David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

I've been blogging lately about staging Venice FL homes for sale and how color affects buyer's emotions about a home. Here's some really good examples of how light colors, and spare use of color, can make any home feel larger and also help a potential buyer imagine their furnishings in a space. Photos courtesy www.dwell.com.  See more of their slideshow here : Light colors soften the transition between the floor and walls A coat of white paint makes a huge difference: Before versus after, below. Light colors and minimal decor will help buyers imagine their furnishings in a room, even in an older home.

Berkshire Hathaway has partnered with Wells Fargo to bring mortgage services to our customers. Our local Wells Fargo contact, Justin Grant, sent me a really useful guide to buying a condo.  It covers the basic questions about the the condo loan process, and offers some interesting statistics on condo ownership. Please click this link to view the guide in PDF format.  If you are interested in getting a mortgage for your Venice FL condo purchase, Justin's contact information is on the first page of the guide.

Are you getting a home ready to sell in the Venice, FL area? There's a lot you can do to fix up your home so that it appeals to more buyers, and gets you a higher price. Here's a great tip:  if you have damaged or worn concrete that you think is jackhammer-worthy, try using a product called Deck Over.  It's made by Behr and is for sale at the Home Depot. Not a pretty sight to a potential buyer. Pops of color, some landscaping, and voila: backyard oasis on a budget. Back yard or nuclear waste dump?  Not very appealing.... What a difference Behr's Deck Over makes! Behr's Deck Over product is thicker than normal paint, and fills in cracks and evens out surface imperfections in concrete and wood decks. If you're thinking of selling your Venice, FL area home, please contact me .  I not only specialize in pricing your home to sell, I can also help you stage it for maximum effect to attract a buyer (this is my own handy work).

I have listed a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home for sale in Stoneybrook at Venice for $184,900. 11847 Tempest Harbor Loop in Stoneybrook in Venice FL Built in 2010, this home has low HOA fees (approx $450 quarterly), a low CDD fee (approximately $40 monthly), and has a ton of amenities, such as a resort style community pool, clubhouse, exercise facility, and basketball and tennis courts.  Yes, you can even park your car or a boat in your driveway. Stoneybrook's resort style pool Upscale clubhouse and facilities at Stoneybrook Venice Click here for the complete MLS listing.  This home is easy to show, so contact me or your real estate agent to schedule a viewing today .

The Berkshire Hathaway Venice sales team had a meeting at the new home community Grand Oaks in Venice, FL a couple of days ago.  I was inspired by their design team to blog about how important color choices can be for today's home buyers. New home community Grand Oaks in Venice, FL Grand Oaks is a small gated and walled community of 55 homes, located on Venice Avenue near the intersection with Jacaranda.  A brand new Publix is within walking distance, and it's just 3 miles to downtown Venice.  Grand Oaks has no CDD fee, with monthly association and maintenance fees of only $199.  A rare combination for a new home community! I was especially impressed with one of their model homes, in particular, the color palette and decor. The Sabal model home at Grand Oaks in Venice White cabinets never go out of style. Light, bright, and tone on tone colors increase the visual appeal Color is used sparingly on an accent wall in the master bedroom

I've previously blogged about this property for sale at 2440 Hawthorne St. in Sarasota. Now you can buy the property for the lot value, plus a brand new 3/2 2,881 sq. ft. home with 3 car garage from Vision Homes for a package price of $499,900. New home and lot package for sale in Hyde Park in Sarasota $499,900 The home details, including elevation, floor plan, and feature sheet, can all be found on my website:  http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/#!2440-hawthorne-st-sarasota/c17js The over-sized 15,730 sq. ft. lot is available separately and the future owner can select their own builder.  No deed restrictions, so let your imagination free and be near it all in Sarasota.

A recent conversation with a home buyer reminded me that buyer and seller perception of the real estate market is rarely on the same page. In the past few weeks I've worked with buyers who submitted low offers and did not receive counter-offers back from the sellers, either from a bank or from a home owner in a traditional sale.  Obviously, the market of two and three years ago when it was a buyer's market no longer exists. I've been telling buyers we are in a strong seller's market.  If a property is priced correctly, you can possibly expect to negotiate in a range between 3 to 5% off listing price.  Sellers are no longer accepting or negotiating with low offers. Sales data for the last 5 years show sales prices gradually climbing to 96% of the list price in Sarasota County as a whole, a statistic mirrored when looking at properties with a Venice, FL address. Of course, you need the skills and experience of a Realtor to help you determine if the list price of

What in the heck is going on with Manasota Key single family luxury home sales? Here are some telling statistics for Manasota Key single family luxury homes, from Gnarled Oak Estates north:                                                         Jan 1-Aug 1 2014             Jan 1-Aug 1 2013 Median List Price                              $1,695,000                       $1,499,000 Median Sales Price                            $1,250,000                       $1,355,000 Median SP/LP ratio                           83%                                  91% Median $/Sq Ft                                 $431.38                            $411.52 Median Days on Market                   198                                   100 # Properties sold                               7                                        9 Wow.  Two things come to mind when I see these kinds of numbers in what is otherwise a strengthening Sarasota/Venice/Englewood real estate market. 1) The huge inc

I just listed a home for sale in Hyde Park in Sarasota at 2440 Hawthorne St for $179,900. Here is the listing link from the MLS:   http://mfr.mlsmatrix.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?ID=719611556 This home sits on a double lot of 15,730 sq ft.  The interior has been gutted and is ready for a total renovation or tear down for new construction.  There's a lot of new homes being built in this area, which is only 5 minutes from downtown and 15 minutes to Siesta Key Village and the beaches. Contact me today for a tour of this home and lot.