From June 23 thru July 4 Sarasota Florida is a hotbed of activity.  The Grand Prix Festival has begun!  It all started Saturday, the 23rd with a Charity Golf Tournament at the Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club in an 18-hole Scramble format.  Afterwards, the party of all parties...the Festival Kickoff Party with silent and live auction.  Some of the other festivities leading up to the actual race include a Fishing Tournament that benefits the Physically & Mentally Challenged, The World's Largest Offshore Party sponsored by the Hyatt (that's on June 28th if you're insterested!).If you're into Parade's, on June 29th there's the Festival Parade of Boats on Main Street in downtown Sarasota and you'll also enjoy a great block party, a car show and the powerboats on display after the parade.On... 06/27/2007

Country Club Shores Located on the south part of Longboat Key sits the luxurious waterfront neighborhood of Country Club Shores. Most of the homes sit on water front canals or the wide open bay. The water is deep allowing larger boats and sailboats. Boaters can reach the Gulf of Mexico within just a few minutes via south of Longboat Key through New Pass. Currently in June of 2007 there are over 60 homes for sale in Country Club Shores. This is a fabulous time to be a buyer for this neighborhood. Canal front homes here are starting in the $700k to $800k range. There are plenty of good opportunities here for buyers who have vision and a longer term time horizon. Please visit my website if you would like to see everything available for sale in Country Club Shores.   06/21/2007

Bird Key offers residents some of the best boating water in Sarasota, Florida. The key is conveniently located just over the bridge from downtown Sarasota. In the photo above you can see the bridge going over to Lido Key and St. Armands Circle. Residents could easily take a bike ride over to the beach or to downtown Sarasota. Bird Key consists of just over 500 homes with a yacht club and is primarily occupied by professionals, retirees, doctors, lawyers and CEO's. Bird Key Homes The island was primarily developed in the 1960's. Many of the homes on the island were from this era. However, with the land and location so desirable numerous homes have been demolished to make way for luxury waterfront new residences. The bay front homes offer spectacular views of the Sarasota bay. Many of th... 06/15/2007

I live by what I would say is the most beautiful beach in the world, Siesta Key Beach I hope that everyone in their lifetime is able to visit this beautiful white sand beach on Florida's gulf coast, fantastic place to visit, get married or if you are one of the lucky ones live on! I just thought I would share this piece of Florida with you, Sarasota Florida is a beautiful place to live. SarasotaFL Sarasota.com - Sarasota Florida where award winning beaches meet culture, art and great weather.Siesta Key Weddings  06/15/2007

Casey Key is a tropical barrier island located about 15 miles south of Sarasota. Close to all of the amenities of Sarasota but far enough to get away from it all. The island is made up of mostly single family homes. You won't find massive condo buildings on the island. Many of the homes are gulf to bay estates with gorgeous ocean and bay views. Casey Key homes allow owners to be within just a few steps of the ocean and to their boat in the rear of the home. Those of you wanting to get away from the hustle bustle will appreciate the "Old Florida" feel to Casey Key. 06/13/2007

The photo above is the 1350 Main condominiums in downtown Sarasota. There are many wonderful opportunities for today's downtown Sarasota condo buyer. With the recent boom of condo and retail projects the downtown area of Sarasota has blossomed into a thriving and energetic town. We still have the small town feel but enjoy many of the amenities of the big city. Known as the "cultural capital" of the west coast of Florida, Sarasota has a multitude of arts, culture and entertainment. For more information on homes or condos in downtown Sarasota call me at 941-812-6272. 06/12/2007

Would you like to use a map to search for property? About a year ago I introduced a Google map property search on my website that allows you to search properties on the Sarasota MLS. This is a great tool for not only searching for property but seeing where the property is located in relation to schools, beaches, shopping, highways, downtown Sarasota, golf courses and restaurants. Take a look and tell me what you think. 06/08/2007

