Invest in Lakewood Ranch Real Estate

Lakewood Ranch, situated about 18 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico and about an hour south of Tampa, in both Manatee and Sarasota Counties, seems to bucking the national downward trend in real estate. While the rest of the country seems to be hurting, Lakewood Ranch, an 8,500 acre master-planned community, has already sold greater than 170 houses this year. As the president of Lakewood Ranch Commercial Realty Brian Kennelly recently stated, "Lakewood Ranch is without a doubt the growth corridor in the region and the state right now."

Furthermore, the overall Sarasota housing market is also on the rise. Total sales are up just over 4% for the year and the Sarasota Association of Realtors reports that Sarasota just got their second largest volume of sales in the last six years.

Yet, what is important to remember about all these statistics which have been coming out lately regarding the Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch real estate markets is that they are specifically talking about the volume of sales or transactions, NOT the price of the homes. Even though there is certainly evidence to suggest that Lakewood Ranch home prices are on the rise again they nonetheless stay surprisingly low.

There are a number of reasons why home prices continue to be low. One, there's still a fair amount of doubt about the real estate market nationally and the national economy seems to have stalled once again. And two, it still remains more difficult to secure a mortgage in the present day than it was prior to the housing collapse. As a result, despite the fact that homes are more affordable now than they have been in many years, people are still hesitant to purchase a home and those who desire to purchase a home may not have an easy time acquiring a mortgage. This, consequently, has kept prices low even in a region that appears to thriving.

Luckily, this produces a market that is ideal for real estate investors. To start with, the fact that the nation's economy is still flat is keeping interest rates extremely low thereby making buying a home even more affordable. And, here's the crucial piece…the fact that home mortgages are difficult to obtain combined with the hesitancy of people to purchase a home has created a red hot rental market in Lakewood Ranch.

Rentals in Lakewood Ranch normally have multiple offers the same day they are listed. With Lakewood Ranch homes renting for $1/ sq. ft. you should have a positive cash flow right away. Not just that, but rent prices have actually increased in the last year or so. The truth is, there is no doubt that the landlords are 100% in the driver's seat in Lakewood Ranch.