SARASOTA, FLORIDA, July 5th, 2017 – Prices of Sarasota condos for sale showed signs of softening in April, and this trend is likely to persist in the months ahead. Less than a dozen residential properties are currently for sale at the historic Longbeach Village, but it would have an additional 12 soon at the former site of the Longboat Key Center of the Arts which was closed in May.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 27th, 2017 – Manatee County is considering a $1.3 billion gross budget for its next fiscal year which could finally fund priority projects shelved earlier because of the Great Recession. The coming fiscal year marks the first time that the county has abundant discretionary income since that economic debacle induced mainly by the last housing bust.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, July 6th, 2017 – Prices of Sarasota condos for sale showed signs of softening in April, and this trend is likely to persist in the months ahead. Shoreview, the first community at Lakewood Ranch Waterside, is fast shaping up with one of its builders, Pulte Homes, having started construction of its first two models.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 28th, 2017 – Boca Royale Golf & Country Club in Englewood looms as one of the best-selling properties of Neal Communities for 2017. In April, this Lakewood Ranch-based developer of Manatee and Sarasota homes for sale notched 14 sales in the 800-acre Boca Royale golf community, doubling the seven new homes it sold in March in this property.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, July 4th, 2017 – Market interest on the Harbour Isle community in Harbour Isle on Anna Maria Sound could pick up some more after selling 24 residences during the last 12 months. It was announced this June that a Margaritaville-style community will be developed in this 220-acre waterfront property off Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 29th, 2017 – Prices of Sarasota condos for sale showed signs of softening in April, and this trend is likely to persist in the months ahead. April median prices of condos and townhouses in the county slipped 1.4 percent to $215,000. This marked the first monthly decline in median price since the start of 2017 after double-digit gains of as much as 17 percent during the first three months of the year.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 22nd, 2017 – Sellers of single family homes in Sarasota seeking a fast cash sale now appear to have better chances at sealing a quick deal, recent real estate data show. Cash sales on pre-owned residences in the county ramped up 6 percent in April, the first gain in 12 months, indicating renewed investor activity in the area. Cash sales on single family residences in the county have declined by as much as 32 percent in the last 12 months.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 21st, 2017 – More city services are coming to residents of North Port, the largest and fastest-growing municipality of Sarasota which is again expected to log the sharpest gain in property values amongst municipalities in the county this year. Such a leap could be further strengthened in the future by the recent city approval of a $12 million aquatic center at Butler Park at 6205 West Price Boulevard north of Heron Creek Golf and Country Club.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 20th, 2017 – National builder M/I Homes has announced that it will soon be building at the West Villages, a fast-growing master-planned development straddling the boundaries of Venice and North Port. Ranked amongst the top 20 U.S. homebuilders in the U.S., this company has set its sights on the master development’s Oasis at West Villages for its first venture in south Sarasota County.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, June 1st, 2017 – More roofs loom to be added at the Rye Road corridor that already teems with pre-construction sales listings at the Del Tierra and Rye Wilderness communities in East Manatee. In May, the members of the Manatee County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of a new community tentatively called Rye Estates/Coddington Subdivision on a 120-acre site between Rye Road and Waterline Road.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 31st, 2017 – Expect a spike on market activity on Sarasota homes for sale around the Alta Vista neighborhood, Ringling Park and Paver Park. This east downtown area will soon join the flurry of construction in the city with the recent approval of Payne Park Village. Work on this new community is expected to commence before the end of 2017, according to its developer, Houston-based David Weekley Homes.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 30th, 2017 – Market activity could pick up some more at the condominium community of Wildewood Springs in South Bradenton where some 20 units were sold since January this year. The recent improvements at the Parkwood Professional Center on 26th Street a short distance east of this property could further attract buying interest not only on its available units but also on other nearby Bradenton real estate for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 25th, 2017 – Readings on the market of Sarasota homes for sale in communities flanking Beneva Road, such as those in Glen Oaks and Fairway Oaks must be upbeat, as two nearby shopping centers off this road corridor are on an expansion mode. One of these commercial hubs is Sarasota Commons at 935 N Beneva Road which is now aggressively marketing a potential expansion opportunity of as much as 18,000 square feet on its northern end.