Sarasota Real Estate News

Today in Sarasota, Florida, there are 1,172 homes under contract (pending) up from 1,123 last week.  In the past seven days, 478 homes pending were sold.  A total of 1,034 have sold since January 1, 2020.  It's a HOT market here today.

Inventory is very low, so if you are thinking of listing your home, now is the time.

One fast-selling community is Sara Sands on Siesta Key with single family homes built on deep water canals. Boaters have easy access to Roberts Bay, the Gulf, and Intracoastal Waterway. Homes have 100' to 250' of waterfront with private pools overlooking the water. Siesta Key village and the beach are just a five-minute bike ride away. 

Those under contract today in Sara Sands are listed from $1.2 to $1,3 million, all remodeled, and most were under contract in ten days or less.  See photos below.

Your seasoned Sarasota, Florida. real estate expert is Linda Holley, Realtor, GRI, 941-914-4914 - here to help you with your real estate needs in Sarasota, on Siesta Key, or Venice. 

LindaHrealtor.com   LindaHrealtor.com/blog. 

Photos are from 5120 Windward Ave. Siesta Key, FL 34242, listed by Michael Saunders & Company.

1723 Bay Street is the most reasonably priced 4-bedroom large single family pool home on the market today in downtown Sarasota.  At $775,000, it's a great deal in an amazing neighborhood "west of the trail."  Comparable homes in Hudson Bayou are listed at $899,000 and $1 million.  (more photos below). 

Walk to Selby Gardens, Burns Court, Towles Court Art District, the post office, downtown shops and restaurants, and Island Park.  Located just 15 minutes from Siesta Key and Lido Beach, and in the Southside Elementary School district. 

This 1925 Gadsby-era home has a new roof, modern kitchen and new bathrooms; yet, the charm of heart of pine floors, wood ceilings, beautiful plate glass windows, fireplace in the foyer, claw bathtub, and courtyard surrounded by a brick wall show the best features of new home construction of the roaring 20's.  It was built by Leon Picket, the advance agent for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus, a construction engineer for John Ringling.  Leon's brother, Charles, the Sarasota City Engineer, built his own home next door. 

The heated pool and spa are surrounded by a tropical garden setting and large areas for outdoor entertaining.  Such a beautiful, fun home, with its own history.  It is zoned for multi-family...so was it once a bed and breakfast?  Who knows? 

Call me if I can answer questions about this home, listed by Team Dunn.

Linda Holley, Realtor, GRI, 941-914-4914, Michael Saunders & Co.

VillageWalk and 7548 Pesaro Drive, Palmer Ranch, Sarasota, Florida, 34238.

7548 Pesaro Drive is a 2-bedroom, 2-bath maintenance-free villa with volume ceilings, two-car garage, and a central vacuum system.  This home has a privacy fence, and it's on a quiet tree canopy-lined street very convenient to the back gate.  The HVAC and water heater are newer and there are plenty of storage closets for those desiring to live here year-round. 

The large utility room has very nice overhead cabinets plus an extra large storage closet.    

VillageWalk Trivia:  Just 15 minutes from Siesta Key Beach, the #1 beach in the USA, near the Legacy Bike Trail, fabulous restaurants, YMCA, Costco, and in the Riverview High School district.  

Palmer Ranch is a newer, upscale community between Sarasota and Venice with many new homes in all price ranges, offering full-time and seasonal residents an active and healthy lifestyle.  VillageWalk is a self-contained village with a manned security guard 24 hours a day.    Built by Divosta in 2002-2003, this resort-style village offers lap & lagoon pools, six Har-Tru lighted tennis courts, state-of-the-art fitness center, gas station, Cafe', gift shop, and even a hair salon.   So much to do here!

VillageWalk has close to 1,200  single family homes, town homes, and villas.  About 200 original owners are still there today. 

In the past six months, 58 homes have sold or are under contract, and half of the sales are villas.  Contact Linda Holley, Team Dunn, 941-914-4914, for an appointment to see the lovely villa at 7548 Pesaro Drive in Sarasota, Florida.

Most sincerely yours,

Linda Holley, Realtor, GRI, Team Dunn,

Michael Saunders & Company, Siesta Key, FL

Doctor Beach has ranked Siesta Key as #1 in the USA!!  5302 Cape Leyte in Siesta Isles subdivision, just a 10-minute walk to the public beach, is now under contract listed at $611,000, no pool, sold to Canadian investors.  For homes off Siesta Key but near the beach, consider Gulf Gate, only a five-minute drive to Siesta Key. 

