Marlene's REAL ESTATE life in NAPLES FLORIDA!

Well after a slow couple of weeks things are picking up again. The last Treviso Bay Bellini unit that I really encouraged several of my customers to go for, sold today. I sold the next to the last one this morning to the Canadians that I have been working with this week. Such a neat family. They are so excited about the opportunity to get a second home. They really did their homework which was stressful because they were so slow on the decision-making I thought they were going to lose it altogether. Thank goodness they held it last night! Even so, I was able to get a little extra for them. And the golf course there, unbelievable! Now, of course, all my clients who have been on hold thinking about a unit -- and thinking they would be around forever --- are going to be calling me up to grab one .. too late for both of us unfortunately. : ) But that's human nature. We want things more when we can't get it. There are some left, just not the ones I was most excited about. Still good deals price-wise in the 180s for new with a TPC golf course included, but you know me. I always have my favs picked out for my people.

Having said that, however, Lennar just released their veranda product in Treviso today, and so I expect to sell some of those to my customers.A great bundled product in the 200s. In other Lennar (US Home) communities they have been very popular -- in fact I bought one years ago in Cedar Hammock --- and the way our prices are moving up now, they are going to be great investments as well. Of course, once again, I have my new favorites in terms of exposure, location, floorplans that do best for resale, rental and appreciation etc. The development reps love me and at the same time hate to see me coming ... they love the business I bring and my stamp of approval, but I know my haggling on behalf of my customers makes them crazy! : )

Summer in Naples ...

The last couple of weeks have been fairly slow real estate wise. Actually I've had two things under contract, both with people from out of the country, but because current financing requirements require them to put (in most cases) 50% down, they pretty much have to be cash buyers and these last two were not. Plus they were new condo construction which makes it even harder. And both were devastated because the price was amazing and they know the prices are moving up for those as they get snapped up by those in a better position to buy.

However, I am getting a lot of internet contacts for the next few months. I do believe we are going to have a blow-out season, especially now that people realize our prices have been moving up. And who knows how long interest rates will remain this ridiculous for those who can qualify.

Summer is supposed to be slow in Naples anyway. It's the time when we locals can get into our restaurants, take vacations, and slow down to enjoy life. I'm still at the office everyday just because having a physical location requires us to be open ... but I do have more time to work on my internet sites between walk-ins. I was just thinking the other day how lucky I am to live where other people take vacations.

This is a great place to be. If you don't know abut Naples check out my Naples Visitors sites at www.NaplesTouristCenter.com

Enjoy the day!

Busy night on 5th Avenue tonight. The Friday after the 4th of July and we have a lot of folks in from Miami, but I've had several people from Canada walk in wanting information on real estate in Naples. It's 8:47 in the evening and the streets are still loaded with visitors!

Just had some people come in to make an appointment with me for tomorrow morning to see VeronaWalk, Lely Resort and Treviso Bay. Almost ten now, so I should go home soon since I have to have them in the car by 10 a.m.!

Go Naples! Go, Go, Go!

by Marlene Graham, owner/operator Tropics Real Estate  Marlene@TropicsRealEstate.com

Ok, it's time for me to start blogging again on this site. Been developing a lot of other real estate sites and working with clients, but now it is summer and breather time so I can catch everyone up on what is happening in our Naples area market.

Basically, we bottomed out about two years ago and things in the very lowest price range have been selling fast and furious bringing the bottom of the market up. Two years ago, there were any number of condos under $100,000 and even a Cedar Hammock condo that sold for $100,000 ... and houses ... not so great mind you ... but Naples houses that were selling at the $50,000 plus or minus price range. Now those are virtually impossible to find and if one did appear, it would have multiple offers on it in less than a day.

That's not to say that there aren't still great values here. It's just saying we got off the floor and we are standing up! And the best part of all this is that I don't have to tell you all this. You know. Two years ago I was a lone voice in the rainstorm and no one believed that was the time to buy. Now they know it was and so the next best thing is to buy now when the upward movement is obvious to everyone except for that one guy whose head was so far into the sand that he now finds it is stuck and he can't get out!

There are still some great condos under $150,000 (many that had topped out in the $400s) but those are selling fast. There is some new construction ... that is being snapped up ... especially in regard to bundled golf. Want suggestions? Want the benefit of my expertise? Seriously thinking of buying in the next few months? Email me at Marlene@TropicsRealEstate.com

Ready, Set, Go, Naples heads into season!

by Marlene Graham, Tropics Real Estate, marlenegraham@earthlink.net

 

 

OCTOBER 2010 REAL ESTATE UPDATE:

Well October is upon us and so now begins my Naples Real Estate newsletter. Incidentally let it be noted that the weather is beautiful today. When I went to my 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. Boot Camp this morning, I didn't feel like I'd lost five pounds of water weight. Oh and yes, I am crazy to get up so early, but with this season expected to be quite busy, gotta be in shape ... right?

September felt a bit slow in terms of sales, but it was busy from our perspective in terms of showings. I would expect that several of the folks I showed around in the past two months or so will buy within the next 30 to 60 days.

