Between the destinations of Lido Key and Anna Maria Island, LONGBOAT KEY is a fine mix of tasteful luxury and manicured surroundings. Just minutes from the heart of Sarasota, the long and narrow island feels like a secluded community with an elegant flavor of its own.
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Neighborhood Video Profile - Longboat Key
Michael Saunders & Company
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Romance on the Gulf Coast - Top 10 Valentine’s Day Ideas
John Butzko
This year, make Valentine's Day special for the one you love.
As the day of love and adoration approaches, many find themselves without a plan to express their feelings to the object of their affection. While we do encourage our readers to articulate and share their heartfelt sentiments throughout the year, Valentine’s Day presents itself as a must for those who prefer to maintain a relationship with the very person they endear. As such, it becomes your duty to make each February 14 a small celebration of love for those dear to you.
Beyond the heart-shaped boxes, mounds of candy and arrangements of flowers, there is a world of romance out there just waiting for you to enjoy. This Valentine’s Day, dust off your romantic ambition and do something extraordinary for that special somebody in your heart. Here are the top 10 Valentine’s Day ideas from your friends at michaelsaunders.com: (More …)
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The Neighborhood Report – Turtle Rock
John Butzko
Turtle Rock offers a variety of residential options to suit any taste.
Turtle Rock is a gated residential community located in the heart of Palmer Ranch. The community is comprised of 751 properties, including single-family homes and maintenance-free villas set within a lovely background of serene beauty. Most of the homes enjoy views of the pristine lakes and natural preserves. Residents enjoy an assortment of great amenities, such as tennis, basketball, swimming, walking, biking and even canoeing. In Turtle Rock, you are just steps away from the ever-popular Legacy Trail, where you can bike, jog or rollerblade 11 miles to Venice. Whether you are an active adult, early retiree or have a young family, there is a home that is right for you. (More …)
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The Neighborhood Report – The Meadows
John Butzko
Tranquility awaits in The Meadows in Sarasota. Discover a range of available properties.
The Meadows is a country club community that was the original planned urban development in Sarasota. Along with an assortment of real estate styles from single-family homes to villas and townhouses, The Meadows features 54 holes of challenging golf and a dynamic tennis club. This is a very active time in The Meadows, as many of its residents are seasonal, and everyone is here now to enjoy the beautiful winter weather.
Market Activity – The Meadows
At this time, there are approximately 40 properties for sale in The Meadows with prices ranging from $125k to $1,150,000, so opportunities for all types of homes are present. Our Main Street office represents a number of available properties for sale in The Meadows, and our most recently completed transactions have been accomplished by Judy Nimz. (More …)
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In Praise of the Weather
Michael Saunders & Company
It was so cold last week you could almost feel your eyeballs freeze; which was a nice distraction from hearing your teeth chatter. We even overheard someone joke—at least we think it was a joke—that it was so cold they had to open the refrigerator to warm-up their condo.Then, just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. The nastiest blast of arctic cold in many years had the supreme bad manners to reserve itself for what might otherwise have been a typically lovely beach and swimsuit weekend.
To add insult to injury, we got no sympathy from our friends and families up north who can’t seem to find a single reason to feel compassion for people who don’t as a rule own winter coats or gloves. Truth be told, our plants and shrubs were bundled up against the frost better than most of us were.
Which brings us to why on earth we’re pausing today to praise our recent weather. Sure it was a surprisingly long spell of unusually cold weather—one that only occurs every two decades or so. But Minnesota it wasn’t.
We are so accustomed to dependably glorious winters in Southwest Florida that it takes one of these rare bouts of frigid weather to remind us just how great we have it. Luckily, we can take our fabulous winters for granted and be reasonably sure there’ll be others like it year after year. Not so, many of the other unique diversions that add so much to our region’s stellar reputation and quality of life.
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New Year's Resolution
Michael Saunders & Company
Sarasota’s real estate market traveled light years in 2009, compared with where it was this time last year; and where other Florida markets still are today. Even as ours is being recommended as the #1 best-priced housing market in the U.S.— by such real estate gurus as Barbara Corcoran for NBC’s Today Show and the market analysts at zillow.com—other major Florida markets, including Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami, are being dismissed as the nation’s most overpriced.
Last May, when Michael Saunders invited noted real estate expert Steve Harney to Sarasota to headline a company-wide assembly of our agents, he was very clear in his takeaway message. The only way to re-enervate our market is to educate sellers to back down from unrealistic price expectations born of an unrealistic boom. Using actual statistics culled from the Sarasota MLS, Harney showed the enormous gap between what homes are listed for and what buyers are actually willing to pay. He then challenged our agents to close the gap. “If not you,’ he boomed to the back row, “Then who? If agents from one of the most respected firms in the nation won’t take the lead, who will?”
Harney’s words had a seismic impact. By mid-June—some six weeks later—agents from Michael Saunders & Company had achieved more than $110.7 million in overall price reductions; with more happening every day since then. Moreover, they didn’t simply petition their sellers to lower prices, but came fortified with fresh market statistics to help their clients understand why such a move was vital to their best interests.
After that, the proverbial dam broke; unleashing months—even years—of pent-up buyer demand. Buyers in droves jumped eagerly off the fence to take advantage of these best-priced opportunities, while many also queued-up to take advantage of the first-time homebuyer tax credit that had recently been enacted into law. This past week the Sarasota Association of Realtors announced that overall sales for November 2009 were nearly 86 percent higher than last November. What a difference a year makes.
