Align Renewal Strategy as New Deliveries Approach ⏱️

Downtown Sarasota Pipeline Expands for CRE Strategy

Author

Anne Morgan
September 11, 2025

In partnership with

How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential

Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.

Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.

Hello, Commercial Real Estate Pros! 🏢

In this issue, downtown Sarasota is experiencing a surge in condos. Nine projects could add over 700 units and new hotel rooms to the area. Notable developments include the revival of the historic Mira Mar and Adagio’s plan for two towers on Ringling Boulevard.

City reviewers have already asked for adjustments to the height and density of this project. This summer, three other multifamily projects, totaling 435 apartments, received partial approvals.

Let’s uncover the essentials.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

  • 🏗️ Downtown Sarasota’s New Wave of Condos

  • 🤖 Small Real Estate Teams on AI, Without Losing Their Voice

  • 📊 LightBox Launches “Fundamentals” for CRE Lending Intelligence

🏗️ Downtown Sarasota’s New Wave of Condos

From bayfront towers to mixed-use developments, cranes dominate the skyline. The piece highlights the upcoming construction projects and where street-level retail is beginning to appear.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🏙️ Project Mix: Luxury towers and mid-rise infill developments add new condominiums, including hotel rooms, amenities, and street-facing retail at several sites.

  • 📍 Hot Spots: Activity focuses on the core, improving walkability between shopping, dining, and cultural venues.

  • 💵 Affordability Watch: Most units target the high end, while a few offer attainable options, keeping price and density debates in focus.

  • 🚗 City Impact: New curb cuts, parking adjustments, and construction traffic affect daily life as schedules overlap across multiple sites during different phases.

🤖 Small Real Estate Teams on AI, Without Losing Their Voice

Two leading teams in Orlando and NYC share how they leverage AI without sounding robotic. From drip campaigns to the “sea of sameness” pitfalls, they set boundaries.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🧭 Avoid Sameness: Teams train models on their voice to prevent formulaic copying that damages credibility and merges into a “sea of sameness”.

  • 🤝 Human First: Leaders set boundaries by using AI for initial responses and marketing drafts, while keeping all client conversations and trust-building interactions human.

  • ⏱️ Workflow Discipline: AI handles drip campaigns and emails, but agents supervise timing to make sure automations don't interfere with recent conversations.

  • 🛠️ Next-Gen Tools: The wish list includes prompt-based home searches and in-house video editing, which reduces outsourcing and fatigue from an endless stream of shiny tools.

📊 LightBox Launches “Fundamentals” for CRE Lending Intelligence

The release introduces Fundamentals, an AI tool that converts narrative appraisal reports into structured data with over 80 fields, delivered through an Excel add-in. It provides faster, more consistent underwriting with no templates or model training required.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🤖 AI Extraction: The platform accurately extracts data from narrative appraisal PDFs, eliminating the need for templates or model training.

  • 📈 Excel Add-In: Lenders can easily access organized, searchable appraisal data in Excel, speeding up underwriting reviews and compliance checks.

  • ⏱️ Faster Turnaround: Eliminates manual data entry, reduces cycle times, and offers portfolio-level insight to credit, risk, and compliance teams.

  • 🔗 Ecosystem Fit: Designed for CRE lending workflows, it works with existing LightBox platforms and lender systems to facilitate easier adoption.

Why It Matters

The pipeline will transform the skyline and draw more year-round residents near Main Street. Adding supply at different price points can reduce rent pressures while benefiting restaurants and retail stores.

Monitoring which projects receive final approvals helps buyers and investors plan contracts and recognize potential gains.

Catch you in the next issue,

Anne Morgan
Editor-in-Chief
Commercial Real Estate Weekly

P.S. Interested in sponsoring a future issue? Just reply to this email and I’ll send packages!

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