Ever Heard of the Embers, the Tams?

Yesterday, I wrote an article on my Active Rain blog about favorite beaches and the music of the Embers, the Drifters and the Tams asking what's your favorite beach music. It was fun to walk down memory lane and get comments from other bloggers about their favorite artists singing beach music through the years. Jan Chilton of Myrtle Beach, wrote how she was a real Embers groupie:

My little group of 60's hippies always went to North Myrtle Beach and Ocean Drive. There was shag music all around and I love it to this day, but none of us ever learned to shag...:-( In the 70's and early 80's I became an Embers groupie. I went all over the place in NC...). The Embers broke up, and now the only good part left is the Craig Woolard Band. He received the best male singer award in the National Beach Music Awards this year!
There's a new Embers group, which sounds nothing like the real ones. Jackie Gore just started a new band called the Legends of Beach. What a phenomenal voice he has!
Johnny Hopkins, who was my real crush back then,
is with some other band I wasn't even aware of till I just looked!
Anyway, much as I still love them, it makes me feel SOOOO old to see them now...

I told Jan, we are never too old to dance! Fran Vernon of California, of course, loved the Beach Boys.

On MySpace I added my favorite beach music a few days ago and now I can turn up the speakers and do a little shagging every day.

So do you like the music of The Embers, the Beach Boys, Buffett, or is there another group that comes to mind.

If you go to Siesta Key beach, what's your favorite beach music? Maybe you like Longboat better so what's on your Ipod? The self-portrait toes in the sand are mine on some Casey Key real estate.

For more information about Sarasota FL real estate and its beaches of Siesta Key and Longboat Key, contact Annette Smith.

Sarasota Real Estate Just Reduced

If you're in the market for Sarasota real estate and want a Gulf to Bay property, there are great reductions on Casey Key. The value is in the land for some of these properties.

New owners can possibly enjoy a beach cabanas on the Gulf and on the Bay side a boat dock on some of the area's best boating water.

Take a break from football today and search Sarasota FL real estate before seasonal buyers arrive. Call Annette Smith at 941-504-3922 for a listing appointment or with help searching real estate in Sarasota.

Cher's Home in Sarasota, FL

Cher's home in Malibu is for sale so for fun I searched the Sarasota MLS, the Mid-FL Regional MLS, for a 6 bedroom house in the Sarasota area with 7 bathrooms just to see what would be comparable to Cher's $45 million estate in Malibu, CA.

I found two houses searching Longboat Key, Casey Key real estate and Siesta Key. Cher's home also has a pool which these all do and a tennis court, gym, theater and guest house. These two Sarasota homes are priced at $17,500,000 for the one on Siesta Key and $18,500,000 for the Gulf to Bay estate on Casey Key. The Casey Key estate has a gym, with an indoor lap pool, billiard room, staff quarters, a pool house, a covered boat house on the Bay side, tennis court and putting green. Cher should buy a home in Sarasota, FL for a bargain! Stephen King might enjoy a new neighbor on Casey Key.

For more information about Casey Key FL real estate, contact Annette Smith.

Toast to Sarasota Real Estate Market Uptrend

Saturday I went with my friend and fellow realtor, Sandy Whitehead to see the acclaimed new movie Sex and the City. We loved the movie and headed for Ceviche, one of downtown Sarasota's new dining hotspot afterwards. Sandy and I used to comment on what a great building the old Times Building was as far back as 2000 when we each moved to Sarasota from Atlanta and Miami. The new owners have done a superb job of restoring and creating a unique dining spot in the heart of the city -- it seemed a perfect place to have a glass of wine and talk about the Sarasota real estate market. If you'd like a fun place for dining, try the tapas at Ceviche and toast an uptrend in our real estate market!

Casey Key Real Estate Update

Casey Key Update Home Sales Last Six Months

Checking the Sarasota MLS stats and going back six months, MLS data shows Casey Key real estate sales: 5 single family homes, from a 1970s single family beachfront residence with over 4,000 sq., sold at $4,500,000 to another 1970s bayfront property which sold at $1,340,000 for 1690 sq.ft. Selling prices of the five homes were $4,500,000 (Gulf), $3,797,500 (Gulf to Bay), $3,097,500 (Gulf to Bay), $3,750,000 (Gulf), and $1,340,000(Bay). Our last report was in October 2007 showing a high sale of over $6 million. Check Casey Key home sales stats for previous six months in our archives. The highest sale is $4.5 million in this report. There are 2 pending sales at this time.

