Business is booming for realtors selling condos in downtown St. Petersburg.

With two high rises just completed, the city's tallest skyscraper more than halfway done and other high rises in the planning, downtown is trying to keep up with the demand.

  • Developers say it's an exciting time to build downtown
  • High-dollar high rise buyers cross generation gap
  • Locations like the Salvador are filling up fast

It's a seller's market right now. As the buildings go up, the number of condos and apartments available seems to keep going down.

Developer Bowen Arnold of DDA Development said it's an exciting time to build downtown.

"Just over the last three to four or five years, it just seems like it's really exploding, and we're really excited about the opportunities here. And we're looking for more," Arnold said.

Places like the Salvador are filling up just as fast as it's built.

"Now that the building's finished, we've sold four units in the last 30 days," Arnold said.

Construction isn't even completed on another St. Petersburg development, and it's sold more than 70 percent of its units. These are high-dollar high rises that are attracting buyers that cross the generation gap.

"We have people in their 30s, people in their 70s, single people, couples," Arnold said. "I think they're excited about downtown St. Pete and about living 15 minutes from the beach and and all the restaurants and the exciting things that are going on."

Debbie Ritschel and her husband are certainly excited about their new condo and new town.

"I found a website, walkable downtowns in Florida. We read them all and we zeroed in on Sarasota and St. Petersburg," she said. "And then found the Salvador online and said, 'This is it.'"

They're making the move from the Chicago area and say finding a lot of what they have up there down here makes the move perfect for them.

"We like the fact there are young people around," Ritschel said. "And we just think that to be able to bike instead of drive to a lot of places is something that we're looking forward to. And to just be able to get out and walk in the winter time, I think it going to be pretty special."

As fast as the condos are filling up, they'll have a lot of company to do those things with.

Arnold said his company hopes to build more living space in downtown St. Petersburg as soon it can.