Carol Bernard - Island Real Estate Blog

November 3, 2020January 22, 2021

Slim’s Place in Anna Maria City

Slim’s Place is casual bar and restaurant in Anna Maria City. It is a fun hang out for locals just about every night of the week. Located on Gulf Drive south of Pine Ave, Slims is easy to get to and a convenient walk from many Anna Maria city vacation rentals.

Slim’s Place for Burgers and more!

Slims place serves plenty of COLD drink choices and serves a variety of menu items. The pub has plenty of televisions to watch your favorite sporting event from NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA, NASCAR and even golf. Slide up to the huge copper top bar for their famous “no shower happy hour” M-F, 3 to 5pm where food and drink discounts are offered. In addition to the bar and several high top tables there is limited outdoor seating as well.

Slim’s has a great atmosphere that throws off a strong local vibe of positive “stuff.” A self-proclaimed Philly bar, Slims has at least a dozen TVs mounted all over so you can easily find your favorite sport or team. It’s not uncommon to go into Slim’s alone yet walk out with several new found friends.

Slim’s menu is both comforting and surprising. They have the usual bar/pub fare such as wings, nachos, impressive burgers plus tacos and wraps. But its the Portobello panini and siracha shrimp po boy that will make you do a double take. They have a lobster mac and cheese on their appetizer menu that is to die for! Another dish you may not expect is their Thai Chili Tuna.

If you are looking for some local flair then stop in at Slims place in Anna Maria City. They welcome Visa and Mastercard. Be sure to check out their special board as well, you won’t be sorry you visited Slim’s Place.

Slim’s Place Bar and Restaurant
9701 Gulf Drive
Anna Maria City, Anna Maria Island
Florida, 34216
(941) 567-4056

Carol Bernard

Learn More about Carol Bernard, Sales Support Expert at Island Real Estate in our Marina Drive office. Carol has been with the company since 1994 and has worked in early every department across our company – from rentals & reservations to sales support & more!

During her off hours, you’ll find her nose buried in a stack of reading, likely with one of her three cats curled up on her lap. She’s an avid local sports fan, often donning Buccaneer, Tampa Bay Rays, or Lightning gear when out of the office.

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

October 29, 2020December 8, 2020

Joey D’s Brings Chicago to Bradenton!

You may be an honorary Islander while visiting, but if you call the Chicago area home and are craving some of their unique eats look no further than Joey D’s just over the Manatee Avenue bridge into Bradenton.

Since 1994 Joey D’s family run restaurant has been serving up everything the windy city is known for. Order a draft beer or a glass of wine and take your time looking over the expansive menu. Bar fare can be found such as wings, mozzarella sticks and cheese fries (with chili if you’d like!). Salads, burgers and chicken sandwiches are also available but let’s be honest – you’re here for the Original Vienna Chicago dog, the Juicy Italian Beef or the Chicago Combo aka Da Chief. Italian sausage and Polish sausage sandwiches are popular. Cheese Steaks, Parmesan Subs and pastas are made in house as well. You “might” want to wear stretchy pants when dining here!

And the pizza! They have Traditional Thin crust and Sicilian style pizzas plus THE Deep Dish pizza (be ready to sit a spell, this treat takes 25 min to prepare but is so worth it!). If you decide on the Deep Dish you’ll have plenty of entertainment while you wait on the dozens of big TV’s. Of course they televise ALL of the Chicago team games!!

Joey D’s is located at 6401 Manatee Ave W and can be reached at 941-753-8900. You can dine in or take out. Hours are daily 11-10pm.

Carol Bernard

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

October 20, 2020August 8, 2023

Solo’s Pizza, a Longtime Island Favorite

Pizza is always a fun dinner – some people even enjoy cold pizza for breakfast! Pizza on vacation is an easy choice and Solo’s Pizza in Holmes Beach is worth checking out. Offering both dine in and delivery, Solo’s is open 4pm everyday with closing times varying due to season “or weather” according to their Facebook page.

While they offer mostly traditional pizzeria fare there are also wings, subs and burgers. Solo’s makes their pizza as a thin crispy crusted pie yet their calzones are deliciously chewy. They have both meat and veggie options (not vegan) and if you’re really hungry you can order the “Super Deluxe” which includes both! If you find yourself at one of this fabulous properties, Casa Sierra or Palm Isle Village, you aren’t far away from grabbing a slice!

Solo’s Pizza also offers the NFL Sunday Ticket football package with several TV’s so you can watch your favorite team with a cold beer or glass of wine.

