CASTLES IN THE SAND

THE SUN REAL ESTATE

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Real estate markets upturned

The old rules governing a buyer’s and a seller’s market have been seriously adjusted in the time of COVID-19. Areas of the country where they never dreamed of running out of inventory and integrating buyers from major cities are still trying to figure it out while at the same time welcoming their good luck.

Realtor.com, after interviewing over 50 real estate agents in specific markets, has come up with the 10 top buying and selling markets nationwide. This analysis reflected closed sales for upper-end homes at $1 million or over.

A buyer’s market is something that we’re not remotely in right now in the Tampa Bay area, but since you never know when markets will turn, let’s establish some guidelines. The definition of a buyer’s market simply is one with more supply than demand. Santa Barbara County, California was at the top of the buyer’s market list with Santa Cruz County, California coming

Castles in the Sand

LOUISE BOLGER

in at number 10. Florida had two counties on the list, Pinellas at number two and Collier at number four. Remember we’re talking about sales at $1 million or over.

A seller’s market is, of course, the opposite of a buyer’s market, defined as a market that has more demand than supply, with low levels of inventory and appreciating sales prices. Fairfax County, Virginia is at the top of the seller’s market analysis with Suffolk County, New York at the bottom. Florida has two counties on the top 10 list, Hillsborough County (Tampa) at number six and Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) at number seven. Seller’s markets in this COVID cycle are typically suburban areas close to big employment centers that offer larger homes, property with office space and new construction.

Manatee County is certainly in a seller’s market, so potential buyers need to be cautious not to get in a bidding war and consider making an offer with an escalation addendum. Also eliminating all home sale contingencies like a mortgage will certainly put you in an advantageous position.

Now it’s time to review the October Manatee County sales statistics, reported by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, to determine if October’s numbers are as good as September’s were.

Single-family sales numbers compared to October of last year are as follows: Closed sales, up 48.4%; median sale price, $360,000, up 10.4%; average sale price, $481,349, up 20.7%; median time to contract, 18 days, down 58.1%; month’s supply of available properties, 1.8 months, down 45.5%; pending inventory, up 44.5% and cash transactions, up 53.6%.

Condo sales numbers compared to October of last year are as follows: Closed sales, up 39%; median sale price, $255,000, up 34.2%; average sale price, $294,595, up 13.2%; median time to contract, 41 days, up 8.9%; month’s supply of available properties, 2.6 months, down 36.6%; pending inventory, up 71.9% and cash transactions, up 10%.

Not only were the October numbers as good as September, they surpassed them in almost every area. The market is indeed soaring in both Manatee and Sarasota counties, and where this merry-go-round stops, I don’t think anyone knows, certainly not me.

The old adage, “All real estate is local,” has been a little upended this year. However, the principals are the same and we’ll eventually fall back into a normal market. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

COVID: How to do holidays during pandemic

patients? Check state and local public health department websites. • Do your plans include traveling by bus, train, or air, which makes staying 6 feet apart difficult, or by car, which requires rest stops and gas station stops that can expose you to COVID-19? • Does your home or destination have requirements or restrictions for travelers? • During the 14 days before you travel, have you or those you are visiting had close contact with people they don’t live with? • Are you traveling with people who don’t live with you?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you should not travel, according to the CDC.

GATHERINGS

The lowest-risk way to have a holiday gathering in 2020 is to schedule separate holiday celebrations simultaneously and connect by Zoom or a similar method, according to the CDC. But having meals with only the people who live in your household is also low risk, as is preparing and delivering meals for family and neighbors with no contact.

A moderately-risky option is having meals outdoors with a few family and friends, if they live in your community.

The highest-risk gatherings are indoor meals or parties with people you do not live with or near - the more people, the higher the risk.

Serving or using alcohol increases the risk by altering judgment and making it more difficult to practice safety measures.

Anyone who lives or works with people at higher risk should consider the potential risk to them before attending gatherings.

To reduce risk at a gathering: • Hosts and guests should strictly avoid contact with people outside of their households for 14 days before the gathering and should follow COVID-19 safety measures at home. • Keep the gathering short. • Wear masks with two or more layers, except when eating and drinking, and make sure they are worn over your nose and mouth and fit snugly along the sides of your face. Hosts should have a clean supply of disposable masks. • Keep a 6-foot social distance, including at tables. People from the same household should sit at their own tables. • Wash hands often, especially before preparing, serving or eating food. Guests should wash hands or use hand sanitizer (60% alcohol or more) for at least 20 seconds when entering and leaving gatherings. Hosts should supply paper towels or single-use hand towels in restrooms instead of cloth towels and may also provide cleaning supplies that allow guests to wipe down surfaces before they use or leave the restroom. • Gather outdoors or open windows indoors. • Verbally greet people instead of shaking hands, hugging or elbow bumping. • Encourage guests to bring their own food and drinks. • Do not use a buffet or drink station. • Limit people going in and out of the kitchen or gathering around the outdoor grill. • Limit the number of people cooking and serving food. • Provide single-use condiments to avoid multiple people from handling the same items. • Use disposable napkins, plates, cups, utensils and tablecloths. • Limit indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25 people.

If you aren't comfortable with the level of risk involved, consider canceling or not attending the event.

The CDC advises that you do not host or attend a holiday gathering if you: • are at increased risk due to age or health conditions, • have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days, • are showing COVID-19 symptoms, • have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or • are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test.

