WEDU "Speaking of Women's Health Conference"

Women's Event Moving So More Can Participate
Sarasota Herald Tribune, Sunday June 8, 2008
Yvette Kimm

Published Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last updated Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 2 a.m.

For the past five years, hundreds of women have languished on an enormous waiting list to attend one of the biggest women's events in the area.

IF YOU GO

What: WEDU's sixth annual Speaking of Women's Health Conference.

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 21.

Where: Manatee Civic Center, 1 Haben Blvd. Palmetto.

Cost: $50, and a limited number of tickets remain available; includes a continental breakfast, formal luncheon catered by Michael's on East, canvas gift bag containing more than $100 worth of items, health screenings and seminars.

Why: Event proceeds will help underwrite programming of the PBS station, which serves 16 counties in West Central Florida.

Special presentation: Two local nonprofit organizations, Girls Inc. and Mothers Helping Mothers, will receive a WEDU Trinity Grant for their contributions to the health and well-being of local women.

Reservations and information: (813) 254-9338, Ext. 2241, or visit wedu.org.
Because of its popularity, the usually sold-out WEDU's Speaking of Women's Health Conference left the women waiting for an opportunity to buy tickets to the daylong health and networking conference.

Responding to their disappointed cries, the PBS station moved this year's June 21 event to the much larger Manatee Civic Center to accommodate more conference fans.

"After eight sellouts in Tampa and five sellouts in Sarasota, we are bringing our popular Speaking of Women's Health event to Manatee County for the first time," WEDU president and CEO Dick Lobo said. "With the larger facility, we actually have some tickets available."

The event has been one of the largest women-only conferences in Sarasota and Manatee area. Those attending are informed and entertained by local and national health experts.

"Speaking of Women's Health has been educating, empowering and inspiring more than 500 women each year to make smart choices about their health and wellness and that of their families," Lobo said.

This year's theme is "Discover Your Everyday Super Heroes," which will challenge the women to be a superhero to others and discover their own superheroes.

There will be two keynote speakers, Cammy Dierking and Christine Cashen.

Dierking, a TV anchor, marathon runner, mother and sister, will present "Discover Your Everyday Superheroes" with a story of love and friendship.

Cashen, a former university admissions officer, corporate trainer and broadcaster, will present "Extreme Humor Makeover," an upbeat message of self-empowerment.

"It's going to be the best makeover you can have," Cashen said from her Dallas home. "It's less stress and more fun."

Having a makeover is always empowering, she said, and adding humor to the makeover produces a delightful change of attitude to any situation.

"My whole goal is to stop global whining, and you do that by taking charge of your life," Cashen said. "Stop whining about what you can't change and do something about what you can."

Cashen said she believes the weight of the world falls onto women's shoulders, "and the weight is easier to bear when you have good outlook on life. People lose their sense of humor during stressful times, and I will help people eliminate stress and get in touch with their sense of humor."

Speaking of Women's Health will also include 15 break-out sessions on a variety of subjects, including cholesterol, skin care, joint pain, stress management and memory.

As an added feature, Sarasota Memorial Hospital is sponsoring the appearance of its da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic surgical platform that allows physicians to perform complex procedures through a series of tiny incisions.

"This will probably be the only chance people will have to see this robot close up," WEDU's Jim Scilligo said. "It's an extraordinary opportunity for the participants."


Contact Yvette Kimm at yvettekimm@aol.com.

OPINION - The Housing Crisis Is Over

By CYRIL MOULLE-BERTEAUX
May 6, 2008; Page A23

The dire headlines coming fast and furious in the financial and popular press suggest that the housing crisis is intensifying. Yet it is very likely that April 2008 will mark the bottom of the U.S. housing market. Yes, the housing market is bottoming right now.

How can this be? For starters, a bottom does not mean that prices are about to return to the heady days of 2005. That probably won't happen for another 15 years. It just means that the trend is no longer getting worse, which is the critical factor.

Most people forget that the current housing bust is nearly three years old. Home sales peaked in July 2005. New home sales are down a staggering 63% from peak levels of 1.4 million. Housing starts have fallen more than 50% and, adjusted for population growth, are back to the trough levels of 1982.

Furthermore, residential construction is close to 15-year lows at 3.8% of GDP; by the fourth quarter of this year, it will probably hit the lowest level ever. So what's going to stop the housing decline? Very simply, the same thing that caused the bust: affordability.

The boom made housing unaffordable for many American families, especially first-time home buyers. During the 1990s and early 2000s, it took 19% of average monthly income to service a conforming mortgage on the average home purchased. By 2005 and 2006, it was absorbing 25% of monthly income. For first time buyers, it went from 29% of income to 37%. That just proved to be too much.

Prices got so high that people who intended to actually live in the houses they purchased (as opposed to speculators) stopped buying. This caused the bubble to burst.

Since then, house prices have fallen 10%-15%, while incomes have kept growing (albeit more slowly recently) and mortgage rates have come down 70 basis points from their highs. As a result, it now takes 19% of monthly income for the average home buyer, and 31% of monthly income for the first-time home buyer, to purchase a house. In other words, homes on average are back to being as affordable as during the best of times in the 1990s. Numerous households that had been priced out of the market can now afford to get in.

The next question is: Even if home sales pick up, how can home prices stop falling with so many houses vacant and unsold? The flip but true answer: because they always do.

In the past five major housing market corrections (and there were some big ones, such as in the early 1980s when home sales also fell by 50%-60% and prices fell 12%-15% in real terms), every time home sales bottomed, the pace of house-price declines halved within one or two months.

The explanation is that by the time home sales stop declining, inventories of unsold homes have usually already started falling in absolute terms and begin to peak out in "months of supply" terms. That's the case right now: New home inventories peaked at 598,000 homes in July 2006, and stand at 482,000 homes as of the end of March. This inventory is equivalent to 11 months of supply, a 25-year high – but it is similar to 1974, 1982 and 1991 levels, which saw a subsequent slowing in home-price declines within the next six months.

Inventories are declining because construction activity has been falling for such a long time that home completions are now just about undershooting new home sales. In a few months, completions of new homes for sale could be undershooting new home sales by 50,000-100,000 annually.

Inventories will drop even faster to 400,000 – or seven months of supply – by the end of 2008. This shift in inventories will have a significant impact on prices, although house prices won't stop falling entirely until inventories reach five months of supply sometime in 2009. A five-month supply has historically signaled tightness in the housing market.

