Published Monday, March 31, 2008 at 4:30 a.m. in the Sarasota Herald Tribune
To contact Stephen Frater, call 361-4878, fax him at 361-4880 or send an e-mail to stephen.frater @heraldtribune.com
Sarasota's real estate market and lifestyle is going to be beaming into the homes of 150 million Germans on the television show "Traumhaus am Meer," which means "Dream House by the Sea."
The German TV show highlights homes in countries other than Germany.
The timing is advantageous because the Southwest Florida real estate market continues to struggle, and Realtors around the region are keen on showing their properties to international buyers with powerful euros and pounds.
The Sarasota segment is the first show filmed in the United States. Premier Properties of Southwest Florida -- a Naples-based company with offices in Sarasota -- arranged for Sarasota to be the community featured on the show.
Karin Stephan, a Premier broker and German national, was the main impetus behind "Tramhaus am Meer" coming to the area, Premier said.
Stephan knew about the series from friends in Germany. She contacted the network, VOX, which is one of Europe's largest media conglomerates, to lobby for Sarasota to be the first American-based episode.
Working with Premier colleague Sheldon Paley, there was a lengthy exchange of photos and DVDs of Sarasota. Then VOX sent a scout for the production company, Fandango Films, to Sarasota.
Producer Wolfgang Fuchs spent four days in early March with Stephan and Deborah Beacham, another Premier broker.
They took a look at several properties that were considered for the program.
Filming began last week on Casey Key for the one-hour program, which will be shown this year.
"Germans dream about vacations and places by the sea," Stephan said in a statement. She has lived in the United States for 25 years but travels frequently to her native country.
"The weather in Germany is often so foggy, rainy and cold that they regularly flock to sunny areas," she said.
"That, plus the fantasy everyone has of living in a dream home is what makes this program so popular in the European Union."
Steve Bailey, the head of Premier's operations in Sarasota, hopes that the exposure pays dividends in terms of sales in the local market.
"The European market for U.S. real estate, especially high-end, is very strong right now," Bailey said in a statement. "But this has larger implications for tourism in the entire Sarasota area. Traveling to the U.S. has never been more attractive and 'Dream House by the Sea' will showcase Sarasota at its very best."
Click here to read the original article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune
To contact Stephen Frater, call 361-4878, fax him at 361-4880 or send an e-mail to stephen.frater @heraldtribune.com
Sarasota's real estate market and lifestyle is going to be beaming into the homes of 150 million Germans on the television show "Traumhaus am Meer," which means "Dream House by the Sea."
The German TV show highlights homes in countries other than Germany.
The timing is advantageous because the Southwest Florida real estate market continues to struggle, and Realtors around the region are keen on showing their properties to international buyers with powerful euros and pounds.
The Sarasota segment is the first show filmed in the United States. Premier Properties of Southwest Florida -- a Naples-based company with offices in Sarasota -- arranged for Sarasota to be the community featured on the show.
Karin Stephan, a Premier broker and German national, was the main impetus behind "Tramhaus am Meer" coming to the area, Premier said.
Stephan knew about the series from friends in Germany. She contacted the network, VOX, which is one of Europe's largest media conglomerates, to lobby for Sarasota to be the first American-based episode.Working with Premier colleague Sheldon Paley, there was a lengthy exchange of photos and DVDs of Sarasota. Then VOX sent a scout for the production company, Fandango Films, to Sarasota.
Producer Wolfgang Fuchs spent four days in early March with Stephan and Deborah Beacham, another Premier broker.
They took a look at several properties that were considered for the program.
Filming began last week on Casey Key for the one-hour program, which will be shown this year.
"Germans dream about vacations and places by the sea," Stephan said in a statement. She has lived in the United States for 25 years but travels frequently to her native country.
"The weather in Germany is often so foggy, rainy and cold that they regularly flock to sunny areas," she said.
"That, plus the fantasy everyone has of living in a dream home is what makes this program so popular in the European Union."
Steve Bailey, the head of Premier's operations in Sarasota, hopes that the exposure pays dividends in terms of sales in the local market.
"The European market for U.S. real estate, especially high-end, is very strong right now," Bailey said in a statement. "But this has larger implications for tourism in the entire Sarasota area. Traveling to the U.S. has never been more attractive and 'Dream House by the Sea' will showcase Sarasota at its very best."
Click here to read the original article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune
