Sarasota, FL

Bent Tree is a neighborhood designed with nature in mind. The elaborate lake system is not only beautiful to look at but it also provides for superior drainage during Florida’s rainy season.

The preserve areas, large lakes, open golf course and mature tree canopy provide habitat for a diverse range of birds and animals. Whether you enjoy the bald eagles that return every year to raise a new brood, the mallard ducks, cardinals & blue jays, the black bottom ducks, the sand hill cranes or the deer that come out at dusk and dawn – there is something here for all nature lovers.

Bent tree is also a neighborhood that has a diverse range of homes. If you enter off Proctor Road, there is an area called the Woodlands II to your right. This is an area of some of the newer homes in Bent Tree and is fairly upscale - larger executive style homes.

If you were to go straight, you would pass by larger homes, some on the lake and some on the preserve. This stretch was known as millionaire row when it was first built in the 1980’s. Many houses off to the left look out on one of the area’s largest residential lakes.

If you continue on you’ll find a cute area of homes off to the left with smaller lots, but some still have great water views. Keep on going straight and you’ll find the villas. A variety in sizes, some over 2000 square feet, make these units great if you want to leave the maintenance to someone else.

To get to the other side of Bent Tree, you enter off Bee Ridge (unless you’re on a bicycle or golf cart). This neighborhood contains the Bent Tree Golf Course & Clubhouse. Hitting golf balls watching an eagle fly by – does it get any better than that? Unless it’s hitting golf balls while your friends up north are shoveling snow!

With it’s diversity, natural beauty and proximity to I-75, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Chili’s and a host of other restaurants and retail stores, Bent Tree is one of my favorite neighborhoods and is an area that should be considered when looking at Sarasota houses.

Did you ever dream of enjoying luxury waterfront living with only a five minute commute to your downtown office? Well, Harbor Acres is the neighborhood for you. It's a well established neighborhood that is know for it's mature trees, diversity of houses and proximity to everything. Harbor Acres has homes to fit all tastes - some that have been torn down and built new, fully updated homes and even some that reflect the charm of old florida.

Combine that with a quick commute to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Downtown Sarasota, Marina Jacks, Selby Gardens, Southside Elementary, Sarasota High School, and the Southside Shopping District and there is something here for everyone. On the weekend, park your car and ride your bike to get groceries at Morton's Market, meet friends for lunch at Sam Snead's or grab some breakfast at the Serving Spoon. And don't forget to stop by one of my favorite new places to dine, Libby's - great serving staff and food that is served with a healthy and organic twist - YUM!

If your looking for that ideal combination of mature tree, waterfront location, great homes, a real neighborhood feel and don't like to drive forever to get where you need to go then you should really consider Harbor Acres - the best of all worlds.

Large lots - Check

Waterfront homes - Check

Convenient to Siesta Key beach - Check

Spacious homes - Check

Close to shopping, downtown Sarasota and restaurants - Check

Good school districts - Check

Easy access to Field Club - Check

Looking for a great family neighborhood? Take a drive through the highly sought after and exclusive Oyster Bay Estates in Sarasota. This is a fabulous west of trail community with a diversity of homes for sale. Asking prices of homes for sale in Oyster Bay currently range from $419,000 all the way to magnificent bayfront home for $4,650,000. There are plenty of homes to choose depending on your budget. If your requirements for a home include waterfront, convenience and beauty then you will want to see some homes in Oyster Bay.

View other Sarasota properties for sale and call me at 941.812.6272 to see any of them.

Lido Key is a small barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. Lido Key and St. Armands Key is just a few minutes over the bridge from downtown Sarasota. It is the most convenient barrier island to downtown. St. Armands Circle is an exciting destination if you are looking for great food, shopping and bars.

St. Armands Towers are the two condo towers as you are just leaving St. Armands Circle. They are across the street from the beach. This is a great location if you enjoy walking places. All of the amenities of "the circle" are within walking distance as well as the beach. Condos in St. Armands Towers have fabulous views. Depending on where you are located in the building you may have views of Lido Key beach, St. Armands Circle or Sarasota bay and if high enough downtown Sarasota skyline. Currently, asking prices range from $479,000 to $775,000.