Many pundits claim that house prices need to fall another 30% to bring them back in line with where they've been historically. This is usually based on an analysis of house prices adjusted for inflation: Real house prices are 30% above their 40-year, inflation-adjusted average, so they must fall 30%. This simplistic analysis is appealing on the surface, but is flawed for a variety of reasons.

For the full article, click on http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121003604494869449.html?mod=WSJBlog

Sarasota Market Hits Highest Sales Figures Since June 2007

May 23, 2008

Home sales in the Sarasota MLS for April 2008 stood at 567 - the highest level in 10 months, and approximately 72 percent higher than the sales in January 2008. In 2008, sales have been progressively stronger month by month, possibly due to the influence of the new property tax portability law adopted in late January. Sales have climbed from 329 in January to 423 in February, then 514 in March.

Bucking the trend of dropping median sales prices for single family homes, April also saw the median sale price rise to $285,000 from $266,750 in March - about a 7 percent increase.
Condominium sales prices have shown a decline of about 8 percent since the first of the year, but they are also beginning to trend upward and have remained at relatively high levels for the Sarasota market. The median sale price for a condominium stood at $277,000 in April, about 18 percent higher than the $235,000 median sale price in March, but roughly 8 percent off the 2008 peak of $303,500 in January. "We are very fortunate to live in a beautiful, vibrant community, with world-class culture and amenities," said Helen Sosso, 2008 SAR President.

"These obvious factors continue to enhance the value of local properties, and we are seeing this reflected in our stronger sales figures. In addition, it appears we are beginning to see the effects of the recent state legislation which made it easier for families to upsize or downsize, without such a dramatic impact on their property taxes. Portability will likely continue to be a factor as we move forward in 2008."

The April 2008 report continued to reflect strength in pending sales, which stood at 765 - the highest level in the past year. In April 2007 pending sales were at only 609. Pending sales have been edging upward since December 2007, when there were only 374 pending sales reported. Pending sales reflect contracts executed by buyers and sellers, and indicate more closings in upcoming months and an improving market in the early summer months. Inventory levels were lower in April 2008 at 9,830 single family homes, compared to 10,443 in April 2007. Condominium levels also decreased from the April 2007 level of 6,344 to 5,608 in April 2008. Lower inventory normally means a tighter selling market, which tends to put upward pressure on prices over time.

Declining inventory is one of the indicators that a market is beginning to return to a more normal, balanced state. In fact, the Sarasota MLS statistics reveal a lower level of new listings on the market, combined with higher unit sales, which means the inventory is declining for two reasons and should more quickly reach a healthy equilibrium.

The days on market, which translates to the average time it took to sell a property, was at 166 days for single family homes in April 2008, slightly higher than the 158 days in March 2008. The figure has been steadily in the 158 to 160 range throughout the year. Average days on the market for condos was at 189 in April 2008, lower than the 192 figure in March 2008, and much lower than the 203 days reported in February 2008. The days on market reflects the pace of sales. In general, the Sarasota MLS statistics show a rebound throughout 2008 - every month seeing stronger numbers than the month before.In an article in the Wall Street Journal last month by Cyril Moulle-Berteaux, a managing partner of Traxis Partners LP, a hedge fund firm based in New York, the author puts together a thought provoking piece headlined "The Housing Crisis Is Over." In the article, he defined the basic elements of the housing boom, and the historic trends that follow such a boom and return to normalcy. He concludes that the national housing market is bottoming out right now, and says the return of affordability to the market makes a recovery an almost certainty.

He predicts the nationwide home inventory will drop significantly by the end of 2008, and this shift will begin to be reflected in prices. In the local Sarasota market, we have seen the trend already beginning toward lower inventories, higher sales, and a leveling of prices after a few months of declines. The April figures reflect this new reality.

Sarasota Association of REALTORS®

Sarasota to star on German TV

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

By the bay, a new cachet

Article from the Sarasota Herald Tribune

By Michael Pollick and Toni Whitt
STAFF WRITERS

SARASOTA — The wealthy have long come to Sarasota, but these days Sarasota is developing something more: cachet.

Within the last few weeks, Sarasota got the official word that both Waldorf-Astoria and Nederlander Worldwide plan to join the Sarasota scene, signing up for a lavish four-star hotel, condos and an 800-seat off-Broadway performing arts center at the $1 billion development to be known as the Proscenium.

They aim to join the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, whose November 2001 arrival helped set the stage for a string of global names -- Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Van Cleef & Arpels and Lilly Pulitzer -- and left other brands sniffing around the territory with renewed enthusiasm.

"Even in the five years we have been in business we have seen a noticeable difference," said Susan Robinson, whose Key Concierge on Longboat Key caters to those whose Sarasota abode is their second, third or even fourth home. "Increasingly we are picking them up at the jetport -- at Dolphin Aviation -- instead of the airport, so they are flying in on their corporate jets or in their private jets.

"Some clients are flying their own personal chefs in with them."

The Waldorf-Astoria Collection, a high-end resort unit of Hilton Hotels, has just five other properties, including the Arizona Biltmore, The Grand Wailea in Hawaii, and La Quinta in Palm Springs. The company, now owned by the muscular Blackstone Group, plans to roll out the brand into a string of Waldorfs around the world.

The customers?

"Higher household income, highly educated, generally well-heeled travelers," said Edward J. Russo, Waldorf-Astoria's senior director of marketing. "Our customers are very experiential. They are not going to these locales and staying in their room."

In Sarasota, that might mean not only going to the beach, but also golfing or boating, going to a play, visiting a museum and experiencing the architecture, Russo said.

You can bank on it

Once the wealthy begin populating a place, the people who take care of their money show up, too.

The latest to see the need in Sarasota is National City Corp.'s Private Client Group, a wealth management organization handling not just banking, but also every single financial need the wealthy could possibly have.

"We've been in Florida for about 20 years, both in Naples and in Palm Beach," said Matthew Lowell Bower, the senior vice president who opened the Sarasota office on Jan. 4.

While the firm is willing to deal with the emerging affluent -- those with investable assets of $500,000 to $1 million -- its core customers have assets of $1 million to $20 million.

"One out of nine individuals in the Sarasota market has a million or more in investable assets," Bower said. "Just the corridor from Naples up into the Tampa-St. Petersburg market is probably the sixth or seventh most wealthy corridor in the United States."

Sounds operatic

The region's evolution into a watering hole for the wealthy began long ago, always focused on watery views with cultural overtones.

Its nascence goes back to 1910, with the arrival of Chicago heiress Bertha Palmer. She built a bayfront winter home south of downtown Sarasota, "The Oaks." In the succeeding years, the Ringlings and friends built their homes on the north side of town, leaving room for yachts to dock.

