Naples Florida Real Estate: Florida: Naples: Bay Colony

Contessa at Bay Colony current statistics show the building going a little against the Pelican Bay grain.  Here are the current Contessa at Bay Colony stats:

• Contessa at Bay Colony condos for sale = 7
• Contessa at Bay Colony pending condos = 0
• Contessa at Bay Colony sales during the past 12 months = 5

There's a slight oversupply in Contessa right now coming in at 16 months of inventory.  That number hardly seems fair considering 3 of those units just hit the market within the last 30 days.  If you're a penthouse fan, you're in luck! There are 2 on the market at this time and like Julia Roberts said herself in the movie Pretty Woman, "It's the best". You have a real opportunity to capture fabulous views if you can afford it. Talking about fabulous views, one of the features that separates Contessa at Bay Colony from some of the other buildings on our fabulous Naples beaches is the fact that there's single family homes on the south side of this building.  That location is called The Strand at Bay Colony...unfortunately there isn't anything for sale in there now but that's a different blog.  What this means to the Contessa '01 and '02 stack owners is that they have unbelievable jillion mile views down the coast...and how the sun casts her beautiful sunset hue on the homes in the Strand is truly magnificent.   Absolutely outstanding! You must see if you're in the price range! Here's a shot I took today from one of the lower floors.

If you're thinking about buying in Contessa at Bay Colony:  There's a little for everybody on the market right now...high floors low floors penthouses...this is super because there isn't this kind of selection in many of the other Bay Colony buildings so far.  The average list price to sales price ratio is currently at 91% so I wouldn't get too excited about strong arm negotiating here but call me. Let's review your objective and see what we can do about making that happen for you!

If you're thinking about selling in Contessa at Bay Colony:  You have competition so price and condition continue to be key here. Many owners appear to be pretty realistic on pricing and that is fabulous because that will help spur the vitality market value in the building.  That also means you need to be pleasantly aggressive.  Go with somebody who knows how to attract ready, willing and able buyers to your place and keep them interested in your unit compared to bouncing them all over the neighborhood. :) Give me a shout for even more ideas how you can get your unit sold fast!

I hope you enjoyed the Contessa at Bay Colony Naples Florida update.  For more information about Pelican Bay, Bay Colony or any other Naples real estate, call me direct!

Whoa! Brighton at Bay Colony must be singing the same song as the Biltmore at Bay Colony! Here are the current Brighton at Bay Colony stats:

• Brighton at Bay Colony condos for sale = 2
• Brighton at Bay Colony sales during the past 12 months = 8
• Brighton at Bay Colony pending sales = 0

Currently there is only 3 months of inventory on the market in Brighton at Bay Colony and while on paper the price doesn't appear to have gone up there, technically it has if you consider the fact that the two units remaining are on the second floor and priced similarly to those units that have sold on much higher floors.  The average list price to sales price ratio is slightly higher than the Pelican Bay overall average coming in at just a peep over 92%. 

If you're like me, this report feels almost hard to believe.  This news does NOT fall in line with what the world is saying about the state of our economic position and the current state of our over all real estate situation and if you're from Canada, you'll find it even harder to stomach....at least that's what I'm hearing from some of my newest Canada prospects. 

Why are buildings in Bay Colony still selling so well and how can the Bay Colony market be so stable if the world is falling apart around them?  It might have something to do with the fact that Naples was one of the first locations to cool when the whole mortgage meltdown occurred and it's our turn to recover.  It could also be that Naples beachfront isn't expanding.  There's not really an easy place to expand here so you won't find a wide variety of new beachfront property hitting the market like you might see on the east coast of Florida.  We have a limited supply and a nice flow of people who are willing to step up to the plate and purchase here.  If you think about it, it's even a little harder to accomplish the purchase of a fabulous unit in Bay Colony today not just because it's harder to get a mortgage....(most people who are purchasing in Bay Colony are paying cash anyway)....but because many of these units need some sort of updating. Lets face it, not everybody is looking for a project....

