Florida Real Estate & Lifestyle Blog

    A Sarasota house-hunting vacation should include more than property showings and beach time. If you are considering buying a home in the area, spend part of the trip living as though Sarasota were already home. Buy groceries, drive your likely routes, walk a neighborhood in the morning, have din

    Before buying a home on a Sarasota-area barrier island, experience the location when other people want to be there too. A quiet weekday showing may tell you very little about a Saturday trip across the bridge, beach traffic, parking near popular destinations or the time required to reach the mai

    If you want to add parasailing to a Sarasota house-hunting vacation, Siesta Key is the most natural place to start, with current operators serving the Siesta Key area and additional options available farther north around Bradenton Beach. The best choice may depend less on which company is closes

    If your Sarasota home search includes Lido Key real estate, St. Armands Circle is one of the easiest places to build a meal into the showing day. The Circle puts casual lunches, seafood, Spanish and Cuban cuisine, Mediterranean-inspired dining and other choices close to Lido Beach and the surrou

    Palma Sola Bay Homesteads is an established single-family neighborhood in Northwest Bradenton where oversized lots, individually styled homes and proximity to Palma Sola Bay distinguish it from many newer planned communities. Property records show lots approaching or exceeding one-half acre at n

    If you are considering living in Downtown Sarasota, spend at least one ordinary day there before deciding which condo or part of downtown fits you. Walk Main Street in the morning, visit the bayfront, buy groceries, test parking, explore the Rosemary District, have dinner downtown and return to

    Yes, turning a Sarasota house-hunting trip into a short vacation can make the trip more useful, provided the vacation does not crowd out the actual home search. A well-planned visit gives you time to tour properties while also experiencing beaches, downtown, restaurants, parks and the routes you

    Rosedale Golf & Country Club in eastern Bradenton offers buyers a mix of attached residences, villas, carriage-style homes and single-family properties surrounded by mature landscaping, lakes, preserves and an established golf course. Buyers searching for "Rosedale golf condos" should pay close

    Fishing charters around Sarasota and Anna Maria Island range from shallow-water trips across Sarasota Bay and the grass flats to nearshore and offshore Gulf fishing. Where you should book depends largely on where you are staying and the type of fishing you want to do. Siesta Key provides conveni

    Fiddlers Green is a small residential community of single-family homes in Northwest Bradenton, Florida, near Palma Sola Bay, Robinson Preserve and the roadways leading toward Anna Maria Island. Public association data identifies approximately 43 lots, while current property records show fee-simp

    Palma Sola Bay Gardens is an established single-family home neighborhood in Northwest Bradenton, close to Palma Sola Bay, Robinson Preserve and the routes leading toward Anna Maria Island. Unlike a gated condominium or master-planned development, current property records show fee-simple residenc

    San Remo Shores in Bradenton is an established canal-front neighborhood on the south side of Palma Sola Bay, offering single-family homes with boating access toward the Intracoastal Waterway and Gulf of Mexico. Many waterfront properties have private docks, while individual homes may also includ

    Before a day of touring Longboat Key real estate, give yourself a quiet morning to experience the island without rushing from showing to showing. Have breakfast, walk near the Gulf, spend time along Sarasota Bay and drive part of Gulf of Mexico Drive at an ordinary pace. A slow morning will not

    Catalina is an established single-family neighborhood in Northwest Bradenton's 34209 area, where buyers can find primarily 1980s-era homes, mature landscaping and pond-front properties in a location convenient to Robinson Preserve, De Soto National Memorial and the roads leading toward Anna Mari

    Fairfield is a gated villa community in Bradenton developed by Neal Communities, with approximately 140 paired residences arranged around landscaped streets and water features. The neighborhood was designed around a lower-maintenance ownership experience, with association services covering speci

    If you have one weekend to compare Florida Gulf Coast barrier-island real estate, Lido Key, Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island make an unusually useful three-stop tour. Start on Lido Key, where beachfront condominiums and waterfront homes sit close to St. Armands Circle and Sarasota. Continue no

    Gulfstream Towers is an established condominium building at 33 S. Gulfstream Avenue in Sarasota, Florida, positioned where Downtown Sarasota meets the bayfront and directly across Gulfstream Avenue from the Marina Jack and Bayfront Park area. Designed by Sarasota modernist architect Edward J. "T

    River Landings Bluffs is an established single-family home community in Bradenton, Florida, near the Braden River and Jiggs Landing in the 34203 area. Developed in multiple phases beginning around 1990, the neighborhood includes detached homes on residential lots, mature landscaping, a community

    A Sarasota house-hunting trip does not have to mean spending every daylight hour walking through properties. A well-planned beach break can actually help you evaluate one of the biggest reasons people consider Sarasota in the first place: the Gulf Coast lifestyle. If your showings are near Siest

    Del Tierra in Bradenton is a gated single-family home community in eastern Bradenton, Florida, near State Road 64 and west of Lakewood Ranch. Established in 2014, the 610-home community was developed primarily by D.R. Horton and combines relatively modern housing with a central amenity area feat