Naples Florida Real Estate Blog Pelican Bay Real Estate Blog

Two Days After Tropical Storm Fay

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:06:56 -0700

The day of the storm found me trying to catch up blogging and wade through my tons of paperwork. I had a contract come in on my 500 Lambiance CIR #201 the day before the storm! I did manage to get out to take this video of the storm in my community in Pelican Bay. Make sure to turn on your sound so you can hear the wind! The day after the storm I headed to the beach at Pelican Bay. The restaurant was open and the trams were running. The beach had taken a pounding but still looked great! The strong waves did not deter one person from windsurfing at the beach! I wish you could have seen the colors of the sail against the sky! Pelican Bay had a number of downed palm fronds and branches but all is well after TS Fay!

HOW LOW CAN THEY GO??????

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:06:48 -0700

Today found me reminiscing about selling real estate back in 1981 in my Strip Joints and Selling Homes posting. Writing this article reminded me I forgot to post my latest price reductions on Active Rain so here's the scoop......... My 400 Lambiance Cir #202 in Lambiance in Pelican Bay in Naples, FL is now priced at $599,900.00. Since the price has been reduced, I have had quite a few showings on this unit. Agents keep asking me, "How low will the sellers go?" Come on guys! Besides the fact that my Sellers bought the unit at the height of the real estate market for $749,900.00, unless I have something in writing from the Sellers authorizing me to tell an agent what they would take, I CAN NOT SAY! This unit is being sold turnkey furnished, which means EVERYTHING stays. My 500 Lambiance CIR #201 in Lambiance in Pelican Bay reduced their price 85K from $674,900.00 to $589,900.00. This unit is also being sold turnkey furnished and has been getting a number of showings since the price reduciton. Both these listings have great views and are in tip top condition. This year has turned out to be a much better year for me than last year. I have had a number of listings sell and have had some sales. I also have had some time to concentrate on my Naples Web site. My 805 Sand Pointe Dr. came under contract and is due to close in July. Yesterday I wrote an offer on one of my listings and I hope the contract will survive all the inspections. Things are busier, which I find encouraging. According to statistics from the Naples Board of Realtors, pending sales are up in the areas by the beach and in areas under $300,000.00. My advice to any buyer right now is to get off the fence and make a decision in either of the two areas mentioned in the above paragraph. Next year these buyers could be kicking themselves saying, "I should have bought last year!"

L'Ambiance in Pelican Bay - 40K Price Reduction! Now $624,900.00

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:13:36 -0800

My sellers at 400 Lambiance Cir. #202 had me reduce the price on this lovely unit from $664,900.00 to $624,900.00. An open floor plan with 1967 under air, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, an attached garage and a peaceful lake and aquascape view, this makes for a good buy in L'Ambiance in Pelican Bay.If someone desires to be close to the Gulf of Mexico in a beach community, L'Ambiance in Pelican Bay is a great place to live. L'Ambiance is walking distance to shopping, movie theaters, the library and the Pelican Bay Community Center.Escape those cold winters,own in Pelican Bay and you could feel the warm sand between your toes while enjoying sunsets at the beach in Pelican Bay.

Florida Property Tax Reduction Wins

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:24:57 -0800

The property tax cut amendment that was up for a vote yesterday passed the Naples Daily News reported in this morning's newspaper.Homesteaded FL residents will see their $25,000.00 homestead exemption increased. Homesteaded residents will also be able to take up to $500,000 worth of Save Our Home benefits to a new residence. This feature of "portability" of the Save Our Homes benefit is what a number of current home owners have been waiting. When faced with downsizing or increasing the size of their current home, many Florida residents have put home purchases on hold waiting to see if this portability issue would pass.Non-Homestead property owners under this new amendment will get a 10 percent annual assessment cap on their property taxes.Will this property tax amendment help increase homes sales? I believe that there is a large segment of homesteaded owners in the Naples area that have owned for a period of time and have been waiting for this amendment to pass. These owners, I think, will now want to buy a larger or smaller residence in Naples. They understand that while they might not realize what they could have received for their homes in the heat of the market, there currently is a wide selection of homes to choose from and a number of good buys on the market today.

