SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 29th, 2015 – Synergized development among the three cities of Anna Maria Island, in general, and building a third bridge linking it to the mainland, in particular, are among the highlights of an Urban Land Institute (ULI) study presented to local officials and residents this August 2015. During the presentation, the panel from the nonprofit ULI was emphatic in urging a joint effort in the seven-mile long island noted not only for its tourist destinations but also enticing listings among Sarasota homes for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 28th, 2015 – The short stretch of State Street between Pineapple and Orange Avenues just south of Main Street promises to become a new hub of downtown activity, following the opening in July 2015 of a new, multistory parking garage with commercial space. Luxury car buffs are among the folks most likely to be added to pedestrian traffic in this area, which could likewise contribute to increased interest in the Sarasota real estate market.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 27th, 2015 – Canadian heavyweight homebuilder Mattamy Homes promises to further enliven the coming 2015 winter selling season with the launch of its new community, The Enclave at Forest Lakes. This scheduled market entry is coming on the heels of the recent introduction of the builder’s Harmony at Lakewood Ranch (LWR). Like the Enclave, this new LWR development is offering affordable options among Sarasota homes for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 26th, 2015 – The tourism–real estate market synergy, an oft-repeated industry thinking that one sector advancing benefits the other, looks at work anew as marketing campaigns unveiled recently are poised to further beef up the record growth of the local tourist trade realized in early 2015. One major effort which appears firmly on track is building brand awareness for Sarasota County as “Florida’s Cultural Coast.”

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 25th, 2015 – New satellite health services are rising soon in Longboat Key and St. Armands Key, promising to further enhance the quality of life in their local communities and, in so doing, also contribute some towards the marketability of their neighborhoods’ residential properties listed among Sarasota homes for sale. For Longboat Key, a fundraiser set from July to October 2015 is coming up with $1.6 million in private funding for a new medical facility at the barrier island.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 24th, 2015 – Lee Wetherington Homes is one builder that buyers of Sarasota homes for sale would be quite happy to deal with not only for its superior construction but also for its commendable community involvement. Established around the late 1970s, this company has donated over $2 million to local charities over the last 10 years, thus prompting the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund to honor its founder and president/CEO, the 68-year-old Lee Wetherington.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 22nd, 2015 – Recent initiatives on an alternative credit-scoring system can help significantly improve the homeownership rate which remains relatively low in the city of Sarasota. Census figures show that homeownership rate in the city was at 55.4% out of 22,621 Sarasota households during 2009-2013period. This compares with the 67.1% estimate of homeownership for all of Florida in the same time span and the 63.4% national Census data for the 2015 second quarter.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 21st, 2015 – Two homebuilders based in Sarasota emerged among the winners of the 2015 Aurora Awards competition of the Southeast Builders Conference (SEBC). Significantly, the favored projects this year were sustainable homes—those with longer lifespan and low carbon footprint, which sure are attractive to many prospective buyers of Sarasota homes for sale. Josh Wynne Construction towered above the rest of the field as both of its entries tied for this year’s top Golden Aurora Award.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 20th, 2015 – MK Equity Corporation, the Chicago-based, real estate developer behind the Sansara condominium project in downtown Sarasota, sold in late July 2015 its 157 units at the Sanctuary of Bradenton for $9.8 million, further lending color to the vibrant real estate market in the region. The buyer, Davie-based real estate company JB Howell, also acquired an additional nine units from two other owners in this rental and owner-occupied community.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 19th, 2015 – Prospective buyers of low-priced homes need not fret even as it may take a while before Sarasota County is able to update its omnibus comprehensive plan under which issues on housing affordability are being addressed. One source of apprehension is that it was only in July 2015 that a housing workshop was held as part of the county’s effort to help craft policies “encouraging the development of affordable, safe and sanitary housing.”

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 18th, 2015 – An urban infill project, which is geared more toward development within Manatee rather than the often-lamented building in suburbia, has been unanimously approved 5-0 by the county commission in August 2015. Earning high praises from the commissioners was the proposed Lake Flores, a mixed-use development planned under the New Urbanist principles for a nearly 3,000-acre site in West Bradenton.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 17th, 2015 – Lakewood Ranch (LWR) is aiming to cover an even wider range of the Sarasota housing market as this master-planned community marks its 20th year of sustained growth in 2015 and continues to expand and diversify moving into its expected build out in the next two decades. It is estimated that the number of households in this master development, which was established in 1995, is now moving toward the 10,000 mark.

The rising tide of the housing market in Manatee now appears firmly providing a lift to commercial real estate, with additional retail center developments announced late July 2015 in East Manatee’s Heritage Harbour and in Bradenton’s Bayshore neighborhood. On tap for Heritage Harbour, the second largest master planned development in Manatee after Lakewood Ranch, is a 12,500-square-foot retail center that the Starling Group of Sarasota seeks to build at the northeast corner of the Heritage Green Way–SR 64 intersection.