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 24th, 2017 – Residents and developers of communities off East Laurel Road in Venice are keeping a close eye on a planned workforce housing on Knights Trail Road and its potential impact to local property values. This project cleared its first hurdle this May with the Venice Planning Commission approval of a rezoning of the housing site to allow construction of up to 18 units per acre.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 23rd, 2017 – Bradenton homes for sale around the Interstate 75 interchange at State Road 64 may pick up some steam from the interchange’s long-anticipated safety improvements which were finally given the green light recently. Costing $39.1 million, the work on the interchange calls for its reconfiguration so that it will handle the traffic far better than its current design, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) said.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 18th, 2017 – The location of Bradenton Beach condos Sunbow Bay, Sandy Pointe and Westbay Cove promises to get even more scenic, judging from the aesthetical design recommended for the new Anna Maria Island Bridge planned for construction just north of these properties. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has already determined that a high-level fixed bridge will replace the current Anna Maria span built in 1957 at the western end of SR 64.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 17th, 2017 – Prospective buyers of homes for sale in Cortez will find no builds newer than the residences built in the 2000s at Harbour Landings, but this could soon change. The new construction, moreover, won’t be coming from just at the Peninsula Bay approved last year but also from a revived development west of it. Early this May, plans were submitted for Hunters Point Resort & Marina, a small master-planned development at 124th Street Court West just north of Cortez Road West and east of Cortez Bridge.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 16th, 2017 – Will daily commuters between Sarasota and Anna Maria Island have ferry and water taxis part of their commuting habits? Two entrepreneurs are convinced of this trend picking up and are investing on it, ventures that could help ease road traffic between the two popular places. One of the investors, Paradise Boat Tours owner Sherman Baldwin, is set to open a ferry this July specifically for local day-trippers from Sarasota to Anna Maria.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 11th, 2017 – More inventory becoming available is driving the home market higher in Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and North Port, according to Peter Rivera, president of the realtors’ association covering the south Sarasota County areas. Rivera, in a recent media interview also attributed recent market gains in their territory to home buying ahead of foreseen hikes in interest rate and more buyers engaging the market following the election.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 10th, 2017 – The West Palm Beach-based Kolter Group, after entering The Vue, The Mark and The Grande at the Ritz-Carlton in the derby of Sarasota condos for sale, has launched its first community of single family homes in the county. Called Artistry Sarasota, this new residential development is located at the eastern end of Palmer Boulevard where it links to Iona Road east of Bee Ridge Extension.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 9th, 2017 – No warehouse will be built near Celery Fields, a piece of good news for residential property owners with recent market listings close to this popular wetlands preserve in east Sarasota County. The developer of the warehouse has informed the county that it is terminating the contract to buy the planned facility’s seven-acre site west of Celery Fields.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 3rd, 2017 – Marketing for the solar-powered town Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County has shifted to overdrive with event after event being held to promote this new development off Florida State Road 31. This April, a twice-a-week free live music show was launched at the Founder’s Square in the property’s downtown district.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, May 2nd, 2017 – The active listings inventory of single family homes continues to grow in the Sarasota region even as the peak spring selling season is now on its tail-end. Splitting the price segments of resale properties, prospective buyers of Sarasota homes for sale will find more choices in the $200,000–$299,999 price range with a total of 739 listings as of March.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 27th, 2017 – Construction of new homes has stepped up at Esplanade Golf & Country Club at Lakewood Ranch, with its builder-developer Taylor Morrison apparently egged on by recent strong sales of new builds in golf communities within the LWR master development. Turnover of Lakewood Ranch homes for sale were brisk within the Esplanade community itself which opened its Wellness Center in June last year as a further stimulus to buyers.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 26th, 2017 – Construction of waterfront homes for sale in Sarasota and Manatee is on an upward trajectory, with new builds rising at several existing neighborhoods and more expected in the proposed Aqua by the Bay in West Manatee. Bruce Williams Homes, a family-owned local home builder, is currently offering three pre-construction homes at the boating community of Winding River.