Visit St. Armands Towers condos on Lido Key to see everything for sale in the building.

Village Walk in Sarasota Florida is an award winning gated community of ideally situated off Clark Road, just 10 minutes to I-75 and 15 minutes to the world-renowned white sand beaches of Siesta Key.

Why is Village Walk so special? The answer to many of its residents is Location, Location, Location. The premier location of this neighborhood on Palmer Ranch in Sarasota meets all the location requirements many homes buyers seek.

Question: "I am a nature lover and I want to walk safe clean trails for exercise and see beautiful nature preserves, is there a neighborhood like that?"

Answer: "yes, Village Walk has wide concrete walkways the go along the edges of nature preserves, with beautiful bridges over waterways so you are guaranteed to see herons, sand hill cranes, maybe even the American bald eagle that nests in the community. All the trails lead to the town center so you can get a workout and see a spectacular Florida nature show on your way to get your mail, the newspaper or a blueberry muffin"

Question: "I am new to Florida and I want to meet people - Is there a community you could recommend?"

Answer: "Yes, Village Walk - they have a Town Center just inside the gates featuring a centralized mail boxes where everyone gets their mail. You can gas up at their private little gas station, get a cup of gourmet coffee at the café or Ruben sandwich at the deli, pick out a card for a relative at the gift shop, get money out of the bank, or get your hair and nails done at the salon. All of these things will put you in contact with people in your neighborhood. Plus there is a full time manager and activities director who posts and runs all sorts of activities in the function rooms"

Question; "I am a swimmer and want a community with a separate lap pool from the family pool, does this exist anywhere or do I have to join a swim or country club?"

Answer: "No you don't have to join a club, Village Walk has a separate lap pool away from their lagoon style family pool."

Question; "I like to work out but I don't want an office sized work out room with a t.v. and a treadmill and universal machine - is there a community with a real nice work out facility?"

Answer: "Village Walk has a great work out facility with low impact flooring, free weights as well as state of the art cardio and resistance equipment in a huge open room with a high ceiling all looking east through a floor to ceiling wall to wall glass overlooking a lake and nature preserve"

Question: "I nervous about hurricanes, what is the strongest built home you know of?"

Answer: "DiVosta made a community called Village Walk and they built all these homes with solid concrete walls - they are like a fortress and every home is equipped with hurricane shutters too."

Question: "I'm a tennis player. Is there a community with more than just 2 courts, I hate to wait for a court?"

Answer: "Village Walk has 6 Har-Tru tennis courts and they are lighted for night play too."

Village Walk in Sarasota has 1,177 homes on 516 acres and is NOT a 55+ (55 years old and up) community, but it does cater to the many needs we all seek at various stages in our lives with 3 distinct types of homes. There is a section in the north west that is 2 story townhouses that feature rear alley parking which keeps the front area picturesque with a European flair. This section seems to have a demographic of young professionals and young families. Then there is the section to the south of the town center which is mainly single story maintenance free paired villas, this suits the retirees or people who use it as a vacation home. The last area to mention is to the north of the town center and mostly comprised of larger single family homes for people who need more space for their primary residence. There is no rule to where anyone lives so there is a mix in each section so you really have age diversity which keeps the neighborhood vibrant and revolving around the town center.

A key concept of the neighborhood is to increase your enjoyment of life and build in as much free time as the design of a community can. To do that every street has just one style of home, so if you live on a street in a paired villa all the homes on your street are paired villas. There are no mailboxes at the end of the driveways and all the homes in the community are painted the same sunny yellow. It is a unique concept that takes the one-ups-manship out of the equation, eliminating stress and tension among neighbors and keeps you focused on what really matters - quality of life, fun and leisure. Are you are ready to live life to the max? Then call me to us your next home in Village Walk.