Presented by the nonprofit Sarasota Architectural Foundation, this event will include walking tours of Lido Shores, a small but fascinating historic enclave on Lido Key. Philip Hiss, a well-know local entrepreneur, started developing Lido Shores in 1950, and it is thus host to significant renderings of the world famous, mid-century Sarasota School of Architecture which has continued to evolve up to today. A number of houses usually closed to the public will be open just for this tour.

The frenetic residential construction in Lakewood Ranch (LWR) is set to grow even more intense with plans announced this July 2015 for the development of the 305-home Arbor Grande, an added resource Sarasota homes for sale. This new addition to the master-planned LWR is a project of Standard Pacific Homes that in June disclosed a merger with the Ryland Group, in the process creating the fourth largest builder in the United States.

Moves seeking to extend the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) of Sarasota are unlikely to succeed in having this program retained in its original form. The good news though is that CRA, which has been credited for helping in the revival of Sarasota’s downtown, may earn a new lease in life but with its coverage outside of the city’s urban core. The CRA, set to expire in 2016, is a 30-year program jointly funded by the city and the county. It was adopted in 1986 initially covering Sarasota’s downtown district.

Leading national homebuilder Taylor Morrison, having pulled out of Canada in 2014 to refocus solely in its markets in the United States, has added two more developments to its portfolio of communities in Manatee and Sarasota. Surely encouraged by the bright prospects for Sarasota homes for sale, this developer has started selling recently at Cobblestone at Palmer Ranch. This is Taylor Morrison’s second community in the master-planned Palmer Ranch that opened in 1984 and has still some 3,600 acres remaining undeveloped.

If there’s one phrase that best describes U.S. homebuilders nowadays, it’s unbridled optimism. This sunny mindset was clearly manifest in July 2015 as the housing market index (HMI) reached the 60 level, sustaining the same lofty reading in June which has not been seen since November 2005. The HMI is based on the outlook for new single family home construction that the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo have been jointly tracking for 30 years.

Various measures have been put in place recently to address transportation issues as Sarasota continues to attract tourists and new residents as well as open broader choices on Sarasota homes for sale. New property developments, for instance, have been required effective October 2014 to pay a multimodal transportation impact fund. This fee seeks to ensure that the modes of traffic that these projects generate—whether pedestrian, vehicular, bicycle, mass transit and others—are adequately accommodated.

A two-year old interactive arts project in Sarasota pulled a complete surprise recently as it provided not only a venue for promoting the county as an arts and culture hub. Additionally, this project, called Sarasota Keys initiated in 2015 by the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, has also helped bring awareness on various local mechanisms set in place to solve issues on homelessness and thus foster better communities to live in Sarasota.

Forward momentum is on the side of the further redevelopment of the Rosemary District, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sarasota. This locality just north of the downtown now prides itself with a growing creative, building arts-related business community, a fitting complement to several infill construction projects either in the pipeline or already contributing to the stock of new Sarasota homes for sale in the neighborhood.

Homeowners and neighborhood associations in Sarasota which find unattended foreclosed residences in their communities bothersome can find some relief from a new city ordinance which spells out registration requirements for vacated or abandoned properties undergoing foreclosure. The ordinance creates Section 17-11 of the Code of the City of Sarasota to address the lingering traces of the foreclosure crisis and its adverse effects on communities.

Sustained gains in employment and in tourism have propelled optimism in the Florida real estate market to a nine-year high, the University of Florida (UF) quarterly survey of emerging market conditions released in June 2015 showed. The poll indicated that the commercial real estate sentiment index measuring the respondents’ outlook on their businesses perked up to 7.45 out of 10, the most upbeat since the 2006 third quarter.

The multimillion dollar public works and property development projects set in Longboat Key promise to keep construction activity in the town at a record pace this year up to 2016. For the town commission, a three-phased sand replacement project along the most highly eroded beaches of Longboat Key heads the to-do list. This undertaking is estimated to cost a total of $27 million with over half of this amount allocated for beach renourishment at the central part of the 10-mile long barrier island.

Custom and semi-custom homes have a struck a chord in the Manatee-Sarasota real estate market with two developers focused on these residential types—Neal Signature Homes and Heritage Builders—experiencing robust sales in 2015. For this year’s first half, the Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Signature Homes already sold 62 new residences, more than 50% over the 40 residences it sold during the same period in 2014. For the whole of 2015, this homebuilder expects to sell from 80 to 90 new builds.