YIKES! ANOTHER 100k Price Reduction???????????? 805 Sand Pointe in Pelican Bay

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:35:06 -0800

Yes, it is true. My sellers at 805 Sand Pointe in Pelican Bay had me reduce the price of their SINGLE FAMILY VILLA WITH A POOL from $649,900.00 to $549,900.00. This villa has 1672 sq. ft. under air, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths AND 2 car garage! This could be your chance to own NOW in Pelican Bay.

2007 Year End Florida Sales Report

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:48:16 -0800

I am a few days late posting these statistics, however I am happy to report that I have been busy with Real Estate since the beginning of the year. While the number of sales are still down, the median sales price for the state does not show double digits! Please don't forget to read the asterisks on the Naples Board of Realtors contribution to this report. Here the figures for existing condos:Florida Sales Report - Year End 2007Existing Condominiums

	Realtor Sales	Median Sales Price
Statewide &Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)	Year End2007	Year End2006	%Chge	Year End2007	Year End2006	%Chge
STATEWIDE* (1)	41,478	56,877	-27	$205,100	$211,500	-3
Daytona Beach	1,015	1,147	-12	$249,800	$244,500	2
Fort Lauderdale	6,533	8,996	-27	$187,600	$208,600	-10
Fort Myers-Cape Coral	1,706	2,150	-21	$236,700	$298,900	-21
Fort Pierce-Port St. Lucie	782	807	-3	$192,000	$203,700	-6
Fort Walton Beach	780	724	8	$384,000	$293,900	31
Gainesville	939	1,284	-27	$154,900	$153,400	1
Jacksonville	1,581	2,026	-22	$166,900	$168,600	-1
Lakeland-Winter Haven	170	272	-38	$126,700	$117,900	7
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay	1,187	1,611	-26	$177,300	$199,300	-11
Miami	5,772	9,822	-41	$272,000	$257,500	6
Naples-Marco Island* (2)	323	415	-22	$386,300	$460,600	-16
Ocala (3)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Orlando	2,141	4,933	-57	$158,500	$166,100	-5
Panama City	483	352	37	$280,100	$315,000	-11
Pensacola	486	657	-26	$276,800	$176,800	57
Punta Gorda	308	610	-50	$155,300	$169,600	-8
Sarasota-Bradenton	3,197	3,317	-4	$253,800	$263,900	-4
Tallahassee	355	457	-22	$149,300	$146,300	2
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (4)	5,932	8,523	-30	$169,400	$172,300	-2
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton	5,674	6,139	-8	$198,000	$220,400	-10

•(1) * Statewide figure includes data from the Naples Board of Realtors; except for December, as historical data from Naples for December 2006 is not available.•(2) * Does not include data from the Naples Board of Realtors.•(3) Historical data from the Ocala-Marion County Association of Realtors for 2006 was not available.•(4) Data from the Hernando County Association of Realtors now included in the totals from 2006 and 2007.Editor's note: Sales numbers represent totals of Realtors' closed transactions from local Realtorboards/associations within the MSAs.This information is based on a survey of MLS sales levels from Florida's Realtor boards/associations. MSAs are defined by the 2000 Census. Source: Florida Association of Realtors and the University of Florida Real Estate Research Center.Here are the numbers on the existing Single Family Homes:Florida Sales Report - Year End 2007Single-Family, Existing Homes

