Just bought in Sarasota. Helpful hints. (Tampa, Bradenton: rental car, appointed, 2009)

[smiledoc1]

My wife and I went to Florida ( we are from Massachusetts) last week to look at both the east and west coasts. We really did not intend to buy; this was more of a fact-finding mission. We are not snowbirds, as the plan is for us to work 6 weeks and then go to FL for one week. As we get older, we will increase our time in Florida. We spent TONS of time on the internet and speaking to people, we were told that there is a big difference between the coasts. Our visit proved that true. The east coast is far flashier than the west coast. Much more traffic. Not for us.
The Sarasota area looked appealing to us, more so than Ft. Myers or Tampa. Venice is not the place to be for anyone under 70. We looked at Bradenton also, but the area just didn't appeal to us. We stayed in Ellenton and that wasn't the place either. We went to dinner on a SUNDAY night in downtown Sarasota and the place was packed. We were the oldest people there and we are 54 and 53. The place was jumping. Now I'm not going to say that Sarasota is a city of teenyboppers, but it isn't old by any means.
My wife and I like the arts, and Sarasota has a very vibrant arts community. The place just seemed to have a nice feel to it. The downtown was active and had a nice mix of retail, office and restaurants. The beaches nearby were superlative. We went on our own for a few days and then met with our agent.
Previous to going down, we hooked up with a buyer's agent from the internet. Now this is absolutely critical to do. Even though the buyer's agent is paid by the seller, a good agent will work tirelessly to get the lowest price. I know this sounds contradictory, and it would seem that the agent would make more money if the price is higher, but if you get the right person you have some leverage against the seller's agent. We ended up finding just what we wanted. We spent hours talking to people in this development. This is a declining market and though the unit we bought might be less in a year, I can assure you that my agent squeezed out every last dime from the seller. The market is soft so whatever the listing price is, IMMEDIATELY knock off 15%. The rules of this forum prohibit the listing of names, but if anyone is interested in his name, you can send me a private message and I will pass along his name. He is as honest as can be.
We purchased a house in the Palmer Ranch area. It is close to the beach and close to downtown. The neighborhood is very nice.
One other advantage to Sarasota is the airport. It is literally steps from the baggage claim area to the rental cars and only 15 minutes to Palmer Ranch from there.
I don't expect Sarasota to be heaven. I do think I made the right choice for me. We wanted to be near the beach, near the downtown, in a newer development, easy access, a tamer environment than the east cost,and not pay a fortune. We connected with the PERFECT realtor.
For those contemplating the Sarasota area, I hope I have provided some food for thought.
Thank you to all the people who posted messages about the Sarasota area, both positive and negative, over the last 6 months or so. You have all been most helpful.
I will be happy to respond to both public and private messages.

[Sunnydee]

Congratulations on your new home! I'm glad you found a realtor that was so perfect for you. I'm sure you will love living in Sarasota, Florida, for the very reasons you stated. You're coming to Florida with realistic expectations, so you won't be disappointed. It's nice to read a positive thread. I send you my best wishes!

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by smiledoc1

My wife and I went to Florida ( we are from Massachusetts) last week to look at both the east and west coasts. We really did not intend to buy; this was more of a fact-finding mission. We are not snowbirds, as the plan is for us to work 6 weeks and then go to FL for one week. As we get older, we will increase our time in Florida. We spent TONS of time on the internet and speaking to people, we were told that there is a big difference between the coasts. Our visit proved that true. The east coast is far flashier than the west coast. Much more traffic. Not for us.
The Sarasota area looked appealing to us, more so than Ft. Myers or Tampa. Venice is not the place to be for anyone under 70. We looked at Bradenton also, but the area just didn't appeal to us. We stayed in Ellenton and that wasn't the place either. We went to dinner on a SUNDAY night in downtown Sarasota and the place was packed. We were the oldest people there and we are 54 and 53. The place was jumping. Now I'm not going to say that Sarasota is a city of teenyboppers, but it isn't old by any means.
My wife and I like the arts, and Sarasota has a very vibrant arts community. The place just seemed to have a nice feel to it. The downtown was active and had a nice mix of retail, office and restaurants. The beaches nearby were superlative. We went on our own for a few days and then met with our agent.
Previous to going down, we hooked up with a buyer's agent from the internet. Now this is absolutely critical to do. Even though the buyer's agent is paid by the seller, a good agent will work tirelessly to get the lowest price. I know this sounds contradictory, and it would seem that the agent would make more money if the price is higher, but if you get the right person you have some leverage against the seller's agent. We ended up finding just what we wanted. We spent hours talking to people in this development. This is a declining market and though the unit we bought might be less in a year, I can assure you that my agent squeezed out every last dime from the seller. The market is soft so whatever the listing price is, IMMEDIATELY knock off 15%. The rules of this forum prohibit the listing of names, but if anyone is interested in his name, you can send me a private message and I will pass along his name. He is as honest as can be.
We purchased a house in the Palmer Ranch area. It is close to the beach and close to downtown. The neighborhood is very nice.
One other advantage to Sarasota is the airport. It is literally steps from the baggage claim area to the rental cars and only 15 minutes to Palmer Ranch from there.
I don't expect Sarasota to be heaven. I do think I made the right choice for me. We wanted to be near the beach, near the downtown, in a newer development, easy access, a tamer environment than the east cost,and not pay a fortune. We connected with the PERFECT realtor.
For those contemplating the Sarasota area, I hope I have provided some food for thought.
Thank you to all the people who posted messages about the Sarasota area, both positive and negative, over the last 6 months or so. You have all been most helpful.
I will be happy to respond to both public and private messages.

