David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

It's been a while since I've provided an update on Zillow's inaccuracy when it comes to real estate in Venice FL. Today I pulled screen shots of Zillow's map of Venice FL homes for sale.  According to the map, 1254 homes are for sale (including villas, condos, townhomes, and single family homes.).  However, on the same page under "Venice Real Estate Facts", it says 1184 homes are for sale. Zillow contradicts itself: Zillow map of 1254 homes for sale in Venice FL on January 20, 2020 Hey Zillow, are there 1254 for 1189 homes for sale in Venice FL on Jan 20, 2020?  In the screen shot above, Zillow says the median home value in Venice FL is $235,900.  According to our MLS for 2019 below, the median home value is actually $265,000.  According to our MLS, the Venice FL 2019 median home value is $265,000.   Folks, Zillow is not a credible real estate website.  They sell your information to real estate agents who can't figure out how to

A survey by the National Asociation of Realtors shows that over 70% of home sellers talk to one agent when they list their home for sale. As a Sarasota FL area home owner, it's time to do more research when selecting the right Realtor to list your home for sale. We are seeing a huge number of homes go off the MLS once listed, and it's usually due to being overpriced.  Has your Sarasota home listing expired , after sitting on the market for weeks and months, with showings but no offers? Make one more call to me, and find out how my targeted approach will produce a buyer.  People searching online for a home (94% of home buyers) in your specific neighborhood or condo building is the best type of buyer.  Think about it:  buyers searching for "sarasota fl real estate" are not at the end of their discovery journey.  A buyer looking at targeted properties will prevent a horde of tire kickers in your home, and will reduce the time it takes to sell your home. Why

Sarasota real estate statistics for 2nd Quarter 2019 are available.  The market continues to experience positive growth. Two categories are worth further analysis.  First, median time to contract increased 26% over last year.  I believe this is due to home buyers from up north cushioning or extending the closing date on their Florida property, so their current residence can sell.  This in return is affecting median time to sale. The second is median percent of original list price received.  There's a lot to dissect here.  Over priced listings aren't selling, and aren't reflected in this stat.  We call these expired listings.  If the property is priced according to the market, it's remained a steady 5% off list price for quite some time.  Every property is different, but use this number as a guide for what to expect. Contact me for expert pricing and marketing for your Sarasota area home for sale.

A recent study from Realtors in June 2019 shows that 76% of real estate sales contracts close on time. There are 4 reasons they don't close on time, which are: 1) Financing issues; 2) Appraisal; 3) Home inspection or environmental issues; 4) Title and deed issues. Financing issues usually arise from the buyer purchasing a big ticket item during the escrow period, which changes their debt to income ratio or affect their credit rating.   Appraisal issues involve the home's negotiated price versus what an appraiser says it's worth.  An important part of my job is to make sure you aren't paying too much, so the property does appraise. Home inspection and environmental issues can occur from a home owner not agreeing to make repairs, or the discovery of unknown issues on the property.  For example, one of my clients selling their home in the DC area had his closing delayed after a buried 1940's gas tank was found in the yard. Title an

It seems you can't watch HGTV or cable news without being bombarded with commericials for different ways to buy and sell your home.  Real estate is a huge part of our economy, and "disruptors" are desperately trying to enter the market.  Zillow has been trying it for years, and is now offering these "instant offers" to buy your home in some markets. The prospect of having a sign in the yard, dealing with showings, negotiating a price, and making repairs, can be stressful for some home owners.  The reality is that you'll be giving up a good chunk of any equity you've earned in your home if you decide to go the "instant offer" route.   If you see a commercial offering to buy your house with an instant offer, and even help you move, it's too good to be true, based on a recent study from MarketWatch. For those of you who are retiring, downsizing, or moving into assisted living, you'll need as much equity from your current home

We had over 900 homes and condos expire in our MLS over the weekend. This means 900 properties did not sell, usually due to over pricing, and they came off the market.  It could also be due to real estate Brokers, who continue to advertise their agent's listings in newspapers, the weakest contributor to how home buyers find their home, according to the National Association of Realtors.  Advertising in The Herald Tribune or The Observer is not a strategic marketing plan.  It's lazy marketing designed to satisfy you, instead of reaching your home's potential buyer.   If you have a home to sell in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, or Venice, please contact me to learn about my exclusive, effective, no-BS strategy to get your home sold.

Many times, the buyers and sellers for Sarasota and Venice properties are out of town or out of state. While many folks may have used electronic signature software in the past. some have not.  To make your real estate experience as stress free as possible, I created a video to show you the step by step process of using our e-sign p rogram:  Please contact me for all your Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch real estate needs.