David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

I recently showed homes to buyers in Sorrento Woods.  This neighborhood offers nice amenities and beautiful curb appeal, with winding streets lined with mature oaks and palms. Sorrento Woods homes start in the mid $300,000's, with up to 3900 square feet on over-sized lots. Many of the homes are updated, with durable tile roofs and concrete block construction.  About 3/4 of Sorrento Woods homes have private pools. New construction is going on all around Sorrento Woods, both residential and commercial.  This residential construction growth may have affected sales in Sorrento Woods when comparing 2016 year to date sales with 2015 sales. New homes in nearby Toscana Isles , Windwood , and Villages of Milano started selling in early 2016.  Out of 207 homes in Sorrento Woods, only 3 are for sale as of this writing.  Lack of inventory combined with increased competition for buyers from these communities appear to be affecting resale statistics in 2016 for Sorrento Wo

Sorrento East is an established neighborhood in Nokomis that offers an excellent value for potential home buyers. Located about midway between Sarasota and Venice, Sorrento East is mostly made up of older homes with good bones.  Prices here start in the mid $200,000's. Most have barrel tile roofs and are of concrete block construction.  The floor plans lend themselves to renovation, with split bedrooms, open kitchen and living areas, and volume ceilings.  Lot sizes give homes that have been renovated in Sorrento East an advantage over new construction, with most lots over 10,000 square feet. Even better, Sorrento East HOA fees are only $50 to $75 per year. Sorrento East also has detached villas, that like the single family homes, are perfect for renovation. These detached villas have open living floor plans, but are maintenance free and have a community pool.  The HOA fee is $340 per month, which includes replacement of the current roofs.  Besides the villas, yo

If you're a boater and are looking for a home with deep water and easy access to the Gulf of  Mexico, Sorrento Shores is a good place to start. Sorrento Shores homes include multi-million dollar luxury homes with canal frontage, and more modestly priced homes without canal frontage.  This area has been a favorite of both investors and new home buyers alike.  Many of the original canal homes are on large lots and have been torn down or extensively renovated.  We are also seeing renovation of the interior homes in Sorrento Shores. For those homeowners who are not on a canal, Sorrento Shores offers a community boat dock on a first come, first served basis.  These slips can accommodate boats up to 28 feet and cost $900 annually.  There is direct access to the ICW, and only one very high draw bridge at Albee Road leading boaters to the Venice Jetty and the Gulf of Mexico. Compared to 2015, sales in Sorrento Shores have slowed tremendously.  I don't view this as an

The area known locally as Lake of the Woods is made up of four separate subdivisions (Lakes of Jacaranda, Lake of the Woods, Park Estates, and Grassy Oaks), and is managed under a single homeowner's association called Lake of the Woods Jacaranda. A more in-depth explanation of the history and how the area developed can be read here . The greater area of Lake of the Woods includes 871 single family homes, centered around the 35 acre Lake Meredith.  Prices start in the mid $300,000's, and range up to the mid $500,000's.  Most homes are 3 bedrooms and 2 or 2.5 baths, built from the mid 1990's to 2004. The Lakes of Jacaranda, one of 4 communities in the greater Lake of the Woods association in Venice FL Home in Lake of the Woods in Venice FL Lake Meredith in Lake of the Woods Clubhouse, pool, and tennis courts in Lakes of Jacaranda Although a bit older, homes in Lake of the Woods have the attributes that today's home buyers are looking for: sp

Willowbend is a newer single family home community on the south side of Sarasota, located in Osprey.  Nearby attractions such as Oscar Scherer State Park and Nokomis Beach , Willowbend has a lot to like. Willowbend's 282 homes were built by Lee Wetherington Homes between 2003 and 2005, right before the market crash.  Originally planned with eco-friendly Florida Friendly Yards, the landscaping evolved into the more mature, traditional landscaping we see in Willowbend today. Willowbend went through a purge of upside down homes, and most foreclosures are gone. As of this writing, there are only 4 homes available for sale in the MLS, and only 6 homes have sold here in the past 180 days, another indication of the low inventory market we are experiencing in Sarasota and Venice.  The sales price during this period was $462,750, 99% of listing price after 25 days on the market. Homes in Willowbend are 2, 3 or 4 bedroom floor plans, with 2, 2.5 or 3 baths.  Buyers will ap