	Realtor Sales	Median Sales Price
Statewide &Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)	Year End2007	Year End2006	%Chge	Year End2007	Year End2006	%Chge
STATEWIDE* (1)	130,241	183,988	-29	$233,600	$247,100	-5
Daytona Beach	6,701	8,774	-24	$197,300	$217,700	-9
Fort Lauderdale	6,127	8,373	-27	$363,100	$367,800	-1
Fort Myers-Cape Coral	5,383	8,518	-37	$257,000	$273,600	-6
Fort Pierce-Port St. Lucie	3,376	4,965	-32	$226,100	$253,200	-11
Fort Walton Beach	2,419	2,861	-15	$217,800	$231,400	-6
Gainesville	2,644	3,174	-17	$210,400	$213,200	-1
Jacksonville	12,501	16,405	-24	$197,200	$200,600	-2
Lakeland-Winter Haven	3,340	5,160	-35	$168,900	$176,200	-4
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay	5,181	6,423	-19	$193,600	$220,300	-12
Miami	5,289	8,692	-39	$380,100	$375,800	1
Naples-Marco Island* (2)	293	328	-11	$523,700	$530,800	-1
Ocala	2,979	5,347	-44	$168,600	$167,800	-
Orlando	17,143	27,212	-37	$248,900	$262,900	-5
Panama City	1,361	1,504	-10	$199,300	$211,200	-6
Pensacola	4,188	5,196	-19	$164,800	$165,600	-
Punta Gorda	2,436	3,264	-25	$186,900	$217,900	-14
Sarasota-Bradenton	8,103	9,067	-11	$285,700	$306,100	-7
Tallahassee	3,833	4,929	-22	$179,400	$177,600	1
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (3)	24,215	37,190	-35	$209,100	$224,800	-7
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton	6,971	8,640	-19	$369,400	$384,700	-4

•(1) *Statewide figure includes data from the Naples Board of Realtors; except for December, as historical data from Naplesfor December 2006 is not available.•(2) *Does not include data from the Naples Board of Realtors.•(3) Data from the Hernando County Association of Realtors now included in the totals from 2006 and 2007.Editor's note: Sales numbers represent totals of Realtors' closed transactions from local Realtor boards/associations within the MSAs.This information is based on a survey of MLS sales levels from Florida's Realtor boards/associations. MSAs are defined by the 2000 Census. Source: Florida Association of Realtors and the University of Florida Real Estate Research Center.

Price Faaaaaaaaalling - Dropped 100K - Pelican Bay L'Ambiance

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:31:33 -0800

The owner of 2300 Lambiance Cir. #102 instruced me to drop the price of this lovely 3 bedroom plus family room, 2 bath 1st floor condo in L'Ambiancefrom $799,900.00 to $699,900.00!!!!! This condo has 2,025 square feet under air and a peaceful waterscape view. It is located in Pelican Bay in Naples, FL.L'Ambiance is just a short walk to the Pelican Bay Community Center with its state of the art fitness center.It is also a quick walk to the North Tram stop where a tram waits to whisk you away to the gorgeous beach in Pelican Bay.

2300 Lambiance Cir #102 Naples, FL - Pelican Bay

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:48:56 -0800

This L'Ambiance coach home has just had wall paper removed, walls painted and new flooring installed. The 2,025 under air floor planprovides room for a master bedroom suite, a guest suite, a third bedroom AND a family room. You can enjoy a peaceful moment on your lanai with this lovely lake & water-scape view.L'Ambiance is a gated community in the planned unit development of Pelican Bay. This development has been built with beach access to the Gulf of Mexico throughout various tram stops located in the community.While no beach is private in the State of Florida, access to the beach here in Pelican Bay is private. You must show your membership pass to board the tram or to walk, bike, jog, roller-blade on the berms or eat at the restaurantas in Pelican Bay.Pelican Bay has two beach facilites with chairs, umbrellas and cabanas provided to its members. There are two restaurant facilities in Pelican Bay, one at the North Beach and the other at the South Beach. Can you picture yourself relaxing here in JANUARY????This unit is being offered at $799,900.00. If you owned this home now you could be painting your own portrait in the living room,or this spacious family room.......or this kitchen...........If you owned in Pelican Bay, you could be not only enjoying the beach but also enjoying.........You also could enjoy an evening out at The Philor an afternoon at The Naples Museum of ArtOwn now and enjoy sunsets like this...........

Awesome Pelican Bay Sunset!

