South Manatee Draws Home Buyers, But Choices are Scarce

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 6th, 2014 – Legends Bay and Bayshore Gardens, with their proximity to Sarasota Bay, are two attractive destinations for prospective home buyers eying options in southwest Manatee. Sarasota Bay Real Estate reports though that the available properties in these areas aren’t too plenty across the various price ranges, reflecting the tight 4-month supply of Bradenton homes for sale.

Buying interest is relatively keen as about one-third of the current 32 sales-listed Bayshore Gardens residences already have pending contracts, the full service realty firm observes. The choices are also limited at the gated community of the Legends Bay, a short distance from Bayshore Gardens west along the El Conquistador Parkway.

National homebuilder comes in

Apparently zeroing on the market opportunities in southwest Manatee, national homebuilder D.R. Horton recently purchased seven home lots in Legends Bay. The acquisition totals some 1.7 acres with lot sizes ranging from about a fifth to almost a third of an acre of developable home site.

A well-known golf and tennis community in Manatee, Legends Bay is from the drawing boards of Ruben-Holland Development which has more than 65 years of experience in the construction and development industry. D.R. Horton comes in as the fourth builder in this community wherein Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Gibraltar Homes, and John Cannon Homes have been building homes in previous years as Ruben-Holland’s selected builders.

Green homes offered

Legends Bay is remarkable for its mile-long waterfront along the Sarasota Bay. It was developed with special attention on preserving the property’s natural environment and on enhancing the panoramic vistas of the locality. Green building practices were religiously followed in the construction of the community’s homes which come in a rich mix of Spanish Revival and Venetian architectural designs.

Gibraltar Homes has a 2013 Monaco model currently among the listings of Sarasota homes for sale. Priced approaching the $700s, this residence has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths within its floor plan of 2,508 square feet.

A furnished, move-in ready home priced close to the mid-$400s is also one of the few listed properties in Legends Bay. Built in 2010, this residence has a floor area of 2,806 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths.

Sports amenities and more

The amenities at Legends Bay include a community clubhouse with a swimming pool and a meeting room. There’s also a long boardwalk for residents to enjoy nature observation in its surrounding wetlands amid sweeping views of the picturesque Sarasota Bay.The nearby El Conquistador Racquet Club and championship golf course are complemented by the various sports facilities of the world-famous IMG Academy less than a mile north of Legends Bay..

The residences of Bayshore Gardens also draw market strength from their proximity to the academy and the nearby campus of the State College of Florida. Homes priced in the $200s, some of which are waterfront residences, are available in this locality.