Siesta Key Luxury Broker Tour Thursday April 16

The following homes will be open from 4PM to 7PM today; with wine and Hors d’ oeuvres being served at each property.

#1. 163 Siesta Drive Priced at $2,695,000 MLS# A3898682
#2. 3910 Solymar Drive Priced at $3,395,000 MLS# A37413
#3. 867 Siesta Key Circle Priced at $5,975,000 MLS# A3903389
#4. 718 Siesta Key Circle Priced at $1,800,000 MLS# A3901811
#5. 4929 Higel Avenue Priced at $3,250,000 MLS# A389180
#6. 501 Beach Road, Unit B Priced at $2,599,000 MLS# A3900245
#7. 7147 Point of Rocks Circle Priced at $1,225,000 MLS# A3898236
#8. 8015 Midnight Pass Road Priced at $1,395,000 MLS# A3896552
#9. 1280 Tree Bay Lane Priced at $1,100,000 MLS# A386289
#10. 1162 Horizon View Drive Priced at $3,300,000 MLS# A3904754
#11. 9211 Blind Pass Road Priced at $2,400,000 MLS# A378326
#12. 9247 Blind Pass Road Priced at $2,599,000 MLS# A352980

The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group ,Nick Herron & Kathleen Herron plan to attend the Siesta Key tour. If you would be interested in any of these Siesta Key homes or condos, please contact us and we would be glad to show you any of these or any other homes or condo on Siesta Key.

South Beach-style street party comes to Sarasota

Sarasota and her islands—we live in such a classy, upscale town and every now and then a party comes along that perfectly highlights the strengths of what Sarasota has to offer. We’re anticipating one classy party on March 21 at the second annual Chillounge Night. This is a street party full of energy, with South Beach style music, dancing, and fine food and drinks. This unique high season event completely transforms our beautiful downtown Art District and historic Palm Avenue into an outdoor lounge.

Chillounge Night is sponsored by Cointreau, Audi, Michelob, Café L ‘Europe, and many other distinguished regional and national sponsors. One of the delights of this beautiful night on the town is that everyone has a great time while benefiting the United Cerebral Palsy of Sarasota-Manatee, Wendy Mann Resnick – Executive Director.

This year’s Chillounge Night will prove to be exotic and chic, with a Brazilian Samba parade, a Kelietza, Juno and Jove fashion show presented by Piper Heidsieck, tango performance by Los Listos Lotus Fire, smatterings of opera and smooth jazz, and 40 inviting lounge areas set up with tropical outdoor daybeds and luxury lounge seating. Café L ‘Europe is sponsoring the VIP lounge, where Nick and Kathleen plan to mix and mingle. VIP tickets include complimentary drinks, food, and Cigars at the Maduro Cigar Lounge.

When you decide to call Sarasota home—whether you live on Casey Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key, St. Armand’s, Longboat Key, or in any of the spectacular golf course homes that surround us, you simply must come out and play when events like these come along. Hope to see you there!

Just visiting? When you’re ready to move here permanently, give Nick and Kathleen Herron a call. After 20 years in the Sarasota real estate business, The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group is perfectly suited to guide you to just the right address among Sarasota’s prestigious waterfront homes and luxury golf course communities. Call 800-789-6580 or email Nick Herron with The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group. We’d love to schedule an afternoon on the Wild Welshman, our vintage 33 foot boat and the perfect accomplice to viewing waterfront properties in style.

Siesta Key…and marching to the beat of a different drum

Witnessing a sunset overlooking the water is an experience in its own right. But there’s something incredibly special about watching the sun go down to the beat of a hundred drums.

Welcome to Siesta Key beach on any Sunday night—and its organic drum circle.

A drum circle can be any group of people playing percussion in a circle with others from the community. The main objective is to share rhythm together, and there is no leader, no form, no rules. People just show up, bringing along drums or tambourines of various shapes and sizes. Some come to watch and listen; others to participate; and some to dance to the earthly rhythms. Nobody is in charge of starting or ending, yet the drum circle traditionally starts about an hour before sunset. For some it is a spiritual experience, and to others it is strictly entertainment. No matter your intention, visiting Siesta Key’s weekly drum circle adds to the richness of the experience of living or visiting Siesta Key on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Some people march to the beat of a different drum—and those are the kind of people that make life interesting. We’ve met so many fascinating people over the years that we have worked in Sarasota real estate. We’ve enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life who have truly achieved success—people who have developed incredible businesses; those who have achieved creative success as authors and artists; and those who have realized their dreams by living in one of the most beautiful waterfront communities in the world—Siesta Key.

