Category: Business

Buying Or Selling A Home? You Can Trust Realtor® Johanna Navarro!

Realtor® Johanna Navarro of Century 21 BE3 The Roman Group (located in The Grove at Wesley Chapel) is a New Construction-Certified real estate professional who can help you sell your home or purchase a new one. (Photo by Charmaine George)

When Realtor® Johanna Navarro was buying a house in 2017, she says the experience nearly left her homeless.

The Tampa native, who moved to Wesley Chapel in 1997, says her real estate agent didn’t give her a lot of guidance about how to navigate the overactive local real estate market. She made nine offers before she finally got one accepted.

Then, the closing date kept getting pushed back until she thought she might have nowhere to go. “After that,” she says, “I realized that it could be done better, and that I could do it better.”

At that time, Johanna (pronounced “Joanna”) worked in the financial industry. She had graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) in 2010 with a degree in sociology and two minors, in psychology and business administration.

Johanna realized her desk job at an investment firm wasn’t fulfilling for her. She says she was always the girl who went to open houses, just because she loved looking at homes. So, she decided to become a real estate agent.

“That whole experience brought to light the potential of what I could do to make this a great experience for the next person,” Johanna says. “Now, my goal is to make every home buying or selling experience as wonderful and stress-free as possible.”

One thing she says she helps with is staging and preparing homes to go on the market. Johanna helps buyers understand the home inspection process, whether an item is informational versus something that needs to be acted upon. She helps sellers connect with professionals to clear inspection items. On both sides, she helps with the appraisal, the contracts and the entire process.

Johanna says that knowing what to expect often takes a lot of the stress out of buying or selling a home, so she’s careful to always set clear expectations and communicate effectively with her clients.

And, it all seems to be working quite well for her. In a little more than six years in the business, Johanna says she’s sold about 120 homes.

She’s part of a team called “the Roman Group” that works as part of the Century 21 BE3 The Roman Group agency located in The Village at The Grove in Wesley Chapel.

“We all work together to have a partnership and have each other’s backs,” she says. “If I can’t get to a showing, another one of us can. We really take care of each other.”

The group had worked with Berkshire Hathaway since 2017 but recently transferred to Century 21. “We felt that Century 21 had more to offer our clients,” Johanna explains. “The marketing platform is by far the biggest of anyone else in the local market, so it has a larger reach when listing a home.”

Johanna’s daughter Baileigh, who was only 10 months old when she moved to Wesley Chapel, has now been a licensed agent since 2019 and currently works as Johanna’s full-time assistant.

Baileigh manages Johanna’s social media and helps with emails, market analysis, and client follow ups.

“Clients get us as a team,” Johanna says. “Whenever you call me, someone always answers the phone. We’re able to return emails quickly and respond to questions faster because you get both of us.”

Johanna’s son Bryce was born and raised in Wesley Chapel. He is now a U.S. Marine and has been serving overseas since 2020.

New Construction Homes

Johanna says she’s “New Construction- Certified” and that a lot of her clients are new construction buyers. She notes that the certifications are provided by New Homes Solutions, a Tampa-based company that offers certification upon completion of a five-day, in-person class which equates to about 34 hours of training in the classroom and also on-site, where Realtors learn about all aspects of the new home construction process, from slab to roofing to contracts.

*Johanna Navarro was the seller’s agent when this 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom home in Wesley Chapel’s Country Walk community recently sold for $615,000 — after only five days on the market.* ***(Photo from Johanna’s website: WesleyChapelRealtor.sites.c21.homes)***

“You want someone who’s going to look out for you and make sure you’re getting the very best deal you can,” she says. “Not only am I an extra pair of eyes on the build itself, I also can help you understand the contract and make sure it fits you and your current situation.”

She also says that she cautions anyone who might meander into one of those shiny new neighborhoods on a weekend afternoon about new home communities.

“Prior to even stepping foot into a new community just out of curiosity, I highly recommend that you contact an agent first,” she says. “If an agent doesn’t walk through the door with you at your first visit, you may no longer be allowed to bring an agent with you at all.”

She tells of clients she’s worked with for years who stopped into a new neighborhood for a Sunday visit with no interest in buying. They disclosed to the builder that they already had a real estate agent, but when they later wanted to purchase a home in the community, they were told they were not allowed to work with Johanna.

“My buyers decided not to build with them because of it,” she says. “They also learned a valuable lesson.”

