Neighborhood Spotlight

Country Club Shores

By: Mairead Smialek, Realtor®, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

Being a homeowner in the highly sought after neighborhood of Country Club Shores on the southern end of Longboat Key has given me a bird’s eye view of all that there is to love about this unique community. Country Club Shores is an Arvida development built back in the early 1960s and is the largest community of residential homes of its kind on the bayside of Longboat Key. It consists of five ungated residential sections; three of which are connected by Bogey Lane and have streets that are named after golf themes, and the remaining two sections have nautical names.

The streets have great walk-ability as you meet and greet friendly neighbors, see the new construction and diversity of home styles in the community. Almost all of the homes are located on canals allowing owners to have a dock and direct boating access to Sarasota Bay, and all of the homes have deeded beach access to the beautiful stretch of gulf front beach that is just a walk away. The canals are peaceful, quiet, clean, and filled with a variety of fish that year-round attract an abundance of sea birds. Since the canals directly access the bay, manatees and dolphins will drop by to partake in the ample fishing opportunities.

The community’s convenient southern location, including close proximity to the island’s Publix, Anna Maria Island, St. Armand’s, the Ringling Bridge, and downtown Sarasota, is attracting a resurgence of buyers. The original ranch homes are either being reimagined or being replaced by larger, two-story homes, in either case providing exactly what the luxury buyer wants. The land value alone has recently been increasing to new levels. Inventory is extremely low as there is a limited supply of waterfront properties that are situated directly on the bay.

For the investor, there is no homeowner’s association approval needed for rentals; although rentals are subject to Longboat Key’s rental requirement of a minimum of 30 days. Due to the popularity of this community, winter rentals are typically reserved a year in advance, and longer rentals have become more common during the offseason as the area is fantastic for those working remotely.

Country Club Shores is a gateway to everything the area has to offer where its lucky residents can enjoy endless beach walks, magnificent sunsets at the beach, fantastic fishing from their own docks, partaking in sunset boat cruises with friends, cocktails on their lanais, walking and biking, or simply lingering in their private pool. Country Club Shores is sure to remain one of Longboat Key’s most sought-after addresses for many years to come and in my opinion one of the best realty investments in Florida. •