About Sarasota County, FL

The Associated Press and the Herald Tribune report this morning that the House of Representatives has followed the lead of the Senate and both extended and expanded the popular Home Buyer tax Credit! This is very good news for Venice Florida, Sarasota County and the entire US of A. I am calling your attention to this as it is a really good effort on the part of our Government to both encourage home buying and to boost the weak economy. President Obama is expected to sign the Home-Buyer Bills TODAY! Here are the highlight details:

FIRST-TIME-BUYER...$8000 Tax Credit, yes, $8000! If you have not had interest in a principal residence for 3 years prior to purchase, Uncle Sam will credit you with $8000 at tax time. You will be sent a refund for the difference between what you owe and the $8000. This is Terrific!

CURRENT-HOME-BUYER...$6500! Yes, as long as you have lived in the home being sold as a principal residence consecutively for 5 of the previous 8 years, you are eligible for a $6500 Tax Credit. This is a new incentive and a good one!

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.

The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times reported this AM what we have been "Toes and Fingers Crossed" over for the past month...that home buyers would be given further incentives. Yes, by a 98-0 vote the Senate has passed their Bill to:

• Extend the popular $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit to April 30, 2010 (it was due to expire at the end of this month);
• Provide a NEW $6,500 tax break for existing home owners who choose to move up to a new home, as long as they have lived in their current home for 5 years out of the previous eight;
• Increase the level of qualifying incomes somewhat; and
• Set a limit of $800,000 for qualifying home purchases.

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.

For those of you looking to start a website or thinking about changing your website and your not sure what you want to do yet, you owe to yourself to check out www.UltraAgent.com. It is very simple to navigate and there are many templates to choose from. You can even customize the header with a stock photo or any photo that you may have. The photo I for my site I took myself on Nokomis Beach.

I switched over to UltraAgent months ago and I love it. I can update my site whenever I want without getting charged for labor and I have received many compliments from customers. They love the way it is laid out, very easy to follow.

I also just found out that UltraAgent now offers IDX and I am considering incorporating that into my website shortly. I was iframing my MLS IDX and I received a lot of complaints about that so I now iframed my company's search page and that seems to be working much better for me, what do you think? (http://www.discovervenicerealestate.com/ip.aspx?p=1252&page=MLS-Home-Search). Anyway my point is there are a lot of options available that are easy on your wallet.

Contact Kari A. Battaglia PA, licensed Realtor® in Venice Florida at 941-270-1851 to list your home, answer general questions or to help you search for homes for sale in Venice Florida. I currently serve customers in Venice Florida, Englewood Florida, Nokomis Florida, South Venice, Laurel, Osprey and Casey Key and Manasota Key communities. As a private landowner, I also have Tennessee properties available in the Chattanooga area. Call or email me to receive a list of Tennessee properties available for sale.

Contact me by email at Kari@DiscoverVeniceRealEstate.com. Need information fast, call me direct at 941-270-1851. Copyright©2009. By Kari A. Battaglia PA. All Rights Reserved.

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