Melissa Gissinger is a Sarasota-based real estate advisor specializing in luxury homes, waterfront properties, and downtown condominiums. Known for her strategic approach to pricing, design-forward marketing, and skilled negotiation, Melissa works with buyers and sellers who value experience, discretion, and results.
With over 25 years as a real estate investor and project developer, Melissa brings a rare, analytical perspective to the buying and selling process. Her background in interior design allows her to see properties through both a financial and aesthetic lens—helping sellers maximize value and buyers identify long-term potential.
Before transitioning into real estate advisory, Melissa built an accomplished design career. After earning a BFA from the University of Georgia, she worked in San Diego designing and rehabilitating investment properties, later expanding her business to Los Angeles. Her design work evolved into a fabric collection and a West Hollywood showroom, collaborating with textile companies in Italy, Switzerland, and England. Her fabrics and rugs were carried nationally and internationally and featured in Architectural Digest, Luxe, and Elle Decor. Her professional contributions earned her an Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Georgia.
Melissa has long been committed to historic preservation and the arts. She was an inaugural member of the National Council for the White House Historical Association, serving for five years, and remains actively involved in civic and cultural initiatives.
After settling in Sarasota, Melissa developed deep ties to the community she now proudly calls home. She is a founding business partner of The Bay Sarasota, serves on the board of the Southwest Florida Red Cross, and recently completed a two-year appointment on the Purple Ribbon Committee for the City of Sarasota.
A recipient of the 2021 President’s Award, Melissa is known for her professionalism, market insight, and client-first philosophy. A mother of five sons, she enjoys water sports, beach walks, reading, and traveling with her husband, Steve.
