There are few things better than waking up to a beautiful water view or watching a colorful sunset settle over the horizon. All the better if that horizon happens to be the Gulf of Mexico or a nice lake view!
Sarasota is blessed to be on Florida’s west coast and as a result there are lots of real estate options for living on the water that will get you those blazing sunsets.
Sarasota Waterfront Property Types
Any water view is a generally good, but some water views are better than others. Listed below are the different types of Sarasota Waterfront properties, the pros and cons of each type, and the places in the Sarasota area where you can find these properties.
Direct Gulf Front Sarasota Properties
The most desireable (and expensive) Sarasota Waterfront properties are located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, giving owners those awesome sunsets, as well as the ability to walk out to your own beach and go for a swim or look for shells or the fossilized shark’s teeth our area is famous for. These properties are mainly located on our “keys”, the barrier islands that line the coast. These include Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, and Manasota Key. Venice Island also has gulf front properties as well.
The most desireable of these properties are called “gulf to bay” properties and are located on the gulf to the west and on another body of water to the east, usually a Bay or the Intracoastal Waterway. This gives owners the ability to not only enjoy the beach, but to also keep a boat and a dock on the property as well.
There are some disadvantages to owning one of these properties though. Firstly there is the initial purchase price, and the expense to insure these properties can be significant as they can be vulnerable should a hurricane decide to make landfall nearby.
Other Sarasota Waterfront Properties
Sarasota enjoys an abundance of waterfront property options due to the miles and miles of land that lies along the bays and Intracoastal Waterway. While not being directly on the beach, there is the ability have your boat and boat dock in your backyard while enjoying those beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
Most of these properties are also expensive and flood insurance may also be required, just like those Gulf front properties. You can find these properties along Sarasota Bay, the Intracoastal, Blackburn Bay, Dona Bay, on Venice Island, as well as Lemon Bay to the south.
Waterview Condominiums
Many seasonal visitors choose condominium living especially if they are part time residents. They don’t need to worry about maintenance or other issues as they would in a single family property. Downtown Sarasota has many high rise style condos that offer sweeping water views of Sarasota Bay and the Gulf. There are also condos available on most of the “keys”, along the Intracoastal, and on Venice Island.
Sarasota Creek and Canal Front Properties
There are a number of navigable creeks in the Sarasota area that give owners the ability to have a boat and boat dock and have access to the bays and the Gulf. Most notable are Philippi Creek in Sarasota, Shakett Creek in Nokomis, and Forked Creek in Englewood. You will likely not be able to have a sailboat though- some of the locations may have inadequate water depth or a fixed bridge to contend with. But these properties are the most affordable if you want to be on boating water!
Sarasota Lake and Pond View Properties
Many inland communities are built around water features like lakes or ponds. Sarasota receives about 53 inches of rain each year and that water needs to go somewhere! Any property that has nice water view will be priced at a premium to a non water view property. When a new home community is built one of the first steps in development is in digging retention ponds in the community to give any water runoff a place to go. The developer can then sell these waterfront homesites at a premium to other homesites. But buyers of these homesites will get every extra penny back when they sell!
Let me know if you have any other questions about Sarasota Waterfront Properties!