What does this mean to you if you’re selling a home?  It means that you should be choosing a company who offers the strongest online marketing available: Sea to Sky Realty!

With our company your home gets showcased not just locally, but also nationally and internationally! Contact us today for a free consultation.

Here is the full story from today´s Herald Tribune:

Online searches for properties at a prominent real estate site showed North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota as the third biggest target in the nation.

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Sarasota – one of the most undervalued U.S. Cities
• Bradenton/Sarasota among the top 3 destinations of foreign home buyers
• Real estate sales in Bradenton and Sarasota on the rise!

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Retire in Style at Saddlebrooke  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)
• Dove Mountain: Nestled in the Foothills  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

A short-term IRS program that ignores lender-forgiven mortgage debt ends Dec. 31; if you need to short sale your home, you should consider listing now!

You may owe federal income taxes in 2013 if you have a short sale, foreclosure after this year. Now is the time to make the hard decision: Are you going to walk away from your underwater home?

Uncle Sam is still giving homeowners until Dec. 31, 2012, to go through a short sale or foreclosure without tax consequences – as long as the lender officially releases the debt.

But on Jan. 1, 2013, the rules change: The amount a lender forgives, ether in a short sale or foreclosure, on a primary residence will be taxable on federal income taxes.

If a bank writes off debt in a short sale, it’s a “taxable event,” and the lender tells the Internal Revenue Service about the deal by submitting a “Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt” at the end of the year. Home sellers must acknowledge the amount when they fill out their federal taxes.

So if a house sold $50,000 short of what is owed on the mortgage, then the selling homeowners will owe federal income taxes on that $50,000. Homeowners would owe $12,500 if they’re in the 25 percent bracket; $7,500 if in the 15 percent tax section.

Homeowners would be on the hook even if the house sold but the bank had not formally forgiven the loan in a letter: The banks must officially sign off in writing before Dec. 31.

“It’s a huge issue – it will be a shock to many taxpayers after 2012,” said Mark Steber, the Florida-based chief tax officer for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service.

The law first came into affect five years ago as the housing market went bust nationwide.

The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 “generally allows taxpayers to exclude income from the discharge of debt on their principal residence,” according to the Internal Revenue Service. “Debt reduced through mortgage restructuring, as well as mortgage debt forgiven in connection with a foreclosure, qualifies for the relief.”

Up to $2 million of forgiven debt can be forgiven this year, $1 million if married and filing separately, according to the IRS.

Homeowners declaring bankruptcy could escape paying income taxes on any cancellation of debt income if the debt is forgiven in the bankruptcy even if the debtor is solvent, said Nick Jovanovich, a board-certified tax attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“Bankruptcy trumps everything,” he said.

Or homeowners might not have to pay income taxes on any cancellation of debt income to the extent that they are insolvent immediately before the cancellation – that is, their debts exceed the value of their assets, Jovanovich added.

Steber and Jovanovich said homeowners should decide now what they are going to do – to give themselves time.

Are you considerung a short sale? Contact us today for a consultation:

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Bradenton / Sarasota ranks high in online interest
• $7,500 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
• short sale

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Waterfor Plantation homes for sale | Carolina Forest Real Estate  (Myrtle Beach Area Real Estate)
• Bay Meadows  (Myrtle Beach Area Real Estate)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

The home consist of 3 rental units, that can be rented seperately or combined if available.

Unit 1 – Upstairs apartment

1 Bedroom
1.5 Bathrooms
1 Living/Dining Room
1 Kitchen
1 Large Balcony

Unit 2 – Downstairs apartment

1 Bedroom
1 Bathroom
1 Large Kitchen
1 Dining Room
1 Living Room with fireplace, opens to pool deck
Open floor plan
Front porch

Unit 3 – Downstairs Studio

1 Combined Living Room/Bedroom
1 Kitchenette with door to pool deck
1 Bathroom

The home offers a huge caged deck with beautiful pool. The oversized, fenced in lot offers two lush, landscaped backyard areas, one on each side of the pool area, with enough space and privacy.

Relax by the pool and enjoy the Old Florida Charme of this special home.

Plenty of parking space availabe.

