While the Real Estate Market is struggling nationally and in Florida specifically, one significant countervailing force has been the growing importance of foreign home buyers. According to the National Association of Realtors "Profile of International Home Buying in Florida" Survey, especially buyers from Canada and Western Europe are attracted to the area by the weak dollar.
The most interesting part of this survey for us is that the Bradenton/Sarasota area makes the third place for the most frequently reported location of a home purchase after the Miami-Fort Lauderdale and the Orlando-Kissimmee areas. If you take in consideration that our area is much smaller than the Miami or Orlando area, this news is even more significant.
The buyers who bought property in Bradenton and Sarasota were mostly from Western Europe (44 %) and Canada (44 %). This survey shows how important international buyers are for our local market. "For home sellers it is extremely important that their property gets enough exposure on the international market. International Marketing can be the difference between selling or not selling their homes", according to Weiss.
According to the survey foreign-born Realtors are more likely to work with international clients than U.S.-born Realtors. Foreign buyers often feel more confident when working with Realtors from their home country.
The reason for the increasing interest of foreign buyers in Florida properties can be seen in the falling value of the U.S. dollar relative to major world currencies during the past several years. As a result the cost of Florda property, priced in dollars, is much lower when converted to the buyer´s home country currency. From the percpective of foreign buyers Florida real estate is effectively on sale.
The City of Bradenton is one of eight cities featured in a national magazine's profile on cities that currently boast the best deals on homes.In the September/October issue of Where to Retire magazine, a national magazine geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions, the Bradenton-Sarasota area was named along with Ocala; Phoenix; San Diego; Myrtle Beach, SC; St. George, UT; Santa Fe, NM; and Brevard, NC.
"Bradenton is still a paradise," Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston said. "The housing market has adjusted so we are more competitive with other communities and the Baby Boomers are still retiring daily and looking for a friendly community in which to spend their new lives. We already knew Bradenton is one of the best places on earth to retire, but it is nice to be recognized."
According to Where to Retire editor, Mary Lu Abbott, many popular retirement cities currently have historically low housing prices, while other smaller towns boast a stable market with good seller incentives.
"Amid the miles of Gulf Coast beaches and the prime amenities of Sarasota-Bradenton, FL, housing prices have dropped 30-40 percent since 2005," she wrote.
The magazine was launched in 1992 with the goal of helping its readers find the ideal place to retire. Now published six times a year, the magazine covers the best retirement regions, towns, and master-planned communities, and has a national average circulation of 220,000 and an average readership of 500,000.
This isn't the first time Bradenton has been recognized by a national magazine this year for its quality of life.
Art Calendar magazine's March edition named Bradenton one of the country's Top 10 cities for working artists because of the Village of the Arts, a downtown-area neighborhood where special zoning laws allow artists and other craftspeople to live and operate small businesses, like art galleries, from their homes.
In the May/June issue of Going Places, AAA's traveler's guide that profiles popular vacation destinations around the country, Bradenton was recognized as a "sunny waterside town that boasts a unique collection of museums and marinas ... and one of the state's most vibrant artists' communities (the Village of the Arts)," along with abundant fishing, beaches and beautiful sunsets.
The number of Canadians buying homes in Florida doubled in only one year, according to a current NAR report.
With the Canadian dollar hovering around par with the U.S. dollar, buying Florida homes seems to be a nice investment for many Canadians (The Canadian dollar was worth only 80 cents three years ago).
Also Canadians benefit from a continued strong housing market and increasing home equity.
According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, overall home prices grew 11 percent in 2007 to an average of $307,265, and they are expected to rise an additional 5.3 percent in 2008.
A Canadian bank has also made it easier to secure a mortgage. It set up a program that allows Canadians to buy U.S. property worth up to $2 million with a down payment of less than 25 percent!
Mt. Vernon is a 55+ Boating Community on Sarasota Bay in Bradenton, Florida.
The community offers lots of ammentities including a heated pool & spa, sauna, tennis, shuffleboard, putting green, billiards, walking paths throughout the community, picnic areas with full Bay Views, lakes, boat docks & shaded gazebos. 
Boat docks are available for a $25 fee! Boat storage is also available as well as kayak storage and launch.
Mount Vernon is conveniently located just minutes from shopping, restaurants & Florida´s most beautiful beaches on Anna Maria Island.
Enjoy the lifestyle of this friendly and active community!
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Bradenton & Sarasota Realtor. If you want to buy or sell in Bradenton, Sarasota and Anna Maria Island: Call Axel Weiss (941) 866 1666 www.BradentonBroker.com
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