Buying a New Construction Home

So, you’re looking into new construction I see. Maybe you’re wondering how the new construction home buying process works and how you fit into it. I want to answer some of the common questions for home Buyers looking to purchase new construction, as well as, give you some insight into some of the questions that probably haven’t come to mind.

A lot of people go into the new construction process blindly. In other words, they see sign on the side of the road for a model home, stroll on in, fall in love, and make a decision to buy it! While living on cloud 9 is pretty great, you’ll find yourself getting a much better price and experience when you’re educated on how it all works. In fact, I can give you some unbiased…

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Sarasota Lifestyle

Plenty of magazines and blogs list Sarasota, Florida as one of the best places to live, retire, raise a family, etc. But why? What is the hype about living in Sarasota, FL? Being in real estate, I see people relocating to Sarasota quite often. Working alongside many of them, I've learned their reasons behind the move. So, take a look at FIVE reasons people are living in Sarasota, FL.

 

1. Weather

It really doesn’t take a genius to know that we don’t get any snow here in South Florida. In fact, we have around 300 days of sunshine every year. Sarasota has an outdoor lifestyle...and with the sunshine, that outdoor lifestyle can be maintained all year long. Beaches, parks, exercise, and outdoor dining are enjoyed in the…

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Cost of Living in Sarasota, Florida

What is the cost of living in Sarasota, FL? This is a question I find myself answering quite often because the real estate market varies dramatically when it comes to the cost of living in each state and city across the US. Those looking to relocate to Sarasota want to know what their dollars can REALISTICALLY buy them down here in the Sunshine State. Of course I can’t tell you the exact cost of living in Sarasota, FL without knowing the exact home you have in mind, but I can guide you through some helpful resources and factors to consider.  

Cost of Living in Sarasota, FL Calculator

A great resource to determine the cost of living in Sarasota is Bankrate. This gives a comparative cost of living from your…

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Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch

Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch is a new construction Sarasota neighborhood, and is in fact Palmer Ranch’s NEWEST neighborhood! With prices starting in the low $300’s ranging to the $700’s, Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch offers a resort style community with 926 homesites spread throughout the neighborhood’s 62 acres of lakes and 110 acres of nature preserve. Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch is going to be a large neighborhood with stunning amenities to appeal to a variety of ages and stages. You'll find a beach entry pool, lap pool, splash pad, playground, pickleball, tennis, bocce ball, a restaurant and bar, fitness center, natural gas, and more! There are a lot of options with 16 floor plans to choose from at a range of…

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Tiny House

My daughter just celebrated her birthday and my wife convinced me to splurge and purchase her a house. Yes, a house, her very first home.  Not just any old house, trust me, we looked for a fixer upper… but at the end of the day we couldn’t find what we were looking for. So, we went the new construction route and purchased a brand-new home that had to be built from scratch. I AM a realtor, so I guess it's not THAT crazy to buy her a tiny house, right?

Little did I know that the project wasn’t over yet. My wife sent me out to Home Depot with a list of supplies we needed to “finish” the house. Not sure what more it needed, considering we bought it brand new! But, I obliged and came home to a full on renovation. Before I knew it, we were…

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Promenade Estates - Palmer Ranch

Promenade Estates on Palmer Ranch is located in South Sarasota within the Palmer Ranch community. Promenade Estates broke ground in 2019 and is expected to be fully sold around 2023. This new construction community is appealing to young families and retirees alike. Buyers are loving promenade because of the combination of low HOA fees with resort style amenities. Promenade will have a resort style pool, kids splash pad, dog park, and more. (Read on to find out a full list of their amenities) Not only are buyers swarming for the amenities, but Promenade also has a large range of floor plans and pricing. With base prices beginning in the $300's ranging up to the $500's, 14 floor plans, and your preference between two…

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An interview on COVID and Mortgages

Paula Switzer of Union Home Mortgage joins Matt Leicht to discuss how COVID-19 has affected the mortgage industry from a residential aspect. Paula has lived in the Sarasota area for 40 years and has been a local lender for 17 years. She has a strong background in financial institutions and worked in a real estate company for 10 years.  She covers loan forbearance and what mortgage interest rates are doing during this COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the interview above for a full report, or check out some tidbits below of our interview.

1:25 - How has COVID-19 affected the mortgage industry?

“Mortgage lenders are busy, busy, busy! Rates have dropped, so everyone out there with a current existing…

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COVID and Real Estate

I have had many people reach out to me the last few weeks with this question, and I am honored that many would value and trust my opinion on the matter. While there is no magic “crystal ball” to predict the future, we can look back on the past and find similarities and differences. These facts may help us predict what is to come in the future. I recently came across an article on “Keeping Current Matters” that has a great breakdown on the difference between the 2008 housing crash and our current 2020 pandemic.

See, in 2008 we faced a housing crisis. Today we face a pandemic. Yes, the pandemic will have an affect on the economy, but I do not believe we will see the same thing with the housing market that we did in 2008.…

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Quarter 4 - 2020 

Let's take a look back to October, November, and December of 2020 as I review what the real estate market did in the last couple of months. 

Brief Market Summary For Q4 2020

Overall in the 4th quarter we’ve seen a lot of similarities that we saw in quarter 3 of 2020. Low inventory of homes on the market paired with homes selling quickly. The median days of getting a contract on a property was 28, compared to 39 days at this time of year in 2019. 

Single Family Homes: Single family sales were up 40%. Inventory was down 48%. Sale price increased from $324K to $393K which is a 21% increase. Average time on the market was 18 days. Compared to 36 days last year. This means that homes sold 50% quicker. 

Condominiums: Condo…

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Skye Ranch Sarasota

Skye Ranch is Sarasota’s newest up and coming lifestyle neighborhood with beautiful homes and amazing amenities. Located east of I-75 on Clark Rd/State Rd. 72. Skye Ranch will feature two neighborhoods within its larger community of “Skye Ranch.” These gated neighborhoods within Skye Ranch are called Cassia at Skye Ranch and Esplanade at Skye Ranch. Skye Ranch is officially opened for sale as of March 6, 2020. 

     

Cassia at Skye Ranch

Cassia at Skye Ranch is currently offering 17 different floor plans available for purchasing to build within the community. These floor plans range from 3 bedrooms all the way up to 5 bedrooms, 2-3 car garages, dens, game rooms, lofts, 1 and 2 stories, and more. See all floor plans…

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