"The entire west coast of Florida is the best cruising market, in my opinion, of anywhere in the world," said Carmine Galati, co-owner of Galati Yacht Sales, just named the best yacht sales organization in the world by Boating magazine. He runs the firm's yachting centers at Naples, Anna Maria Island and Tampa.

By 1926, downtown Sarasota was strutting its stuff with the opening of the A.B. Edwards Theater, an early mixed-use development graced by an elaborate three-story-high entrance. In addition to a movie theater, the building had ground-floor shops, second-story offices and third-story apartments.

In 1983, it was dusted off as the Sarasota Opera House.

Just in time to save the 2008 winter season, the opera house reopened March 1 after extensive updating and remodeling, to the tune of $20 million. It has medium-sized Sarasota being written up for opera by both London's Financial Times and L'Opera magazine, based in Milan, Italy.

The presence of the opera, the Ringling College of Art and Design, the Ringling Museum and dozens of downtown art galleries -- well-established features of the cultural landscape -- made it all the easier for those who came during this decade's boom years. In the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota's wake came a passel of fancy condominiums and upscale shops and restaurants. The people who moved into those new condos, in turn, encouraged Whole Foods to establish its downtown Sarasota store, giving the area even more of a center of gravity.

Back when Ritz announced it would build a hotel here, Lynn Robbins of Coldwell Banker began making calls to Naples to find out what difference the hotel might make. The answer, she found, was that it would completely change the landscape for the rich.

"What it did do, it brought a lot of people here who heard about Sarasota, but they wouldn't come here unless there was a Ritz or a Waldorf or a Four Seasons," Robbins said. "And they come here and they fall in love with it and buy a second, third or fourth home."
This Ritz effect continues to generate ripples.

Consider Hyde Park Steakhouse -- scheduled to open Tuesday -- where Kobe beef burgers and Russian caviar are on the bar menu -- or the Paris-based jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels, which moved into Southgate mall late last year.

No quiet ribbon-cutting would do for the jeweler. Instead, Van Cleef & Arpels flew in soprano Patricia Johnson, a specialist in the Italian bel canto repertoire. Johnson has performed at The Met with the New York City Opera, and her European debut was as Konstanze in Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" with the Komische Oper Berlin.

"It appealed to our core client," said Nathalie Diamantis, a vice president for the New York-based jeweler. "We often do things with the arts."

Jet set

One solid barometer of how Sarasota is catching on with the jet set comes from Flight Options, which sells flight hours aboard a private, crewed jet.

"You put a deposit down, draw travel time against that," said company spokeswoman Cindi Deutschmann-Ruiz. "It takes $100,000 to begin."

With prices of $3,400 to $8,000 per hour, $100,000 can be exhausted quickly.

Flight Options recently cranked out a Top 10 list of places rich people want to take its jets during the winter. Sarasota came in at No. 6.

Palm Beach was No. 1, and the Sundance Film Festival pushed Salt Lake City into the No. 2 slot. After that came Las Vegas, Naples and Boca Raton. The ski village of Aspen, Colo., was No. 8.

Retail cachet

Retail is another sign of Sarasota's growing cachet.

Before signing on the dotted line in Sarasota, Neiman-Marcus studied, among other things, just how many black-tie events were held each year. The company did extensive demographic and psychographic research, said Wayne Hussey, the company's vice president of development.

The Dallas-based retailer is known for selling Armani tuxedos and gowns, as well as fashions by Versacci, Gucci, Roberto Cavelli, Nina Ricci and Carolina Herrera, and it operates just 39 stores. They are in places like Bal Harbour, Palm Beach, Beverly Hills, New York, Honolulu, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Boston and Denver.

The Sarasota community has "a very sophisticated and fashion-conscious segment of residents," Hussey said.

"The thing that appeals to us is its diversity -- its strong business environment, the cultural element that it offers, compared to other Florida cities, and its high level of season."

"Women & Wealth" Seminar Hosted by Florida Luxury Marketing Council

From the Desk of Deborah Beacham

Luxury Marketing Council’s “Women and Wealth” presentation

I had the opportunity last week to attend a presentation by Dr. Kirby Rosplock, Vice President, Research & Development of GenSpring Family Offices. She directs corporate research efforts for the firm and is a 4th generation member of a family business and is a co-trustee on her family’s foundation. Kirby holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Systems from Saybrook Graduate School, where she focused on change management as it applies to affluent families.

The presentation was hosted by the Florida Luxury Marketing Council, an organization that works to bring the most innovative marketers of luxury products and services together to explore and share best practices, critical issues, and trends through innovative marketing collaborations and creative exploration of trends. With more than 900 council members throughout the world, there are chapters from Atlanta to Dubai to London to Mumbai to Sarasota.

GenSpring sponsored a study in 2006 exploring women’s knowledge, awareness, involvement, decision making, attitudes and wealth transfer intentions. Over 100 affluent women participated in the study whose combined assets total more than $2 billion, and their aggregated responses give us greater insight into women’s perceptions, views and intentions when it comes to handling their wealth. The women who participated tend to be in their fifties with a household net worth of $10 to $25 million, are married, and have two to three children. They likely inherited a significant portion of their wealth and came from an upper-middle or middle class home. More often than not, they are employed and work in professional services, education, investment/money management, healthcare, or service work. Those who do not work volunteer their time to various organizations.

They are largely educated, with at least a Bachelor’s degree, and likely an advanced degree. These women also feel that it is important to have a strong work ethic and to rear children to appreciate the value of a dollar.

One example of a “Myth or Reality”:

Myth: Wealthy women see their wealth connected to their image, identity and power.
Realty: --Women are impressed by people with wealth (88% disagree)
--Having wealth equates to having power (55% disagree)
--Wealth is connected to image—Women are divided (41% disagree; 42% agree and 17% are neutral)
--Most women interviewed do not consider themselves to be wealthy.

To get a copy of the Women & Wealth Report of Findings, visit GenSpring’s website, www.GenSpring.com to download the study’s Key Findings.

Fed cuts interest rates to lowest level in 4 years

WASHINGTON (AP) – May 1, 2008 – Scrambling to shore up the faltering economy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to the lowest point in nearly four years as the nation teetered on the edge of recession.

Wall Street rallied at first Wednesday but then pulled back, concerned that the reduction might be the last for a while.

In fact, the Fed’s trim was smaller than those of recent months amid indications the central bank might pause to see if months of powerful rate-cutting medicine and billions of dollars in stimulus checks will be enough to lift the country out of its slump.

