About Sarasota, Florida & Sarasota, FL Real Estate

Warm temperatures year-round, award-winning beaches, and a thriving art and cultural scene have made Sarasota, Florida a go-to place for retirees and families, not to mention a handful of celebrities.

Sarasota, Florida is located about 50 miles south of Tampa on the central west coast of Florida. Sarasota, Florida is renowned for its cultural, environmental amenities, beaches, and resorts. Sarasota, Florida is known as the "Cultural Capital of Florida" because of the abundance of arts and cultural amenities that Sarasota, Florida has to offer. Sarasota, Florida is located in the southwest Florida region and is about an hour from Tampa, Florida, and two hours from Orlando, Florida. Sarasota, Florida continues to attract new residents with great restaurants and plenty of shopping options.

Sarasota, Florida offers a multitude of neighborhoods and subdivisions available that offer home buyers a diverse selection of homes for sale. That’s why many young professionals and retirees make in Sarasota, Florida their home.

Sarasota, Florida’s Pioneering real estate developers J.H. Gillespie and Owen Burns are primarily responsible for creating Sarasota Florida’s civic infrastructure, but circus mogul John Ringling most notably known for Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus receives the credit for the artistic vibrancy that characterizes modern Sarasota today. 

John Ringling and his brother Charles, began purchasing land in Sarasota in 1911, and beginning in 1912, John and his wife Mable made Sarasota their winter home and you can take tours of the John & Mable Ringling estate still today.

During the 1920s, there was the Florida Land Boom and John Ringling was a powerful name in Florida real estate: at one point the Ringling Family owned more than 25% of Sarasota Florida’s total area. John Ringling purchased St. Armand’s Key in 1917, and developed its unique urban plan of residential and shopping centers laid out in a circle, known today as the chic shopping and dining district, St. Armand’s Circle. 

Also, located in Sarasota, Florida is Siesta Beach located on Siesta Key, which continues to be ranked high on the “Top Beach” lists by worldwide travelers and renowned coastal experts. The sand on Siesta Beach is nearly 100% quartz-crystal sand and is like walking on a cloud that never gets hot under the Gulf Coast sun and tropical weather. There have been some recent additions to the area with a new playground for kids, a renovated Sarasota School of Architecture pavilion and 150 additional free parking spaces have helped Siesta Beach continues to delight beachgoers year after year.

 Here is a list of recent awards bestowed upon Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida:

• 2020 #1 Beach in America by TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice™ awards
• 2020 #11 Beach in the world by TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice™ awards
• 2017 # 1 Beach in America by Dr. Beach
• 2017 #1 Beach in America by TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice™ awards 
• 2015 #1 Beach in America by TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice™ awards
• 2011 #1 Beach in America by Dr. Beach

Whether you’re relocating to Sarasota, Florida for a new job or searching for the best place to settle down within the city, there are tons of neighborhoods throughout the Sarasota, Florida area that fit any lifestyle!

Realtors Guide To Sarasota Real Estate

Learn all there is to know about the Real Estate market by top Sarasota, FL Realtor, Dan Larson of RE/MAX Anchor Realty. If you have any questions about anything to do with Sarasota, Florida, and specifically Sarasota Real Estate, please get in touch.

There are very few Realtors in Sarasota that have the track record of being a top producer year after year.

Sarasota, Florida is located in Sarasota County, Florida, and is about 60 miles south of Tampa, Florida and 75 miles north of Fort Myers, Florida.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Sarasota has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67 km²), of which 14.9 sq mi (38.6 km²) is land and 11.0 sq mi (28 km²) is water. Sarasota, Florida is bordered by: Bradenton, Florida to the north and Osprey, Florida to the south.

Sarasota, FL offers residents a blend of rural and urban qualities including excellent public services, well-respected public schools, and a full-service community. As a Realtor working in Sarasota, it is easy to see why the community has really flourished over the last few years.

What’s The Sarasota Real Estate Market Like?

Housing in Sarasota, Florida mainly consists of single-family houses on lots of less than 0.25 acres. Then there is East Sarasota, where there is still a lot of agricultural land, where many families are on larger acreage parcels, to keep their horses and livestock. What you will begin to notice while scoping out the community as a place to live is the diversity of housing. You will find condominiums from around the $100,000 range to homes in that are in the multi-million dollar range. However, The bulk of Sarasota’s real estate happens to fall between the mid two hundred to mid four hundred thousand dollar price range.

