Posts Tagged ‘condominiums’
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Posted by John Butzko on October 20, 2009
Venice Beach is just one of the area's many wonderful charms. Photo courtesy of coastalliving.com.
Venice office branch manager Kathy Wood enthusiastically reports a strong market in the Venice area; and she’s right to be excited. According to the Florida Regional Venice MLS, sales of single-family homes in August rose 49.12 percent compared to August of 2008, and condominiums sales for the month of August rose 40 percent compared to August of 2008.
Just how important is it to know your market?
As one of our Venice agents recently learned, it is very important to be familiar with the market you serve. You will hear the same response from any number of Michael Saunders & Company agents, in any number of our offices, because they are all consummate professionals who have made it their business to know their area of expertise. They make a point to actually see the inventory on caravans each week, prepare comparative market analyses (CMA) for potential listings, and familiarize themselves with the surrounding area. (more…)
Posted by John Butzko on October 13, 2009
Unique shopping and dining venues attract visitors to St. Armands Circle from around the world. Photo courtesy of visitflorida.com.
The St. Armands area continues to garner attention for its exceptional location among beautiful beaches and world-class shopping and dining venues. To further introduce the many charms of their remarkable destination to potential homebuyers around the world, the agents of our St. Armands office have participated in blogs and engaged the web’s most popular social networking sites, according to branch Managing Broker Barbara Roberts.
The Power of the Web
Recently, St. Armands agent Barbara Dumbaugh received a lead through Trulia.com, one of the web’s most widely viewed real estate resources. Here, she was able to hand select and present a collection of area properties based on the buyer’s requirements for characteristics, amenities and neighborhoods. The buyer agreed, was satisfied with the selection, and made the trip here for an in-person tour. Barbara sold him a property listed by Yolanda Kaufman, also an agent of the St. Armands office. (more…)
Posted by John Butzko on October 6, 2009
The Englewood area offers an assortment of lifestyle options. From soaring condominium residences to quaint beach cottages, there is something to suit every taste.
The old adage “location, location, location” is an apt description of the undiscovered Englewood, Placida, Punta Gorda area. It is a Mecca for water lovers; from world-class fishing and boating to its uncrowded beaches, there is always a water sport or recreational activity to enjoy. This area is perfect for those who want a quiet and laidback lifestyle, but also want to be within proximity to fine dining, cultural activities and night life, as downtown Sarasota offers many amenities and is an easy drive.
Market Update
Barbara Saputo, branch manager of Michael Saunders & Company’s Englewood office, reports a significant increase in property showings in the last few weeks for listings priced according to current conditions. Those that are priced to the market are going to get shown, from the high-end, beachfront condominiums to the moderately priced single-family homes. Buyers will also find new construction properties throughout the area—of particular interest are the single-family units in Pennington Place and paired villas in Stillwater. Both neighborhoods are conveniently located, gated, and offer a host of community amenities. (more…)
Posted by John Butzko on September 29, 2009
Soaring Siesta Key condominium residences offer spectacular water vistas.
Siesta Key has been bustling with activity for the past three months, according to Siesta Key office branch manager Debbie Judge. We are seeing buyers from all over the world take advantage of 2002 pricing, which is the last time we had a similar amount of inventory under $200,000. No matter what the price range, there are many options for buyers. One significant difference between 2001 and 2009 is the existence of newly/newer built product including two new subdivisions—Coronas Park and Spice Bay—as well as some new condominiums.
A Look Inside – Statistics
Consider this overview of the stats from the last three months on Siesta Key. We currently have 25 months of condominium inventory and 17 months of single-family home inventory overall. However, it is important to get a closer look to find that different price ranges had different results in terms of months of inventory: (more…)
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Posted by John Butzko on September 8, 2009
A View of the Gulf from 6171 Gulf of Mexico Drive - Sleepy Lagoon
Sales of desirable, well-priced properties are happening on Longboat Key, according to Georgina Clamage, branch manager of Michael Saunders & Company’s Longboat Key South office. Longboat Key is Sarasota’s only barrier island offering a country club lifestyle with a beautiful beach and marina, fabulous restaurants and a thriving arts community.