Chairman Ben Bernanke led a divided Fed, in an 8-2 vote, in slicing its key rate by one-quarter percentage point to 2 percent.

In turn, the prime lending rate for millions of consumers and businesses fell by a corresponding amount, to 5 percent. The prime rate applies to certain credit cards, home equity lines of credit and other loans. Both rates are the lowest since late 2004.

The Federal Reserve, which has been dropping rates since last September, turned much more forceful early this year when housing, credit and financial problems worsened. Rate reductions in January and March alone marked the most aggressive intervention in a quarter-century in an effort to re-energize consumers and businesses.

“The substantial easing of monetary policy to date ... should help to promote moderate growth over time and to mitigate risks to economic activity,” the Fed said, strongly hinting that more cuts may not be needed.

Enthusiastic Wall Street investors drove the Dow Jones industrial average up more than 178 points – lifting it above 13,000 for the first time since early January – right after the Fed action. Then traders’ caution returned, and the index ended the day 11.81 points below where it started.

Although the Fed didn’t take another reduction off the table, a growing number of economists believe the central bank is winding down its rate-cutting campaign. Barring another hit to economic growth, they believe rates probably will stay where they are – perhaps through the rest of this year – in part because the Federal Reserve is concerned that further cuts could join with galloping energy and food prices and spread inflation dangerously higher.

By all accounts, the country’s economic health is fragile.

The economy crawled ahead at a pace of just 0.6 percent from January through March as housing and credit problems forced people and businesses to hunker down, the Commerce Department reported hours before the Fed’s action. Growth had been just as feeble in the prior quarter.

Job losses for the first three months of the year neared the staggering quarter-million mark, and a government report on Friday is expected to show that employers shed jobs again in April. The unemployment rate, now at 5.1 percent, also could creep higher in April and hit 6 percent early next year, analysts say.

“Recent information indicates that economic activity remains weak,” the Fed said. “Household and business spending has been subdued, and labor markets have softened further. Financial markets remain under considerable stress, and tight credit conditions and the deepening housing contraction are likely to weigh on economic growth over the next few quarters.”

Two members – Charles Plosser, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas – opposed cutting rates Wednesday, a crack in the usually unified front the Fed often shows the public.

Both men have a reputation for being especially vigilant about fighting inflation. At the Fed’s previous meeting in March, they opposed cutting rates by a whopping three-quarters point and preferred a smaller reduction.

“The Fed didn’t completely shut the door on rate cuts but they closed it part way,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com. “I think the overall message was they’ve done a lot already to help the economy and think this will be enough. But they stand ready to do more if that is needed.”

Bernanke’s juggling act is getting harder. Fed policymakers are trying to bolster economic growth, and at the same time they are mindful that they can’t let inflation get out of hand. The very rate reductions the Fed depends on to energize the economy can also sow the seeds of inflation down the road.

At the same time, many economists believe the economy already is declining.

Under one rough rule, if the economy contracts for six straight months it is considered to be in recession. However, that didn’t happen in the last recession – in 2001. A panel of experts at the National Bureau of Economic Research that determines when U.S. recessions begin and end uses a broader definition, taking into account income, employment and other barometers. The bureau’s finding is usually made well after the fact.

The Fed’s previous rate reductions, which take months to work their way through the economy, should help lift growth in the second half of this year. The government’s $168 billion economic-stimulus package – including tax rebates that started flowing to bank accounts on Monday – also should help energize activity, the Bush administration, Bernanke and private economists have said.

The biggest weight on the economy is the housing crisis, which has pushed foreclosures to record highs and caused financial institutions to rack up billions of dollars in losses.

For mortgage rates, the Fed’s latest cut probably won’t have much, if any, impact.

On the Net: Federal Reserve: http://www.federalreserve.gov/

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press, Jeannine Aversa (AP Economics Writer). All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2007 Profile of Florida Homebuyers and Sellers Published by NAR

Study: Single person, non-child families trend in 2007 Florida home sales

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 8, 2008 – One in three Florida homebuyers is single, with 21 percent of 2007 home purchases made by single women and 12 percent by single men – just one finding from the newly-released Florida version of NAR’s “2007 Profile of Florida Homebuyers and Sellers.” Another highlight: Over two-thirds of Florida buyers (64 percent) had no children younger than 18.

The 2007 Profile of Florida Homebuyers and Sellers describes the characteristics and motivations of recent homebuyers and sellers in Florida to help real estate professionals track the changing demands of consumers in a dynamic market. Here’s a summary of the report’s findings:

Characteristics of homebuyers

• The median age of homebuyers was 43 years old. Among first-time buyers, the median age was 32.
• The 2006 median household income of homebuyers was $67,500 compared to $74,000 among homebuyers nationally.
• Sixty-four percent of homebuyers reported that there were no children under age 18 residing in the home.
• Fifty-nine percent of homebuyers were married couples, 21 percent single females, 12 percent single males, and 6 percent were unmarried couples.
• Eighteen percent of Florida homebuyers reported they were born outside the United States, compared to 9 percent nationally.
• First-time homebuyers accounted for 38 percent of homes purchased in 2007.
• Forty-nine percent of first-time homebuyers were between 25 and 34 years old.
• The median income of first-time homebuyers was $58400 compared to $58,600 among all first-time buyers nationally.
• Sixty-five percent of homebuyers between 18 and 24 purchased a home because of their desire to own a home of their own and establish a household.
• Thirty-eight percent of homebuyers reported using social networking Web sites, such as, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Friendster. Among homebuyers aged 18 to 24, 76 percent reported using social networking sites.

Characteristics of homes purchased

• Twenty-seven percent of recent homebuyers purchased newly built homes.
• Fifty-eight percent of homes purchased were detached single-family homes.
• The typical homebuyer purchased a home 14 miles from their previous residence.
• The median price of homes purchased was $230,000 compared to $215,000 in the U.S.
• The typical buyer purchased a home that was 1,700 square feet in size.
• Recent homebuyers plan to live in their home a median of 10 years.

The home search process

• Twenty-five percent of recent buyers reported that their first step in the home-buying process was looking online for properties for sale. Eighteen percent of first-time buyers and 24 percent of repeat buyers reported their first step was to contact a real estate agent.
• Eighty percent of homebuyers used the Internet to search for homes.
• The typical homebuyer searched for a home for a median 8 weeks and saw a median 10 homes.
• Eighty-four percent of homebuyers used a real estate professional during their home search.
• Among homebuyers, the typical Internet searcher was 40 years old and visited a median 10 homes. The typical homebuyer that did not use the Internet to search for homes was 53 years old and saw a median 5 homes.
• Thirty-seven percent of homebuyers first learned about the home they purchased from a real estate professional; 19 percent first learned about the home they purchased through the Internet.
• Seventy-two percent of buyers viewed the Internet as a very useful tool in their home search.
• Real estate agents were viewed as a very useful information source by 67 percent of buyers, and as a somewhat useful information source by an additional 23 percent of buyers searching for a home.

