David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

I recently replied to an associate with our company who posted a comment for an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune about buyers frustrated with multiple offers. This associate supposedly handles a large list of foreclosure properties.  His assertion was that many of the best foreclosures don't make it to the market, and sell before they are listed, so buyers should sign up with this broker to be the first to know about foreclosure listings. I found his assertion to be ludicrous.  Reference this excellent article:   http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?p=1&id=293426 If he's working with banks, they have no reason to withhold properties from the MLS and exposure to the general marketplace.  Banks want the highest price possible for their properties, and are extremely risk averse.  Withholding properties from the MLS for only a select group of buyers that register with a broker could be construed as discriminatory.  It's high...

Today I got a link from the FL Association of Realtors with a link to an article in the Sarasota H/T titled:  "Banking Deal May Not Help Local Housing Recovery". Hello, Herald Tribune?  It's reality calling.  We're already in a year-long real estate market recovery. This same article quotes a local Realtor, who correctly stated that our local housing inventory for sale is at record lows.  Simple economic principles dictate that low supply and increased demand will create the higher prices and multiple offers most buyers will encounter, especially at the lower end of the price spectrum. Our local real estate market does not need any "help" from a banking deal with the Feds.  Sarasota has a history of strong buyer demand and higher real estate values than most other parts of Florida. Instead of creating false expectations of a weak real estate market for out of town buyers, The Herald Tribune should break it's habit of looking at government interv...