Sarasota's Golden Gate Point

The above real estate statistics for the greater Sarasota area, represent only Single Family Homes.  The condo market continues to suffer with a total of 3245 active listings and only 82 sold in the month of August of '07.

While the number of active real estate listings are DOWN in Sarasota about 20% from August of '06, the number of actual sales are also down by 56%, leaving Realtors to wonder where the bright spots are.

It seems that Realtors who have embraced the Internet and market to the International crowd are the ones who are continuing to be successful in their careers.  Sarasota is a very desirable community for the International buyer because of it's many cultural activities.

Sellers who are realistic and price their properties strategically will certainly win a contract to purchase.

I've been asked this a lot lately.  Just how much Escrow do you need to put down when making an offer for a home in Sarasota?  My feeling is this: 

You can put an initial $1,000 in Escrow when you write the Purchase and Sale Agreement with your Realtor.  Then an additional 5% of the purchase price when the offer is accepted.  So, a 500,000 home would have a total Escrow deposit of $25,000.

I've seen many folks lay down only $5,000 on a purchase offer for a $500,000 home.  When these offers come to my sellers, I always insist on the 5%.  The reason?  It's a lot easier to walk away from $5,000 than $25,000.   When making an offer in a buyer's real estate market, where the buyer is making a low-ball offer, having a sufficient escrow amount makes for a stronger offer.  It's important to view all the elements of your offer, not just the offering price. 

Good luck with your home purchase!

All About Osprey Florida

Area Overview

Osprey Florida is located just South of Sarasota on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

The area is close to Little Sarasota Bay and is just a short ride to beautiful Nokomis Beach. Osprey is a lovely town and is an up and coming area of Sarasota. As you're driving South on US 41, you will immediately feel a sense of tranquility when you enter into Osprey from the hustle-bustle of Sarasota.

Pre-History of Osprey

Prehistoric people from as far back as 3000BC lived in the area of Osprey now known as Spanish Point. They lived along the shoreline and built villages there. They buried their dead in a burial mound along with things like shell necklaces and pottery. This gave us an insight into their lives and some of these items remain intact today.

History of Osprey

You can't talk about the history of Osprey or of Sarasota without mentioning Mrs. Bertha Potter Palmer.

Mrs. Palmer was a socialite from Chicago who discovered the area back in 1910 and with much foresight, she bought up thousands of acres of land in both Sarasota and in Osprey. She planned to use the land for cattle ranching, preservation, and of course, development.

The area in Osprey where she setted was called the Webb estate and included 350 acres. The pioneer buildings were preserved and were connected with the elaborate gardens. Mrs. Palmer was an avid gardener and delighted in experimenting with exotic plants. Her heirs generously donated 30 acres of land which is now known as Historic Spanish Point.

The Oscar Scherer State Park

The Oscar Scherer State Park is one of my favorite places. My husband Jack and I spend most Saturday mornings riding our bikes along the many trails in the park. If you like to camp, there are numerous camp sites within the park and plenty of picnic areas located throughout the park. Each little camp area is equipped with a picnic table, too. Entering the park is like taking a peak at old Florida. Scrub areas, creeks, alligators, Eagles, Osprey, and our Florida Scrub Jay are all part of your experience in the Park.

The Oscar Scherer State Park also has it's own beachfront lake called Osprey Lake and there are plenty of canoes to rent where you can paddle along the North Creek and really get in tune with nature.

Communities

There are several residential communities in Osprey. Osprey is considered a wealthy area with the highest per capita income in the Sarasota area! That's due to the type of communities that have been developed there. I'll give you an overview of a few of the communities here, and will add to this post as time goes on.

The Oaks

The Oaks is a lovely community of Luxury Homes located right at the entrance to Osprey from Sarasota. The community has three main sections: Oaks Bayside, The Preserve, and Oaks Clubside

The Oaks Club offers its residents many fine amenities including 36-hole golf course which has been recently renovated.

For tennis lovers, the Club offers 12 Har-tru courts. They have many planned activities like team tennis, group tennis and tennis camps or even individual tennis lessons. The Oaks Club also offers its members a junior size olympic pool and a tot lot for the kids.

The Club offers a Social and Dining experience second to none. There are two dining rooms for your enjoyment and plenty of planned social activities where you can make new friends and have a few laughs. All in all, The Oaks is a fabulous luxury community.

Southbay Yacht & Racquet Club

The community of Southbay is an established community located on the West side of US 41 and directly on little Sarasota Bay. Some of the homes in this community have expansive bay views and those homes are selling for $1.8 million and up. Most of the homes in the community are NOT on the bay but enjoy the use of the beautiful Marina facilities where you can keep up to a 50' yacht for a very small sum of money IF you live in the community. There is also a beautiful clubhouse for social events as well as a heated community pool. Home prices range from $450,000 to $900,000, depending on the location of the home within the community of Southbay. Many of these home were built in the 70's and 80's and need major renovation, however, the community with it's 5 miles of walking trails and 350 homes is well worth the trouble. Many homes have already been renovated and the trend will continue. Here's a tour of the Southbay Community.

Willowbend

The community of Willowbend is located across US 41 from Southbay, so it's on the East side of US 41. It's a newer community of homes built from 2002 to 2005. The community was developed by Lee Wetherington Homes and is the first community to enforce the Florida Yards Program.

Willowbend is a maintenance free community which means that the association fee includes yard maintenance as well as outdoor pest control, lawn sprinklers and water, high speed Internet (Verizon FIOS) and comcast cable TV. The fee also includes maintenance of the common areas and use of the Community Center Facilities, Community Swimming Pool and Fitness Center and the Tot Lot and Basketball Court. Home prices in Willowbend range from $350,000 to $700,000. Many of the larger homes have a wonderful view of the Oscar Scherer State Park from their back yards. Willowbend is an active community with many planned social activities. The Association Fee for the smaller club homes is $240 per month and for the larger homes it is $260 per month. Here's a tour of the Willowbend Community.

There are other fine communities located in Osprey, like Rivendell and Park Trace. Both of these are newer communities with lovely homes ranging in price from $350,000 to $900,000, depending on size and location within the community. There are also homes built directly on the Sarasota Bay with enormous bay views.

A big draw to living in the Osprey area is Pineview School for the gifted. The school is part of the Sarasota County Public School System, but has stringent requirements for entry. There have been some fabulous and talented kids graduating from this fantastic school.

New Communities

The new Bay Street Village is just starting to develop in Osprey. This beautiful new community will encompass 40 acres East of US 41 and will include about 500 townhomes, condos and lofts as well as fine retail shops and five restaurants. There will be a new library on the site and the entire concept is a live-work community. If you'd like to know more about Bay Street Village, be sure to contact me at 941-315-3331.

In Conclusion

Osprey is an up and coming area. There will be a new Baypoint Park located adjacent to Historic Spanish Point and across the street from the Bay Street Village. This will be a beautiful park where folks can enjoy sunsets on the bay, launch a canoe or kayak and enjoy nature.

The location of Osprey is very desirable due to it's close proximity to the Sarasota Bay, Siesta Key Beach, Nokomis Beach, Boating, Golfing, Fishing, Camping, Shopping, and all that both Sarasota and Venice have to offer.

Come to Osprey, Florida. You'll be glad you did.