Ray Collins Media & Real Estate

07/08/2026

Admittedly running late, we stopped at a Burns Court skin lotion store at exactly 5pm. The clerk was walking out. "Can we just buy (this particular product)?" The clerk said "No, we're closed," as she turned and locked the door.
I got flashbacks to working in my father's marine supply store in Buffalo, with customers arriving as we walked out at 5pm. My father ALWAYS reopened the store to make the sale, even though we were often kept another half-hour. Thoughts?

07/07/2026

Had a chance to take part in a James Bond-style tongue-in-cheek campy real estate recruitment video. Here are a couple pictures before the shoot. (We were told not to smile. I was the only one who couldn't do it. :) )

07/06/2026

Something charming about the world's most elegant tennis player decompressing by himself, watching tennis alone. 🎾

07/04/2026

"Spirit of '76" block party in downtown Sarasota. Great music by "Southbound 75" from Tampa. 🎵(Clips in comments.)

07/02/2026

Sold three more condos in June in Central Park II Sarasota--and brought the buyer for one of the three. (That brings my total to 45 great clients in that condo complex in the past 6 years.) It's an ideal location with country club amenities. What I helped sell for $500,000 a few years ago is now going for closer to $300,000. Let me know if you want more information about this investment opportunity.

07/01/2026

CNN says "Sarasota is the best town to visit" in the country.

Our choices run the gamut from beach and mountain towns in the East to creative hubs in the Midwest and the Rockies, showcasing the incredible diversity of the US.

06/17/2026

I recently had a flat tire in downtown Sarasota with no way to get my bike to the repair shop. The Mobile Bike Butler came to me--fixed the tire AND gave my bike a tune-up at a lower price than a brick-and-mortar store. www.MobileBikeButler.com
Short narrated video: https://youtube.com/shorts/btYb9ILZ41Y?feature=share

06/16/2026

(Sarasota Herald-Tribune) Another local pedestrian has died as a new study ranks the Sarasota metro area No. 15 among the nation’s deadliest metro areas for pedestrian fatalities.

The 2026 “Dangerous by Design” report was published by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.

06/15/2026

SARASOTA, FL — The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota location is one of three luxury hotels being sold by Dallas-based Braemar Hotels & Resorts, a real estate investment trust, in a $437.5 million cash deal, according to multiple reports.

The properties are being sold by the REIT, a publicly traded company, to BRDO Property LLC, YNTV Property LLC, 1776 Sarasota Associates and 1776 Sarasota Golf Associates, as part of a strategic review process, the Business Observer said.

In addition to the Ritz-Carlton, the deal includes the Hotel Yountville and Bardessono Hotel and Spa in Yountville, California, CoStar reported. (Source: Patch.)

06/15/2026

I can't even count how many adults helped me with career advice when I was a teenager. Happy to pay it forward and help a friend's grandson. Never too early to start asking questions.