Like other assets, the price of real estate is determined by supply and demand. One way to determine the health of a real estate market is to track inventory levels of properties for sale. If the number of properties for sale is high and demand is low there will be downward pressure on prices. On the flipside, if there are few properties for sale and strong demand prices will rise. It is the basic law of supply and demand. Home sellers are quick to adjust to a rising market by establishing a higher sales price but very reluctant to admit to a declining market and lower their prices. Here are inventory levels for the Sarasota, Florida real estate market. I track homes and condos for sale in Sarasota, Longboat Key, Lido Key, Casey Key, Bird Key, Siesta Key, Osprey, Nokomis and Lakewood Ra... 06/08/2007

Can you imagine lounging on this covered patio overlooking the gorgeous blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico? Sarasota is blessed with a variety of waterfront properties to please just about anyone. One can find properties on the beach, bay, canal, lake or river in the Sarasota area. It just depends on your preference and budget. As of June 2007: Condos on the beach start in the $300,000's. Condos on the beach with a gorgeous view of the ocean start in the $600,000's. I recently sold a gorgeous Longboat Key condo on the beach with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, totally remodeled with stunning ocean views for $795,000. Homes on the beach in Sarasota start in the high $1 millions. Bay front homes with boat access start around $1.5 million. Bay front homes with premium views and water depth start a... 06/08/2007

Who likes to tarpon fish? There are tarpon running offshore currently in Sarasota, Florida. Living in the resort beach town of Sarasota, Florida has it's perks. Every summer residents who enjoy fishing can go offshore and try catching one of these monsters. They run just off the beach and you can see groups of them cutting the water this time of year. Many of them are over 100 pounds and provide a long tiring fight. I took a half day off and went fishing for them this morning at 6 a.m.  We saw probably 15 groups of them but none of them were hungry. Residents who own waterfront property in Sarasota can hop in their boat and enjoy a day of tarpon fishing this time of year. 06/08/2007

   All you chowhounds out there take note.  Come to Sarasota this week and, I think until the 10th of June and you can eat at some of the finest restaurants in town for $25.00.  That includes an appetizer, main dish and a desert.  Yes, it's Savor Sarasota week. You may not know this, but Sarasota, FL is a food mecca.  Some of the finest restaurants I have ever eaten in are located in Sarasota FL.  The Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau initiated this 10 day event in order to bring more attention to the fact that Sarasota is a foodie destination!  Tonight, Jack and I ate at the Vernona Restaurant at the Ritz Carlton.  For the appetizer, I had white asparagus bisque, which was impeccable.  The main dish was short ribs which literally melted in your mouth and exploded with flavor and ... 06/02/2007

This Bird Key home was a very smart buy. Situated on a protected canal this waterfront home offers spectacular views of the Sarasota intercoastal. Residents of the highly sought after area of Bird Key can take a 2 minute drive west to St. Armands Circle on Lido Key or a 2 minute drive east into downtown Sarasota for entertainment, drinks, dining and shopping. The beautifully appointed interior features include an entertainment bar, a large theatre/media room with wet bar, ambience lighting, bamboo/marble flooring, an elevator services all floors and much more. This luxury home was listed by SKY Sotheby's International Realty and sold May 31st, 2007 for $2,150,000.   06/02/2007

Two real estate experts went on record last week saying that the worst is over for the Sarasota real estate market. Lawrence Yun, the Managing Director of Quantitative Research at the National Association of REALTORS stated that the current softness in the Southwest Florida real estate markets will only last another 6 to 12 months. "Do not bet against this region," he said. "In the long term, Sarasota will have faster home price growth than the rest of the country." Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness, issued a report stating in the opening sentence: "For those with a house on the market, there's good news, the worst is over." I agree with these experts.  The Sarasota real estate market really hit the wall about July of 200... 06/02/2007

Yeah, if I seem like I'm speaking through my teeth, it's because it's "Actively Raining" those awful Florida LOVE BUGS here in Sarasota FL.  Today is the worse day.  Went kayaking up to Midnight Pass and the love bugs were as thick as smoke there.  There, we were afraid to open our mouths to talk, so we silently ran over the grassy hump and jumped into the Gulf.  Fortunately, out in the open water, they are not so bad.  At least the things don't bite.  For any of you who've never seen them, they are little black creature with a tiny bit of red on their tip and they are always mating.  Once they mate, they die, so their existence is short lived.  The swarm of love bugs comes to the area twice a year and usually lasts for 1-1/2 to 2 weeks.  Then they're gone till next time.  Besides being... 05/28/2007

