Located near the heart of Downtown and the water, this area offers some of the best views of both the city and the bay. It is a quieter area than most other downtown areas. However, it is an expensive are to live in with a new generation of luxury buildings going up. Some of these apartments start out 1,650,000 without waterfront views. Others such as Aqua start at 3 million; this is a highly desireable area attracting buyers like Sarasota’s longtime civic and business leaders. Cheaper finds are available but are much older and likely will need a lot of work, nonetheless a great investment in such a sought after area.
Southgate
Southgate is set in a great location with easy access to north (downtown), south (shopping), east (I-75) and west (the beach—you can ride your bike). It used to be a complaint that it was too far out but with all the expansions of Sarasota it is now at the center of, making it incredibly desirable based off of location alone. Another factor is its mid-century modern design which is one of the most popular current design trends. People like the layout of these 1960s homes with easy remodels to merge the kitchen, living and dining to create an open and spacious floorplan.
Country Club Shores
Located on the south end of Longboat Key another community built in the 1960s. Practically all of the houses are on canals and have a dock in the back yard. It offers great views of the bay and city skyline. Join the Longboat Key Club to enjoy golf, tennis and beach access all right across the street. It is known for being an old fashioned cozy community but with criticisms of being slightly dated, however many new buyers are changing this by tearing down old ranch homes and building multistoried new homes tailored for what luxury buyers are looking for. However, there are still many older homes left up but being elaborately renovated offering higher ceilings, first floor master bedroom, upgraded pools and docks.
Paver Park
Many of these older homes have been fixed up nicely with new families moving in giving it a fresh feel. These homes are incredibly affordable making it easy to afford upgrades on these homes. The location also makes it a sought after area being walkable to Downtown Sarasota. Paver Park offers the perfect starter homes for families buying their first house and as the neighborhood continues to grow also offers great investment opportunities.
Sapphire Shores
This is one of Sarasota’s oldest and wealthiest neighborhoods being next door to John Ringling’s mansion home. It is also a very eclectic neighborhood with an abundance of Romantic homes inspired by the influences of John and Mable Ringling. Thirteen of the 1920’s Spanish mansions still remain. Although there are many very expensive homes in the budget of around 9 million, a few blocks from the water and prices become more reasonable. Homes nearer the North End of the Trail are incredibly cheap offering somewhere around 300,000 for these homes. There is new development within Sapphire Shores called Bellora on a 17 acre parcel with homes already under construction. Prices will start around $1 million.