Watch The Today Show Rate Sarasota as the Best Place to Buy a House

Here's what we saw this morning on NBC's Today Show — Real Estate Expert Barbara Corcoran ranking Sarasota as the best place in the United States to purchase a house.

Check out this video:

Corcoran extols Sarasota as a sophisticated town with gorgeous beaches. Sarasota sustained a 34-percent loss in the housing debacle, Corcoran says. She goes on to say that property prices are "shooting back up" and that prospective buyers must act quickly to take advantage of the bottom.

"Now is the time to buy in these markets," Corcoran says.

NBC's real estate expert then ranks the Top 10 places where you can expect the get the best home buy:

1. Sarasota, Florida
2. San Francisco, California
3. Lansing, Michigan
4. Marietta, Georgia
5. Grand Rapida, Michigan
6. St. Petersburg, Florida
7. Naperville, Illinois
8. Trenton, New Jersey
9. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Saginaw, Michigan

We who live and sell in Sarasota also rank our town as the best place to live after you buy.

For more information, please call:

Louis Wery, CIPS, CRS, ABR, TRC, CLHMS
Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC
201 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 1
Longboat Key, Florida 34228
Direct: (941) 232-3001
www.LouisWery.com

Game On! Discover Free Things To Do on Florida's Cultural Coast

Summers tend toward the quiet side so I amused myself by looking for free things to do in Sarasota & Her Islands and, in the process, I discovered a lot about our generous community.

You might try the exercise, which entertains without breaking into your wallet or maxing out your credit cards!

To help you get started, please visit Sarasota For Free and let me know what you think. This resource is interactive and allows you to add ideas and change rankings. You even can take a quiz about Sarasota.

Even in the most prosperous times, it's fun to discover ways to enjoy Sarasota & Her Islands without spending money. This wealthy community shares its bounty with residents and visitors. Open your eyes to the gifts that Florida's Cultural Coast offers.

With edgy economic times, the freebie game becomes even more satisfying.

Many visitors to our area rank St. Armands Circle as the best place to go for free entertainment. They walk around The Circle, watch and listen to the international chatter of other tourists and stroll down to Lido Beach for the spectacular sunset. Some happen upon The Ring of Fame that was started in 1988 and includes five Ringling brothers, Dolly Jacobs and Karl Wallenda, patriarch of the famous Flying Wallendas high-wire act.

No matter what pastimes you prefer, you will find myriad choices to occupy your time in Sarasota. Add to your fun by trying some of the freebies shown on Sarasota For Free.

After all, it's all about having fun in Sarasota!



For more information, please call:

Louis Wery, CIPS, CRS, ABR, TRC, CLHMS
Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC
201 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 1
Longboat Key, Florida 34228
Direct: (941) 232-3001
www.LouisWery.com

Cougar Town Ruins Sarasota's Reputation

"Forget the reputation as a home for retirees and senior citizens; the Sarasota area is about to be known as “Cougar Town,” writes Jay Handelman in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

If you watched the first episode of the new ABC comedy starring Courtney Cox as Jules Cobb, then you saw that the opening credits set the location in the Sarasota area, called the town Gulf Haven and nicknamed the place Cougar Town after the high school football team.

After the set up clips of Sarasota, the shooting locations shifted to California where similar Mediterranean-styled houses abound.

A 40ish real estate agent, Jules (Courtney Cox) parodies the profession with a revealing photo on her For Sale signs and a mouth that begs for prospects to overhear her snarky comments (which I won't repeat in a G-rated blog).

Here is a relatively clean videoclip:



After a passing reference to incest, Jules (Courtney Cox) flashes one of her son's classmates in an effort to show off her assets.

As it turns out, the only character with smarts is Jules's teenage son, Travis, played by Dan Byrd. The adults could use time in rehab.

The show ends up more on the sad side than hilarious.

As for reality? Yes, like Any Town USA, Sarasota has its share of "cougars," women between the ages of 30 and 40 who date much younger men. We also have our December-May romances.

