Sarasota Real Estate

Who is John Allen?

I decided to put my marketing degree from Georgia Southern to work when I became a broker at Allen Real Estate Services Inc., our 27 year old family business. Working as a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, my areas of expertise include luxury and waterfront homes, condominiums, and golf course communities. As a 32 year resident of Sarasota, I know and and love this area. My clients seem to sense my enthusiasm and appreciate the personal knowledge I can pass on.

As a REALTOR®, I treat every customer like they are my only client; I take time to understand their needs, and do everything I can to make the transaction go as smoothly as possible.

My achievements include recognition as a multi-million dollar top producer and membership in the Million Dollar Guild.

Find out why Sarasota is such a great place to live, and begin your search for available properties at BuySarasota.com (winner of the 2007 CNBC International Property Awards for "Best Real Estate Agency Website - USA".)

So why are so many people attracted to the southwest coast of Florida and many of its surrounding keys?

Originally settled by local natives and eventually European settlers in 1840, the area was named "Zara Zote" on maps in the early 1700's. Early settlers were attracted to the warm climate and survived by building small fishing camps along Sarasota Bay and by trading with fishermen and travelers.

In 1927 modern Sarasota started to take shape, as professional planner John Nolan was hired to help develop a plan for the city. His planning changed the face of Sarasota dramatically, and still can be found today with the placement of roads and even named many of the roads that are still in use today.

Sarasota has faced many challenges and obstacles in the past, more specifically many bank failures and speculation caused woes from the 1920's-1950's.

More recently Sarasota has been in the news due to a large amount of real estate foreclosures happening in the area due to poor financial practice's in the mortgage sector. This makes it a prime market for real estate investments.

1: Climate, you just can't beat it! The sub-tropical environment of Florida with its beautiful tree's and forests to picturesque beaches, you can find it all here. With temperatures barely falling below 50'F all year, Sarasota is a haven for those who flee colder climates every winter.

2: Sarasota is also a major area for people who love the outdoors. From boating to golfing or just hiking along the white sand beach's to playing a game of tennis, you can do it all here with out the winter jacket.

3: Sarasota is also host to many events and festivals to keep both locals and travelers busy. From Wine Tasting to Art museums to spring break, all these events attract people from around the world looking for a taste of the Sarasota life style.

4: Sarasota is known as the Circus Capital of the World.