Naples Florida Real Estate: June 2010

Today there are 6,317 sales in Southwest Florida. Transactions are up 39% compared to last year!
Last year on this day there were 4,530.  Transactions were up 26% compared to 2008!
2008 on this day there were 3,571.  Transactions were up 5% compared to 2007!
2007 on this day there were 3,372. Transactions were down 28% compared to 2006!
2006 on this day there were 4,314. Transactions were down 100% compared to 2005!
2005 on this day there were 8,649. 

I receive calls from Naples buyers questioning what's going on in the Naples Florida market and while numbers tell a story, buyer and seller behavior always tell a more interesting story.  Buyers are alot more open this year to purchasing Naples Florida real estate.  They also are depending more on local statistical data and local Realtor knowledge compared to the last few years when they were defending their low ball, angry, preconceived notions with articles about the nationwide market or other Florida locales that had nothing to do with Naples.

Current Naples buyers are more interested in luxury lifestyle, amenities, weather and attributes specific to Naples.  This on top of easier negotiating is why I believe sales are up. The last few years people were looking for the lowest prices across several Florida markets. While pricing in Naples is lower today and it's easier to negotiate, Naples has never been most competitive in this arena. 

Naples Florida sellers are different this year too.  During 2004-2006 many sellers were nearly impossible to negotiate with because they knew they had hot product.  It took several years for some sellers to face a new reality.  For the last few years many sellers still had the urge to list higher than fair market value and hesitated longer to reduce their property to fair market value levels.  They also rejected lower offers and negotiating was difficult.  Today they have a much more honest picture of property value and have become very fair when negotiating making it possible to really get the ball rolling on Naples sales. 

Naples Florida real estate inventories are shrinking as a result which is one of the best signs you can get for creating a healthy real estate market!

If you're interested in purchasing or selling in Naples, contact me direct!

Bay Colony Naples Florida is the most luxurious community in Pelican Bay.  As it stands there are 50 properties currently available in Bay Colony.  Here's the break down:

Single Family Homes:
5- Bay Colony Shores
1- Strand at Bay Colony

Villas
3- Vizcaya at Bay Colony

Mid Rise Condos
3- Mansion La Palma

High Rise Condos
1- Biltmore at Bay Colony
4- Brighton at Bay Colony
5- Contessa at Bay Colony
2- Marquesa at Bay Colony
4- Remington at Bay Colony
5- Salerno at Bay Colony
6- Toscana at Bay Colony
10- Trieste at Bay Colony
1- Windsor at Bay Colony

6 units in Bay Colony are pending contract right now.

There are 21 Bay Colony sales while last year only 8 had sold.

Bay Colony is starting to see areas of low to no inventory so if you've been waiting for Bay Colony to hit the bottom...you may have already missed it!

If you are a buyer looking for Bay Colony property you'll be happy to know there's been a little more room for negotiating this year.  The average list price to sales price ratio is 87.9% this year. Contact me immediately I doubt this will continue to trend.

 If you are a Bay Colony homeowner, now is a GREAT time to put your property on the market if you are located in the following locations:
- Biltmore at Bay Colony
- Carlsysle at Bay Colony
- Marquesa at Bay Colony
- Villa La Palma at Bay Colony
- Windsor at Bay Colony

For more information regarding Bay Colony Naples or to see current inventory, contact me direct!

Best Regards,
Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!

Here are the latest Naples Florida real estate trends occurring. 

Inventory requests - There are some areas where inventory is scarce or nonexistent.  During the last few years inventories had been on the rise and there was plenty out there to choose from in nearly every location.  Over the last couple of days there has been several instances where agents have sent company wide emails asking for pocket listings in various locations because there wasn't product readily available.  This is a new Naples Florida trend and some Naples Florida property owners who have been sitting on the sidelines to wait for a better market might find now a good time to jump in.  The law of supply and demand are in your favor when inventories are low as a seller so if you are located in an area where there is limited inventory, call me and let's work on getting your property sold.  If you don't know what your neighborhood is doing right now, give me a call.  I'd be happy to fill you in.

Not All The Best Deals Have Sold But... -  After doing several searches for my current customer base, I'm finding several locations where the best deal out there was something that's already under contract or recently sold. This Naples real estate trend could suggest property prices are on a slight rise especially if current sellers are not going to sell for considerably less than current list price in some circumstances.   More importantly is the fact that buyer behavior has shifted where a year ago buyers expected to be the one to purchase the lowest priced/best valued property.  My experience is buyers are still being cautious and diligent but being the biggest winner isn't a requirement to get the deal done. 

Buyers take note! If you are looking for the thrill of a kill, your window of opportunity could be closing with shrinking inventories.

For more information regarding Naples Florida real estate contact me direct!

Best Regards,

Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!

This question was actually searched on Bing.com sometime earlier this morning according to my web statistics and since I thought it was such a curious question, I'm going to answer it here.

Is It Better To Come To Naples Florida In November Or December?

Of course without knowing the full objective of the person who's asking I'll make a few assumptions but encourage all of you who have questions like this about real estate anywhere to simply contact a smart real estate expert who can define your answer after knowing the source of your curiosity.

Naples Florida Seasonal activity is largely dependent on the weather and economy so when the snow starts blowing up north and if the money is flowing Naples can see a great influx of seasonal traffic as early as October but typically activity will gradually ramp up starting in October or November and increase steadily til January when we are considered in high season.

October and November can be considered a couple of the best months to visit Naples because of a handful of reasons. 

1. The rainy season typically wraps up in October and with that, humidity and temperature levels will drop slightly making it perfect beach, golf and shopping weather.
   
2. Crowds and traffic are still quite tolerable meaning you don't necessarily need to make a dinner reservation 2 months in advance during this time of year and getting around town is still quite easy due to the lack of traffic you'll find compared to January or February. Tee times, parking spots on 5th Avenue, 3rd Street and Waterside Shops are easier to come by and Naples has an all around enthusiastic buzz due to the ramp up for season.  
3. If you're in the market for Naples Florida real estate, there's a HUGE influx of inventory that starts hitting the market in October so it's possible to get the pick of the litter without having to compete heavily with other buyers and with the uncertainty of what kind of selling season we're going to experience, sometimes you can cut a better deal than you can during the high season months.

There are other excellent reasons why October and November are excellent months to come to Naples Florida like:

• Crab claw season starting on October 15th
• Third Thursday on Third Street South offers live jazz, rock, folk and other kinds of music in the courtyards and plazas. FUN!
• Tee times are alot easier to set up
• Fun events like the Naples International Film Festival (November 5th)

So if you too are wondering when the best time to come to Naples is...come early and stay late...a topic for a future blog post! :)

Best Regards,

Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!

I just launched the Barefoot Beach portion of my Naples Florida real estate website. From there you can shop Barefoot Beach homes and Barefoot Beach condos! Barefoot Beach is the northernmost beach located in Collier County and can be accessed off Bonita Beach Boulevard. Many are under the assumption that Barefoot Beach is a Bonita Springs Beach and is actually located in Lee County but in fact Barefoot Beach is a Collier County Beach and has a Naples Florida address.

Currently there are 68 homes and condos listed in the Barefoot Beach area. Check them out or contact me direct for more information. This is all part of my continued effort to make purchasing Naples Beachfront Properties easy and fun!

Best Regards,