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 25th, 2017 – The city center of Bradenton is fast shaping up as the downtown that the locals no longer used to know. This marked shift is for the better though. Way much better especially for Bradenton real estate for sale. One face of the downtown’s transformation is happening right east of the River Dance condominium at 3rd Ave West.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 20th, 2017 – An advisory committee tasked to draft incentives for affordable housing in Manatee County has come up with a four-point plan which could soon help expand local home buying choices at easier price points. Manatee home buyers currently searching for affordably priced options would be typically confined to combing through resale properties in older communities.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 19th, 2017 – Golf Course Road, host to new and thriving neighborhoods in Parrish like Twin Rivers and Gamble Creek Estates, is poised to add another exciting community on its stretch running less than four miles eastward from Fort Hamer Road to Rye Road. Neal Communities, in end March, announced that it will begin development this year of the acreage of the Palmetto Pines Golf Course into a gated community of 610 homes.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 18th, 2017 – Include townhouses amongst the residential types in the Manatee‒Sarasota real estate market where activity has recently shifted to high gear, matching the recent surge in this segment on the national level. In its most recent U.S.-wide estimate covering 2014 to 2015, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), noted a 17.8 percent year-over-year increase in construction of townhouses.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 13th, 2017 – Picks on homes for sale are quite few in South Oak and Plantation Bay Estates, neighboring communities of Feld Entertainment Studios at the border of Palmetto with Ellenton in north Manatee. This dearth of sales listing, however, could soon be over as the long-delayed Sanctuary Cove housing project in this area is girding to start home construction.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 12th, 2017 – Public park facilities, long in the wish list of folks in northeast Venice, is a need soon to be filled and, in the process, also help spur market interest in old and new communities in this fast-growing part of south Sarasota County. One project that the city government of Venice is now exploring is a dog park and pickle ball court in a privately owned land at 2203 Knights Trail Road, which is currently sales-listed for $2.1 million.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 11th, 2017 – The current building boom at the Rosemary District continues to provide enticing alternatives to downtown Sarasota condos for sale with the recent market launch of units at the mixed-use Zahrada and the groundbreaking for phase two of Valencia at Rosemary Place. Zahrada, which means garden in Czech, is comprised of just six residential units designed as three-story condos with living areas of up to 3,542 square feet.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 6th, 2017 – An inspiring cultural dimension will soon be added to the communities and neighborhoods of Bay Isles as plans are being firmed up for a new facility nearby that would replace the Longboat Key Center of the Arts set to close this May. The arts center’s site in Longbeach Village at the north end of the island is being sold to a private property developer.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, April 5th, 2017 – Pricing advantage for Sarasota condos for sale has tilted in favor of buyers and has grown more attractive particularly to investors and snowbirds in search of a seasonal home. In January‒February, the inventory of multifamily homes in the county including condominium units rose by about 26 percent. This gain sent active listings to nearly 2,000 units as of the last count this February and put months’ supply of inventory to 6.2 months which already indicates a buyers’ market.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 30th, 2017 – Count builder DiVosta Homes amongst those reaping positive vibes from the extension of Honore Avenue to Pinebrook and Laurel roads in South County, a new route which opened in April last year and helped bring added zip on Sarasota homes for sale. Sales in this homebuilder’s Sandhill Preserve community, located off the Honore Avenue corridor in the southern Palmer Ranch area, has been remarkably strong in the past 12 months.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 29th, 2017 – Riviera Dunes in Palmetto is likely to draw more market attention moving forward this 2017. This eclectic community rides on more besides the momentum of strong sales last year and draws added market mileage on the recent uptick of development initiatives in the city. Two of these potential growth-drivers are set to open right at the outskirts of Riviera Dunes.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 28th, 2017 – Prospective home buyers who missed out on affordable choices at Palmetto in North Manatee now has another chance at two nearby new communities—Trevesta and Willow Walk— where several affordably priced spec builds were recently put on the market. Trevesta, the larger of these two, is a master-planned community being developed by Kolter Land Partners, an affiliate of the West Palm Beach-based Kolter Group which broke ground on this project last year.