Nick and Kathleen Herron with The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group are in tune with the rhythm of real estate in the greater Sarasota area—Casey Key, Siesta Key, Lido Key, Longboat Key, and all of the communities surrounding the barrier islands on Florida’s west coast.

Speaking of drums—you can’t BEAT the price on 708 Casey Key Road this is the least expensive Bay front property on Casey Key. New boat dock and wonderful Gulf beach easement. The home has three bedrooms one bath and a half up stairs and a two bedrooms, one bath non-conforming apartment downstairs, and a three car garage. Reduced to $1,175,000.

Tap to the beat at the beach, bay, or back nine—call 800-789-6580 or email Nick Herron with The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group .

Siesta Key Farmers Market—one more reason why we call this area home.

There’s something fresh and revitalizing about a farmer’s market. Maybe it’s the colors—everywhere you turn, you see vibrant greens, a rainbow of fresh-cut flowers, and the rich browns of specialty coffees and hearty breads.

Perhaps it’s the people-watching. It’s entertaining, actually, to see the all-natural, sun-browned hippy over there, or the grandmother trying to reign in the busy toddler, or the spry lady with the red hat pushing a doggy stroller. It’s like a garden of people in the farmer’s market.

Of course, it’s also the vendors. The muscled guy hauling another crate of organic watermelons. Or the talented musician strumming a guitar and selling his latest CDs.

People, colors, vendors, food! Ahh, the sights and sounds and smells are wonderful. And the Siesta Key farmer’s market in the Davidson Plaza in Siesta Key village tops any other for three reasons: location, location, location! Where else can you start your market morning with a walk on the beach? Every Sunday from 8 to noon, vendors sell, visitors shop, residents smile, dogs wag, children laugh, and organic abounds. Can’t beat it.

The Siesta Key farmer’s market is one more reason (and we have a lot of them) why we love this area. Just last week as we cruised down the Intracoastal Waterway off of Casey Key, we had one of those moments. You know, the kind of moment when you realize—for the hundredth time—that you live here. Even after 20+ years, we still get those moments, especially when nature is showing off. The warm sun, a pair of egrets diving for fish, the warm Florida breeze, a view of Sarasota’s barrier islands…it just doesn’t get any better.

If you’re ready to have one of those moments—when you realize, “we live here!”—call or email Nick Herron or Kathleen Herron with The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group for more information. We specialize in beach-to-bay waterfront properties in Siesta Key, Casey Key, Nokomis, Sarasota, Longboat Key, Lido Key, and all of the surrounding areas. Prefer a golf course home? We’ll show you some incredible values. Call Nick or Kathleen today at 800-789-6580 or email Nick Herron with The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group for more information.

See you at the market!

Old-World Charm—Right Here in Sarasota

In 1930, ten acres of a swampy Sarasota banana grove were purchased by a man named David Lindsay, who hoped to create a botanical garden. With help from a friend who owned a plant nursery, he began transforming the land. Together they planted thousands of tropical plants and dug out waterways, creating an incredible landscape. People started showing up to walk through the gardens, and David began charging 10 cents admission.

In 1940, Sarasota Jungle Gardens was officially opened to the public and has been a popular attraction ever since. Now a home to exotic animals, the park features a tropical bird show, reptile show, the chance to mingle among bright pink flamingos, and so much more. If you’ve never been, you’ve got to make the time. Jungle Gardens is particularly popular for the ages on either end of the human spectrum—young children who haven’t been tainted by visits to bigger and flashier parks and older folks who take the time to smell the flowers. Its old-Florida charm is a rare and treasured experience. You can’t even put Jungle Gardens and other amusement parks in the same sentence—this place has absolutely nothing in common with the polished and crowded likes of Busch Gardens or Disney.

The old-world delight of Sarasota Jungle Gardens is just one of the reasons our area is such a delight. If you live in Sarasota, Osprey, Venice, Casey Key, Siesta Key, Lido Key, or Longboat Key, treat yourself to some of the unique natural beauty of our town. You can never get enough of walking the pristine beaches, but if you add in visits to places like Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, and the Ringling Museum and grounds, you’ll fall in love with Sarasota and her islands all over again.

