Blog - Gina Larouche

Real Estate Local Market

Trend of more home sales & rising prices in 2021, APRIL

The Sarasota and Manatee housing market continues the trend of more home sales and rising prices in April 2021. According to data from Florida REALTORS® and compiled by the REALTOR® Association of Sarasota and Manatee (RASM), April reported more sales, more new listings, and record-high prices. “It’s hard to compare to last year because of […]
Real Estate Local Market

Best Places to Retire? Sarasota is No. 1. OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 14, 2020 Best Places to Retire? 13 of the ‘Top 25’ Are in Fla. By Kerry Smith U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of top retirement communities could have almost said, “Pick any town in Fla.” Seven Fla. metros are in the top 10: Sarasota (No. 1), Fort Myers (2), Port St. Lucie […]
Real Estate Local Market

3 Fla. Cities Now Hotter Than Before Pandemic – AUGUST 2020

AUGUST 13, 2020 RE Recovery Index: 3 Fla. Cities Now Hotter Than Before Pandemic By Kerry Smith The real estate market is better than before the pandemic, according to realtor.com’s weekly index, as a third Fla. metro area rose into positive territory. SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The U.S. real estate market is doing better than […]
Real Estate Local Market

Buyers want it, Sellers have it? Inventory…! MARCH 2020

Low Inventory Generates Strongest Seller’s Market in 15 years Housing inventory. Buyers want it, Sellers have control of it and Realtors are hustling to work with what’s available while generating new listings to keep up with the demand. Even during these extraordinary times and the looming affects of COVID-19, real estate is as hot as ever. […]

Real Estate Local Market Trend of more home sales & rising prices in 2021, APRIL The Sarasota and Manatee housing market continues the trend of more home sales and rising prices in April 2021. According to data from Florida REALTORS® and compiled by the REALTOR® Association of Sarasota and Manatee (RASM), April reported more sales, more new listings, and record-high prices. “It’s hard to compare to last year because of […]

Real Estate Local Market Best Places to Retire? Sarasota is No. 1. OCTOBER 2020 OCTOBER 14, 2020 Best Places to Retire? 13 of the ‘Top 25’ Are in Fla. By Kerry Smith U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of top retirement communities could have almost said, “Pick any town in Fla.” Seven Fla. metros are in the top 10: Sarasota (No. 1), Fort Myers (2), Port St. Lucie […]

Real Estate Local Market 3 Fla. Cities Now Hotter Than Before Pandemic – AUGUST 2020 AUGUST 13, 2020 RE Recovery Index: 3 Fla. Cities Now Hotter Than Before Pandemic By Kerry Smith The real estate market is better than before the pandemic, according to realtor.com’s weekly index, as a third Fla. metro area rose into positive territory. SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The U.S. real estate market is doing better than […]

Real Estate Local Market Buyers want it, Sellers have it? Inventory…! MARCH 2020 Low Inventory Generates Strongest Seller’s Market in 15 years Housing inventory. Buyers want it, Sellers have control of it and Realtors are hustling to work with what’s available while generating new listings to keep up with the demand. Even during these extraordinary times and the looming affects of COVID-19, real estate is as hot as ever. […]

Real Estate Local Market June 2020, Existing-Home Sales Climb Record 20.7% JULY 22, 2020 NAR: June Existing-Home Sales Climb Record 20.7% U.S. home sales rose a record amount month-to-month in June, NAR says – but part of the reason is because May sales fell dramatically in the early days of the pandemic. WASHINGTON – Existing-home sales rebounded at a record pace in June, according to the […]

Real Estate Local Market Best Beach Towns for Homeownership? Sarasota No. 6. JANUARY 2020 Best Beach Towns for Homeownership? Sarasota No. 6 out of 145 ! By Kerry Smith JUNE 17, 2020 WalletHub ranked 145 U.S. cities by affordability, weather, safety and economy. The final list includes 22 Fla. cities with 4 in the top 10 and 9 in the top 25. ORLANDO, Fla. – WalletHub released its […]

Real Estate Local Market Sarasota: # 2 in Florida for Best to Retire in FL… AGAIN! 2019 OCTOBER 9, 2019 3 Fla. Cities in Top 10 ‘Best Places to Retire’ list U.S. News & World Report: Out of 125 cities ranked, 10 Fla. cities are in the top 50. In top 10: 1) Fort Myers, 2) Sarasota, 5) Port St. Lucie and 6) Jacksonville. WASHINGTON – U.S. News & World Report released […]

BUYERS & SELLERS Can’t Afford to Buy a Home? Have You Considered Down Payment Assistance? 2019 Can’t Afford to Buy a Home? Have You Considered Down Payment Assistance? What’s the number one hurdle for renters making the leap to homeownership? That pesky down payment. Even with an FHA loan that only requires a minimum of 3.5% down, the thought of setting aside several thousand dollars is daunting (and for some, darn […]

