PRESIDENT 2024

Sarasota Womens Council of Realtors 2024 Board Installation at the Sarasota Yacht Club

From L-R: Zoe Kasper – Marketing Liaison, Alina Kirilenko – Membership Director, Ed Martinez – Treasurer,  Debbie McHardy – President, Stephanie Soffer – Events Director, Julie Snyder – President-Elect, Beverly Perez – First Vice President, Cindy Jaramillo – Business Partner Liaison

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LOCAL MARKET REPORT

New Listings are up from the previous month and have increased by 17% when compared to last year, while Active Listings inventory increased by 10% from the previous month and is up 9% compared to last year.

• The number of units sold decreased from the previous month by 7% and have decreased by 5% year over year.
• Inventory increased by 9% for the same time frame.
• Total Sales Volume decreased by 7% month over month and has decreased by 2% year over year.
• Average Days on Market were unchanged month over month but has increased since last year.

MORTGAGE RATES DECLINE

The average longterm U.S. mortgage rate fell for the fifth week in a row, The latest decline brought the average rate on a 30-year mortgage down to 7.22% from 7.29%. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.49%.The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now at the lowest level it’s been in 10 weeks, when it was 7.19%. The pullback in rates has spurred more buyers off the sidelines. Home loan applications rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% last week from the previous week. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loan, also declined this week, with the average rate falling to6.56% from 6.67% last week. A year ago, it averaged 5.76%.

Selby Gardens Plans January Grand Opening

Selby Botanical Gardens will unveil the first phase of its new look on January 11 to the general public. The grand opening will mark the official debut of the Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility. Selby officials call it the LEAF. It includes the new Green Orchid, a garden-to-table restaurant operated by Michaels on East on the ground floor. The LEAF also features a new gift shop, vertical gardens on the outside walls and a 50,000 sq. ft. solar array that will allow Selby to produce more energy than it uses and make it the first net-positive-energy botanical garden complex in the world. Also on top of the structure will be an edible garden that will be planned, planted and maintained by Operation EcoVets. January 11 will also mark the official debut of the Jean Goldstein Welcome Center, the new visitor center where guests will buy tickets.

Gulf Island water ferry service set to launch

The new Gulf Islands Water Ferry service is set to kick off Friday, Dec. 8, pending final approval. The ferry will shuttle visitors and residents to and from Anna Maria Island and downtown Bradenton. Two 50-foot open air catamarans, Miss Anna Maria and Downtown Duchess, will take riders from the day dock located directly off Riverwalk in downtown Bradenton to Anna Maria City Pier and Bridge Street Pier. The ferry will operate Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Ride times between stops will range from 25 to 40 minutes. A one-way ticket will cost $8 per person. Special pricing will be available for children and seniors.

Two stops added to Bay Runner

The Bay Runner stop at Sunset Drive/Golden Gate Point is back (after being suspended during FDOT construction) and a new stop has been added near Bird Key Park at John Ringling Boulevard/Bird Key Drive. The Bay Runner continues to be a very popular, hassle-free mode of transportation between downtown, St. Armands Circle and Lido Key, with well over a quarter of a million riders during the first 18 months of operation.

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