GreyHawk Landing by Homes by Towne

New Homes For Sale in Bradenton, Florida - GreyHawk Landing by Homes by Towne.

Greyhawk Landing is a delightful, upscale, family friendly neighborhood. This guard-gated community offers exceptional home designs surrounded by pristine lakes, natural preserves, and beautiful wildlife. Extraordinary recreational features abound at Greyhawk Landing such as their enormous lagoon-style pool with water slides, waterfalls and spa.

Your kids will love the playground and it’s many activities. Get your daily workouts in at the fitness center or on the tennis and basketball courts. Enjoy peaceful, walks; runs or bike rides along nearly 2 miles of nature trails. The fishing pier, soccer and baseball fields complete the family experience.

Homes by Towne have models available with a variety of options for you to consider.

Sarasota Makes Top Ten in America's Most Exciting Cities

Sarasota placed in the top ten for America's most exciting cities, with its live music and nightlife where it placed first overall, and active life options being another standout at seventh overall, helped in no small way by its numerous beaches. While its ninth place finish in non-fast food eateries was thanks to its eclectic and individual restaurants, especially in the downtown area.

Florida Will Lead Emergence From Great Recession

News that the economy was growing at a surprisingly robust pace when some were still questioning the basic strengths of a recovery has economists who closely track Florida convinced that the state will lead the emergence from the Great Recession.

More encouraging state and local unemployment figures — and a growing national itch for retirees to again move to the Sunshine State in large numbers — seem to support their contention.

On Friday, the federal government revealed a revised national economic growth rate for the third quarter of 4.1 percent, the strongest in nearly two years.

That came as state government reported that the jobless rate in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties eased again in November, dropping to 6.2 percent. That marked the lowest reading since the start of the deep economic downturn.

Meanwhile, a strong stock market and recovering home prices in the North provide ideal elements for a rebound: in-migration leading to gains in housing and commercial construction, and a spinoff effect for professionals selling everything from insurance to furniture.

Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (December 20, 2013)

Florida to Outperform U.S. in 2014

Florida became the third most populous state in the United States in 2013, bumping New York from its long-standing status and positioning the state for increased economic gains in 2014. According to a report released by TD Economics, an affiliate of TD Bank, strong population growth, income growth and reflation in household wealth will drive the Sunshine State to outperform the nation by a considerable margin in 2014 and 2015.

“Florida experienced a watershed year in 2013,” says Beata Caranci, TD Economics deputy chief economist. “After lagging for six years, its economic expansion allowed the state to reclaim its place of being a national outperformer, alongside a population that is estimated to have swelled to the third largest in the nation, second only to California and Texas.”

TD Economics estimates that Florida’s population will stand 20 million strong next year, an important fundamental for the state’s long-term economic outlook thanks to continued strength in consumer spending and housing demand.

The expansion is on track to hit 2.4 percent in 2013 before accelerating to 3.5 percent in 2014 and 4 percent in 2015. That would outstrip the national pace of 1.8 percent, 2.7 percent and 3.1 percent for those three years, respectively. TD Economics expects the housing, retail, tourism, and professional and business service sectors to fuel the state’s growth over the next two years.

Read more at Florida Realtors®

Sarasota Single Family Home Median Prices Up 20.6%

Median sale prices for single family homes sold in Sarasota County in November 2013 were up 20.6 percent over last November, a clear sign that recent price appreciation in the single family home market is continuing unabated. Single family home prices were at $187,000 this November compared to only $155,000 last November. The median sale price for single family for the 12 month period ending Nov. 30, 2013 was $181,700, up 23 percent over last year at this time ($147,000). Comparing November to October, prices were up slightly for single family from $185,776 last month.

Condo prices were slightly down this November compared to last year at this time - $157,750 compared to $160,000 in November 2012. But the 12-month rolling median, which moderates monthly swings, for condos was $163,000, up 10.1 percent over last year at this time. Condo prices were down 10.9 percent from October's figure of $175,000.

Total property sales in Sarasota County continued to moderate in November 2013. Overall property sales stood at 760 (531 single family homes and 229 condos), compared to 818 in October 2013 (582 and 236, respectively). In November 2012, 552 single family homes and 278 condos were sold.

"The November 2013 statistics indicate that the local market has leveled off at a high sales rate," said SAR President Roger Piro. "Word of mouth continues to indicate strong attendance at open houses, and we seem to be experiencing the traditional increase in seasonal residents and visitors. Judging from past trends, we should anticipate a busy market in the mid-winter and early spring months."