Rates:

Unit 1:

Jan – April:
$600/week
$1,250/month

May-December:
$500/week
$1,100/month

Unit 2:

Jan – April:
$600/week
$1,250/month

May-December:
$500/week
$1,100/month

Unit 3:

Jan – April:
$500/week
$1,100/month

May-December:
$450/week
$950/month

Cleaning $90
Damage Deposit $300

Contact us for availability and pricing if you need 2 or 3 units

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Bradenton / Sarasota ranks high in online interest
• Bradenton/Sarasota among the top 3 destinations of foreign home buyers
• Vacation home market heats up

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Retire in Style at Saddlebrooke  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)
• Dove Mountain: Nestled in the Foothills  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

The best place in Florida you’re not going

Slow  down and savor the simplicity of life on Anna Maria Island

You know a beach town is a find when the residents aren’t sure they want you  there.

Even though it’s just 33 miles across the water from the skyscrapers of  Tampa, Anna Maria Island is on a slender spur of land at the southernmost lip of  the Tampa Bay, so driving there (no ferry required) requires 90 circuitous  minutes. JetBlue flies direct from JFK twice daily to Sarasota, 45 minutes down  the beach, but Anna Maria’s removal from hubbub makes it a placid town that’s  both easy to reach yet not spoiled by Floridian concrete, chain restaurants, and  condos.

As it is, the speed limit is a lethargic 25 mph, lights are dimmed so  hatching turtles don’t get disoriented, and the only hotels are motels. So most  visitors choose to spread out: About half the houses in town, as well as in the  adjoining (and indistinguishable) Holmes Beach, are available for tourists to  rent by the night. (A Paradise Rentals, aparadiserentals.com, is one of the main  players).

Florida’s southeast coast gets the spotlight, but the western coast — along  the Gulf of Mexico — remains the place to wade far from the sand in ripple-light  (and of course, oil-free) waves. Anna Maria, though originally developed by a  man whose company became part of Nabisco, which built Manhattan’s Chelsea Market  complex, hasn’t given in to rampant construction. There’s one grocery store, old  wooden houses, no cinema — that’s what the nightly sunset is for, although there  is a cute little theatre company — and you can count the stoplights on one hand.

It’s Key West for grown folks. Like the Conch Republic, it even has its own  fantasies of unique autonomy: Residents distinguish themselves from the hoi  polloi in nearby, unremarkable Bradenton by slapping those oval, European-style  national stickers on their car bumpers: “AMI.” Call it polite irreverence.

Instead of booze slushies and tees at Fat Tuesdays, this low-density town  classes it up, tropics-style, with James Bond martinis at the bamboo-and-ceiling  fan lounge Martini Bistro (5337 Gulf Drive). A few blocks away, Beach Bistro,  the most Zagat-endorsed table within a ride radius, takes up residence in an  unlikely concrete waterfront motel. The restaurant is foie gras-ified, and it’s  the area’s big-spending romantic night out, but it’s better to squeeze in at its  tiny Murphy’s Bar, where the menu’s signature hits, such as warm duckling salad  and a sublime tomato soup with sweet cream, are served to customers who require  closer access to professionally crafted cocktails — and less post-suntan  grooming (6600 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach).

If there’s one failing of AMI, it’s a dearth of quality mid-level places to  eat. After he cornered the high end, the Beach Bistro’s owner, Sean Murphy,  opened Eat Here, a more affordably gourmet place that has already aggressively  expanded into Sarasota, too. Here, the staples cater to a sort of “uptown  slumming” vibe that Anna Maria does so well: fish ‘n chips made with local  rockfish, hot dogs trickled with truffle butter, and “shrimpcargots” that  substitute shellfish for snails (5313 Gulf. Dr., Holmes Beach). Even in cuisine,  Anna Maria balances its self-image as a marginal paradise with its  upper-middle-class taste for nice things.

Fortunately, there’s not much need to drive a car. Many locals toddle around  on bikes — the weirder ones use electric golf carts — and Manatee County runs a  free “trolley” bus service down the spine of the slender island (every 20  minutes, 6 am to 10 pm).