It doesn’t cost the buyer more to bring your own agent, Johanna explains, and she says she can give you a better perspective on upgrades, the process and the experience, as well as knowledge of all of the communities in the area. “In fact,” she says, “if you’re looking for a specific amenity — such as pickleball courts, dog park and kid zones, as well as homes that accommodate ‘generational living,’ or homes that may offer structural upgrades — I’m well versed on all of the upcoming communities and may be able to guide you to a community you didn’t even know about.”

Is Now A Good Time To Buy?

Johanna says she expects interest rates to continue to trickle down, but if you’re on the fence about buying, don’t let interest rates alone be the determining factor.

“Date the rate, marry the house,” Johanna says. “Right now, you have a better chance of getting a home at a lower price than you did a year ago. The value of the house is going to last as long as you live in it, but you can always refinance your interest rate.”

She says this is the perfect market to buy in, because she predicts that as soon as interest rates continue to go down, more people will enter the market, and prices will go up.

“People may feel this isn’t the best time to buy,” she says, “but now is actually a better time to buy than the past four years.”

Nicole and Daniel Saly bought a new construction home a little over a year ago, trusting Johanna to help them buy that home, and also sell their first home, both in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. “It was a new construction build, which takes some time,” Nicole explains. “Johanna was there with us through the whole process, dealing with the builder, right by our side.”

Nicole grew up in Wesley Chapel, left for the military and says she “came right back.” She and her husband are both veterans, so their home purchase included working with a VA loan.

“Johanna made it a very smooth process,” says Nicole. “She kind of became a friend in the process. She’s a genuinely good person, which goes beyond being a good Realtor.”

Nicole says she often recommends Johanna to friends and strangers alike, and that she hopes she never has to sell her home, but if she does, “We would call Johanna. She is great at realty, whether it’s selling or purchasing a home. But, she’s also great at communicating, and being on your side through a very stressful process. It’s a big purchase, and she definitely stands out.”

About The Roman Group

The Roman Group Century 21 BE3 is owned and led by Jessica Roman, who also serves as the regional president for Century 21 Beggins, with which the Wesley Chapel office is affiliated. Johanna says the entire team at The Roman Group offers a wide variety of specialties, including commercial sales (Jessica leads the office’s commercial division), investment homes, resales, new construction, listings and more.

Realtor® Johanna Navarro can be reached at (813) 299-9870. For more information, visit WesleyChapelRealtor.sites.c21.homes/. On Facebook and Instagram, search “WesleyChapelRealtor.Johanna.” Or, email Johanna at chapelrealtor@gmail. com. The Century 21 B3 Roman Group office is located at 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite 206.

What If Wesley Chapel’s Pizza Places Were Ranked By Their Ratings On Yelp?

When we saw that Stacker.com’s rankings of pizza places with Tampa addresses, based on Yelp.com reviews (see story on pg. 42), did not include any pizza places in or near Wesley Chapel, we decided to see which Wesley Chapel-area pizza places had the top ratings on Yelp, with at least 25 reviews each.

On this page are the top-10 we found, based on their Yelp reviews, that are located either in Wesley Chapel proper or in Lutz from Oak Grove Blvd. east to I-75. (Note – PizzaSuprema on Collier Pkwy., with 4.2/5 stars on 147 reviews, was too far west to qualify).

Please remember that these rankings are not mine or yours. They are entirely based on reviews on Yelp. And, since Stacker.com didn’t specify regarding their Tampa rankings, and knowing that Yelp reviews are usually overall ratings, we don’t believe these Yelp star ratings are based on each place’s pizza only. Even so, it was still fun for us to do this for you. Enjoy! — GN

*1. Fratelli’s (4.5/5 stars, 167 reviews)*

pizza Wesley Chapel Wesley Chapel Pizza

Sunglass Krate — Your Best Option For Great Sunglasses!

*Owner & licensed Optician Jim Lambrou invites the Wesley Chapel community to visit the Sunglass Krate in the Krate at The Grove container park.* (Photos by Charmaine George)

The Krate container park in The Grove at Wesley Chapel has added a remarkable new store called Sunglass Krate.

Opened in September 2023 by licensed optician Jim Lambrou, Jim, his wife Michelle and their son Yianni are originally from Milwaukee, WI, and before moving to Florida in 2008, Jim managed a number of optical stores. He then transitioned to overseeing the labs that make prescription glasses.

