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        <title>Sarasota Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.buysarasota.com/blog/2010-10/</link>
        <description>Read the Sarasota real estate blog and news presented by John Allen. View the latest information at our real estate blog for Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Lido Key and Casey Key Florida.</description>
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    <guid>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/positano-longboat-key-luxury-condos-on-the-gulf.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/positano-longboat-key-luxury-condos-on-the-gulf.html</link>
        <author>john@buysarasota.com (John Allen)</author>
        <title>Positano - Longboat Key Luxury Condos on the Gulf</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Situated on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, the luxury condos of Positano on Longboat Key offer residents luxurious amenities as well as an unparalleled level of privacy and security. In addition, thanks to the prime location of the condos in the middle of the island, residents of Positano in Longboat Key are also located only a short drive away from all the restaurants, shopping venues and other attractions found at St. Armands Circle and downtown Sarasota.

Positano was recently built in 2007 to the most stringent hurricane building codes. With only 29 units ranging in size from 3,156 to 3,319 square feet, residents of Positano enjoy plenty of space and privacy. All residences feature three bedrooms plus a den/office or three bedrooms with a den and family room. In addition, large verandas, enormous windows and high ceilings bring the outdoors inside. The residences perfectly blend indoor and outdoor living.

The private garages, the private elevators and the manned guard gate all add to the level of privacy and security that residents of Positano Longboat Key enjoy. In addition, thanks to the 10 acres of beachfront land on which the development is located, residents of the condos enjoy magnificent views as well as private beach access. At Positano, you're always just a few steps from the white sand and turquoise waters of the Gulf.

As might be expected from a low-density luxury condo development, residents of Positano in Longboat Key also enjoy access to a variety of on-site amenities. Some of these include a resort style swimming pool, cabanas, hot tub, a clubhouse and exercise facilities. Additionally, the first floor residences in each building have their own private pools.

Currently, there is only one listing available at Positano, priced at $3.95M. However, there have been two sales in 2010 for $2.25M and $2.85M. If you are looking for something less expensive, be sure to review all of the information we have available to you on the website. Longboat Key Florida has a wonderful selection listing inventory, prices have been reduced, interest rates are near historic lows and many sellers are motivated.
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    <pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:30:35 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/five-popular-sarasota-country-club-communities.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/five-popular-sarasota-country-club-communities.html</link>
        <author>john@buysarasota.com (John Allen)</author>
        <title>Five Popular Sarasota Country Club Communities</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
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 communities in the area, but here are five of the most popular country club communities in Sarasota:


Lakewood Ranch Country Club – a master-planned community offering a Town Center, a gorgeous Club House featuring bar, dining room, banquet facilities as well as meeting rooms and smaller intimate dining areas. Lakewood Ranch’s amenities include: two golf courses, a Pro Shop, a tennis facility, a fitness center, and more


Prestancia on Palmer Ranch – TPC Prestancia is a 24 hr security guarded and gated community. The Club House at Prestancia features a newly renovated club room for socializing. The amenities at this country club community are limited to golf however, there are swimming and tennis available at the neighboring Serendipity Racquet Club at the Country Club of Sarasota.


Laurel Oak Estates – east of I-75, Laurel Oak Estates is a guard gated country club community with beautiful landscaping. The Club House at Laurel Oak has been redecorated in recent years and features. Amenities at Laurel Oak Estates include golf, tennis, swimming and walking trails.


University Park Country Club – Just off University Parkway and about 20 minutes from downtown Sarasota, this tropically landscaped guard gated community, is home to incredible wildlife. The entrance of this Club is outstanding. University Park’s Club House features a banquet size dining rooms as well as smaller dining areas. There is a fabulous outdoor terrace for dining as well. The member's only grill is the perfect spot to enjoy socializing with your friends and neighbors. Amenities include: Golf, tennis and swimming pool


The Oaks  - Located just off Hwy 41 in Osprey, FL, the Oaks Club is one of Sarasota, Florida’s most prestigious members owned golf club communities. This family oriented club has a magnificent Club House with plenty of amenities to get your lifestyle busy. In addition to golf on two courses, residents enjoy swimming, tennis, cricket and a variety of social events throughout the year. There are three separate guard gated entrances to the Oaks: Oaks Preserve, Oaks Bayside and Oaks Clubside. The lush landscaping, golf course views as well as lake and Bay vies in some homes are impeccable backgrounds for those seeking a resort lifestyle in Sarasota.


If you are interested in retiring in a Sarasota country club community, contact the John Allen Team. Our agents specialize in all areas of Sarasota real estate including Lakewood Ranch, Prestancia, Laurel Oak Estate, University Park and the Oaks.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:36:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/history-of-st-armands-circle.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/history-of-st-armands-circle.html</link>
        <author>john@buysarasota.com (John Allen)</author>
        <title>History of St Armands Circle</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
St Armands Circle is an exclusive island located just off the coast of Sarasota, Florida that provides an unforgettable experience to visitors from around the world. Over 130 exclusive shops, boutiques, art galleries and restaurants surround a large European-style roundabout with a park in the middle.

The Beginning

Charles St. Amand, a French pioneer, purchased a Florida mangrove island located just west of the fishing village of Sarasota in 1893. The three tracts of land totaled about 131 acres. St. Amand settled in this area where he fished in the surrounding waters and raised produce. Land deeds later misspelled his name as “Armand” and the name eventually stuck. The island is today called St. Armands Key.

