Dawn Merrill is a licensed REALTOR specializing in luxury homes, waterfront properties, and relocation in Sarasota, Florida. A Sarasota resident since 1976, she brings over 50 years of local roots to buyers, sellers, retirees, and second-home owners across Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, and Siesta Key.
Clients describe working with Dawn the same way again and again: calm, confident, and stress-free. She handles the hard stuff behind the scenes so you never have to feel it. She solves problems before they become stressful, gives honest and straightforward advice, and takes care of the details others overlook.
Dawn's background sets her apart. Before she ever held a license, her husband was a homebuilder, and she began by decorating his model homes, learning firsthand how a well-designed space makes people fall in love with a property. That led to her real estate license and, later, her Certified Building Contractor license. By the time she was selling homes professionally, she had already lived inside every stage of the process: design, construction, and sale. That builder's eye lets her see what most agents miss, from the quality of a build to the potential in a floor plan.
She works with buyers, sellers, and investors throughout Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, and the surrounding Gulf Coast. As a relocation specialist, she is a go-to resource for buyers moving from the Northeast, especially New Jersey and the Philadelphia area, who are discovering the Gulf Coast for the first time. She knows these neighborhoods block by block and matches buyers to the right community, not just the right house.
What clients thank Dawn for:
Making the buying and selling process feel easy
Being available when they need help most
Solving problems before they become stressful
Helping them find the right neighborhood, not just the right house
Deep knowledge of Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch
Honest advice and straightforward guidance
Contractor and design expertise
Being a trusted resource long after closing
Dawn leads the West Coast Collective at Compass and ranks among the top 1.5% of real estate professionals nationwide, recognized by Real Trends. That standing reflects years of clients who trusted her with one of the biggest decisions of their lives and came away feeling supported, informed, and understood.
To Dawn, real estate has always been about relationships, not transactions. She does not disappear when closing day comes. She stays a trusted resource long after the keys change hands.
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