Anna Maria, City Of Dreams! (Anna Maria, FL)
By Deborah Varelis
(Sato Real Estate, Inc)
Dog Days of Summer I love em!  I know unbearably hot and humid, a/c set so low that your glasses fog up when you walk outside.  A wave of heat like a sauna blast hits you as you open the car door and the steering wheel is slowly but surely branding the inside your hands.  Everyone wants leather seats the world over, except in Florida, we prefer fabric and the skin on the back of our legs, if you please.  Lets not mention the summer proliferation of the things that crawl! Try explaining a giant flying cockroach, is not a cockroach to someone from England.  His response was "WHO CARES, it was 3 #*#* inches long!" our infamous Palmetto Bug strikes again. One recent visitor to our Island called our office several times last week, very worried, surely those thunderstorms of last week were a ...
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By Larry Chatt, I am here to help!
(Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc)
Anna Maria Island Rental Restriction - UPDATE As part of the comp plan a one month rental restriction was passed about one year ago for properties in R1 area in the city of Holmes Beach.  Many of Island Real Estate property owners ask me how could this happen?  Apparently it was discussed in one meeting with little to no communication to the public.  I think it is important to mention the public is invited to all meetings so it's tough for locals as me to play the "victim" role.  More on victimization later. As the G.M. I often predict potential rental income for seasonal rentals on Anna Maria Island.  I feel extremely comfortable predicting that the one month restriction will reduce gross rental income for properties affected by more than 40%.  A typical 4 bedroom home with a pool on a...
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By Cynthia Calisch and Preston Larus
(Keller Williams Realty)
Not everyone shares our tastes (and that may be a good thing!) but we like the places that look like a postcard from the 1950s. A little rough is okay with us, as long as there's character and history. This place surely qualifies and you haven't seen Florida until you've had a meal there. It's the Rod and Reel Restaurant on Anna Maria Island. Google Map We just love this place. It's off the beaten path but so worth the trip! It sits on top of a fishing pier a couple of hundred feet out over the Gulf of Mexico, with a view of the Skyway bridge and more than a few fisherman out there with their hooks in the water. The view alone is worth the ride, the food is good ... oh, and save time to drive around Anna Maria Island, which has retained a good bit of its old Florida charm. No vacation i...
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By Larry Chatt, I am here to help!
(Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc)
Anna Maria Island single family real estate even after our little correction appreciates at 10% year over year on average.  So if you can find an investment that pays for itself through vacation rentals life is really good!  Right? On Anna Maria island vacation rentals are extremely popular.  Anna Maria Island is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida and there are two buildings above 37' and that is it...no more.  So no chain hotels which lends itself to an excellent vacation rental market.  We have 7 miles of Gulf Coast and about 2 miles of the Tampa Bay Coast and the island at its widest point is about 10 blocks. Currently there is a 4-5 bedroom on the market for $425k.  Its about 2 blocks to the Gulf which means it should rent fairly well.  There is no pool but a NICE pool would cost ...
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By Larry Chatt, I am here to help!
(Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc)
In 2008 Anna Maria Island of Manatee county has seen a fabulous upturn.  More specifically, residential property is doing well as compared to 2007.  Anna Maria Island is on the Florida Gulf Coast just South of Tampa and just North of Sarasota and East of Bradenton.  Our little island of 7 miles long and 10 bocks wide has many things to be proud of...in 2007 we were named the #1 hottest travel destination by Tripadvisor.com, our small chamber of commerce was named the best in Florida, and lastly, for decades we have restricted buildings higher than 37 feet.  Sure, we have three separate cities for a 7 mile distance but our Gulf Coast, Tampa Bay coast, and white sand that feels like flour makes up for our local politics. Single Family homes appear to have hit bottom.  Each month in 2008 h...
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By Erin Heckler
(Florida Eye Tours)
You know, somedays I have so many thoughts for the features of our tours, I don't know which direction to follow.  I was a real estate consumer for so many years, I know how much a virtual tour helps maximize the client and the realtor's time.  When I joined Florida Eye Tours, I was so interested in the technology, and the added features.  I know I want to show all the realtors how to maximize their marketing with virtual tours.  I see a lot of info on the blogs about using interactive media, and the idealogy behind using a professional.  I also know that the real estate market has been experiencing such a down turn, that realtors want to save as much money as they can.  That being said, it makes me realize how much I need to spread the word.  If a realtor uses a virtual tour to its max...
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Anna Maria, FL Real Estate Professionals