4-point would flag: roof leaks, double-tapped breakers, polybutylene plumbing, aging water heaters
- Clean, declutter, depersonalize. Buyers need to see their life, not yours
- Paint in a light, neutral palette — the highest-return dollar in the house
- Landscaping, pressure washing, and a clean seawall or dock. The first photo is the exterior
- Pool and waterfront: service records ready, equipment working, water clear
- Staging on vacant and luxury homes. Empty rooms photograph small
- Fix every small thing. Ten small problems read as big ones
Where the money goesPaint, lighting, landscaping, and a deep clean routinely return several times their cost. Full kitchen and bath remodels before sale usually do not. Ask before you spend.
the first photo is the exterior
—Launch here, meet the wave
launched, not listed
Your Launch, Step by Step
Most agents list a home and wait. We reverse-engineer who will buy it, then reach that buyer everywhere at once — on screens across the country, in our database, and on your street.
Your first month, at a glance
3 weeks out
Buyer profile, prep, pricing, and the creative brief
1 week out
Coming-soon preview to our database, past clients, and SERHANT. agents
Launch day
Live everywhere, social premiere, targeted ads, team calls
Days 2 to 7
Brokers' open, neighbors' preview, themed open house, live virtual tour
Day 14
Your report, our recommendation, and the first offers
Phase one · 2 to 3 weeks before launch
Reverse-engineer the buyer
Profile your buyer
We start with who buys your home: where they live today, what they search for, and what they will pay a premium for. Every piece of the campaign is built to reach that person.
Prepare & price
Inspections done, staging in, and the price set against that week's sales — not last year's.
Create
Driven Media Group films, photographs, flies the drone, and builds your home its own website — within 48 working hours of the creative brief.
Coming soon
A private preview to our database, our past clients, and SERHANT. agents nationwide, plus personal calls to the agents who sell in your price range.
Phase two · launch week
Make noise everywhere at once
Live everywhere
On Stellar MLS and every major home-search site the same morning.
Social premiere
Your film and reels premiere across Regina's channels — including nearly 10,000 Instagram followers — plus every agent on our team and Homescene | SERHANT.
Targeted reach
Paid social aimed at buyers in the markets yours is most likely to come from — California, Las Vegas, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh — and retargeting anyone who has viewed your home.
Team & database outreach
Every matched buyer in our database hears about it, and every agent on our team calls their own buyers and sphere.
Neighborhood outreach
Personal invitations to your neighbors for a private preview. They know who has always wanted to live on your street.
Phase three · the events
Not just another open house
Brokers' open
A hosted preview for the agents who sell in your price range, so your home is top of mind when their buyers call.
Themed open house
Every open house has a theme, is promoted for a week across all our channels, and is hosted like an event. Our events draw a crowd.
Live virtual tour
A live, guided webinar walk-through for out-of-state buyers and their agents, with questions answered on the spot.
Phase four · days 1 to 14 and beyond
Report, adjust, negotiate
Follow up everything
Every showing and every event guest is followed up, and every piece of feedback is logged.
Your weekly report
Jade and Mafer send you traffic, online views, feedback, competing listings, and our recommendation.
Adjust early
If the market tells us something at day 14 or day 30, we act while the listing is still fresh.
we sell with excitement
An open house is not just another open house. Every Homescene | SERHANT. event is themed, promoted across every channel we have, and hosted so buyers remember how your home made them feel.
Why video comes first: buyers fall in love before they visit. Your listing film, produced by Driven Media Group, our in-house creative agency, is standard on every Homescene | SERHANT. listing — not an upgrade.
Chapter Seven
read the fine print
Reading an Offer Beyond the Price
The highest number is not always the best offer. In Florida, the contract terms decide how much of that number you actually keep — and how likely you are to reach closing at all.
Cash, conventional, jumbo, FHA, or VA. A cash buyer needs proof of funds; a financed buyer needs an appraisal — and in a rising market that appraisal is your biggest risk.
How much, and when. A larger deposit signals commitment and is what you keep if the buyer defaults.
On the Florida "As Is" contract, the buyer can cancel for any reason during this window. Shorter is stronger: ten days is common; five is excellent.
How many days the buyer has to obtain loan approval, and what happens to the deposit if they cannot.
Does the buyer agree to cover any shortfall between appraised value and price? On luxury and waterfront homes, this clause can be worth more than a higher offer without it.
Does it fit your move? Does it leave room for a storm delay in season?
Seller-paid closing costs, home warranties, or repairs reduce your net just as surely as a lower price.
If the buyer must sell their home first, your sale depends on theirs. Price that risk.
every offer, side by side,
on one page
Multiple offersWe run them as a process, not a reaction. Every buyer gets the same deadline and the same information, and you see every offer side by side: price, deposit, contingencies, closing date, and estimated net.
Chapter Eight
every day counts
Contract to Closing
Once you sign, the deal becomes a set of deadlines. Miss one and you can hand the buyer a free exit or a free discount. This is a typical Florida timeline on a financed sale.
The day the last party signs. Every deadline in the contract counts from here.
Delivered to the title company or escrow agent. We confirm receipt in writing.
The buyer inspects; the buyer's insurer reviews the 4-point and wind mitigation. Repair requests, if any, arrive now. Having your own reports done first is why this stage goes quietly for prepared sellers.
We meet the appraiser with the comparables and the upgrade list. If the value comes in short, the appraisal clause decides who pays.
The title company clears liens, open permits, and boundary issues. Open permits are a common Tampa Bay surprise; we check for them before listing.
