Strong sales in the Sarasota and Manatee real estate markets during the month of October eased concerns about a slump amid Hurricane Irma. Statistics released by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee for October show a 2.7 increase in single-family home sales in the region over 2016, though condominium and townhouse unit sales decreased by 10.4 percent. “It’s likely that some, if not most, of October’s sales are from September’s delayed sales,” acknowledges Xena Vallon, president of the local Realtor association. “But, this month’s increase in pending sales indicates that we’re back in business.”

That’s consistent with what individual agents report as well. Angeles Bradford, an agent with RE/MAX Alliance Group, says that while activity was low around the time Hurricane Irma hit Florida—and of course extremely low the days of the storm—it’s since gotten much better in the market. “We are working a little harder,” she says, “but the market is going to be great.”

Michael Moulton, a Realtor with Michael Saunders and Company specializing in luxury sales, says the impact of the storm was a “momentary blip. “September is the slowest time of the year anyway,” he notes. Moulton had clients who had planned trips to look at homes and units in the market, but those few trips simply got rescheduled. If the type of market disruption occurred in a peak sales time like February, the impact would be more significant, but it’s been relatively easy for the market to recover from the storm.

As for a decline in condo sales, he says that relates to a different issue in the market altogether. “There is not much of an inventory of higher end condos,” he says. “A lot of the new projects are all sold. The only segment of product where supply is low is high-end condominium.”

The new October numbers come after a hard September. Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys and again on Marco Island on Sept. 10, then cut a course up the state, significantly impacting large portions of South Florida. At one point,t he entire state was under threat of the storm, and large portions of Sarasota and Manatee suffered through power outages, in some cases for weeks. The Realtor chapter reported that combined sales for the area declined a whopping 16.8 percent, and the number of pending sales was down 29.8 percent in Sarasota County and 26.2 percent in Manatee. Of course, pending sales tend to impact the following month’s closed sales, so the fact October still proved a stronger month than October 2016 shows demand in the region remains high.

“Compared to Irma’s impact in September, we saw a combined 75 percent increase in new listings from last month to this month,” Vallone says. “Sellers are playing catch-up and listing their properties for the upcoming season.”  

Graphic by Jacob Ogles. Data courtesy Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee.

Florida Studio Theatre has announced the appointment of Judge Charles E. Williams and Mrs. Gaele Barthold to its Board of Trustees. Judge Williams currently serves as the Chief Judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit, which includes Sarasota, Manatee and Desoto Florida counties. His recent awards and honors include the Manatee County NAACP Public Service Award, the Sarasota County NAACP 2014 Public Service Award and the Sarasota County Branch NAACP’s 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2017, he joined the board of Embracing Our Differences. Barthold, retired attorney, served as the Philadelphia Deputy District Attorney for Law, a Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney and a member of Cozen O’Connor, argued and litigated many cases before the United States Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She is an Underwriter of this season’s Mainstage and Stage III series and serves as the chair of FST’s Advocacy Leadership Committee.  

Florida Studio Theatre

All teachers and returning paraprofessionals will receive a salary enhancement and neither group will see an increase in health insurance premiums as part of a tentative agreement reached between the Manatee Education Association and the School District of Manatee County. The tentative agreement must be ratified before being presented to the School Board of Manatee County for approval. Under the agreement, the salary for a beginning teacher with a bachelor’s degree will move from $38,285 to $39,094  and existing teachers will receive an increase between $1,100 and $1,400 depending upon whether they are on the Grandfather Salary Schedule or the Pay-for-Performance Schedule. 

School Board of Manatee County

“Any time I have ordered from Beneva Flowers, I have never been disappointed,” — Jimmye Reeves. Buying flowers can add that pop of color to your home, serve as decor for an event or simply make your day a little brighter. Though Beneva Flowers took the top spot, Victoria Blooms, Flowers by Fudgie and many more were close behind. Who will be the Best Flower Shop in Sarasota this year? Share your favorite below in SRQ Magazine's 2018 Best of SRQ Local Readers Competition. 

Vote Here!