Naples Florida Real Estate: Is Naples, Florida A Good Place To Relocate And Sell Real Estate?

Here's a question asked by a fellow "Rainer" in an email to me today:

Hey Shannon.. my name is **** and I am with ***  in **, **. I have seen your blogs and stories and thought I would ask a question if you don't mind. We here in ** have turned what we hope is the worst of the sub-prime mess we have been in.... what about you down in the South? Has the market improved and would you consider your area a good place to relocate to and practice Real Estate? Thanks for your time.. I appreciate it and if you get a moment.. let me know your thoughts. Take care, ***

Here's my answer:

Although Naples has seen an increase in sales since January 1, 2008 compared to last year, it is not what I could call a healthy market.  We are appreciating in a handful of areas, we have seen some depreciation in most areas and we are stable in a few areas. 

There is no evidence that proves we have hit bottom yet and personally I doubt that we have.  I do see higher levels of buyer traffic who are in fact buying and I'm seeing decreasing levels of skepticism from buyers.  I am seeing more investor driven traffic compared to this time last year.  I will even venture to say that Naples, Florida real estate consumer attitudes have grown more positive at least on the buyer side.  I have also been involved in competing offers as of late which is usually a great sign although I think the properties were priced exceptionally well and offered something super special which created the additional traffic.  

On the selling side...some seller's have gotten realistic some haven't and some are still on the market and could care less if they sell or not.  Approximately 50% of the homes and condos I deal with are vacant for half the year so it is not a burden for someone to remain listed for a great deal of time.

Please understand that the majority of my sphere of influence and people I directly deal with are people who are discussing real estate close to the beach (west of Tamiami Trail).  

With that said, if you are looking for a market where buyers are scrambling over each other to write offers and listings last for hours not months or years, Naples, Florida is not your market.  It will take a great strategy to attract the attention of the buyers who are looking right now and you really need to know your stuff!  Buyers who are attracted to this market expect expert advice.  If you can't deliver it, they'll figure it out quickly and will not hesitate to move on to an agent who will deliver a better service.  Be prepared to spend a great deal of time getting to know the market you will be focusing on if you want to be successful here.

If you are looking for a market where it is relatively easy to break in and find a niche to hit the ground running, Naples, Florida is not your market.  You've heard of the saying, there's an agent on every block, there are 10 agents on every block here.  It took me 5 years to find a true niche.  That's 5 years working most days many of which were 10-14 hour days.

Listings right now are a dime a dozen and can still be very difficult to obtain unless you have some sort of contact base or niche.  Even the over priced listings can be difficult to get and who wants those anyway?  Be prepared to brand yourself quickly and spend a great deal of money on marketing and advertising as Naples, Florida sellers still expect you to do alot of print marketing despite the results.  You will also want to brush up on your best open house skills because you will be expected to do them if those listing are in prime areas.

If you're looking for a truly fabulous most beautiful place to sell real estate, where it is sunny and 70-80 in the winter time and humid/rainy every day in the summer time and the majority of the people you will come across are absolutely AWESOME...Naples, Florida may be for you.  Be ready to get the butt-kicking experience of your life and be prepared to get down and dirty for a few years before it pays off!

I knew it was going to be hard when I moved here.  I HAD NO IDEA HOW HARD until I moved here. 

Today, Naples is my home.  I can't imagine and wouldn't imagine living or selling real estate anywhere else so in my mind it was a brutal, long ride but still a small price to pay.  It was hard but I put the time in and I succeeded.

If you're ready to put the same effort in, Naples, Florida will welcome you as a real estate agent or broker once you've paid your dues.

What's it worth to ya?

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

PS~ If you decide to give it a shot, give me a call.  I'll be happy to help any way I can! :)