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 27th, 2017 – Recent market activity has picked up significantly at Rosedale Golf & Country Club where some 16 sales have been posted since January and five newly completed spec homes sales-listed just this March. These new listings are all located in the second-phase add of this golf community in the north Lakewood Ranch area. Their home sites are part of a gated neighborhood, the Links at Rosedale, just off the southwest corner of 44th Avenue East and Lakewood Ranch Blvd.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 23rd, 2017 – The lifestyle looms to turn even much more fun and cooler at Greenbrook Village and Bridgewater as a new park will soon rise near these two communities in Lakewood Ranch. Called Patton Park, it is the largest of four parks set for construction and scheduled to open this year as added attractions to Lakewood Ranch homes for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 22nd, 2017 – Spice Bay is poised for an even larger presence in the upbeat luxury home market in Siesta Key this year after a record sale was closed in this gated community in January. Nautilus Homes, the builder of this recently sold residence, has broken ground for a new Spice Bay construction. Meanwhile, two other custom builds for this community are on the drawing boards of London Bay Homes.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 21st, 2017 – Growth momentum appears rapidly building up in the residential property market of Venice as recent home sales have been consistently strong in this southern Sarasota city. Most pronounced of these robust gains were those observed in the new communities along Laurel Road near Interstate 75 in the North Venice area. One of the active developers here is Neal Communities which recently disclosed that Venice is now its second-fastest-selling region next only to Lakewood Ranch.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 20th, 2017 – Residential properties in older communities east of downtown Sarasota, like Paver Park and Alta Vista, are getting increased market attention these days. At Paver Park, deals on about a dozen market listings were closed recently, while at its neighboring Alta Vista two spec builds were entered in the MLS of Sarasota homes for sale early this year.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 16th, 2017 – Marketing of residences has stepped up notches higher at Lakewood National shortly after its developer, Lennar Corp., opened the property’s first of two golf courses off State Road 70 in Lakewood Ranch this January. As of early March, eight terrace condominiums and three single family homes in this new golf community have been added in the MLS of Lakewood Ranch homes for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 15th, 2017 – Manatee is expected to complete a 15-year parks master plan this spring, but this early, local officials have already launched several initiatives to develop and maximize recreation and open space amenities of the county. The County Commission approved the county’s first community pool north of the Manatee River. This new aquatic facility will be located at the 18-acre Lincoln Park in Palmetto, directly across east of Lincoln Middle School.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 14th, 2017 – Meadow Walk may have preceded the Vilano in developing Sarasota homes for sale by over a decade. Nevertheless, the residents of these communities and other nearby subdivisions off Palmer Boulevard, new or old, were quick to meld recently for a common cause: protection of the Celery Fields Preserve near their neighborhood.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 13th, 2017 – Where residential construction goes, commercial projects follow. This dictum in real estate development is now in play too in Nokomis, replicating a similar drift in other areas within the Sarasota-Manatee region. Just this January, German budget grocer Aldi filed commercial building permits for the construction of a new store at 1225 N. Tamiami Trail.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 9th, 2017 – Residents of Serenoa Golf Club may soon find themselves having new neighbors, with Neal Communities’ pursuit of a new development adjacent to their South Sarasota community. Early this March, the homebuilder purchased over 500 acres just south of Serenoa and renewed its petition for County Commission approval of up to 1,100 homes on this current agricultural site east of Interstate 75.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 8th, 2017 – Closed deals on luxury Sarasota homes for sale dropped 7.7 percent to 275 transactions in 2016, but a robust sales improvement could be on the horizon this year. Recent sales data and industry forecasts indicate upward sales momentum is building up for residential properties priced at $1 million and over.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 7th, 2017 – The condominium‒townhome market in Sarasota and Manatee is off to a strong start this year, with the pool of buyers apparently growing larger and thus enticing builders to offer new units and encouraging sellers to list more resale choices. Combined sales of condominium units and townhomes in January rose 14.8 percent to 248 units in Sarasota.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 6th, 2017 – Builders will be busy in northwest of downtown Sarasota well after year 2020 as pre-planning has formally started for the redevelopment of the city-owned 42 acres around the Van Wezel. In addition, high-rise condominiums are also set in this bayfront area, courtesy of two developers who’re no doubt bullish on the prospects of the Sarasota real estate market.