Sarasota Information

Moving to Sarasota with school-age children? You’re in luck. The Sarasota, Florida school district is one of the best in the state and both public and private schools in the area are highly rated in general. Since the quality of area schools also affects home values, this is good news for those who don’t have children but who want to invest in Sarasota, FL real estate, as well.

Since Sarasota is not as densely populated as other urban areas, there’s only one Sarasota, Florida school district—Sarasota County Public Schools. The district administers 64 schools, including special, alternative and charter schools, and its budget per student is significantly higher than the state and country average.

As previously mentioned, while schools here are generally of a high quality, there are those that consistently stand out from the rest. Here’s a brief look at some of the most highly rated public...

When it comes to great art in a small town Sarasota, Florida ranks number one. According to a poll by American Style Magazine, Sarasota was voted the number one art city with a population under one hundred thousand. There have been many art influences on Sarasota Florida, but on was unlike any other.

John Ringling, of the Ringling Brother and Barnum and Baileys Circus, had great impact on the city of Sarasota Florida. The Ringling estate contains two circus museums a fine art museum and a theater. If you’re an outdoors person there are still great art opportunities in Sarasota. The first Wednesday of the month there is an evening performing arts show on the St, Armand’s Circle. There are also live performances in downtown Sarasota on Friday nights where you can take in dinner...

How the Appraisal Report Affects Sarasota Home Owners

The appraisal plays an important role in almost every mortgage in Sarasota. While some loans will allow property inspection waivers, or PIWs, in lieu of an appraisal, most lenders will want to establish some idea of what the property is worth prior to lending. Since the home is the only thing the lender has to secure the loan, a low appraised value can cause some major issues for borrowers hoping to buy or refinance their dream home. By law, most loan types require the lender to provide a copy of the appraisal to the borrower. Upon first glance, the appraisal can come across as very confusing and tough to understand for someone who has never seen one before. This simple guide will help walk you through the highlights of...

Festive Holiday Fun For The Whole Family!

The 6th Annual Snow Fest Sarasota!

It's the 6th annual Snow Fest Sarasota! Whether you're a child or just a child at heart, everyone is sure to have a ball at this fun filled event. Over 250 tons of snow are being trucked in to transform the area into a real winter wonderland! Catch live performances by ReFlex Arts Dance and Ovation School of Musical Theater, hop inside the 16' snowglobe, sing along with the carolers, then visit with Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty. Other attractions include:

• Santa's Circus
• Snow Tubing & Sculptures
• Pony Rides
• Mrs. Claus's Kitchen and Santa's Workshop
• Carnival...

What the Key Solutions Real Estate Group and Sarasota residents already knew has been confirmed by U.S. News & World Report: Sarasota, FL is one of the best places to live in the USA!

Each year, U.S. News ranks the USA's most populous 100 cities using data from sources like the United States Census Bureau and the Department of Labor. Categories are based on what Americans believe are the most important things to consider when choosing where to settle down, and include such things as a strong job market and quality of life. Using factors such as unemployment rate, cost of living, crime rate, quality of education, and a myriad of others, the resulting list is meant to help readers decide where they should live.

For 2016, ...

The Federal Government is fading out the subsidizing of flood insurance for current policy holders and is not subsidizing flood insurance on new acquisitions. For the cash buyer this means that the decision to buy flood insurance for their at risk home might be a bit more difficult, especially when purchasing a non elevated home. Elevated homes will continue to have relatively low premiums for flood insurance. For the current  home owner there is a mechanism in place for incremental premium increases to the full – non subsidized rate. Unless things change all owners, potential buyers and their real estate and insurance advocates need to understand what to expect and move forward accordingly regarding flood insurance pricing. Both buyers and their agents need to determine specific pricing with quoting using an elevation certificate. The ability to quote insurance “PRE-FIRM“ no longer exists. Each property requires an elevation certificate in order to quote flood insurance. It would be dangerous to generalize...

That old kitchen seems to have been placed as an after-thought by the home builder. It is cramped for working space, there isn't enough storage in the cabinets, and it is just not an appealing place to spend your time. This holds true in our town, one of the biggest complaints about the Sarasota homes for sale are the kitchen setups. This is even more magnafied in our Siesta Key condos that were built in the 1960's and 1970's. There are some great improvement ideas out there, but many of those do not come cheap! If you are like most homeowners you will be looking to relocate within the next several years, so how do you scope out your kitchen remodeling plan without pricing your home out of the local market trying to...