City Place at Pineapple Square

The Pineapple Square project was recently approved by the city of Sarasota. It will be a mix of retail and condominiums. For more information go to City Place at Pineapple Square. Give me a call if you are interested in this or any other downtown Sarasota condo project.

CNN/Money Magazine real estate report - Sarasota market

CNN/Money magazine wrote an article about the 2006 real estate markets. The data and predictions were gathered from Fiserv Lending Solutions, a provider of mortgage and consumer lending services.

You can read the article here: 2006 real estate predictions.

They predict Sarasota real estate prices to increase by 3.1%. I would be curious to see how they come up with their predictions.

I think their prediction is fair. Many Sarasota Realtors I speak with have the opinion that the market will have a modest appreciation for 2006

Newer condos in downtown Sarasota with water views

I get many inquiries on my website for downtown Sarasota condos since I rank #1 in Google for that search phrase. One of the more frequent requests is for a newer condo with a water view, within walking to everything downtown has to offer and under $1 million. That is difficult to find. Two condo developments that accomodate these requirements is Alinari at Rosemary Place and The Renaissance. If you have a desire to purchase a condo in downtown Sarasota give me a call at 941-308-6766 or email me at marc@thesarasotamls.com

Sarasota real estate market picking up

It is good to hear some positive news from the media. We usually get a negatively biased view from them. Check out the WWSB 40 article on Sarasota real estate.

The Sarasota real estate market has been picking up steam lately. I've sold a handful of properties this year with a good mix of end users and investors. I have some clients ready to buy but just have not found the perfect property yet. Buyers are taking long to purchase these days because they have more to choose from because the number of listings have increased.

Please view my current listings:
Siesta Key lot on Shell Road
Lakefront condo in Lake Arrowhead
Gulf Gate gem
Remodeled home on 2 acres in Racimo Ranches

The Grande Sarasotan

I had the pleasure of hearing about The Grande Sarasotan today. One of my clients reserved a unit in the luxury highrise overlooking Sarasota Bay and Marina Jacks.

This will be one of the last condos in downtown Sarasota that will provide an unobstructed view of the bay and be within a short walk to downtown. If you view downtown from above you will notice that most of the waterfront land has been developed. The majority of newer projects will be located on the interior of downtown.

This 18 story building will have 144 units, where units will start at around 2,300 square feet. Located at the corner of Gulfstream and U.S. 41 The Grande Sarasotan will have breathtaking views of the Sarasota bay, the city, Marina Jack's and if high enough the Gulf of Mexico. Prices start at $920,000.

Give me a call if you are interested in purchasing at The Grande Sarasotan or any other downtown Sarasota condo- 941-308-6766 or Email Marc

Discount real estate brokers

The Sarasota Herald Tribune recently wrote an article on a new discount real estate brokerage in Sarasota. The article made it sound like this was a new business model that no one has tried before. Discount brokerages have been around a long time. If you talk to the Realtors that have been in the business for many years they will tell you that this way of doing business becomes popular with a hot real estate market when homes sell quickly and there is downward pressure on real estate commissions.

The discounters won't have it as easy now that the market has cooled down. The days of sticking a sign in the yard and getting an offer within a day or two are over. That kind of market will eventually be back but for now it is gone. Properties are taking longer to sell which makes the Realtors spend more in advertising, do more open houses, mail out more just listed cards, etc. The cost to market a property is increasing.

Many people in the general public believe Realtors are overpaid and that it is too expensive to sell a home. Here is an excerpt from a 2005 article from the National Association of Realtors about Realtor incomes:

"But the median income of sales associates actually declined about 8 percent to $38,300 from $41,600 in 2002, largely because of the influx of new licensees who typically take years to get up to speed in their earning potential, say NAR research analysts. Between 2003 and 2005, NAR membership grew about 26 percent, from 876,195 to 1,102,250 members."

Here are some things to ponder if you are thinking of listing your home with a discount broker.

• That business model requires the broker to sell numerous properties. Will you receive the service you need for a successful sale that gets you top dollar for your property?
• Many agents hate working with sellers that are represented by a discount brokers because they don't do all of the tasks necessary to lead to a successful transaction. Will Realtors show your home when there are so many other homes on the market that are represented by full service agents?
• Discount brokers typically need to sell properties quickly because they cannot invest too much time or money for the smaller commission. Is there a chance that they will try to get you to underprice your home to move it fast?

Remember often times "You get what you pay for."

9945 Unique visitors to my website

I just noticed that in January I had 9945 unique visitors hit my website. I appreciate anyone who has visited my site. Feel free to add any comments or feedback on how to better impove my site.

You should see the new map search my web guys are building. They are using Google maps to make searching for properties fun and easy. It is not done yet but here is a sneak peak - Sarasota MLS

Bad News Sells Newspaper

Here is another negative article from the Sarasota Herald Tribune. When the market was extremely hot the newspaper wrote negative articles about the market and a possible real estate bubble. As the Sarasota real estate market is slowing down the newspaper continues to write doom and gloom articles. I hope to see them write more positive articles in the future.

Here is a wonderful article that they wrote - Sarasota Realtor. ;-)

I checked RE/MAX Properties - Webber office activity on the 30th of January and we had put over $90,000,000 worth of property under contract so far. Two of my clients purchased condos over the weekend. There are people buying out there despite what the newspaper reports.

Here is the link to Housing boom unsustainable, economist says