Real Estate

Money Saving Tips for Green Living

We are always looking for way to help you save money and reduce your carbon footprint. Here are a few things you can do with ease that will quickly help you accomplish this. 1. Be conscious of the thermostat in your home, setting the temperature a couple degrees higher during summer & lower during the [...] Read more

Census Vacancy Numbers Give Rise To False Impressions

Last week, the census vacant housing data was released. No surprise, but Florida is the top state in terms of the number of vacant units. What was shocking, though, was the amount of supposedly vacant units: 1,567,778, or one out of every six residences. Buried in the 193 pages of the census is this jewel: [...] Read more

June property sales best of the year in Sarasota

The Sarasota real estate market remained active and vibrant in June 2010, in spite of the loss of the federal home buyer tax credits, oil crisis rumors, and the sluggish national economy. Property sales in June 2010 in the Sarasota market once again topped the 700 mark, with 776 total sales – once again the [...] Read more

Island home sales improving

Anna Maria Island property sales for the year ending June 30 are almost 50 percent greater than the year prior, with 268 total homes, condos and multifamily units sold compared with 182 for the year ending June 30, 2009, according to data supplied by Island Real Estate agent John Van Zandt. That’s a 47 percent [...] Read more

Longboat Key Club project approved

The Longboat Key Town Commission voted 6-1 Wednesday afternoon to approve the Longboat Key Club and Resort’s $400 million expansion-and-renovation plan. The commission approved a final revised plan that includes much of what the Key Club proposed in the beginning: an 11-story, five-star hotel; a stand-alone meeting center; new wellness center and spa; and renovated [...] Read more

Tourism board to request BP funds

In an effort to boost tourism, Manatee County will request $600,000 from BP to market the area as oil-free. “The only oil down here is suntan oil,” said Larry White, who is retiring from the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau this week. He announced the request last week after Pinellas County requested $2 million, [...] Read more

Improvements for Coquina Beach

The county plans improvements for Coquina Beach and bayside to begin in August: •Major remodel/rebuild of existing concession stand, including replacing the attached and freestanding restrooms; • Construct a marine rescue headquarters and dock bayside; • Rebuild or remodel existing beach and bayside pavilions and construct two new pavilions at the south beach end; • [...] Read more

Low prices, low rates equal affordability

It seems almost unbelievable that, in spite of the national and world economy, two wars, a never ending national debt and an oil spill our real estate market should be surging ahead. But not only is this a fact of our local market, but the surge extends to the state of Florida as well. The [...] Read more

Historic Green Village

Within a month, work on the Anna Maria Historic Green Village will begin on a site that includes four platted lots from 503 to 507 Pine Avenue. The project includes the historic Rosedale Cottage that was constructed in about 1913 and the Sears Cottage that was moved to the property earlier this month. “I’m very [...] Read more

Bradenton-Sarasota home sales rise May

The local housing market showed improvement in May as the national housing market saw a decline in existing home sales, according to new figures released Tuesday. Bradenton and Sarasota Realtors sold 1,029 existing homes in May, a 31 percent increase from the 783 homes sold in May 2009, according to the Florida Association of Realtors. [...] Read more

Commission delays Islandside decision

After months of public hearings that began last year, the Longboat Key Town Commission decided Monday, June 28 to postpone a decision on the Longboat Key Club and Resort’s Islandside renovation-and-expansion project until Wednesday, June 30. The commission will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 30, at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, to [...] Read more

Real estate sales soar on Anna Maria Island

ANNA MARIA — May was not only a strong month for Manatee County home sales but sales on Anna Maria Island were healthy, too. The Manatee Association of Realtors reported that 24 single-family homes on Anna Maria Island were sold in May, an increase from 13 sold a year ago in May 2009. The 24 [...] Read more

Whitney Beach Plaza under contract

Whitney Beach Plaza is under contract. In breaking news, the four-acre Whitney Beach Plaza on Longboat’s northern end is under contract by an Atlanta-based developer, according to Engels Volkers Realtor Tina Rudek. Rudek, the listing agent, said the buyer’s due diligence period closes at the end of July, and that the developer’s identity must remain [...] Read more