The declining inventory trend appears to have reversed, as there are now 4,288 properties on the market, up from 4,032 last month. Last November, the inventory stood at 4,188 total properties on the market.

Overall, November 2013 pending sales (properties that went under contract during the month) were at 758, down 7.7 percent from the October pending sales of 820. Last November, pending sales stood at 815 total.

"Despite some of the moderating numbers we are seeing, I am still confident in our current market dynamics and Sarasota County's future real estate direction," said Piro. "I consider this period a lull following dynamic growth in sales and prices for almost the entire year of 2013. Once we get into early 2014, I wouldn't be surprised if this market expanded once again."

The November 2013 months of inventory in Sarasota County stood at 5.4 months for single family and 6.1 months for condos. A figure of 6 months is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers. Months of inventory represents the time it would take to deplete the current inventory at the current sales rate. Last November there were 4.8 months of inventory for single family homes and 5.4 months of inventory for condos. In October 2013, the figures were 4.8 and 5.5, respectively.

Currently, 567 properties listed for sale in Sarasota County in the MLS are short sales or foreclosures, compared to 596 properties in October. This represents 13.2 percent of available properties, down slightly from last month's figure of 14.1 percent, due in part to the rise in inventory. Last November, the figure was 15.7 percent.

Sales of distressed properties represented 29.3 percent of the overall sales in November 2013, up from the October 2013 figure of 25.5 percent. In November 2012, the figure was 27.7 percent.

Click HERE for the complete press release in PDF format, plus three pages of statistical charts.

Source: Sarasota Association of REALTORS®

U.S. Home Construction Hits Highest Pace in 5 Years

U.S. builders broke ground on homes at the fastest pace in more than five years, strong evidence that the housing recovery is accelerating despite higher mortgage rates.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that developers began construction on houses and apartments in November at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million. That’s 23 percent more than October’s pace of 889,000 and the fastest since February 2008, just a few months after the recession began.

Construction of single-family homes jumped 21 percent to an annual pace of 727,000, also the highest in more than five years. Apartment construction soared 26 percent to a 354,000 annual pace.

Permits for future building slipped 3 percent to just over 1 million, down from 1.04 million in October. The drop reflected a decline in apartments, which can be volatile. Permits for single-family homes rose.

“Evidently, builders in the field are genuinely confident about the outlook for sales of new single-family houses, despite the rise in mortgage rates,” said Pierre Ellis, an economist at Decision Economics.

The housing market has been improving steadily since early last year, but construction had leveled off this summer after first reaching a 1 million annual pace in March. Last month’s surge comes as mortgage rates remain about a percentage point higher than they were in the spring. That suggests home building will boost economic growth in the final three months of the year.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell to 4.42 percent last week. That’s down from a peak of 4.6 percent in August.

Rates jumped by more than a full percentage point after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke first suggested in May that the Fed would pull back on its $85 billion bond-buying program before the end of the year. The Fed concludes a two-day meeting Wednesday, but most economists expect it won’t start reducing its purchases until January or March.

Home construction soared in the Midwest and South, while it fell in the Northeast and rose modestly in the West.

The surge comes as homebuilders are more confident. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index, released Tuesday, matched an eight-year high first reached in August.

Though new homes represent only a fraction of the housing market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in tax revenue, according to NAHB statistics.

Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press

Home Builders End the Year More Upbeat

Home builders are getting more optimistic over the single-family home market, specifically over current sales conditions, sales expectations, and prospective buyer traffic, according to the December reading of the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

"Following a two-month pause in the index, this uptick is due in part to release of the pent-up demand caused by the uncertainty generated by the October government shutdown,” says David Crowe, the NAHB’s chief economist. “We continue to look for a gradual improvement in the housing recovery in the year ahead."

The overall index rose four points in December to a 58 reading. Any number above 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor.

"This is definitely an encouraging sign as we move into 2014," says Chairman Rick Judson, NAHB chairman. "The HMI is up 11 points since December of 2012 and has been above 50 for the past seven months. This indicates that an increasing number of builders have a positive view on where the industry is going."

The builder sentiment gauge measuring sales conditions increased six points in December to 64, and the gauge measuring future sales ticked up two points to 62. Builder sentiment over prospective buyer traffic increased three points to 44.

Source: National Association of Home Builders