The city of Sarasota is considered one of the best mid-sized cities in Florida, and in the nation as well. The city has a unique combination of natural vacation destination feel and a wholesome urban setting.
The city's downtown district today is a kaleidoscope of unique architecture and development trends, which serves as a magnet that attracts people from all walks of life over the US and overseas as well. In the city's Downtown Main Street, a lot of new condo, office and retail developments have created a wonderful and thriving financial,business, shopping and leisure district that offers residents and tourists a wide array of urban activities, comforts and amenities.
Located directly on the Bay, the city's downtown district is an area that offers vibrant and exciting atmosphere . Residents and tourists will find here dozens of shopping centers, museums, art galleries, restaurants and a host of special events every year. People here can walk down Main Street and go to a lot of wonderful restaurants, opera, theater, art galleries, Marina Jacks, shopping and the well-known Whole Foods Market.
This part of town also offers home buyers and investors a wide variety of housing options, ranging from simpler one-bedroom apartments to luxurious penthouse condos at places like the Ritz Carlton Residences, and have prices ranging from $300,000 up to a million or more.
Property Sales Stats Are Up Lately
The Sarasota Board of Realtors recently issued a press release, which reported that overall Sarasota real estate sales for February wen up by around 28 percent. The SAR also noted that that pending sales levels were also very high, which serves as a positive indicator for a stronger property market ahead. According to SAR figures, the local hpousing amarket saw a significant rise in February levels in overall property sales.
According to the new figures, there were 423 property sales noted in the city’s MLS, as compared to only 329 sales recored in January of 2008. In addition, pending sales levels also rose up to 654 in February, which the SAR notes is the highest level ever recorded in nearly a year. The last time the area noted a higher pending sales level was in March 2007, with 706 pending sales. On the actual home sale front, The SAR and its members sold around 294 single family homes, along with 129 condominium units.
While sales figures were robust, the median sale price for multi-family homes and condos continued to fluctuate; single-family units saw a small increase in the median sale price, from $265,000 in January 2008 up to $285,000 in February The city's downtown area property market also continues to adjust to lower prices, and there continues to be hundreds of available condominiums listed in the city's MLS service.
New Downtown Condo Developments
Among the newer condo developments in the city's downtown district are Plaza at Five Points , 1350 M ain Burns Court Villas and 100 Centra . The established condo developments here include the Sarabande and Tessera .
The condos in the downtown area offer upscale and luxurious amenities, such as resort-style swimmingpools and upscale services provided by the newer condos such as 24 hour concierge, heated pools and spa, fitness clubs, spas, media rooms and more for the enjoyment of buyers. Each condo development also has different regulations with regard to pets and the number of cars allowed.
