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  The Neighborhood Report – Anna Maria Island

  John Butzko 1:01 pm on November 17, 2009 | Comments:0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bradenton (8), home prices (8), homebuyers (25), manatee, Michael Saunders & Company (44), real estate market (100)

  

  The laidback lifestyle on Anna Maria Island attracts many interested homebuyers.

  Wonderful values make the current real estate market very appealing to buyers. Pam Ali, branch manager of Michael Saunders & Company’s Bradenton office, notices an increase in activity on Manatee County’s beautiful Anna Maria Island.

  The Anna Maria area offers a true Florida island lifestyle. The quaint feeling of smaller buildings and beautiful beaches attracts buyers who are looking for a quiet place to unwind. Many of those who have purchased on Anna Maria Island have done so for either a second home or to completely relocate to enjoy the ultimate in Florida island living. Walking on the beaches, watching sunsets, kayaking the sparkling waterways and excellent fishing are the ways of life on the island, and today’s market has offered many opportunities for buyers in all price ranges to take advantage of some of the best properties available. (More …)

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  Ask Michael - Why the West Coast Of Florida?

  Holli Schleicher 2:40 pm on October 29, 2009 | Comments:0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: manatee, Sarasota (46), Sarasota County (19), Southwest Florida (15), venice (11)

  Florida’s west coast attracts many visitors and new residents from all over the world. Company CEO and Founder Michael Saunders talks about many special things that make our area so compelling.

  What is so compelling about the west coast of Florida?

  If you have questions for Michael Saunders, email AskMichael@michaelsaunders.com.

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  The Neighborhood Report - Manatee County

  John Butzko 3:55 pm on September 3, 2009 | Comments:0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bradenton (8), inventory (25), lakewood ranch (9), manatee, Michael Saunders & Company (44), Mortgage (16), Sarasota County (19)

  

  Properties on Tidy Island

  Turn-of-the-century bayside villages, quiet rural settings, country club communities, comfortable urban neighborhoods and secure retirement enclaves are all part of Bradenton and Manatee County.  Bordering the Gulf of Mexico between Tampa and Sarasota, Manatee County has earned the reputation of being one of the friendliest communities in on the Gulf Coast, in addition to its diverse neighborhoods and Florida charm. The agents of our Bradenton office proudly serve the residential opportunities throughout Manatee County and beyond.

  Manatee County Sales Reports

  Pam Ali, branch manager of Michael Saunders & Company’s Bradenton office, is pleased to report significant activity in home sales throughout Manatee County. In the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for Manatee County, there were 243 single-family homes that sold in the last 30 days. The average sales price was $230,488. (More …)

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  The Neighborhood Report - Bradenton

  John Butzko 2:16 pm on July 23, 2009 | Comments:0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bradenton (8), housing recovery (9), lakewood ranch (9), manatee, michaelsaunders.com (24), pending sales (14), real estate market (100)

  

  MS&C Bradenton Office

  From the shore of Anna Maria Island and stretching eastward along the Manatee River, the Bradenton-Manatee area is a remarkable place highlighted by a host of art and historical attractions, as well as a coastline of sun-drenched beaches. From adorable Florida fishing cottages and stately southern houses to luxury condominiums, modest mid-century homes and island bungalows, this Gulf Coast destination boasts a great sampling of residential lifestyle options. As proven area experts, the agents of our Bradenton office specialize in helping homebuyers and sellers throughout the communities of Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria Island, Parrish, Terra Ceia and Lakewood Ranch.

  How’s the market in Bradenton?

  Bradenton office branch manager Pam Ali has witnessed a very active market in her area. Additionally, our Bradenton agents have recently seen a significant increase in the number of buyers and sellers making inquiries via the Michael Saunders & Company website, michaelsaunders.com. Many of these are from out-of-town potential buyers who found our piece of paradise online. Within the last 14 days, the Bradenton office has received 20 pending transactions, which indicates a healthy amount of interest in Bradenton real estate. (More …)

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  Market Maintains its Momentum as Southwest Florida Slows for the Summer

  Matthew Haber 4:13 pm on June 23, 2009 | Comments:1 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charlotte (11), confidence, first time buyer (14), inventory (25), manatee, pending sales (14), real estate market (100), Sarasota (46), tax credit (22)

  SARASOTA, Florida—(June, 2009)—“Its very heartening to see that the sales momentum that built so impressively during the first four months of 2009 continued to be strong even as we transitioned from the busy winter season into our customarily slow summer months,” said Michael Saunders upon examining the latest sales statistics for May, just out from TRENDGRAPHIX.. “With bottoming prices, low interest rates and extraordinary, limited-time-only buying incentives—like the First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit—buyers are expressing their confidence in the market by stepping up to buy wherever they detect the best buying opportunities.”

