David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

A survey by the National Asociation of Realtors shows that over 70% of home sellers talk to one agent when they list their home for sale. As a Sarasota FL area home owner, it's time to do more research when selecting the right Realtor to list your home for sale. We are seeing a huge number of homes go off the MLS once listed, and it's usually due to being overpriced.  Has your Sarasota home listing expired , after sitting on the market for weeks and months, with showings but no offers? Make one more call to me, and find out how my targeted approach will produce a buyer.  People searching online for a home (94% of home buyers) in your specific neighborhood or condo building is the best type of buyer.  Think about it:  buyers searching for "sarasota fl real estate" are not at the end of their discovery journey.  A buyer looking at targeted properties will prevent a horde of tire kickers in your home, and will reduce the time it takes to sell your home....

Sarasota real estate statistics for 2nd Quarter 2019 are available.  The market continues to experience positive growth. Two categories are worth further analysis.  First, median time to contract increased 26% over last year.  I believe this is due to home buyers from up north cushioning or extending the closing date on their Florida property, so their current residence can sell.  This in return is affecting median time to sale. The second is median percent of original list price received.  There's a lot to dissect here.  Over priced listings aren't selling, and aren't reflected in this stat.  We call these expired listings.  If the property is priced according to the market, it's remained a steady 5% off list price for quite some time.  Every property is different, but use this number as a guide for what to expect. Contact me for expert pricing and marketing for your Sarasota area home for sale.

A recent study from Realtors in June 2019 shows that 76% of real estate sales contracts close on time. There are 4 reasons they don't close on time, which are: 1) Financing issues; 2) Appraisal; 3) Home inspection or environmental issues; 4) Title and deed issues. Financing issues usually arise from the buyer purchasing a big ticket item during the escrow period, which changes their debt to income ratio or affect their credit rating.   Appraisal issues involve the home's negotiated price versus what an appraiser says it's worth.  An important part of my job is to make sure you aren't paying too much, so the property does appraise. Home inspection and environmental issues can occur from a home owner not agreeing to make repairs, or the discovery of unknown issues on the property.  For example, one of my clients selling their home in the DC area had his closing delayed after a buried 1940's gas tank was found in the yard. Title an...

It seems you can't watch HGTV or cable news without being bombarded with commericials for different ways to buy and sell your home.  Real estate is a huge part of our economy, and "disruptors" are desperately trying to enter the market.  Zillow has been trying it for years, and is now offering these "instant offers" to buy your home in some markets. The prospect of having a sign in the yard, dealing with showings, negotiating a price, and making repairs, can be stressful for some home owners.  The reality is that you'll be giving up a good chunk of any equity you've earned in your home if you decide to go the "instant offer" route.   If you see a commercial offering to buy your house with an instant offer, and even help you move, it's too good to be true, based on a recent study from MarketWatch. For those of you who are retiring, downsizing, or moving into assisted living, you'll need as much equity from your current home...

We had over 900 homes and condos expire in our MLS over the weekend. This means 900 properties did not sell, usually due to over pricing, and they came off the market.  It could also be due to real estate Brokers, who continue to advertise their agent's listings in newspapers, the weakest contributor to how home buyers find their home, according to the National Association of Realtors.  Advertising in The Herald Tribune or The Observer is not a strategic marketing plan.  It's lazy marketing designed to satisfy you, instead of reaching your home's potential buyer.   If you have a home to sell in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, or Venice, please contact me to learn about my exclusive, effective, no-BS strategy to get your home sold.

Many times, the buyers and sellers for Sarasota and Venice properties are out of town or out of state. While many folks may have used electronic signature software in the past. some have not.  To make your real estate experience as stress free as possible, I created a video to show you the step by step process of using our e-sign p rogram:  Please contact me for all your Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch real estate needs.

I recently put out some statistics for the Sarasota real estate market.  From real world experiences, I can tell you that the stats are somewhat misleading. I believe that prices, and the dollar volume of sold properties, is flat versus last year is because listing agents are overpricing homes for sale. Working with two sets of out of town home buyers over the past two weeks illustrates what's happening in the real world. In both cases, the buyers made offers on homes that had a recent, significant price reduction, one in Lakewood Ranch and another in Sarasota.  In both cases, the buyers were in multiple offer situations, after the homes had sat on the market for weeks. We are past income tax season, and with many of our area's home buyers coming from out of state and selling their homes up north, our local real estate market is experiencing a high level of home buyer activity. One piece of good news, particularly for home owners in Lakewood Ranch, is that the ...