Best of all, we love the many wealthy dowagers who bless our community with impeccable style and culture as well as incredible generosity. These ladies support Sarasota's claim to the sobriquet "Florida's Cultural Coast."

For more information, please call:
Louis Wery, CIPS, CRS, ABR, CLHMS
Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC
201 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 1
Longboat Key, Florida 34228
Direct: (941) 232-3001
www.LouisWery.com

Beyond Curb Appeal

In real-estate jargon, curb appeal gauges a buyer's first impression on seeing a home for sale. The cliche "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" rings just as true for houses as for people.

When sellers decide to put a house on the market, they spiff the place up by installing exterior decorations, re-painting or updating the landscaping. 

Perhaps they watch one of the television shows such as Designed to Sell, House Doctor or Flip This House to learn how to improve curb appeal in hopes of garnering a higher selling price.

Once the house looks as good as possible, the sellers call their real estate agent to put the property on the market.

Dream houses follow a different script.

The owners love living in their dream home and care for every detail from the beginning. When the time comes to sell, the sellers do not worry about curb appeal because that quality stayed with the property from Day One.

That's the story of this home in the Del Sol Village neighborhood of Longwood Run in northeast Sarasota, a short hop from I-75.

Watch this short video showing this beautiful home tucked away from the daily hustle:



From your first look, you see a beautifully landscaped lawn with tropical planting. Perched on the banks of a lake and preserve, the home offers changing scenes of migrating wild birds and other beautiful flora and fauna.

Your excellent first impression continues when you enter this perfectly maintained home and see the floor plan designed to flow smoothly from space to space. The rooms are large enough for entertaining yet carry a feeling of sociability. The gourmet kitchen serves as a gathering place for informal entertaining.

Enjoy touring! Perhaps you will make this home your dream home, too.

For more information, please call:
Louis Wery, CIPS, CRS, ABR, CLHMS
Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC
201 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 1
Longboat Key, Florida 34228
Direct: (941) 232-3001
www.LouisWery.com

Sarasota Draws Glam Residents

When Arthur Ferrante died Saturday on Longboat Key, my wife asked if I remembered him and his piano partner, Louis Teicher, who died last year in Sarasota. Never heard of either of them, I replied.

After all, I was a pre-teen living in Africa and then England when Ferrante & Teicher garnered billboard recognition for four big American hits: "Theme From The Apartment" (#10 on the pop charts), "Exodus," (#2), "Tonight" (#8), and "Midnight Cowboy" (#10).

Of course, I remember the movies scored by these Julliard-trained musicians.

Interesting that, when they stopped performing in 1989, they both chose the Sarasota area.

That started me thinking that so many celebrities seek haven here, perhaps because Sarasotans let celebrities enjoy the community without interference. I remember strolling the Circle (St. Armands Circle on Lido Key, just west of downtown Sarasota) one long-ago Christmas Day and seeing Jerry Springer with his entourage. Springer kept looking around for who-knows-whom. Papparazzi? Fans? Groupies? No matter, the people sharing that warm holiday afternoon studiously ignored him.

Springer relaxed and seemed to forget himself, too, and maybe that's why he keeps his house on Bird Key.

Other famous living residents with homes in the Sarasota area include founding member of the Allman Brothers Band Dickie Betts, celebrity tennis coach Nick Bollettieri,  food writer Marcella Hazan, AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson, author Stephen King, tennis champions Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles, Comedian Dick Smothers, Canadian opera soprano Teresa Stratas, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, singer Bobby Vinton, fashion designer Adrienne Vittadini, and ESPN college basketball analyst Dick "Awesome Baby!" Vitale.

Listen to Ferrante & Teicher and remember:



For more information, please call:
Louis Wery, CIPS, CRS, ABR, CLHMS
Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC
201 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 1
Longboat Key, Florida 34228
Direct: (941) 232-3001
www.LouisWery.com

Autumn Tiptoes into Sarasota

Yes, the calendar says that today is the First Day of Autumn yet the highs still hit the 90s.

