The Sarasota Market continued it's recovery in August with 928 homes going under contract (up 16.4% since last year), 894 going under contract (up 14% since a year ago) and active listings falling to 6,952 (down 3.2% since last year).
What is so significant about these figures is that our official "busy season" for real estate traditionally ends in May and doesn't pick up again until January. Instead, our market continues to out-perform 2008 by a healthy margin each month.
With home prices down to very affordable levels and interest rates still at record lows, you are witnessing the "perfect storm" for investing in Sarasota!
Sales of homes $400,000 and below are still driving the market today. But, just like a river beginning to fill up and flow again, the price point seeing most market activity is rising each month.
After a long drought in real estate, our "river" is finally filling from the bottom up!
Approximate Location Boundaries: Sarasota County
Location Characteristics: Sarasota offers her residents an outstanding quality of life, which lead CNN/Money Magazine to name Sarasota as "America's Best Small City" at one end of the spectrum and one of the country's top 8 "Best Places for Young Retirees" on the other.
Living in downtown Sarasota offers you a lifestyle comparable to that of a vibrant metropolis. With 12 theaters, 30 art galleries, an Art Museum, opera, the symphony, ballet and world-class entertainment at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center you will never lack for something to do.
Exceptional dining, trendy wine bars as well as a down-home farmer's market are yours to savor.
If your tastes run to wide-open vistas, uncrowded beaches, private communities, and great boating, golfing and tennis opportunities, Longboat Key is for you. The approximately 6-mile long island lies between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and has become an international destination as well as a favorite for visitors and residents from the U.S.
Longboat Key is adjacent to sophisticated St. Armand's on the south and quaint, quirky Anna Maria Island on the north. The entire length of the island is traversed by the Gulf of Mexico Drive, a scenic boulevard first started by John Ringling in 1925.
Siesta Key is the antithesis of Longboat. Here you will find a vibrant hum of activity everywhere you look, from Siesta Village with it's eclectic shops and wide selection of dining venues, to the powdery white sands of world-famous Crescent Beach, filled with happy beach-lovers below and high-flying kites above. Turtle Beach on the south end of the island is another favorite spot, with deeper waters for great swimming.
Here, along Midnight Pass Rd. and Beach Rd. you will find a myriad of resorts, many stretching from the Intercoastal Waterway to the Gulf, offering visitors access to the best of both worlds. If you explore the side streets, you'll find everything from gulf-front condominiums, to villas and apartments, to magnificent waterfront estates.
But wherever you go on Siesta Key, don't forget to catch the sunset over the Gulf, a sight of incredible beauty that visitors from the world over have taken home as a cherished memory of this special place.
Conveniently located just minutes from downtown and the beaches, Palmer Ranch offers a wide selection of lifestyles. From well designed single family homes to luxurious estates, maintenance-free villas to condominiums, Palmer Ranch has the right choice for your personal needs.
Although conceived on a grand scale, Palmer Ranch is a model of people-friendly residential development. Each of it's distinct communities offer a slightly different twist on the joy of living in Sarasota.
About Margaret Henkel:
Before joining Michael Saunders & Company, Margaret Henkel was a broker/co-owner of Remax Real Estate Services in Vermont and a top producer for Coldwell Banker Watson Realty, where she became a member of the International Diamond Society.
Margaret’s love affair with Sarasota spans 25 years. She and her husband, Jerry, became homeowners on Siesta Key in 2002.
She is thrilled to be associated with Michael Saunders & Company. “I believe in providing real estate service that surpasses expectations. Being associated with the undisputed top brokerage in the area gives me the opportunity to do just that for my customers.”
Margaret Henkel specializes in second home and residential properties.
These reports reflect the views and opinions of their authors and are not necessarily the views and opinions of Realty Times.
