I'm Darren Dowling, Founder of Beyond Realty, an owner-operated boutique brokerage in downtown Sarasota. I help 55+ buyers, most of them relocating from states like New York, New Jersey and Washington State, choose the right active adult community in Lakewood Ranch and negotiate the purchase. That usually means comparing Del Webb Catalina, Cresswind and Esplanade at Azario side by side.
I also serve Sarasota, Bradenton, Longboat Key and Siesta Key. Whichever community you choose, I represent you, not the builder.
It's for 55+ buyers moving to the Sarasota area who want a gated community with plenty to do and a fast way to meet people. My recent 55+ clients came from Washington State, New York and New Jersey, and all three put the same communities at the top of their list: Del Webb Catalina, Esplanade at Azario and Cresswind.
What they wanted was less about square footage and more about lifestyle. Amenities and a full calendar of events make it easy to make friends and enjoy retirement from the first month. Lakewood Ranch adds the backdrop: RCLCO's Mid-Year 2026 report ranks it the top-selling multigenerational master-planned community in the country, and No. 2 overall behind The Villages.
Planning the move? Start with my 2026 Sarasota relocation guide and the Florida Tax Advantage Savings Calculator.
The biggest one I see is buying too much house. Buyers plan for family visiting Florida all the time. Those visits do happen at first, then they fizzle out, and the buyer is left with a home that is too big to need or to manage. Part of my job is keeping that decision grounded.
The second mistake is letting the builder's sales rep guide the purchase. The builder rep works for the builder. They never represent the buyer's best interests, and the contract you sign is written in the builder's favor.
The third is assuming new construction means no headaches. In my experience, warranty items always come up in the first 6 to 12 months, and how they get handled depends a lot on what was settled before closing.
I match you to the right community, then negotiate and protect you through a builder-favorable contract. Three things matter most.
I negotiate with the builder for you. My main levers are closing cost credits and flex cash, which can go toward design center upgrades or a mortgage rate buydown. Right now the deals on move-in-ready homes are especially strong. For my Washington State buyers at Esplanade at Azario, a cash purchase, we secured $60,000 off the price plus $10,000 toward closing costs.
I read the builder contract with you. If you are building from scratch, the completion date language matters. Builders give themselves more time in the contract than the average completion date they quote you.
I push repairs to be fixed before closing, not after. After the pre-closing inspection, builders often try to move certain repairs into the warranty. Once you have moved in, you end up being the squeaky wheel to get items done that should have been squared away before closing. I check all of that before you close.
It starts with a Strategy Session and ends with a closing you understand line by line.
The first question is golf. If golf matters to you, Esplanade at Azario usually comes into the picture. If it doesn't, Del Webb Catalina and Cresswind tend to have the edge.
Community | 55+ required? | Golf | What I tell buyers |
|---|---|---|---|
No, open to all ages, though most residents are 55+ | Yes | Villas don't carry the built-in golf membership fee, and you can start in a smaller home and move up within the same community later | |
Yes | No | Fees are fairly close to Azario's, but construction on the clubhouse only began in March 2026, and by my estimate it is around a year from completion | |
Yes | No | A strong option for buyers who want an age-restricted community without golf |
Why Lakewood Ranch for 55+? Sarasota and Bradenton have other 55+ options, but most are older and offer fewer amenities. Buyers choose Lakewood Ranch because the homes, communities, amenities and events are newer, and that is hard to find in the older locations. See my Lakewood Ranch Neighborhood Guide.
My Washington State buyers bought at Esplanade at Azario, paying cash, with $60,000 off the price and $10,000 toward closing costs.
They also liked Del Webb Catalina, where the fees were fairly close, but its clubhouse was still about a year from completion. They wanted to meet people as soon as they arrived. Azario won on four counts: the golf, the overall location, the fees (villas there don't carry the built-in golf membership fee), and the space in the Ibis villa. They also liked that they could start in a smaller home and move up to a larger one later without leaving the community.
Here is what they wrote in a Google review. My Co-Founder Wendy Dowling and I work as a team, and the review went to Wendy:
"We had the best experience with Wendy from Beyond Realty during our recent relocation to Lakewood Ranch. We visited multiple communities in the Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch area and Wendy was ultimately able to help us find our dream home in Esplanade at Azario. The transactions were seamless from beginning to end and she and her team (shout out to Darren) were prompt to answer our many questions. I would not hesitate to recommend Wendy and her team at Beyond Realty!"
Read more on my Testimonials page.
About me: I joined my family's real estate business in the early 2000s, selling property in London, Dubai, the Spanish islands and the Caribbean, and I have been a licensed Florida Realtor® since 2015. I host the Moving to Sarasota & Lakewood Ranch YouTube channel, with more than 400 videos on neighborhoods, new construction and the real cost of living here.
Pricing strategy decides whether a resale home stands out against new construction. Most of my 55+ work is on the buy side, because so many of these clients are relocating, but I also list homes in older 55+ communities.
The challenge is real. Builders price new homes aggressively and add flex cash, down payment assistance and other incentives, and many buyers want the newest home available. To compete, I market a resale home to the specific buyers who value a move-in-ready home, and I set a price built to stand out against the builders down the road. Start with a home valuation or the 2026 Home Seller's Guide.
No. Esplanade at Azario is open to all ages, but most of the people who live there are 55+.
Del Webb Catalina and Cresswind are age-restricted communities that require 55+.
Yes. The builder's sales rep works for the builder, and the contract favors the builder. Your own agent negotiates for you and looks out for you through closing.
Yes. I usually negotiate closing cost credits and flex cash, and sometimes the price. For one cash buyer at Esplanade at Azario, that meant $60,000 off the price and $10,000 toward closing costs.
Right now, the deals on move-in-ready homes are especially strong. If you build, plan around the completion date in the contract, not the average the sales office quotes you.
Probably smaller than you're picturing. Family visits happen at first, then they usually fizzle out. Communities like Esplanade at Azario let you start in a villa and move up later within the same community.
Look at how long they have been in the business, how they treat customer service, and how many questions they ask before they show you homes. Then ask how they negotiate and how well they know builder contracts, not just standard Florida contracts.
Book a Strategy Session with me. We'll cover what you want within a 10, 20 and 30 minute drive, golf or no golf, villa or single-family, and your budget. Then I'll tell you which of Del Webb Catalina, Cresswind and Esplanade at Azario, or another community, fits you best, before you book a flight.