Real Estate Reports

+Rotary Club receives grant for food pantry

Michael Saunders & Co.'s MSC Foundation awarded a $2,000 grant to the Rotary Club of Longboat Key July 15. Forty-nine charitable organizations received awards to use in projects that provide shelter, sustenance, education and a path to self-sufficiency in communities served by the firm's real estate offices.

Rotary Club members Bob and Teresa Simmons are the coordinators of the club’s Tuttle Elementary Nutrition program at Tuttle Elementary School in Sarasota.

The program is a biweekly food pantry run by the Rotary Club in partnership with All Faiths Food Bank. Seventy to 100 families pick up meat, fresh produce, nonperishable foods and diary products at the pantry.

From January through May, the Rotary Club supplied 13,556 pounds of food and 11,296 meals to needy Sarasota families.

Michael Saunders real estate agent Maureen Horn nominated the Rotary Club for this grant.

+Coldwell agents lead the pack

Roger Pettingell, of Coldwell Banker’s Longboat Key office, was named the top sales associate across all agents for the first half of 2015 in Sarasota and Manatee counties. According to the MLS, he had a total closed sales volume of $50.6 million and 40 sales transactions. He is currently the number one realtor in Sarasota and Manatee counties by sales and has been on top for five years.

During the past five years, Pettingell has sold 110 properties priced at more than $1 million and had more listings of more than $1 million in Sarasota County than any other Realtor during that time.

Additionally, the top sales team is the Barbara Ackerman Group, also of Coldwell Banker, with a total sales volume of $45.8 million and 35 sales transactions. Judy Kepecz-Hays & Buky Team, also of Coldwell Banker, is the number two sales team, with $34.6 million and 33.5 sales transactions.

“The first half of 2015 was very strong, particularly among second home buyers,” Pettingell said in a news release. “Their confidence in the market is extremely high, reinforced by the strength in the stock market and the decrease in prime properties available for sale.”