David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

Divosta has a reputation for quality construction. In the Sarasota area we have 6 Divosta communities to choose from:  San Michele, San Palermo, Village Walk, The Isles of Palmer Ranch, Sandhill Preserve, and Island Walk of Venice. Because Divosta homes are so popular, I have a page on my website listing all the available Divosta homes for sale in the Sarasota area:   http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!divosta-homes-sarasota/c1lq0 Capri Villa for sale in Village Walk $267,500 Cayman townhomes and Capri and Carrington villas are 2 or 3 bedroom, between 1500 and 1800 sq ft.  Some have private pools.  Expect prices in the mid to upper $200's.  Single family homes, starting with the Oakmont model, start in the $350's.

Today's experience working with out of town buyers makes an excellent case study in why you need an experienced buyer's agent. I have been working with a couple since late 2013 who want to move from Clearwater to either Sarasota or Venice.  The buyers had a smart initial strategy to visit Sarasota and tour homes one day, and visit the Venice area and tour homes a couple of days later. Luckily, this couple was very clear in terms of what they were looking for.  They did not like high-rise condo living, wanted something near beaches and amenities, and wanted to gain some privacy in the process.  After touring homes with them two times previously and asking for feedback every time we visited a property, I had a good idea of what they were looking for.  Key terms here: ask and listen to the client. Fast forward to this week.  I sent the buyers a list of properties to choose from for our property tour today, but they didn't make any selections.  This is actually pretty co

Have you been searching Zillow or Trulia for Sarasota real estate? I've been saying for a long time that these services have a lot of inaccurate information and outdated properties for sale on their sites.  Many of the homes and condos they list for sale were never available for sale in the first place. You can check the true status of a property you've found on either of these sites with a MLS # search:   http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!sarasota-mls-number-search/cvrw

I may be one of only a few Sarasota area Realtors who actively markets services to home buyers looking for homes offering owner financing. To serve your needs, I have a page on my website that lists all homes and condos offering owner financing from the MLS :   http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!owner-financing-sarasota/chfb Owner financing available for this beachfront condo $349,000 Owner financed homes are at fairly low levels due to our strong real estate market.  Here's some tips when looking for owner financing: Don't ask what terms the seller is offering before seeing the home in person.  It's like asking the seller what is final best sales price will be.  Most of the time, the response back from the seller will ask what terms you are offering.  Financing terms are part of your overall offer and will be as negotiable as the price; Have at least 20% of the anticipated final purchase price as a down payment; Have your down payment source of funds ready to g

If you are considering a move to the Gulf coast of Florida or purchasing a vacation home, Venice is a great place to end your search. Venice has a rich history dating back to the early 1920's, reflected in it's architecturally interesting downtown.  Venice Island has the best of all things Florida: culture, dining, shopping, and tree-lined avenues, all just a short walk or bike ride to Venice Beach. See the latest Venice FL real estate for sale on my website:   http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!venice/cuv4 Venice Art Festival in downtown Venice Newer maintenance-free home in Amora on Venice Island $349,000 Two blocks to Venice beach, heated pool $419,000

I've been working the past couple of weeks on an improved Sarasota real estate website to bring you the latest technology and tools for your Sarasota real estate needs.  The new look is easy on the eyes, and new navigation makes it easier to find everything you are looking for. All of my popular content, advice, and Sarasota neighborhood profiles have found new addresses on the web. To update your bookmarks or poke around if you are a first time visitor, please visit my new sitemap,  http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!sitemap/cx5k  or visit www.davidbarrhomes.com .

My Sarasota real estate website listing 55 and over communities has been updated with live MLS data. If you're looking for Sarasota 55 and over communities for sale, you can see available properties for sale in just one click:   http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!55-and-over-communities/cus

My Sarasota real estate website www.davidbarrhomes.com  has undergone a complete upgrade. Now using HTML5, I've added interactive map search and live MLS listings for over 50 popular Sarasota area neighborhoods. Website navigation is much more streamlined, with access to all major pages available in the main menu. Check it out and let me know what you think.

A goal I set last year for my real estate website, www.davidbarrhomes.com , is finally coming to fruition. As with my old website, I designed the new style and layout.  I'd love to get some feedback on the new design and layout. The redesigned site works on all computing platforms (desktop, laptop, and mobile) using the latest HTML5 features. One of the benefits of the upgrade is that I can organize all my website links in a drop-down menu.  Another benefit coming next week will give buyers and sellers the latest real estate search tools and features. Unfortunately, if you've been visiting my website through links on this blog, most of them are no longer valid.  When you get redirected to davidbarrhomes.com from an older link, please use the main menu on the home page to access the content you are looking for.

Homes and condos for sale with owner financing is an area of real estate most agents don't serve effectively, if at all.  I recognize there is a sizable number of underserved potential home buyers who are looking to own their own homes and repair their credit after the real estate market crash of 2007 and 2008.  I can assist buyers looking for owner financing:   www.davidbarrhomes.com/owner_financing The most frequent question I get from buyers looking for owner financing is 'What kind of terms is the seller looking for?'.  The most frequent question I get when asking home owners is 'What kind of terms is the buyer thinking of?'.  A home owner always responds more favorably to a written offer. The best way to approach owner financing homes from a buyer's standpoint is to tour homes that fit your budget both for monthly payments and the amount of money you have to put down. As with bank financing, home price and loan terms are negotiable.  Home buyer

A lot of buyers I have been working with have been concerned about potential price increases and changes for Sarasota flood insurance . Well, there's good news on this subject.  Today, the House passed a measure that repeals the huge increases home buyers and home owners were threatened with under the Biggert/Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012. The new bill passed today will allow homeowners to keep their current flood insurance rates even after new flood maps are drawn.  It also allows home buyers to keep a home's current lower, subsidized rate, rather than prompting a full scale flood elevation survey and new policy at a much higher amount.  On average, it is predicted flood insurance premiums will increase 15% annually rather than the 300% to 500% increases being reported prior to the new bill's enactment. Beachfront home for sale on Manasota Key $4,250,000 The bill still has to be reconciled with the Senate version of a similar bill, then sent to President

I am always monitoring Google analytics for current home buyer trends and search terms, and many buyers are looking for homes without HOA (home owner association) fees. Siesta Key home with no HOA fee $599,000 I have added a page to my real estate website with only homes for sale that do not have HOA fees: http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!sarasota-homes-no-hoa/crd0