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 2nd, 2017 – Prospective buyers of new home builds priced just around the mid-$200s will find more plentiful picks in Southwest Florida this year, a new research shows. Statistics released recently by real estate data supplier Metrostudy indicated that there was a sustained focus in Sarasota and Manatee counties on building new homes priced at the median range or above.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, March 1st, 2017 – Residents of Regatta Pointe, Ardmore subdivision and other communities in West Palmetto can expect yet better things to come in their neighborhoods. In the near future, their area could see a redevelopment of 10th Avenue starting from the Manatee River front northward to 17th Street. This project would include roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, new lighting, and improved landscaped meridians.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 28th 2017 – Seasonal residents of Longboat Key coming home this spring and summer will find themselves practically having a new beach as well as upgraded facilities at the town’s popular Bayfront Park. A multimillion-dollar project to renourish the island’s Gulf Coast beaches has been fully completed in the 2016 fourth quarter, further enhancing the values of Longboat Key real estate for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 27th 2017 – The economic impact of sports tourism in Sarasota and the tailwinds it provide to the property market promises to get bigger this year and further into the future. World competitions in rowing this year and an international sailing conference in 2018 are already calendared in Sarasota, while the Atlanta Braves are nearly certain to pitch their spring training camp in North Port starting in 2019.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 23rd 2017 – Recent data from U.S. News & World Report reaffirm that the dynamics of population growth, job creation and other economic factors are at work in the Sarasota metro area to make it one of the best places to live in the country. In an analysis to identify the 25 best places to live in the U.S. in 2017, U.S. News ranked the Sarasota metro no. 21 with an overall rating of 6.9 out of 10.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 22nd 2017 – The Manatee‒Sarasota Building Industry Association (BIA) has again raised the excitement in this year’s edition of its Parade of Homes set February 18 up to March 5, with more home models entered in this annual builders’ showcase. A total of 135 models are featured in this year’s Parade, up from the 110 participants in 2016 and from 93 in 2015.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 21st 2017 – More folks could be convinced on the merits of downsizing to smaller homes in 2017 and the years ahead. This likelihood arises not only from the growing number of “empty-nesters,” mainly consisting of retired or retiring baby boomers. Also fueling it is the growing interest on smaller and more affordable homes which came as a learning from the last housing crisis.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 20th 2017 – The long-delayed Stump Pass Dredging Project, which would set in motion shoreline protection and the sand replenishment of the beaches of Manasota Key, is now green and go again to provide some lift to homes for sale in Englewood. Costing close to $5 million, this project has been scheduled for March 1 to May 1 this year.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 16th 2017 – Purposive efforts are being taken at Lakewood Ranch (LWR) to attract more millennial home buyers, a demographic that showed rising market activity in the master development during 2016. A significant number of these young residents, according to Laura Cole, VP for marketing at Lakewood Ranch/LWR Communities, moved to the master development to follow their parents who have purchased homes here.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 15th 2017 – Property development in the Florida Suncoast has definitely shifted to high gear. In downtown Sarasota alone, over 3,000 residential units slated in some 40 projects are either newly finished or under construction or in the pipeline. The construction frenzy could significantly intensify even more and further enrich selections of Sarasota homes for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 14th 2017 – There’s a consensus among industry analysts that Florida could outperform the projections of a 4 percent increase in home values nationwide in 2017. Lawrence Yun, senior economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and Holden Lewis, a senior mortgage analyst at Bankrate.com, agree that continuing improvement in job growth in the Sunshine State augurs well for its recent robust performance.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 13th 2017 – Property owners and developers in Sarasota’s Rosemary District are poised to tackle priorities in revitalizing their locality this year in advance of new residents expected to start moving in the neighborhood soon. The discussions expected to move forward this year include addressing the need for parking management with the influx of new residents, improving downtown connectivity, and streetscapes.