Employment prospects continue to brighten in Southwest Florida as job generation recently showed signs of picking up further in Ellenton and Port Manatee, promising to generate further momentum to the region’s resurgent housing sector. Added steam on the labor front in Manatee County looms as live shows and events producer Feld Entertainment announced in July 2015 that it is moving its motor sports division to Ellenton. This move, in the process, will create 200 additional jobs over the next five years.

Migrants drawn by the growing business and employment opportunities in the urban center of Sarasota need not stray too far from the city’s downtown for rentals or searching for Sarasota homes for sale as permanent residences. Just across Fruitville Road at the northern periphery of the downtown lies Rosemary’s District which is abuzz with new developments, echoing the din of similar construction projects at Sarasota’s city proper.

The Southwest Florida region looks headed toward a housing market growth in 2015 approximating that of the pre-recession residential real estate boom but at more stable and sustainable conditions. For all of 2014, sales of existing homes in Sarasota County already hit an all-time high of 11,550 closed deals, eclipsing the previous record of 11,482 set in 2004. Sales in Manatee County in 2014, on the other hand, tallied 7,976 closed transactions, just 28 short of the 2013 annual peak of 7,976.

The eclectic Museum Area of Sarasota stands to gain yet an added attraction for folks in search of Sarasota homes for sale around this district. This August 2015, the Atlanta, Georgia-based Jebco Ventures is scheduled to present to the city’s development review committee preliminary plans for a condominium construction project at the North Tamiami Trail just off Whitaker Bayou and adjacent west of the La Quinta Inn and Suites.

Concrete development plans should start shaping up before end-2015 for the 42-acre waterfront from the Boulevard of the Arts up past the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall which the City of Sarasota owns. Some pressing factors are breathing down on the necks of the prime movers of Bayfront 20:20, the broad-based community effort tasked with creating a more comprehensive roadmap for the strategic coastal public property, which at the end of the day could further burnish the marketability of Sarasota homes for sale.

There may be some relief in sight for residential property buyers whose playing field has been narrowed by the downtrend in available resale single family homes which dropped to a record low of 3.8 months inventory in the Sarasota estate market as of May 2015. This year, marked improvements have been observed in Sarasota property values, a development enabling homeowners to build up their equity. This in turn can encourage some of them to sell for an upgrade, thus open the possibility of additional sales listings in the months ahead.

Sarasota again ratcheted up its stature as a top destination for home buyers who highlight access to superior medical facilities and professional health care services as a top priority in their checklist. An online consumer health site, BetterDoctor, cited in a study that Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) as the best performer in its field in the United States, having the least hospital readmissions, complications and death rates. Reporting of such data is now required for all hospitals as part of compliance under the Affordable Care Act.

Neal Communities is set to start permitting for The Woods at Venice, a new community located in a 151-acre site off Border and Jackson Roads near the Myakka River. This after the Venice City Council finally approved in late June 2015 a rezoning of this largely rural area a short distance southeast of the Venetian Golf & River Club. This approval came less than six months after the Southwest Florida regional homebuilder opened its Windwood gated community in North Venice in February 2015.

A rich architectural heritage which remains vibrant today has helped firmly install Sarasota among the celebrated U.S. destinations for searches of homes with superb architecture. This well-deserved prominence came to the fore anew recently as six local architectural works won in the 2015 Design Awards of the American Institute of Architects Florida/Caribbean. These accolades have been scheduled for presentation during the organization’s annual convention in Boca Raton in August of 2015.

In one monthly reading based of government data, it was estimated that nearly 40% of all homes sold in February 2015 across the United States were new builds priced in the $200s range. This stands as the highest since March 2008 and provides a hint of increasing demand from the lower-income U.S. market segment. This trend was seen in Manatee in May 2015 when deals were closed on 196 resale homes priced at the $200s, representing 32% of total sales for the month, about a half more than the level a year earlier.

The big guns of the U.S. homebuilding industry are continuing to strengthen their presence in SW Florida, a trend which started a few years back with the onset of the housing recovery. This development, definitely a plus in the market with the broader choices made available to prospective buyers of Sarasota homes for sale, now appears zeroing in on potentially lucrative turfs in East Manatee. Early in July 2015, U.S. homebuilder, Lennar Corp., bought lots in Savannah at Lakewood Ranch from another national housing giant for $3.6 million.

Less than a year after its October 2014 opening, the Mall at University Town Center (UTC) and its immediate vicinity off Interstate 75 continue to evolve, with plenty of projects on tap in and around this major shopping hub. One of these developments, which would likewise impact upon nearby Manatee-Sarasota communities, is the scheduled August 2015 start in the construction of the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) at Interstate 75-University Parkway.

