Area real estate firm closes $3.49 billion in sales in 2020

SARASOTA — Michael Saunders & Co. reported $3.49 billion in annual sales volume in 2020 with 24.12% market share in the luxury market and 12.38% in the overall, all-price-point market.

Following a strong start to 2020, the residential real estate market came to an abrupt halt due to the pandemic and shelter-in-place orders. It then experienced a robust rebound later in the year, according to a press release. 

Sarasota-based Michael Saunders & Co. also recently kicked off a year-long anniversary celebration marking 45 years of real estate service to Florida’s Gulf Coast. Nearly 700 agents and 200 support staff recently gathered virtually for the firm's annual meeting.

“When Michael Saunders & Company opened in 1976, I don’t think I could have predicted the ebbs and flows our firm would weather, but I knew the value of investing in people,” says Michael Saunders, founder and CEO, in the statement. “Our success in 2020 is a testament to our people and the core values we share –  integrity, mutual profitability, excellence and communication. Today we celebrate these values that have held us in good stead and are indicative of the trust we have built among all stakeholders over our forty-five years.”

In year one, Michael Saunders & Co. closed $11 million in sales volume. In year nine, it topped $100 million in sales. By year 14, the company achieved more than $1 billion, and in 2005, at the height of the real estate bubble, it closed just over $3 billion, the release says. Today the company surpassed the 2005 record with its record-breaking sales volume of $3.49 billion.

The company’s philanthropic arm, the MSC Foundation, also recently reported its largest grant distribution since its founding in 2011 — $66,500 to local organizations offering shelter, sustenance, education and a path to self-sufficiency. The MSC Foundation expects to hit the $1 million benchmark later this year, having given more than $957,000 to over 200 local organizations. 

Michael Saunders & Co. has a network of 24 real estate offices. It has international brokerage affiliations with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Luxury Portfolio International and Mayfair International Realty. The company's real estate services include mortgage, title, insurance and relocation services, a new homes and condominiums sales division, and a commercial real estate division.