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 9th 2017 – It appears that there’d be not much fence-sitting this year for prospective sellers of Sarasota homes for sale. The solid gains in local home prices achieved last year are likely to be sustained and provide a strong incentive for them to engage the market. Sound economic fundamentals point to continuing strength of the local market.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 8th 2017 – The Sarasota condo market appears headed for a breakout, November‒December realtor figures indicate. During the last two months of 2016, sales closed on multifamily homes in the county rose at double-digit levels, reversing declines for most of last year. A total of 298 Sarasota condos were recorded sold in December, up 12.5% from the same month in 2015.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 7th 2017 – Neighborhoods around Whitaker Bayou off North Tamiami Trail near the Museum Area will soon have a new addition. Reservations are now being taken for residences at The Strand, a new waterfront condominium planned for a total of 156 new units added to the inventory of Sarasota condos for sale. The community is programmed for three four-story buildings which will rise in a site of nearly 9.5 acres where the old Whitaker Bayou Yacht Club was formerly located.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 6th 2017 – Home sales in 2016 were logged at just about one per month in the new community of Harmony at Lakewood Ranch, but this pace could pick up moving forward in 2017. Market activity here could draw some tailwinds from its neighboring biomedical research park, CORE, whose first project is expected to start site development this spring.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 2nd 2017 – The growing popularity of Lakewood Ranch (LWR) as a hub of community activities bodes well for maintaining its ranking amongst the top master-planned communities in the U.S. In 2016, new LWR homes sold rose 45 percent to 775 units, from 535 in 2015, enabling the master development to retain its place amongst the top five best-selling master-planned communities in the country.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, February 1st 2017 – The spring home selling season in the Manatee/Sarasota region promises to be as vibrant as ever, with several major real estate events set starting this February. As a lead-off to the annual Parade of Homes scheduled February 18 to March 5, the Herald-Tribune will hold its inaugural BuilderFest in the Sarasota downtown area on February 11 at 1741 Main Street.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 31st 2017 – Residents of The Landings in South Sarasota have one good reason to be cheery in 2017. The commercial center eponymous with this West of the Trail community was acquired in an auction by Benderson Development this January and is set for immediate redevelopment. The Landings Shopping Center was foreclosed last year after losing many of its tenants during the past six years.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 30th 2017 – Prospects for the housing sector in the Manatee‒Sarasota area loom bright this 2017, with the strong economic indicators and sound economic policies noted in the region recently. A robust recovery in new home construction was seen as one of the major growth drivers for the area’s economy. During the 2016 third quarter, local housing starts revved up to their fastest pace in a decade.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 26th 2017 – Brace for some diligent searching and pencil-pushing if your home buying in Sarasota or Manatee in 2017 is focused on foreclosure, REOs or short sales. The supply of distressed properties on the two-county market looks likely to further diminish, resulting in a sustained rise in their median prices. A continued tightening of sales-listed foreclosures in the Sarasota-Manatee area is foretold by the recently reported dive to a 10-year low in 2016 of foreclosure activity in the region.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 25th 2017 – Sales of luxury condos in Sarasota appears off to a sizzling start in 2017 with nine units priced over the $1 million mark already recorded sold in the MLS as of the third week of January. Already above the seven luxury Sarasota condos sold in January 2015, the 2016 initial sales notably included four successive deals closed at the new Sansara condominium this month.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 24th 2017 – Residents of existing communities in east Sarasota shall have their first glimpse this 2017 of a new urban downtown core to be developed in the mammoth Waterside project of Schroeder Manatee Ranch (SMR). Road extensions included in this project will link this development to nearby communities like Tatum Ridge off Fruitville Road which lies just south of Waterside.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 23rd 2017 – Residential communities like Arielle on Palmer Ranch, McIntosh Lake, and Meadowland Circle are well-positioned to draw benefits from the planned northward extension of Sarasota’s Legacy Trail which has gained further momentum recently. In December, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation granted a $50,000 donation to the Trust for Public Land.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 19th 2017 – The homebuilding pace could be expected to pick up in 2017 at GreyHawk Landing West where just four newly built residences are listed amongst Bradenton homes for sale as of this January. Early in the month, the Manatee County Commission approved the final plat for 70 lots in a subdivision of this western extension of Greyhawk Landing. The execution and recording of this final plat leaves only about 30 homes to be platted in a sub-phase of this neighborhood.