Successes in Sales
Sleepy Lagoon
On the north end of the key, one of the more popular communities is Sleepy Lagoon. Located in a laidback part of the key with properties on both the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay, Sleepy Lagoon has become a major point of interest. In fact, 7 of the 12 sales there this year have been in the last 90 days. Listing agents Emmy Lou Gilbert, Michael Yawitz and Saint Cacchiotti of the Longboat Key South office worked with their sellers to keep them up-to-the-minute on the local market conditions, which resulted in successful sales for each in July. Terri Derr and Ken Torrington, also of the Longboat Key South office, sold 6429 Gulfside Road, a Gulf-front home that had been on the market since early 2007 and finally reached a price that the buyers couldn’t resist. (more…)
Posted by John Butzko on September 1, 2009
Alinari - Downtown Sarasota Living
The condominiums gracing Sarasota’s downtown offer a carefree lifestyle among an assortment of exciting amenities. As area prices have decreased considerably, buyers from around the world are taking advantage of once-in-a-lifetime values in some of downtown’s most sought-after complexes, namely One Hundred Central, Plaza at Five Points, Condo on the Bay, The Ritz-Carlton Tower Residences, The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Kanaya and The Renaissance, among many others. Gary Loughlin, branch manager of Michael Saunders & Company’s Main Street office, reports a standout opportunity in residences in Alinari. This beautiful location has experienced dramatically reduced developer prices on units, some up to 40 percent lower than the beginning of 2009, resulting in a steady flood of homebuyers taking interest.
Success Stories from Main Street
Main Street agent Karen Wall is the site representative for Michael Saunders & Company at Alinari. In the last few months, Karen has been involved in ten closed sales and currently has several more under contract. One recent buyer found the opportunity so exceptional that they purchased two units.
Until the price modifications were put into effect, the sales in the building had been quite slow for an extended period of time. These adjustments have definitely created a very strong buyer interest, with many people who previously viewed the units returning to purchase.
Gary’s Bottom Line – Advice to Homebuyers
Do not try to time the bottom of the market! Right now, there are many fine properties and very attractive prices. Buyers are finding extraordinary values and moving on them.
Posted by John Butzko on August 25, 2009
St. Armands Circle
The casually elegant St. Armands Circle on Lido Key stands as the southern gateway to Longboat Key, and presents a superlative collection of boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and outdoor cafes. Encircling a well-manicured park and enveloped by a tropical Florida ambiance, St. Armands Circle provides a memorable experience for residents and visitors alike, who seek the charms of a world-class shopping and dining destination. For those who desire their own piece of this exclusive location, the agents our longstanding St. Armands real estate office are area experts who specialize in matching people with the perfect properties.
Areas of Interest
Barbara Roberts, Managing Broker of our St. Armands office, has noticed a heightened buyer interest in available properties located on the southern end of Longboat Key and throughout Lido Key. These residential opportunities vary from elegant beachfront penthouses to modest single-family homes, so the choices are sure to please any taste. Agents working out of our John Ringling office are greeting more and more people who stop by to inquire about what “great buys” are around for them. We are also seeing more buyers who are planning to retire within the next several years and want to know how the market is faring. (more…)
Posted by Michael Saunders on August 19, 2009
In today’s real estate market the old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” has properties at unheard-of prices is a daily fact of life that has seldom been truer.
Indeed, some of the most incredible opportunities in the twilight of today’s buyers’ market belong to buyers intent on purchasing new, first-quality condominiums in prime Sarasota locations. The developers of two of these premier waterside properties—Alinari at Rosemary Place and Summer Cove on Siesta Key— have approved substantial price reductions on their remaining inventories that make them hard to pass up. In the not-too-distant future such record low pricing for comparable luxury will definitely be too good to be true. New, up-to-code construction of this quality and magnitude in such premium locations is already impossible to duplicate at anything remotely approaching prices like these. Buyers, who have taken the time to visit these communities to examine their quality construction, superb locations and top-notch amenities have gotten the message and seized the opportunities.
(more…)
Posted by Michael Saunders on June 23, 2009
NAR’s report for May shows a nationwide uptick in the sale of existing homes and sited favorable affordability conditions and the first time buyer tax credit as the primary reasons:
Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – rose 2.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.77 million units in May from a downwardly revised level of 4.66 million units in April, but remained 3.6 percent below the 4.95 million-unit pace in May 2008.
Read the full article here.
It is encouraging to see the continued trend – the first nationwide back-to-back monthly gain since September 2005 – and Michael Saunders & Company recently posted our own area trend report for Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Unfortunately, month to month reports only tell a piece of the story. (more…)
