Sarasota real estate

The Sarasota Association of Realtors® released data yesterday showing Sarasota real estate sales jumped by 8.2 percent to 8,224 in 2011. This is the highest level since 2005. “The surge in sales was accompanied by stabilization in the median sale prices, which now stand at $155,925 for single family homes and $156,800 for condos over the full year, and have not fluctuated much for the past 12 months.”

Real estate is local and the Sarasota, Florida area is the considered the “place to be” by many homebuyers. “For the overall year of 2011, the resurgence in sales was dramatic, and represents a 44 percent increase over the low point of the downturn in 2008, when only 5,820 properties changed hands.”

New SAR President Laura Benson said "This is really…

Bird Key is a Sarasota, Florida neighborhood rich in beauty, luxury, privacy, and history. In the early 1900s, Bird Key was purchased by Thomas Worcester of Cincinnati, Ohio. Worchester built the first expensive home on a Sarasota Bay island. In the 1920s, John Ringling of circus fame bought Bird Key and proceeded with the development of connecting Bird Key, Lido Key and St. Armands to mainland Sarasota. Arvida Corporation bought the Ringling properties and continued development of the 511 single family home sites. Today Bird Key real estate is among the most desirable in all of Sarasota.

Bird Key today is a beautiful boating community with just under 300 waterfront homes facing the bay or on interior canals. The remaining homes on Bird Key are not

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The Sarasota Florida real estate market continues to improve and is “trending toward normalcy” according to a press release issued by the Sarasota Association of Realtors® for August 2011 sales figures.

Inventory of Sarasota MLS listings for sale has steadily dropped. The sales demand has stabilized which points to a more “normal” Sarasota real estate market.

For the past nine months inventories have been dropping and, in August 2011, “hit a decade-low figure of 4,408.” During the last 10 months, Sarasota property sales have exceeded 500 every month. The Board’s release state that sales hit 700 four times. The median sale price for single family homes and condos in August was $165,000. This was a 23 percent better than the lows of February 2011

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Real estate in Sarasota, Florida has continued to sell at a brisk pace in 2011. The Sarasota Association of Realtors® recently issued its August a press release reporting 599 properties sold in July 2011, a 14.3 percent increase from the previous year. In the July 2010 Sarasota real estate market, there were 525 property sales.

Single family home closings totaled 445 and 154 condos sold in July of this year. Four months in 2011, sales have hit the 700 level or above. July marked the fourth month in the previous 12 with sales exceeding 700 units. June sales reached 728 and May sales were the highest at 796 during Sarasota’s busiest selling season. Sales in July, of course, cooled as summer arrived. The Federal homebuyer tax credit which was a selling

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If home sales in Casey Key are any indication, the market for Sarasota luxury homes appears to be moving in the right direction. In fact, a home sold earlier this month was sold with a price tag that is higher than any other home sale in Casey Key since November 2009.

On July 15, a 10,000-square-foot home situated on 1.65 acres on Casey Key was sold for $7.58 million. The home features 200 feet of Gulf of Mexico shoreline as well as an upstairs and downstairs master suite. Other features include a summer kitchen, an eight-car garage, a separate caretaker’s building and a disappearing edge swimming pool and spa. Not only was the home sold at the highest sale price since November 2009, but it is also the second-highest price to be paid for a home within

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The Sapphire Shores and Indian Beach neighborhoods (also referred to as “The Museum Area”) stretch west of Tamiami Trail from Whitaker Bayou to New College. The area contains an eclectic mix of homes with architectural styles ranging from 1920’s Mediterranean Revival to 50’s ranch homes and also includes shining examples of Sarasota's own brand of modern architecture. All of the homes in this area are on or within walking distance to the natural beauty of Sarasota Bay. The neighborhood is a quick five minute drive to downtown Sarasota and a fifteen minute jaunt to the beaches of Lido Key. Cultural highlights of the Indian Beach and Sapphire Shores area include: The John and Mable Ringling Museum, the Asolo Repertory Theatre, USF, New College and the

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It’s official! “Dr. Beach” has confirmed what we’ve known all along: Siesta Beach was just named the #1 beach in the United States for 2011.

Dr. Stephen Leatherman ("Dr. Beach") is the director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University. He considers 50 different criteria including sand, water quality, facilities and crowds to rank the nation’s beaches in his annual survey. For the past two years, Siesta Key held the #2 ranking. Dr. Beach cited several factors that helped Siesta Key Beach win the top spot for 2011:

• Siesta Key's sugar white quartz crystal sand is considered by many to be the finest and whitest sand in the world.
• Siesta Key blue and turquoise water is clean and clear.
• The waves are small and

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Sarasota Florida just made another list. This time Portfolio.com named the Sarasota Bradenton area as the number 1 place to retire in the United States.

Portfolio.com used a six point formula to rank the top retirement destinations. Results of the survey for Sarasota-Bradenton show that:

• Nearly 27 percent of its residents are 65 or older, the fourth-highest concentration of seniors in any market. That’s more than double the national average of 12.9 percent.
• Bradenton-Sarasota has a median age of 48.1. A median is a midpoint, with half of all residents being older and half being younger. The national median age is 36.8 years.
• Fully 95 percent of the seniors in Bradenton-Sarasota moved to Florida from another state. Only 53 percent of the elderly

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Retirees and baby boomers are still calling us to ask about popular Sarasota country club real estate. Many of these buyers are avid golfers or tennis enthusiasts and are searching for a second home. Their plan is to visit over the next several years, enjoy their home in Sarasota, lock the house up and head back to real life until retirement. Amenities are the key, and the more amenities available to these buyers, the better the chance of fulfilling their dream of a complete resort lifestyle.

There are several new golf course communities in the area, but here are five of the most popular country club communities in Sarasota:

Lakewood Ranch Country Club Real Estate – a master-planned community offering a Town Center, a gorgeous Club House featuring bar,

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August 2010 Sarasota Real Estate Sales Rebound

Sales data just released from the Sarasota Board of Realtors show more positive signs than last months numbers. After a disappointing July, the Sarasota real estate market rebounded in August 2010. Sales were up nicely – 8% over July 2010 In addition, sales were up 14.3% compared to August 2009.

Total property sales this August totaled 567. “This compared to 525 sales in July 2010 and 496 sales in August 2009.” In August, 408 single family home sold. The median price reported was $154,500. Last month the median price was $155,000. In August 2009, the price was also $155,000.

Condos sales totaled 159 in August. The median price rose by 22 percent to $155,000 from July’s figure of $127,000. “For the last

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