The home building industry is struggling, but one sector is booming: green homes.

The number of homes winning the government's Energy Star designation since the program began in 1995 has crossed the 1 million mark. Despite an overall housing slump, 75,000 have been added so far this year for a total of 1,024,200.
Last year, Energy Star homes accounted for nearly 17% of all single-family homes built, up from 12% in 2007.
The Energy Star label means a house is at least 20%...

[SIZE=3]Sales of new single-family homes rose 6.2% in October[/SIZE]
to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 430,000 units, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Nov. 25. The median sales price of new homes sold in the month was $212,000; the average sales price was $261,100. Meanwhile, the number of unsold new homes on the market stood...

Most of the keys in the area are pretty neat and everyone has a different feel.

In my opinion, Siesta Key has the youngest vibe. Probably due to the handful of bars and several restaurants in the village that seem to draw the younger crowd. Most of the bands that play out at the Siesta bars seemed to be geared more for the younger crowd as well.

Longboat always had more of an old money feel to me. There really is no downtown area on Longboat either, unless you consider...

The flood zones change throughout Sarasota. Generally speaking, the closer you are to water the more likely you are to be in a flood zone. Here's a link to the FEMA flood maps. You can just punch in an address and come up with the flood zone. FEMA Map Service Center -

I always like to double check the zones with the insurance companies but I've had some that aren't experienced in quoting flood rates give me incorrect info. The above website is where they would be pulling their info...

Did a quick search of Manatee and Sarasota counties and used this criteria, 300K-350K, 3 beds/2 baths or more, 2005 or newer, single family homes. 42 homes in Sarasota county and 47 in Manatee county. Restricting the age narrows the list down a lot. I'll list some of the neighborhoods in the list so you have an idea of what neighborhoods to search:

Sarasota
Villages at Pinetree Marsh
Sarasota Springs
The Enclave

Manatee/Bradenton/Ellenton/Parrish/Palmetto...