Date: February 10, 2010
by: Robin Hartill

Barbara Ackerman

Barbara Ackerman, of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate’s Longboat Key office, achieved more than $32 million in closed home sales volume in 2009, making her the top agent in Sarasota and Manatee counties for the second time in three years. In 2009, Ackerman’s closing volume was 36% higher than the prior year, and her sales total was 45% higher.

The former broker/owner of Royal Palm Realty, Ackerman sold her firm to Waterside Realty, St. Armands Circle, which later sold to Coldwell Banker. Ackerman has worked in residential real estate for 20 years, 12 of which she has spent at Coldwell Banker.

“Barbara is an extremely professional businesswoman,” said Sue Wolverton, regional senior vice president of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, in a prepared statement. “Her ability to lead the industry throughout the years is a tribute to her flexibility, innovation and adaptability.”

Ackerman reached her 2009 results by modifying her business model in the fourth quarter of 2008. She accommodated to the shift created by the financial collapse, by providing clients with information while guiding buyers through pricing challenges created by a declining market and counseling buyers to determine fair-market values for their purchases.

“Barbara consistently demonstrates a wide range in her geographic knowledge and her pricing competency,” said branch manager Bob Stanley in the statement. “She carries a home-sale inventory ranging from $400,000, up to her current marketing effort on a $13 million property on Longboat Key. Her clients find great comfort in this diversity, knowledge and experience.”

Ackerman supports philanthropic organizations throughout the community, including the Asolo Repertory Theatre and Moffitt Cancer Center.

“I am very pleased with the results I have been able to provide my clients who have entrusted the purchase or sale of their home to me,” said Ackerman in the statement. “While the achievement is gratifying, I must tell you, the truly fulfilling part is the position this trust affords me in supporting my philanthropic interests in the Sarasota community. Sarasota has an incredible cultural base, and it is a delight to be an active part of people’s lives.”