Sarasota Real Estate Blog

5 Tips On How to Sell Your Home For Maximum Profit in Sarasota-FL

February 5, 2012 By Jason Silverstein

No homeowner wants to leave money on the table, right? Here’s 5 tips you should know…

If you’ve ever wondered how to prepare your home for sale, here are some low cost tips that will help you sell your home quicker and for more money.

Declutter: Making the home clear of clutter is much more important than many people realize The potential buyer needs to be able to envision the home as their own and it is difficult to do if your home is filled with personal items. Depersonalize by also removing your family pictures.
Get organized: Organization is a process, not a product. It involves time and thought, motivation and effort- If you have a lot of things you may want to have a garage sale or rent a storage unit to store everything. It may never occur to you that a potential buyer doesn’t want to see stacks of boxes, or stuffed closets and cabinets.
Take care of any small repairs that need to be made. If a potential buyer notices something small that needs to be repaired they may imagine that there are other items that need to be repaired also. You may be thinking that it is just a small thing and the new buyer can fix it, but this is the wrong way to look at things if you want to maximize your profit. Do things such as: Patch holes in the wall. Fix Leaky faucets. Make sure the front door locks and unlocks easily. Make sure all rooms are painted a neutral color. Replace burned-out light bulbs.
Keep the outside and inside of the home clean. It is important that your home has the best curb appeal possible. Buyers will typically drive by properties before they ask their agent to make an appointment for them to go inside. Make sure the outside looks good so the buyer will want to see the inside. Spend money on landscaping in the front of the house. Keep the lawn mowed and trim the bushes and surrounding vegetation.
Pay close attention to the other homes for sale in the neighborhood. This is your competition. Your home needs to either look better or be priced better than the competition. Ever wonder why similar homes sell before another? You may say why and how did that house sell first when it was priced higher? Most likely that house sold first because the owner paid attention to every last detail. There was nothing at all left undone.

Taking care of the little things will make you more money and allow you to sell your home faster!

Please call 941-371-0774 or email Jason Silverstein for a free phone consultation on preparing your house for sale.

Siesta Key -One of the Best Selling Vacation Home Hot Spots in Sarasota,FL

January 29, 2012 By Jason Silverstein

It’s no wonder people from around the world are coming to Sarasota, Fl to buy Siesta Key Real Estate. Siesta Key is an island that combines luxurious amenities with a relaxed vibe that appeals to both visitors and locals. The island was recently named “Best Beach in Florida” by Florida Trend Magazine, which has put this secluded beach town on the map for many tourist and real estate investors from around the world.

Where is Siesta Key? Siesta Key is an 8 mile long barrier island just West of Mainland Sarasota. Is just a short 1 hour drive from Downtown St.Petersburg, Fl, which is another popular tourist destination. You can either fly into the Tampa International airport, about a 1.5 hour drive, or even closer is the Sarasota/Bradenton airport.

Once you arrive, you’ll probably be curious to know how much one of these beach homes cost. The good news is that you can choose from a wide variety of houses and condominiums priced from under $200,000 for a small condominium to over $10,000,000 for a waterfront house on the Gulf of Mexico. Many investors are buying beach condos now while the prices are at there lowest. Buyers typically purchase vacation homes and condos for their own pleasure, and rent out their units for hefty prices the remainder of the year.

Siesta Key Beach

Things to do in Siesta Key:

There’s more to Siesta Key than just beaches and water. This island is a destination for all who stay or live in the Sarasota area thanks to the wide variety of entertainment and dining options that stretch its length. On the north end, a short walk from one of Siesta’s large expanses of public beach, lies Siesta Key Village. In the village’s quaint few blocks you’ll find dozens of shops that cater to the island lifestyle, offering necessities like groceries and hardware alongside souvenirs and bathing suits. Siesta Key Village restaurants — most with large, open-air dining — range from pancake and egg joints to award-winning fine dining spots. We also have Scenic trails for boaters interested in exploring the mangrove forests that dot the area, dropping a line for snook or pompano, or cruising to Sarasota’s dockside restaurants and pubs.

Casual and beautiful, home to some of the world’s best beaches, and a short drive to all that greater Sarasota has to offer, Siesta Key is an ideal spot to live.

Please contact us and we will e-mail a current list of homes and condos for sale in Siesta Key. You may also want to read our International Home Buying report here.

: Birds enjoy the Beach

: White Sand

: Siesta Key Beach

: #1 Beach

: Siesta Key Village

: Sarasota Bay

: Siesta Key Beach

Filed Under: Best Neighborhoods in Sarasota, Siesta Key Beach

The Landings-One of the Best Neighborhoods in Sarasota,FL

January 23, 2012 By Jason Silverstein

What makes The Landings one of the best neighborhoods in Sarasota?

One of the reasons this neighborhood is so desirable is it’s close proximity to Siesta Key, which is just a 7 minute drive across the bay. Spectacular Siesta Key Beach was voted America’s BEST beach in 2011, and has some of the finest and whitest sand in the world!

