David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

I'm always looking for new ideas and watching trends in design for my real estate business, as I have a couple of clients who rely on my input for updating or renovating their Venice FL area investment property to sell. I'm a big advocate of the sparse use of color with a heavy emphasis on white.  This picture from modernize.com makes a statement in the use of white: Contemporary kitchen from modernize.com White cabinetry and a light counter top color, such as this marble, create the impression of a much larger space.  The unusual glass back splash perfectly creates a focal point without a sharp color contrast. If you are thinking of selling your Venice FL area residence or investment property and want to maximize it's value, please contact me for a consultation.

I've been writing a lot about increasing the value of your Venice FL home or condo for sale by simple improvements inside the property and outside, like adding a pergola. Curb appeal is the first emotional connection a buyer will make with your home and it happens within seconds.  Don't neglect landscaping that improves your home's curb appeal. Here's some plants I have personal experience with that grow easily in Florida's climate and will add visual impact: Bougainvillea Bougainvillea grows quickly and produces a lot of color, especially in the winter months here in FL.  Bougainvillea can be trained to grow on a trellis or a privacy fence, or trimmed into bushes or privacy hedges.  Once they "start", they really take off.  I've transplanted what I thought was a dead bougainvillea and it came back to life with little effort.  Make sure to get the purple variety with the smaller leaves.  The larger varieties with heart shaped leaves seem to...

I have worked with a lot of Venice FL home buyers over the years.  Buyers take their time to make a decision on which property to purchase and are looking for a WOW factor to help make that decision. If you are thinking of sprucing up your Venice FL real estate to sell, consider something different for kitchen countertops: stainless steel. Photo courtesy remodelista.com Stainless steel counter tops are not for the budget minded investor or seller, but it can give that WOW factor to a property and help it stand out in the mind of a potential buyer.  Consider installing a stainless counter top in just one part of the kitchen. Stainless counter tops mix well with a butcher block island If you have a section of counter top in a standard cabinet width, check out restaurant supply websites that sell prefabricated counter tops:  http://www.webstaurantstore.com/advance-tabco-vctc-243-25-x-36-flat-top-stainless-steel-countertop/109VCTC243.html?

We don't seem to see many of these in Florida, but a pergola can add curb appeal to your home and make even a simple ranch home more inviting. A pergola adds architectural appeal to a bland facade Pergolas can be added to liven up a bland facade, to emphasize a walkway, or provide shade in the back yard.  Used in any of these ways, a potential buyer for your Venice FL home will remember your property as "the pergola house". Taylor Morrison's new homes in Arbor Lakes feature a pergola This backyard pergola has a retractable fabric shade You can really make your Venice FL home for sale stand out from the rest by adding a relatively inexpensive pergola.   Please contact me if you'd like to discuss a staging and pricing analysis for your Venice FL real estate.

If you are considering Venice FL real estate and thinking of flooring options, consider vinyl plank floors. What, you say? Vinyl?  Most people think of the ugly peel and stick tiles and old style sheet vinyl floors we grew up with in the 70s and 80's.  Fortunately, those days are long gone and vinyl has had a renaissance. Remember this vinyl from the 70's and 80's? Because most homes in Venice FL are built on a cement slab, wood floors most people are familiar with cannot be installed.  The concrete wicks water vapor from below, and causes solid wood floors to buckle and become moldy.  Engineered wood and laminate flooring require a vapor barrier and a foam pad, which increases the overall expense of an installation. Dramatic wood look for a fraction of the price. Vinyl plank flooring floats over an existing concrete slab and requires no moisture barrier.  They can be scored with a utility knife to length or width.  Vinyl planks are complet...

I'm seeing some 2 story homes being built in some new home communities in the Sarasota and Venice areas.  I am often asked if buying a 2 story home is a good idea. 2 story homes offer a lot of square feet and are usually a good solution for a large family, or an extended family with older relatives.  Otherwise, I believe 2 story homes should be avoided whenever possible. 2 story home elevation in Taylor Morrison's Arbor Lakes at Palmer Ranch in Sarasota Older folks seldom like to climb stairs.  2 story homes limit the number of potential buyers when you decide to sell. 2 story homes usually require higher insurance costs.  They have a higher profile against wind and wind-borne debris. Bottom line:  Say yes to a 2 story home if you have a large family or need a lot of square feet and plan on staying in the property for a long time.  Say no to buying a 2 story home if you plan on selling or downsizing in the near future.

I recently analyzed a report from Google Trends about what home buyers are searching for online, and how it applies to our local Venice FL real estate market. One of the things buyers are looking for is vintage, and nothing is more vintage in our area than terrazzo floors.  I am a huge fan of rehabilitating old terrazzo floors in real estate investment property and property renovations. Terrazzo is a mixture of concrete, marble, glass, and granite or quartz, and is poured over the home's concrete slab foundation.  The surface is polished to a fine gloss, and is common today in commercial applications such as retail stores and airports. In the 50's and 60's, many Venice and Sarasota home builders used terrazzo floors.  Unfortunately, wall to wall carpeting came into wide use just after this period, and many of the homes with original terrazzo floors now look like the "before pictures" below when it's time for a renovation. Typical terrazzo in an inve...

Here's a teriffic idea to spruce up your bathroom if you are getting ready to sell your home or condo in Venice. Valances look great on windows, so why not use them to hide those shower curtain rods and rings? As I've been blogging about in my renovation and staging posts for Venice FL home sellers, note the spare use of colors and the monochromatic approach used in these examples. If you are ready to sell your Venice FL home or condo, please contact me for a pricing, marketing, and staging consultation today.

Are you getting ready to sell your Venice, FL home or condo? You may not have to spend a lot of money on a kitchen makeover to attract a buyer and get top dollar for your property. A fresh coat of paint on walls and wood cabinets makes a huge difference.  Note the colors in this kitchen, and how the white and gray colors are punctuated with wood tones.  The space also appears bigger because the flooring color softens the transition to the walls. Photo courtesy of modernize.com Read the entire set of 20 easy ways to modernize your Venice FL kitchen in this link  from modernize.com When you're ready to sell, please contact me for pricing, staging, and marketing solutions that will help sell your home.