Given the strict measures lenders and monetary authorities have put in place to prevent a repeat of the last housing bust, the trend towards more financed home purchases redounds to a healthy market in the long term, analysts agree. This situation, they also explain, indicates an upward nudge in local household formation, and to some extent, demonstrates the growing competence of local realtors in helping clients navigate through the current maze of mortgage financing.

The strong sense of community that prospective home buyers typically include in their search criteria is very much alive in Venice, Florida, as shown in the recent accolade the city received as one of the “Happiest Seaside Town in America.” This rave review came as a result of a nationwide poll in early 2015 conducted by Coastal Living Magazine which tapped the social media for netizens to vote for their favorite seaside community.

A surging economy and a favorable business climate in Florida serve as magnets for aspiring buyers of Bradenton-North Port-Sarasota homes for sale who likewise plan to set up a business enterprise in the region. One estimate put average economic growth in the Sunshine State at 3.1% from 2015 to 2018, an advance which could help push retail sales to grow at a 4.4% clip annually in the next four years.

The official boundaries of the Village of the Arts, one of the quaint attractions of downtown Bradenton, have been expanded recently, a wider coverage which promises to add vigor to this area famous for its galleries and studios, many of which are artist-occupied residences. One of the major additions to this quaint living/working arts overlay district is towards west, covering the stretch of 14th Street West (Tamiami Trail) between 17th and 9th Avenue West.

Moved by some environmental concerns and other issues, many residents of Bradenton are keeping close watch on how plans will eventually pan out for the development of some 200 acres next to the Bill Evers Reservoir in east Manatee County. This after the city council early in July 2015 voted to start negotiations with WCI Communities for the development of the property, choosing this Bonita Springs-based company over two other bidders—top national homebuilders D.R. Horton and Taylor Morrison.

Shopping for or selling a vacation rental property is shaping up as one of the most vibrant segments of Sarasota’s real estate sector, with the recent record gains in local tourism looking like just the start of an uptick towards even higher levels. The dynamic tourism growth recently has been attributed to robust consumer confidence, a fast-growing sports performance industry and accelerated tourism marketing campaigns.

The vibrant local tourism industry is likewise expected to generate more revenues for the government. According to Visit Sarasota County, the local tourism promotions entity, substantial growth in both on-season and off-season visitors can be expected as a result of aggressive marketing promotions efforts. For April 2015 alone, tourist arrivals in Sarasota rose 18.8% which translated into a 23.3% increase in direct visitor spending.

Manatee County is taking purposive efforts to create a community both desirable and affordable for millennials or those born between early 1980s and early 2000s. Also called generation Y, this age group is considered pivotal to the future of the county. This population segment constitutes 21% of the county’s workforce, as per a recent local survey by the Manatee Millennial Movement (M3), a new agency that the county government organized recently.

Age 55+ prospective home buyers who wish to relocate in Sarasota or Manatee and remain productive members of society even in their post-retirement years can rely on established local institutions addressing seniors’ needs in the two counties. Work Matters! is one of these facilities which directly address the issue of employment for people who plan to continue working after retirement age. This group is composed of several area organizations whose services should help sharpen interest in Sarasota-Manatee homes for sale.

Outstanding activities pursued by the local government and the private sector indicate that strong mechanisms are in place to maintain the overall well-being in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area which ranks No. 1 across the nation as per the 2015 Gallup-Healthways Index. In Sarasota, one of the most striking is the community’s acute environmental awareness as seen in the recent reactivation of the group Save Our Sarasota (SOS).

Sharing a household has taken a step further than rent-sharing, with an increasing number of baby boomers or retirees, often single adult and unrelated females, deciding to buy a home and live together. At the outset of the Great Recession in 2007 up to 2010, it was estimated that including multigenerational homes wherein young adults moved in with their parents, there was an 11.4% increase in the number of shared households in the United States.

Recent developments further solidify Manatee and Sarasota’s reputation as a major hub for world-class sports, a standing which in turn delivers positive impact on the counties’ economy including potential benefits to the housing sector. Just this June, it was announced that the Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota has been chosen as the venue for the 2016 US Olympic Team Trials in rowing. The American rowers’ Games qualifiers will be held in April 2016 in advance of the Olympics set for August next year at Rio de Janeiro.

There seems plenty of gas left in the housing sector’s impressive run in Florida moving into the second half of 2015, with better economic prospects seen on the horizon and a slew of encouraging home market data backing up the projection. In a financial analysis released in early June 2015, University of Central Florida chief economist Sean Snaith forecast an average 3.1% annual growth rate for Sunshine State’s economy during the next four years.

