Sales activity and median prices for Florida’s existing home and existing condo markets rose in August, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales increased 15 percent last month with a total of 16,206 homes sold statewide compared to 14,131 homes sold in August 2010, according to Florida Realtors. The [...]

The deadline for filing a petition To contest the property value on your TRIM notice is September 9th.
Here’s an informative summary of and commentary about your property taxes:
Tax Notices are Here but What do They Really Tell Us?
BRADENTON — Tax notices are here, but what do they really tell us? Every year at this time, [...]

Good news for all owners of vacation homes on the island:
Visits to the Anna Maria Island/Longboat Key area showed no sign of decline in June, tourism rose 6.5 percent that month compared with June 2010, according to the latest Research Data Services monthly tourism report for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The RDS reported [...]

Nationwide housing affordability during the second quarter of 2011 hovered for the 10th consecutive quarter near its highest level in the more than 20 years, according to National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI).
According to the HOI, families earning the national median income of $64,200 could afford 72.6 percent of all new [...]

Florida Travel + Life recently ranked our beaches on Anna Maria Island as some of the BEST around!
They feature Anna Maria Island as the place that offers an authentic taste of island living with best beaches for long beach walks, cute beach boutiques, chilled-out beach cafés, funky beach bars - and of course they are right!!!
Here’s the article:

Best Florida Beaches: [...]

The median sales price of listed single-family homes in July was $250,000,  the highest since December 2009, according to the most recent multiple listings report from the Manatee Association of Realtors. The median price of condominiums sold, $121,500, is at the highest point since September 2010. That statistic is just one of several positive developments [...]

Most states report some degree of international buying activity. Yet Florida alone accounts for 58% of all sales to international buyers. Moreover, Florida’s share—presently at 31.0%—is higher than the combined shares of California (12.0%), Texas (9.0%) and Arizona (6.0%). This represents a threefold increase in international property transactions in just four years. In 2007, Florida [...]

I just found a nice article about Anna Maria Island on authenticflorida.com with some good ideas on how to spend the day. Of course there is way more to explore on Anna Maria Island.
Enjoy checking out Authentic Florida – and ask us how you can make this living possible for you!

Anna Maria Island
Daring to be Different

If you [...]

You´re in the market for a home and you’ve found what you’re looking for: but what is the value of the home?
A lot of people try to figure out what a property is worth by looking at the tax assessed values. But when you are looking at the assessed value vs market value, there may [...]