He says, “My associate degree is from the Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland (WI) optician program and my Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Business and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees are from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. Wisconsin is a non-licensed state for opticians so when I moved to Florida I had to get my optician’s license.”

Once he moved to Florida, Jim continued to work at a number of different optical stores, which kept him traveling all over the state. Jim says his desire to spend more time closer to his family prompted the idea of opening the Sunglass Krate.

Jim took over the Krate that previously housed the Pasco Economic Development Council (EDC)’s SMARTSstart program, which moved to another location. He feels the uniqueness of Sunglass Krate and the impressive eyewear collection he has will help him be successful, despite the fact that some retail Krates have had some difficulties. As a licensed optician, he uses some interesting machines that help him give you the perfect fit, whether you want prescription or non-prescription sunglasses.

“You can only get this type of service at the Sunglass Krate because I hold an Optician’s license,” Jim explains. He says he will adjust your frames to give you a custom feel you might not get at another sunglass store.

He says, “In Florida, we tend to use our sunglasses a lot and if, after a while, your sunglasses need an adjustment, just bring it back to the store and Jim will fit you again. If prescription sunglasses are what you’re looking for, he can make those for you, as long as you bring him your prescription from your eye doctor.

At the heart of Sunglass Krate is a cutting-edge machine called the Spectangle PRO, which offers precision measurements for optimal vision clarity — a testament to Jim’s dedication to excellence. Even if you’re not ready for new glasses right now, when you are out and about at the Krates, take a minute to stop by to see his amazing selection and let Jim give you a demonstration of what he can do to make you see clearer than ever before.

Differences In Quality & Waves

Jim says, “Often the really cheap ‘gas station’ sunglasses might have slight warps or ‘waves’ in the lenses and your eyes will sometimes detect them. This will cause your eyes to have to make accommodations to try to see past those waves to perceive an undistorted image. Over time, this strain you are putting on your eyes could cause problems.”

Another machine at Sunglass Krate, called a Lensometer, can see these waves. Jim says, “A lens with no prescription in it will read 0.00 power and a good quality lens will read a steady 0.00, even when I move the lens from side to side on the Lensometer. If I move a 0.00 power lens from side to side and the power reading starts to fluctuate away from 0, that indicates there is a wave in the lens.”

He adds that in Florida, where the sun beats down a good portion of the year, protecting your eyes from UV rays is very important. “You would think just wearing sunglasses will protect your eyes but not all sunglasses are made the same,” he says.

So Many Options!

Sunglass Krate has a large selection of popular brand names and styles to choose from, including glasses for men, women and unisex, as well as for kids. Some of these well-known brands include Oakley, Ray-Ban, Maui Jim, Kate Spade, Costa del Mar, Gucci, Pit Viper, Rex Specs and more. Jim says he offers at least two dozen different brands and more than 600 pair of glasses on display in the store.

Many of these options are shown on the store’s website, SunglassKrate.com. Jim says, however, that not all of the sunglasses he has in his store are displayed on that website. For example, only two different options for children’s sunglasses are shown on the website, although there are several others found in the shop.

“You don’t have to spend a lot of money to protect your eyes,” Jim says, noting that the glasses in the Sunglass Krate range from $25-$500 per pair, so there’s literally something for every budget. But, if you want the more expensive brands, he offers a number of different payment options, including AfterPay which allows you to make four interest-free payments.

A great addition to Sunglass Krate’s collection are the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Jim says that you will see pretty much everyone wearing these glasses in the near future. While wearing these glasses, you can live stream onto Instagram or Facebook, as well as take pictures, answer a phone call and listen to music.

*Sunglass Krate is one of only two stores in the Tampa Bay area to carry Rex Specs goggles for dogs.*

Other unique options at the Sunglass Krate are Rex Specs and Pit Vipers.

Jim explains that Rex Specs are goggles made exclusively for dogs. You read that correctly. These goggles were made in Jackson Hole, WY, by Aiden and Jesse Emilio, who took their dogs everywhere with them. Their dogs Yaz (an 11-year-old white husky) and Tuckerman (a 7-year-old German shepherd mix) started to develop eye problems. Their vet suggested dog goggles, but the options Aiden and Emilio found were just too bulky. So, they put their heads together and came up with their own doggie goggles, which they called Rex Specs. There are only two retailers in the entire Tampa Bay area that carry Rex Specs — Sunglass Krate and one located in Clearwater.

