Real Estate Reports

+ Number of pending home sales increases for Wagner
Wagner Realty President David Eckel announced June 25, that the company’s year-to-date number of pending sales is up 42% from last year. May 2009 pending sales are 35% higher than they were in May 2008.

Eckel said the company’s numbers showed the strength of the Sarasota-Bradenton market compared to the national market.

“A real barometer of the market is what’s happening locally this week and this month, not what happens elsewhere,” said Eckel in a press release.

According to Ron Cornette, marketing director at Wagner Realty, the sales spike is the result of the drastically reduced prices in the marketplace.

Although some pending sales involve foreclosures and short sales, these transactions are in the minority, Cornette said. Western and northwestern Bradenton sales have been strong, Cornette said.

Sales on Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island have fluctuated from month to month, although the company’s island rental business has experienced an increase in activity.

“It looks like we’ve hit rock bottom, and it wasn’t a concrete slab,” Cornette said. “It was a trampoline.”

+ Pam Charron earns NAR’s green designation
Pam Charron, of Prudential Palms Realty, has earned the National Association of Realtors green designation.

Charron earned the designation through 18 hours of coursework created in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of industry experts to gain knowledge of green homes and buildings and issues of sustainability with relation to real estate.

Charron was trained to understand what makes a property green, help clients to understand the costs and benefits of building green, distinguish between industry rating and classification systems, list and market green homes and buildings, discuss the financial grants and incentives available to homeowners and help consumers see a property’s green potential.

“As energy costs rise along with concern for the environment, homeowners are looking for innovative ways to save money and live responsibly,” said Dick Gaylord, NAR’s immediate past president, in a press release.

+ Michael Saunders agents to lead two Rotary chapters
Two agents from Michael Saunders & Co.’s Longboat Key South office have been elected incoming presidents of two Rotary Club International chapters in Southwest Florida.

Ken Torrington will serve as president of the Rotary Club of Sarasota, while his colleague, Klaus Lang, will lead the Rotary Club of Sarasota Keys.

Torrington has worked for Michael Saunders & Co. for 20 years and has been a member of Rotary International for four years. He was installed as president June 20, during a banquet at Marina Jack.

Lang, who has worked with the company for seven years, has been a Rotarian since the early 1980s. He has belonged to clubs in Africa, Europe and Asia. The Rotary Club of Sarasota Keys will celebrate its 50th anniversary during Lang’s term as president.

+ Wagner Realty agents learn from industry leaders
Approximately 150 Wagner Realty agents gathered June 9, to learn about issues affecting the economy from bankers, insurance agents and attorneys.

The keynote speaker was Tramm Hudson, area president of Whitney National Bank, who was a Republican candidate for Florida’s 13th congressional district. Hudson described himself as cautiously optimistic about the recovery of the real-estate business and praised Wagner Realty for its growth and stability.

Also speaking were Garret Barnes, of Barnes Walker Title Inc., and Adron Walker, of Florida Gulf Coast Title LLC, along with officials from Boyd Insurance and BB&T Bank.