Should Sarasota Florida Be In Your Future

Here’s an interesting statistic, we found recently. There are 78 million baby boomers in the U.S., and professionals predict that one-sixth of them will spend at least part of their lives in Florida. That means that there are almost 13 million people who need to be considering whereabouts they would like to settle in the State of Florida in the next decade.

When those future residents look for the most attractive places to live in Florida, we're betting the Sarasota – Bradenton – Lakewood Ranch area will be high on their list of “most attractive places.” Here’s why:

For starters, Americans Style Magazine ranked Sarasota 5th and Bradenton 10th on it’s list of the “Top 25 Small Cities.” Money Magazine listed Sarasota among the “Nation’s 15 Most Livable Communities” calling it a city with the charm of a smaller southern town with the conveniences of a big city. CNBC said Sarasota Florida is one of the “Most Popular Retirement Destinations.” And, AARP Magazine listed the Sarasota – Bradenton area as one of the four “Best Places To Reinvent Your Life.”

For golfers, the greater Sarasota Florida metropolitan area has over 80 golf courses ranging from public courses to semi-private and private courses which will challenge every level of play. Many of these golf courses lie within master-planned golf course communities like Lakewood Ranch. Residents of the Lakewood Ranch golf course community enjoy a casual, yet comfortable, lifestyle in a community of ten neighborhoods with homes and condos spanning a fairly wide range of sizes with prices ranging from the mid $200′s to over $2 million.

For lovers of the sun and surf, there are 35 miles of white sand beaches stretching from Anna Maria Island on the north to Venice and Northport on the south. Siesta Key beach was voted the “Top Beach in the U.S.” in 2011, with the softest, whitest quartz sand in the world. And for lovers, nowhere in this world will you find more romantic sunsets than along the beaches for the Florida West Coast.

The area is known as “Florida’s Cultural Coast”, home to the renowned Ringling Art Museum, Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Ballet, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Asolo Theater as well as many art galleries, jazz clubs and local theater groups like the Manatee Players in Bradenton and the Little Theater in Venice. Downtown Sarasota offers dozens of upscale shops and restaurants. And no one disputes the charm of the eclectic shops at famous St Armands Circle. For a less formal experience, Village of the Arts is a vibrant artist community in Bradenton.

Sailing enthusiasts, powerboat owners, scuba divers and fishermen spend relaxing times on the warm waters of Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Some waterfront communities even offer deep water marinas, yacht clubs and fishing docks.

Sarasota and Manatee County schools serve over 80,000 students in both public and privates schools. Nearly 80% of Sarasota teachers have post-bachelor degree training. Two-thirds of our high school graduates go on to college; many at local colleges including University of South Florida – Sarasota, USF – New College, Ringling School of Art & Design, University of Sarasota, Eckerd College, and The State College of Florida – Manatee – Sarasota.

If your youngsters, or grand children, enjoy educational experiences, they, and you, will enjoy the G.Wiz Science Museum, the Sarasota Jungle Gardens and the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota and the South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium in Bradenton. Just up the road in Tampa, the world-renowned Florida Aquarium offers a truly unique experience. All offer informative displays and tours attractive to kids “of all ages.”

Sarasota, Bradenton and our Island Keys, Longboat, Lido, Siesta and Casey Key offer the widest possible variety of residential living spaces from downtown high-rise condos, penthouses and town homes to golf course communities and waterfront communities in price ranges to fit every desire you may have.

Whether you're a “snowbird,” a one-time visitor, a professional, or an employee being relocated to the fast-growing Florida West Coast, you should get to know the Sarasota - Bradenton - Lakewood Ranch area on Florida's Sun Coast. This may, in fact, be "the place you'll want to call home" right now or in the future.

Would you like to know more about the Sarasota Florida real estate market in general, or the cultural, shopping or recreational amenities of Sarasota ? We know that Judie Berger, a well-known specialist in Sarasota Luxury Homes would be happy to send you her free Sarasota Florida Real Estate Information Package. Or, if you prefer, call her directly at (941) 928-3424.

Sarasota home sales remain strong during normally weak summer months

The Sarasota Association of Realtors reported a slight drop in single-family home and condo sales in June in the metro Sarasota and Manatee County area. 728 homes and condo sales closed during June compared to 796 in May.

Two positive signs of the overall health of the Sarasota real estate market were (1) that the median sales price for single-family homes, at $175,000, was the highest level in over a year and (2) the inventory of homes for sale dropped to the lowest level in over a decade.

According to Bob Henley, Sarasota Realtor, "in four of the six months of 2011 to date, Sarasota real estate sales have exceeded the 700 level." Pending sales of 754 in June were also down slightly from the May level of 841 reflecting the area’s typical seasonal slowdown as snow birders return home.

There were 510 single-family home and 218 condo closings in June. The current level of home sales is the strongest it has been since the real estate boom of 2003-2005. June's real estate sales volume reflect a high level of buyer interest; close to the mini-boom level that occurred during the Federal Homebuyer Tax Credit incentive program last year.

The total available inventory of properties for sale dropped to 4,830, the equivalent of 5.9 months of inventory of single-family homes and 8.2 months of condominium inventory both far below the highs of 25.3 months for single-family homes in early 2009 and 41.7 months of condominium inventory in late 2008. A 6 month level of inventory is considered to be the point at which buyer and seller interest are in equilibrium. “It is encouraging to see how the Sarasota real estate market has continued its strong momentum in the face of continuing weakness in the national and state economies,” said Sarasota Association of Realtors President, Michael Bruno. “The inventory of available properties, which is lower than it has been since the 1990s, is a very important statistic," he said. Historically, a reduction in the inventory of homes for sale leads to increased prices as buyers begin once again to "compete" for the most attractive properties.

The percentage of distressed sales (short sales and foreclosures) was 38% in June compared to the high point of 51% in November, 2010.

"All of this points to a Sarasota real estate market continuing to recover across the entire market area from Bradenton on the north to Venice on the south including the barrier islands, Longboat, Siesta, Lido and Casey Key," says Judie Berger, a well known Sarasota Florida real estate associate broker. Those who have been considering buying a primary or second home anywhere in Sarasota or Manatee County would be well advised to come to town now while home and condo prices are still more attractive than they have been in the past or are likely to be for much longer.