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SIESTA KEY BEACH KNOWN AS HAVING ABILITY TO HEAL!
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 1:23pm. 119 Views, 0 Comments.
Among Sarasota's holistic community, Siesta Beach has an even more impressive reputation: It's known as a place where a concentration of energy maximizes the ability to heal physically and emotionally. Some credit the qualities of the beach's sand. Others talk of the presence offshore of quartz crystals that may be derived from the ancient mythical city of Atlantis. Some healers point to a decades-old, well-canopied tree, surrounded by heavy grass growth and growing about 60 feet from the coast, as an indication of the beach's metaphysical vitality. Others talk of a mysterious protection from hurricanes that they credit to either Indian blessings or a vortex of energy they say exists near the rumored Atlantis crystal location.
Whatever the reasons,…
“UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” STATUE STAYS IN SARASOTA BAYFRONT!
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 1:22pm. 96 Views, 0 Comments.
The 26-foot-tall "Unconditional Surrender" statue stays on the city's bayfront property for at least the next 10 years, and will be owned by the public after that. City commissioners voted Monday night 3-2 to accept the $500,000 statue as a gift from World War II veteran Jack Curran, 89.
Curran offered the statue to the city provided that the Commission would agree to leave it in the same spot next to U.S. 41 where it has been a constant draw since October 2008 for people taking snapshots. Not everyone sees it as a big reminder of U.S. victory in World War II. Others say it is a big ugly ripoff of a famous 1945 magazine photo. The owners of that image, Time Inc., have indicated that they consider the statue a copyright infringement. If Time Inc. sues…
SARASOTA REAL ESTATE UPSWING CONTINUES IN APRIL 2010!
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 2:00pm. 73 Views, 0 Comments.
April was fiesta time in the Sarasota real estate market, with another month of sales harkening back to the boom times of mid-2005. Realtors and industry-watchers acknowledge that a prime driver in the soaring March and April sales was the support of federal tax incentives and buyers' efforts to beat an April 30 deadline for a signed sales contract.
Sales have not declined in the Sarasota real estate market for nearly a year. They were up 32 percent in April. Prices also continued their upswing, rising 5 percent in the Sarasota real estate market to $163,600 from a year ago. Condominium sales also rose dramatically in April -- up 70 percent in both the Sarasota real estate market and the Bradenton real estate market
Court records show that only 16…
SIESTA KEY BEACH STILL TO BE IN THE TOP 10!
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 1:56pm. 115 Views, 0 Comments.
Local officials and business leaders from around Sarasota County gathered Monday morning on Lido Beach to show prospective tourists first-hand that area beaches and waters are free of the massive oil slick fouling the Gulf of Mexico. Sporting dark sunglasses, some sandals and mostly short sleeves, the assemblage at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota's posh Lido Key beach club was both happy testimonial and unapologetic promotional stunt.
In all, some two dozen elected officials and others filmed spots that will be cobbled into a YouTube video aimed at bolstering the area's image.
"Our beaches are as beautiful as they've ever been," said Richard Bradshaw, owner of the Comfort Inn and Days Inn hotels, on Clark Road, and chairman of Sarasota County's Tourist…
HOME BUILDING IS THE STRONGEST IN 18 MONTHS!
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 1:54pm. 88 Views, 0 Comments.
Home construction rebounded last month to the highest level in 18 months as buyers capitalized on tax incentives. But now that those tax credits have expired, builders are scaling back. That means the home-building industry is not likely to contribute as much to the economic recovery. Analysts expect sales to fall this summer as the effect of the tax credits fades.
Mortgage rates have remained near record-low levels, but high unemployment and tight lending standards, combined with the end of the tax credits, will keep a lid on home construction,
The rate of construction of single-family homes and apartment buildings rose 5.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 672,000, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
That is the highest…
HOME SALE PRICES UP 8 PERCENT IN THE SARASOTA REAL ESTATE MARKET!
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 11:01am. 95 Views, 0 Comments.
Home prices rose 8 percent in the Sarasota real estate market during the first quarter of 2010 from a year ago, but were down from a busier fourth quarter.The first quarter data released Tuesday by Florida Realtors "paints a picture of a housing market continuing down the long road to recovery," said Sean Snaith, director for the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness. "Transactions in the single-family market have extended quarterly year-over-year gains for nearly two years."The median sales price in the Sarasota real estate market was $159,000 in the first quarter, Florida Realtors data showed. That compared with $146,900 a year ago and $160,600 in the fourth quarter.
The quarter saw 2,464 homes change hands in the…
“UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” STATUE IS ALMOST CERTAIN TO STAY IN SARASOTA!
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 10:59am. 116 Views, 0 Comments.
Five years after the towering "Unconditional Surrender" statue debuted on the city's bayfront, it looks like it is here to stay. Lawyers are doing final reviews this week on a complicated three-way art deal that will keep the statue in more or less the same spot for at least a decade. World War II veteran Jack Curran is paying $500,000 for the statue and is donating it to the city.
City commissioners will likely discuss the deal at their next meeting, May 17; city staff are researching whether the contracts would require another vote.
People still argue over whether the statue belongs in that spot, but the majority ruled last summer with nearly 5,000 signatures on an online petition at savethesailor.com. The website declared "VICTORY" in August…
PENDING SALES OF HOMES UP IN MARCH 2010!
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 1:40pm. 83 Views, 0 Comments.
The number of buyers who signed contracts to buy homes surged more than expected in March, another sign that government incentives are propelling the housing market this spring.
The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday its seasonally adjusted index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes rose 5.3 percent from a month earlier to a reading of 102.9. Pending sales also have been rising in Southwest Florida. In the territory covered by the Sarasota Association of Realtors, for example, pending sales stood at 1,060 in March, or about 30 percent higher than the same month a year earlier, when they were at 817.
Pending sales surged by 13 percent in the South, 2 percent in the West and 1 percent in the Midwest. They fell 3.3 percent in the…
DEMAND FOR CONDOS IN FLORIDA SHOULD INCREASE!
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 1:38pm. 98 Views, 0 Comments.
Moves by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ease lending restrictions in the Sunshine State are giving those who want to own and occupy condos an opportunity to buy tens of thousands of units previously off-limits to nearly everyone except cash-rich investors.
Fannie Mae already has added 35,000 units in the Miami area to its approved lending list and is expecting to add thousands more across the state as the year progresses.
In what is considered to be a bolder move, Freddie Mac will back new mortgages in Florida condo complexes plagued with low occupancy and high association fee delinquency rates -- providing that the seller's loan already is owned or securitized by Freddie Mac.
Market watchers believe changes by these giant government-sponsored companies…
Certified Luxury Specialist Website Updated!
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 6:34pm. 77 Views, 0 Comments.
Looking for a broker or an agent who specializes in Luxury or Waterfront Homes. The International Luxury Real Estate Association has updated their website at http://www.CertifiedLuxurySpecialist.com
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