Signature Sotheby's to open Longboat office

Signature Sotheby’s International Realty has a new home on Longboat Key. Judy Green, the firm’s managing partner, confirmed the company’s plans to open a new office at 540 Bay Isles Road, in the Northern Trust Bank building, a move that she said will allow the company to better serve its clients.

“My business model is focused on the exceptional properties,” Green said. “We’ve studied the market, and we know that there is opportunity on Longboat Key. Many of our customers currently live and do business on Longboat Key, and in order to service them, we need a location on the island.”

The opening date is scheduled for Dec. 13.

A managing member for the new branch will be named in the next few days, Green said, noting that she has interviewed 11 candidates — both local and from outside of Florida — for the position. The new office can accommodate up to 30 agents.

Signature Sotheby’s currently has 125 agents and offices in downtown Sarasota and Venice. Additionally, on Nov. 12, the Naples-based Premier Properties of Southwest Florida Inc., which has seven offices, announced that the company has affiliated with the Sotheby’s International Realty brand. According to a prepared statement, the company will operate as Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, with Green serving as president and CEO of that company.

Green said that, eventually, more offices under the Sotheby’s brand could open in the Sarasota-Manatee area and that Sotheby’s international presence will be an asset to Longboat Key.

“We truly are an international brand,” she said. “When one of my agents lists a property for $1.5 million or above, within 24 hours, it’s on the screens in every lobby in the world of the Sotheby’s International Realty company. It’s exposure that can’t be matched.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].