Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch New Homes

The real estate market in the Sarasota area continues at a healthy sales pace. New home sales in particular are robust.  There's more choice for you as a home buyer than ever in my service area, with 50 major new home communities stretching between Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, and The West Villages in Venice. With all this choice, I'm finding buyers are stressed and confused about which communities to consider for their needs.  This is where I come in. Community pool at Lakewood National in Lakewood Ranch FL I'll use the example of two recent home buyers who had identical budgets and were interested in a new construction home.  Buyer 1 had a child, and was concerned the community he chose had amenities for children and a good number of children living there, not to mention being located in a highly rated school district. Buyer 2 had the same budget, and wanted a new home that had a club house with fitness, nice pool, and a busy social calendar so they could m...

I really enjoy working with home buyers, especially when it comes to new homes. Since I've been specializing in new home sales for a while, I know many buyers don't contact a Realtor, but go directly to the home builders.  I guess it's because these buyers think they can get a better deal without a Realtor being involved, like a for sale by owner home. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Two things you should know: 1) The new home builders rely on Realtors to bring clients through their doors and help them market their properties to the public.  In fact, I was told by a new home sales associate that they get calls asking if I work for them, because they are seeing my online marketing for their community. 2) A Realtor is another set of eyes and ears working for you.  Recently, I was touring new homes with a client who was ready to buy.  He was excited about the price and the design elements of the home.  However, he never went out on the lanai...

Payne Park Village is a new condo development in Sarasota.  It's located on School Avenue, directly across from Payne Park. The units are spacious, and the builder, David Weekley Homes, offers open floor plans and contemporary finishes. These three story units will have attached 2 car garages and 3 floors of living space.  The 2nd story has the kitchen and is completely open to the generously sized family room.  All units will have 3 bedrooms and 3 baths with one or two half baths.  Elevators are also an option.  When completed, there will be 135 residences. There will also be a pool and cabana, along with common area parks and places for grilling. Price ranges start in the mid $500,000's. If you'd like to get an idea about what these condos will be like, I can schedule a tour of Enclave at Laurel Park, which are by this builder and are mostly complete. Contact me for a tour of the area, or with any questions.  

What's the true price of buying a Lakewood Ranch new home?  If you're not sure what I mean by this, you definitely should continue reading this post. New home builders usually advertise "base prices" to home buyers to get them into their sales centers and model homes.  Truth is, you'll end up possibly paying a more than their advertised prices. In Lakewood Ranch, the base price for a new paired villa or town home starts in the high $200,000's.  Typical buyer upgrades plus any lot premium average about $20,000. Paired villas in Lakewood Ranch For a new single family homes, base prices start in the mid $300's.  You can expect to add about $40,000 in upgrades, which would include a home site premium. Typical upgrades include larger tile or tile on the diagonal in all living and "wet areas" like kitchens and baths, crown molding, upgraded kitchen cabinets and counter top material, and expanded lanais. New single family homes in La...

I got a phone call yesterday that prompted me to write this blog post. I get these types of calls now and then.  Another Realtor contacted me for information about some condos in one of the new home communities I serve.  This Realtor said "I found you online" and "Aren't you the builder"? It's a pretty sad situation when someone with a real estate license doesn't know who the builder is for a new home community.  I think it's even worse that these people can't get off the couch and go to visit these new home communities on their own, for knowledge sake. I'm your Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch new home specialist. If you're looking for a new home, you should demand more than someone who just drives you to the sales center and lets the new home sales associate take over for them.  The new home sales associates know their product very well, but usually can't tell you about competing properties or local attractions and amenities....

I've been working with a buyer looking for a new home in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch.  I've been saying this for a long time:  you really do need your own Realtor when you're ready to buy a new home. The biggest issue we ran across was making sure we were getting accurate price quotes for homes that were already built.  When you see "homes starting at" on builder advertisements, those prices usually don't include any upgrades or home site premiums.  For example, homes starting in the mid $300,000's usually ended up costing over $400,000. An "inventory" or "quick move in home" may be either finished or under construction, with up to 60 days before it's ready for occupancy.  These quick move in homes should be priced with upgrades included as well as any lot premium.  A lot premium can run from $0 (if your home backs up to another home, or a road) to over $75,000 for a lake view home site.  Lot premiums are one of the mo...