Posted by Lucy Hope on April 24, 2013
Sunday May 12th marks this year’s Mother’s Day, an opportunity to pull out all the stops and show our amazing Moms how much we care. Your Mother’s Day gift traditions may have started with crayon-scribbled cards starring your stick-figure family, but this year consider treating Mom to something a little more sophisticated with one of the many fantastic events taking place in Sarasota. We’ve made it easy for you and compiled a list of the best event and gift ideas in the area; so you can be well on your way to establishing “favorite child” status! (more…)
Posted by Lucy Hope on April 23, 2013
Photo courtesy inthemotherhoodblog.com
Extending a helping hand to our community is a fundamental part of maintaining the values that form the basis for Michael Saunders & Company.
Thanks to the generous donations of our agents and staff to the MSC Foundation, we are able to grant essential funds to deserving non-profit organizations in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Lee Counties. These organizations provide life changing help to those in need, offering shelter, sustenance, education and a path to self sufficiency. The vital assistance we are able to give further enriches our enduring connections to the communities that have so nurtured our business.
We are proud to continue our spotlight on the organizations that receive funds from the MSC Foundation: (more…)
Posted by Kathryn Parks on April 19, 2013
Are you imagining sunsets that glisten off azure water, relaxing weekends spent on your boat, Gulf of Mexico temperatures like bath water ? Well, if you are like most buyers today, chances are you’ve been dreaming about leaving your land-locked property for the perfect waterfront real estate.
Statistics show us that home sales in Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte counties are trending in record-high territory while pending sales for March were the highest it’s ever been. But what is it that you can’t see among detailed percentages, pie charts, and dizzying statistics? The answer behind what is motivating these trends. (more…)
Posted by Lucy Hope on April 17, 2013
With ongoing enthusiasm for the recovery of the real estate market, this weekend, April 20-21, 2013, the National Association of Realtors presents Nationwide Open House Weekend. The nation’s largest open house event offers a fabulous opportunity for home-buyers to find their dream home and home-sellers to showcase their property. There is certainly excitement in the air, with real estate agents from across the country hosting a greater number of homes for buyers to tour amid a market experiencing diminished inventory and soaring demand.
As we discovered in our recent post “Your Search is Worth the Effort” , home buyers must act quickly in today’s market, or risk their chosen property being snapped up by another buyer. According to the National Association of Realtors, in 2012 41% of home buyers started their property search on the internet.
Open houses are a fantastic way to extend that search beyond the web, and the NAR have also compiled some interesting statistics outlining the trends associated with open houses: (more…)
Posted by Kathryn Parks on April 16, 2013
The Umbrella House on Lido Shores will be among the buildings featured at this week’s national symposium, Modern Matters. Photo credit: Liz Waytkus
Among Sarasota’s cultural riches, there is none perhaps more lasting then its architecture, at least, in the physical sense. I spoke with a visiting architect last week who said, “The essence of architecture is that we leave traces.” If that’s the case, then some rather remarkable traces were left in Sarasota during the mid-20th century.
April 18-21st, there will be a national symposium, Modern Matters, held at the Ringling College of Art and Design celebrating the work and genius of architect Paul Rudolph and the Sarasota School of Architecture, a movement which left behind many significant modern buildings found on Casey Key, Siesta Key, Lido Key, and throughout Sarasota and Bradenton. (more…)
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Posted by Kathryn Parks on April 12, 2013
Photo courtesy Louies Modern
The urban fabric of downtown Sarasota has an exciting new layer. Louies Modern and The Francis have now opened at 1289 N. Palm Avenue. The sophisticated 11,000+ square foot destination includes a restaurant, special event space, bar, outdoor lounge and seating, barista bar, and even a private dining room that overlooks the elegant palm tree lined avenue.
The past several years has seen huge improvements in an already vibrant downtown Sarasota. It was not long ago that two unsightly parking lots monopolized prime real estate along Palm Avenue. The City of Sarasota helped lead a spur of revitalization with landscaping beautifications, new roundabouts, and the award-winning Palm Avenue Parking Garage, which, despite its chief function, enhances the streetscape and urban dynamic. (more…)
Posted by Lucy Hope on April 11, 2013
Photo courtesy jossandmain.com
Once you find your dream home, it’s your chance to add your personal touches and channel your inner interior designer. Fashion icon Coco Chanel expressed, “An interior is the natural projection of the soul”, an inspiring way to think about how you decorate your home.
Our homes should be a reflection of ourselves, a space where we can both kick off our heels (or flip-flops, this is Florida after all) and host elegant dinner parties for friends.
Choosing beautiful fabrics, color palettes, furniture and accessories is one of the most exciting parts about moving into your new home, and something to look forward to once the last box has been unpacked and you have finally found Johnny’s cuddly giraffe. (more…)
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Posted by Michael Saunders on April 10, 2013
Photo courtesy of americanfinancingrealty.com
U.S. home prices rose again in February, this time by 10.2% compared with last February. In experiencing the largest year-over-year jump in seven years, prices were up in 47 states; and in all but four of the nation’s 100 largest metro areas. (Source: CoreLogic)
In the Sarasota-Manatee real estate market, the monthly median price has risen for 14 consecutive months, based on year-over-year comparisons. Nevertheless, our market’s median price is currently 43% below what it was seven years ago—at the peak of the housing bubble. (Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune) Though it has long since passed its bottom and seen its inventory of properties pared to below normal, the region continues to attract multitudes of buyers as intent as ever on taking advantage of today’s historic combination of low prices and rock-bottom interest rates.
As such, buyers—who more often than not begin their real estate searches online—can no longer take a leisurely approach to browsing for great buying opportunities. Instead, you must act with all deliberate speed once you’ve discovered the right property; or risk surrendering it to another buyer. (more…)
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Posted by Lucy Hope on April 5, 2013
Just like fine wine, the Florida Winefest & Auction gets better every year. Since its beginning, the Winefest has raised over $7.7 million for children in need in our community, supporting worthy causes with a series of exciting events.
The 23rd annual Florida Winefest & Auction continues this weekend and will feature winemakers from all over the globe, culinary geniuses, and for the first time, hot air balloons. While the events kicked off on Thursday evening with a series of ‘Winemaker Dinners’, happily, it’s not too late to partake in the festivities. (more…)
Posted by Kathryn Parks on April 4, 2013
View of Downtown and the marina from this $2.2 million just sold luxury residence at Golden Gate Point
When Michael Saunders & Company Realtor Linda Stowe held an open house for a $599,000 condominium at Casarina on Siesta Key, she never expected it would eventually lead to a $2.2 million dollar March purchase of a beautiful luxury residence on Golden Gate Point.
The soon-to-be buyers attended her open house. They were interested in the condominium but they were also there because they were in search of a good real estate agent. Both baby boomers, they already had a property on Siesta Key and several more in their home state of Michigan. As Linda explained, “They wanted to simplify it down to one property that would be their forever home.” (more…)
Sunday May 12th marks this year’s Mother’s Day, an opportunity to pull out all the stops and show our amazing Moms how much we care. Your Mother’s Day gift traditions may have started with crayon-scribbled cards starring your stick-figure family, but this year consider treating Mom to something a little more sophisticated with one of the many fantastic events taking place in Sarasota. We’ve made it easy for you and compiled a list of the best event and gift ideas in the area; so you can be well on your way to establishing “favorite child” status! (more…)