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 18th 2017 – Market activity could be expected to pick up soon at Legends Bay, a bayfront community in West Bradenton, as its last 82 vacant lots have been recently sold. Legends Bay Real Estate LLC, a subsidiary of Medallion Home, purchased the sites for $10.9 million from the property’s developer Ruben Holland Development. “Build it out . . . sell more homes,” was the comment of Medallion Home founder Carlos Beruff regarding the deal sealed on December 30 last year.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 17th 2017 – Home construction is going full throttle at the West Villages which appears poised to further improve the fourth place ranking it achieved in 2016 among the top master developments in the U.S. for the year. Four existing neighborhoods currently comprise this property development in South County which in recent years has become a hotspot for searchers of Sarasota homes for sale.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 16th 2017 – The Sarasota business incubator HuB is moving this early 2017 to a more central location downtown, a move geared at further cultivating creative entrepreneurship in the region. HuB’s new headquarters is set at the historic Palm Tower at the corner of Main Street and Palm Avenue. It will occupy one floor of the seven-story building, with plans for additional coworker space in order to attract more tech companies.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 12th 2017 – State Road 31 in east Punta Gorda, erstwhile traversed mainly by ranchers and farmers, would soon be familiar ground for prospective buyers of homes for sale in Charlotte County. Eighteen model homes in Lake Timber, the first section of the eco-centric Babcock Ranch master development on this road corridor, are set to open either late this January or early in February.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 11th 2017 – Residents at Hill Park, Oakwood and other subdivisions in Samoset south of downtown Bradenton are pushing for the revitalization of their community under an improvement strategy which Manatee County has adopted many years earlier. County officials formulated this plan in 2007 and approved it the same year, but the onset the recession and its adverse effects on the county’s budget derailed its implementation.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 10th 2017 – The redevelopment plan along some of the dormant corridors in Manatee is starting to gain ground in the southern part of the county near the existing communities of Hawks Harbor and Whitfield Estates. The first initiative under this plan came off the wraps in December with the announcement of the plan for Blu Harbor, a new waterfront condominium and yacht club.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 9th 2017 – The excellent academic training provided in the schools in Manatee is not the only reason why the county suits growing families. Many smart parents and prospective home buyers have likewise taken notice of the healthy foods local schools serve to children. As important, the kids also learn the ins and outs of farming through school gardens.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 5th, 2017 – Consider Cape Haze or Placida if in a search of communities most likely to maintain for a long time their old Florida charm. This quaint destination for searches of homes for sale in Charlotte County already teems with many greenbelt areas and preserves, and it added yet another one recently. Development work on a natural wildlife sanctuary, Preserve at Mercabo, is now complete.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 4th, 2017 – Siesta Key reaffirmed its stature recently as one of the top destinations of luxury homes for sale in the Suncoast with the market listing in December of a $13.9 million residence at the Sanderling Club on the southern part of the island. This gated estate home nestles on a 3.64-acre gulf-to-lagoon site at 8218 Sanderling Road.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 3rd, 2017 – The Sarasota condo market in November posted robust inventory gains, exerting downward pressure on prices which should help entice more buyers to engage the market moving forward in 2017. Active listings of Sarasota condos for sale during the month rose year over year by 28.6 percent to nearly 1,600 units, sustaining the inventory advance since the start of 2016.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, January 2nd, 2017 – Major infrastructure projects brewing on the southern end of Rye Road would soon bring positive vibes on Manatee homes for sale in the new community of River Reach in Parrish. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) conducted public meetings recently on its plans to either build a modern roundabout or signalized intersection at Rye Road and State Road 64 about 3 miles south of River Reach.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 29th, 2016 – Heightened market interest may be expected on attractively priced Sarasota homes for sale off Richardson Road east and west of Interstate 75. The long-proposed overpass in this area which would connect Cattlemen Road with the southern extension of Lakewood Ranch Blvd. is finally gaining ground.