The games these banks are playing right now regarding short sales is driving me bananas! Now I'll be the first to tell you my experience is not long when dealing with these because I've done just about whatever I can to steer clear but every once in awhile I'll find myself in the middle of one.  What I can say is this:

If an agent were to behave like some of these banks are, we'd have our licenses yanked so fast it would make your head spin.  Bait and switch pricing...not responding to offers....shopping contracts.  UNBELIEVABLE!

I remember when I first started real estate and having to learn all of the consumer protection laws and thinking to myself...ga, I can lose my license so many different ways! I remember starting my career and being super careful to remember all of the things I must do and say to keep out of trouble.  Then I realized if I just treated people right then I could avoid all of that. I also remember thinking how twisted some people had to be because something bad had to have happened for there to be a law like that in the first place...and now I see banks doing those things all the time. It's a recipe for a really crappy time in our industry and all the while all I hear on tv is health care issues...our politicians and media seem oblivious to some crazy goings on right now...sigh!

Of course the only reason why banks have any say in the deal is because the seller promised to pay their loan back...ok...back to work!

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

The Cellini at Mediterra pages of my Naples Florida real estate website has just been added.  From there you can see the Cellini at Mediterra site plan and Cellini at Mediterra homes for sale.  Currently there are 6 homes for sale in Cellini at Mediterra.  Prices being in the 1.2 million dollar price range and increase to nearly 3 million.  To see Cellini at Mediterra homes for sale or for more information regarding Cellini, contact me direct!

Best Regards,
Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl
239-595-6223

The Celebrita at Mediterra portion of my Naples Florida real estate website has just been added. Celebrita at Mediterra is located on the east side of Livingston Rd. From my site you can see the Celebrita at Mediterra site plan and see Celebrita at Mediterra homes for sale.  Currently there are two homes for sale in Celebrita at Mediterra.  Both homes are listed in the two million dollar price range.  Lot sizes on Celebrita Way are BIG (approximately 100 feet wide) To see homes located in Celebrita at Mediterra or for more information regarding Celebrita, contact me direct!

Best Regards,
Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl
239-595-6223

The Calabria at Mediterra portion of my Naples Florida real estate website has just been created.  From here you can see the Calabria at Mediterra site plan and see Calabria at Mediterra homes for sale.  Calabria at Mediterra is a beautiful coach home community built by Taylor Woodrow.  Currently there are two units available in Calabria at Mediterra.  Pricing ranges in the high 400's to mid 600's.  To see Calabria at Mediterra coach homes for sale or for more information regarding Calbria at Mediterra, contact me direct!

Best Regards,

Shannon Lefevre
Your Naples Smart Girl!
239-595-6223

The Bello Lago at Mediterra portion of my Naples Florida real estate website has just been created! From Bello Lago at Mediterra you can see the Bello Lago at Mediterra site plan and see what's currently for sale in Bello Lago at Mediterra.  Currently there are 3 Bello Lago at Mediterra homes for sale. Prices range from the 5 million dollar range to the 7 million dollar range and were built in 2004 or just completed in 2009.  There are only 12 luxury estates located in Bello Lago and nearly all homesite offer tranquil lake views with some having beautiful lake and golf course backdrops.  To see Bello Lago at Mediterra homes for sale or for more information regarding Bello Lago at Mediterra, contact me direct!

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

Quail West Naples Florida is a FABULOUS golf course community that had seen its fair share of bumps and bruises when the economy went south.  Ginn Development the entity who purchased the remainder of the development back in 2005 lost their interest in Quail West due to bankruptcy earlier this year.  Quail West in fact was one of the first golf communities to endure some hard core drama but another group legally called QW 2009 Investors LLC purchased the development in April of this year and although there are still some clouds of uncertainty it appears the skies are beginning to clear and the sun is starting to shine once again!  

There have been a total of 5 closed sales in Quail West so far this year with another 3 homes currently pending contract.  That may not seem like alot but there were only 8 homes that sold last year, 5 in 2007 and 4 in 2006 according to the Naples area MLS and it looks like interest is picking up for sure! 

The extra traffic is of no big surprise if you take a deeper look.  Pricing has become so outstanding in Quail West it's making it almost impossible for smart people to shy away.  In fact, the couple I assisted just this past month searched high and low before deciding on a model home located in Quail West.  He is the Chief Financial Officer for a large company and searched high and low making his selection with precision.  They made an offer in Pelican Marsh and one advertised as a short sale in Quail West before finally getting a tremendous deal on the home they purchased. It proves that diligence can pay off if you pay attention to facts and figures for sure! Now this isn't to suggest the club is without problems.  There's still some tweeking going on but the risk is certainly minimized when you look at the prices on some of these properties.

Currently there are 40 Quail West homes (just over a 4 year inventory) and although some of these aren't what I could consider "deals" there are still some tremendous deals to be had not to mention some truly exceptional and unique homes.  The other factor is that most of these beautiful homes are located on extraordinary lots. It's difficult, in some cases impossible, to find newer homes in Naples located on spacious lots without having to sacrifice for location or amenities. 

Talking about lots...there are currently 37 Quail West lots for sale some of which have been grandfathered in which may mean you're not required to have a membership to the golf club (if golf isn't your cup of tea) and/or use a preferred builder.  At one time you couldn't find anything for under $300,000 (if memory serves) and today you can buy a lot bigger than a half acre in Quail West for just a bit over $100,000! You'll want to get on that too if you want to capture the best deal!.  One is currently pending and another has already closed.

