Earlier this week the new political drama ‘House Of Cards‘ featuring actor Kevin Spacey debuted on netflix. In the show Kevin Spacey plays a rather unpleasant, power-hungry politician with an apparent unfavorable view of our lovely city.

In particular his character cited Sarasota’s luxury real estate market while illustrating his disdain for a former employee who left his service.

“Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that falls apart after 10 years, Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries.”

Well it’s obvious for us his character must NOT have spent much time checking out the array of industry leading hurricane-hardened, luxury homes that line our waterfront neighborhoods. Many of which have been designed by renown architects in both traditional and contemporary styles, have been built with beautiful natural materials, are LEED certified and will certainly withstand the test of time as they must comply with some of the strictest building codes in the country to deal with our frequent threat of hurricanes.

While hearing this kind of casual criticism certainly gets our feathers ruffled, we will admit at least during the ill-fated real estate bubble, there were a few fly-by-night builders with little experience interested in flipping a large well-located but poorly designed home for an even larger quick profit. However those were definitely the exception not the norm. High-end luxury home building in Sarasota is not for the feint of heart, and builders with little experience or resources do not last very long.

The many stunning estates that line our avenues and waterways have become a world-wide draw, and competition between top builders ensures impeccable quality and design standards. Murray Homes, we are proud to say, has been leading the pack. As the top builder on Bird Key in 2012 we have always had a passion for building homes that are not only luxurious, well designed and built with the best materials to the highest standards, but homes that will stand the test of time and continue to be an asset for both the homeowner and our community as a whole.

If fact for proof of our luxury home market’s longevity you need look no further than Ca’ d’Zan. John Ringling’s historical mansion. Built almost 90 years ago in1924, this masterpiece of the Venetian style architecture has graced our shorelines for decades.

If the ornate old-world look is not your thing, Paul Rudolph, an icon of contemporary architecture, started the well known Sarasota Modern, or Sarasota School of Architecture movement that has not only lead to the design and construction of decades-old masterpieces, but has inspired a whole generation of contemporary architects to continue to innovate with beautiful and clean designs. In fact many homes in our area gain significantly in value not by being designed by a well-known architect but by simply being next to a home designed by one.

As a builder of of luxury homes in some of Sarasota’s most prominent areas we take the responsibility of creating homes that will add to our areas overall value now and far into the future.