Circus Magnate John Ringling Develops the Concept

In 1917, the leading circus magnate in the country, John Ringling bought all of St. Armands Key, Bird Key and Lido Key. Ringling dreamed of a shopping plaza designed around a roundabout similar to those found in European cities. Luxury homes and resorts were planned for the area around Ringling’s visionary “Circle.”

The John Ringling Causeway is Built

In the 1920s, crews of workers dredged St. Armands, Bird and Lido Key’s canals. Sea walls were constructed along with sidewalks and streets. There was no bridge to access the islands so Ringling decided to build one. The connecting causeway to St. Armands from Sarasota’s mainland was started in 1925 and completed a year later. Ringling opened the bridge and the John Ringling Estates himself by leading a parade across the causeway to St. Armands Circle where one of his circus bands performed. 

Real estate sales in Sarasota on opening day exceeded the $1 million estimate. Soon after the opening of the causeway, the Depression hit and Sarasota’s real estate market collapsed and the Circle fell on hard times along with the entire country. In 1928, Ringling donated the Causeway to Sarasota County because he could no longer afford to maintain the bridge.

In the 1940s, investors, once again, set out to develop St. Armands. Restaurants were opened as well as a gas station. It took another 10 years or so before St. Armands shops and restaurants began to see some hope. By 1960s, St. Armands Circle was thriving and remains one of Florida’s outstanding shopping centers, similar to famous Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. Visitors and residents experience excellent dining, world-class shopping and an array of seasonal events, arts and crafts exhibits as well as musical performances by many local entertainers.

Take an afternoon and spend it on St. Armands Circle, where you can “shop til you drop” or wander through the Circle’s palm-lined streets and view outstanding Italian statuary from Ringling’s own collection. Be sure to spend a few minutes in the Center of St. Armands Circle and enjoy Sarasota’s Circus history brought to us by John Ringling.

Are you interested in exploring current listings? Visit our St Armands real estate section for more information and to view MLS listings for homes and condos surrounding St Armands Circle. Home prices start in the $400,000's and go up to over $8 million.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:40:44 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/history-of-casey-key-florida.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.buysarasota.com/blog/history-of-casey-key-florida.html</link>
        <author>john@buysarasota.com (John Allen)</author>
        <title>History of Casey Key Florida</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
You would never guess that the beautiful island of Casey Key, with its beautiful and elegant homes, famous lifestyle, wonderful beaches, and natural landscaping was once part of a wild region in the late 1840's. U.S. Army Captain John Charles Casey, a graduate of West Point, was sent by the U.S. Government in the mid-1800s to survey the area. Casey was also assigned the task of assisting in the removal of the Seminole Indians from the region during his survey.


The Key was called Chaise’s Key on the 1849 map, and John Casey’s name was on the map marking the area where he was surveying. When Casey’s map was published later in 1856, the name was changed to Casey Key. Since that mistake, several attempts have been made to change the name back to Chaise’s Key. During the real estate boom of the 1920s the name was changed to Treasure Island in order to spur land sales. Residents changed the name back to Casey Key each time there was an attempt to change the island’s name. Today the name Casey Key remains.


During John Casey efforts to aide in removing the Seminole Indians, he built a spirit of trust with the Indians and with the influential chief of the Florida Seminoles, Billy Bowlegs. This “spirit of trust” held a fragile peace between the chiefs and the settlers until Casey’s health began to fail. A third Seminole War erupted in 1855, and just a few years later in 1858, Bowlegs was deported to the Western part of the United States.


After the Civil War, the land around Casey Key began to be settled and it was common to see homesteaders sailing the bays in shallow boats. During the real estate boom of the 1920s, the channels were altered and dredged, and parts of the shores filled. In 1923, the Treasure Island Bridge was built at the north end of the island. It is one of the few, one lane rotating swing bridges that remains in use today, although it is considered functionally obsolete.


Casey Key’s history is intriguing and looking at the island’s luxurious lifestyle today, it’s hard to think of this incredible paradise as being anything other than what it is today. Casey Key today is home to magnificent waterfront estates as well as some older beach cottages. Many of the beach cottages have been razed to make way for new single family homes, many found behind enormous walled enclosures with beautifully designed wrought iron gates.


Private Casey Key beach is a great place to collect seashells, seaglass and shark’s teeth. The North Jetty Park is a popular spot for Casey Key visitors too. There are no traffic lights on Casey Key and no high-rise condominiums. You’ll find a few “mom and pop” motels remain, but basically Casey Key has remained just a small beachfront community with captivating native wildlife and extraordinary scenic views. Stop at the Casey Key Fish House before you leave the island for the freshest catch of the day. You’ll also find a few famous residents on Casey Key


Casey Key is loaded with ‘old Florida charm’, and rich in history, two of the things that cause people to want to come here, and, of course, decide to stay. John Charles Casey would be amazed today to see the elegant beachfront estates, magnificent bayfront homes and the great recreational activities available on Casey Key. Captain Casey would be probably be amazed that Casey Key has turned out to be one of the most popular barrier islands and certainly one of the most sought after pieces of Florida real estate.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:12:00 -0500</pubDate>
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