The property’s owner, Nebraska native Louis Doyle, has launched a new campaign for the property after the city denied a planned Walmart in their shopping hub in 2013. Established around the mid-1950s, the Ringling Shopping Center was formerly anchored on a Publix Super Market, but this retailer transferred in 2010, leading to the dormancy of Doyle’s 9.7-acre complex in recent years. The city’s planning board actually recommended approval for the Walmart site plan at the Ringling shopping hub in November 2012.

In Sarasota and Manatee counties, short sales’ median prices based on recent Florida Realtors data were on an uptrend during the first five months of 2015, except for a 5.7% drop in Manatee in March. This decline in Manatee was followed by a 32.1% spike in May and 39.3% rise April. In Sarasota, short sales’ median price in May rose nearly 25%, following increases of 8.4%, 17.6%, 38.8% and 14.6%, respectively from January to April 2015.

With energy efficiency now considered more carefully in home buying decisions, realtors are undertaking purposive efforts, in both the national and local levels, to acquire a professional understanding of green building and homes’ energy performance. One of the initiatives launched nationally was the green designation and benefits program that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently created for real estate agents.

One primary source of this strength is the forthcoming completion of the $21.5 million project to improve the amenities of Siesta Public Beach. This project is set for full completion by yearend of 2015, with the county providing funding through the penny sales tax. The project brings significant upgrades to various facilities in this world-class beach widely considered as a mainspring behind buying interest in Sarasota homes for sale.

Businessmen, particularly those engaged in the tourist industry and in the Sarasota real estate market, are applauding the May 2015 referendum approval for the proposed expansion of the Resort at Longboat Key Club. This project was previously opposed by some influential associations in the town of Longboat Key (LBK) when it was first presented in 2010. Helping overturn this opposition was the prevailing thinking in the business sector that expanding the resort club will not only be a boon to tourism.

The stretch of Lockwood Ridge Road from State Road 70 in East Manatee southward to Sarasota is getting a generous slice of both commercial and housing developments promising to inject added vigor in the market for Manatee-Sarasota homes for sale. In April 2015, redevelopment began at the site of the former Winn-Dixie grocery store at the southeast corner of Lockwood Ridge-SR 70. The owner of this 26-acre property is laying the groundwork for eight buildings good for 161,000 square feet of retail space.

Indicative of this thrust, the North Port City Commission May 2015 unanimously approved on first reading an ordinance amending the city’s comprehensive plan to allow an increase in the density of “The Ranch,” a huge project by Canada-based homebuilder Mattamy Homes. In another move, Sarasota County commissioners unanimously passed early in June 2015 a rezoning to increase the home density of the new Villages of Manasota Beach abutting the West Villages of North Port.

The relatively low sub-4% mortgage rate level now appears fading with the yields on 10-year Treasury bills, a benchmark for mortgages, approaching 2.5% in early June of 2015. This level, the highest since October 2014, was reached amid economists’ expectations that the Federal Reserve is set to end its seven years of loan assistance to banks at near-zero interest rates. Recent reports on the job front showed U.S. job hiring at a five-month peak.

Ringling Blvd. appears well on its way of adding some 40 new townhouses to its prestigious downtown Sarasota address before yearend, with the “Q” urban lofts development of Atlanta-based Jebco Ventures in this area now headed towards the homestretch. Aerial photos of the project updated May 2015 indicate that more than half of the development is finished with just three of its seven buildings left to be completed, thus further widening the choices of downtown Sarasota condos for sale.

The takeover of Warm Mineral Springs by the city of North Port last year appears delivering positive results and those apprehensive about the fate of this tourist attraction iconic of south Sarasota can now heave a sigh of relief. Previously, the city and Sarasota County owned the hot springs jointly after they bought the 87-acre property in 2010 for $5.5 million from a private owner. North Port bought the county’s share in September 2014, after a squabble in management which saw Warm Mineral Springs closed in two separate instances.

Add “coastal contemporary” to the architectural concepts which have enriched the local choices on home construction styles recently. The very first rendition which set off the growing popularity of this design was the new two-story, 23,000-square foot-clubhouse of the Sarasota Yacht Club. This striking waterfront landmark is located near the western edge of the John Ringling Bridge en route from the Sarasota downtown to St. Armands Key.

Two consecutive rave reviews on Siesta Key early in 2015 validate realtors’ typical sales pitch that buying a home in this barrier island equates with having a place in a world-class beach which appeals to residents of all ages. The latest of these accolades came from the nongovernment organization AARP, an advocate for retirees, which listed Siesta Beach as its No. 1 choice among 12 leading beaches that merit a visit this year.

The choices of newly built homes for sale in Sarasota and Manatee are being exponentially enriched by the rising presence of both regional and national builder-developers as well as Canada-based outfits. Tampa-based Soho Mendoza is the latest entrant to the ranks of such homebuilders as Ronto Group of Naples, Atlanta-based Ashton Woods of Atlanta, and Canadian companies Vandyk and Mattamy Homes, who have put up stakes in the local home market in recent years.