Pine Avenue is the historic drag, but don’t expect Worth Avenue in Palm  Beach. There are only four blocks, but they’ve been freshening up in the past  year. An original 1935 home purchased as a kit from the Sears Catalog has been  moved here and restored last year as Really Relish (505 Pine Ave.) a cheerful  and peerlessly curated shop selling cleverly redeemed vintage clothes (such as  re-tailored 1950s swank) and wry “upcycled” creations such as “Scrabble ring”  jewelry made of discarded letter tiles. It’s gathering a deserved following.  Next door, in a 98-year-old cottage, is the Village Cafe at Rosedale, a new  unhurried coffee lounge tarted up with giant photos of ’80s divas and a chill  outdoor deck with magnetic powers.

At the end of Pine, the City Pier, which turns 101 in May, juts 776 feet into  Tampa Bay but has long since been abandoned by the Tampa steamers it was made  for. Now, a shark tooth jewelry maker works weekends and families fish for  mackerel and mullet by lamplight. This month, dolphins have been frequent  visitors.

Still, the nearby ice cream store and end-of-pier diner are so low-key as to  go almost unnoticed. That well-groomed anonymity makes them, and this casual  upscale town on this tiny spindle of land, the rarest kind of attractions.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home on Anna Maria Island or in the Bradenton/Sarasota area, please contact Sea to Sky Realty, the INTERNATIONAL Bradenton / Sarasota Real Estate Company.

Find a vacation rental

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Turnkey Furnished Townhouse on Anna Maria Island
• Bradenton / Sarasota ranks high in online interest
• Anna Maria Island Townhouse – $429,000

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• What Is A Zestimate?  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)
• Retire in Style at Saddlebrooke  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

11413 Perico Isle Cir, Bradenton, FL 34209 (MLS # M5823678)

Immaculate lakefront pool home in sought after Perico Isles. Home features many upgrades including a jacuzzi in the master bath, corian counters in the kitchen and skylights with custom louvers in the living room.The heated self clean pool has just been refinished in August 2011. New paint 2009. Large master suite opens up to back patio. Third bedroom features built in office. Relax on your terraced lanai with views of the lake. Maintenance free community offers gym, tennis courts, pool and clubhouse. Lawn care and landscaping are included in HOA Fees! Nearby Robinsons Preserve offers walking and biking trails, fishing and kayaking. Only minutes from Floridas most beautiful beaches on Anna Maria Island.

Property Type(s): Residential / All, Residential / Single Family

Last Updated	1/31/2012	Tract	Perico Isles
Year Built	1998	Community	n/a
Garage Spaces	2.0	County	Manatee
Total Parking	2	Walk Score ®	6

Price History

Additional Details

Features

Location

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listed with SEA TO SKY REALTY

(view all details for MLS #M5823678)

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Turnkey Furnished Townhouse on Anna Maria Island
• Anna Maria Island Townhouse – $429,000
• - Sea to Sky Realty . Weiss International . The international Florida Real Estate Company

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Home Owner Tax Tips  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)
• Desert romance feeds focus on pool, porches  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

The Tax Foundation says it looks at dozens of state tax provisions to create the ranking –a single easy-to-use score that measures each state’s tax climate against every other state. While some similar studies focus on residents’ tax burden they pay each year, the Index focuses on how a tax system enhances or harms a state’s businesses.

“Even in our global economy, a state’s stiffest and most direct competition often comes from other states,” says Tax Foundation economist Mark Robyn. “State lawmakers need to be aware of how their states’ business climates match up to their immediate neighbors and to other states in their region.”

The 10 best states in this year’s Index
1. Wyoming
2. South Dakota
3. Nevada
4. Alaska
5. Florida
6. New Hampshire
7. Washington
8. Montana
9. Texas
10. Utah

The 10 lowest ranked states in this year’s Index
41. Iowa
42. Maryland
43. Wisconsin
44. North Carolina
45. Minnesota
46. Rhode Island
47. Vermont
48. California
49. New York
50. New Jersey

The Tax Foundation has monitored fiscal policy at the federal, state and local levels since 1937. A copy of the latest report is available on the Tax Foundation’s website.

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Vacation Home in West Bradenton, 2BR/2.5 BA or 1BR/1BA
• Perico Island Pool Home – $299,900
• Bradenton / Sarasota ranks high in online interest

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Fresh Healthy Vending Feeds Green Franchise and Job Opportunities  (U.S. Green Technology)
• Tankless Water Heaters: Good Green Technology Investments?  (U.S. Green Technology)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

California-based John Burns Consulting has ranked Lakewood Ranch as one of the top selling master  planned communities in the United States with 391 new home sales in 2011. Coming  in at number 9, Lakewood Ranch outpaced many other well-established and iconic communities. This is the second year for John Burns Real Estate Consulting’s ranking of top-selling U.S. master plans.

