Why the snowbirds come to Florida

Up north



Sarasota, Florida


Chicago 11 27

New York 31 39

Atlanta 40 49

Charlotte 35 49

Columbus 31 37

Sarasota 56 75

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

December has been a very active month for Sarasota real estate. I sold a couple of properties recently and many other agents in my office have been busy as well. There are plenty of people in town looking at property. I would like to take a little time off but am working with some over the next few days. I think the season will be very active. Canadians as well as all of the fence sitters are monitoring the market closely. Some of them are buying feeling that the market will not drop much further.

If I can be on any assistance to any of you feel free to call me at 941-308-6491.

Forbes magazine rates Sarasota as one of the best cities for job growth

Florida isn't just for vacationers and retirees anymore. The Sunshine state is also a popular destination for employers and businesses eager to expand.

Forbes.com recently released its annual list of the 200 Best Places for Businesses and Careers. Five Florida cities ranked in the top 10 with the highest job growth. Sarasota, Florida ranked 4th on the list behind Naples, Florida. 3 of the top 5 cities are in Southwest Florida. Cape Coral took the number 1 spot.

Now that home prices have come down about 30% I imagine it will be easier to attract workers to Sarasota. Property taxes and insurance reform will also make it more affordable to live in Florida. Lawmakers are working diligently on lowering property taxes. It will be interesting to see what ison the January ballot.

Best Places to Retire: Venice, Florida

U.S. News and World Report recently named Venice, Florida as one of the best places to retire.

"Coming into downtown Venice, Fla., feels a bit like slipping back to an older
America, where once thriving Main Streets sat at the center of quiet,
walkable neighborhoods. It's no accident. Venice was designed to re-create
the atmosphere of a traditional small town, specifically for retirees."

Sarasota, Bradenton and now Venice have all been voted as one of the best places to retire in some form or another.

Sarasota-Bradenton airport soars to top of state rankings

The Florida Department of Transportation chose Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport as the top commercial airport in Florida. Sarasota beat nineteen other commercial airports, including those in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville.

The Florida Department of Transportation cited numerous reasons for the #1 spot, including the perfect FAA inspection in November, the millions of dollars spent on security improvements, a $5 million main runway rehabilitation and the addition of JetBlue and AirTran airlines to the airport.

An increase in passenger traffic was also one of the reasons we won the top spot. The airport served 1.5 million passengers for the twelve months ending June 2007. That represents a 12% increase when compared to the previous year or a 43% increase since 2003.

Recently, the airport's concessions provider announced plans for several improvements including a Dewar's Clubhouse Bar and Grill and a Starbucks.

Sarasota rated 2nd best in the country for growing a small business

Bizjournals, the Web site of American City Business Journals Inc., rated Sarasota-Bradenton as the 2nd best place in the country to grow a small business. Bizjournals used a 12-part formula to rate the vitality of small-businesses in the nation's 75 largest metropolitan areas.

Sarasota-Bradenton was the second-smallest metro in the study, but it ranks as the second-biggest success story. Only four markets have at least 3,000 small businesses per 100,000 residents, and Sarasota-Bradenton is one of them. The number of small businesses has grown 25 percent in just five years.

The top 10 are:
1. Orlando
2. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
4. Las Vegas
5. Jacksonville, Fla.
6. Raleigh, N.C.
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Salt Lake City, Utah
9. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, Calif.
10. Minneapolis-St. Paul