Senior citizens who chose to buy homes in Port Charlotte moving into 2015 have reason to be pleased with the wisdom of their choice. For this year, Forbes magazine named this unincorporated community and census designated place in Charlotte County as one of the 25 best places for retirees. This recognition echoed the locality’s inclusion in the top 10 list of the best places to retire in the country as compiled by the U.S. News & World Report in 2012.

There are at least seven property developments in various stages of planning in North Manatee which are so large that their implementation calls for significant upgrades in transportation infrastructure and school district capacity. One of these is Parrish Lakes, which by itself carries a major impact in the region, aside from significantly boosting the inventory of Manatee homes for sale. This project is planned in a 1,155- acre site south of Moccasin Wallow Road and aims to build 3,300 homes.

Investors in search of residences viable as rental properties in Manatee would have a smart bet in opportunities at Anna Maria Island, given the glowing travel reviews that it has been consistently getting. One of the recent positive testimonials for this island came from the online travel booking facilityTripAdvisor, which named the Anna Maria among the top 30 fastest-growing vacation rental destinations in the country.

Residential property hunters who veer towards homes for sale in North Port because of its off-the-beaten-track recreational attractions just recently had another reason to firm up their choice. Early in June 2015, Sarasota County officially opened the Walton Ranch Preserve, a 3,760-acre preserve at the eastern end of North Toledo Blade Blvd in North Port. Already accessible to outdoor enthusiasts are 20 miles of nature trails suitable not only for hiking and biking but also bird watching and appreciation of the preserve’s natural surroundings.

National builder Ashton Woods Homes again served notice of its outstanding competence to provide customer delight, winning successive awards of excellence from two prestigious industry groups recently. In early March 2015, this Atlanta-based builder, which entered the market on Sarasota homes for sale in late 2013, bagged six citations in the 2015 Parade of Homes (POH) presented by the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association.

Expect market activity to notch up higher at Village Green located in West Bradenton towards Palma Sola Bay. Around May-June 2015, some 10 new listings of pre-owned residences in this community have been added in the MLS of Bradenton homes for sale. The spurt in market offerings here appears encouraged by the Bradenton government officials’ recent approval of the development of the former golf course adjacent to the residential community.

Work on the redevelopment and expansion of Bayfront Park in Longboat Key could start by yearend of 2015 or early 2016 as the Sarasota County Commission approved a $2 million counterpart funding for the project in June 2015. The town of Longboat Key has already allocated $1 million for this park’s upgrade. The proposed improvements for the 8.6-acre park include the construction of a kayak launch and separate parks for small and large dogs.

Homebuilders in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan statistical area (MSA) stepped on the gas in April 2015, obtaining over 416 building permits for single family homes. This represents a 38% gain from 2014 and reverses a 16% decline in construction activity in the first three months of 2015, U.S. Census Bureau data indicate. For the four-month period ending April, the MSA’s local governments granted a total of more than 1,700 residential permits, up 10% from a year earlier.

Expect some added pizzazz in a search for available condominium units in South Lido Key. By around mid-December 2015, Park Residences is set to be fully completed thereby adding 18 limited-edition, mid-rise dwellings in its area widely regarded as the condo row in the barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay. This new condominium development basks in a lush setting so well provided by Ted Sperling Park and South Lido County Park respectively adjacent east and south of the property.

Aside from the center’s 20,000-square-foot clubhouse, the other facilities which Lennar recently opened include a zero entry swimming pool furnished with cabanas and reputed as the largest pool within a gated residential development in Sarasota County. The clubhouse incorporates a modern fitness room, spa, steam room, locker facilities and a media entertainment center, truly constituting delightful attractions for prospective buyers of Sarasota homes for sale.

The construction of Fort Hamer Bridge across the Manatee River from Parrish, which broke ground March 2015, appears as a strong catalyzing factor for several major new home building projects and for resale properties around East Manatee County. Among the housing developments which will directly benefit from this new span is the proposed project of Medallion Homes of Sarasota in a 289-acre site in the master-planned Heritage Harbour.

The recent sustained growth in international buying is one primary incentive for local realtors, developers, and prospective sellers of pre-owned homes to take purposive efforts in courting a foreign clientele. As per the latest survey of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) for Florida Realtors, the Sarasota-Manatee region in 2014 rose to fourth from sixth place statewide in 2013 in terms of the percentage of foreign home buyers.

