David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

Innovation and technology in real estate is always welcome.  I'm a bit of a tech geek and like to keep ahead of trends and incorporate new ideas whenever I can. A burgeoning technology I've been reading about is agent matching.  Much like personal matching sites, a new group of websites is just beginning to roll out agent matching sites based on buyer and seller input about their needs and personal traits.  The idea is to match Realtors with potential clients based on more than just experience. I think there's a lot of room for error with this new form of finding an agent.  Some of these sites match potential buyers with agents based only on their current listings.  An agent that handles foreclosures probably has a lot of listings, but may not work with buyers.  Many agents seek a lot of listings precisely so they don't have to work with buyers at all.  Besides, the information buyers and sellers put in their matching profile may not always be com...

As a frustrated artist, one of the reasons I love the real estate business so much is that I get to see many different architectural and design styles reflecting the Sarasota tropical environment. I ran across this fantastic idea of personalizing an old table or console by taking paint can stir sticks and making a herringbone pattern on the top. Take an existing table of almost any style.  The turned legs of this example look beachy, with a nicely stained top sealed with a clear varnish.  If you are a real estate investor who wants inexpensive ideas to polish a seasonal rental property, small touches like these throughout the home or condo can really generate a lot of interest. I can also imagine this idea used with a shaker style, or a contemporary table painted completely black, in a loft or apartment space.  I may be trying this idea for use on my lanai if I find a suitable consignment or garage sale table, and I'll post pictures when completed.

More and more Canadian real estate investors are finding my website, www.davidbarrhomes.com , and the advice I provide there , a valuable source of information before their visit to view properties in my service area of Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte Counties. A recent buyer presented an illustrative example of what is currently happening in the real estate market, particularly for condos at the entry level price points under $100,000. Six months to a year ago, the choice for condos under $100,000 was quite easy.  Pick the newest ones that needed no work, and a long-distance buyer had an investment property ready to go for a tenant.  Today, the landscape has changed.  Those newer condo communities now have a dwindling inventory of units for sale, and those prices are increasing.  Combine this with a growing inventory of units for rent, and the previously obvious condo choices no longer make sense for many investors. What remains for condo buyers looking at e...