This home in the exclusive neighborhood of Harbor Acres sold recently for $7.3 million. It sets a record for the neighborhood. The 10,500-square-foot mansion features 6 bedrooms, a home theater, an outdoor kitchen and entertainment area, a private dock and postcard-perfect views of Sarasota Bay and the John Ringling Causeway. Unfortunately, I did not represent the buyer or seller in this transaction.  ;-) Is your market more or less expensive?  Sarasota, FL real estate 05/27/2007

April sales were good in Sarasota. In fact, Sarasota was the only places in Florida where the sales numbers were good. Existing home sales activity were up 16 percent compared with a year earlier. It was the only market in Florida to have a positive sales growth for April. The median sales price for homes dropped by 2 percent. Many view the price erosion started in the summer of 2005 may be finally leveling off and bottoming out. We have been in this down slide for nearly 2 years now. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune in Sarasota-Bradenton 796 existing homes sold last month compared with 685 homes sold a year ago for a 16 percent increase. The market's median sales price for homes was $294,800; it was $302,100 in April 2006 for a 2 percent decrease. A total of 333 existing condos... 05/26/2007

On May 18th, 2007 SKY Sotheby's International Realty and J.P. King teamed up to sell a portfolio of luxury properties via auction. The auction was held at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Sarasota, Florida. Over 300 people attended the exciting event which was the areas largest luxury home portfolio auction ever presented in a single swoop. The largest transaction in the auction was a mansion in Lakewood Ranch. The 14 acre, 7 bedroom, 11,000 square foot home with a 22 stall barn sold for $6,000,000. The buyers also had to pay a 15% buyer premium so the buyer actually paid $6.9 million. Typically, properties will sell before, at and after the auction. The president of SKY Sotheby's International Realty predicts that ultimately a total of about $32 million dollars of property will have sold. ... 05/25/2007

Hank Fishkind, one of Florida's most watched economist, predicted that the residential housing market in Sarasota will rebound in 2008 and 2009.  Fishkind spoke at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club recently to Realtors, builders, lenders and other industry experts. Fishkind predicted that Sarasota will burn off excess inventory this year, and that sales will improve in 2008 and 2009. This prediction seems logical to me. Home prices in the Sarasota area have dropped roughly 20% to late 2004 levels, interest rates remain to be low, property taxes and insurance relief will hopefully happen in 2007. If Florida's property taxes and insurance rates drop Sarasota homes will become much more affordable. This should buoy the market. Properties that show well, are marketed well and priced well stan... 05/25/2007

I just sold this lovely 3 bedroom, 3 bathrooms home in Sarasota, Florida. This Bent Tree home has 3209 square feet and sits on a large lake and has almost an acre.  A young family with 2 small children purchased the home. The home was dated and in need of some updating. The new owners plan on renovating the home. Bent Tree Woodlands I is a very desirable family neighborhood in east Sarasota. It is a gated community with grand home sites and large lakes throughout the community. Prices in the neighborhood start at $400,000 and go up to about $1,500,000. If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Sarasota give me a call at 941-812-6272. 05/25/2007

Today is Friday, the first day of the 2007 Memorial Day Holiday.  The traffic on Ringling Blvd is picking up and parking spaces are getting to be a premium on St Armands Circle.  The bay is a brilliant turqouis, the breeze is picking up and windsurfers are making their appearance.  Stonecrab season is over, but blue crabs are plentiful!  Foot traffic is picking up and there are more and more visitors seriously looking at this marvelous community. Business for Michael Saunders and Company is up and we see continued growth as snowbirds and retirees look for a home in paradise, also known as the Gulf Coast and Sarasota and the barrier islands.  As of today there are 46 homes listed for sale on Lido Key.  While most are new construction or significant remodels, there are a few opportunities... 05/25/2007