Meanwhile, Yianni told his dad he “had to carry” Pit Viper sunglasses because they are the brand that a lot of famous athletes use — and he was right. Some of the athletes known to wear Pit Vipers are extreme skiing pioneer Glen Plake and current and former NFL players like Patrick Mahomes and Rob Gronkowski.

Jim said that whenever he gets home, Yianni asks him how many pairs of Pit Vipers he sold that day, “looking for his commission,” Jim says, since he was the one who suggested that his dad should carry the brand.

Pit Vipers were founded in 2012 in Salt Lake City, UT, by Chris Garcin and Chuck Mumford. Their company was formed with $35,000, which was raised through a Kickstarter.com campaign, and they crafted their first pairs of Pit Vipers from surplus military equipment.

*Sunglass Krate owner Jim Lambrou (in back) gave every member of the WCAA 8U Thunder baseball team their own pair of Pit Viper sunglasses.* ***(Photo provided by Jim Lambrou)***

Although the skiing and extreme winter sports communities have helped make Pit Vipers “hot,” the company supports athletes of all kinds by creating sunglasses for everyone, both young and old.

Jim also supports athletes. In fact, he sponsored the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) 8U Thunder travel baseball team by providing every member of the team (players and coaches) with free Pit Vipers.

“The kids were so excited to wear them,” Jim says. “One player on the team told me he had wished for Vipers his ‘whole life’ and he was so happy and grateful because he now had a pair.”

The team’s coaches originally posted the amazing pic on this page of the team wearing their Pit Vipers on the Sunglass Krate’s Facebook page:

“Shout out to the Sunglass Krate at The Grove for sponsoring our 8U WCAA AB Thunder team! They hooked us up with Pit Vipers for all the boys and the coaches. We are so grateful for local businesses who support young athletes in our community!”

Jim says that no matter what your age may be, “PLEASE always protect your eyes — and especially, your children’s eyes — from the sun’s UV rays! Prolonged exposure to UV rays modifies lens proteins, leading to cataract formation and worsening eyesight.”

The Sunglass Krate is located at 5827 Grand Oro Ln, #105. For more information, call (813) 994-6700, visit SunglassKrate.com.

Grove at Wesley Chapel Jim Lambrou Michelle Lambrou Sunglass Krate Sunglasses Wesley Chapel

Compass Claim Solutions — The Public Adjuster Who Advocates For You!

*Lindsay, Shawn, Luke & Kasey Thompson. (Photos provided by Shawn Thompson)*

Wesley Chapel resident Shawn Thompson says that, in general, most people don’t know that people like him even exist.

Shawn is a licensed public adjuster and the owner of Compass Claim Solutions.

As a public adjuster, he says his job is to advocate for home and business owners who have suffered a loss that is covered by the insurance company.

When disaster strikes — whether it’s a fire, water damage, or even a storm or other natural disaster — most people pick up the phone and call the insurance company directly. On the other end of the line is someone who represents what’s in that insurance company’s best interest, not theirs.

Since the insurance company wants to settle the claim for as little as possible, it makes sense that a homeowner or business owner would want to have someone looking out for their best interest, too.

That’s why Shawn recommends you pick up the phone and call him first.

“Hopefully, this is the first and only time you’re ever going to suffer a loss like this,” Shawn explains. “But, I’ve been through this process thousands of times with my clients.”

Shawn has been a licensed public adjuster since 2015. He started the process of becoming licensed in 2012, by passing a course and working as an apprentice for a year. Prior to that, he spent 10 years in management at CVS pharmacies after his graduation from St. Leo University near Dade City in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Business Management.

At that time, he says he was ready to make a change to leave CVS, and he had already learned a lot about his brother-in-law’s job as a licensed public adjuster in southeast Florida. Shawn found out that being a public adjuster was something he would be good at and would enjoy. He ended up working for his brother-in-law for several years before starting his own business in 2022.

In his extensive experience, Shawn says he’s never once looked at a valuation and told the insured party that their insurance company paid them everything they deserved.

“There’s always something left on the table,” he says. “But, is it $500, $5,000 or even $50,000?”

That’s what Compass Claim Solutions can figure out for you so you can be confident you’re not missing out.

Shawn says the best time to call him is as soon as you have to make a claim. In that best-case scenario, he can ensure the entire process is managed properly from start to finish.

But many times, the way people find out about his services is after the insurance company has considered their claim to be closed and they haven’t received the funds they need to make all of the necessary repairs. He says that’s when they go to the internet to search, “What can I do?”