“With our new sports campus, new commercial construction this year totaling  upwards of $150 million, and new rental projects springing up, we’re proud that  Lakewood Ranch has become the premier new-home destination on Florida’s West  Coast,” said Rex Jensen, president and CEO of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Inc., the  developer of Lakewood Ranch. “That is definitely translating into more visitors,  which in turn means more sales.”

Lakewood Ranch saw record-breaking numbers of visitors to its information centers and models during the fourth quarter of 2011, helping to drive last  year’s new home sales.  In the fourth quarter of 2011, close to 7,000 people  visited Lakewood Ranch models and information centers.  “We have something  truly special here.  We have taken bold steps to drive the economy, which has in  turn driven home sales, job creation and has helped us remain a small market  leader in residential and commercial projects,” said Jensen.

This is the second year for John Burns Real Estate Consulting’s ranking of  top-selling U.S. master plans. Last year, Lakewood Ranch was ranked number 14. More than 130 communities across the U.S. were included in the study,  representing nearly 23,000 new home sales during 2011, or nearly 7.6 percent of  the estimated 300,000 new U.S. home sales in 2011. The full report with the top  50 rankings can be found at http://www.realestateconsulting.com.

Lakewood Ranch is the 8,500-acre award-winning master-planned community in  Sarasota and Manatee counties on the West Coast of Florida. Just minutes from  the Gulf Coast beaches, and cultural assets in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch is  already home to more 15,000 residents and features A-rated schools, a hospital,  the Sarasota Polo Club, a 75-acre sports complex, its own Main Street with  theaters, shopping and dining, and four million square feet of commercial  property.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Lakewood Ranch or the Bradenton/Sarasota area, please contact Sea to Sky Realty, the INTERNATIONAL Bradenton / Sarasota Real Estate Company.

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Bradenton / Sarasota ranks high in online interest
• Bradenton/Sarasota among the top 3 destinations of foreign home buyers
• Fla. No. 5 nationally as ‘best for business’

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Retire in Style at Saddlebrooke  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)
• Dove Mountain: Nestled in the Foothills  (Blass Homes – Tucson Real Estate for Sale)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

Looking back on 2011, Florida’s existing home sales rose 8 percent for the year, with a total of 185,921 homes sold compared to 172,462 homes sold in 2010. The statewide existing home median price for 2011 was $131,700; it was $135,900 in 2010 for a 3 percent decrease. In Florida’s condo market, a total of 87,581 units sold statewide in 2011, a gain of 15 percent compared to 76,209 units sold in 2010. The statewide existing condo median price in 2011 was $88,300; it was $90,000 in 2010 for a 2 percent decrease.

Sixteen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported higher existing home sales at the close of 2011 compared to 2010; the same number of MSAs also reported higher existing condos sales.

“Florida’s economy is continuing to strengthen, which is good news,” said 2012 Florida Realtors President Summer Greene, regional manager of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Florida 1st in Fort Lauderdale. “Many people are hoping to take advantage of the current record low mortgage rates and affordable conditions to find their Florida dream home – but overly restrictive lending requirements continue to create barriers to homeownership for qualified homebuyers. To re-energize the housing market and the economic recovery, we need improved access to affordable financing options for qualified buyers and investors.”

In December, a total of 15,290 existing single-family homes sold statewide, a decrease of 2 percent from the 15,546 homes sold in December 2010. The statewide existing home median sales price last month was $134,300, up 1 percent from the $133,000 reported in December 2010, according to Florida Realtors’ data. The national median existing single-family home price was $165,100 in December, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

In the year-to-year comparison for statewide existing condo sales, a total of 6,836 units changed hands last month, compared to 6,985 condos sold in December 2010 for a decrease of 2 percent. The statewide existing condo median sales price in December was $91,900, up 4 percent from the $88,400 reported a year earlier. The national median existing condo price was $160,000 in December, according to NAR.

