The Suncoast Guide: Side Stories

🚀 Two 16-hour hospital shifts back to back, plus real estate on the side. What can burnout teach you about buying, selling, or moving to Florida?

Amanda LeGault, founder of the LeGault Luxe Group at Keller Williams on the Water in Sarasota and host of The Suncoast Guide, talks with Aaron Hoffman, a cross-market realtor in Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, and Fort Lauderdale. Aaron studied interior design and worked as an X-ray tech in the OR and ER before real estate.

You’ll hear how ER burnout built a more compassionate realtor, how house hunting is smarter, what Florida’s market really costs, and how going back to basics grows a business in a new city.

🎧 Hosted by: Amanda LeGault

👤 Guest: 🏡 Aaron Hoffman – Cross-market Florida realtor serving Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, and Fort Lauderdale. Before real estate, he studied architecture and interior design and worked as an X-ray tech in hospital ORs and ERs. 

💡 What You Learn:

• Moving to Florida works best with an open mind, not old-state expectations

• Career changes can start alongside a full-time job

• Hospital-style empathy helps calm stressed buyers and sellers

• Catfish listings often use AI-edited paint colors and flooring

• Driving the neighborhoods first saves wasted home showings

• St. Petersburg real estate offers a lower entry price than Fort Lauderdale

• AI overwhelm in real estate: master one or two basics first

⏳ Timestamps (Click to Jump to Sections!):

• 00:00 - Cold open and meet Aaron Hoffman

• 01:52 - Design Degree to Healthcare 

• 05:57 - ER Burnout & 32-Hour Shifts 

• 09:47 - Catfish Listings & AI Photos 

• 15:11 - Fort Lauderdale vs. Tampa Bay 

• 18:26 - Condo Bubble & HOA Fees 

• 22:50 - Moving to Florida & 13.9% Rates 

• 25:41 - Finding the Right House 

• 30:20 - Showing Tour Headaches 

• 34:06 - Market Outlook & 3-Month Listings 

• 39:30 - Why Answering the Phone Wins 

• 42:59 - AI Overwhelm: Back to Basics 

💡 Key Questions Answered:

Q: How can I tell when I’ve found the right house?

→ A: Aaron Hoffman, a cross-market realtor in Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale, stays quiet on tours and watches for buyers placing their own sofa, chairs, or china cabinet in the room. He also hands buyers a pen and paper, tours five homes max per day, has them rate each one, and keeps only the top two.

Q: Why might waiting for lower mortgage rates be a mistake?

→ A: Aaron Hoffman tells buyers on the fence that, in his view, pandemic-era rates will not return, noting his mother considered a 13.9% rate in the 1980s good. He adds that car loans run 8 to 12% and credit cards 22 to 23%, while a 6 to 6.5% mortgage at least builds equity.

Q: What is driving Florida condo HOA fees so high?

→ A: According to Aaron Hoffman, condo buildings are raising HOA fees to fund reserves, not to add amenities or updates, leaving many HOAs higher than a typical mortgage. He expects more condo inventory as owners on fixed incomes walk away, foreclose, or short sell.

 📇 Connect with Aaron Hoffman:

🌐Facebook → Business: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063817830075

💼 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/a2hoffman/

🚀Follow Amanda LeGault:

🌐 Website → https://legaultluxegrouprealestate.com/

🎧 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@thesuncoastguideamandalegault 💼 Instagram → https://threads.instagram.com/amandaelegault/?hl=zh-hk

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

#TheSuncoastGuide #AmandaLeGault #TampaBayRealEstate #SarasotaRealEstate #SarasotaFlorida #LivingInSarasota #MovingToSarasota #FloridaGulfCoast #Suncoast #WaterfrontHomes #LuxuryRealEstate #BradentonRealEstate 

🚀 Before you buy a waterfront home in St. Pete, do you know the tide, the water depth, and whether you can even build a dock?

Amanda LeGault, who leads the LeGault Luxe Group at Keller Williams on the Water in Sarasota and hosts The Suncoast Guide, talks St. Petersburg real estate with realtor Carly Majorana of NextHome Gulf Coast Realty. Carly Majorana spends most of her time on the water and carries a depth stick to waterfront listings.

You’ll learn how lifestyle content earns buyer trust, what to check before buying waterfront, how hurricanes reshaped the St. Pete market, and how to build a lasting real estate business.

🎧 Hosted by: Amanda LeGault

👤 Guest: 🏡 Carly Majorana – a St. Petersburg, Florida realtor with NextHome Gulf Coast Realty. Known online as Carly on the Water, she shares boating, fishing, and waterfront living alongside real estate, and at one point drew 2M TikTok views a month. Before real estate, she ran her own business in the beauty industry.

💡 What You Learn:

• Waterfront homes need enough water depth for your boat at low tide

• Realtor social media: real lifestyle content builds trust with buyers

• Dock permits can depend on protected seagrass and Army Corps approval

• St. Petersburg real estate: one past flood isn’t automatically a red flag

• Tampa Bay real estate: rebuilt beach areas may see a big value upswing

• Real estate career success depends on your own hustle

• Closing gift ideas: a fillet station over a fruit basket for anglers

⏳ Timestamps (Click to Jump to Sections!):

• 00:00 - Haters & $2.5M Houses: Meet Carly Majorana

• 00:44 - From Beauty Business to Real Estate: a $100K First Deal 

• 05:07 - Lifestyle Content That Led to a $2.5M St. Pete Home 

• 08:02 - Fear of Posting, Haters and TikTok Leads 

• 11:23 - Buying Waterfront: Docks, Tides and Flood Red Flags 

• 16:10 - Boating to the Bahamas and Offshore Fishing 

• 19:41 - St. Pete Waterfront Market After the Hurricanes 

• 22:00 - Why Carly Can’t Leave the Water 

• 22:51 - Where find Carly

• 23:24 - KillerDock Fish Cleaning Station as a Closing Gift  

💡 Key Questions Answered:

Q: How can I find out if a dock can be built before I buy a waterfront home?