Some potential game-changers have surfaced in East Manatee recently which could help further boost real estate market activity and generate tailwinds to property values here. A proposed water park is among the plans which bear watching as these initiatives move forward. Another is the upgraded development of mixed-use River Club Park of Commerce which was approved recently by the Manatee County Commission’s planning board. Negotiations are expected to start soon on the construction of the planned 20-acre water park.

Savvy players in the housing industry are increasingly leveraging technology to win potential buyers. The tools and approaches of these real estate professionals now go beyond tapping popular online resources, such as the social network Facebook and the video-sharing platform YouTube. They are exploring not only innovative media platforms but also new modes to further enrich the prospective buyers’ experience in searching for residential properties.

Competitively priced alternatives are currently available on the eastern side of the Tamiami Trail, which like their counterparts in the west, are in a superb location close to lots of life and leisure facilities. Among these “East of the Trail” alternatives was unveiled by Courtyard Homes LLC sometime in late April 2015 at the Hudson Park subdivision in the Alta Vista neighborhood just a short distance south of downtown Sarasota.

The Vandyk Group, an Ontario-based company specializing in boutique property developments, has started marketing its mixed residential-commercial Orange Club in Burns Court at downtown Sarasota and acquired Seafood Shack Marina and Bar, a popular landmark in the historic Gulf Coast fishing village of Cortez, Florida. Vandyk started expanding its operations from Ontario to western Florida around 2014, encouraged by the southward exodus of baby boomers seeking a refuge from the cold winters of Canada.

Venice recently reaffirmed its lofty stature among the U.S. towns and cities best for retirement. The city emerged third in the top 100 most popular spots for retirees as compiled for 2015 by the popular website TopRetirements.com, which in effect strongly recommends Venice homes for sale to retirees. This online resource also noted the dominance of Florida in its ninth annual list, “Where Baby Boomers Go to Find Their Best Place to Retire.”

Residents and prospective home buyers in 55+ communities in Sarasota, such as LakeRidge Falls and Cascades, can tick off another weighty factor affirming the wisdom of their residential choice. Early in May 2015, various groups from the public and private sectors joined hands in launching the “Age-Friendly Sarasota.” This initiative seeks to build a lifelong community through sustained efforts to develop a more livable environment which is critically important especially for senior citizens seeking Sarasota homes for sale.

With six sales closed in the first three months of 2015 despite yet another project delay early in the year, the upscale condominium Palma Sola Bay Club appears en route to a strong showing in the Bradenton real estate market. Full development of this 33-acre property in West Bradenton has been cleared following the Manatee County Commission approval in May 2015 of an updated community blueprint. Local environmentalists earlier opposed the plan for alleged illegal mangrove cutting, but this complaint was resolved eventually.

Echoes of the frenetic condominium construction pace in downtown Sarasota appear reverberating elsewhere in the region, promising to further help ease the tightening squeeze in available Sarasota-Manatee condos for sale. In Sarasota, inventory has been on a consistent decline during the 2015 first quarter, dropping in March to 4.6 from 5 months supply a year earlier. In Manatee, the inventory level as of March was at 4.7 months, dropping below the 5-month supply generally regarded as the market equilibrium.

Measures scheduled to expire by year-end have been extended to help prevent a repeat of the record increase in lenders’ home seizures experienced during the last home market collapse, which led to a flood of foreclosed homes for sale nationwide. Just in May 2015, the federal government extended up to December 31, 2016, its two programs assisting homeowners at risk of mortgage default or those who are underwater as their home loan balance far exceeds their properties’ worth.

The first quarter’s bonanza was most pronounced in March 2015 when closed deals on Manatee-Sarasota homes for sale advanced in double-digit levels percentage-wise from year-earlier figures. In Sarasota, single family homes sold for the month rose 13% to 789 from sales of 698 residences in March 2014. The March sales improvement, the fastest gain since January 2011, followed up on increases of 2.4% in January and 10% in February.

Market inventory may be starting to thin in high-end single family homes in summer 2015, but there are certain upscale communities and price points where supply remains quite healthy despite recent indications of a downswing of available high-end residences. By some realtors’ estimate, the supply of high ticket residential properties in the Sarasota-Manatee area has receded to 16 months, down from as high as 55 months during the last Great Recession.

This may be the best time to engage the real estate market for investors whose property portfolios include larger-sized condo units. Demand appears on the uptick for these residential types, especially for those within or close to downtown Sarasota. One good indication of the rising market interest in larger Sarasota condos for sale is the generous square footages for current condominium construction projects within or near the city enter.

Just this March 2015, Coastal Living magazine named Sarasota as “Dream Town” for the month, describing it as “cultured, creative, and cool,” and declaring that it is “ready for prime time.” This publication, one of the prestigious brands of Time Inc., cited not only the midcentury modern homes of Sarasota but also its high-rise condominiums and a nascent architecture festival, the Sarasota MOD. Coastal Living, in its website, likewise came out with an eye-catching profile of Sarasota.