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:08:11 -0800

Sunday provided an incredible sunset at the Sandpiper Beach in Pelican Bay. In the 12 years that I have lived here, I have seen some truly beautiful sunsets. Last night's sunset was truly awesome. I snapped some photos to share.New Years Day found an offer coming in on my 1500 Lambiance Cir #101 The offer was just finalized on Friday. I do not anticipate any problems with this transaction as the unit is in tip top shape.I have noticed some more showings on my listings over this past week end. Now we just need those buyers to write more offers! I showed most of the day today. My buyer like the majority of buyers out there are looking "a deal".Pelican Bay with its unique beach set up has held up OK so far. We have dipped a bit but between 2004 to 2005 low rises in Pelican Bay saw a 34% increase in prices. Our market couldn't go up like that forever. I'll be working on stats for Pelican Bay over the next week.The Naples Daily News had two good articles in yesterday's paper. One article dealt with the residential real estate market in Naples. The other dealt with commercialreal estate in Naples. There has been a slow down in commercial real estate in Naples. While areas in Naples further from the beach are taking and will take a longer time to sell.......Naples still has some beautiful sunsets!

Linking Active Rain Blog to Web Site

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 07:32:01 -0800

I have been trying to use my Active Rain blog more and would like to place a link to my blog on my web site. How would I go about doing this? Any pointers or directions you could give me are appreciated!

400 Lambiance CIR #202 Naples, FL

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:37:37 -0800

In between family company, I've been a busy bee the last few weeks. I recently listed a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, second floor condo, with a one car garage and 1967 square feet under air in L'Ambiance in Pelican Bay for $664,900.00 This lovely unit has a peaceful lake and waterscape view. The floor plan is a rarely available C-2 plan.L'Ambiance is a gated subdivision in the beach community of Pelican Bay. You can see that I talk a great deal about Pelican Bay on my home page. Pelican Bay Beaches have two restaurants and an outdoor exercise area. Beach chairs and umbrellas are provided to residents. Tram stops are located in the community that will whisk you away through the mangrove forest to the beach at Pelican Bay. The fees for everything that Pelican Bay has to offer is included in the units quarterly fees of $1,485.00.This unit has a great view from its lanai..... This floor plan features a great room with sliders opening to the lanai. A Jenn Air grill makes outside dining a snap!If you are considering owning a home in Naples FL you owe it to yourself to check out the beautiful community of Pelican Bay. All the following are located in Pelican Bay along with tennis courts and canoe rentals for the residents.Whether you are enjoying a vibrant sunset .............................or watching a full moon................If you owned in L'Ambiance in Pelican Bay, you could be enjoying these things now!

Florida's Performance Ratings

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 03:59:19 -0800

There is an informative Web site that rates Florida's performanceon public safety, health and family, education, economy and taxes, transportation, and environment/conservation. Good news as well as not so good new is posted. This site, in my opinion, is a good reference site for Florida buyers and sellers.We once again have a drop dead gorgeous day in Naples today. Pelican Bayis in the process of dressing up for the Christmas holiday.......pictures to follow in my next blog. (This translates to I have to go down to the beach to take some photos.) L'Ambiance already has its Christmas decorations up. While my friends and family up North may be in the process of thinking about putting up outside Christmas decorations, many of the subdivisions in Naples have to begin this process early. L'Ambiance, like other subdivisions, hire a company to string the Christmas lights up on the palm trees. I heard the Christmas tree lighting in Old Naples attracted 20,000 people this year! We even had "snow" blowing around for our Northern visitors. Living here for 11 years STILL has not taken away the memory of shoveling my driveway in Downers Grove, IL. I can still remember showing homes in the snow. So many sellers would "forget" to shovel their stairs as they always left via the garage. Too many times my buyers and I had to scale a slippery Mt. Everest to get to a lockbox. Once inside the door, there would never be a rug to wipe our wet boots. DO I MISS THIS EXPERIENCE? NO! I'll take vacuuming sand out of my house any day over shoveling snow. :)HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

If You Buy in Naples - Relatives WILL Come!