Home buying and real estate professionals

• Seventy-one percent of homebuyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker.
• Buyers searched for a median of two weeks on their own before contacting an agent.
• A friend, family member, neighbor or relative referred 52 percent of first-time buyers to their agent.
• Ninety-eight percent of buyers ranked honesty and integrity as a “very important” factor when choosing a real estate professional to assist with a home purchase.
• When asked about their agent’s performance on those qualities considered important, 80 percent reported they were “very satisfied” with the honesty and integrity of their agent.
• Sixty-eight percent of recent buyers will definitely use their agent again, and an additional 19 percent will probably use the agent again or recommend to others.

Financing the home purchase

• Ninety percent of homebuyers financed their home purchase; 98 percent of first-time homebuyers financed the purchase of their home compared to 90 percent of repeat buyers.
• Savings were the chief source of the downpayment for most first-time homebuyers (69 percent).
• Fifty-three percent of repeat buyers used proceeds from the sale of their primary residence toward the downpayment; 46 percent relied on savings for a portion of the downpayment.
• Forty-seven percent of all buyers believe that their home purchase was a better financial investment than stocks, and an additional 30 percent of buyers feel their home purchase was at least as good an investment as stocks.

Home sellers and their selling experience

• The median age of home sellers was 48 years; they had a median income of $83900.
• Sixty-nine percent of home sellers were married and 61 percent had no children under 18 years old living at home.
• Fifty-one percent of home sellers traded up to a larger home when purchasing their next home.
• The typical home seller owned their home for 6 years.
• Fifty-three percent of recent home sellers reported that they undertook home improvement or remodeling projects within three months prior to putting their home on the market.
• The typical home was on the market for 10 weeks. 33 percent of home sellers did not reduce their asking price before their home sold.
• Recent sellers typically sold their homes for 96 percent of the listing price.
• Seventy-nine percent of sellers used an agent or broker to sell their home.
• Sixty-seven percent of all sellers were very satisfied with the selling process.

Home sellers and real estate professionals

• Fifty-nine percent of sellers contacted only one agent before selecting one to help assist in the sale of their home.
• When selecting a real estate professional, 36 percent of sellers received a recommendation from a friend, neighbor or relative.
• The reputation of the agent was the most important factor when choosing a real estate professional for 39 percent of recent sellers.
• Twenty-six percent of sellers used the same agent for their home purchase.
• For 37 percent of sellers, their most important expectation is that the real estate agent will help sell the home within a specific timeframe.
• Eighty-six percent of sellers reported that their home was listed or advertised on the Internet.
• Eighty-two percent of sellers used an agent that provided a broad range of services and managed most aspects of the sales transaction.
• Sixty-two percent of sellers reported they would definitely use the same real estate agent again.

For sale by owner (FSBO)

• Seventeen percent of sellers sold their home without the assistance of an agent compared with 12 percent of sellers nationally. Among all sellers, 3 percent were FSBO sellers who knew the buyer.
• Eighty percent of FSBO sellers sold a detached single-family home.
• For 19 percent of FSBO sellers, the most difficult task in selling their home was understanding and performing the necessary paperwork to complete the transaction, for 3 percent it was preparing the home for sale, and for 12 percent the most difficult task was getting the price right.

To download the complete report in PDF format, go to floridarealtors.org at: http://www.floridarealtors.org/LegislativeCenter/Research/index.cfm

© 2008 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Wall Street Journal

From The Wall Street Journal

Sunny Side of the Street
America's wealthy see buying opportunities in sluggish real-estate market
By AMY HOAK
MarketWatch - April 16, 2008

CHICAGO -- Is now a good time to buy real estate? The size of your paycheck likely will play a big part in how you answer that question.

While many average Americans are skittish about the housing market, some of the country's richest citizens see the current conditions as perfect for buying, according to the Annual Survey of Affluence and Wealth in America, released on Tuesday by the American Express Publishing Corp. and Harrison Group, a market research and consulting firm.

Seventy-seven percent of the wealthiest people surveyed think real estate presents a "real opportunity" right now. In the survey, "wealthy" meant having discretionary household income of more than $500,000 a year.

And these high-income earners are putting their money where their mouths are: 40% said they are in the market to acquire real estate this year.

The survey was originally conducted late last year with 1,800 people representing the wealthiest 10% of American households. But the more recent figures are from a follow-up survey with a smaller sample of the original participants, conducted last week to ensure the study reflects rapidly changing market dynamics.

Other survey participants are "upper middle class," with incomes between $100,000 and $149,000; "affluent," with incomes between $150,000 and $249,000; and "super affluent," with incomes between $250,000 and $499,000.


Associated Press
The wealthy aren't alone in their belief that the real-estate market represents a buying opportunity: 67% of the upper-middle-class participants also agreed with that statement, as did 72% of the affluent and the super-affluent.

"There are bargains out there...severe price pressure across the board," said Jim Taylor, vice-chairman of Harrison Group. That said, at the very top of the market, there is an abundance of buyers and that is holding prices steady at that level, he added.

Still, the wealthiest were the most committed to buying soon. Only 17% of upper-middle-class participants said they were in the market to buy real estate this year, while 24% of the affluent and 26% of the super-affluent said the same.

Home sweet second -- and third -- home

Forty-one percent of those in the wealthy category said owning a second home was "almost a requirement" for people of their economic means, according to the survey.

Thirty-three percent of the wealthiest who said they intended to buy this year are now in the market for a second home, and 25% said they are in the market for a finished third home, according to the survey.

"They're treating it as a portfolio play, rather than a recreation play," Taylor said. "They've moved off the notion that it's just pleasure real estate," he said, adding that the wealthy use second homes to help balance their overall investment portfolio.

Recession now, but rebound coming

Seventy-nine percent of the survey's respondents said the country is in a recession now, but 88% said they are confident that property values will eventually rebound. Still, 18% of respondents said the equity in their home is worth less than what they owe.

Many respondents expressed significant anxiety over the recession, Taylor said. That was especially true of the upper-middle-class and affluent groups, he said.

But not everyone is worried about their own financial stability. Taylor said he expects the number of millionaires to increase by another 6% this year.