Preselling of Echelon on Palm, a planned 18-story condominium in downtown Sarasota, has been warmly received in the luxury home market. The project’s developer, the Ronto Group of Naples, reported recently that nine out of the 17 units set for this condominium have been reserved as of March 2015, only a month after Echelon was launched in the market. The construction of this condominium is expected to begin in the summer of 2015.

Dolphin Tower surely can’t steal the thunder from the rich mix of new condominium construction in downtown Sarasota, but it is certainly experiencing an upsurge of market interest following the recent completion of its $9 million makeover. Residents vacated this 40-plus-year-old condominium in 2010 to set in motion engineering and construction works to address various structural problems which surfaced that year.

For the first quarter of 2015, MLS data indicate that deals closed on luxury Sarasota homes for sale already totaled 120 properties, with gains consistently on the uptrend for single family residences priced above the $1 million mark. Price-wise, a four-bedroom beachfront estate home with a floor area of 8,395 square feet topped sales for the three-month period. This residence, which is located at the Sanderling Club subdivision and had a listed price of $6.45 million, was sold in end-March for $5.5 million.

The historic Osprey Fishing Pier reopened in November 2014 after more than two years of being closed to the public for critical repairs. This well-known local landmark, often a reference point for searches of southern Sarasota homes for sale, was closed in May 2012. This after inspection by county engineers showed that the pier’s piling foundation has dangerously deteriorated and its wooden structure was already failing. Work on the old pier’s demolition, installation of new piling and construction of the new pier began in July 2014.

The Sarasota City Commission unanimously approved in October of 2014 an ordinance that sets specific regulations for special events held at St. Armands Circle Park. The measure was initiated in order to minimize traffic disturbance to the local neighborhoods and at the same time enhance St. Armands Circle’s reputation as a prime shopping and dining destination which serves as among the many perks for Sarasota homes for sale.

The town commission and the planning and zoning board in Longboat Key are considering major policy changes to help the island’s competitiveness in the real estate market in the years to come.
Among the various changes that the town authorities are considering are ways on how to allow the redevelopment of existing island properties with larger and more marketable housing units. The root of the problem for Longboat Key is the tight restraint on development that the town adopted by public vote in 1984.

Lakewood Ranch (LWR) has reaffirmed its reputation as the largest green-certified master planned project in the U.S. with the start of construction in October 2014 for pipelines which will supply reclaimed water for irrigation requirements of homes and golf courses in the 8,550-acre development. The recycled water for irrigating landscaping in LWR will be drawn from the Braden River Watershed. This water is of better quality than groundwater from wells.

Residential development is picking up significantly around the Mall at University Town Center (UTC) which opened in October 2014, a trend that also raises the possibility of lifting the values of Sarasota homes for sale in this locality. In November 2014, the Manatee County Commission approved the request of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc.(SMR) to allow multifamily housing of up to seven stories, instead of the maximum five, on the 4,100-acre University Lakes area.

The heightened activity in the Bradenton resale market for single family homes appears gravitating toward the $300s with a significant gain of new listings at this price point in September. For the month, 98 residences were added to the MLS list of Bradenton homes for sale at this price level, up 3.2% from a year-earlier. Prospective home sellers whose properties’ appraised value falls in the $300s will be pleased to note too that residences for sale at this price point is among the fast selling, with median days on the market of 54 as of September.

A rebound in prices of Sarasota homes for sale, coupled with a bullish stock market, has sparked a sustained surge in consumer spending in Southwest Florida, a development that in turn has stimulated opening of more retail businesses in the region. Aggregate retail sales in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte have been continuously climbing since November 2013. One of the strongest gains was registered in July this year with an 11.8% year-over-year gain at nearly $2.2 billion gross sales in the region.

Add Harbour Isle on Anna Maria Sound among the hubs of building activity which are sustaining employment gains in Southwest Florida. In September, the jobless rate in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte fell from 6.5% in August and 7.1% a year earlier to 6%. This level was the lowest in six years, thanks to the heightened activity of the construction and retail sectors in the three counties. Plans by Minto Homes to begin construction for the final phase of Harbour Isle in Perico Island in 2015 is poised to further add to the regional employment growth.

Foreclosure sales continue to advance in the end of 2014, generating expectation in the housing market that a 2015 spring cleaning of banks and financial institutions’ real estate owned properties (REOs) may be in the offing and could help moderate prices gains in the coming year. In Florida, one of the heftiest increases in foreclosure sales of single family homes was in Manatee wherein a 57% year-over-year spike to 118 units was posted in September.