Congratulations! It sounds like you did plenty of research and homework and found the place that will work for you. I'm glad to hear that downtown was "jumpin" with more younger folks - seems that Sarasota has improved that way from when we lived there 11 years ago (it was mostly old folks then). But anyway I feel that those of us in our 50s are the "new hipper seniors" and will enjoy a young lively vibe wherever we go.

Enjoy your new place!

[Ladywithafan]

Congratulations!

[jay2007]

Good for you. I was told to offer 20% of ask and 50% of ask. Most are closing at 20% of ask and are worth 50% of ask and going there in 2008 and 2009.
It's always nice to hear from smilin docs who overpay. NonsmilinNondocs must pay real prices and avoid inflated prices. Just because young chick-a-dees hang out in a town restaurant, most will still not overpay.
Since you plan on living in your home it does not matter if the price drops, you bought a home you liked to live in as a home.
You may want to challenge inflated property tax assessments in a year from now.
Or just pay the inflated taxes, so the chickadees and tax assessor can be subsidized by your inflated property taxes.
Good luck.

[jay2007]

Correction - federal funds subsizise young chick a dees.
your property taxes will pay for ringling bros schools since baby daddies do not do that anymore, and your property taxes will pay for the local pet projects and clubs, like the it takes 6 big county workers to watch one mexican guy dig a ditch project and club.
Nothin like SOUTH of alabama politics.
Good Luck

[dishing the 9411]

Hello Smiling Doc,

Jay 2007 appears to be really depressed. Do not let his sadness and misery bother you. Sarasota is a great place to live; there is really no other place like it. What Jay 2007 doesnt care to understand is people will pay a premium to live here. It is called the free market and you cannot put a price tag on quality of life.

I would like to welcome you to Sarasota. If you are in town, you should check out the the huge outdoor block party tonight on Lemon Ave. There will be music, entertainment, dancing, food and fun. The Sarasota Film Fest is sponsoring the event and it should be a blast!

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by dishing the 9411

Hello Smiling Doc,

Jay 2007 appears to be really depressed. Do not let his sadness and misery bother you. Sarasota is a great place to live; there is really no other place like it. What Jay 2007 doesnt care to understand is people will pay a premium to live here. It is called the free market and you cannot put a price tag on quality of life.

I would like to welcome you to Sarasota. If you are in town, you should check out the the huge outdoor block party tonight on Lemon Ave. There will be music, entertainment, dancing, food and fun. The Sarasota Film Fest is sponsoring the event and it should be a blast!

Nice post Dishing--Congrats Doc on the new home purchase! I totally agree with you, a great Realtor can make all the difference. Welcome to the neighborhood

[smiledoc1]

Originally Posted by Sunnydee

Congratulations on your new home! I'm glad you found a realtor that was so perfect for you. I'm sure you will love living in Sarasota, Florida, for the very reasons you stated. You're coming to Florida with realistic expectations, so you won't be disappointed. It's nice to read a positive thread. I send you my best wishes!

Hi Sunnydee,
Thank you for those kind words. Every place has its good points and pitfalls. No place is paradise. But I think we made the right choice.
Thank you again for your warm wishes

smiledoc1

[smiledoc1]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Congratulations! It sounds like you did plenty of research and homework and found the place that will work for you. I'm glad to hear that downtown was "jumpin" with more younger folks - seems that Sarasota has improved that way from when we lived there 11 years ago (it was mostly old folks then). But anyway I feel that those of us in our 50s are the "new hipper seniors" and will enjoy a young lively vibe wherever we go.

Enjoy your new place!

Hi Gypsychic,
There is a reason why people retire to the south and not to Michigan. So as you rightfully remarked, Sarasota clearly has a higher proportion of older people verus Chicago. But still, it is a younger crowd than other places. We didn't visit Ft. Myers or Tampa, but in reading different posts, Sarasota seemed to be a better fit. I will say that the information on this forum was invaluable. EVERYONE was so generous with their knowledge.
Thank you again.
smiledoc1