While looking through the various neighborhoods in town you will see an abundance of slab ranches. These homes have been popular over the years with the young professional first-time buyer, as well as the older empty Nestor’s looking for one-floor living. You will also find some very nice executive homes as well in various neighborhoods scattered throughout the town. One of the attractive things about Sarasota is you have a plethora of great shopping and restaurants along US41 as well as a bustling downtown. 

Realtors in Sarasota find plenty of business to go around as Sarasota has more Real Estate transactions in a given year than any of the other surrounding communities. Over the last few years, the Sarasota real estate market has been an outstanding performer. The amount of transactions in Sarasota has gone up significantly. In fact, the town has been one of the top real estate performers in the Southwest Florida area. From a Sarasota Realtors perspective, it is a great place to sell due to the high volume of real estate transactions that take place every year along with diverse housing stock.

If you’re in the market to buy Real Estate in Sarasota FL, you will find many residential options to choose from. Whether you’re looking for luxury and estate homes, single-family homes, townhomes, or short sales. We Are top Sarasota FL Real Estate agents that can help you find exactly the type of property you are looking for!

Housing & Population Statistics

As of 2019, Sarasota’s population is around 58,285 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of about 11 percent. There are 3,959 people per square mile (population density). The median age is 41 35.3% of people are married.  The average household size is 2.12 people.

Climate For Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida has a humid subtropical climate. Sarasota gets around 53 inches of rainfall per year. There are distinct rainy and dry seasons, with the rainy season lasting from June to September, and the dry season from October to May. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is around 106. On average, there are 251 sunny days per year with August highs around 89 degrees and January lows around 52 degrees.

Sarasota, Florida Economy

Sarasota’s unemployment rate as of July 20202 was 10.10%, prior to COVID-19, Sarasota’s unemployment rate was 2.70 % since Sarasota Florida relies heavily on tourism, which has impacted the unemployment rate while bars, hotels & airlines are all being affected by COVID-19. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 34.16%. The sales tax rate is 7.00%, what makes Florida popular as a retirement state, is that Florida doesn’t have any state income tax. The income per capita is $24,416, which includes all adults and children. The median household income is $40,398.

Population by Occupation

• Management, Business, and Financial Operations 18.13%
• Professional and Related Occupations 29.63%
• Service 17.08%
• Sales and Office 23.15%
• Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 0.12%
• Construction, Extraction, and Maintenance 5.65%
• Production, Transportation, and Material Moving 8.87%

Sarasota, FL Public Schools

Sarasota, Florida has 24 public schools that are part of the public school district. The Sarasota County Public Schools include:

• Bay Haven School of Basics Plus
• Booker High School 
• Booker Middle
• Gocio Elementary
• Emma E Booker Elementary
• Tuttle Elementary
• Sarasota High
• Alta Vista Elementary
• McIntosh Middle
• Fruitville Elementary
• Tatum Ridge Elementary
• Southside Elementary
• Brentwood Elementary
• Brookside Middle
• Phillippi Shores Elementary
• Riverview High School
• Wilkinson Elementary
• YMCA Triad - Sarasota
• Suncoast Polytechnical High School
• Oak Park School
• Lakeview Elementary
• Ashton Elementary
• Sarasota Middle
• Gulf Gate Elementary

Colleges/Universities in or Nearby Sarasota, FL

• Ringling College of Art 
• New College of Florida
• State College of Florida Sarasota - Manatee
• Eckerd College
• University of South Florida - St. Petersburg Campus
• The University of Tampa
• Florida Gulf Cost University

