Saunders breaks $2B barrier

SARASOTA — Michael Saunders & Co. set an all-time record for commercial and residential transactions in 2012, with 6,012.

The company, one of the most recognized real estate firms in the state, had just more than $2 billion in combined commercial and residential sales volume last year, according to a release. That was its best total since 2005, when it posted $3.07 billion. The firm was founded in 1976.

“We could not be more delighted by these results as they lend further testimony to the strength of our market's recovery and to its incredible long-term resiliency,” company founder and CEO Michael Saunders says in the release. “We are especially proud that our agents collectively outperformed the overall market in 2012.”