Cynthia Calisch and Preston Larus

About Us:

When you pick a Realtor to represent you in one of the most significant purchases of a lifetime, you'd probably want to be sure you can count on that person ... to work hard for you, to know what they should know and to share that knowledge with you, to make sure you are protected, and to treat you like family.

We don't make our living on a single sale, no matter how large or small. We make our living by the referrals sent us by our happy customers. We know that if you're not happy, those referrals won't be coming, so our goal is to give you a 10+ experience and be the kind of Realtor you are absolutely compelled to tell all your friends and neighbors about.

Here is a little introduction to who we are and how we came to be Realtors:

Family

Cynthia: I am a native of Danville, Virginia and came to Homestead, Florida temporarily in 1992 to volunteer in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. On the way home, I visited my mother here in Sarasota, fell in love with the place, and have lived here ever since. Preston and I met in 1997 and married in 1999.

Preston: I am originally from Richmond, Virginia but did most of my growing up on the Chesapeake Bay in Gloucester. I did a lot of sailing and powerboating on the Chesapeake, and a fair amount of offshore sailing, including Bermuda trips and a year-long sojourn to the South Pacific. I came to Florida in 1988 to work in Fort Lauderdale´s yachting industry, and was fortunate enough to discover Sarasota and Florida´s more peaceful gulf coast in 1996. I have a 15 year-old son, Zach, who attends Bayshore High School, plays in the marching band, and is wild about electronics.

Occupation

Cynthia: Prior to joining Keller Williams, I did most of my work in sales and marketing for smaller start-up companies. In Sarasota, we cut our teeth on real estate first as investor/landlords. I enjoy people, I am a stickler for good service, and I like to work for myself. Real estate allows me to have all three at once! I joined Keller Williams because doing the right thing comes first for them, too, and that´s rare in the business world.

Preston: My occupations have included mechanic, writer, yacht crew, and sales and marketing, but my primary career prior to real estate was 8 years as an Addictions Counselor in Miami and Sarasota. I have enjoyed real estate because I like to get my hands dirty, solve puzzles, and see my work make a difference for my friends and clients. Keller Williams? Well, I'm 49 years old and I've worked in a lot of companies, small and large, and found that they mostly pay lip service to "mutual success." At Keller Williams, I see those words in action every day. I'm proud and energized to be associated with a company that really does put people first.

Recreation

We both enjoy boating, travel, movies, and books. Cynthia has a particular interest in holistic wellness and alternative therapies, and can tell you a thing or two about diet and nutrition as well. As a matter of fact, we are Chapter Leaders for the Weston A. Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org) which provides resources for those seeking alternatives to industrial supermarket foods (that means food from the farm, the way our grand-parents got their food!) Preston occasionally writes freelance for various publications, mostly on boat-related topics.

Dreams

We plan to combine our love of boating and curiosity about the world by retiring as live-aboards. In a perfect world, we´d migrate between the Northeast in summer and Florida and points south during winter. Cynthia wants to provide low-cost holistic health services to those who otherwise could not afford it, and Preston wants to be involved with boatbuilding schools for kids and adults.

For both of us, the most important thing above all is to have affinity and belonging -- the feeling of being connected and being of service.

Areas of Expertise

There is so much variety in our area! From starter homes for 100,000 or less to beachfront properties at a million or more ... from historic to brand new ... from the beach to the country ... and we've been involved in all of those categories.

Our home and our office are both located at the county line between Manatee County (Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Ellenton, Parrish, Myakka City) and Sarasota County (Longboat Key, St Armand's Circle, Lido Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Gulf Gate, Venice, Nokomis,, etc). So our territory includes most of both counties, and we are members of both boards of Realtors. We also have a soft spot for the Englewood-Venice area in the southern end of Sarasota, and that will often take us into Charlotte County. It is a quieter-paced place, with generally more home for the dollar available there too!

What our clients say about us

(Just a few of our testimonial letters)

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Frances and Sean W. "Thank you so much for all your assistance (and patience) in helping us find our dream home. You understood exactly what we wanted and helped us every step of the way. We so much appreciate your dedication and the countless hours you devoted to our search. You really made it possible and a whole lot of fun!!"

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Lynne L. "You really took the time to work with me and find out who I was and what I was looking for in a home. Your efforts really paid off for me ... your efforts and support during what proved to be a trying negotiation were outstanding."

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Audre and Felton M. "Your personal involvement and presence during every step of the process ... gave us a warm fuzzy feeling that we were more than just a client to you."

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Michael L. "I was inexperienced and nervous about selling my first investment property. Cynthia and Preston put me at ease, counseled me, and helped me set a price that brought a contract in the first 30 days. But that was just the beginning. Inspections, negotiations, working with the buyer's agent and the builder to get a complex deal closed on time - they went far beyond the usual to make it all work for me. In my book, there are no other Realtors!"

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Pat K. "Everything she proposed to us that she would do to sell our home she followed through on without exception. Within nine days of listing our house we had several offers and a firm full price contract ... Cynthia is a fantastic agent and exemplifies the Keller Williams philosophy and commitment to personalized service beyond expectations."