3224 East Bay Drive
Holmes Beach, FL 34217
941-778-8118

Carol Bernard

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

October 16, 2020August 8, 2023

Pizza Social – Handcrafted Pizzas & Fresh Salads on Pine Avenue

There’s a new pizza place on Pine Ave in Anna Maria City. Say hello to the Pizza Social! This casual pizza joint is open from 11am – 9pm everyday of the week, and is located just a few doors down from the Shiny Fish Emporium.

Using their brick fired oven, Pizza Social offers great hand-crafted pizzas as well as fresh salads. The pizzas come in two sizes, 10″ and 14″. Some of the pizzas on the menu here include their BBQ Pizza, Taco Pizza, the Community Garden Pizza, and the Beach Please Pizza. You can even opt for their cauliflower crust which is gluten free. And if none of their specialty pizzas interest you don’t worry, you can order the Build Your Own Pizza! You pick the meats and toppings you want and they’ll make it happen! Tip – make sure to try their garlic parmesan nuggets, your belly will thank you!

Same goes for their salads. If you don’t fancy one of the salads they have on the menu (like their Sumner House, California, or Caesar Salad) then you can do a Build Your Own small or large salad and have it your way.

Next time you find yourself on Pine Ave, stop by Pizza Social and try the island newest pizza place. If you’re vacationing with us at Anna Maria Cottage, lucky you! You’re close enough to walk or bike ride over to Pizza Social for lunch or dinner.

((idea: maybe hit Island Creamery on he way back for a sweet treat!))

Pizza Social
308 Pine Ave, Anna Maria, FL 34216
(941) 251-4070

Carol Bernard

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

October 8, 2020October 8, 2020

Market UPDATE!

Anna Maria Island Real Estate is hot, hot, hot! We are at unprecedented inventory and transaction levels. The Island Real Estate team for years has used inventory versus transactions or better known as “absorption rate” as a leading indicator of real estate appreciation. Absorption Rate is a measure of supply versus demand. We have more than 15 years of data on Anna Maria Island inventory for sale as well as number of transactions. The attached chart provides vertical bars which represents the inventory for sale on Anna Maria Island and the line represents the months of inventory on hand as compared to the current transaction levels.

Let us be clear, the number of Anna Maria Island sales as well as pending sales have broken every record we have for the last 15 years and would guess, ever. In addition, we are at unprecedented low levels of Anna Maria Island property for sale. Very high demand coupled with very low supply normally results in faster appreciation. We hypothesize folks are migrating from high density urban areas to locations like Anna Maria Island and pandemic migration is creating a large surge in demand and has lowered inventory to the lowest inventory we have on record.

In summary, if you have been considering selling your property it sure appears now is a perfect time. Give one of our Island Real Estate sales professionals a call to learn more. Of course not every property is flying off the shelf but our team can assist in which markets are moving quickly and offer a transparent view on the opportunity to sell your Anna Maria Island property.

If you have been considering buying real estate then we suggest you consider what double digit appreciation looks like in 12 months. A prudent strategy would be look forward rather than in the rear view mirror when considering market pricing. For Anna Maria Island Real Estate in high demand it could be the difference of more than $100,000 in twelve months. Larry Chatt

Carol Bernard

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

September 29, 2020July 13, 2022

Why Pest Control Is So Important for Your AMI Investment:

Unless you’re a professional entomologist or amateur bug enthusiast, bugs are kind of icky and definitely not creatures you want to share your home. Because of its heat and humidity, bugs love Florida as much as people do, and for practically the same reasons. From cockroaches to termites, and ants to spiders, engaging a professional and local pest management company to handle your unwelcome visitors is a must.

Many types of bugs present a health hazard and protecting the health and wellness of your property is important. Bugs can cause asthma, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and rodent infestations can cause hantavirus. Your Island Real Estate Sales professional can help guide you to find a trusted company that will treat your property on a regular basis to keep the bugs and pests away. Both bugs and rodents are constantly on the lookout for easy food sources. Our kitchens are one of the easiest food sources around. The presence of pests in this space can damage food you might have stored in the kitchen space and otherwise make the space unhealthy and much less appealing to use. Even if your new Anna Maria Island property is vacant until your next arrival routine service is critical.

In addition, pests and bugs can do great damage to the infrastructure of your space, and often their behavior goes unnoticed for a period of time. Having a pest control partner means that someone will constantly be on the lookout for signs of damage whether it’s rodents chewing on wires, or termites eating through your walls. Protecting the infrastructure of your investment is important!

