David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

Sarasota's real estate market is growing, but there's still good deals out there.  I just updated my top picks on my website, www.davidbarrhomes.com/best_deals . Some highlights of the properties I picked include: A luxury home in a boating community on the Manatee River in Bradenton, listed for less than half of what it sold for in 2005; A newer 3/2 home in North Port listed at $102,900, which sold for $232,000 in 2006; A condo west of the Trail in Sarasota, with direct waterfront access to the ICW and minutes to Siesta Key beaches; An income producing triplex on Manasota Key with deeded beach access for under $250,000. If you're interested in Sarasota real estate, the time to jump in is now!  Please contact me for more information.

Divosta is one of the most reputable new home builders in our area.  Divosta communities are known for solid poured concrete walls, precision interior fit and finish, and resort-style amenities.  Village Walk in Sarasota in Palmer Ranch, in particular, has it's own salon, gas station, fitness center, restaurants, and stunning community pools overlooking lakes and bike trails. Divosta communities offer a nice range of property styles that will appeal to most buyers.  Styles include paired villas with 2 bedrooms, townhomes with 3 or 4 bedrooms, and single family homes with 2 to 4 bedrooms.  The paired villas and townhomes can usually accommodate private pools. Because Divosta Homes have such a solid reputation, I have created a web page devoted only to available re-sale homes in Divosta communities in my service area, which you can view here:   www.davidbarrhomes.com/divosta_homes . I update the property listings every week, and I include a location map along with the list of

As a frustrated artist, one of the reasons I love the real estate business so much is that I get to see many different architectural and design styles reflecting the Sarasota tropical environment. I ran across this fantastic idea of personalizing an old table or console by taking paint can stir sticks and making a herringbone pattern on the top. Take an existing table of almost any style.  The turned legs of this example look beachy, with a nicely stained top sealed with a clear varnish.  If you are a real estate investor who wants inexpensive ideas to polish a seasonal rental property, small touches like these throughout the home or condo can really generate a lot of interest. I can also imagine this idea used with a shaker style, or a contemporary table painted completely black, in a loft or apartment space.  I may be trying this idea for use on my lanai if I find a suitable consignment or garage sale table, and I'll post pictures when completed.

I just read an article from Inman News, the real estate news source, about Trulia's changes to their "listings" and their mobile app. I've blogged about Zillow's inaccurate data several times, and Trulia is not much different.  Trulia scrapes local tax data and posts pre-foreclosure and foreclosure properties as available for sale, when they are not.  Every single day, I respond to questions from confused buyers on the Trulia forum about these types of homes. Trulia is touting updates and changes to their mobile app in an effort to get buyers to use it and sell advertising on the app to real estate agents. For buyers, the same inaccurate Trulia "listings" will show up on their mobile app.  I can imagine a buyer pulling up outside a home they found using the Trulia mobile app, calling the featured real estate agent from the app, and asking about a home that isn't for sale.  End result:  a disappointed buyer and an agent who paid for the privile