Florida welcomes 85 million tourists in the first 9 months of 2016 It's another record for the Sunshine State, according to Visit Florida.

Florida had 26.9 million visitors from July to September and 85 million during the first nine months of 2016, the most tourists ever.

Increases in Inventory as Market Prepares for Season. The inventory of properties for sale in the two-county area is up by 17.5 percent from last year, and also shows an increase of 3.1 percent from last month, reversing the downward trend that started earlier this year. Year over year, single family home inventory in Sarasota increased by [...]

The building boom north of downtown Sarasota is continuing, as the city’s development review committee this week will consider plans for a new five-story development in the Rosemary District. Rosemary-based architecture firm Halflants + Pichette has designed a 62-unit, mixed-use building at the intersection of Fourth Street and Cocoanut [...]

Sales and Median Prices Up Total closed sales in September in the two-county area are up 2.6 percent over September of last year, with single family sales up 3.8 percent, and condo sales down just under 1 percent. Single family home sales in Manatee County posted a 13.8 percent increase, while condo sales in Sarasota County were up 3.3 [...]

Sales of distressed properties in the two-county area continued to decline in August, down 53.9 percent from the same month last year. Distressed sales in August comprised only 5.8 percent of total sales compared to 12.8 percent last August. [...]

Despite concerns from neighborhood residents and the state transportation agency, a Manatee County developer is marching ahead with plans for a mixed-use Siesta Promenade project at the busy U.S. 41-Stickney Point Road intersection. Benderson Development Co. filed a formal application Aug. 26 to rezone a former mobile home park to allow [...]

Boomer Fuel Housing Boom - Paced by relentless retiree demand, housing starts in Southwest Florida have roared to their fastest rate in nearly 10 years. Construction started on 1,492 single-family units in the region during the second-quarter, a nearly 18 percent gain over the year, according to a new report by data supplier Metrostudy. [...]

Hesitant Sellers Leave Buyers with Fewer Choices - Median sale prices for condos and single family homes continue to increase in both Sarasota and Manatee County. Sarasota County single family homes are up 10.5 percent from 2015 to $242,500, while Manatee County experienced an 11.7 percent jump from 2015 to $279,250. Year over year, [...]

Home prices in Southwest Florida still outpace nation and state increases. Single-family home prices rose 7.8 percent in the Sarasota-Manatee region in June over the year, data provider CoreLogic. Prices jumped a stronger 12.7 percent in Charlotte County. Both regions topped the gains of 7 percent for Florida and 5.7 percent for the U.S. [...]

 21-room Siesta Key Palms Hotel, a boutique style resort with a five-star attitude

New owner has given 1950s building a complete facelift Henry Rodriguez has taken a motel more than a half century old at the gateway to Siesta Key and spun it into a luxury, boutique resort. It's an Old Florida environment — without feeling so old. [...]