Sarasota Real Estate

Downtown Waterfront Living

Living on the water and now living in the city come together at irresistible hot new addresses as Golden Gate Point's downtown skyline changes.
Living, shopping, dining, parks and recreation are all within a short distance of this revitalized area.

Elegant new luxury highrise buildings and reinvented older buildings with pricing from $680,000 for a two bedroom, two bath condo to $2,800,000 for even more luxury. Lavishly appointed interiors with exquisite amenities including poolside waterfront terraces, spas and fitness facilities are just some of the highlights of the waterfront condos which offer an alternative to living on one of Sarasota's barrier islands. The new urban lifestyle in Sarasota brings the water to the city.

LaBellasara, one of the Sarasota luxury condos majestically overlooks Marina Jack's and Sarasota's new skyline.

The Ritz-Carlton, another exquisite highrise, is across the street from Golden Gate Point providing high-end services to luxury Sarasota real estate owners. Buyers can now choose from approximately 30 residences in the Tower Residences or the hotel residences of the Ritz-Carlton priced from $1,149,000 to $4,900,000.

Have a chocolate martini at the Ritz bar if you are visiting Sarasota, simply the best! Don't feel like getting dressed, order room service from your own Ritz Carlton home 24-hours a day.

Siesta Key Beach Condo

The Terrace - Siesta Key Florida

Positioned overlooking the famous Siesta Key beach, this complex is close to Siesta Key Village. Enjoy shopping, dining and just walking in the Village. The Broken Egg can become your early morning stop for the best of breakfast or if walking is your enjoyment, it's right out your doorstep.

From some of the balconies, residents and visitors view photographers setting up for wedding photos, vacation family portraits, or just snapping a fabulous sunset! Most weekends you can even catch a wedding on the beach.

Some units at the Terrace have sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico. The building has a workout facility, pool and underground parking. According to the Sarasota MLS database, currently there are 5 of these Siesta Key condos available from the mid $800,000s.

Sarasota Real Estate News

Florida's Existing Home Median Price Rises

Statewide the median price for an existing home rose 11 percent last month. Homes sales across the country are slower which is a good thing for the housing sector according to NAR. Even so, NAR reports that it "expects 2006 to be the third strongest sales year on record."

According to Sarasota MLS data, the median sales price for a single-family home in May 2006 was $340,000, compaired to $350,000 in May 2006. The number of single-family homes sold in May 2006 was 482, compared to 683 in May 2005.

Mortgage rates are still rising and Florida's home prices in May continued to adjust to a changing market. Many areas including the Sarasota real estate market, continue to have a greater inventory of homes for sale than in the previous year.

Downtown Sarasota Condos

100 Central Downtown Condo Preview

100 Central, reviewed previously on the blog, is in the center of Sarasota's hot downtown district and is the place to be or so it seems. There is currently only one unit available in this "wanna be where the action is" address. The 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bedroom unit is over 1500 sq.ft. There are five units under contract and four units have sold in the last three months from $650,000 to $910,000.

All units in 100 Central don't have the Sarasota waterfront view most relocating baby boomers want. Since the bayfront is walking distance and all the amenities of Whole Foods, Starbuck's and new elite shops are part of the complex, 100 Central is a great alternative choice for a Florida move.

Jim Cramer of MSNBC fame, recently touted the stock of Whole Foods and Starbuck's as good investments. 100 Central has both and owners get to enjoy those hot amenities as part of their Sarasota real estate investment. The 100 Central building offers a beautiful club room, tropical resort style pool with grilling area, an excellent workout facility and guest accommodations for owners.

New Construction Sarasota Downtown

Buildings Continue to Go Up in Sarasota!

Sarasota's skyline and downtown area continue to change as new construction is popping up everywhere. It's not always a Sarasota condo project either. O'Leary's started an addition in the last week. They too are continuing the building mania in Sarasota. Their almost new tiki hut must have been such a huge success as they are expanding again. We look forward to the completion of this new project which will contribute to Sarasota's waterfront.


This morning the bayfront was alive earlier than usual as the days are getting a little warmer in Florida! Some wee hours devilish pranksters or some playful soul put soap in the entrance fountain which greeted Snuffy and I as we arrived for our Saturday morning walk.

Snuffy chatted with one our favorite friends: a little ball of fluff named Lily Pearl. She walks with a nice lady who lives in Lily Pearl's condo on Siesta Key. The nice lady told us that Lily Pearl owns the condo, and she just lives there. Snuffy owns a house in Forest Lakes also or so it seems.

Some of Snuffy's friends were going to obedience class right next to O'Leary's. We watched as they did their stuff and headed to Snuffy's house.

This afternoon we are headed to Longboat Key to preview several condos for customers from out of state. On our list are the waterfront condos of the beautiful Water Club on Longboat Key. There are 9 condos actively listed at the Water Club from $1,695,000 to $2,895,000. This Longboat Key condominium complex offers outstanding amenities with private beach access.

Siesta Key Real Estate

Siesta Key 4th of July Relaxation

Longtime friend originally from Charleston, WV and owner of Ashton Lakes Realty, Joe Bonsall and his lovely wife Jeannie were in attendance at the Riegels Landing home of Ray and Natalie Gibson for an informal gathering of friends on this 4th of July. Natalie, quite the hostess called about 1:00 pm on the 4th and said "come for dinner." She amazingly has the nack for putting a delectible dinner together in a matter of hours that would take this Sarasota realtor weeks. The Gibsons beautiful Siesta Key waterfront home always sparkles even if it's not the 4th of July.

Our small group feasted on fried chicken, Joe's homemade slaw (Jeannie made it, I think), barbecue ribs, baked beans, hot dogs with chili sauce and Natalie's special apple pie with cheese, ice cream and fresh berries. Yummy!

Leaving Siesta Key around 9:00 pm, I was lucky to find a parking spot close to the north Siesta Key bridge. All the hard work of the service workers on Bayfront Island Park paid off. The sky was ablaze with a dazzling fireworks display lighting up the cloudy night. There was a light sprinkle about 9:00 pm but the sky cleared right before blast off!

Talk about timing, just as I pulled back into my Forest Lakes home, the Boston Pops were cranking up for another outstanding 4th of July performance -- quite a great celebration and another tiny break from selling Sarasota real estate.

Currently there is only one home on the market in Riegels Landing -- a four plus bedroom, four and one-half baths with 5537 sq. ft. This spacious home is on the water and offered at $2,895,000.