The Landings Neighborhood is a gated community and consists of a mixture of 700 maintenance-free villas, single-family homes, unique multi-level tree houses, and condominium units that offer a variety of floor plans and sizes. With it’s meandering streets and lush natural landscaping, The Landings has become one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Sarasota. Most of the homes in The Landings were built in the 1980s, reflecting the design that was popular at that time. You will find well-maintained waterfront mansions as well as Florida ranch-style homes.

Amenities include: The “Landings Raquet Club” that houses a community pool, fitness center, and clay tennis courts, perfect for meeting fellow residents and staying is shape.

The Landings gated community has a range of single family homes. The high end consists of homes that are very elegant in style, enhanced with magnificent ceilings, granite counter tops, three-car garages, and stunning views of the Roberts Bay. These homes were built by some of the best home builders in Sarasota. The most unique properties in The Landings are its multi-level tree houses. These houses were built between two large trees within the estate. No where else in Sarasota can you find homes such as this.

The Landings offers something for everybody and every budget. Prices typically range from just under $300,000 to over a $1,000,000.

Please contact us and we will e-mail you a current list of homes for sale in the Landings, or any other Sarasota area neighborhoods.

You may also want to consider nearby Oyster Bay Estates Neighborhood

Filed Under: Best Neighborhoods in Sarasota

2012 Housing Market Forecast U.S. and Sarasota, Fl

January 15, 2012 By Jason Silverstein

Is it a good time to buy Sarasota Real Estate? The predictions moving forward are good, here’s why…

The economic indicators show that the national economy is getting better. During the housing downturn, buyers in Sarasota were mostly limited to investors and people buying second homes. A lot of potential home buyers were not buying because they had lost their jobs, were scared of losing their jobs, or worried that home prices would continue to drop. This is starting to change. The unemployment rate is decreasing. People see that prices are no longer dropping, their jobs seem to be more secure, and their is more optimism about the future. For home prices to rise, owner occupants will need to start buying again. More will start buying again as the lending standards loosen. Right now it may be hard for some people to get a loan, but that will change as the economy gets better. The national economy doesn’t correlate exactly with the local economy, but people move to Sarasota from all over the country. So what happens nationally effects what happens locally.

The following is the 2012 Economic and Housing Forecast from NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. The full 15 slide PowerPoint looks at economic indicators such as existing home sales, new home sales, housing starts, GDP, payroll jobs and more.

Link to the full report can be found here. This is for the entire U.S., not just Sarasota.

If you are looking for statistics on the Sarasota Housing Market, I’ve posted Sarasota Real Estate Stats Indicate One Of Top Recovering Markets in U.S. here.

Watch Lawrence Yun Video 2012 Real Estate Report here.

If after reading the report or watching the video, you decide that you would like to buy or sell a home or investment property, please contact Adam Banka or Jason Silverstein of Budget Realty of Sarasota.

Got a question to share? leave a comment below!

Filed Under: Housing Market, Real Estate News, Sarasota Real Estate Market

Sarasota Real Estate Statistics-Median List Prices Continue to Rise

January 4, 2012 By Jason Silverstein

Sarasota Home Prices Rise

More Good News for Sarasota Real Estate.

The following housing data is provided by Realtor.com

FACT: Median list prices nationwide have risen 4.05 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to November housing data of 146 metro areas. Fewer cities are reporting year-over-year list price declines.

So where have prices risen the most in the last month? The following are the 10 cities that saw the largest median list price increases from October to November 2011.

1. Central Fla.-Regional Statistical Area

Month-to-month median increase: 5.63 percent

Year-over-year increase: 14.27 percent

Median list price: $169,000

2. Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.

Month-to-month increase: 4.46 percent

Year-over-year increase: 10.54 percent

Median list price: $164,700

3. Miami, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 3.60 percent

Year-over-year increase: 29.50 percent

Median list price: $259,000

4. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 3 percent

Year-over-year decrease: -2.50 percent

Median list price: $144,200

5. New York, N.Y.

Month-to-month increase: 2.71 percent

Year-over-year decrease: -2.57 percent

Median list price: $379,000

6. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 2.69 percent

Year-over-year increase: 21.63 percent

Median list price: $224,900

7. Iowa City, Iowa

Month-to-month increase: 2.50 percent

Year-over-year increase: 3.02 percent

Median list price: $204,900

8. Tucson, Ariz.

Month-to-month increase: 2.41 percent

Year-over-year increase: 2.41 percent

Median list price: $174,000

9. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 2.13 percent

Year-over-year increase: 16.56 percent

Median list price: $240,000

10. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 1.86 percent

Year-over-year increase: 15.26 percent

Median list price: $219,000

If you look at Sarasota, FL you will see that the year over year increase was quite high. Higher list prices usually indicate higher sales prices! My 2012 prediction is that this may be the best time to sell your home in years!

Please call me for a free phone consultation 941-371-0774 Or email us here

Filed Under: Housing Market, Sarasota Real Estate Market