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:20:32 -0800

The day before Thanksgiving my brother, his wife and a friend flew down to Naples from Chicagoland to have Thanksgiving with us and enjoy a week in the sun. It was an absolute pleasure to have them but I can truly say that I am EXHAUSTED!I cooked a 20 pound bird with our Mother's stuffing recipe and I can report that my brother who has not had Mom's stuffing in YEARS was in 7th heaven. Because I am such a good sister I also made our Grandmother's recipe for carrot cake. The weather was absolutely perfect on Thanksgiving day. Cooking for my family and friends in my new kitchen was a joy.Even with all the hustle and bustle this week, my husband and my brother still managed to find time to go fishing on Naples Pier. Unfortunately they never caught any fish!My family left today to return to Chicago. My brother kept saying that he wanted to enjoy the sun as much as he could because he would be returning to the gray overcast skies of Chicago. It seemed funny seeing my sister in law with a winter coat this morning. She wanted to be prepared for the drop in temperature. I am always sad to see my family leave.I wish I could have taken advantage of shopping with my sister in law but I was busy with buyers. My listings received more showings this past week. Could the market be picking up in Naples?

YIKES! KABOOM & KABANG! 75K Price Reduction on 1000 Lambiance #102 in Pelican Bay

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:37:14 -0800

Formally priced at $674,900.00, my listing at 1000 Lambiance Cir #102 dropped 75K in price to $599,900.00. Please take a moment to view my original blog entry of this lovely unit. Condo fees and room measurements can be found on this flyer.If you have been waiting for a 3 bedroom first floor condo with a dynamite lake view to come on the market under 600K in Pelican Bay in L'Ambiance, this is the unit for you!This is the chance to buy your own sand castle near the beach......Enjoy the tempting Gulf Waters............or just...................

Pelican Bay Market Statistics 01/01/2007-11/03/2007

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:16:56 -0800

This summer produced a pretty quiet real estate market. Since August 5th, there has only been eight pending low rise sales in Pelican Bay. We have only had 7 closed sales since that time.In doing the statistics this time, I decided to include all the unsold units because I wanted to see a larger picture of what is failing to sell. The Unsold/Expired category now includes all the terminated and withdrawn listings. Many times if a unit fails to sell the listing agent will terminate the current MLS number and then re list the unit under a different MLS number with the lower price. Since January 1st , there have been 248 price changes for low rises in Pelican Bay.When I included the terminated and withdrawn listings, the percentage of unsold properties was startling. As of today, 70% of all the low rise listings are failing to sell. The average asking price of these listings is $624,313.00. Let's take a look at low rise units in Pelican Bay by price range. Of the 102 active listings there are currently 21 active listings between 450,000.00-499,999.00 with an average market time of 189 days. Listings between $500,000.00-$549,999.00 have an average market time of 219 days, while listings between $550,000.00 - $599,999.00 have an average market time of 224 days. What is the market time for low rise units that are NOT selling? Of the 125 properties that failed to sell, 26 of them were between $550,000.00 - $599,999.00 with an average market time of 226 days.What has been selling? Of the 52 low rise closed sales, 23 of them were under $549,999.00 with an average market time of 151 days on the market. This shows us that 44.23% of the low rise market is under $549,999.00. The closed sales indicate that if your current listing price is over $549,999.00 you will have a longer marketing time.Of the 52 closed sales we have had so for this year, 33.4% of all 3 bedroom low rise units in Pelican Bay have sold versus only 17% of the 2 bedroom units. 83% of all the 2 bedrooms units in Pelican Bay are failing to sell, while 70% of all low rise listing are failing to sell. Of the 102 active low rise units on the market currently, 40% of those listings are 2 bedroom units with an average asking price of $520,344.00.The average sales price of a 3 bedroom low rise in Pelican Bay is $589,840.00. The average asking price of a 3 bedroom low rise in Pelican Bay is $666,489.00. The average price of a 3 bedroom that is not selling is $671,091.00. Hopefully I have not bored you will all these statistics. It appears to me that the market is still trying to adjust. I am looking forward to seeing what this season will bring. The Euro is still strong against the dollar, while the Canadian dollar is on par with ours. There are tons of baby boomers that still could enter this market. All these factors could help the market here in Pelican Bay. Keep in mind that while all of Naples has an inventory that could last for 31 months, low rises in Pelican Bay have an inventory that could last 19 months. This places Pelican Bay in a stronger position then the general Naples market.Here are the statistics as of November 3, 2007

