The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 13 No. 28 - April 24, 2013

REAL ESTATE

Make sure you always turn the corner

 

Real estate tips of the week: always make sure you turn the corner when looking for a potential property to buy or rent, and the next time you’re not feeling well, don’t ask your husband to take care of the houseguests.

Recently, we were expecting two of our favorite houseguests in town for a short visit when I came down with a vicious bronchitis the day before, sending me to an urgent care clinic and my husband into Panic #1. Panic #2 happened when I asked him to pick-up a few things at Publix the day before their arrival.

I knew I was in trouble when I found a large bag of broccoli in the refrigerator where the English muffins should have been and three bags of lettuce where the soda should have been. In fact the only thing that survived the list intact was the wine.

Panic #3 was when I asked him to take our guests on an Anna Maria tour looking for seasonal rentals for next year. Since I had previously researched potential properties, I was able to meticulously prepare a list complete with location, descriptions and approximate weekly and monthly rates, so the day our guests arrived, I sent the three of them off on an expedition.

When the group arrived back a few hours later, they were so excited they could hardly believe what they found for the price. There was just one problem, the cell phone pictures they took didn’t look a thing like any of the properties I sent them to, concluding they went to the wrong address. “Oh no,” the substitute tour director said, pointing out the house number in one of the pictures which was indeed the same. Turns out the group went to the right address on the wrong street just around the corner. That’s when Panic #4 set in, sending my poor husband to the only thing that survived the aforementioned shopping list – the wine.

Well as serendipity will have it, our guests were so enamored by the property around the corner that the next day they contacted the broker and ended up renting it for the next two seasons. The result was a happy ending for all except the owners of the original property who had the misfortune of having the same house number.

I bet by now you’re thinking what does my family saga have to do with real estate? The answer is everything, starting with keeping all of your options open. It doesn’t matter if you’ re looking for your lifetime home or a one month rental, boxing yourself into a strict set of requirements is never a good thing.

Buyers, particularly first time buyers, are sometimes very focused on their exact requirements in a home and won’t even look at a property that doesn’t meet what’s on their list. Shopping for a home is essentially an education, and like all quality educations, the more exposure you have to the topic the better educated you become.

Buyers should always take their broker’s recommendation to look at something a little outside of their comfort zone, and sellers should never flat out turn down an offer without attempting to find common ground. As far as my houseguests are concerned, they started looking for something small for the month of February and ended up with a 4 bedroom house in April.

So there you go. The moral of the story is that you never know what’s going to be just around the next corner, so don’t be afraid to make the turn and keep those Z-packs handy.

Real Estate Transactions
Real Estate Transfers from December 2012 and January 2013
Sponsored by Alan Galletto Island Real Estate

Sold Date | List Price | Sold Price | Address | Provision | Property Style

Anna Maria

12/14/2012 399,000 370,000 113 North Bay Blvd. 56.5x110 Ac
12/07/2012 799,000 779,000 811 S Bay Blvd. 2541 75x155 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/13/2012 1,300,000 1,100,000 104 Willow Ave.# A 1906 57x100 4 Br/3.5 Ba SFR
12/14/2012 469,000 469,000 118 Palmetto Ave. 707 48x50 2 Br/2 Ba SFR 12/14/2012 812,500 785,000 416 Spring Ave. 1546 52x145 3 BR/2.5 BA SFR
12/18/2012 950,000 800,000 104 Magnolia Ave. 2012 75x145 3 BR/3 BA SFR 12/27/2012 1,299,000 940,000 204 Oak Ave. 3318 73x110 4 BR/3.5 BA SFR
12/28/2012 575,000 540,000 512 Magnolia Ave. 1742 51x145 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/28/2012 1,995,000 1,750,000 103 Palmetto Ave. 1930 115x100 2 Br/1.5 Ba SFR
12/31/2012 899,000 900,000 212 Oak Ave. 3780 72x148 5 Br/5 Ba SFR
01/18/2013 725,000 690,000 300 N Shore Dr. 1500 4 Br/3 Ba SFR
01/08/2013 675,000 520,000 834 S Bay Blvd. # A 50x223 Ac
01/08/2013 675,000 520,000 834 S Bay Blvd. # B 50x223 Vac

