Sarasota Real Estate Corner

Siesta Key for Under $400,000?

The economy makes acquisition of affordable condos on Siesta Key possible.

It is hard not to fall in love with Siesta Key.   The inspiring white sand of Siesta Beach, the many shades of the water and the atmosphere in Siesta Village entice people to stay. Dreams become a reality without wings until they start looking at property prices near this nationally renowned beach.    Currently, there are 366 properties available on Siesta Key for under $400,000. The majority are condominiums, with only 1 single famiy home and 7 villas available at less than $400,000 list.   The average property in this price range is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condominium of approximately 1,000 square feet. Almost all are near one of the Key's fine beaches, though distance to the Village can vary.   In the past 30 days, the average sold price …

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Former Mayor Escorted From Commission Meeting

The director of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, and former mayor, Richard Martin was escorted out of City Hall after refusing to adhere to speaking time limits.

Before being escorted out of City Hall, Richard Martin told Mayor Suzanne Atwell, "You can gavel me out." Martin, a former city mayor and current Executive Director of the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, said he was tired of the city's actions against the homeless in Sarasota.  "This commission meeting and my tax dollars have all been focused on punishing, prohibiting poor people," Martin said. "People that are homeless have lost their jobs and lost their homes. Frankly, I’m ashamed that this agenda has focused so much on elite and the rich and the powerful and punishing the poor and the powerless."  The items/ordinances that Martin was speaking to were the removal of park benches at Five Points, a city-wide parks smoking ban, …

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SRQ Gets Real

Urban Living: You Don't Need A Lot of Space

Here are five wonderful, quaint condos for sale near downtown Sarasota. All are less than $200,000.

Many people's property expectations and desires have shrunk over the past three or four years.  Fewer and fewer are demanding 5,000 sq ft houses and more and more are looking for just enough.   For people who spend only a few short weeks in Sarasota, instead of an entire season or year, a centrally located small condo can mean a great deal.  And with prices so low at the moment, there are great purchasing opportunities for less than $200,000.   Four out of the five small condos do not have swimming pools, keeping the monthly condo fees lower than most. However, the sterling locations of these five one bedroom / one bath condo homes pictured scream "buy me!".  Firstly, at only $129,000 in the New Orleans complex on South Palm, is an older …

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SRQ Gets Real

Decrease in April Home Sales Nothing to Worry About

Despite slower April sales, the market continues to show signs of stabilizing as inventory decreases.

Closings for Sarasota residential real estate showed a 9 percent decrease in April compared to March. The decrease, however, is not indicative of a destabilization again in the market but rather an annual trend. March typically is the peak month each year for property sales in Sarasota. A total of 474 residential properties were closed in April compared to 519 in March 2011. One year ago, the closings for April were 500, a decrease of only 6%. The bulk of the sales were in single-family homes, with 257 closings, followed closely by condo sales of 143 units. Of the condos, a penthouse at the Ritz Carlton residences sold within one day of reaching the market, selling for $4,000,000.   Distressed closings (short sales and foreclosures) were …

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