L'Ambiance Statistics
01/01/2007-11/02/2007
		Active	Pending	Sold List Price	Sold Price*	Unsold/Expired
Total Number of Listings	8		5	5	11
Average Days on the Market	165		138	138	156
Low Price		599,000		549,900	524,900	549,900
Median Price		642,450		599,000	550,000	749,000
High Price		824,900		666,000	645,000	1,016,000
Average Price		677,313		598,960	560,980	772,955
Avg Price per sq/ft Under Air	393.04		356.69	334.08	401.57
List to Sale Price Differential				6.34%

Pelican Bay Low Rises
01/01/2007-11/02/2007
		Active	Pending	Sold List Price	Sold Price*	Unsold/Expired
Total Number of Listings	102	1	52	52	125
Average Days on the Market	185	81	167	167	189
Low Price		385,000	419,000	399,000	390,000	319,000
Median Price		579,500	419,000	599,000	562,500	595,000
High Price		1,995,000	419,000	1,000,000	950,000	1,250,000
Average Price		625,316	419,000	625,150	589,737	624,313
Avg Price per sq/ft Under Air	389.76	251.95	381.32	359.72	389.32
List to Sale Price Differential				5.66%

Pelican Bay Mid-Rises
01/01/2007-11/02/2007
		Active	Pending	Sold List Price	Sold Price	Unsold/Expired
Total Number of Listings	19		17	17	20
Average Days on the Market	213		135	135	175
Low Price		469,900		450,000	454,000	259,900
Median Price		675,000		699,900	640,000	649,950
High Price		1,400,000		1,450,000	1,450,000	1,299,900
Average Price		757,900		764,635	725,176	711,700
Avg Price per sq/ft Under Air	432.88		391.04	370.86	405.32
List to Sale Price Differential				5.16%

Pelican Bay High Rises
01/01/2007-11/02/2007
		Active	Pending	Sold List Price	Sold Price*	Unsold/Expired
Total Number of Listings	121	8	92	92	84
Average Days on the Market	231	253	190	190	214
Low Price		495,000	639,900	448,000	400,000	595,000
Median Price		1,245,000	1,549,500	1,407,450	1,287,500	1,110,000
High Price		10,500,000	2,750,000	10,900,000	9,984,000	6,495,000
Average Price		1,860,017	1,624,113	1,758,087	1,613,806	1,625,206
Avg Price per sq/ft Under Air	710.16	577.46	684.18	628.03	637.96
List to Sale Price Differential				8.21%

If you owned in Pelican Bay you could........................

Proposed Florida Property Tax Amendment

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:24:01 -0700

Trick or Treat! I thought you all would be interested in reading about the purposed property tax amendment. The Naples Daily News has a good article on it you might want to read. This purposed amendment will have to be voted on January 29, 2008. Homesteaded residents will have the amount of homestead exemption increased and be able to have portability under Save our Homes. People owning vacation homes will be limited to a 10% cap per year tax assessment increase.Allowing homesteaded residents to have Save Our Homes portability will more than likely help move the real estate market. Many homesteaded residents have chosen to stay in their residences rather then buy up or down because of the tax impact that would occur.Vacation home owners more then likely hoped for a lower cap on their taxes. In the long run, at least some cap is better than none.Here's hoping that FL property owners don't get spooked by the proposed tax changes!