For more information regarding Quail West, give me a shout! I'm happy to assist!

Best Regards,

Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!

Who knew that I would be (cough cough) 40 before I would see the cutest boy in the whole wide world!  Not that I haven't seen cute boys before but this guy for sure, is the CUTEST BOY IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD...at least to me! 

He's my son.  Austin Cole Sheridan Lefevre was born June 28, 2009 weighing in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and is doing awesome!

Now for the rest of you parents out there, I'd love to hear your advice on being a Realtor (or professional) and a parent.  So please take the time and let me know your favorite tricks that help you:

• Ballance your time
• Maintain your energy
• Keep you successful
• Anything else you find important to share!

Thanks!

Shannon Lefevre

Did anyone else catch the article in the US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT about America's 10 Best Undervalued Places To Live?  I'm so excited because Naples Florida was named number 3! 

Here's the full article here:

America's 10 Best Undervalued Places To Live

Now this might be news to you but let me tell you something, your friends are already on to it!  I showed a family yesterday from Chicago who came down a few years back when prices couldn't be justified...they're back because they think purchasing here is the smart thing to do.  In fact, he sent me a list of Naples listings to see while they were here and I was overwhelmed at the number of listings that were already under contract! 

Naples Florida property values are already on the rise so if you've been waiting for the market to hit bottom, I'd get on it if I were you!

Oh and by the way, it's been a long time since my last post and before you get to thinkin I've been slacking off this summer I'm happy to announce I had my baby boy! He's doing great and arrived on June 28th weighing in at a sweet 7lbs, 11ozs!  I'll do a full post on him next!

With 6 million more to sell to reach my goal this year, that means I'm open for business! If you're ready to purchase in Naples, give me a shout!

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

Oh heck, some of you know I can't just let the picture speak for itself.  This one is of Port Royal Naples Florida.  Boating through this neighborhood at sunset is truly a treat especially during season when most of the owners are occupying their properties.  The Naples Princess (no that's not me, it's a boat) offers sunset cruises through here at affordable prices.  It's worth the price of admission and you can do cocktails/hors d'oeuvres or the full dinner option!

If you'd rather skip the cruise and just reside here instead, give me a call.  Prices start at just $2,595,000...that's a bargain considering you couldn't tip toe into Port Royal for less than $4,000,000 just a few short years ago!

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

For those of you who don't know, Naples Florida is widely considered a luxury location and although not every area is expensive, some Naples golf communities and most Naples beach communities are expensive and considered luxurious locations.  Although Naples proper isn't considered massive in size, Collier County is quite large and for one to consider themselves an expert for the entire county is simply unrealistic and here's why:

There are currently:

• 8,992 active listings in Collier County
• 976 active with contingency contracts in Collier County
• 840 pending properties in Collier County
• 61,386 closings in Collier County (provided in MLS)
• 22,486 terminated listings in Collier County
• 50,416 expired listings in Collier County
• 724 withdrawn listings in Collier County

Being a specialist means knowing your trade!  That means the agent is familiar with much of the inventory and possess a great working knowledge of current property values, negotiating trends and maybe even have a solid network of other Realtors or vendors who are also familiar with the area as well and who can help assist with details and/or negotiations on contracts. 

How valuable is the agent who specializes nowhere but goes where ever the buyer and or seller may take them?  Not much...that's why you'll find the most successful Realtors in Naples do not go everywhere.  The most successful agents work just a handful of areas because they know those areas very well and can provide a real service to their buyers and sellers.

Typically you'll find Naples luxury Realtors do most of their business west of Tamiami Trail (that's the main corridor that lines the beach) although it isn't uncommon to find some experts who specialize in one neighborhood and that is ALL they service. There are also a handful of agents who have chosen specific Naples golf communities off the beach corridor as their area of specialization.  It's a choice they make to insure they have the knowledge and expertise to be the best.  Most buyers want to work with the best therefore there is a very strategic plan and sometimes expensive price to pay when agents determine a finite market and go after it while passing up on business in other locations.

This brings me to the interesting conversation I had with someone today about Realtors and consumer perception.

He was telling me a story about how he had a seller he needed to refer to one of his Realtor clients.  He picked Realtor "B" because...I am less than 2 weeks away from having a baby and because Realtor "C" said, "she doesn't work that area"....as he rolls his eyes.  I asked him if he knew why she said that because what he thought and what she was really saying were two different things.  He told me he thought she must think "she's above" working that price range...

Here's what I said next.  This isn't a matter of being "above" anything.  Realtor "C" specializes in a completely different market and for her to accept business in a market she doesn't know means she needs to either learn it so she can be of SERVICE (which can take a good amount of time) or be an idiot and not provide a great service.  She could've easily said, sure...and then performed a crappy job for his client.

Us Realtors see this EVERYDAY and believe it or not, some of us have made a conscious decision to be part of the solution!

Buyers do not want to work with agents who do not know what they're showing and do not know how to negotiate.

Sellers do not want to list their homes with agents who do not know how to sell it and do not have the network of people to help them do it.

So the next time you hear a Realtor say, "I'd love to help you out with that but I'm not the one for the job....

• THANK THEM for having the business acumen to refer you to someone who really is a specialist for what you want.
  
• THANK THEM for not being greedy by putting their visions of paychecks ahead of your best interests.
  
• THANK THEM for being honest. 

On the flip side of that the next time you ask an agent if they cover the whole State in which they have their license...their license may go that far but the intelligence doesn't.  If you want to hire a Jack Of All Trades...well...You'll Get A Master At None!

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!