If you are planning on purchasing in Brighton at Bay Colony:  Right now be prepared to purchase on the 2nd floor unless something new comes on the market.  You want to work with a smart agent who has some compelling talking points when negotiating and with that, you may not come off the price much...and you're smart or you wouldn't be reading my blog...you can't really blame the seller on that one. If the 2nd floor won't do, be ready to jump on anything else that hits the market (other buyers are on point waiting for new inventory as well) In fact, give me a shout and I'll help you identify other product that may be available.

If you're planning on selling in Brighton at Bay Colony:  Congratulations! You are in a FABULOUS market to sell and if you want the most for your unit, contact me immediately! You'll want to get on the market before the end of the year if at all possible because evidence shows people who wait til mid or late season often have a problem with selling during the same season.  This could be because many Bay Colony buyers do their research earlier before coming down and have already chosen the units they want to review as a consideration.  Call me to get started today!

I hope you enjoyed the Brighton at Bay Colony update.  I'm looking forward to assisting you in your sale or purchase so call me today and let's get going!

PS~ There's no easier way to click, see, purchase Naples Real Estate!

Biltmore at Bay Colony has had a tremendous year! Here are the current stats:

• 3 Biltmore at Bay Colony condos are currently available.
• 6 Biltmore at Bay Colony condos have sold during the past 12 months.
• 0 Biltmore at Bay Colony homes are currently pending.

That means there's only 6 months of inventory in Biltmore at Bay Colony right now. 

While we're on the topic of decor...let's talk about decorative borders.  You know those silly 6 to 9 inch strips of wall paper we used back in the 80's to decorate the top couple of feet of our walls most commonly found in our kitchens and bathrooms. This is a good time to just let it be known that if you have that....it needs to go...sorry.  When buyers ask me for properties that have been updated and I see those borders, 9.9 times out of 10 that listing gets knocked off the must see list...unless there's nothing else to show.  Of all the different things we can do to update a property a little paint can go a really long way in making a unit look SO much better and it's one of the least expensive updates you can do. Besides looking better, paint can also give your unit that, "just been painted" smell and believe it or not some people feel the same way about that as they do that, "new car smell". 

If you're considering purchasing in Biltmore at Bay Colony, pricing has appeared to go up a little. (Can't really blame them) I also see where the average list price to sales price ratio is at a higher than Pelican Bay average coming in at 94% so don't expect to do a whole lot of bickering unless you and/or your REALLY SMART AGENT can put together a compelling negotiating plan.  There are some units that don't require a complete remodel available here which is worth a little something to most Bay Colony buyers.  There's also a nice cross section of opportunities here too so if you like a high floor, a low floor or even something in between, you can find that now. Lastly, you have 6 Biltmore at Bay Colony comps to analyze to make sure you're not overpaying when you go in to negotiate.  Call me today to get started!

If you're considering selling your Biltmore at Bay Colony unit, you might want to consider sprucing up if you have an original unit or staging your property to sell for maximum price.  Much of your competition has caught on to the concept of staging and if you have not, you'll want to call me to find out more about this.  You might be able to ask a few more dollars for your unit depending on what you have to offer but make sure you don't overprice your property or you may find yourself sitting there for awhile.  Also, get on the market within the next month or so if possible.  Many people have already started their Bay Colony searches online and will be making their showing selections shortly and you don't want your unit to be missed.  Let's get going now so we can get your property sold this season!

That concludes the Biltmore at Bay Colony good news.  Give me a shout when you're ready for me to help you out more!

Best Regards,

Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!

Bay Colony Naples Florida Update!

I know I said I was going to write about Pelican Bay sub-communities separately, and I will...but we can't leave out Bay Colony as a whole! So here it is!

Bay Colony has a LEVEL amount of inventory...in fact in a short period of time it may even be technically under-supplied!

Bay Colony Active Listings = 38
Bay Colony Solds (During Past 12 Months) = 38
Bay Colony Properties pending contract = 4

Market time in Bay Colony is shrinking! Average market time for properties that have sold is 270 days, for properties pending it's 671 days and for Bay Colony properties that remain on the market 244.

