FishHawk homes to be auctioned

My, how things have changed in FishHawk Ranch.

Time was, home shoppers camped out for days, hoping for the chance to buy a lot in the idyllic east Hillsborough County development. Now, builders within the FishHawk development are trying to unload 15 unsold properties - at auction.

Fifteen town houses near the development's village square will go on the auction block in mid-June.

Five of the properties originally came with a listing price of $390,000 to $469,000. Now the opening offer from the auctioneer for some sites will be $110,000, roughly a 70 percent discount.

The connected homes are much bigger than typical town homes and range from 2,158 to 2,716 square feet, with two-car garages, kitchens with granite countertops, front porches and second-story terraces, walk-in closets, and hardwood floors.

Hyde Park Builders bought the lots and built the homes. But, alas, the auction symbolizes the general downturn in real estate, and the homes remain unsold.

The median home sale price in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, which includes Pasco County, was $131,400 in February, according to the most recent data from the Florida Association of Realtors. That's a 27 percent decrease from $178,900 during the same month a year ago.

Often, auctioneers set opening offers at prices low enough to drum up interest, so bidding quickly could rise above the $110,000 mark.

For anyone wanting to find out whether that happens - or bid on the homes - here are the details:

You can preview open houses from noon to 3 p.m. May 16, 17, 30 and 31 and June 6, 7 and 13.

The one-time offering and open-outcry auction will be June 14 at the InterContinental Tampa hotel, 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd. Registration will begin at noon, with the auction starting at 1 p.m.

The auction company, Sheldon Good & Co., is listing the properties at www. sheldongood.com/detail.php?id=1707.