Passion for home improvement

A separate survey of senior-level executives found that high earners often are passionate about improving their homes -- even more passionate than they are about spending time on the golf course.

Thirty-nine percent of 552 high-level executives said they were passionate about home improvement, compared with 32% who said the same about playing golf, according to a recent survey by Doremus, a business communications agency.

"Home is seen by most as a respite from the world, a place where people feel they can be themselves." said Hope Picker, director of research for Doremus, in a news release. "And high-powered senior-level executives are no exception.

"Golf is a game, but it's another form of competition and, in many cases, it's also a surrogate conference room where business is conducted and deals made. But home, even for many high-level professionals, is a safe haven. In addition, home-improvement projects tend to be both tangible and finite, in contrast to much of their work."

The company recommended that marketers interested in reaching these high-net-worth individuals should target them through publications, broadcasts and online sites that feature decorating and improvement ideas for the home and garden. End of Story

Amy Hoak is a MarketWatch reporter based in Chicago.

Posted by Deborah Beacham

March sales in Sarasota top 500 for first time since July 2007

For Immediate Release
Sarasota Association of Realtors®
April 22, 2008
For more information, contact Kathy Roberts, 941-328-1170

March sales in Sarasota top 500 for first time since July 2007
Pending sales highest in a year, indicating improving market for summer

Overall property sales in the local market for March 2008 topped 500 for the first time in eight months, according to statistics pulled from the Sarasota MLS system. There were 514 property sales reported in the Sarasota MLS, easily topping the February 2008 sales of 423.

There were 344 single family homes sold by SAR members in March 2008, along with 170 condominium units. This compares to 294 single family sales in February and 129 condominium sales, which means March saw an overall increase of 21.7 percent over February.

Single family homes saw a small decline in the median sale price, from $285,000 in February 2008 down to $266,750 in March 2008 – a 6.3 percent decline. But condominiums saw a small increase in the median sale price from $230,500 in February
2008 to $235,000 in March 2008.

“Once again, the local Sarasota market is proving its resilience, even as the state and national housing market statistics continue to show weakness,” said Helen Sosso, 2008 SAR President. “It is remarkable how our local real estate practitioners are weathering this downturn, and proving once again the value of a professional Realtor® during difficult times. As we’ve been saying for more than a year, this is a prime buyer’s market, with historically low interest rates, moderating prices, and an incredible, high quality inventory of homes on the market.”

One of the continuing bright spots in the March 2008 report was the strength in pending sales, which stood at 674 – the highest level in the past year. In March 2007 pending sales were at 706. Pending sales have been edging upward since December 2007, when there were 374 pending sales.

Pending sales counts the number of signed contracts in a month, and is a leading indicator of sales activity. There is a direct correlation between pending sales and closed sales that are reported in the following month or two.

Inventory levels were lower in March 2008 at 10,025 single family homes, compared to 10,596 in March 2007, and down slightly from February 2008, when there were 10,035. Condominium levels also decreased from the March 2007 level of 6,180 to 5,702 in March 2008, but up slightly from the February 2008 level of 5,588.

The days on market, which translates to the average time it took to sell a property, was at 152 days for single family homes, slightly higher than the 144 days in March 2007, but lower than the 160 days in February 2008. Average days on the market for condos was 181, a healthy drop from the 199 days reported in March 2007, and much lower than the 219 days in February 2008. The days on market reflects a quicker pace of sales, meaning the size of the current inventory should begin to decline going forward.

The local Sarasota-Bradenton MSA continued to fare better than the overall state. The MSA was down by 15 percent for single family home sales and 17 percent for condominiums, comparing March 2008 to March 2007. For the overall state, single family homes declined 26 percent comparing March 2008 to March 2007, and condominium sales were down 24 percent month to month.

In fact, the smaller Sarasota-Bradenton market again sold more overall properties than the Miami market. There were 1,022 overall sales reported for the local MSA, compared to only 609 in Miami.

The median sale price dropped by 18 percent for single family homes, and by 32 percent for condominiums in the MSA. This compares to 15 percent and 20 percent statewide in the two categories, respectively.
####

February property sales rebound by 28 percent in Sarasota

March 24, 2008

*The following press release was sent to local media on March 24 at Noon.

February property sales rebound by 28 percent in Sarasota
Pending sales also very high, a good indicator for stronger market ahead

The month of February 2008 saw a big jump in overall property sales in the local market, according to statistics pulled from the Sarasota MLS system. There were 423 property sales reported in the Sarasota MLS, compared to only 329 sales in January 2008. In addition, pending sales climbed to 654 in February, the highest level in nearly a year (March 2007 was the last month with higher pending sales at 706).

There were 294 single family homes sold by SAR members, along with 129 condominium units. While sales numbers were strong, the median sale price for homes and condos continued to fluctuate. Single family homes saw a small rise in the median sale price, from $265,000 in January 2008 up to $285,000 in February 2008 - a 7 percent increase. But condominiums saw a drop in the median sale price from $303,500 in January 2008 to only $230,500 in February 2008 - a 24 percent decline.

"We've been receiving strong anecdotal evidence from brokers that traffic has picked up significantly," said Helen Sosso, 2008 SAR President. "The number of people attending open houses is growing week by week, and the number of sales contracts has obviously grown substantially. We hope what we're seeing is the start of a strong growth cycle in the local market."

One of the continuing bright spots in the February 2008 report was the strength in pending sales, which stood at 654 - the highest level in the past 11 months. In March 2007 pending sales were at 706. Pending sales have been edging upward since December 2007, when there were 374 pending sales.

Pending sales counts the number of signed contracts in a month, and is a leading indicator of sales activity. There is a direct correlation between pending sales and closed sales that are reported in the following month or two.

Inventory levels were also lower in February 2008, compared to February 2007. This year's February numbers stood at 10,035 single family homes (compared to 10,391 in February 2007), and 5,588 condominiums (compared to 5,960 in February 2007). In January 2008, there were 9,976 single family homes and 5,610 condominiums on the market. In December 2007 the figures were 9,688 and 5,502, respectively.

The days on market, which translates to the average time it took to sell a property, was at 160 days for single family homes, slightly lower than the 162 days in February 2007, but higher than the 158 days in January 2008. Average days for condos was 219, a slight drop from the 223 days reported in February 2007, but higher than the 182 in January 2008.

An analysis of the days on market numbers appears to indicate that a higher number of properties that were on the market longer than 400 days actually sold in February. This tended to inflate the February statistic, but also seems to indicate buyers are beginning to chip away at even the "harder to sell" inventory.

