Doesn’t Key Lime Pie seem like the perfect dessert for St. Patrick’s Day? It’s green, cool and refreshing. Several years ago I made my first Key Lime Pie. The house smelled so good with the baked graham cracker crust freshly out of the oven. As the crust cooled I began to squeeze the key limes. Have you ever squeezed those teeny tiny key limes? At ¼ of a teaspoon of juice from each lime it was going to take a while and a ton of those cute little limes to make the ¾ of a cup of juice the recipe called for. I was giggling at the situation and the ridiculous amount of time it took to squeeze all those limes by hand, but by golly by the end I had that ¾ of a cup of lime juice. The crust definitely had plenty of time to cool. I mixed all the pie filling ingredients together, baked and then refrigerated my Key Lime pie. The pie turned out delicious and received rave reviews from Ray and family.
When I began my career in real estate a decade ago I had book smarts, I knew the recipe. I followed the “Successful Real Estate” recipe to a T, which works beautifully. When I was new to the business and new to the west coast of Florida I didn’t yet have my own listings, so step one was that I would hold Open Houses for other agents. I found my first customer at one such Open House. I started showing the couple condos and on a Friday afternoon they found “the one”. Their offer was accepted. In the process I found out that my Buyer was a retired Realtor who had been in the business for 30 years. (Eek! Talk about pressure!) The seller was a Foreign Seller meaning FIRPTA conditions would come into play and there were extra pieces and parts to the transaction also the seller was out of the country. I will never forget what took place at the closing table when the title company agent smiled and said, “You did a fantastic job on this one. This one got complicated and you did great at getting it done. Wouldn’t you know your FIRST one would be a doozy.” The Buyer looked at me as I blushed, “This was your first transaction? I had no idea!” Then she wrote my very first review;
● "I am a retired Realtor and have been in the business for about 30 years. I was very impressed with the professionalism & knowledge in all fields. If you are looking for a hard working and honest agent, I suggest that you give a call and you won't be disappointed" Mrs. Kathy E. of Venice
To this day I follow the “Successful Real Estate Agent” recipe; work hard, research the market, know the changes in the laws, and listen to our customers. Drive and desire to succeed has kept our business successful and moving upward. Just like baking Key Lime Pies I have learned a thing or two that makes each transaction’s move to closing a little smoother. In my pie I now use Nellie &Joe’s Key Lime Juice rather than squeezing those little key limes because it consistently tastes better and is a time saver. There are things you learn from every transaction, but the basics never change; work hard, listen, be diligent and treat others with respect. That is the recipe for good business. In 2022 I was again recognized as one of Coldwell Banker Realty top agents in our region. I guess you could say the proof is in the pudding, or pie in this case.
Key Lime Pie Recipe
3 cups sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup key lime juice
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine condensed milk, key lime juice, sour cream, and lime zest in a bowl; mix well. Pour into graham cracker crust; place pie on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of the pie. The filling will be wobbly but not browned.
Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool, then thoroughly chill pie in the refrigerator before serving, about 1 hour. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream, if desired. (well of course the whipped cream is desired-what a silly thing to say)
Market Stats and Data
Before we jump into the market news. Let's check out three beautiful Coldwell Banker Realty listings. Click on the links below and enjoy a home in each of the counties.
Charlotte County : New construction with a pool on 1/2 acre
Homes Beach Beauty -wow those views!
Gorgeous HOME in Oasis of Wellen Park , Venice
Now for market stats and data
Here is a synopsis of the market looking at single family homes with pools, 3 beds, between 1500-2200 square feet.
Manatee: Active listings: 84 with a Price Range : $405K to $5M
Pending: 89 SOLD in the last 90 days: 115 Price Range: $345K to $2.3M
Manatee County Market Report
Sarasota: Active listings: 126 with a Price Range : $379K to $2.7M
Pending: 128 SOLD in the last 90 days: 157 Price Range: $285K to $1.7M
(Yes, $285K it was a house needing to be completely gutted and needed a roof, it was in rough rough condition)
Sarasota County Market Report
Charlotte: Active listings: 218 with a Price Range : $310K to $1.4M
Pending: 128 SOLD in the last 90 days: 175 Price Range: $305K to $1.4M
Charlotte County Market Report
The stats show the inventory of homes on the market is good! Homes are selling and Buyers are buying. Remember, we can customize this report for a community, zip code, or area within these three counties.
Of course we all know March 17th is St. Patrick's Day. Be sure to wear green! But, March 14th is very important it is PI Day!
I found this "PI" symbol at the docks at Snook Haven
down on the Myakka River.
Happy PI Day (3.14) or make it a PIE Day. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Really, Ray and I just hope you enjoy your day!