Active listings number 49 properties, up from 43 in our October report from the MLS real estate stats for Casey Key, FL. Prices range from the high $1 millions to $20 million. If you are looking for land to build a beach house or a mansion on the Gulf of Mexico, Annette Smith is experienced in waterfront real estate sales and is ready to assist you in the Casey Key real estate market. Email Annette for a list of luxury Sarasota properties available if Florida luxury real estate is your choice.

For photos, virtual tours and area information on Casey Key or other Sarasota barrier islands of Siesta Key, Longboat Key, and Sarasota Florida real estate, visit our main website. Our customers love our Sarasota MLS idx search capabilities.

Postive News Continues for Sarasota Real Estate Market

Good News Continues in Sarasota's Real Estate Market

The Sarasota Board of Realtors issued a press release yesterday to local media reporting that February property sales rebounded by 28 percent in Sarasota.

The release pointed out that pending sales are also very high, which is a good indicator for stronger real estate market ahead.

According to the statistics pulled from the Sarasota MLS, our local market saw a big jump in February 2008 in overall property sales. Read our last month's report.

There were 423 property sales reported in the Sarasota MLS, compared to only 329
sales in January 2008. In addition, pending sales climbed to 654 in February,
the highest level in nearly a year (March 2007 was the last month with higher
pending sales at 706).

There were 294 single family homes sold by SAR members, along with 129
condominium units. While sales numbers were strong, the median sale price for
homes and condos continued to fluctuate. Single family homes saw a small rise in
the median sale price, from $265,000 in January 2008 up to $285,000 in February
2008 - a 7 percent increase. But condominiums saw a drop in the median sale
price from $303,500 in January 2008 to only $230,500 in February 2008 - a 24
percent decline.

Helen Sosso, 2008 SAR President said: "we've been receiving strong anecdotal evidence from brokers that traffic has picked up significantly." The Herron Group has noticed an increase in open house activity: West of the Trail, Venetian Golf & River Resort and in some of our Casey Key real estate listings.

Another bright spot in the February report was pending sales strength, standing at 654, the highest in the last 11 months. A year ago pending sales were at 706 for the same time period. Pending sales have been on the rise since December 2007, when there were 374.

"Pending sales counts the number of signed contracts in a month, and is a leading indicator of sales activity."

Inventory levels were also slightly lower in February 2008 compared a year ago. Current inventory conditions may mark a great buying opportunity.

Casey Key Real Estate Sales Update

2007 Casey Key FL Home Sales

Checking all the Casey Key sales stats for the last six months in the Sarasota MLS database, 6 single family homes, from large Gulf to Bay parcels to a 1264 sq.ft. beach cottage. Prices of the Casey Key homes sold from $2,400,000 for an island getaway to $4,100,000 for a Gulf to Bay home with a boat dock. Our last report was June 25 showing a high sale of over $6 million. Check Casey Key home sales stats for first six months of 2007 in our archives. There are no pending sales at this time.

Active listings number 43 properties, down from 50 in our June report from the MLS for Casey Key, FL. Prices ranges from the mid $1 millions to over $20 million. If you are looking for land to build a beach house or a mansion on the Gulf of Mexico, Annette Smith is experienced in waterfront real estate sales and are ready to assist you in the Casey Key real estate market. Email Annette for a list of luxury Sarasota properties available if Florida luxury real estate is your choice.

Casey Key Real Estate

Touring Private Estates on Tropical Casey Key
Understated beach retreats and magnificent estate compounds are sprinkled along Casey Key, Florida. Architectural styles range from "old world" Italian villa, "old Florida" Key West to new-styled Mediterranean mansions. Casey Key is tucked away and its residents enjoy their privacy and a laid-back Florida lifestyle. Prices on the Key are not cheap, but many homes have been reduced including some of our current listings.

Annette Smith offers the highest of Internet exposure for properties on Casey Key with multiple websites and a creative marketing strategy for the changing Sarasota real estate market. Email Annette with your questions or to ask for a buying or listing appointment.

