David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

If you're an investor looking for Venice FL real estate, here are three currently available properties for sale you may want to consider. 1) 2/2 villa in popular neighborhood near beaches and shopping.  List price $75,000.  Renovated comps in same community are selling starting at $125,000. 2) 2/2 single family home, bank owned, in South Venice.  Terrazzo floors throughout, needs cosmetic work but tons of curb appeal and open plan with 1300 sq ft under air.  List price mid $80's.  Fix and flip with a potential list price in the $140's, or polish it up for cash flow. 3) The best currently available single family home on Venice Island is a 2/1 with volume ceilings and open plan, just blocks from deeded Golden Beach access.  One look and you'll see this could be a great potential seasonal rental, sold turn-key furnished.  Listed just under $300K. Contact me for more details and to schedule a showing .

There's been some news about real estate investors tapering off their purchase activity as housing prices increase.  That doesn't mean that the smart investors are giving up, because there's still good deals out there and a lot of rental demand in both Sarasota and Venice. For years after the real estate market downturn in 2008, it was easy to pick the low-hanging fruit of a $100K foreclosure, fix and flip it, or clean it up to rent for cash flow property.  In today's market, smart investors are factoring price appreciation in their formula for picking properties. Sarasota and Venice real estate is appreciating at healthy rates, but the higher overall price point of Sarasota versus Venice makes Sarasota a more difficult area for a newer investor to dip their toe in the market. Let's look at a side by side comparison of the two areas: Sarasota Target price range $150-$200K Highest rental demand:  Bahia Vista south to Clark Rd, west of Beneva and east of ...

I recently saw a home come up for sale in Sarasota in the South Gate area as I was searching for clients.  The home is a renovation, and the seller did most things right and a couple things that could have been done better.  Here's my analysis. The color palette is perfect.  The light gray walls and painted fireplace are exactly what buyers are looking for.  The large tile floors are also a good choice, but I bet this home had terrazzo floors.  I would have preferred those be refinished. The sectioned dining room could be improved.  This should have been opened to the living room, and the mirrors removed. I can't find much fault with the kitchen.  I really like the timeless simple white cabinets and flooring choices, as well as the pickled planked ceiling.  It definitely adds a memorable selling point to this home.  I might have chosen lighter color counter tops, but most buyers won't quibble with these. A lot of homes in ...