Bird Key is an elite community with a pedigree tracing back to the Ringling circus clan which was behind the development of exciting Sarasota Florida real estate properties like the St. Armands Circle. This barrier island between St. Armands Key and the Sarasota mainland formerly consists of only 21 acres but subsequent reclamation turned it into a 250-acre property where some 511 single family homes are now nestled.
John Ringling acquired Bird Key and its New Edzell Castle mansion during the 1920s, intending to have it as a summer retreat for then President Harding. Eventually though this home became the residence of John’s sister, Ida North, with the president passing away in 1923. It was John’s nephew, John Ringling North, who thought of developing the island in the 1950s as a residential enclave. Its actual development for the Sarasota real estate market, however, was done by Arvida Realty which purchased the property in 1959.
There are 291 waterfront homes in Bird Key while 220 are off-water properties. Many of the residences here were built during the 1950s and the 1960s, and these have undergone either extensive renovations or complete rebuilding. Some are million-dollar homes with estate-sized lots that truly count among the most upscale of Sarasota homes for sale.
The floor areas of residences at Bird Key typically measure from around 3,500 to over 7,000 square feet, featuring three to five bedrooms. Bird Key homes for sale with floor spaces of about 2,000 square feet can have asking prices in the $500s. The quoted price can approach the $6-million mark for a bayfront, four-bedroom home with a floor plan of nearly 6,300 square feet.
As to be expected, docks and boat facilities are common features among the residences in the community. This neighborhood is, after all, strategically located for most of its residents to have direct access to the waters of Sarasota Bay and onward to the Gulf of Mexico. For these activities, a membership to the Bird Key Yacht Club would surely be advantageous. The club also holds parties, social events and other activities such as excursions to the famous Sarasota golf courses in the mainland.
In addition, a slew of lifestyle choices are within a short bike ride away at the nearby St. Armands Circle where there are more than a hundred trendy boutiques, shops and popular Sarasota restaurants. The choices are as exquisite at the Sarasota downtown where the options go beyond shopping and include the superb entertainment offered at such arts and culture centers as the Van Wezel, the Florida Studio Theater, and Sarasota Opera House. Moreover, the schools in the area are A-rated which not only include institutions in the elementary, high school, and middle levels, but also top-notch universities and colleges.
Below are all of the current real estate listings available for sale at Bird Key.
Please contact us if you would like to schedule a tour of any of the listed properties.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 7, 2019 – Property values of communities in the Sarasota-Manatee region now face lesser threat from neighborhood eyesores brought about by abandoned, foreclosed homes. Known in the real estate trade as zombie foreclosures, these properties have shrunk significantly in the region. According to an August report of ATTOM Data Solutions, abandoned […] more>>