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 28th, 2016 – Echoes of the current residential construction boom in Lakewood Ranch (LWR) are reverberating in the master development’s commercial real estate sector. At LWR’s Gatewood Corporate Park in East Manatee County, development was recently set in motion for industrial space of as much as 700,000 square feet as yet another push to the area’s building spree.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 27th, 2016 – Take notice if some realtors say that many first-time home buyers would likely settle for less home in 2017. With the home market facing a regime of rising interest rates, indeed it seems that more aspiring homeowners would be inclined to scratch the “have-to-have” amenities and go for smaller, less pricey residential choices.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 26th, 2016 – A new flavor is being injected into the character of downtown Sarasota besides the dramatic change in its skyline courtesy of ongoing major property development projects in and around the city center. The Downtown Improvement District (DID), after installing flower baskets in August on light poles in some major city streets, is now working on three gateway signs at three key entry points to the city’s core.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 22nd, 2016 – There’s plenty of gas left in the building boom which now reverberates in and around the Sarasota downtown. Two more projects are likely to be added soon to the 30 or so proposed or ongoing developments in this area among which is the massive Sarasota Quay project now all set to begin next year. Development of the bayside Quay property located in north downtown got final city approval early this December.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 21st, 2016 – A rich collection of waterfront homes in several Suncoast communities are set for completion this 2016, well in time to reap some marketing mileage from world-class rowing and sailing events that Southwest Florida is hosting in 2017 and in 2018. Sarasota and Manatee counties are expecting some 40,000 visitors from more than 60 countries to converge at the Nathan Benderson Park from September 24 to October 1, 2017 for the World Rowing Championship.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 20th, 2016 – Added vigor could be expected on north Manatee homes for sale, particularly to those along the Erie Road stretch of the planned Willow-Ellenton Greenway. State funding has been secured recently for this trail that would run parallel to the old Parrish Palmetto rail corridor starting from Ellenton Gillete Road just west of the new Willow Walk community in Palmetto.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 19th, 2016 – Lakewood Ranch continues to add even more rooftops, as sales move forward on two new communities at its northern edge while a separate project nearby was approved recently. Early this December, the Manatee County Commission approved Lorraine Corners Northeast, a development for either a maximum of 220 housing units, 573,550 square feet maximum for office and commercial spaces, or a combination of both.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 15th, 2016 – The primarily agricultural/vacant land off Interstate 75 between Moccasin Wallow and Buckeye Road continues to mold itself as one of the high-growth areas in North Manatee County. Early this December, the county commission approved the revival of the Stonegate Preserve project here. It is planned for 667 single family homes and 124 multifamily units, plus a community center and a facility for either a day care or private school.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 14th, 2016 – National builder Pulte Homes has launched its marketing this December for Shoreview, the first neighborhood of the 3,500-acre Lakewood Ranch at Waterside. This subdivision is located on Deer Drive just south of University Parkway and came just eight months after Schroeder-Manatee Ranch (SMR) broke ground in Waterside, its first major project in Sarasota.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 13th, 2016 – Taylor Morrison, one of the nation’s top homebuilders, bought 227 acres in Palmer Ranch in late November. This deal amounts to $36 million and would further expand the national homebuilder’s footprint in this South Sarasota master development. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company announced that it will develop the Esplanade of Palmer Ranch in this site just west of Honore Avenue.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 6th, 2016 – Two new communities south of State Road 64 in East Bradenton—Eagle Trace and Serenity Creek— will soon get richer by a few more local amenities, with several development projects set to roll near their locality. One of these, the 40.55-acre Community Park at Lakewood Centre, is scheduled to begin construction before year-end.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 5th, 2016 – More visitors, and possibly new residents, can soon experience Pinecraft, a unique Sarasota community originally set up by religious Amish and Mennonite farmers in the 1920s at the intersection of Bahia Vista Street and Beneva Road. The Sarasota County Commission, in two separate moves, approved plans that would not only highlight the culture of this religious enclave.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, December 1st, 2016 – In the November elections, voters rejected two projects which would have added new home builds in Longboat Key. Nonetheless, there are several other developments already on the wings that could add some more lift to the property market in this island-town.