Three Things: Longboat for Less

Longboat Key is famous for its showplace homes and apartments — and the prices that go with them. But look around. You'll find a variety of homes that are affordably priced yet still retain a generous helping of that famous Longboat panache, where residents and visitors bask in a year-round, resort-style setting of beach, golf, and boating. Here are three prime examples all priced less than $500,000.

LOOKING GOOD | 605 Sutton Place #301

Longboat’s signature look comes with a beautiful water view, and this apartment in Sutton Place has a particularly lovely vista of the bay, a pristine mangrove island, and the mainland off in the distance. Light and bright — it’s a third floor end unit — there are two bedrooms and two baths in 1,148 square feet. The complex, a mixture of villas and mid-rise buildings, was built in 1973 and has been very well maintained. Amenities include two heated pools, boat docks, and deeded beach access just across Gulf of Mexico Drive. The unit comes with one covered parking place. Pets are allowed.

Priced at $299,000. For more information, call Lynne Koy of Coldwell Banker at 941-387-1803.

COZY COTTAGE | 7164 Longboat Drive North

At the north end of the Key lies tiny Longboat Village, a classic old-Florida community of vintage cottages and a neighborhood feel. The surrounding area — Beer Can Island and Coquina Beach — are famous with the locals for weekend boating and beachgoing. This home, on a corner lot, was built in 1968 and features two bedrooms and two baths. There’s an open plan, Mexican tile floors, and a sunny, enclosed front porch. The Village itself is famous for its year-round vacation vibe and contains several well known restaurants (Mar Vista and Moore’s Stone Crab.) Downtown Sarasota is just 30 minutes away.

Priced at $399,000. For more information, call Cheryl Loeffler of Premier Sotheby’s at 308-6554.

PERFECT LOCATION | 2109 Gulf of Mexico Drive #1201

A classic bit of Longboat Key living, this two-bedroom unit is located in Sunset Beach, a small, gated beachfront complex close to shopping, golf and tennis. It was built in 1984 but has recently been remodeled, with a new kitchen (granite countertops) and new baths, stone tile flooring, and comes turnkey furnished in a bright, beachy style. There’s a large master suite and two terraces, both with views of the Gulf, and deeded parking for one car in the under-the-building garage. Located toward the prestigious southern end of the Key, it’s just a few minutes from St. Armands and downtown Sarasota.

Priced at $489,000. For more information, call Hannerle Moore of Michael Saunders and Co. at 387-7300.

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