Visitors, are you ready to relocate? Call Nick Herron and Kathleen Herron with The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group. This rare team is ready to help you find the perfect place to call home on Florida’s west coast and Sarasota’s barrier islands including Siesta Key, Casey Key, Lido Key, Longboat Key, and anywhere in between!

Sandhill cranes, herons…and the Herron Group

“This is birding season, when some birds flock to West Florida for the winter and many more will pass through, in coming months, on their way to their summer haunts,” wrote Cathy Zollo of the Sarasota Herald Tribune in a recent article. “Along with them come the bird lovers, who must eat and stay in hotels and spend money with the region's local businesses. Florida is second only to California in the revenue it collects from the bird-loving public.”

I wonder how many bird lovers came to vacation in Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Casey Key, and the rest of the greater Sarasota area—and ended up buying homes here?

I’d like to take a roll call of all of the homeowners who have arrived in the last ten years. I can imagine filling an auditorium with them and having them raise their hands or shout “here!” when they hear their category. (I wonder if we can borrow the Van Wezel?) Anyway, It might sound something like this:

“Ahem…attention please. We will now take roll. Please respond with a loud “here!” when you hear your category.”

1. Golfers. Here! Here! Here! (You get the idea.)
2. Beach lovers. Here!
3. Tired-of-shoveling-snow-ers. Here! (Note: this is an imaginary roll call so we can use imaginary words.)
4. Suntanners. Here!
5. World travelers who have been everywhere and realize there’s no place like Siesta Key and Sarasota. Here!
6. Birders. Here! Here!

By the way, according to the article, you bird watchers really are called “birders.” Enjoy your Sarasota bird season!

Speaking of birds, I overheard in my gym this morning that when humans feed sandhill cranes, the birds become overly aggressive. The storyteller said that one gentlemen—on the golf course—was severely bitten on his backside by a hungry (but disappointed) bird! The birds were hovering about and the man waved them away, but when he turned his back and bent over toward his golf ball…ouch! It’s never a good idea to feed the wildlife.

While we’re on the subject, I looked up characteristics of the heron—since we are The Herron Group, after all. I was pleased at some of our similarities. Here goes:

1. Water, water, everywhere.

The heron: “The white form of the Great Blue Heron, known as the "great white heron," is found nearly exclusively in shallow marine waters along the coast of southern Florida, the Yucatan Peninsula, and in the Caribbean.”*

The Herron Group: We specialize in distinctive waterfront properties in Sarasota, Florida and adjacent barrier island communities including Sarasota, Casey Key, Siesta Key, Manasota Key, Nokomis, Osprey, Venice, Englewood, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Lido Key & St. Armands, and Bird Key.

2. Adaptable to its environment.

The heron: “Although the Great Blue Heron eats primarily fish, it is adaptable and willing to eat other animals as well.”*

The Herron Group: With over 20 years experience in Sarasota and Siesta Key area real estate, we’ve adapted to shifting winds and subtle or drastic changes in the real estate markets. We can help you navigate the waters of today’s unusual circumstances.

3. Specializes in nest-building.

The heron: “Nests in colonies, sometimes as lone pair. Nest a large platform of sticks, lined with pine needles, moss, reeds, dry grass, or twigs. Placed high in trees, occasionally on ground.”*

The Herron Group: Buying a home is a lot like building a nest. The right tree—or neighborhood—makes all the difference in the world. Choosing the right Realtor® is the first step, and Nick Herron and Kathleen Herron with The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group are poised to help you find just the right home on Florida’s west coast and Sarasota’s barrier islands of Siesta Key, Casey Key, Lido Key, and Longboat Key.


*Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Siesta Key Real Estate Update

Siesta Key Real Estate Sales Report

Our last Siesta Key real estate market report was in July at the end of the 2nd quarter of 2008 when we reported 264 active single family homes for sale on Siesta Key Florida. Condos are reported on our Siesta Key condos blog.

Current stats from the Sarasota MLS Report:

265 active single family homes on Siesta Key

22 homes are in escrow (pending or backups needed)

106 single family homes have sold year to date

Closed properties (solds) ranged in price from $252,500 to $8,000,000.

For more Siesta Key and Casey Key Florida homes for sale, click to Casey Key real estate, our main website to search all properties for sale. The Herron Group markets Sarasota's finest waterfront and country club communities including Longboat Key.

Search all Florida real Estate on our RE/MAX site. Statistical information, virtual tours, photos and neighborhood info on this national site.