Bradenton Beach

12/18/2012 389,000 351,000 2317 Avenue C # 300 1620 82 & 85x106 Inc
12/13/2012 319,000 290,000 1000 Gulf Dr. # 2 480 1 Br/1 Ba Condo

Cortez

12/14/2012 124,900 124,900 9604 Cortez Rd. #422 1218 2 Br/2 Ba Condo, Reo/Bank owned
12/20/2012 420,000 380,000 3860MarinersWy.#411 2227 3 Br/3 Ba Condo
01/07/2013 499,000 450,000 4004 128th St. W. #902 1628 3 Br/3 Ba Condo
01/18/2013 349,000 335,000 4112 128th St. W.#603 1762 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
01/25/2013 775,000 713,000 12923 Yacht Club Pl. 2784 4 Br/2 Ba/2 Half Baths SFR

Holmes Beach

12/06/2012 397,000 373,000 3013 Avenue F # U22 984 2 Br/1 Ba Condo
12/07/2012 730,000 625,000 212 52nd St 2656 3 Br/3 Ba Condo, Short Sale
12/27/2012 259,900 240,000 600 Manatee Ave. #225 1176 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
12/28/2012 210,000 193,000 3000 Gulf Dr. # 4 756 1 Br/1 Ba Condo
12/28/2012 600,000 500,000 204 52nd St .# 204 2656 4 Ba/3 Ba Condo, Short Sale
12/05/2012 1,189,000 1,100,000 642 Key Royale Dr. 4252 4 Br/5.5Ba Condo
12/05/2012 549,000 520,000 300 67th St. 1300 50x 100 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/07/2012 559,000 550,000 522 72nd St. 1949 100x17 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/10/2012 599,000 565,000 310 66th St. 1974 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
12/11/2012 439,000 415,000 215 66th St. 1114 54x105 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/14/2012 499,000 485,000 5802 De Palmas Ave. 1520 50x101 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
12/17/2012 489,000 450,000 5608 Holmes Blvd. 1040 2 Br/1 Ba SFR
12/19/2012 629,000 592,000 113 75th St. 1819 3 Br/2.5 Ba SFR 12/19/2012 494,000 469,500 212 81st St .# A 1200 90x90 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/21/2012 439,000 430,000 205 77th St. # B 900 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/26/2012 379,000 325,000 5903 Flotilla Dr. 1226 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/28/2012 399,900 363,750 503 71st St. 1884 95x97 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/31/2012 549,000 525,000 3705 Gulf Dr. # B 1227 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/31/2012 539,000 525,000 302 67th St. 1450 50x100 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
12/31/2012 1,000,000 800,000 303 68th St. 2000 4 Br/3 Ba SFR
12/31/2012 632,500 507,100 520 74th St. 3232 100x121 3 Br/3.5 Ba SFR, Short Sale
12/31/2012 995,000 940,000 516 83rd St. 1710 3 Ba/2 Ba SFR
01/14/2013 429,000 350,000 5200 Gulf Dr. # 304 1057 2 Br/2 Ba Condo, Short Sale
01/31/2013 425,000 410,000 5200 Gulf Dr. # 502 1169 2 Br/2 Ba Condo
01/15/2013 550,000 525,000 306 56th St. # 2 1620 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
01/18/2013 559,000 500,000 303 74th St. # A 1912 85x109 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
01/18/2013 749,000 700,000 4804 Gulf Dr. 3000 50x90 6 Br/4.5 Ba SFR
01/23/2013 598,000 550,000 208 67th St. 1443 75x105 3 Br/2 Ba SFR
01/24/2013 439,000 405,000 8316 Marina Dr. 1440 83x110 2 Br/2 Ba SFR
01/25/2013 645,000 580,000 520 Bayview Dr. 1970 87x118 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
01/30/2013 559,000 536,750 515 42nd St. 1590 3 Br/3 Ba SFR
01/15/2013 299,900 275,000 212 77th St. 85x98 Vac

 

Source: Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office


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