David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

You have a lot of choices for destinations in Florida when considering a seasonal or retirement home. One of the many reasons to buy a 2nd home or retirement home in Venice FL A house is a house and people are people.  What makes you decide on where to buy in Florida boils down to the area's amenities, and Venice has amenities in spades. With an active downtown, 3 beaches within 15 minutes of most neighborhoods, numerous golf courses, a symphony and a theater troupe, Venice has what you're looking for. Visit my website , with answers to frequently asked questions about living in Venice.

I've been tracking the inaccuracy of Zillow values in Sarasota for 5 years and here's an update of the results.  I've also begun tracking Venice. Zillow's inaccurate 2014 Sarasota median home value Zillow calls Sarasota's housing market "hot", yet it's posted 2014 median housing value of $200,700 is below the $201,700 it reported in 2013.   See the 5 year trend: click here . If you were a homeowner in Sarasota relying on Zillow to set the price for your for sale by owner property, you probably left money on the table, since MLS reports Sarasota's median 2014 sales price at $205,580. MLS Sarasota median home value for 2014 was $205,580, higher than Zillow's estimate The reverse happened in Venice in 2014.  Zillow reported a median home value price of $202,100.  But wait a second.  Every experienced Realtor in our area knows that Sarasota is a more expensive real estate market than Venice.  The story told by the numbers gets eve...

Bird Bay is one of Venice's largest established condo communities.  You'll find a selection of 1 and 2 bedroom condos and villas, with prices starting in the lower $100's. Typical condo for sale in Bird Bay Bird Bay condos and villas are set around the Bird Bay Executive Golf Club.  Golf membership is not required at Bird Bay. Bird Bay condo fees run between $300 and $500 per month. The minimum lease period for owners looking to rent their condos is 3 months. Bird Bay is popular for it's convenient Venice FL location Click here to search Bird Bay condos and villas for sale.  Interested in touring in person?  Please contact me .

Today I toured some condos in Capri Isles.  People new to the Venice area may be familiar with Capri Isles Golf Club, but not as familiar with real estate in the area. Capri Isles is one of Venice's oldest golf courses, and what makes real estate there unique is an affordable mix of condos, villas, and single family homes, starting in the low $100's and ranging to over $300,000.  Most of the Capri Isles condos and villas allow owners to have pets, and association fees range $300-$350 per month. Capri Isles has a wide variety of condos, villas, and single family homes Capri Isles is conveniently located within minutes of downtown Venice, and only 15 minutes away from either Nokomis Beach or Manasota Key beach. I have a page on my website www.davidbarrhomes.com with Capri Isles real estate for sale from the MLS; click here to view listings and please contact me for a tour of properties during your next visit to Venice.

I toured a Venice FL home for sale this week with a buyer looking for a retirement residence.  One of the homes in the buyer's list was a renovated home in the Venice East neighborhood. This home was exceptionally well renovated.  Every major system appeared to be touched by an update: roof, windows, kitchen, flooring, HVAC, and electric.  You could have eaten off the garage floor. As the title of this post suggests, a successful renovation has to have more to attract a buyer and maximize the sales price.  This home had 2 fatal flaws: Lack of a master suite; A very narrow back yard, with no exterior entertaining space provided, not even a patio or a deck for a grill. If you are looking for investment property in the Venice, FL area, it takes more than just getting a "good deal".   Please contact me to schedule a tour of available homes for sale.

This 2006 built residence in Port Charlotte offers lots of open space and outdoor privacy. It's located at 127 Mecca St and listed for sale at $369,000. This is a 3 bedroom, 3 bath pool home in the upscale Brookfield Estates neighborhood.  Enjoy the pool and lanai in the privacy of your 20,000 sq ft lot. This home has so many upgrades, you must visit to see them in person.  Start with granite counter tops and a roman shower on the list of pleasant extra touches in this beautiful home.  You can view the MLS report with more photos and details here . Please contact me to arrange a tour of this Port Charlotte home, or search for homes for sale in Port Charlotte on my website .

A new boat ramp has opened in the Nokomis/Osprey area that area boaters will appreciate. The new boat ramp is in what is called the "East Node" of Blackburn Point Park The boat ramp is located in the newly-opened Blackburn Point Park, on Blackburn Point Road in Nokomis.  The facility covers 15 acres near the iconic Casey Key north bridge.  Besides the boat ramp, amenities include a kayak launch, fishing piers, picnic area, and nature trail. Read more about Blackburn Point State Park here . If you are looking for Nokomis FL real estate and are a boater or nature lover, you now have an exciting new amenity in your back yard.  Please contact me for a tour of Nokomis FL homes, condos and villas for sale.

It's been predicted for a while, but now it's a reality.  Searches on Google on mobile devices has surpassed searches on laptops and PC desktops.  Google announced the milestone at a digital advertising conference on Tuesday, May 5. You can search for Venice FL real estate on my free app  or on veniceflrealestateonline.com on your smartphone What does this mean for Venice FL real estate agents? It means agents will need to have a website with what is called a "responsive design" which automatically detects the device being used, and sizes the content to fit. It also means that agents who are listing property will need to make sure they have a mobile strategy in place, above and beyond the MLS and their broker sites, so their listings can be easily found by smartphone users. If you are interested in selling your Venice FL area real estate, please contact me .