List price to sales price ratio is 90.21% but somebody actually negotiated a deal last September for only 68% of list price. WOW! That doesn't happen very often!

At first glance it looks like Bay Colony is getting less expensive since the average list price per square foot of the Bay Colony properties that remain on the market come in at $743/sq. ft. and the sold price per square foot average is $786/sq. ft. but ultimately that is because we had two homes in The Strand at Bay Colony sell during the past 12 months.  Strand homes are the biggest homes in Bay Colony and the only single family homes available on the beach in Pelican Bay. 

You're going to find some Bay Colony High Rise buildings doing very well and some with a slight over-supply of inventory. Some of this is going to be properties that have just hit the market in preparation for the upcoming selling season.

BUYERS~ Do not expect to go into negotiations with just a run of the mill, "the economy is in the toilet" negotiation tactic here. Many owners will hold out for their price as proven by the seller who owned Brighton at Bay Colony 1702. I personally had 2 people interested in that unit who were not willing to pay what the seller wanted.  The owner ended up getting over 95% of his list price...much less than what my buyers were willing to pay.  While it is always great to have a negotiating plan (when you work with me, I provide one to assist you) it must be understood there are some sellers here willing to leave a few dollars on the table to get the deal done, some sellers are more interested in the bottom line and can/will wait. If you think you're ready to make a Bay Colony purchase. Call me to get started!

SELLERS- If you are thinking about selling I would strongly consider reviewing the market in your building or subdivision first and making your decision based on the amount of inventory already on the market if possible. If you don't care about that and you want to sell anyway, property condition and price are two HUGE key factors.  Hard Contemporary decor is not a huge selling point here.  If you have decorated your unit in this fashion, you might consider having your home staged to sell fast and even net more money.  If you have a unit in original or near original condition, it may be most advantageous to do some remodeling if time and money permits. Many units are starting to show their age in Bay Colony and this may become a problem for people who want to net a certain amount or sell quickly.  Pricing your Bay Colony property properly will alleviate any market time issue.
For more information on how you can sell faster and net more, call me direct!

You can expect to see more updates about the individual sub-communities of Bay Colony as we go. 

PS~ I received a call from the sweetest lady from Boston today who is in Naples with her husband and are ready to see Pelican Bay high-rises.  I absolutely LOVED talking with her today and look forward to assisting you with your Pelican Bay endeavors as well!

By the looks of the current Carlysle at Bay Colony condos for sale, you'd think it was nearly season! Well...wait, it is! Two Carlysle at Bay Colony condos have just hit the market and if you have been waiting for some fresh meat, now might be the time to take a peek and see what's available.  Carlysle at Bay Colony has been a bit of a sleeper builidng because we had one sale early on during this past winter season and then we had one remaining unit left. If you want to know why that last one didn't sell quickly, well...youll have to contact me direct for that. :) 

Anyway there are once again fabulous choices in Carlyle at Bay Colony and since I've been working diligently on my Naples Florida real estate website, you'll be able to easily do the following regarding Carlysle at Bay Colony condos:

• See all three Carlysle at Bay Colony condos for sale
• Review Carlyse at Bay Colony aerial photo to see the proximity within Bay Colony and the beach
• Check out all active Carlysle at Bay Colony listing photos
• Study Carlyse at Bay Colony listing details like lease policies, pet policies and fee schedules and frequencies per MLS
• See all available virtual tours
• Send Carlysle at Bay Colony listings to friends and/or family
• View Carlysle at Bay Colony floor plans
• Analyze Carlylse at Bay Colony past sales data and real estate statistics in detail
• Start the offer process online for a Carlysle at Bay Colony unit

This is all part of my comittment to make purchasing in Carlysle at Bay Colony a fun and enjoyable experience.  For more information regarding Bay Colony, contact me direct!

Vizcaya at Bay Colony is doing GREAT!