This time of year I'm usually busier with home buyers than I am during our typical seasonal winter months. In the spring and summer, for the past few years, serious buyers are taking a short vacation time to come back to the Sarasota area to buy.  It's a good time to give you an update on what's happening in our real estate market. This morning I got an e-newsletter that showed the Tampa/St. Petersburg market to be in the top 10 nationally for what is considered a "buyer's market".  An increase in the number of homes for sale there, combined with low or flat price increases, is tipping the negotiation scale in favor of home buyers. Sarasota County Single Family Homes April 2019 Stats Sarasota County real estate trends are somewhat similar.  Single family home sales year to year for April show a slight decrease in closed sales in 2019, a flat median sales price, and an increase in the time to contract.  The overall inventory of homes is up as is th...

Don't forget Nokomis FL if you're in the market for a home in the Sarasota or Venice area. Nokomis has a convenient location just south of Sarasota. You can take advantage of the amenities in both cities. If you're a boater, you'll love the selection of homes for sale on canals that lead to the intracoastal waterway.  From Nokomis, there's no bridges to the Gulf of Mexico heading south to the Venice Jetty. If you're a beach person, Nokomis Beach is relatively uncrowded compared to Siesta Key.  There's lots of parking, with easy beach access.  For quick casual places to eat or a cold adult beverage, you can visit Shark Tooth Beach Concessions just south of the main public parking area.  Pops Sunset Grill is my personal favorite, and they recently added a huge tiki bar overlooking the ICW.  Pops is on the mainland, right next to Gulf Harbor Marina before you cross Albee Bridge. Nokomis real estate ranges between starter home cottages in the h...

I'll be starting a series of what I call "explainer videos" for Sarasota real estate. Topics will include the buying process, the selling process, how to find helpful features on my websites, new home buying, and more. In this video, I discuss what happens once you put a condo under contract in Sarasota.  Watch my video:  My YouTube channel is youtube.com/c/davidbarrhomes, and you can learn more about Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice FL real estate on one of my three websites, each with current MLS listings and sophisticated search. sarasotadavid.com lakewoodranchdavid.com davidbarrhomes.com

I just published my latest e-newsletter for real estate statistics and news in Venice, Sarasota, and Lakewood Ranch. This time of year, it's time for a review of 2018, and where I think the market will go for 2019.  Hint:  if you're a home buyer, you'll have more choice and more opportunity to negotiate. By the way, I was a top local agent in Venice and Sarasota, according to Homelight: Get my e-newsletter here:  https://shoutout.wix.com/so/c3McMIQ81

Part of my to do list for my real estate business as we entered 2019 was to begin using Facebook Live. I've just completed my third live session on Facebook talking about expired listings in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. You can view the video here: Expired real estate listings with David Barr BHHS in Sarasota FL Posted by David Barr, Broker on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 If your home is an expired listings, and is no longer showing in the MLS, please contact me about putting your property back on the market and getting it sold.

Sometimes a map isn't enough.  Here's some pictures of my real estate office in Sarasota with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty. Our Palmer Ranch office, located next to Outback Steak House, on the south Trail. Our office is close to the well known West of Trail neighborhoods. Looking north toward Stickney Point Road, with downtown Sarasota on the horizon. Buccaneer Bay, Coral Cove, and Southpointe Shores are just across Tamiami Trail from our Palmer Ranch office. Buccaneer Bay looking west over the ICW toward Siesta Key and Point Crisp Stop in and see me if you're interested in selling your Sarasota home in these areas.

Venice FL is not only an interesting place to live, it's also an interesting real estate market. It's no secret to anyone in the real estate business that we were hit with a double whammy in 2018, which is still having effects: 1) Red tide kept summer and fall vacationers away; 2) The downtown beautification project was ill timed and is taking longer than anticipated. Venice downtown beautification in Sept 2018 Who can blame vacationers and potential home buyers from staying away? The slow market in the last half of 2018 is just now beginning to trickle down to home sellers.  There's more properties on the market now for you to choose from, and a lot of price reductions. A very quiet Inn at the Beach at Venice Beach in Sept 2018 In fact, when touring homes with my last two sets of customers the past couple of weeks, practically every property had been reduced in price. As far as choice goes, there's even 3 units for sale in The Sansovino on Venic...

