David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

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.

Well, Christmas is over and today it's back to work. I have a long distance closing happening now as I write this blog post. It's a Fannie Mae property listed by an agent in Tampa who never set foot in the property, with the closing being handled by a title company in the Miami area. There is nothing more basic to excellent customer service than prompt and clear communication and response.  The title company told me "they get over 400 emails a day, and they don't have time to send a receipt confirmation email", despite the fact their website says customer service is their top priority. This is not excellent customer service. I don't want to hear a service provider tell me are too busy to respond to my repeated requests for a confirmation.  I don't want to hear how many emails they get.  I don't want to hear "this is how we do it". You as a consumer reading this know what I'm talking about.  That's why I don't do busines...

In case you missed it, I have several pages on my site devoted to real estate that can be hard to find on the public MLS. On davidbarrhomes.com , you can find: Pool homes :  Single family homes with private pools Gated communities :  Single family homes in gated communities Turn key furnished condos :  Great for investors or out of town buyers Villas :  Single story, detached or semi-detached properties, managed like condos.  Maintenance free! Townhomes :  Perfect for buyers looking for townhome-style properties New home listings :  All the latest new construction offered for sale in the MLS Owner financing :  If you've got 30-50% for a down payment, you can see available properties offering non-qualifying assumable loans or owner financing 55 and over communities : View condos and villas for sale Vacant land :  Lots and land for sale for building your vision You can find these links on davidbarrhomes.com under the "More Ch...

Today I had a visitor to my website ask me about a Canadian-based company called Florida Home Finders.  I had not heard of them, but took the opportunity to visit their website and investigate. What they are doing may not be illegal, but it is highly misleading for their prospective clients. As a Canadian national, there are NO legal or contractual differences between a Canadian citizen and a US citizen buying property in Florida, with the exception of course, of currency exhange.  You can read more about this on my page for Canadian buyers on my website.    You absolutely do not need to go to a seminar in Canada to buy real estate in Florida!   You should not sign any kind of representation agreement in these seminars, nor should you pay a dime to attend.  You may lose your legal ability to purchase FL real estate without their involvement. My research shows that Florida Home Finders are licensed real estate brokers in Canada only, not in Florida...