Cynthia & Preston's Blog

I have a waterfront listing in downtown Sarasota that was owned by the same family continuously from about 1946 until recently. I attended the estate sale held there today, and an old scrapbook of the owner’s was for sale. A couple of pictures caught my eye, and I asked to have them. The Ruth Lu...

Just before the holidays, I attended a seminar given by David Levin, prominent local attorney specializing in waterfront property transactions. Entitled “Red Flags on the Waterfront,” it outlined some of the things Realtors should watch out for as they assist their clients in buying and selling. ...

Effective January 1, 2009, condominium unit owners are required by state law to carry insurance, and condo associations have the right to purchase it bill the unit owners. This has hundreds of calls flooding in to state representatives’ offices from angry condo owners. Insurance can cost from $1,...

Not all waterfront is in the million-dollar category! For sure , some is. But I have a listing, for example, within a mile of downtown Sarasota, and one bridge to the bay, for $215,000! Add a dock and you’ve got a place for a good-sized outboard boat to live in your backyard. I have a listing in ...

Imagine that you own a beachfront property on Florida's Gulf of Mexico. Your seaward property line is defined as the Erosion Control Line ... which means your land has contact with the Gulf. Along comes the government with a beach renourishment project which adds tons of sand, effectively pushing...

"I've been rich, and I've been poor; Believe me, honey, rich is better."  -- Sophie Tucker, American singer, 1884-1966 I've been rich and I've been poor, but whether money is abundant, I've always been a do-it-yourself person. I've paid others to do what I was capable of doing lots of times, beca...

“How much are my property taxes going to be?” This is a question we constantly get from our real estate clients. It’s a reasonable question – property taxes are a factor in the operating cost of any property. To get the answer, I attended a forum featuring the newly-elected Sarasota County Proper...

“How much are my property taxes going to be?” This is a question we constantly get from our real estate clients. It’s a smart question – property taxes are a factor in the operating cost of any property. To get the answer, I attended a forum featuring the newly-elected Sarasota County Property Ap...