“Although sales were down slightly in December, they’re up strongly for the year, which reinforces the reality that Florida is in a slow real estate recovery,” said Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. John Tuccillo. “Our expectation is that recovery will continue through 2012. The major obstacle in the market is the inadequate accessibility to financing. Prices are moderating, but we don’t expect too much movement owing to the continuing significance of distressed properties.”

In December, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.96 percent, down from the 4.71 percent average during the same month a year earlier, according to Freddie Mac. The annual average rate for a 30-year mortgage in 2011 was 4.45 percent. Florida Realtors’ sales figures reflect closings, which typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home, please contact Sea to Sky Realty, the INTERNATIONAL Bradenton / Sarasota Real Estate Company.

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Foreclosures made up 20 pct. of home sales in 3Q
• Bradenton / Sarasota ranks high in online interest
• Vacation Home in West Bradenton, 2BR/2.5 BA or 1BR/1BA

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Fresh Healthy Vending Feeds Green Franchise and Job Opportunities  (U.S. Green Technology)
• 2012 Consumer Electronics Show Green Technology Honorees  (U.S. Green Technology)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

When it comes to foreigners looking to plant roots in the United States, Florida is the hot spot.

The Sunshine State is the most popular among foreign home buyers with 31 percent of all home purchases made there coming from foreign residents, according to a study by Credit Sesame, an online credit and loan management firm, that used National Association of Realtors’ data.

Foreign buyers represented $82 billion of the U.S. real estate market in 2010, while in 2009 they represented only $66 billion.

“Housing is more affordable than ever,” said Susan Wachter, professor of real estate and finance at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. “It’s difficult to get credit now but international investors come with cash.”

Foreign buyers also purchase higher-priced real estate.

With international buyers so integral to our market, make sure to list your property with a true international Real Estate Company to achieve the best result. If you are interested in selling contact us to take advantage of our international connections.

More From Bradenton Real Estate

• Canadians buying Florida Real Estate
• - Sea to Sky Realty . The international Florida Real Estate Company
• Results of Luxury Real Estate Auction in Sarasota

Bradenton Real Estate Recommends

• Murrells Inlet real estate and homes | Palm Bay Prince Creek | Murrells Inlet Real Estate  (Myrtle Beach Area Real Estate)
• Waterfor Plantation homes for sale | Carolina Forest Real Estate  (Myrtle Beach Area Real Estate)

Ask Bradenton Real Estate To Recommend Your Posts

Sarasota – Connecticut residents Neal and Sandra DeFeo bought the most expensive luxury property in Sarasota County in December – a 4,239-square-foot house off Shell Road on Siesta Key. The DeFeo’s paid $3.015 million, or $1.1 million less than Kevin D. Cogan paid in May 2006.

All told, 18 luxury homes or condos sold for more than $1 million in Sarasota County last month.

Here are the top 10 Luxury Home Sales in Sarasota for December 2011:

1. $3.015 million: 4083 Shell Road, Siesta Key

Buyer: Neal and Sandra DeFeo
Seller: Kevin D. Cogan

2. $2.4 million: 7100 Manasota Key Road, Manasota Key

Buyer: Jonross Inc.
Seller: Nancy Blackstone Spiegel

3. $2.275 million: 1403 Kenilworth St., Sarasota

Buyer: Robert Bonilla
Seller: Pamela Morris

4. $2.2 million: 8140 Manasota Key Road, Manasota Key

Buyer: Carolyn Joseph
Seller: Harold S. Samhat

5. $2 million: 15 N. Sandy Hook Road, Siesta Key

Buyers: Renee Chase and Edward Aroyan
Seller: Linda M. Boring

6. $1.975 million: 1281 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key

Buyers: Paul and Lisette Jacobs
Seller: Ingrid Leitzen

7. $1.89 million: Luxury condo, the Hyatt Siesta Key Beach, 915 Seaside Dr, Siesta Key

Buyer: Judith K. Peters
Seller: NS/CSE Siesta Key LLC

8. $1.8 million: Luxury condo, Ritz Beach Residences, 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Lido Key

Buyer: Eugene S. Kahn
Seller: Arlene Barsumian.

9. $1.705 million: 929 Casey Cove Drive, Nokomis

Buyer: Steven and Deborah Grossman
Seller: Mary E. Guyton

10. $1.6 million: 751 N. Manasota Key Drive, Manasota Key

Buyer: Robert and Patricia Darroch
Seller: Claude Darroch