Dr. Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, recently noted that several factors will continue to drive the local real estate market:

· U.S. and Foreign Baby Boomers: This massive group of people is just turning 60 and the more financially successful ones are on the verge of retirement. Over the next 20 years, a steady flow of wealthy retirees will be flowing into sunny warm weather destinations. Waterfront views will be particularly sought after and people will be willing to pay high premiums.

· Nouveau Rich: There is no one who likes to show off more than the people who lived through equality in income and consumption. Former communist countries like Russia and Kazakhstan are creating newly minted oil barons. Entrepreneurs are springing up en masse in Eastern European countries. A luxury Florida property is the ultimate conspicuous consumption.

· Improving Insurance: Sarasota is artificially being harmed because of high property insurance rates. After the unprecedented number of destructive hurricanes (those with category 3 and higher wind speeds) in 2004 and 2005, the insurers jacked up insurance rates. Yun foresees some retreat in regards to insurance rates in upcoming years because of windfall insurance company profits.

· Improvement in Property Tax: The very high property tax on second homes that is placed on non-residents of Florida has hurt this important housing segment. A good bet is that the populace will demand of legislators some measure to alleviate this tax, which appears to hurt non-residents, and has also harmed home values of primary homeowners in the state.

The current high inventory conditions may be that perfect window of opportunity for some astute homebuyers to take advantage, said Yun.


Sarasota Association of REALTORS®

IRS Releases Vacation Home Ruling

PUBLISHED TODAY FROM:

Daily Real Estate News - March 10, 2008

IRS Releases Vacation Home Ruling
The Internal Revenue Service recently issued a Revenue Procedure ruling that spells out how vacation properties can qualify for 1031 exchanges, which involve the exchange of investment properties.

The guidance aims to clear up the debate about whether vacation homes are investment or personal use properties. The ruling states that the property must be held by the taxpayer for 24 months. The holding period is broken into 12-month blocks, and during each the property must be rented at the fair market rate for no less than 14 days.

Additionally, the owner can use the property for 14 days or 10 percent of the days rented, whichever is greater, plus a "reasonable" number of days devoted to maintenance tasks. Because it is a safe harbor ruling, experts say failing to comply with all the rules does not mean the exchange will be denied or an audit will automatically occur.

However, they underscore the importance of keeping good records of the property's rental history and the dates the property was occupied by the owner for maintenance.

Source: Realty Times, Gary Gorman (03/06/08)

© Copyright 2008 Information Inc.

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36 Hours in Sarasota, Florida - from The NY Times

36 Hours in Sarasota, Fla.
By PAUL SCHNEIDER - The New York Times
Published: December 30, 2007
link to original article

SET on a sparkling bay, behind a necklace of sandy barrier islands, the resort town of Sarasota was pioneered in the Roaring Twenties by the immensely wealthy John and Mable Ringling of circus fame. The couple didn’t come to get away from the clowns and freaks; they brought the entire circus with them to pass the winter in warmth and style. To this day, this scrubbed, suntanned and artsy little town offers just enough of a city vibe to sustain great food and a little night life. Plus, the circus still comes down in the winter.

Friday 5 p.m.

1) FLASHING COCKTAIL
Get sand between your toes before the sky goes dark, and head to Lido Key beach, a relaxing stretch of white sand across the bay from downtown Sarasota. Park near the Ritz Carlton Beach Club (1234 Benjamin Franklin Drive) and make a beeline for the Lido Key Tiki Bar (941-309-2581). Leave your shoes in the car but don’t forget to bring cash, so you can order the signature Green Flash Cocktail, a rum, pineapple and Midori concoction served with flashing ice cubes. A resident bongo player is there to provide a live soundtrack for the spectacular sunsets.

8 p.m.

2) CEVICHE CHOICES
Darwin Santa Maria, the chef and owner of the Selva Grill (1345 Main Street, 941-362-4427; http://www.selvagrill.com/), is originally from Peru, and the flavors of his country of mountains and coasts infuse almost everything on the menu. And everything on the menu is worth trying, as Selva serves quite possibly the best food in town. The ceviches de la casa alone offer 10 choices ($11 to $17), not including the daily specials. It’s a tough decision, but the Selva ceviche, made with corvina, cusco corn and roasted camote (sweet potato), tastes like the first day of summer. It’s served up in a lively space, with a crowded bar and friendly patrons who wave to one another as they come and go.

10 p.m.

3) RHYTHM AND BALLS
Sarasota’s night life is a mixed bag, so for surefire action, head to the Gator Club (1490 Main Street, 941-366-5969; http://www.thegatorclub.com/), a popular dance club with red brick, polished brass and R & B tunes. Not a dancing fool? Head upstairs to the billiards bar, where they serve 125 different single-malt Scotches. Don’t try them all. For other options, pick up a copy of Creative Loafing (http://www.sarasota.creativeloafing.com/), a free arts and entertainment weekly.

Saturday 8:30 a.m.

4) POLISH THAT BACKHAND
Your morning tennis is about to begin. Though the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort (1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive, 941-383-6464; http://www.colonybeachresort.com/) is a little frayed, it frequently ends up on the lists of top tennis resorts for its first-class instruction. Most patrons sign up for multiday packages, but the pros are happy to accommodate shorter lessons (dial extension 2312 to reserve). The adult clinics start at $50 for a 90-minutes lesson and private lessons start at $80 per hour. And if your traveling partner doesn’t need as much help with follow through, the glorious white sands of Longboat Key beach is a ball toss away.

1 p.m.

5) HEALTHY TO GO
The thing about Floridian sprawl is that the best eats are sometimes in the most unassuming places. Such is the case with Simon’s Coffee House (5900 South Tamiami Trail, 941-926-7151; http://www.simonstogo.com/), which serves one of the best lunches in town in a nondescript shopping plaza. Nothing fancy, just whole grain breads, meaty panini, fruity smoothies and creative sandwiches like roasted butternut squash, with soup, ($9.50) that taste too good to be vegan. It’s a local favorite.

2 p.m.

6) VIVA LA SIESTA
Sarasota Bay has plenty of sandy beaches on the gently lapping Gulf of Mexico. But Siesta Public Beach, on Siesta Key, is widely considered by locals to be the fairest of them all, with talcum-powder-soft sands that never get too hot to the touch. And it draws a mixed crowd — the young and ancient, locals and tourists, active volleyball players and laid-back lollygaggers. Best of all, it rarely feels crowded.

5 p.m.

