My sincere thoughts and prayers for the victims of the earthquakes and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. It’s been a nail-biting season, but remember that hurricanes are cyclical. We always go through a few years where we see many, and then it stops for several years. This part of west coast Florida has not had a direct hit since hurricane records were kept beginning in the mid-1800’s. Is it because of the 30’ sandbar off the coast, or the old Indian legend that this area is “protected” and that is why early settlers came here? Google “Herald Tribune the Legend of Sarasota Storm Protection.”
Michael Saunders & Company Realtors worked very hard to get furniture moved in at properties we have on the market, and then went back in to check for damages, take photos, and clean up “freezer melt” on the floors. Our Rental Division moved furniture in for 400 homes. On the gulf side of Siesta Key Beach, there was minimal damage—mostly limbs and branches, a true miracle. One former Buyer asked me to check his condo in Peppertree, and there was a little water intrusion above the lanai windows. I have a unit under contract in Excelsior with a direct gulf view, and there was no water intrusion. Hurricane Irma’s winds came in Sarasota from the east, so the properties facing the beach (west) did not have direct hits, so our beautiful white sand beach is still intact.
I evacuated with Burt Reynolds (my cocker spaniel dog--photo below) to north Georgia, but my family stayed here until the last minute. Even though we suffered no damage to our homes, I still know the panic, fearing for the lives of family, teammates, and friends who chose to ride out the storm; grabbing important papers, a few photos, and driving 35 miles an hour for a 16-hour trip that should have taken 8 hours. My family has a cabin on Lake Hartwell in North Georgia, which they offered to me. My first thought was, “Of course, I won’t stay here, I’ll be happy to stay in your beautiful lake cabin.” But the guilt of enjoying their place while they faced the danger of Hurricane Irma got to me, and I cried most of the way to Georgia and the next few days until I knew they were out of Florida and safe. What I fear now is that Sarasotans have a false sense of security and won’t evacuate when the next storm is expected. And I learned a lot about my customers, friends and family who offered their homes and others across the country who were concerned and checked in. Thank you all!
Many people are still without power here; in Cherokee Park, huge trees fell on power lines and need to be removed by cranes before electricity can be restored. New properties on the east coast are built to hurricane standards to withstand winds of 180 mph but the west coast standard for new construction is 160 mph. Our new Edgewater condos are built to east-coast standards. Two days before the storm, we had two new reservations at the new Grand condominiums. A Buyer walked away from a transaction for a gulf-front property, and then came back after the storm and offered $250,000 less, and the Seller accepted it. We are expecting a surge in new construction sales because people who went to shelters for days vow that they will never do that again. Homeowners will be installing hurricane windows and buying hurricane shutters. Will the cost of new homes increase because of building materials needed to repair the homes in Florida?
Here are 11 apps to keep people in the know and help them cope with Hurricane Irma:
Redcross.org/mobile-apps/hurricane-app (alerts, ways to connect with family/friends).
NOAA Radar US (weather radar images).
Weather Underground (weather app).
Waze (traffic and road conditions).
Tracker.gasbuddy.com (finding available gas).
Zello (free walkie-talkie).
Snap Map (Snapchat – sharing your location).
Nextdoor (Neighbors helping neighbors).
WhatsApp (Fast, simple, secure messaging).
Firechat (communicate with people around you).
Headspace (Yoga).
The west coast of Florida is open for business! We are recommending that Sellers get a 4-point inspection of their homes which includes plumbing, electrical, and the roof.
Sarasota’s Palmer Ranch new construction! There are TEN new home communities within a five-mile radius of zip code 34238, and this is inland about 15 miles from Siesta Key Beach and Nokomis Beach.
Linda’s List – Properties listed by Michael Saunders & Company; go to www.LindaHrealtor.com and enter the MLS number below that begins with “A” in the home search field:
A4190275 - 144 N. Casey Key Road. 4BR 5BA $4.5 million “House of Dreams.”
A4195593 – 5772 Ivrea Drive in Village Walk, 2BR 2BA, $325k, kitchen and master updated.
A4194773, 3940 Wilshire Cir E., Lakeshore Village, 2BR 2BA, $262K, immaculate and updated.
Thank you for reading my blog, please don’t text and drive, and remember those whose lives have been torn apart in Texas, Mexico, south Florida, and the Caribbean with the recent storms and earthquakes. I’m at 941-914-4914, www.LindaHrealtor.com, so please call me if I can assist you with your real estate needs in Sarasota, Venice, or Siesta Key on Florida’s west coast.
Most sincerely yours,
LindaLinda Holley and Burt Reynolds
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