IF YOU ARE EXPOSED OR GET SICK

After any holiday event, if you feel that you may have been exposed to COVID-19, take extra precautions for 14 days. Avoid being around people, especially those at increased risk of severe illness with COVID-19, and consider getting tested. While you are waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test, stay at home and follow safety measures. If you develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, immediately inform the host and other guests who attended the event (hosts should keep a list of guests for contact tracing). This can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that others get tested or self-quarantine.

New planning commissioner joins the dais

A new planning commissioner will be taking the dais during the Dec. 2 meeting. Second alternate Commissioner Richard Brown will be taking the spot vacated by Gale Tedhams when she was promoted to a full member of the planning commission by city commissioners in October. At their Nov. 17 meeting, city commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Brown to the planning commission for a term expiring July 1, 2023. Planning commissioners meet on the first Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive.

OBITUARIES

Mark Coleman Mixon

Mark Coleman Mixon, 65, Bradenton, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. He was born on Oct. 13, in Youngstown, Ohio. Mark along with his parents, Jim (deceased) and Patricia Mixon owned and operated Mixon Insurance in Holmes Beach for 50 years. He was a former active member of Rotary, where he served as President and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a former member of Lyons Club, where he served in many offices. He was an ardent golfer and a member of Key Royale Golf Club in Holmes Beach, where he won the club championship many times. He was a tireless worker and kept busy remodeling his rental properties after retirement.

He and his mother sold Mixon Insurance two years ago. He was loved not only by his family but his many friends. He is loved and survived by his mother, Trish Mixon O’Reilly and husband, John of Holmes Beach; his daughter, Melissa Chambers and husband, Jason of Parrish; his sister, Kim Eresten and husband, Alex of Munith, MI.; his brother, Robert Ostroski of Bradenton; his granddaughters, Landry and Harper Chambers of Parrish; and his companion, Cynthia Dagher of Bradenton.

Services will be held privately at a later date. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Donations in his name may be made to Southeast Guidedogs at: 4210 77th Street East, Palmetto, FL 34221. Condolences may be made to www. brownandsonsfuneral.com.

BEACH BEAT

BRADENTON BEACH 11/15, 6:20 p.m., petit theft, Coquina Beach, 2650 Gulf Drive South. The victims told police they went for a walk and when they returned, they found some of their possessions, including a pair of beach sandals and a necklace, were missing. They found the sandals with the people next to them. The victims confronted the suspects and asked about the necklace. One suspect went into the water, pulled the necklace out of his pocket and let it fall into the water. When a victim threatened to call police, the suspect fished the necklace out of the water. When the officer arrived, he detained the suspects and verbally trespassed them from the beach. He also sent a request to the state attorney’s office to investigate further. 11/16, damage to city property, Bridge Street Pier. A pontoon boat was damaged when it got loose from its mooring during a storm. Damage was estimated at $20,000. 11/16, damage to boats, Bridge Street Pier. A sailboat got loose during the storm and damaged other boats. 11/15, trespass warning, Bridge Street Bazaar, 107A Bridge Street. The storeowner told police he thought an employee was stealing merchandise. They questioned the employee and he confessed. In lieu of arrest, they settled on him returning the merchandise and trespassing him from the property.

HOLMES BEACH 11/10, fraud, 500 block of 72nd Street. The victim said she attempted to call Frontier Airlines regarding a ticket that was about to expire. She called, but could not find a live person so she went online and went to a company called Book Cheap, which she thought was affiliated with Frontier. A person told her to go to Walgreens and purchase an eBay card for $200 and send him the serial number of the card. After several unsuccessful tries, he said she should purchase two more cards. When she gave those serial numbers to him, he hung up. 11/10, 8:30 p.m., warrant arrest. Manatee Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive. The officer on patrol found an intoxicated male sleeping on a trolley bench. A computer check showed he had a warrant for his arrest from Charlotte County. He was arrested. 11/13, 10:52 p.m., camping on the beach, trespass warning, Manatee Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive. Officers patrolling the beach came upon a male sleeping. The police knew the subject, a bus boy at the Beach Café, and they told him to move on. Later, they returned and he was still there. They issued a trespass order and they found some marijuana on him and sent him home via the Monkey Bus. 11/14, 12:56 a.m., noise violation, 206 64th St. When officers answered a complaint, they found a noisy birthday celebration with loud music and the smell of marijuana emanating from the house. The officers issued a noise ordinance citation. 11/14, vandalism, trespassing, 1100 block of Aqua Lane. The victim said several white males tried to enter his car but the doors were locked so they scratched a window. They got into his pickup but nothing was taken. 11/14, burglary to a vehicle, 100 block of White Ave. The victim said his car was burglarized and an iPod was taken. A Samsung cell phone was left at the scene. 11/14, burglary to a vehicle, 6700 Holmes Blvd. The victims said their pickup truck was burglarized and several items of value taken.

Top real estate producers for October 2020

A PARADISE Al & Helen Pollack - Listing Dennis Rauschl - Selling

AN ISLAND PLACE REALTY Sue Carlson - Listing Doug Shaw & Billi Gartman - Selling

DUNCAN REAL ESTATE Joey Hutchinson - Listing Darcie Duncan - Selling

FRAN MAXON REAL ESTATE Stephanie Bell – Listing & Selling

ISLAND REAL ESTATE Alan Galletto - Listing Kathleen White & Erin Leathem - Selling

MIKE NORMAN Marianne Norman-Ellis Listing & Selling REMAX ALLIANCE GROUP Christine Kourik - Listing Cindy Quinn - Selling

SALTY MERMAID REAL ESTATE Jason Hrnak – Listing Diana Sinisi

SATO REAL ESTATE Jason Sato - Listing & Selling