Florida Sales Report September 2007

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:43:19 -0700

The Florida Association of Realtors just released the September 2007 Sales Report for existing condominiums and existing single family homes. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NAPLES BOARD OF REALTORS CHOOSES NOT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS REPORT. It is not surprising that statewide, our number of Realtor sales are down. Nor is it surprising that our median sale prices are still down. According to numbers from the Sunshine MLS for just the Naples Area, there is an inventory of 5,600 homes with single family ownership and an inventory of 5,173 homes with condo ownership. As of Sept. 30, 2007 there were 1,609 closed sales for single family ownership and 1,484 for condo ownership. These numbers tell me that Naples currently has a inventory of homes in single family ownership to last 31 months and enough homes in condo ownership to last 31 months.Pelican Bay properties seem to be better than the Naples area numbers. As of September 30, 2007 there are enough homes in condominium ownership to last 14 months and enough homes in single family ownership to last 12 months. It does appear that properties near the beach are moving better than those further away from the beach. Here are the Florida Sales Reports for September 2007.........

Naples Real Estate hit bottom??????

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:48:37 -0700

Yesterday the Naples Daily News had an article on Southwest Florida's housing slump. According to local economist, Henry Fishkind of Fishkind and Associates, Southwest Florida is at the bottom of its slump. I agree with him that the market will take a long while to come back. The huge amount of housing inventory dictates that assumption. I think it also stands to reason that properties close to the beach will be the first to turn around. While Naples has a gazillion golf course communities, there is only so much land close to the beach. I have said this before and I'll say it again..........NOW is the time to buy. Buyers who want to look for future appreciation should buy as close to the beach as possible. Communities such as Pelican Bay provide beach access and a wide variety of amenities.If you owned a home in Pelican Bay, you could be enjoying a sunset like this tonight...........

Naples FL Market Report

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 03:16:46 -0700

The Naples Daily News had an interesting article on the 3rd quarter median sale prices of homes for this year compared to last year. There has been a drop in price of close to 4% from 2006 to 2007. This is not surprising given the amount of listings that are on the market currently.Naples had 786 closed sales reported as of the end of the 3rd quarter. In 2006 there were 1,300 closed sales. That is a substantial drop in units sold, yet the sale prices have not decreased dramatically. People seem to forget that from 2004 to 2005 we saw an increase of 34% in home prices. Our market is stabilizing. Buyers may think that the market will bottom out lower..........and it may with properties further away from the beach in Naples. Properties that are close to the beach, I think, area stabilizing. The bottom line is that there is only so much beach in Naples.The other Naples Daily Newsarticle talked about annual rentals in Naples. Many people who purchased new construction to "flip" their units can not do so right now with the current market conditions. Since they can't sell the units, the owners are putting them up for rent. The influx of rental units on the market has started to drive rental prices down. If you are looking for a place to rent, you probably will want to negotiate with your landlord to obtain the best rent possible.I would advise sellers NOT to put their properties on the market if they do not have to sell. I would advise real estate agents to counsel their sellers that if they are not willing to price their properties to sell, they should hold onto the place.To buyers I would advise the following: BUY NOW and try to buy as close to the beach as your pocketbook will allow you. There are a variety of properties to choose from at this time and motivated sellers out there waiting for you!

The Snowbirds Are Arriving

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 07:27:23 -0700

Last Friday while driving to Southwest FL International Airport, I saw 3 empty car carriers headed North! Last Thursday I saw 2 empty car carriers on Pelican Bay Blvd. The season is beginning to start. Hopefully this season will be better for sales than last season!I had gone to New York for a 50th wedding anniversary. Everyone at the party was talking about how slow real estate was in New York. From what I read and hear, it is slow all over, not just in Naples!

