Explore the neighborhoods of North Port Florida

Home Sales and Prices Continue To Increase Despite Holidays

Across southwest Florida the real estate market continues to improve even during November, traditionally a slower month. With a declining a declining supply of homes for sale and fewer foreclosures destabilizing prices, home values in the Sarasota – Bradenton area continued to increase. While home sales were only 2 points from October, with 1,119 homes sold, sales were up full 25% from the previous year! Amazingly Southwest Florida is having the fourth highest year in nine decades. However the recession left such a deep depression in home prices – prices declined almost 60% at the deepest point – that normal market conditions may not completely return for while longer.  In fact, if inventory continues to fall, economists say the lack of properties may have a slight negative affect for a time. "The numbers reflect a market that has been recovering the past 18 months," said Peter Crowley, broker and co-owner of Re/Max Alliance Group in Sarasota and Bradenton. "The consistency is there now to look back and see we made steady improvements in both sales and prices." A number of factors have contributed to the strong real estate activity. Many retirement age home buyers had put off making a real estate transaction until the time was “right”. With a consistent increase of activity and prices on the rise for many that time was now. Also helping to drive increased Florida home sales are the historically low interest rates on home mortgages. Sarasota seemed to be at the epicenter of the increases with SAR (Sarasota Association of Realtors) selling 556 properties and home sales up 8 percent from October and nearly 30%  from 2011. Bradenton and Manatee county continued the marked improvement over last year with Bradenton area sales up fifty percent over 2011. The improvements were not limited to volume in Bradenton either, with the median home sale price in Manatee county at  $174,900,  the median price was up more than 25%. Even the hard-hit North Port / Port Charlotte area is experiencing price increases over 2011. The median home sale price in November 2012 was more than 23K higher than the same period in 2011. All in all, Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties should continue to look for a steady improvement in housing prices.... ...read full post

RE/MAX Alliance Group Recognizes National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and RE/MAX Alliance Group recently presented “Dancing FOR the Stars” a great fundraising event to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. Lee Rhodes, a licensed REALTOR at RE/MAX Alliance Group’s Venice Island Office, hosted the event at Heron Creek Golf and Country Club in North Port, Florida. Participants and spectators enjoyed dinner and music by “All the Gold” and ending the evening with a silent auction with proceeds benefiting Breast Cancer Awareness. RE/MAX Alliance Group took part to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrating their 25th year of Awareness, Education and Empowerment, by educating women about the importance of early detection. More and more women are getting mammograms to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages. As a result, breast cancer deaths are on the decline. Since the program began in 1985, mammography rates have more than doubled for women age 50 and older. This is exciting progress, but there are still women who do not take advantage of early detection at all and others who do not get screening mammograms and clinical breast exams at regular intervals. If all women age 40 and older took advantage of early detection methods – mammography plus clinical breast exam – breast cancer death rates would drop much further, up to 30 percent. Events like “Dancing FOR the Stars” not only provide hope, but also save lives by building awareness. Encourage the women in you life to get mammograms on a regular basis, and together we can make a difference, pledge to bring awareness all year long, every minute, every hour, of every day. Breast Cancer Awareness and education is a year round mission... ...read full post