Karen Whitaker

A prominent figure in the Sarasota/Manatee real estate arena, St. Armands sales associate Karen Whitaker has made a second career out of matching buyers and sellers with the perfect property. As a news reporter 20 years ago, Karen most loved meeting people, often under dire circumstances, understanding their plight and advocating for them by way of telling their story. Today, as a real estate associate, Karen finds great joy in discovering and understanding her customers' wants and needs and being the foremost advocate for their personal happiness.

Desiring a schedule more flexible than what the newsroom offered in order to spend time with her young daughter, Karen received her REALTORS® license in 1999. While working as a buyer's and seller's agent, she began purchasing homes for renovation and investment. Building homes from the ground up and serving as her own general contractor expanded Karen's knowledge immensely, as she learned every detail of the construction process and developed a knack for effectively establishing the value of properties for sale. As a result, Karen is quite astute in understanding what buyers are looking for and noticing where sellers are vulnerable.

A member of the REALTOR® Association of Sarasota and Manatee, Karen's main mission with her buyers is to assist them in zeroing in on what they are searching for in regard to lifestyle and residence, and then finding that perfect fit. With her sellers, Karen takes immense pride in establishing the most accurate value possible for their home and getting it sold as quickly as possible. There is nothing more important or fulfilling to Karen than caring for the needs of her customers above and beyond anything else.

Born and raised in Tampa, Karen received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Florida. She often starts each day by cycling Longboat Key in the pre-dawn hours, and in her spare time, Karen enjoys traveling with her husband and daughter.