Many associations require buyer approval or an estoppel letter. Build the lead time into the contract.
The buyer confirms the home's condition, funds are wired, documents are signed, and the deed is recorded. You are paid the same day in most cases.
Setting the dateCash sales can close in two to three weeks. New construction and condo resales often need longer for association paperwork. We set the date to fit the deal, not the other way around.
Chapter Nine
to the last dollar
What It Costs: a Sample Net Sheet
Sellers should never be surprised at the closing table. Below, an illustrative net sheet on a $1,500,000 Pinellas County sale with customary seller-paid items. Your numbers will differ; I prepare an exact one for every client before we list.
| Item | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $1,500,000 | |
| Brokerage commission | 6.0% | ($90,000) |
| Documentary stamp tax on deed | $0.70 per $100 | ($10,500) |
| Owner's title insurance policy | Florida promulgated rate | ($6,325) |
| Title search, settlement & closing fees | Estimate | ($1,200) |
| Property taxes, prorated | Varies by closing date | (Varies) |
| HOA or condo dues, prorated; estoppel fee | If applicable | (Varies) |
| Mortgage payoff & recording of satisfaction | Your lender | (Varies) |
| Estimated proceeds before payoff & prorations | $1,391,975 |
Notes on the Numbers
- In Pinellas and Hillsborough counties the seller customarily pays for the owner's title policy; in some other Florida counties the buyer does. Custom is negotiable in the contract.
- Documentary stamps on the deed are a state tax paid by the seller at $0.70 per $100 of the sale price in Pinellas and Hillsborough.
- Repairs agreed during the inspection period, seller concessions, home warranties, and staging are additional and depend on the deal.
- If you have owned and lived in the home as your primary residence for at least two of the last five years, up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 for a married couple) may be excluded from federal capital gains tax. Confirm with your CPA.
Illustrative only. Title premiums follow Florida's promulgated rate schedule; closing fees and prorations vary by title company, association, and closing date.
to the last dollar
What Would You Net?
Slide to your expected sale price. Customary seller-paid items on a Pinellas County sale — the same math as the handbook's sample net sheet.
Illustrative only. Property taxes, association dues, and your mortgage payoff are prorated at closing and vary by date and lender. Regina prepares an exact net sheet for every client before listing.
Chapter Ten
the whole truth
What Florida Requires You to Disclose
Florida is a disclosure state. Since Johnson v. Davis (1985), a seller must disclose known facts that materially affect the value of the property and are not readily observable by the buyer. "As-is" changes what you agree to repair; it does not change what you must disclose.
| Disclosure | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Seller's Property Disclosure | Known defects in the roof, structure, systems, drainage, termites, additions, and permits. Answer honestly and completely; it is your best protection after closing. |
| Flood Disclosure | Required by Florida law since October 1, 2024 — whether you have filed a flood insurance claim, received federal flood assistance, or know of flooding at the property. |
| Radon Gas Notice | A statutory notice included in every Florida sales contract. |
| Lead-Based Paint | Federal requirement for homes built before 1978. |
| Coastal Construction Control Line | For property seaward of the CCCL, a statement about coastal erosion and building restrictions. |
| Homeowners' Association Disclosure | Mandatory summary of dues, assessments, and restrictions for homes in an HOA. |
| Condominium Documents | Declaration, bylaws, rules, budget, Q&A sheet, and the most recent financial and inspection reports. The buyer's right to cancel runs from the day they receive the complete package — deliver it early. |
| Property Tax Disclosure | A notice that the buyer's taxes will be reassessed at sale and may be higher than yours. |
Homestead sellersYour Save Our Homes assessment benefit may be transferable to your next Florida home. Ask about portability before you close; the timing rules matter.
This handbook is general information for Florida sellers, not legal advice. Disclosure requirements change; your agent and, where appropriate, a Florida real estate attorney will confirm what applies to your property.
Chapter Eleven
fortune favors the prepared
Seven Mistakes That Cost Sellers Money
The market tests you. The largest audience your listing will ever have arrives in the first two weeks, and it does not come back for a price reduction.
Every issue a buyer discovers costs more to negotiate than it would have cost to fix — and hands them leverage or an exit.
Out-of-state buyers decide from a screen. If the home does not look like a million dollars online, they will not fly in to find out.
A financed offer with no appraisal protection and a long inspection period can net less — and close less often — than a lower cash offer.
Pending assessments, Milestone findings, and low reserves are discovered either by you, early, or by the buyer's lender, late.
Open permits and unpermitted work are common in Tampa Bay, and both can stall a closing for weeks. We check the county records before we list.
The gap between a good sale and a great one on a luxury home is measured in tens of thousands of dollars. Ask every agent to show you their marketing, their pricing method, and their last three sales in your bracket.
the market tests you
Questions to Ask Any Agent Before You List
How did you arrive at this price, and what are the three closest comparables?
How do you reach buyers outside Tampa Bay?
What does the launch look like, day by day, for the first two weeks?
How will you report showings and feedback to me?
Who produces the video and photography, and can I see examples?
What do you expect my net to be, in writing?
— About Regina
"I started in real estate at sixteen in my mother's brokerage in Miami. Thirty years later, I lead an organization — agents, operations, and our own in-house creative agency — backed by the most-followed brand in real estate. When you hire me, all of it goes to work for you."
— Regina
Regina Sotomayor · Broker Associate · Team Leader, Homescene | SERHANT.
reginasotomayor.com · (727) 877-5020 · hello@homescene.com
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