The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 11 No. 14 - January 5, 2011

REAL ESTATE

Bradenton/Sarasota tops for retirement

All good things must come to an end, otherwise, they wouldn't be good things. This quotation has been burned in my brain after a friend shared his mother's favorite expression with me. So what good things are there in our lives that we're happy to see end? How about our jobs?

For most of us retirement is a double edged sword. We're happy to leave the day-to-day grind of work, but sorry to give up the energy and accomplishments of our workplace. With three million Americans turning 65 this year, there are going to be a lot of people experiencing the good end of an important phase of their lives, and according to Portifolio.com, the place they should be starting the next phase of their lives is the Bradenton/Sarasota region of Florida.

Portofolio.com analyzed 157 cities to determine where seniors would like to retire, and even though only 4 percent of retirees expect to relocate, that's still 1.4 million people who will be looking for a lifestyle change. The criteria they used were based on several indicators that people over 65 are presumably looking for in a retirement area, with the highest scores going to areas where the population of seniors is already substantial and is growing rapidly.
Bradenton/Sarasota ranked first in the pack by a considerable margin based on the following: Nearly 27 percent of its residents are 65 or older, the fourth highest concentration of seniors in any market. That's more than double the national average of 12.9 percent. Bradenton/Sarasota has a median age of 45.1, which is the midpoint, with half of all residents being older and half being younger. The national median age is 36.8. Fully 95 percent of the seniors in Bradenton/Sarasota moved to Florida from another state, while only 63 percent of the elderly residents of a typical U.S. market were born out of state.

Naturally, cities with warm climates like Prescott, Ariz., Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Cape Coral/Fort Myers, Fla. and Naples, Fla. were all in the top five. In fact, out of the top 10, 7 of the cities were in Florida. Also, according to the study, seniors favor relocating to places that are user friendly to seniors with strong cultural ties and an abundance of health care.

This latest bit of information comes at the perfect time for our winter season real estate market, which is setting up to be a winner. Prices are at their lowest point, and although inventory is slowly being sold, there is still a lot to choose from. In addition, with interest rates having bottomed out, buyers who were on the fence are going to start getting serious.

There's a lot of money sitting on the sidelines waiting for this economy to get going, but retiring baby boomers may not be able to wait any longer. The 1.4 million who are getting ready to relocate are seeing this moment as the opportune time to make their move.

If you haven't already done it, e-mail and/or snail mail portfolio.com's analysis to everyone you know. Pass the word that we live in the best area of the country to retire, which also happens to have some of the best priced premium real estate in the country. Retirement can definitely be one of those good things that must come to an end in order for us to enjoy the next batch of good things – starting with life on Anna Maria.

Real Estate Transactions
Closed sales between Aug. 2 and Oct. 9, 2010

Anna Maria

721 North Shore Single family $1,100,000
512 Bayview Place Single family 800,000
216 Palm Ave. Single family 699,000
104 Maple Ave. Single family 667,500
309 S. Bay Blvd. Single family 425,000
780 Jacaranda Rd. Duplex 357,500
216 Archer Way Single family 332,500
204 Archer Way Single family 300,000
333 Tarpon St. Lot 300,000

Bradenton Beach

500 Bay Dr. S. Single family $965,200
2317 Ave. C #300 Condo 315,000
1325 Gulf Drive N. #165Condo 300,000
1325 Gulf Drive N. #166Condo 300,000
1325 Gulf Drive N. #164Condo 285,000
1325 Gulf Drive N. #161Condo 285,000
1325 Gulf Drive N. #264Condo 280,500
501 Gulf Drive N. #103Condo 240,000
1325 Gulf Drive N. #163Condo 239,800
501 Gulf Drive N. #305Condo 227,000
2211 Ave. C Single family 220,000
2311 Canasta Drive Single family 165,000
2412 Gulf Drive. N. #125Condo 160,000
2412 Gulf Drive N. #224Condo 155,000
2412 Gulf Drive N. #225Condo 155,000
1603 Gulf Drive N. #18Condo 150,000
1603 Gulf Drive N. #19Condo 150,000
117 Seventh St. N. #9 Condo 150,000
1603 Gulf Drive N. #33Condo 109,000
107 Sixth St. S. Single family 100,000
2503 Gulf Drive N. #302Condo 100,000
1603 Gulf Drive N. #34Condo 70,000

Cortez

12909 42nd Terr. W. Single family $1,025,000
11900 Cortez Rd. W. RV resort
#10, #17, #28, #45 Multi-units 619,700
4224 Marina Ct. Condo 525,000
3860 Mariners Way #413Condo 274,900
12329 Baypointe Terr. Lot 140,000

Holmes Beach

528 72nd St. Single family $1,450,000
3212 Gulf Drive Single family 1,300,000
616 Hampshire Lane Single family 775,000
3009 Ave. F Duplex 763,500
403 80th St. Condo 595,000
203 76th St. Condo 584,500
525 74th St. Single family 550,000
612 North Point Drive Single family 525,000
303 61st St. #A Condo 510,000
209 69st St. Duplex 480,000
6200 Flotilla Drive #273 Condo 480,000
227 85th St. Single family 440,000
517 70th St. Single family 416,500
203 82 St. Condo 400,000
519 77th St. Single family 400,000
405 N. Harbor Drive Single family 400,000
614 Concord Lane Single family 399,900
506 74 St. Single family 390,000
405 74 St. Condo 375,000
3706 Gulf Drive. Single family 370,000
6250 Holmes Blvd. #70 Condo 355,000
6200 Flotilla Drive #274 Condo 365,000
322 64 St. Condo 350,000
207 55 St. Single family 305,000
4104 6 Ave. Condo 285,200
609 Emerald Lane Single family 285,000
2903 Ave. B Duplex 278,000
3703 5 Ave. #3 Condo 270,000
309 58 St. Duplex 270,000
3207 6 Ave. Single family 260,000
3803 East Bay Drive #2 Condo 260,000
6919 Holmes Blvd. Half duplex 250,000
2805 Gulf Drive Single family 249,000
3702 Sixth Ave. #4 Condo 230,000
504 Key Royale Drive Single family 223,000
2705 Ave. C Single family 200,900
2710 Ave. C Single family 160,000

Source: Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office


AMISUN ~ The Island's Award-Winning Newspaper