Real Estate Local Market PROPERTY SHARING: YOURS, MINE AND OURS PROPERTY SHARING: YOURS, MINE AND OURS Many times property ends up having some form of shared ownership. Sometimes it is simply in the form of joint tenants or tenants in common, but sometimes more complex forms are involved such as life estates, ownership through entities or even by agreement (such as a co-habitation agreement). Over […]

BUYERS & SELLERS Home Improvement Projects Worth Cost and Time. 2019 NAR Survey: Home Improvement Projects Worth Cost and Time Remodeling isn’t always more money at resale, though that’s important. NAR’s “Joy Score” analyzes the level of current owner satisfaction with remodeling projects. WASHINGTON – Homeowners who undergo a home improvement project, whether it be interior or exterior modifications, often find that the task was worth […]

Real Estate Local Market Study: Florida No. 1 in Welcoming New Residents. 2019 OCTOBER 2, 2019 Study: Florida No. 1 in Welcoming New Residents Lendingtree.com: In 2016, new residents brought $30.2 billion into Fla., with about 72% of that increased income coming from new residents age 55 and over. NEW YORK – Using IRS data from 2016, LendingTree found Florida the most popular place to move. New residents […]

Real Estate Local Market #3 and #18 …What’s it like to live in Sarasota ? … 2019 What’s it like to live in Sarasota, FL? https://realestate.usnews.com/places/florida/sarasota Profile written by: Vanessa Caceres. Warm temperatures year-round, award-winning beaches and a thriving arts and cultural scene have made Sarasota a go-to place for retirees and families, not to mention a handful of celebrities (including Stephen King and Rosie O’Donnell). This southwest Florida region, which is about […]

Real Estate Local Market The 3rd Ritz Building in Sarasota has broken ground 2019 Life Served to Perfection source: https://www.theresidencessarasota.com/press/life-served-to-perfection/?referer=MSC%20Email%20Database For generations, an incomparable array of world-class culture and beaches has made Sarasota the crown jewel of Florida’s Gulf Coast. At the pinnacle of this sophisticated seaside mecca comes the new Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota. These 73 Grand Tower Residences, priced from $2.4 million, are nestled within a pristine locale right […]

Real Estate Local Market Florida Tourism Up 7% in 2018 ! Visit Florida reports record 126.1 million visitors to state in 2018 Source: Marco Santana Contact Reporter Orlando Sentinel Florida drew 126.1 million out-of-state visitors in 2018, setting a tourism record for the eighth consecutive year, Visit Florida said Wednesday. Overall, the total was a 6.2 percent jump over the previous record set in 2017, […]

Real Estate Local Market 100 Best Places to Retire in the USA – Sarasota #3 … 2019 100 Best Places to Retire in the USA To identify the best places to retire, U.S. News analyzed data for the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the USA to assess how well they meet Americans’ retirement needs and expectations. Top criteria include the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates and healthcare quality. Source: […]

Real Estate Local Market Sarasota is booming, and our readers are noticing… 2019 Condé Nast Traveler readers cast hundreds of thousands of votes for the best cities in the U.S. in the 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards survey—in fact, we got so much feedback, we had to divide our list in two. Here we honor the country’s smaller cities, with populations under one million, and its major hubs, with […]

Real Estate Local Market The word is out & the Chinese have heard it…. 2019 Fla. has more Chinese buyers seeking non-luxury homes ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 10, 2019 – Chinese homebuyers have been the top foreign buyers of residential housing in the U.S. for six consecutive years, and they’re now expanding their footprint beyond luxury markets to lower-priced tiers as well, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) reports. Chinese […]

Real Estate Local Market NEW Sandcastle to replace an Aged-Out Castle …. 2019 Aging Sandacaste Resort to be Re-Built as A New Resort ….. 2019 From Sarasota Herald Tribune LIDO KEY — Plans to transform the aging Sandcastle Resort at Lido Beach — long known as the Helmsley Sandcastle — into a luxury contemporary resort were rubber-stamped by the Sarasota City Commission this week. The commission unanimously approved […]

BUYERS & SELLERS Wire Fraud is Real – Before wiring any money … Wire Fraud is Real Before wiring any money, call the intended recipient at a number you know is valid to confirm the instructions. Be safe. Review recommended steps below to safeguard your hard earned dollars…. There are steps homebuyers should take to make sure they are protecting themselves from falling victim to fraudsters, […]

Real Estate Local Market Reverse Mortgage ? Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1105 Reverse Mortgages: Understanding the Basics BY: 1Michael S. Gutter, Selena Garrison, Brent Litchfield, and Lisa Leslie2 Introduction For most people, their largest single investment is usually the home where they reside. One thing that most families don’t realize is how to use this investment of equity in their house to help fund their […]