Asked by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune last week to identify which of our agents turned in the most impressive performances of 2009, the answer was a no-brainer. As shown on the graphs below, it was through the combined efforts of every one of our agents working diligently in a tough market that led Michael Saunders & Company to increase its commanding share of the Sarasota market among the five best-performing brokers. This holds true across all price ranges; but becomes particularly dramatic as the price range goes up. (Source: TRENDGRAPHIX: November 2009). As well, the agents in our Manatee County and Englewood offices have achieved similar across-the-board dominance of their respective markets. Call any of our agents to share additional in-depth information from TRENDGRAPHIX—an independent source for the latest in local market trends and information.
If you’re planning to sell your home in 2010 you should pay particular attention to the graph that depicts the percentage of “buyer sales by dollar volume.” It shows that agents from Michael Saunders & Company furnish the buyer for closed transactions as often as the next two competitors combined.
For the foreseeable future Southwest Florida will remain firmly entrenched in a buyers’ market where the best-priced properties will continue to sell, while the rest sit. Pricing as correctly and aggressively as possible is the best way to ensure your home attracts the most buyers. With the market’s largest share of buyers coming to us through every available portal—including michaelsaunders.com, our international brokerage affiliations and our referral division—the best resolution you can make if you’re planning to sell in the New Year is to contact an agent from Michael Saunders & Company.
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The Neighborhood Report – Siesta Key – Bay Island
John Butzko
Many homes on Bay Island offer stunning views over sparkling bay waters.
The gateway to Siesta Key, Bay Island is itself an island located on the key’s coveted northern end. Dissected by Siesta Drive, the waterfront homes of the north have views of Sarasota Bay, Bird Key and the striking Sarasota skyline. Bay Island is home to the three-acre Bay Island Park, a beautiful place to relax or throw out a fishing line enveloped by gorgeous vistas. As local area specialists, the agents of our Siesta Key office bring a wealth of Bay Island community experience and market knowledge to help homebuyers and sellers.
Bay Island – A Closer Look
The waterfront homes on the south side of Bay Island overlook Roberts Bay, Big and Little Edwards Islands and her rookeries. Both bodies of water, as well as the canals, offer quick access to the Gulf of Mexico using Big Pass. (More …)
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Human Resources
Michael Saunders & Company
As a company intent on providing the best possible customer service, we succeed in direct proportion to how well our agents can do their jobs. So its music to our ears when we hear newer agents, veteran agents—and former agents returning home from other companies—tell us how delighted they are to be where the best resources are. Here’s what some of them said when asked why they chose Michael Saunders & Company as their base for serving their clients and customers.Every Tuesday morning, scores of our agents pack a church hall in South Sarasota to preview the company’s newest listings, share ideas and professional secrets, welcome new agents; and generally discuss best practices for selling properties in today’s market. Each week, Michael weighs-in with new ideas and initiatives before they fan out to preview their colleagues’ newest listings, offer solid advice on proper pricing and generally support each other’s efforts to succeed on behalf of their clients.
At last week’s meeting, Michael enthusiastically welcomed Judy Arreola—a veteran top-producing agent—back to the fold after several years with another company. As her business partner, Kristina Talkie—who is joining MS&C for the first time—looked on, Judy rose to let everyone know why there’s no place like home.
“Wow, where do I begin,” she said. “Michael’s business practices, her professionalism, integrity and aptitude for the business are unparalleled in our profession. Michael is a local girl who truly cares about Sarasota, loves real estate and surrounds herself with the best marketing and technology teams in the business. Working with this outstanding woman is a golden opportunity.”
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Remarkable Sherwood Forest Home - Sarasota, FL
Holli Schleicher
The Michael Saunders & Company video team is pleased to present Marianne LeBar’s listing at 4745 Maid Marian Lane. This beautiful home is located in the Sherwood Forest Subdivision in Sarasota, FL.
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Play Ball
Michael Saunders & Company
Ed Smith Stadium
As they write the newest chapter in Sarasota’s 85-year history of hosting major league baseball’s annual rite of spring, the Baltimore Orioles carry on a tradition started long ago when the New York Giants—recruited with the help of John Ringling—first came to Sarasota in 1924, having just won back-to-back World Series in 1921 and 1922 and the National League pennant in 1923. Other teams that have called Sarasota home throughout the intervening years include the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds.
Although the official start of Spring Training is still more than three months away, the Baltimore Orioles fly into town on Saturday to participate in Family FanFest, at Ed Smith Stadium. The event—hosted in conjunction with The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau—marked the first official Sarasota welcome for the Orioles since July’s announcement that the team would move its spring training operations here.
“The Orioles are extremely excited to be a part of the Sarasota community, and this event is our first opportunity to meet many of our new neighbors,” said Greg Bader, the Orioles’ Director of Communications. “Our year-round partnership extends well beyond the traditional spring training season, as we look forward to demonstrating our commitment to the community in the weeks, months and years to come.”
While the Baltimore Orioles have a long and distinguished tradition of being deeply involved in the philanthropic lives of the communities they call home, Sarasota is already assured of a grand slam when the team takes the field at Ed Smith Stadium. Baseball is big business in Florida, and this year’s Grapefruit League play comes at a time when our local economy has rarely needed a bases-loaded home run more.
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