Bradenton-Sarasota Home Sellers Volunteer As Home Builders

SARASOTA, FL -- As real estate agents, the staff at Keller Williams on the Water Sarasota and Keller Williams Bradenton spend most of their time searching for the right homes for families.

But on Friday, March 23, they had an opportunity to actually help build the right homes for families.

The Realtors teamed with Giveback Homes and Habitat for Humanity for a Sarasota Build Day to put the finishing touches on two new homes at 200 Tarpon Ave. and 214 Tarpon Ave. in Sarasota.

The new homeowners include Ana and her three children who had to flee their former home with only the clothes on their backs due to domestic violence.

They lived in a local shelter for victims of domestic violence while Ana obtained a divorce in 2011.

In 2016, Ana earned her Certified Nursing Assistant certificate and now she works as a full-time nurse at an assisted living facility and supplements her family’s income by cleaning houses.

The Realtors also helped paint rooms and unfinished doors for a home for Suzanne, a single mother raising five children in a three-bedroom apartment.

Suzanne works as a benefit verification specialist at area hospitals but has ongoing medical expenses because two of her daughters struggle with genetic connective tissue disorders and another has asthma, which was triggered by mold in the apartment.

The volunteers were led by Greg Owens, broker and owner of Keller Williams on the Water’s Bradenton and Sarasota locations and president of the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee.

"As Realtors, we love to give back to the community, and providing homes for these families is a great way to do that," he said.

Working with Ciaran Farrell, CFO of Keller Williams on the Water Sarasota, and Curtis Tirey, CEO/team leader for the Sarasota office, more than 30 volunteers participated in Build Day.

Images via Keller Williams on the Water