Currently there are only 2 units in Vizcaya at Bay Colony on the market and a whopping 4 have sold during the last 12 months.  Since there's only 6 months of inventory this gives Vizcaya at Bay Colony a stronger than healthy real estate position.

One might think with this news we would've seen a notable price increase as well but current sellers are not asking for anything extraordinary as far as pricing is concerned. In fact there's only 1 sold listing in Vizcaya that was on the market for less per square foot than the two remaining.  That's terrific news for any buyer who might be considering a purchase in Vizcaya. Inquiring minds always want to know what current sellers will consider taking and of course nobody knows until the offer is accepted and even if I did know, I couldn't tell you.  I can say the average list price to sales price ratio is presently 83% which is statistically lower than the Pelican Bay average which remains at 91%.  While that's a good number to use during a negotiating strategy, that doesn't always mean future sellers are interested in negotiating that much off the price nor does it mean you won't get a deal if they don't.  Every deal is different and sellers just like buyers reserve their right to change their mind without notice.

As we become more proficient with all of the numbers some points will always be subjective and nearly impossible to predict.  That's why we still see examples of sellers who hold very close to their price and why we see some sales occur that appear to be fabulous deals. 

If you're thinking about taking a peek at Vizcaya at Bay Colony, I hope you're thinking about doing it with me!

Villa La Palma at Bay Colony is STABLE. :)

Not much to report about Villa La Palma other than there's currently one unit available and one sold last year.  That's kinda been the story during the last 5 years:

• 2010- 1 sold
• 2009- 2 sold
• 2008- 1 sold
• 2007- 2 sold
• 2006- 1 sold
• 2005- 3 sold

and while a handful of Villa La Palma properties have sold for over $2,000,000, they've been bringing between $1,700,000 and $1,800,000 during the last couple of years. 

If you're a Villa La Palma at Bay Colony property owner and you're considering selling there are 3 things you can to get the best price for your property.  Update your home if needed, stage it properly and price it right.  There are buyers who will pay a premium for a home that doesn't require heavy renovations and for fabulously furnished properties and while that buyer has been a little scarce over the last few years, we are seeing a new showing of that prospect base today.  Considering it's the end of January you may not have time to do a lengthy renovation.  Let's at least get it staged properly so you can have your home look the best!

If you're a buyer looking at Villa La Palma at Bay Colony, you've got one shot unless you would be willing to consider Vizcaya at Bay Colony but that's a different blog post.   Since there are no blogging rights on the current active listing, I can't go into detail here on this post but give me a shout if you'd like to know more or want to see it. 

5 Bay Colony condos have gone under contract so far in 2011 and 2 have already closed.  Traffic is stronger compared to years past.  Please don't sit on the sidelines thinking you are the only one interested in Bay Colony this year. 

For more information about Villa La Palma or any Bay Colony property, contact me direct!

Strand at Bay Colony Naples Florida Update

The Strand at Bay Colony is the most luxurious and exclusive enclave in Bay Colony and is one of Naples most coveted locals.  Today 2 of the 12 Strand at Bay Colony homes are available ranging over 10 to nearly 13 million dollars.   The tail end of Bay Colony Drive looks like something out of a European old world village but few people seldom get the luxury of a drive by since all of these homes sit behind a second gate within Bay Colony.  Some residents with units in buildings like Marquesa at Bay Colony, Salerno at Bay Colony and Toscana at Bay Colony and even Montenero at Pelican Bay can admire the Strand at Bay Colony from afar while Contessa at Bay Colony has a more up close and personal view of the exquisite architecture this haven has to offer. Don't be fooled though...even with the Contessa high rise as a neighbor, the Strand at Bay Colony still offers outstanding privacy to surroundings and pool areas. 

One of the attributes the Strand at Bay Colony has to offer is its location on the Naples beach.  The closest public access point is about a half mile starting at the Ritz Carlton and stopping at the first house in the Strand.  That's quite a stroll on the sand for most people and while you'll see many people walk the beach it's a tough jaunt if you think you're going to take your own beach chair and all the other stuff that makes for a great beach experience all the way down just so you can park it in front of one of these beauties. So while there is no private beach in Bay Colony or in Florida for that matter, it might as well be because it's quiet for the most part. 

