Florida Real Estate & Lifestyle Blog

    Gulf Sands is a direct beachfront condominium community at 4200 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. Current property information documents two-bedroom, two-bath residences, Gulf-facing balconies, private beach access, a community swimming pool and covered parking. Its location immed

    Casanas is an established subdivision in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, with roots that predate its incorporation into the growing Holmes Beach community during the 1950s. Today, the broader Casanas area reflects the variety that defines central Anna Maria Island real estate, including older

    Beachwalkers Villas is part of the residential landscape of Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, offering buyers an alternative to traditional beachfront condominium living. Properties associated with the Beachwalkers name include detached, elevated coastal residences close to the Gulf, with docum

    Beach Townhouses is a small condominium community at 4001 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. Although the name and Gulf views can create a beachfront impression, the community is located across Gulf Drive from the beach rather than directly on the Gulf shoreline. Current property i

    Gulf Place is a direct Gulf-front condominium community at 6700 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. The community combines immediate beach access with a heated swimming pool, tennis facilities and condominium residences that can offer Gulf, beach or pool-oriented views depending on

    Bay Palms is an established residential neighborhood in Holmes Beach, the central municipality on Anna Maria Island. The community is made up primarily of single-family homes, with some properties positioned along saltwater canals and others on interior residential streets. Its setting gives buy

    Citrus Square is a mixed-use condominium development along North Orange Avenue in Sarasota’s Rosemary District, immediately north of the traditional downtown core. The development combines residential condominiums with street-level commercial space, giving owners a lower-rise urban alternative t

  When touring a house, possible signs of foundation or structural movement can include significant or unusual cracks, uneven or sloping floors, doors and windows that do not operate normally, gaps or separation between building components, and visible foundation deterioration. Outside, drainage pro

    Closing costs are the upfront expenses associated with completing a home purchase and, when financing is involved, obtaining the mortgage. They are separate from the home's purchase price and generally separate from the down payment. Depending on the transaction, buyer costs can include lender c

    Yes, getting an independent home inspection on a brand-new house is generally worth considering. New construction can still have incomplete work, installation problems, drainage concerns, damaged components or other defects that are difficult for a buyer to identify during a walkthrough. A certi

    Property taxes can change substantially after you buy a Florida house, especially when the seller has owned and homesteaded the property for many years. A change of ownership generally causes the property's assessed value to be reset to just value as of January 1 following the change of ownershi

    A contingent offer is an offer to buy a home that makes the transaction dependent on one or more specified conditions being satisfied according to the purchase contract. Common contingencies can involve financing, inspections, appraisal or other property and transaction matters. If an applicable

    There is no fixed number of years you must own a home for buying to make financial sense, but your expected ownership period matters. Buying and eventually selling involve transaction costs, and it can take time for mortgage principal reduction and any home appreciation to offset those expenses.

    You should consider having a structural engineer evaluate a home when a general inspection, visible condition, property history or planned renovation raises a meaningful question about the building's structural performance. Examples can include significant or unusual cracking, apparent foundatio

    A pending special assessment is not automatically a reason to avoid buying a condo, but it is a reason to investigate carefully before moving forward. The key questions are why the assessment is needed, whether it has actually been approved, how much could be allocated to the unit, what work it

    Lakewood National is a gated golf community in Lakewood Ranch built around 36 holes of Arnold Palmer-designed championship golf. Unlike communities where buyers purchase a home and then separately decide whether to join a private club, Lakewood National uses a bundled model that connects the gol

    Living in Bradenton Beach means combining Gulf beaches, bay waters, boating, restaurants, Historic Bridge Street and a varied coastal real estate market within the southern portion of Anna Maria Island. Buyers can find everything from direct Gulf-front condominiums and bayfront residences to tow

    Nautilus Condominiums is a Gulf-front community at 7100 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. The official Nautilus property website identifies 35 two-bedroom, two-bathroom residences occupying an entire beachfront block, with no road to cross between the property and the beach. Commu

    Casa Sierra is a small four-unit condominium community in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, with residences at 203 and 205 36th Street. The property is not directly Gulf-front, but current management information places the Gulf beach approximately a two-minute walk away. Casa Sierra combines tw

    Bay Bella Vista is a small bayfront condominium community at 244 S Harbor Drive in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. Current property and association information supports a six-residence community built in 1983, with water views, a community pool and waterfront access. Verified residences inclu