Here are some local companies that we use and can reccommend. All are also members in good standing with the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce:

Anna Maria Pest Control, 941-778-1630

Haskell Termite and Pest Control, 844-651-5811

Veritas Pest Management, 941-747-9382

Carol Bernard

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

June 16, 2020November 13, 2020

The Waffle Press

Anna Maria has a new walk up snack option with the Waffle Press, located next to Pineapple Junction at 425 Pine Ave. This cozy spot specializes in Liege waffles, a sweeter and smaller cousin of the well-known Belgian waffle. Liege waffles are dough based and yeast raised, caramelized on the outside and with crunch of pearl sugar throughout. Each fluffy, crispy bite is amazing!

Waffle Press has a few yummy creations to choose from such as the Grand Slam which includes peanut butter, chocolate and bananas yet you can still create your own masterpiece with any mixture of toppings. If you are a purist, order the aptly named Purist which is a simple waffle with a sprinkling of cinnamon or sugar. It may have a simple name yet the taste is anything but simple! During my visit I opted for the Canadian which had maple butter and bacon on top of the hot freshly made waffle. There are also savory options and my friend tried the Birdie which included turkey, bacon, avocado and tomato jam. Both were amazing!

Smoothies, coffee including espresso and cappuccino are featured as well. Nondairy mylk options are available plus a few locally sourced baked goods. The day I was there the bagels looked amazing and I was tempted to indulge yet resisted, knowing I can go back.

Stop in the Waffle Press next time you visit AMI for breakfast, a snack or maybe dessert after enjoying dinner at any of the island’s fantastic eateries.

Carol Bernard

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

January 21, 2020April 2, 2020

Island Real Estate Vacations NOW OPEN!

Island Real Estate is excited to announce our return to the vacation rental market on Anna Maria Island! We are happy to be your locally owned rental management company that offers personalized customer service to rental owners and vacationers as we once did. At Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, we pride ourselves in being the best in assisting with all your real estate needs and as a rental customer of our ISLAND REAL ESTATE VACATIONS division, you can expect the same superior service and qualified experienced team to meet your rental management needs! If you are interested in what ISLAND REAL ESTATE VACATIONS has to offer, please give us a call or an email. (941) 778-6066 or Info@IslandReal.com

Carol Bernard

www.islandreal.com/blog/meet-carol-bernard/

November 25, 2019November 14, 2020

November Sales Market Update

Hope everyone is enjoying the Fall? Thought it would be interesting to compare some details about single family real estate for each city on Anna Maria Island.

DEFINITIONS: “For Sale” column provides a snap shot of single family properties for sale In the corresponding city as of the middle of October. “Sold” column are number of single family properties sold in the last 12 months for each City. “Absorption” is a measure of how many months of inventory are on hand based on the sold pace for the last 12 months. “Percent of Market (Listed)” provides the percentage of total properties on Anna Maria Island listed and same with percent sold. So for example Bradenton Beach has 10% of the properties listed on all of Anna Maria Island currently and in the last 12 months Bradenton Beach represents 8% of the total number of single family homes sold on Anna Maria Island. “On Market” displays numbers of cumulative days on the market. “Average List – OCT 15th” is the average list price of the properties currently for sale in the middle of October. “Average Sold” provides the average sold price by city. “Average List” shows the average list price of the sold properties for the last 12 months and “average $/Sq ft is the average per square foot for all properties in the City sold in the last 12 months.

A few conclusions can be drawn from the above information. Firstly, Anna Maria City is a hotter market given the percent sold is significantly higher than the current percentage of inventory of properties for sale in Anna Maria City. This can also be drawn from 8 months of inventory on hand for Anna Maria City versus Holmes Beach at 10 months and Bradenton Beach of 12 months. Another important detail is while inventory absorption is 8-10 months, the time properties that have SOLD is much less, more like half that time, 4-5 months. This points us in the direction that properties that are priced right will sell much quicker.

Let’s dig more into the data of pricing property correctly. Using the same 202 single family properties that sold on Anna Maria Island in the last 12 months, I segregated the sold properties into sold within 6 months and sold after 6 months had elapsed. The data is very enlightening. There were 64 properties that sold beyond 6 months or almost 1/3 of all single family properties sold beyond 6 months. Average sale price was $1.119M, $501 per square foot and get this, the AVERAGE time the property sold, 292 days! 139 properties sold within 6 months or 2/3 of the inventory sold within 6 months, sold price is $1.076 M, $577 per sq ft and the AVERAGE time the property sold was 61 days!! That is two months. WOW! Almost an 8 month difference!

Of the current inventory for sale, about half has been on the market more than 6 months and half has been less.

Moral to the story, price your property right and on average it will sell in less than 2-3 months. Price it too high and the property may sell after 10 months. One caveat to make matters worse, currently half the single family properties for sale have been on the market 342 days. What does that mean? A seller that prices their property too high has a 50-50 shot at selling in 10 months, otherwise appears it could go much longer!

Carol Bernard