Some who aren't familiar with the Strand would think 2 out of 14 homes currently listed might be cause for alarm...nah.  Let's face it, not everyone can stroke a check for 10+ mil and these sellers, I'm guessing, have the ability to wait for a real buyer.  While we're talking about real buyers, be prepared to demonstrate your ability to purchase.  You won't be entering any of these homes without the proper documentation.

For those of you who are skeptical about pricing and can stroke the check, the Strand at Bay Colony is worth taking a peek.  Historical figures show homes at Strand at Bay Colony have brought an average of $1,354 price per square foot overall since inception and values have remained steady.  It must be something about supply, demand and ability to hold.  Let's face it we're not talking about a large area and it's not likely to expand much from here.

For more information about Strand at Bay Colony or any Naples Beachfront real estate, contact me direct and I'll be happy to accommodate you.

Hope you're staying warm where you are and if not, there's a fix for that!

Toscana at Bay Colony Naples Florida Update!

This is going to be a good news bad news good news sandwich. Isn't that great?  So let's start off with something Fabulous! Toscana at Bay Colony has had a whopping 7 sales during the last 2 years.  Unfortunately, only 2 of those occurred last year and there are 4 presently on the market which makes for an oversupply or 2 year inventory.

But don't get too excited! There hasn't been a new listing since last July and typically there's always something that hits the market around this time of year so sellers might be holding off til the inventory goes down...or everybody who was going to do something has either already done it or currently doing so...phew.

The units currently on the market have had fabulous renovations for the most part though and let's face it while there aren't any that are what I would consider tremendous deals right now, there's only one that looks like it needs a face lift. By the time you factor in your time, money to remodel and hassle, sometimes it's better to just pay a little more for something that already looks pretty good to start. 

So what's so great about Toscana at Bay Colony? The SMASHING view of Clam Pass to start with and although she's sandwiched between Marquesa at Bay Colony to the left and Salerno at Bay Colony to the right, she has remarkable privacy and fabulous southern views from every unit due to the brilliant placement of her two sister buildings.  There's also quite a bit of square footage in Toscana at Bay Colony floor plans! You should check them out if you are looking for more space!

She's worth checking out and if you do it now, who knows, you might be able to cut a deal! Call me if you'd like to see Toscana at Bay Colony or if there's any other Bay Colony real estate service I can provide.

Salerno at Bay Colony Naples Florida Update.



Salerno at Bay Colony is one of 4 Bay Colony high rise buildings not located directly on the sand.  While Salerno offers the best Gulf of Mexico views compared to the other 3 high rises, you'll find Salerno also offers interesting Vanderbilt Beach views, and will encompass twinkling lights from the beachfront high rises in Bay Colony at night which is SUPER considering the fact that the Gulf of Mexico goes completely dark at night leaving just a black backdrop for those who just face the Gulf.

Currently there are 6 Salerno at Bay Colony units on the market and once again, only two sales during the past 12 months...the same number of units that sold in 2009.  It's pretty safe to say there are 3 years of inventory in the building currently on the market. 

If you've been following my Bay Colony series of posts, you're starting to see a pretty crazy trend especially if you knew that Bay Colony was really the golden child of all of Naples just a few years ago. 

One of the biggest complaints I get about Bay Colony are the fees and there's no mystery that fees have become a much bigger deal the last couple of years compared to before.  It used to be that people would grimace about the fees, sigh and sign the dotted line but I did notice starting about 2 years ago that people started putting the breaks on purchasing in Bay Colony and the fees were a big part of that decision.  The thing is though, there are people who truly appreciate all of what Bay Colony has to offer...hence the sales that continue to take place.

I do think there are some magnificent deals in Salerno right now and I have noticed there is a HUGE amount of traffic on my website this year from Bay Colony search terms...it might be worth checking Salerno at Bay Colony out now. Let me know if you want to take a peek!