500 Lambiance Cir #201 Naples FL

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:46:32 -0700

This listing is in the beautiful beach community of L'Ambiance in Pelican Bay Pelican Bay is a planned unit development that has beach access via several tram stations throughout the community. There are two beach facilities in Pelican Bay that supply its' residents with restaurants, beach chairs, umbrellas, cabanas, and Gulf waters. All this is included in the quarterly L'Ambiance condo fee of $1,485.00.Don't feel like cooking? You can have a delicious dinner at either the Sandpiper or Sand Bar Restaurants.Pelican Bay is also home to The Philharmonic Center for the Arts and the Naples Museum of Art. L'Ambiance is just a short drive to these wonderful attractions.Buyer should be ready to be impressed with this sunny tastefully decorated second floor L'Ambinace end unit! Relax on the lanai or living room to spectacular views of two waterfalls, a lake and a stunning fountain. All 3 bedrooms in this home are separated to assure privacy. Click here for a floor plan. Can't you just picture a relaxing bubble bath? This home features a room that could be used as a den or dining area off the kitchen. The sun drenched kitchen features loads of cabinets with a center island. Corian counter-tops make cleaning a breeze, so you can enjoy the beach at Pelican Bay. Unit has newer A/C. Lanai hurricane shutters are an added plus! You can unlock this door for just $674,900.00!And you could be enjoying a rainbow at the pool............or cocktails at sunset.

Pelican Bay Naples FL - Adopted Special Capital Assessment

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:35:33 -0700

Yesterday the Board of Directors voted in a special capital assessment for all residents in Pelican Bay. This special assessment will be $500.00 per residential unit for each of the fiscal years 2008, 2009, 2010. The $500.00 special assessment will be billed to residents in October of each respective year to correspond with the invoice for the annual operating assessment. For more information on this Pelican Bay residents can log into www.PelicanBay.org Lynn H. Wilber, GRI, E-Pro Downing Frye Realty, Inc. www.NaplesBuys.com

Florida Sales Report August 2007

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:54:36 -0700

YIKES! Where have I been so long that I haven't been blogging? I have been busy taking listings the last few weeks. You'll find posting on them soon. I am also happy to report that my 700 Lambiance Cir #204 is currently under contract and scheduled to close on Oct. 24th. I have made a sale in Naples Park that is scheduled to close this Friday. Could season be coming earlier this year? I hope so!Here are the recently release Florida Sales Reports. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE NAPLES BOARD OF REALTORS DOES NOT ALLOW THE SUNSHINE MLS TO SEND IN FIGURES FOR THIS REPORT.While the number of sales is still down about 25% that doesn't appear to be too bad to me considering that this was the month of August. August is normally a slower month. My own business has picked up since right after Labor Day. I am hoping that with more people returning in October, there will be more buyers getting off the fence and making buying decisions.Wouldn't you want to enjoy a sunset like this every night? Lynn Wilber, GRI, e-PRO Downing Frye Realty, Inc. Naples, Flwww.NaplesBuys.comwww.NaplesWave.com

What a gorgeous day!

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:42:40 -0700

I hope everyone is getting some rest on this Labor Day weekend. Today was a glorious day in Naples. The Gulf water temperature was reported at 90 degrees. I actually was able to go down to the beach this afternoon and enjoy the warm Gulf waters with friends at the North beach in Pelican Bay. Unless you visit Pelican Bay, you won't be able to understand its beauty.

1000 Lambiance CIR #102 Naples, FL Pelican Bay

Lynn Wilber, GRI, E-PRO, Naples Florida Real Estate (Downing Frye Realty, Inc) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:34:08 -0700

I have listed another lovely unit in L'Ambiance in Pelican Bay. This unit's floor plan is rarely available and features an expansive great room that is perfect for entertaining and has a dynamite lake view. This unit is being offered at $674,900.00 The living room, dining room and kitchen are open to each other and all share this lake view.If you have to work while in Paradise, this office area is a great place to do it!This private foyer takes you into the spacious master bedroom suiteL'Ambiance is a gated subdivision in the beach community of Pelican Bay.Pelican Bay is a unique community that has two private beach pavilions with restaurants, tennis courts, & a golf course. It also has a Community Center with a state of the art fitness center, computer room, art room, meeting rooms and banquet facilities.Beach chairs, umbrellas, and cabanas are provided at the beach for Pelican Bay residents.Come join us for sunset in Pelican Bay. Pelican Bay Homes For SaleNaples Information