7) AMBER AND BANDANAS
St. Armand’s Circle is the vaguely touristy heart of Sarasota shopping. There are a few big-name stores like Tommy Bahama, but mostly it’s jammed with smaller boutiques like the Baltic Amber Gallery (9 North Boulevard of the Presidents, 941-388-2651, http://www.ambershowroom.com/), where handmade earrings from Latvia, Poland, and elsewhere start as low as $18 a pair. If you forgot your bathing suit, there are plenty to choose from at the Beach House (331 John Ringling Boulevard, 941-388-1025; http://www.thebeachhouseswimwear.com/). If you forgot sandals, check Foxy Lady West (481 John Ringling Boulevard, 941-388-5239, http://www.foxyladysarasota.com/). And if you forgot your New Year’s resolution, grab a homemade waffle cone at Big Olaf Creamery (561 North Washington Drive, 941-388-4108), a sort of homegrown Ben & Jerry’s.

8 p.m.

8) PAN-AM DINING
By day, sleepy Hillview Street seems an unlikely spot for night life, but when the weekend rolls around, good luck finding a parking spot. A handful of buzzing restaurants and bars have recently opened along this block-and-a-half stretch. For lively ambience and inventive food, go to the Table (1936 Hillview Street, 941-365-4558, http://www.thetablesarasota.com/), an upscale restaurant that serves so-called Atlantic Rim cuisine, which blends Caribbean, South American and southeast American flavors. Favorites include spring rolls with Havana short ribs ($7.95) and grilled salmon encrusted with Venezuelan crab and served with purple sticky rice ($23.95). Ask for a table in the back room; a D.J. starts spinning at the bar around 9 p.m. By 10 p.m., it’s a full-on dance.

10 p.m.

9) ROCK ON
If D.J.’s aren’t your thing, head next door to the Five O’Clock Club (1930 Hillview Street, 941-366-5555; http://www.5oclockclub.net/), a rocking dive bar that’s been showcasing live music since 1955. On any given night, there might be reggae or an eccentric AC/DC tribute band.

Sunday 10 a.m.

10) WEIRD GROWTH
Had enough sun and sand? Stroll around the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (811 South Palm Avenue, 941 366-5731; http://www.selby.org/), a 9.5-acre park with bamboo, banyans and shady benches where you can enjoy great views of Sarasota Bay. But the real prize is the tropical display house, which has rare orchids, psychedelic caladiums and a strange yet beautiful society of pitcher plants that trap insects.

1:00 p.m.

11) FREAK SHOW
The Ringlings left behind more than just a circus. They amassed a large art collection, including a series of gargantuan paintings by Rubens that are displayed at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (5401 Bay Shore Road, 941-359-5700; http://www.ringling.org/), on the 66-acre bayside estate where they wintered. But the main event is the Howard Bros. Circus, a miniature model of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at its height in the early 20th century. Created over half a century by a passionate circus fan, Howard Tibbals, the three-quarter-inch-to-the-foot scale replica covers 3,800 square feet and is, as one might say, the Greatest Historical Installation on Earth.

The Basics
JetBlue has direct flights from Kennedy Airport to Sarasota, with round-trip fares starting at about $200 for travel next month. More flights and airlines service the much bigger Tampa airport, which is about an hour’s drive away.

If your budget is up to it, the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota (1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, 941-309-2000; http://www.ritzcarlton.com/) offers all the usual big hotel pleasures, plus access to its private beach club on Lido Key. Double occupancy rates range from $399 to $5,000 a night.
Groovier and cheaper in-town lodging can be found at the Hotel Ranola (118 Indian Place, 866-951-0111; http://www.hotelranola.com/). Rooms with full kitchens start at about $159 a night.
On Lido Key, Coquina on the Beach (1008 Ben Franklin Drive, 800-833-2141; http://www.coquinaonthebeach.com/) has clean and simple rooms that offer views of the Gulf of Mexico, but not a whole lot more. Double occupancy with beach views start at $189.

November Sales

Jan. 2, 2008

*The following press release was sent to local media on Dec. 31 at 11 a.m.*

November sales numbers indicate 2007 mirroring 2006

Property sales in the Sarasota market are off by only 7.2 percent for the first 11 months of 2007, compared to the same period in 2006. The total sales dollar volume is also close to the 2006 figure, bolstered by stronger condominium sales and sale prices during 2007.

More condominiums sold over the first 11 months of 2007 than in 2006, 1,973 to 1,924, for an increase of almost 3 percent. The median sale price for condos also increased, from $315,000 in the first 11 months of 2006, to $335,000 for the first 11 months of 2007 - a 6.3 percent increase. The figures are in stark contrast to the overall state of Florida, in which condominium sales are down 27 percent year-to-date and prices are down 3 percent year-to-date.

During the same time period, local prices dropped for single family homes, from $345,000 to $306,500 (11 percent), and sales fell from 4,127 in 2006 to 3,640 in 2007 (11.8 percent). While these numbers tended to pull down the overall local market, the drop has not been nearly as much as the drop seen statewide during 2007, when sales have dropped 29 percent.

Pending local sales, a strong indicator for future market activity, have been heading up for two successive months, following a lull in September. Pendings reached 489 in November for combined condos and single family homes. They were only at 446 in October, and only 397 in September. Normally, sales begin to pick up as seasonal residents and tourists begin to arrive in the winter months.

Word on the street indicates activity has already been on the increase at open houses, and real estate agents are beginning to get busier as the season starts to heat up, both good signs from a market undergoing a positive transition.

In total, 5,613 closings were reported through the end of November 2007, compared to 6,051 closings through the end of November 2006. The total volume of sales for the first 11 months of 2007 was $2.7 billion, compared to $2.98 billion in 2006. If the trend continues through the end of December, 2007 will rank is one of the five top years in the history of SAR for volume of sales, despite the gloom and doom of media reports.

"The buyer's market that was predicted for 2007 has definitely come true, and the message we have stressed that now is the time to buy is proving out," said Joe Hembree, 2007 SAR President. "It's really difficult to time a market's bottom, but 2007 numbers have consistently indicated that the Sarasota market is fast reaching normalcy. With the Fed continuing to ease interest rates, this remains an incredible time to get into a local home."

There are many other factors that continue to make Sarasota a great choice for potential home buyers, including the affordable cost of living, tremendous natural beauty, great education system, fabulous restaurants, recreational and cultural opportunities, safe and clean environment, and world-class health care.

Sarasota Association of REALTORS®

Sarasota Association of Realtors | 3590 S. Tuttle Ave. | Sarasota | FL | 34239