Gulf Gate subdivision has mostly 2-bedroom block homes built in the early 1960’s. The average price is $250,000 without a pool, for 1,556 sq. ft.    One-third of the recent sales were cash.

Gulf Gate Woods is ten years newer, built in the early 1970’s with mostly 3-bedroom block homes; homes sell for an average of $312,000 (half had pools) for 1,800 square feet.  More people are financing homes in Gulf Gate Woods since it’s more costly than Gulf Gate subdivision; only one-fourth of the recent sales were cash. 

Ready for an adventure?  Visit Crowley Nursery, east of I-75 at the end of Fruitville Road.  You’ll want to put this in your GPS because the last two miles are on two dirt roads.  It’s so fun, you’ll pass several horse farms and I recommend that you stop and get some farm fresh eggs, herbs, and local honey; just watch for the signs.  Crowley Nursery is a five-acre master gardener’s dream with hundreds of varieties of tropical plants.  I left with several flowering, fragrant plants for my lanai, about half the price of Home Depot or Walmart.  Mrs. Crowley is an organic gardener; this is country and they have a very clean out house for customers.  J

Thanks for reading my blog and call me at 941-914-4914 if I can assist you in your Sarasota, Gulf Gate, or Siesta Key real estate needs. 

Most sincerely yours,

Linda Holley, Realtor, GRI

PRICE REDUCTION!  5302 Cape Leyte Drive, walk to Siesta Beach.  2 BR 2BA with den on large lot, now $619K, Open House Sunday, April 2, 1-4 p.m.

JUST SOLD!  New 4BR pool home in Venice to an Indiana family, very savvy Buyers, a real estate family.  We met at my Open House in 2015 at the Country Club of Sarasota, when they were in town visiting friends.  Their plan was to relocate to Sarasota the summer of 2016.    They did everything right – here’s how:  

1. Found their Realtor (me!) at an Open House in Sarasota and told me their plan.
2. Obtained loan pre-approval from MSC Mortgage so they knew how much they wanted to spend.
3. Thoroughly researched the Sarasota real estate market through MLS listings I sent--plus their own exploring on Zillow, and Trulia.
4. Got their home ready to sell, priced it right, and it sold very quickly.
5. We visited Sarasota and Venice new homes and resales last summer, comparing locations, schools, and amenities.
6. Educated themselves about the area schools.
7. Chose Venice, Florida, a smaller but fast-growing town with a great restaurants, beach, good schools, offering larger homes at affordable prices.
8. Realized that they did not need to live on a golf course.
9. Chose a subdivision with very easy access to I-75, so they could be in Sarasota to work and visit friends in just 20 minutes.
10. Decided to buy a new home during the construction phase; found the floor plan and lot for a pool home.
11. Negotiated and re-negotiated with builder on incentives.
12. Once under contract, immediately obtained a pool sketch from a pool contractor. Oops! Due to a setback, there was not room for a regular size pool, contrary to what we were told by the on-site agent. Cancelled the contract and found a larger lot that would accommodate their desired floor plan with a lap pool.
13. Rented two different furnished homes in Venice until they closed on March 30th.  This was not easy but they followed their intuition and it all worked out for them.  So happy!
14. Kept an eye on the construction progress and discovered that the wrong kitchen back splash was installed. Mistake corrected by the builder.
15. They are in their new home, and husband is on his way from Indiana to Sarasota driving a truck with their furniture that has been in storage since August.

Linda’s List:

A4180498 - 5302 Cape Leyte Drive, in Siesta Isles, Siesta Key, 2BR 2BA den, garage, many updates, newer kitchen cabinets, HVAC, turnkey furnished, approx. 1/3 of an acre, walk to Siesta Beach, impeccably maintained, 1,649 sq ft, reduced to $619,000. 

A4179716 – 4871 Tivoli Ave, off University Parkway, Longwood Villas, near University Town Center Mall and Sarasota Bradenton Airport, 3BR 2BA villa with garden view, updates, 1,990 sq ft, $310,000. 

A4165887 – 800 N. Tamiami Trail #815, Alinari, 2BR 2BA condo overlooking Sarasota Bay downtown, 1,323 sq ft, $525,000.   

