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.

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. ...

I'm continuing to see a large number of expired listings in our MLS.  Expired listings mean that the listing contract term between a home owner and a Realtor has lapsed, and the home is off the market. We're supposed to be in a strong reale state market, so what's the cause of this?  It's usually one of these reasons: The listing price was too high; The property was not in proper condition; The property was not staged properly; The listing agent had no marketing plan beyond what their Broker offered. Expired listings in Sarasota from the MLS I want to bring attention to the last bullet point above.  The first question you should ask a Realtor who wants to list your Sarasota home for sale should be "What do you know about SEO and online marketing?".  This is very important. Every major Broker has basically the same marketing plan.  Of course, your home is special, and it should be marketed that way.  SEO means "Search Engine Optimization...

I had a listing appointment over the weekend.  The home owner asked me how buyers would find his home online.  The misconception is that only large brokerages have the ability to reach potential buyers online. The fact is that all brokerages that belong to the Mid Florida MLS have the ability to post homes for sale on over 60 real estate related websites.  In our business it's called listing syndication.  When your home goes for sale on the MLS, it is automatically listed on other major sites like Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo Real Estate, and more. But there's more to the story.  Individual agents can compete effectively online. I showed the homeowner how my real estate website, www.davidbarrhomes.com , was visited by people from 70 countries in the past month.  Here's the map: davidbarrhomes.com was visited by potential Sarasota home buyers in 70 countries in the last 30 days Part of my success in generating online interest in properties includes ...