Sarasota, Florida Parks

• Bayfront Park
• Pinecraft Park
• Payne Skate Park
• Arlington Park Sarasota
• South Lido County Park
• Bird Key Park
• North Water Tower Park
• Sapphire Shores Park
• Whitaker Gateway Park
• Selby Five Points Park
• Lime Lake Park
• Centennial Park
• Ken Thompson Park
• Eloise Werlin Park
• Tuttle Walkway Park
• Ted Sperling Park Trail
• 17th Street Paw Park
• Newton Estates Park
• Laurel Park
• Gillespie Park
• Phillippi Creel Levee Trail
• Waterfront Park
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park
• St. Armands Circle
• Youth Athletic Complex
• So. Lido Nature Park / Kayak Launch
• Lukewood Park North
• Shenandoah Park
• Royal St. George Park
• Charles Ringling Park
• West John Ringling Causeway Park
• Free Glossie Atkins Park
• A.B. Smith Park
• Eastwood Park
• Avion Park
• David Cohen Park
• Circus Trail Nature Park
• Robarts Memorial Park
• Firehouse Park
• Mary Dean Park
• Lukewood Park South
• Nathan Benderson Park
• Pioneer Park
• Circus Hammock
• Celery Fields
• Central Broadway Park
• Orange Ave. Park
• Charles Hegener Memorial Nature Walk
• Seminole Linear Park
• City Island
• Fruitville Park
• Links Plaza Park
• Colonial Oaks Park
• North Lido Beach Park
• Sarasota Bay Walk
• Ackerman Park
• Indian Beach Park
• McClellan Park
• Gulfstream Park
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Hospitals/Medical Centers in or Nearby Sarasota, FL

• Sarasota Memorial Hospital
• Coastal Medical Center
• Elite Health
• Doctors Hospital of Sarasota
• Lakewood Ranch Medical Center

Transportation and Commuting Statistics

Sarasota, Florida is located about halfway between Tampa and Fort Myers, Florida. Highway facilities connect these major centers and other communities in the Greater Sarasota Metro Area. The town is served by Interstate 75 and two state highways including US 41, US 301.  Sarasota Ari travel is served by Sarasota - Bradenton International, along with Tampa International Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport, located in Fort Myers Florida.

Sarasota, FL Restaurants

Sarasota has a ton of great restaurants with numerous choices along US 41 as well as other parts of town. Below is a sampling of some of the best-known places to eat.

• Blu Kouzina – Greek style
• Duval's Fresh. Local. Seafood – Seafood
• Dolce Italia – Italian
• Pub 32 Sarasota – Pub style food
• Tsunami Sushi & Hiachi - Japanese Fair
• El Toro Bravo – Mexican
• Antoine's Restaurant – French/Belgian
• Elenis Pizza Works – Pizza
• Madison's – Upscale Dining

Sarasota Florida Realtor – Why Choose A Top Producer?

If you’re thinking about selling your home, investment property, condominium, or other Sarasota FL Real Estate, allow us to help make the sale a smooth and pleasant experience.

When going about interviewing Sarasota FL Realtors there should be a number of important things you look for in the interview including the agent's past track record of success, statistical data such as list price to sale price ratios, and average days on market, along with their communication and marketing skills. While putting a SOLD rider on your lawn is our #1 goal, we also expect to make you feel like selling your home was a pain-free experience! We would welcome the opportunity to discuss why we’re a well-respected Realtors servicing Sarasota Real Estate owners and how our client's homes become featured in the limelight online.

There are no other Realtors in Sarasota FL who are providing the level of online exposure found here through social media integration or search engine optimized results! If you are planning on selling your home, internet marketing is one of our specialties. There are not many Realtors who do what it takes to make your home seem like it is “featured” everywhere.

Your property will be found in all the top places that most buyers would be searching for Sarasota homes for sale, including this website which is highly indexed by Google and other search engines. The idea of great real estate marketing does not stop at putting a for sale sign in your yard and listing on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

We leave no stone unturned when it comes to marketing our client's homes and condominiums. As far as Real Estate advertising goes, you will find that we do things that other Realtors do not, including spending time on social media and search engine optimization. Seeing your home featured in Facebook, Google Plus, Linkedin and Twitter to name a few, are the norm, not the exception. Additional things that help us stand out to include exceptional photography from professional photographers, vivid descriptions describing all the best features of your home, along with a video tour that will be found in Youtube, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, and MLS.

If you are in the market to buy, you will find a variety of residential options to choose from to fit your lifestyle budget and needs. Whether you are looking to purchase an affordable in-home outside of Sarasota or an executive home, let us be your guide to the Real Estate market as a top Sarasota FL real estate agent.

Sarasota, Florida is The Larson Team's specialty. Our team is committed to making the buying and selling of homes in Sarasota, Florida a pleasurable and rewarding experience. Our website allows you to search all active Sarasota, Florida homes for sale. It is easy to use and navigate through Sarasota, Florida home searches. You can also save searches and get daily email alerts of new listings as they become available.  Show Less...