Sarasota Home Sales Up

Here is an interesting article about home sales in Sarasota, Florida. Below are a few of the highlights:

Bargain hunters moved into Southwest Florida during April, pushing homes sales up 5 percent in the Sarasota-Bradenton market and 6 percent in Charlotte County-North Port.

Even more promising, the rising sales were accompanied by rising prices. Though prices continue to be lower than a year ago, the median Sarasota-Bradenton price was 12 percent higher in April than it was in March.

Realtors have been saying for several months that sales were perking up in Southwest Florida. The numbers reported Friday by the Florida Association of Realtors -- a lagging indicator because the deals were likely struck two or three months ago -- confirm what they have seen.

"The market is much healthier now than during this time last year," said Luke Andreae of Re/Max Harbor Realty in Punta Gorda. "I don't mean prices, I mean the number of buyers and people out there looking."