  “Sales continue to be disproportionately clustered in the under-$300,000 price range, thanks to prices that have been impacted by foreclosures and short sales; but sales are also occurring in every price range where sellers wisely list their homes in very close proximity to what comparable homes are actually selling for,” Saunders added. “The most encouraging news from this new data is that closed sales, although down slightly in most cases for May in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte Counties—as would be expected as we enter the slow summer months—largely held their own compared with April; while pending sales are way up compared with last May. Further, with most of these pending sales set to close in the next 30 to 60 days, it looks like the trend toward improved sales, established early this year, will continue throughout the summer.” (More …)

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  Nationwide Uptick Tells Only Part of the Story

  Matthew Haber 3:46 pm on June 23, 2009 | Comments:0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charlotte (11), condominiums (15), first time buyer (14), housing recovery (9), inventory (25), manatee, pending sales (14), real estate market (100), Sarasota (46), seller, single-family homes, tax credit (22)

  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 …)

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  The Changing Face of Real Estate Marketing

  Matthew Haber 10:33 am on May 19, 2009 | Comments:1 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charlotte (11), manatee, Michael Saunders (30), michaelsaunders.com (24), real estate market (100), Sarasota (46)

  Much of the Michael Saunders & Company Reinvent Yourself 09 conference held last week pushed the notion that the fundamentals of the real estate industry, specifically the way we market property is and will be changing drastically over the near future. In fact if there is a bright spot to the housing and economic turmoil it is that it forces these changes to happen all the quicker: in the same way that higher fuel costs prompt more efficient vehicles, the evolved real estate agent is now leaner and smarter when it comes to marketing your home.

  Out, are the single property advetisements in the newspapers and magazines – a quick appeasement for a seller, and not much else. Why would a potential home buyer wait until Sunday to look at one property in the newspaper when they can get instant gratification and look at all available properties on the market at once on the web?

  In, are the targeted effects of social networking, otherwise known as the larest ongoing cocktail party on earth. Facebook, with over 275 million active users, now has a population greater than the 4th largest country on earth and is trailing only China, India and the United States in citizens. Bob Corcoran of Corcoran Consulting Inc. outlines some great techniques in a recent article on his website: (More …)

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  CNN Money Reports U.S. Home Prices at Most Affordable Levels in 2 Decades

  Matthew Haber 3:29 pm on May 18, 2009 | Comments:0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charlotte (11), foreclosures (10), manatee, real estate market (100), Sarasota (46)

  CNNMoney.com today reported that home prices across the U.S. are at their most affordable levels in 18 years:

  Nearly 73% of all homes sold in the United States during the first three months of 2009 were considered affordable. That was the highest percentage ever reported by the 18-year-old Housing Opportunity Index, an analysis of markets compiled quarterly by the National Association of Homebuilders and Wells Fargo Bank.

  While the article does state that the markets for new and existing home sales are still slow, they cite emerging optimism from homebuilders that the improved data – affordability, new homes sales up, pending home sales up – could indicate that the worst is behind us. Please click here for the full article.

  As shown in our April Trends report last week, pending home sales for the region for April are up considerably: for Sarasota county, +18.44%; for Manatee count, +19.53%, for Charlotte county, + 16.91%.

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  Reported Sarasota-Bradenton Price Drops Are Good News For Homebuyers and Sellers

  Matthew Haber 5:20 pm on May 12, 2009 | Comments:2 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: herald-tribune (3), manatee, michaelsaunders.com (24), real estate market (100), Sarasota (46), tax credit (22)

   

  Headlines of an article posted online today from the Sarasota Herald Tribune website…

  “Sarasota-Bradenton Posts Nation’s 7th Biggest Home Price Drop”

  …and what good news it could be for the homebuyer!

  Let’s take a closer look at some other “dropping” statistics, but positive ones.  In April of 2008, Trendgraphix reported that Sarasota County had a 14.6 month supply of inventory based on current listings and pending properties.  April of 2009 showed a drop of that number to a 7 month inventory or a 52% “drop.”  What does this mean?  It means that buyer confidence in the local real estate market is returning.  It means that buyers are moving off that fence.  They are taking advantage of pricing that is correcting itself from the runaway inflation of years like 2005 where the annual appreciation of homes exceeded 30% due to a lack of inventory and frenzied investor buying.  This is the statistic that we need to be creating the buzz about.  This change in inventory is a positive trend that every prospective buyer should know and heed.  It is a true sign of a market that is in the process of a healthy correction. (More …)

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  Pending Sales Increase - Inventory Levels Nearing Normal Market Conditions

  Matthew Haber 10:02 am on May 12, 2009 | Comments:5 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charlotte (11), manatee, real estate market (100), Sarasota (46), tax credit (22)

  SARASOTA, Florida—(May, 2009)—“To see these positive trends solidify is an encouraging sign,” said Michael Saunders—founder and CEO of Michael Saunders & Company—referring to the latest TRENDGRAPHIX report on residential real estate sales for Southwest Florida, which shows a strong April following a stronger March; both of which were substantially higher than a respectable February.   TRENDGRAPHIX gathers current and historical data from the region’s MLS to produce detailed monthly reports based on actual closed and pending sales.

  “We’re by no means out of the woods,” Saunders cautioned.  “Buyers are cherry-picking their way through best-priced properties in every price range; but especially those under $350,000.  We’re starting to see improved sales in the $350,000 and $1.5 million range; but sales in the $1.5 million and up range remain something of a challenge for all but the most aggressively priced properties.  Those that are priced aggressively are selling faster, as evidenced by recent record-breaking sales on Bird Key, in The Oaks and at the Ritz-Carlton, where properties were sold for $4.75 million, $3.175 million and $3.3 million respectively.  The common threads uniting these properties are aggressive pricing and the seller’s willingness to negotiate down the stretch.” (More …)

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