Is Sarasota a cheap or expensive real estate market? I guess it depends on who you talk to. Someone coming from Manhattan might view this area as a bargain. Another buyer from Detroit, Michigan might view Sarasota as very expensive. It is all relative to what you are used to.

Sarasota vs. Vail

I am on vacation this in Vail with my family. Even though this is a vacation I am still observant when it comes to real estate. We are staying in the Lionshead area of Vail which is within walking distance to a gondola and a few chair lifts. It would be the equivalent of buying on the beach in Sarasota (Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Lido Key).

Our condo is in the Antlers condo community which is a nice 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom with roughly about 900 square feet.…

I just listed this fantastic condo in the Palm Bay Club community on Siesta Key. What a fabulous escape from the harsh northern winters. Enjoy Florida beach living in this well maintained 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo within footsteps of one of the prettiest beaches you will ever see. One of the great features about Palm Bay Club is short term rentability. There is an on-site rental office which easily handles all of the renting for you.

Inside the Palm Bay Club community are amenities that provide endless entertaining activities to its residents and guests such as boat docks, fishing piers, yacht basin, private clubhouse, heated swimming pools, fitness center, game rooms, and tennis courts. In addition, there are picnic groves and barbecue facilities,…

The beach is obviously a huge draw for those living in or wanting to live in Sarasota, Florida. A common request from home buyers is either to live on the beach or within walking distance of it. 

In the Sarasota area if you want to walk to the beach you need to live on Lido Key, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Bird Key, Venice island or Casey Key. Casey Key and Bird Key are made up of single family homes so you won't find anything there under $300,000. You could live in downtown Sarasota and walk to the beach but that is still a couple of miles. That might be a bit far if you are carrying a cooler, towels and umbrella. There are several condo communities on Longboat Key, Lido Key and Siesta Key that are either directly on the beach (don't expect water…

Interest in Siesta Key has increased since winning the #1 best beach in the United States ranking by Dr. Beach. People from all over the world inquire about this gorgeous 8 mile long barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. Siesta Key offers a variety of living options. On this island paradise you can find an affordable efficiency within walking distance of Siesta Key beach all the way to a palatial waterfront estate in the Sanderling Club. Since the correction in the market Siesta Key real estate has become much more affordable.

Condos are very popular on Siesta Key. People love the idea of locking them up and leaving them. No yard to mow, no pool to clean, to trees to trim. Everything is handled for you.

Many of the condos on the island…

Looking for a slice of paradise? Come visit Siesta Key off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. This 8 mile long barrier island is a wonderful place to live full time or own a winter/vacation getaway. Siesta Key beach was recently ranked the #1 beach in the United States by Dr. Beach.

Siesta Key Condos Less than $300,000

Here are a variety of condo communities on Siesta Key where you can buy something for less than $300,000.

Aloha Kai

Aloha Kai is a quaint 5 acre community right smack dab on Siesta Key beach. There is a very short walk between your condo and the pretty white sands of the beach.

Aloha Kai condos for sale

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Bay Oaks

Bay Oaks on Siesta Key…

New Sarasota Beach Condos

Everyone wants them. We get requests for them all of the time. People generally like newer built homes and condos because of the high ceilings, large windows, abundance of natural light, modern floor plans and. Unfortunately, there are not many of them to choose from and they are on the higher end of the price scale.

If you are looking for a newer condo on the beach in Sarasota you can use my Sarasota MLS search tool. Follow this link to view condos built after 2000 on Siesta Key, Lido Key and Longboat Key.

Visit Sarasota beach condos if you don't care when it was built.

"New" varies from person to person. One might find a 1998 condo as new while others must have the latest and greatest with something built within…

Located just south of the Siesta Key Village is the new community of Siesta Beach Villas. This lovely community is made up of 22 new condominiums offering between 1,400 and 4,800 square feet of fabulous living space in 2 bedroom/2 bathroom or 4 bedroom/4 bathroom options. Residents have easy access to all of the fun shopping, drinking and dining establishments in the Siesta Key Village. The world famous and recently rated #1 beach in the world sits right across the street. The sands of Siesta Key beach are within a very short walk.

Sold Siesta Beach Villas

The Sarasota Florida real estate market continues to eat through its inventory. Notice the drop above from May 2011 of 5,604 listings for sale to 5,372 in June 2011. This gives Sarasota county 6.5 months of inventory based on closed sales and 6.3 months of inventory based on pending sales. The average sold price in June 2011 was $238,000 with the average sales price/list price ratio of 91%.

Average Price of Sarasota Homes & Condos

The above chart shows the average asking price as well as the average price of sold properties. Average prices are trending higher when comparing June 2010's average price of $217,000 to June 2011 price of $238,000.

Sarasota Real Estate Statistics

Below are the 5 largest residential real estate transactions in the month of June.

667 Mourning Dove Drive, Sarasota

This lovely Bird Key waterfront home is located at 667 Mourning Dove Drive. It offers 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms, 6,570 square feet and was built in 2009. The asking price was $5,990,000 and it sold for $4,950,000.

**** Blog Post Update - As of June 27th this condo in Gulf and Bay Club is now under contract ****

Looking for a fabulous Siesta Key condo? Take a look at this bank owned condo in the popular Gulf and Bay Club community on Siesta Key beach. This 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1,335 square foot unit is one of the least expensive condos in Gulf and Bay Club at $575,000.

Is this Siesta Key Foreclosure a Great Deal?

One way to determine if a property is a great deal or not is looking at recently sold similar properties. Follow this link to view 8 condos sold in Gulf & Bay Club within the last 12 mon

ths. Here are the sales statistics for the 8 condos:

• Highest sales price - $1,065,000
• Lowest sales price - $460,500
• Average sales price -…