Skip to main content
Louise Bolger

Louise Bolger

August 17, 2017
Louise Bolger is The Sun’s Real Estate columnist.
Email Louise Bolger
March 28, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Commissions vs. technology: Local knowledge rules

I’ve never met a seller who didn’t cringe a little at closing when the brokers’ commission checks are cut. They know intellectually that brokers have to be paid, but they frequently never really thin…
March 20, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Priced out of single-family homes? Try a condo

It’s wild out there, and if you read my column last week, you’ll understand just how wild it is. The value of homes on Anna Maria Island is soaring, and it’s not uncommon to see listings not just ove…
March 14, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

And the million-dollar beat goes on

Well, here we are again; three more months have passed as we fight our way through the biggest pandemic in more than a century, but Anna Maria Island’s real estate market hasn’t blinked. The price…
March 7, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Look before you leap

In case you haven’t noticed, there is a pandemic housing fever going around the country. This is putting a lot of pressure on buyers to buy fast, buy online, compromise, and – probably the biggest mi…
February 28, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Cold month, hot market

I have always found real estate to be a very exciting profession. What other job allows and encourages you to peek into people’s closets and check out their favorite shampoo? And right now, real esta…
February 22, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

If you think Macbeth’s witches had trouble, just wait. If the COVID-19 housing bubble bursts, it could be a replay of 2008. To be fair, not everyone thinks there is a bubble. Many real estate prof…
February 14, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Not a good time to fall in love

Stressed-out seems to be the condition we’re all living with. It may not be an actual medical term, but if you have it, you know it. One of the fastest ways to catch “stressed-out” is to try and buy…
February 7, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Boomers rule – again

Babies born after World War II between 1946 and 1964 are generally considered Baby Boomers. Since their numbers were so enormous, they had an effect on the prices of everything from baby furniture to…
January 31, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Real estate outside the box

The first time I heard the expression, “think outside of the box,” was in a real estate seminar when I first moved to Florida. It’s a thought process that can be applied to almost anything in life, f…
January 24, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

New construction surges

Practically every week there is a trend in the real estate market directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health crisis has taken over every aspect of our lives, but it appears that housing an…
January 18, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Move over and make room, there’s more coming

As if the COVID-19 pandemic and political unrest last year and, of course, going into this year, aren’t enough, the Census Bureau started reporting population counts and Florida is one of the states…
January 10, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

New year, new homes

It’s the second week of the new year and it’s probably a good time to outline how homeownership has changed, not just during the past year, but beyond. Design space has had a surprising shift and lif…
January 3, 2021
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Are home sales starting to slip?

It’s a new year and signs are pointing to the possibility that there may also be a new real estate market. We have been enjoying a high number of sales and increasing sales prices for practically all…
December 27, 2020
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Real estate sales surge continues

Happy New Year, are we all just about done with this year? I certainly am. Nevertheless, Anna Maria’s real estate market is not done, and this year has been an immensely successful one in spite of th…
December 19, 2020
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Merry mortgage rate Christmas

It’s Christmas, and many of us in the country are spending the day much quieter than in years past. We can only hope that the vaccine they have promised us will bring our world back to normal and nex…