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Sarasota Magazine, November 2007
Real Estate Gossip
Everything you want to know about Sarasota luxury property sales.
Mary Alice Collins
Going Global
Christy Neff of Michael Saunders & Company touts Sarasota’s charms wherever she travels. And when Neff talks, people listen. Suddenly, her client list has a decidedly international flavor.
“I was vacationing in Bali and enjoying a conversation with a woman from Canada, and the topic of property values in Florida came up,” Neff says. “She already knew of Sarasota’s excellent reputation and was very interested in more information. I sold her a house here last month.”
Something similar occurred while Neff was skiing in Switzerland. Lunch at the chalet led to introductions with the American family at the next table. “When I told them I lived in Sarasota, they became so excited and wanted to look at property,” Neff says. “We just closed on a vacation home for them.”
Even before Neff became a realtor, her loving descriptions of Sarasota caught people’s imaginations. “My husband’s business took us to Saudi Arabia from 1978 to 2003,” she says. “Naturally, I developed many business and personal relationships. Now many of those people are ready to retire or looking for a second home and are contacting me about Sarasota. When I tell them I am now a realtor, they are thrilled.” Neff has sold Sarasota properties to her former physician in Saudi, a woman she’d met at a neighborhood coffee shop, a former customer and one of her husband’s former co-workers. “One by one,” she says, “these people I met on the other side of the world are finding me to sell them a place in Sarasota.”
read more at Sarasota Magazine...
Financial Times, August 2007
Florida at epicentre of US housing bust
By Eoin Callan in Sarasota County, Florida
"...the accounts of residents, real estate agents and mortgage brokers in Sarasota point to a more familiar culprit: simple old-fashioned greed.
"People were buying places figuring they would put in a new kitchen and then flip them. It was greed. We were all in the same game. We were selling a piece of paradise," says Christina Neff, a real estate agent with Michael Saunders in Siesta Key. "Flippers are behind what is happening."
read more at Financial Times...
Sarasota Magazine, February 2007
Real Estate Gossip
Everything you want to know about Sarasota luxury property sales.
Mary Alice Collins
Neighborhood Watch
HISTORIC BAY ISLAND
Often referred to as the “Gateway to Siesta Key,” the exclusive waterfront neighborhood of Bay Island offers an eclectic mix of multimillion-dollar estates and cozy cottages on some of the best boating water around. Residents catch fresh stone crabs from their docks while overlooking a panoramic view of the growing city skyline, and boaters can reach the Gulf in minutes. Back in 1911, the (now vanished) Bay Island Hotel was built on Norsota Way, complete with a boat basin and ferry that transported clients back and forth to the mainland. True island living, this neighborhood is home to old Sarasota along with newcomers seeking a tropical paradise.
Number of Bay Island properties: 230
Number of sales 11/2005 to 11/2006: 6
Range of sales prices 11/2005 to 11/2006: $1.65 million to $3,188,000
Average sales price: $2.25 million
Square footage: 1,414 to 4,605 square feet
Sample Listing
This Key West-style residence at 750 Freeling Drive is offered for sale at $4.5 million. Situated on a waterfront point with sweeping bay views and deep water dockage, the five-bedroom home settles nicely on a half-acre lot with lush tropical landscaping and fruit trees. The home has a separate children’s wing, guest area and extensive lower-level bonus space. A gorgeous swimming pool is surrounded by expansive outdoor decks. Lenore Treiman of Michael Saunders & Company is the listing agent.
Sample Sale
A newly renovated Old Florida home at 647 Norsota Way sold recently for $3,188,805 after a revised listing price of $3,725,000 and an original listing price of $3,995,000. The house, built in 1926, has 2,323 square feet of charming living space with three bedrooms and three baths. Considerable upgrades include new kitchen and baths. The property offers 116 feet of direct bayfront with magnificent views of downtown and the Ringling Causeway. A private dock with davits is already in place. Keith Whitfield of Coldwell Banker was the selling agent; Joyce Naegele of Michael Saunders & Company was the listing agent.
read more at Sarasota Magazine...
From who’s who in REAL ESTATE & DESIGN, Sarasota Magazine
After growing up in Sarasota, Michael Saunders & Company’s Christy Neff is dedicated to helping clients find the perfect home.
Christy Neff moved to Siesta Key as a child and, despite her forays around the world, she still calls Siesta Key home. Even better, as a realtor with Michael Saunders & Company, Christy Neff helps others make Sarasota home as well. Christy Neff works with home buyers and sellers from Siesta Key to Manasota Key and beyond. Christy adds, “I love the Sarasota School of Architecture homes, as I was friends with several of the children of these architects when I was growing up. Their style influences me today.”
Her Sarasota background helps her find special Siesta Key properties, especially those on the water. “I grew up here and know the area. I’m constantly on the lookout, whether by car or boat.” When a client mentions water property, Neff takes the time to discuss specifics. “There’s a big difference in price between deep sailboat water with no bridges to the bay versus boating water on a canal...or maybe the client merely wants a fishing pier.”
Her outgoing personality makes her a natural in dealing with a wide range of buyers and sellers of real estate. But she also knows natural talent isn’t enough, so Neff developed her own “three P’s of sales — local proficiency, top-notch professionalism and, above all else, passion.” The latter is important to her since she considers her job to have long-lasting repercussions. “I want to make sure my clients are satisfied with their new home, because buying a home isn’t just about investment, it’s also about building a future.”
Neff loves to travel and has visited more than 100 countries, but her roots are still in the town she loves, Siesta Key. Now she’s helping others plant their own roots in Sarasota. No wonder she says she’s “sold on Sarasota.”
MLS statistics courtesy of Christy Neff of Michael Saunders & Company. MLS records transactions and listings by members of the Sarasota Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service.
If you would like to buy or sell property in sarasota florida or siesta key florida please contact Christy Neff today!
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