The Sarasota/Manatee real estate market is hot ! We cant keep up with the demand.

SARASOTA, Fla. (March 22, 2021) – February’s housing market in Sarasota and Manatee counties showed more closed sales, more cash sales, higher median prices, and limited inventory when compared to a year ago. According to data from Florida REALTORS® and compiled by the REALTOR® Association of Sarasota and Manatee (RASM), closed sales increased year-over-year by 27.6 percent across the two-county market, representing a combined total of 2,182 sales in February.

Single-family home sales increased by 34.5 percent to 831 sales in Sarasota County and by 12.8 percent to 536 sales in Manatee County. In Sarasota, condo sales increased year-over-year by 37.8 percent to 518 sales. In Manatee County, condo sales increased by 23.2 percent to 297 sales.

Prices for both single-family homes and condos rose year-over-year in February. In Sarasota County, the median price for single-family homes was $359,900 in February, a year-over-year increase of 18.4 percent, and condo prices rose by 9.1 percent to $283,750. In Manatee County, the median price for single-family homes increased yet again to a new record price of $380,000, a 16.9 percent increase from this time last year. For Manatee condos, the median sales price increased by 9.5 percent to $230,000.

With increased buyer demand and many multiple offer situations, cash sales continue to rise in both counties. For single-family homes, cash sales increased by 54 percent in Sarasota and by 10.5 percent in Manatee. Condos also saw an increase in cash sales with a 38.5 percent increase in Sarasota and a 21.1 percent increase in Manatee.

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One of the more prominent customer questions to come out of the acceleration of our Gulf Coast real estate market is “what makes today different from the boom years of the early 2000s?” Looking just at the numbers without context, it’s easy to understand how it could look like we’re headed toward a bubble.

Here are three key differences that set today’s market apart from 2005-2007.

  1. CASH buyers and the strength of the borrower – Buyers are much different today. They are more qualified.

  2. The affordability index { mortgage rates vs home prices }

  3. Buyers are buying for lifestyle and what is best for their families not flipping

                 We are in a hot market but it is built on very different fundamentals.

If you are a seller there has never been a better time to call us.   We have a buyer for your Sarasota or Manatee home. 941-993-3159