When you're working with me as your real estate agent in Sarasota, Venice, or Lakewood Ranch, the state of Florida treats our relationship with customers differently than you may be used to in your current state. In Florida, real estate agency (relationship or representation) with customers is by default termed as a "transaction brokerage relationship". A transaction broker provides a limited form of representation to a buyer or home seller, but does not represent either in a fiduciary capacity.  In other words, when you hire me to buy or sell, we do not act as a single legal entity, for which you can be sued for my actions, or I can be sued for your actions.  Transaction broker duties (which most customers expect anyway) are: Dealing honestly and fairly; Accounting for all funds (such as escrow deposits); Using skill, care, and diligence in a transaction; Disclosing all known facts that may affect the value of residential real property which may not be rea...

The South Venice beach ferry is one of Venice FL's hidden gems.  You don't have to live in South Venice to take advantage of this unique service. The ferry, a large pontoon boat, leaves from it's dock on Lemon Bay Drive, and takes passengers across the ICW to an unspoiled perserve and beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  No condos or homes spoil your view. Take a tour of the area with my exclusive HD video: The ferry is operated by the South Venice Civic Association.  There's also a boat launch, kayak launch, and fishing dock.  There's plenty of car and trailer parking for boaters, and I've never seen the parking area full, even during holidays. You can download the application forms for use of the ferry and boat launch on my website, and view a current list of South Venice FL homes for sale, at davidbarrhomes.com/south-venice-fl-homes-for-sale. Contact me with any questions, or to schedule a tour of homes for sale.

I've been saying that Zillow is a problem in the real estate business for years.  There's two reasons for this: 1) They publish inaccurate data, that the public thinks is accurate; 2) They give a platform for online exposure to Realtors who have no idea how to market themselves, so how can they market your home for sale? A recent article by the Seattle Times on January 20, 2019 ( read here ), reports that the median Zillow Zestimate has a 4.5 % error rate nationally.   That's $22,500 on a $500,000 home. Just say no to Zillow Zillow is not a licensed real estate broker in most states.  It makes it's money from agents who pay to have their head shot on their site, because it gets a lot of traffic.  Zillow does not have to follow real estate law or conform to the Realtor Code of Ethics or MLS listing rules.  If they did, they could not leave off the market or sold properties on their site, to make it appear they have as many listings are Realtor....

The real estate industry as a whole probably isn't known for it's marketing genius.  That's how we came to have Zillow.  But I digress. I'm seeing a lot posts on social media comparing the Polar Vortex to the Florida climate.  Come on, fellow Realtors. Gloating about temperatures isn't going to move the needle when it comes to selling your Sarasota , Venice , or Lakewood Ranch home. I've said it many times in many blog posts.  Home buyers are searching in depth about real estate markets.  More buyers than ever have the flexibility to telecommute, so they can live practically anywhere.  This means I employ the latest technology and apply it in imaginative ways to reach potential buyers for your home or condo for sale.  I think a smart buyer already knows the basics of winter weather, but they probably don't know much about why they should live in your neighborhood, in your home. That's what I'm here for. Contact me when you'r...

Here's an update on my YouTube channel: Over 400 HD video tours; 80,000+ views; Playlists for homes in Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch; Videos cover 2 of the top 4 selling master planned communities in the country. My YouTube channel dashboard Wh y is this important? I'm able to showcase our local real estate markets to the vast majority of potential home buyers who come from long distance to live here. Question: What good is listing with a "luxury broker", when one of them, over the past 90 days, had 7 out of 26 (27%) expired listings on Siesta Key and Longboat Key in our MLS? If you like how I market myself as a Realtor and our market area to attract buyers, you'll love how I market your home or condo for sale. And I don't do any of it with assistants, "buyer's agents", or an unlicensed spouse. A high tech Realtor like myself will attract the right buyer for your home using the latest tools and technology. ...