→ A: Carly Majorana, a St. Petersburg realtor with NextHome Gulf Coast Realty, has a dock contractor come out during the inspection period, or even before the offer, to confirm whether a dock can go in. Contractors who have built many docks on the same canal can usually confirm quickly and will flag a property that needs further checking.

Q: What does the 50% rule mean for flooded homes in Florida?

→ A: The 50% rule, as Carly Majorana describes it, means many flooded one-story, wood-frame homes can’t simply be rebuilt and basically have to be torn down and started over.

Q: Why do waterfront buyers connect with a realtor who boats and fishes?

→ A: Carly Majorana says buyers who fish already share a joint interest with her, so they feel they can talk to her about things they both enjoy. That shared lifestyle builds a connection beyond the transaction itself.

 📇 Connect with Carly Majorana:

🌐 Facebook → Business: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyMajoranaRealtor/

🌐Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/Carlymbush

💼 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carlyonthewater

⭐LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-majorana-realtor

🚀Follow Amanda LeGault:

🌐 Website → https://legaultluxegrouprealestate.com/

🎧 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@thesuncoastguideamandalegault 💼 Instagram → https://threads.instagram.com/amandaelegault/?hl=zh-hk

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

#TheSuncoastGuide #AmandaLeGault #SarasotaRealEstate #SarasotaFlorida #LivingInSarasota #MovingToSarasota #FloridaGulfCoast #Suncoast #WaterfrontHomes #LuxuryRealEstate #BradentonRealEstate #TampaBayRealEstate 

🚀 Visiting Florida’s Gulf Coast is one thing. Living here day to day is something else entirely.

So who actually lives in these towns, and how different does each one feel?

Amanda LeGault, a Sarasota realtor leading the LeGault Luxe Group at Keller Williams on the Water and an American Dream TV host, launches The Suncoast Guide: Side Stories. Driving the area every day, Amanda sees how Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, St. Pete, and Siesta Key each have their own personality.

You’ll learn what daily life on the Gulf Coast looks like, how each town feels different, and how meeting local founders, makers, and lifetime locals helps you move or invest with less guesswork.

🎧 Hosted by: Amanda LeGault

Amanda LeGault leads the LeGault Luxe Group at Keller Williams on the Water in Sarasota and hosts The Suncoast Guide, bringing a luxury, waterfront, and investment focus to Florida’s Gulf Coast along with her on-air experience as an American Dream TV host. In this episode, Amanda explores who really lives on the Suncoast and how different each pocket feels before you move: the local, lifestyle-and-value insight that helps people buying, selling, or investing in Sarasota, Bradenton, and the Tampa Bay area move with confidence.

💡 Key Topics Covered:

✔️ Moving to Florida: learn daily life there, not just how it feels to visit

✔️ Sarasota, Florida feels nothing like Lakewood Ranch

✔️St. Pete has a totally different vibe than Siesta Key

✔️Gulf Coast founders started from scratch and made it work

✔️Chefs, builders, and designers are shaping Gulf Coast living 

✔️Lifetime locals know spots you’d never find in a travel guide 

✔️Investing on the Gulf Coast: local voices cut the guesswork 

💡 Key Questions Answered:

Q: Who shapes everyday life in Florida’s Gulf Coast communities?

→ A: Amanda LeGault, a Sarasota realtor and American Dream TV host, points to local business leaders, community members, and vendors as the people who make the Gulf Coast a truly great and fun place to be.

Q: What kind of market insight should I look for before buying or selling on the Gulf Coast?

→ A: Amanda LeGault offers straight talk about the market: what she is seeing on the ground and what it actually means for people who are buying, selling, or investing.

Q: Where can I follow local content about Florida’s Gulf Coast?

→ A: Amanda LeGault shares Gulf Coast content on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and American Dream TV, and now on The Suncoast Guide: Side Stories podcast.

🚀Follow Amanda LeGault:

🌐 Website → https://legaultluxegrouprealestate.com/

🎧 Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@thesuncoastguideamandalegault 💼 Instagram → https://threads.instagram.com/amandaelegault/?hl=zh-hk

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

#TheSuncoastGuide #AmandaLeGault #SarasotaRealEstate #SarasotaFlorida #LivingInSarasota #MovingToSarasota #FloridaGulfCoast #Suncoast #WaterfrontHomes #LuxuryRealEstate #BradentonRealEstate #TampaBayRealEstate 

Through her existing content, Amanda LeGault has spent years showcasing the beauty of Florida's Gulf Coast — from stunning waterfronts and vibrant neighborhoods to the lifestyle that draws people here from around the world. But beyond the scenery and the homes, she believes the most compelling part of any community is its people.

That's what The Suncoast Guide: Side Stories is all about.

This podcast expands on the stories behind Amanda’s content, bringing listeners into thoughtful conversations with local business owners, entrepreneurs, chefs, builders, designers, community leaders, and longtime residents who shape life across Tampa Bay, St. Pete, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, and beyond.

Whether you're considering relocating, investing in a vacation home or waterfront property, or simply curious about the Gulf Coast lifestyle, each episode offers a deeper look at what makes this region more than just a destination.