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Sarasota Real Estate and Community News Blog 
RISE IN FIRST-TIME BUYERS, LONG-TERM PLANS!
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 11:21am. 180 Views, 0 Comments.
According to a report by the Florida Association of Realtors, The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) released its latest consumer survey of home buyers and sellers. A key finding: First-time buyers have risen in market share, and they plan to own their homes longer than buyers in the past. The study was released during NAR’s 2008 Realtors Conference & Expo.
“First-time buyers are much more flexible in entering the market because they aren’t concerned about selling an existing home,” says Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “Considering the temporary first-time buyer tax credit and improvements to the FHA loan program, we expect stronger entry-level activity as the flow of credit improves – that, in turn, should free more existing owners to make a…
FLORIDA'S EXISTING HOME, CONDO SALES INCREASE IN SEPTEMBER 2008
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 11:20am. 164 Views, 0 Comments.
According to the Florida Association of Realtors, for the first time in almost three years, Florida’s existing home sales rose in September, noting a 24 percent increase in activity in the year-to-year comparison; last month’s sales of existing condos statewide increased 11 percent in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR).
A total of 10,817 existing homes sold statewide last month, up 24 percent over the 8,725 homes sold in September 2007, according to FAR. The last time Florida Realtors reported higher statewide existing single-family home sales was for year-end 2005, FAR records found. In July of this year, six more homes sold statewide than in July 2007, but that increase…
LEGACY TRAIL IN SARASOTA!
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 8:20pm. 494 Views, 0 Comments.
Legacy Trail is looking for Ambassadors (Volunteers). These Ambassadors will be wearing yellow vests while cycling, walking and rollerblading on the Legacy Trail. They will be the eyes and ears for the Parks and Recreation Department and the Sheriff’s Office. They will provide outreach to the users and a presence to give feedback on what they observe.
The volunteers get 3 hours of training that includes safety, minor first aid and simple bicycle repair. They will also be well versed in the rules of the 12-mile biking, walking and rollerblading path that stretches from Palmer Ranch to Venice. The Ambassadors will have information about where to find rest rooms, water or the nearest place to grab a bite to eat.
If you’re interested in becoming…
SURPRISE GAIN IN HOME SALES! SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TOO!
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 8:18pm. 197 Views, 0 Comments.
According to the October 28, 2008 edition of The Sarasota Herald Tribune, September had an unexpected 2.7 percent increase last month. The Commerce Department reported that Southwest Florida saw a 0.7 percent increase in new homes!
Local builders say that with virtually no building going on, this region has finally eaten into the bulk of the new home inventory left over from the housing boom. “We feel very strongly that with the lack of construction in the past couple of years that there is some demand building up.” Lee Wetherington said. “We’re going to continue to be very aggressive in the market-place.”
FEDERAL RESERVE SLASHES INTEREST RATES!
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 8:08pm. 586 Views, 0 Comments.
According to the Associated Press, on October 29, 2009, The Federal Reserve has slashed key interest rates by half a percentage point as it seeks to revive an economy hit by a long list of maladies stemming from the most severe financial crisis in decades.
The central bank on Wednesday reduced its target for the federal funds rate, the interst banks charge on overnight loans, to 1 percent, a low last seen in 2003-2004. The funds rate has not been lower since 1958, when Dwight Eisenhower was president.
The cut marked the second half-point reduction in the funds rate this month. The Fed slashed the rate by that amount in a coordinated move with foreign central banks on Oct. 8. In a brief statement explaining Wednesday’s action, the Fed said that the…SEPTEMBER NEW HOME SALES RISE BY 2.7%
Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 8:56pm. 192 Views, 0 Comments.
Sales of new homes recorded an unexpected increase in September as median home prices dropped to the lowest level in four years, the Commerce Department reported Monday.
Sales of new single-family homes rose by 2.7 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 464,000 homes, Commerce said. Economists had expected sales would drop from the August level.
The median price of a new home sold in September declined by 9.1 percent from a year ago to $218,400, the lowest price level since September 2004, a period when home prices were rising rapidly as the country experienced a five-year housing boom.
The report on a rise in new home sales followed news last week that sales of existing homes rose in September by 5.5 percent, the largest…
BREAKING NEWS: GOOD NEWS FOR REAL ESTATE? NAR REPORTS LARGEST MONTHLY HOME PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN SALES IN 5 YEARS!
Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 7:47am. 552 Views, 0 Comments.
As reported in RIS Media:
Due to falling real estate prices and rising foreclosures on the West Coast, sales of existing homes rose to its highest level in 13 months and highest percentage increase in five years, according to a report issued today by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The increase resulted from buyers responding to improved housing affordability conditions, the organization stated.
Existing-home sales-including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops-rose 5.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million units in September from a level of 4.91 million in August, and are 1.4% higher than the 5.11 million-unit pace in September 2007.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said more markets are seeing…
SARASOTA REAL ESTATE MARKET ENJOYS A SEPTEMBER RISE IN PENDINGS
Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 7:45am. 197 Views, 0 Comments.
Pending sales rose in September 2008 and overall sales stood almost identical to August 2008 in the Sarasota MLS. In fact, overall sales in September 2008 were 29 percent higher than overall sales in September 2007 - a statistic that flies in the face of the recent negativity in the media.
Overall sales came in at 438 in September, just under the 440 reported in August, and only slightly lower than the 454 in July. But the sales figure in September 2008 was much higher than the 338 sales reported in September 2007 for single family homes and condos.
The local market faired even better than the overall state of Florida, which saw a 24 percent jump in single family home sales and an 11 percent jump in condo sales over September 2007 numbers.
Single family…
UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER ON THE SARASOTA BAY FRONT IS BACK!!!
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 11:02am. 1065 Views, 0 Comments.
The controversial statue of the sailor kissing a woman is back at Sarasota Bay-front. It became a huge tourist “photo op” during the previous “Sarasota’s Season of Sculpture” show. Almost everyone wanted a photo of themselves in front of the 26-foot high statue. When it was moved to another part of the country, many locals and tourists expressed a desire to make Sarasota Bay-front a permanent home for the statue. It has been brought back to the area on a temporary basis to help raise the $700,000 it will cost.
SARASOTA COUNTY SETS GOLD STANDARD FOR GREEN BUILDING!
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 10:52am. 184 Views, 0 Comments.
According to the October 23, 2008 edition of the Pelican Press, Sarasota County has achieved the Florida Green Building Coalition’s (FGBC) Green Local Government designation, earning the highest certification of any local government to date with a score that met the coalition’s Gold level.
“Sarasota County sought this certification because we understand its importance as a tool to guide local governments along the road to sustainability,” said Shannon Staub, Commission Chair. “This tool allows local governments to rate themselves, like builders do for green buildings, to determine how green they really are.”
The coalition cited numerous county initiatives that helped Sarasota County earn the prestigious designation, including internal operating…
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