Today, June 1st, marks the first day of Hurricane Season. This will run for 6 months, through to November 30th. Here are a few facts about hurricanes, as well as a few helpful websites, that I'd like to share with you. Did you know that for hundreds of years, hurricanes in the West Indies were named after the particular saint's day on which the storm made landfall? Using a woman's
Read MoreIt's hard to believe that it is already June! Here's a brief recap of some of the more interesting data about the local real estate market: Currently there are 1,792 residential properties under contract. This includes listings still Active with Contingencies and those Pending. Of those, 1,103 went under contract in May! 812 of the 1,103 are listed at or under $300,000. which is nearly 74%. A total of 58
Read MoreThe National Association of Realtors today reported that existing home sales in April rose--the eighth consecutive month with sales increases nationwide! That sounds like a trend to me! Home sales in Florida rose 18%, with a total of 13,111 homes sold statewide compared to 11,133 in April 2008. Condo sales in Florida also rose 21% in April as compared to April last year; and condos rose 6.2% total units over
Read MoreLast Friday I confirmed an appointment with a buyer who was scheduled to arrive in Naples this morning...after discussing the final details of his arrival I began the process of setting up appointments. We had been communicating via phone and email for about 30 days...much of what he was looking for was either listed as short sales or foreclosed properties. After calling on several of the short sale listings, and
Read MoreChip & I had the distinct honor last night of attending the 19th Golden Apple Teacher Recognition Celebration at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts. It was a memorable evening and we left there feeling so blessed to be a part of this fabulous community. The teachers who were honored were a diverse and talented group; but they had a common characteristic...to them teaching is a calling, and their
Read MoreLate last year the Naples Area Board of Realtors formed a focus group and established a committee to create some positive press after the real estate editors seemed to have it out for all of us. Shortly thereafter, the first of many articles began appearing in our local paper and slowly, but surely, the confidence of the buyers in the Naples Real Estate market returned. --With more closed sales in
Read MoreWhen I first started this real estate blog in December 2007, it was estimated that less than 3% of the public blogged. The percentage of real estate bloggers at that time was slightly less. A recent poll in the 2008 Realtor Technology Report, as reported by the National Association of Realtors says that 7% of the country's licensed sales associates post to their own self-hosted blogs daily, another 9% blog
Read MoreBack in the 1950's, Naples Bay began its metamorphosis as it changed from being a natural, mangrove lined, shallow estuary to a dredged body of water. Instead of being filtered naturally, stormwater now enters the bay via canals, including the main Golden Gate canal which connects to the Gordon River. This canal alone spills an average of over 200 million gallons of water a day into the bay!~ This excess
Read MoreIt happens every now and then, no matter how hard one might try to keep life in perspective...We get caught up in the daily routines and the simple beauty all around us goes unseen. -And then all of a sudden, in that dizzying rush to get things done, something or someone steps into our path and we slow down to see. I had several moments like that yesterday. As I
Read MoreSo, what's the scoop on Chinese Drywall? Yes, we've added yet another disclosure to those that already exist...Lead based paint disclosure, mold disclosure, radon disclosure, insurance disclosure, special taxing district disclosure...and so on and so on. Now, in the stack of paperwork that a buyer will be recommended to sign when making a purchase offer, there is another form: The Chinese Drywall Disclosure. It simply reads that drywall which was
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