Even at that point, Shawn says he is able to step in and make sure the insurance company pays what the homeowner or business owner is entitled to, based on their policy.

Whether your home has been damaged by flood (above) or fire (below), Compass Claim Solutions can help you get the most money from your insurance company & help if you’ve been told that your loss isn’t covered.

He says that, just recently, he met with a homeowner who suffered a loss during Hurricane Ian in Sept. 2022 to give them a final payment from their insurance company. Originally, they had only been paid $11,800, but Shawn was able to get the homeowner an additional $128,000.

In another case, Shawn says one of his happiest customers was a woman whose insurance company valued her roof damage claim at $1,012. After her $1,000 deductible, the check she received was for $12. Shawn was able to get her $13,000, which paid for an entire new roof.

“Stories like that are the norm in my business,” he says. “My normal recovery if someone calls me supplementally is somewhere between five and 20 times what the insurance company originally paid.”

He explains that public adjusters in Florida are paid on contingency, meaning they get paid based on what they recover for clients as a percentage of the settlement. While that charge is capped at 20 percent of the payments to the insured, Shawn emphasized that it’s a negotiable fee.

In fact, he says, if someone finds out about him from the Neighborhood News, he’s happy to provide a discount. He also offers discounts to those who are referred to him by their family and friends.

His fee is negotiated at the time he is first called out for a completely free, no-obligation consultation. He provides his expert opinion on what he feels the claim is worth, and then the homeowner or business owner can decide whether or not to hire him.

Compass Claim Solutions client Peggy D’Alessandro experienced flooding from water leaks in both her home and a rental property she owns. Both times, she called Shawn to help her through the process.

“He was able to identify things that I didn’t know would be a problem,” she says, “like the potential for mold. He was able to look at it from a structural standpoint and tell me that, realistically, if I want this to be back to its original condition, I have to be concerned about drywall, molding, paint and a lot of other things besides just the floors.”

She says she was worried about whether or not the insurance company would pay all that she needed to make her home whole, so it was a relief to work with a professional who could relate to the insurance company on their terms. “He made the process painless and smooth,” Peggy says, “and I felt like I had someone who had my best interest at heart.”

Peggy adds that making a claim also is a very time-consuming process. As a busy person, she says knowing Shawn was communicating with the insurance company, filling out the paperwork and handling the negotiation took all of the anxiety out of the situation.

“Most people who go through something like that have never been through it before,” she says, “plus they’re dealing with the anxiety of their home being in disarray and not knowing when or how they will get paid and if it that payment will cover all of the damage. I would absolutely recommend anyone who has a disaster in their home to work with Shawn. It’s the best decision I could have made.”

Shawn adds, “No matter how long I work for people, whether it’s two weeks or two years, if I don’t put money in their pocket, I don’t get paid.”

Shawn and his wife Lindsay have lived in Wesley Chapel since 2010. They have two children, Kasey and Luke, and a dog named Wrigley.

While he’s local to our area, Shawn is licensed for the entire state of Florida and handles claims as far away as the panhandle. When a storm hits, he often travels to where the damage is so that he can most effectively help the people who need him the most.

For the past year, Shawn’s brother Travis has been working as an apprentice under him. Travis recently became fully licensed and is now able to handle clients on his own.

Now that Travis is fully licensed, Shawn is bringing on a new apprentice, Frank Markim.

Shawn says that if you hire his company, you won’t see any contractors or have any part of the process outsourced. If he starts your claim, he’ll see it through to the end.

“We have a standard of how we do business and it’s important for us to handle claims from start to finish,” Shawn says. “There’s too much to lose to skip any steps. If you miss one picture, you could miss tens of thousands of dollars.”

Contact Shawn Thompson at Compass Claim Solutions by calling or texting his cell phone at (352) 502-5928. For more information, visit CompassClaimSolutions.com.

Compass Claim Solutions New Tampa Public Adjuster Shawn Thompson Wesley Chapel

Cinco de Mayo Festivities at Azteca D’Oro & at both Don Julio’s Mexican restaurant locations

Both Azteca D’Oro in the Shops at Wiregrass (see ad below) and the two Don Julio’s locations (see ad below) will host huge celebrations — with mariachis, food & drink specials and more — for Cinco de Mayo on Saturday the 4th, and the celebrations also will continue on Sunday, the 5th, at both Don Julio’s locations.