Sarasota shines on 'Today' show

A real estate guru cites the region as a place to land a bargain

var collab_title = 'Sarasota shines on 'Today' show';

By Tom Bayles

Published: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 6:58 p.m.

SARASOTA - The region's real estate market got a boost on Tuesday from a segment on NBC's "Today" show, where a nationally recognized real estate expert told host Al Roker that the best home values in the nation can be found right here, right now.


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Barbara Corcoran, a real estate author who parlayed a $1,000 loan from a boyfriend 25 years ago into a New York real estate firm she sold for $70 million, presented Roker with a list of cities now holding the best real estate bargains.

"Sarasota, Florida, is probably a symbol of the worst real estate market in the country," said Corcoran, who wrote the best-seller "If You Don't Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails." "The Florida markets were hit early. Last year alone prices went down by a full third in Sarasota, but prices are already up 13 percent so it's moving fast and they are snapping up bargains."

Corcoran also talked about Sarasota's sophisticated lifestyle as a key draw while Roker waxed poetically over the area's beaches.

William Geller, president of the Sarasota Association of Realtors, said the segment was great exposure for a region emerging from the doldrums.

"There is still a tremendous amount of opportunity for buyers, so she is right on with her comments," Geller said.

At No. 2 and 3 behind Sarasota, Corcoran listed San Francisco and Lansing, Mich., where a three-bedroom, two-bath home in a family-style community can be had for $81,000.

The other top 10 cities were Marietta, Ga.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; St. Petersburg; Naperville, Ill.; Trenton, N.J.; St. Louis and Saginaw, Mich.

The mention on NBC was all the talk in the region's real estate circles.

"It has been the buzz," said Drayton Saunders, president of Michael Saunders & Co. "From our perspective, Barbara is confirming what we've been saying all along. The one nice thing is that it was not just someone saying it, but it is a real statistical view of what is happening in our marketplace."

 

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