MANATEE - The bad news: the number of existing-home sales fell 8 percent in Bradenton-Sarasota in January, compared to a year earlier. The good news: Bradenton-Sarasota was the second strongest performing market in the state, which saw the number of sales fall 27 percent.
Helping more homes change hands was a 20 percent fall in the [...]

Across Southwest Florida, real estate agents are reporting sales, showing activity and buyer interest that suggests the region could be emerging from its real estate doldrums.
In January, Michael Saunders & Co.’s call center received 3,375 serious inquiries, “which matches almost exactly the call activity at the height of the boom,” said spokesman Tom Heatherman.
In January [...]

Local real estate professionals reacted to the final sales figures for 2006, released Thursday by the Florida Association of Realtors, by saying the market correction has plateaued and the local real estate industry is likely on the rebound.
The final statistics for existing single-family homes showed that sales in the Bradenton-Sarasota market fell 34 percent in [...]

A local development firm is proposing a massive mix of hotel rooms, condominiums and commercial space for a downtown site on U.S. 41 that would rival the planned Sarasota’s Quay revival in financial size and scope.
Lion’s Gate Development Group Inc.’s plans call for as many as 300 upscale condos and 250 hotel rooms operated by [...]

Alinari at Rosemary Place, a luxury condominium project in downtown Sarasota, is offering buyer incentives until Jan. 31, 2007.
The tower is entering its last phase of construction and qualified buyers can receive a pre-paid college savings plan for one child or grandchild. Those interested in a more traditional incentive can choose a 4 percent discount [...]

A year after the first visible slowdown in the local real estate market, real estate agents are still feeling the effects.
The third quarter of 2006 saw single-family existing home sales plummet 34 percent from the year before while condo sales tumbled 55 percent in Bradenton-Sarasota. It was the third quarter of 2005 that first showed [...]