Homebuilder speeds up pace to beat buying surge

SARASOTA — London Bay Homes officials announced that the builder will speed up its model home program at The Founders Club in preparation for strong sales this year.

The luxury homebuilder intends to break ground on three new single-family homes during the first quarter in The Founders Club, a high-end golf and country club community three miles east of Interstate 75 off of Fruitville Road, according to a release. The new homes will span 3,000 to 4,300 square feet of air-conditioned living space and “showcase London Bay Homes' trend-setting emphasis on expanded outdoor destination spaces designed as private resorts,” the statement adds. The models are priced from $1.49 million to $2.17 million.

“The Founders Club experienced a discernible upswing in sales toward the latter part of 2016, and we're already seeing the momentum continue into 2017,” London Bay Homes CEO Mark Wilson says in the release. “I'm confident the activity will increase as homebuyers return for the winter.”

Historically, sales of new and existing homes in Sarasota priced at more than $1 million peak in March and April, according to Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee statistics.

London Bay Homes has 67 remaining home sites at The Founders Club, the firm says. “Many first-time visitors are simply astounded by the size of the community's home sites and the intimacy of this close-knit community,” Wilson says.