Looking for Real Estate Agent Recommendations (Tampa, Sarasota: short sale, condo, new home)

[jisaac]

My wife and I are looking for a new home and while we would like to find something in St. Pete or S. Tampa our budget seems restrictive compared to what we find heading over the bridge. We have found a number of homes in Parrish, Bradenton, and North Sarasota we would like to see. But it would be nice to work with an agent who has knowledge of St. Pete as well.

Do any of you have recommendations for an agent who has experience covering north and south of the the Skyway and hopefully with some recent REO and short sale experience since many of those properties are showing up right now?

My wife is a stay at home mom to our daughter and I will be commuting to St. Pete for work. New construction is not a plus nor negative for us but we prefer an established community over the new subdivisions we see in and around the outlet mall in Ellington, and the north side and heading east on 301. Some of the communities we saw south of 301 appear less cookie-cutter and more our taste; River Woods, River Wilderness etc. We also found a few homes in Bradenton that look very nice.

We would like to find a 4bd+/3ba+, +2250 sqft, with a nice kitchen, formal dining and living space, and not too small of a lot. We prefer tile roofs, mature landscape. Good schools, parks/playgrounds, and family oriented surroundings are all pluses. Our budget is $225-250k.

Any advice for communities and especially a realtor is appreciated.

[mr&mrssunshine]

there is a realtor here called Bob Bronston he covers sarasota not sure how far north but he seems a good guy and hands out decent advice. maybe he can help you

[no shoes]

I can strongly recommend a realtor who works in both locations. She has been more than patient with me over many trips (I live in the UK) and thanks to her I am just about to close on a condo in Bradenton. I know that she has worked in St Pete as well as covering the areas east and south of Tampa Bay.

Contact details: Renee Marquiss. 941.807.5950 or email: renee@xenavallonerealty.com

Good luck

[bbronston]

Wow! Thank you, mr&mrssunshine, for the compliment! Actually, I was going to suggest that the OP consider working with two agents. The truth is that most of us can adequately help with a purchase just about anywhere but it is sometimes very helpful to work with someone who spends most of their time in a fairly specific market area. IMHO, there is just no substitute for having an agent with an in-depth knowledge of an area. So, for example, find an agent you like in St. Pete and make it clear that you will be loyal to him/her if you buy up there but also ask that agent to refer you to another agent down in the Parrish area (or whatever you consider) so that your primary agent will still receive a referral fee from the second agent even if you don't actually buy thru them AND you will receive the benefit of having knowledgeable agents in both locations.

[jezebel1018]

Cor Donovan of Atchley International Realty. He just sold us our house in July. My husband and I moved from New York and on a whim wanted to see a house we saw on Zillow. Cor called, we told him the basics we couldn't live without no matter what. He found us a property that included everything I'd ever wanted and never even shared with him for example, an oversized, irregularly shaped lot (don't ask why I wanted one but I did), a fire place, water behind the home and a couple of other things that I'd never bothered to mention because they weren't deal breakers, just a wishlist I'd kept to myself. And here's the real kicker, it took one day.

Cor was extremely knowledgeable about the area having been born, raised and still living in Sarasota and didn't waste a minute of our time. Every house we were shown was exactly what we asked for. In the end our choice came down to personal taste. I look forward to working with him again on our next property! Here's his info, should you need it.
Moderator cut: no private phone #s here. have people DM you for the info

[jmqueen]

Great advice! Thanks so much! I'll be referring back to this thread in a few months!