After fanning yourself through the harsh summer, you feel a stirring of energy. The heat index drops and the humidity eases a tiny bit.

If you look closely, you discern slight changes in color and light, from burnt to vibrant and from hazy to clear.

Magnolias (pictured at left) at University Park demonstrate the edges of autumn. Walking paths trundle through patches of wildflowers. Mornings and evenings feel cooler. People stroll St Armands Circle and the Main streets of Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch.

And our beloved Snowbirds begin their migration south bringing a revivifying energy to the cultural events that abound on Florida's Cultural Coast during high season. Year rounders feel renewed.

Watch this video to see a lovely home that showcases Sarasota's seasons. As you stroll the walking paths, you see wildflowers that signal the fall season with typical Sarasota subtlety. Anglophiles will appreciate the garden bench positioned for admiring the garden. Take along a favorite book and bask in the serenity of this private place for meditation or reverie.



For more information, please call:
Louis Wery, CIPS, CRS, ABR, CLHMS
Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC
201 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 1
Longboat Key, Florida 34228
Direct: (941) 232-3001
www.LouisWery.com

Sarasota : Culture by the Sea

Sarasota has long been considered the cultural center of Southwest Florida. For a city its size, Sarasota has a definite cosmopolitan flair, due in part to its numerous theaters, museums, festivals, public and private art galleries, restaurants and shopping areas.

It's an eclectic town, gathering its inspiration from an international influence. Casual yet discriminating, Sarasota has managed to corner the best of everything while maintaining an outdoorsy, friendly atmosphere.

Much of the credit for Sarasota's commitment to the arts has to go to John Ringling, who first came here in 1912 while searching for a winter headquarters for his circus.

In the mid-1920's Ringling built an ornate 30-room residence complete with marble floors and wrought-iron balconies. Styling it after the Doges Palace in Venice, he named it Ca'd'Zan --House of John.

Ringling traveled the globe searching for art treasures, and built on his property a monumental gallery in which to display them. With its ornamental gardens, fountains and statuary, the gallery resembles a 15th-century Italian villa.

Today these buildings are part of the Ringling Museums complex, which is open to the public and houses a collection of more than 1,000 paintings, as well as hundreds of pieces of sculptures, furniture, coins, clocks, tapestries and musical instruments.

Among the artists represented in the Ringling's collection are such old masters as Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, and Gainsborough, as well as a contemporary collection that has been added since Ringling's death.

Also located in Sarasota is the Ringling School of Art and Design, which has a national reputation for training students in the visual arts. It's ranked in the top tier with Pratt, Rhode Island School of Design and some of the other schools in the country. Founded in 1931, the school is the oldest independent institution of art and design in the southeast.

In recent decades, the citizens of Sarasota have built on Ringling's foundations, adding such cultural showcases as the Van Wezel Peforming Arts Hall, an elegant setting for symphony concerts, Broadway musicals and international artists. Sarasota also has its own opera company, which employs world renowned singers, a full orchestra, and performs in its own theater.

For more natural beauty, the Selby Botanical Gardens provide room for a quiet stroll.

Golf was first introduced here in 1885, making Sarasota the birthplace of American golf. Throughout the area are 33 golf courses, including such fine courses as The Concessions, The Founder's Club, University Park Country Club, and Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club.

Sarasota is a water wonderland, offering all kinds of water recreation, including boating, water-skiing and wind surfing. It is definitely a world class paradise to savor a luxury lifestyle of the finest vintage with beautiful sunsets, rippling waters just at your doorstep. The time to come is now since tomorrow might be to late...

For more information, please call:
Louis Wery, Broker Associate, CIPS, CRS, ABR, LHMS
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Inc.
201 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite One
Longboat Key, Florida 34228 USA
Direct Line: 1-941-232-3001