Go to my home page www.LindaHrealtor.com and enter the MLS number beginning with “A” in the home search field to see photos and more information. I’m here to help you negotiate the best deal possible, so don’t hesitate to contact me at 941-914-4914 if I can answer any Sarasota real estate questions.  Email me at LindaHRealtor@gmail.com if you would like to be added to my weekly blog posts about Sarasota real estate.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Most sincerely yours,

Linda Holley

Realtor, GRI

Michael Saunders & Company

Linda’s List!  This week, there are three must-see properties on my list.  The first is my Open House today at 5302 Cape Leyte Drive on Siesta Key, Sarasota, Florida 34242 from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m.  $639,000. Photos are on my website www.LindaHrealtor.com.   Single family home is centrally located between Siesta public beach (rated the number one beach in the USA) and the Village, in the heart of Siesta Isles.  This 2-bedroom plus den or home office has an open floor plan and a beautiful view all the way from the front door to the back yard--a tropical dream with 22 mature palm trees on nearly one-third of an acre.   Den or home office also serves as a guest room with a sleeper sofa.   This home boasts of a garage and large, east-facing front patio to enjoy the morning sun and west-facing eat-in kitchen, den or home office overlooking a covered screened lanai with two concrete decks for beautiful, relaxing sunset views, and perfect place to entertain.  Plenty of room for a pool or addition.  Other features:  large walk-in closet in the master bedroom and many updates to include wood cabinetry in the kitchen, hurricane windows, new hurricane garage door, and a newer AC.   Very warm with welcoming plenty of storage space to keep your household items and tools organized.  VERY CLEAN and turnkey furnished – a must-see!  Deed restrictions make Siesta Isles a very appealing location to call home.   CORRECTION MY LAST BLOG:  The porch/back lanai is screened, not glass, and this single family home has hurricane windows.  MLS A4180498

1753 Dawn Street, 2BR condo, walk to Crescent beach on Siesta, beautifully updated, $210,000. Furniture optional.   MLS A4180000 Listed by Michael Saunders & Company

554 Dove Pointe, Oaks Golf and Country Club in Osprey, FL, 3,509 sq ft pool home, listed for $979,000.  4BR plus den, spacious kitchen, quality finishes, expansive outdoor living area.  MLS A4179513 Listed by Michael Saunders and Company.

Please go to my website:  www.LindaHrealtor.com and search for these properties by entering the MLS number in the home search field.

VA Loans!  Did you know…?

I can help military members and veterans find their new home, negotiate a deal, and refer them to lenders who know how to process these loans?

- 75 percent of military families say that owning a home is one of the most important things to them when they return home from service.

- Most military members and veterans do not quality for conventional loans due to the down payment requirement. 

- VA loans have lower closing costs, lower interest rates, and flexible underwriting. 

- Members serving in the Reserves or National Guard are eligible for VA loans after 6 years of duty.

- They may borrow up to $417,000 without a down payment in most parts of the country.

- They can use their VA loans multiple times and they can have multiple VA loans at the same time depending on the amount of the entitlement used in the first home. 

- There are no pre-payment penalties.

- It’s important to connect with a lender who understands the different rules and how they are applied--and to work with a realtor who knows what closing costs the veteran may and may not pay.  That’s important when negotiating the best deal with Sellers!

- The VA backed 630,000 loans in 2013, up 370 percent from 2007!!  That is simply awesome!

- The VA Centers in Sarasota are looking for volunteers so if you have a few hours a week to spare, this is a very worthwhile way to give back to our veterans.

Have an awesome week and do call me at 941-914-4914 if I can assist you with home buying or selling in Sarasota, Palmer Ranch, Siesta, or Venice, Florida.   Need a good realtor outside of this area?  I’ll connect you with the best through our Relocation Department.

Most sincerely yours,

Linda Holley, Realtor, GRI

Good morning!  I want to tell you about our award winning website, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and my Siesta Key Open Houses this weekend.

MichaelSaunders.com was named “best overall” website in the real estate industry by a panel of technology and marketing experts, plus and our mobile site is also #1!   I encourage you to take a look at our website and the features to search for homes by communities and lifestyle.  

Michael Saunders and Company beat out many of the largest national real estate brokerages, as determined by REAL Trends real estate analysis publishing company.    
See http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150831/ARTICLE/150839971/0/search