Venetian Golf & River Club Update

Enjoy Golf Course Views in Sarasota, FL Area Community

If you are selling your Sarasota home, you are probably preparing your home for sale by either staging, updating your landscape, painting and decluttering. All of these tasks are helpful and most sellers are using one or all of the items mentioned as the inventory of homes still soars. Buyers are the lucky ones at the moment. Venetian Golf & River Club has over 90 homes listed in the Sarasota MLS. You can choose from a two-bedroom, two-bath villa at $239,000 for just over 1000 sq.ft to a magnificent 4900 sq.ft. home with views of the golf course for $1,370,000. In between are an array of golf course homes, some with lagoon pools, in the $300,000 to $1 million range. Check out the villas for under $300,000.

Want a golf course home in a gated community with fabulous amenities?

One main & 2 private dining rooms, lounge, cabana bar with outdoor grill, day spa, aerobics, fitness center, 6 tennis courts, pro shop, 2 resort pools, nature park & canoe launch for residents are all here. The River Club offers the "complete" Florida lifestyle.

Don't play golf, doesn't matter. There's so much more to do at the River Club.

For professional real estate results if you are buying or selling a home in Sarasota, FL, Annette Smith is experienced in golf course real estate sales and is ready to assist you. For a list of luxury Sarasota homes available if Florida real estate is your choice, email Annette.

Casey Key Real Estate News

Private Estates on Tropical Casey Key

Some of the most understated beach retreats and in contrast, some magnificent estate compounds can be found on Casey Key, Florida. With architectural styles ranging from "old world" Italian villa, "old Florida" Key West to the opulence of new-styled Mediterranean mansions, the Key has become an exclusive oasis. Unlike star studded Malibu, Casey Key is tucked away offering its residents retreats behind massive iron gates and lush tropical foliage. Many of the Gulf to Bay homes have separate guest quarters as well as beach cabanas and boat docks with lifts. Just like Malibu, price for a Casey Key home doesn't come cheap.

Currently, there are over 40 homes actively being marketed on the Key priced from $849,000 to over $20 million.

Annette Smith offers the highest of Internet exposure for properties on Casey Key with multiple websites and a creative marketing strategy for the changing Sarasota real estate market. Email Annette with your questions or to ask for a buying or listing appointment.

Luxury Real Estate Market Bullish

It used to be that a one-million dollar home was considered a very high-end luxury home. Well, in some markets that s not the case.

Florida is one of those markets where the $1 million to $2 million home may not be a mansion especially if it's on the water. Homes on the water in the $1 million to $2 million range could possibly be perfect for a renovation or the lot could be spectacular for a private gated estate. Waterfront properties on Casey Key Florida are priced well for today's high-end market and that market nationally is doing just fine according to most studies. Read what women have to say about the luxury real estate market in the Homes 101 article in its entirety.

Casey Key Real Estate Sales Update

2007 Real Estate Sales on Private Casey Key, FL

This past week I went to a mini reunion with five childhood girlfriends in Greenville, MS, my hometown. If you haven't eaten at Doe's Eat Place, you might want to consider a trip to the Mississippi Delta. Doe's famous hot tamales, steaks and fried shrimp haven't changed in the 55 plus years I've been dropping in, mouth watering delicious! Mary, Suzanne, Patricia, Teegie and Francine pictured
with yours truly enjoying all of Doe's specialties. If you can still move after eating at Doe's be sure to stop by a blues club near the levee, or drive about an hour to Ground Zero in Clarksdale owned by Francine's husband Bill Luckett and Morgan Freeman. Yes, the Morgan Freeman of Evan Almighty, the driver of Miss Daisy! Francine's Bill will give you an autograph, and you can relax and listen to the best of Delta blues.

Back in Sarasota, and back to work selling Sarasota real estate, I pulled the Casey Key sales stats for the last six months doing some research for a listing presentation. Seven single family homes, from beachfront cottages to mega gulf to bay estates have sold since the first of this year. Prices of the Casey Key homes sold from $2.2 million with the value in the land to $6.9 million for new homes with all the architectural details you would expect in luxury real estate.

There are approximately 50 waterfront properties currently listing in the Sarasota MLS for Casey Key, FL. Prices ranges from the low $1 millions to over $20 million. If you are looking for land to build a beach estate or a newly constructed mansion on the Gulf of Mexico, Annette Smith is experienced in waterfront real estate sales and are ready to assist you in the Casey Key real estate market. Email Annette for a list of luxury Sarasota properties available if Florida luxury real estate is your choice.