Neighborhood Watch
LAUREL PARK BLOSSOMS

            Laurel Park is one of only two single-family neighborhoods set squarely in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Eclectic and proud of it, the neighborhood is home to a diverse mix of young professionals, journalists, artists, baby boomers and retirees. Located just west of U.S. 301 and bound by Orange Avenue, Main and Mound Streets, it’s within easy walking distance to downtown restaurants, theater and the waterfront. The past five years have seen tremendous change in this leafy neighborhood, as many small Craftsman cottages have been demolished to make way for new “cottage-chic” homes, some of them selling near the million-dollar mark.

Number of Laurel Park properties: 150
Number of sales 9/2005 to 9/2006: 7
Range of sale prices 9/2005 to 9/2006: $370,000 to $823,000
Average sale price 9/2005 to 9/2006: $596,500
Range of square footage: 1,180 to 3,500 square feet

Sample Listing
A Spanish Mediterranean-style home at 602 Ohio Place is for sale at $1.15 million. With more than 3,200 square feet of interior living space and 10-foot ceilings, it has four or five bedrooms, four full baths and a powder room, a two-car garage and back yard large enough for a swimming pool. Special finishes include chisel-edge tile, solid wood cabinets, stainless appliances, granite surfaces and custom wood trim and stonework. The listing agent is Elizabeth Pitts of Sarasota Brokerage LLC.

Recent Sale
This new coastal cottage-style home at 1860 Hawkins Court recently sold for $823,489, up from its original list price of $598,500 and second list price of $749,000. It is located on a small brick street between Laurel and Morrill streets. The main residence has 1,700 square feet, plus a 270-square-foot bonus room and a 540-square-foot guest quarters above the vintage two-car garage that formerly served as a horse stable. The listing agent was Jennifer Pecora and the selling agent was Matt Orr; both are with Michael Saunders & Company. Previous sale: $381,500 in January 2004 (the property at that time contained an existing old building that was subsequently converted to the garage and guest quarters; the new cottage was added after the 2004 sale).

MLS statistics courtesy of Matt Orr of Prudential Palms Realty. MLS records transactions and listings by members of the Sarasota Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service.

Top of the Market

A Gulf-front estate designed to complement the Sarasota School of Architecture style captures top spot for recent residential real estate sales. The 6,035-square-foot home under construction at 2 Sandy Hook Road on Siesta Key sold for its original list price of $5.9 million. Buyers Kim and Olga Nielsen, who opened the high-end Danish furniture store dkVogue last year, fell in love with the water views and the nearly one acre directly on the Gulf. The couple wanted a home with styling well-suited to their Danish furnishings, and guest quarters were a must. The historic Carousel House designed by Sarasota School of Architecture architect Tollyn Twitchell, which sits on the property, will be remodeled as a guest house. It overlooks an astonishing circular pool situated between the main house and guest quarters. Gulfside Homes is currently constructing the main house. Brandyn Herbold and Chad Roffers of SKY Sotheby’s were the listing agents, and Kim and Michael Ogilvie of Michael Saunders & Company were the selling agents.

Sales information provided by Kim Ogilvie of Michael Saunders & Company.

TRADING SPACES When Scott George listed his landmark neoclassical house near the Ringling Museum, he knew he would have to genuinely like the new buyers. What he couldn’t know was that he also would really like their old house—so much, in fact, that he is making it his new home.   

George, a realtor with Michael Saunders & Company, loved refurbishing his magnificent old home on Brywill Circle, off Bay Shore Road. The historic 5,100-square-foot estate surrounded by nearly an acre of manicured lawns was built in 1924, styled after the most elegant mansions of Palm Beach, with breathtaking architectural details. “When I put it on the market, I figured it could go really fast,” says George. “A couple walked in on their way to the airport, with just hours to spare before a flight to London, and within five minutes, they told me they would love to buy it.”

While finalizing the deal, the couple explained that their former house had suffered damage during a fire and the event had so traumatized the woman that she could not go back inside. When George learned that the former residence was on Westbrook Drive in Oyster Bay, he decided to swing by and take a peek. “The house was absolutely gorgeous, on a great street, with amazing lines and a beautiful back yard,” he says. “Five minutes after I saw it, I decided to buy it.”