 In June during a two-week period, I sold three beachfront condos ranging in price from the 800s to over a million and already two of those three parties have bought and/or are looking to buy a second place. One person from London is buying a "bundled golf" property under $200,000 (previously over $400,000) as an investment. The other person is looking to upgrade ... already!

Speaking of "bundled golf," those of you who have worked with me in the past know I consider the Brookside floorplan in Cedar Hammock to be a great unit. Great for rental, easy to move around in. As mentioned above these had topped out at over $400,000. And now there is one on the market for $126,065 as a foreclosure, as well as some turnkey furnished units under $200,000. Below you will find a link for those. There are other Brooksides, but they are higher. We just negotiated a very nice on into the 160s. And in season these can rent for $3000 to $3500 a month because the golf can be transferred.

 

CEDAR HAMMOCK BROOKSIDES

 

Incidentally of those specific three customers mentioned above, one is from Chile, one fromLondon, and the third from Maryland. Overall, though, it seems as though most of the people we have been working with are from Canada. The fact that their money has been playing with par, and our prices are still down, is apparently more than tempting!

My most recent sales have been single family homes and coach homes in the communities of Lely and Verona Walk (new construction) and resales in the golf communities of Cedar Hammock and Forest Glen. These four neighborhoods have spectacular opportunities starting as low as the mid-100s. The trick is to weed through and find the best deals which is of course a job in which I take great pride. :  )

And lately I've been getting quite a few inquiries on Olde Naples, newer or redone under a million. These are the multifamily units I like. There is one in the list above a million -- The Spellbinder -- but you never know where it could end up once the negotiation is done. I really love that unit. (Again and unbiased opinion since it is not my listing.) You can see them by clicking the link below:

 

Olde Naples Units

 

There are also some good deals on the beach. And one of the best deals I like (not my listing) is across from the beach. An older 2/2 condo that I think is a fabulous opportunity. You can see the gulf from the kitchen and a second bedroom. But I'm guessing it would go for just under $300,000.

 Port Au Villa

 

SEPTEMBER 2010 REPORT FROM OUR BROKER:

This came from an email sent to DF agents by our broker ...

 

"The pending sales for the month of September 2010 were UP over last September. Last September, we had 180 pending sales contracts. This September, we had 190 pending sales. As I had reported earlier, the $500,000 - $750,000 market was up quite a bit. In this price range, we had 8 pending sales in September of 2009. In the same price range, this September, we had 17 pending sales. The market above $1,000,000 is typically soft at this time of year. We had 10 pending sales in the market above $1,000,000 this September compared to 7 pending sales in this range last September. The other price ranges were very close to last year's numbers for September. The market below $250,000 produced 114 pending sales in September compared to 111 last September. The Market from $250,000 - $500,000 produced 45 pending sales this September compared to 48 last September. "

 

 NAPLES IN THE NEWS. Some recent articles on Naples Real Estate you might have missed:

 

Where The Rich Are Moving

 

Fortunately with our prices right now, you can join in with the wealthy without being wealthy!

 

USA TODAY ARTICLE ABOUT INVESTORS IN THE ECONOMY

 

This is a general real estate article in USA Today, but I was quoted in it.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

If you have any specific questions please don't hesitate to ask. I could go on and on with this newsletter, but I am told that emails should be fairly brief to keep your attention span!  :  )  Okay maybe this was not brief, but I'm doin' my best.

 

My next update will include information on foreclosures and short sales.

 

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER with your friends and relatives. Even your Frenemies! And if you know someone who wants to subscribe please send me their name and email address.

 

Hope to see or hear from you soon!

 

Marlene Graham

TROPICS REAL ESTATE

539 5th Avenue South

Naples FL 34102

(239) 821-9046

MarleneGraham@earthlink.net

www.naplestouristcenter.com

www.napleshomefinders.com

www.naplesagents.com

 

 

 

 

A fellow from the Milwaukee area walked into our office this morning and said he wanted to take advantage of the current real estate market. Oddly enough, this is no longer unusual! So good to hear considering the last three years!

Currently I am sitting at an Open House at Naples Lakes. This is a great value, Arnold Palmer golf course included, beautifully turnkey furnished, great view of golf course and water for only $249,000.

Sold two places this week. Yippee! And no arm twisting involved!

Gotta Get Some More Business Cards!

Twice in the past week, I was asked for a business card and I didn't have one. For the past three years,that has not been a high priority. But that is certainly turning around. Now that the best bargains from a few months ago are already showing equity, people are getting serious about looking. And they are finding that in some cases they have to offer over the asking price to even be in the game because they aren't the only ones recognizing the deals.

My calendar is starting to fill up now too. This is great news for both me and my clients!

www.napleshomefinders.com

www.naplesagents.com

A Little Different Real Estate Conversation

by Marlene Graham, Downing-Frye Realty, Naples, Florida,   34102    239-821-9046

So the other day I was at Campiello's Restaurant on 3rd Street South having some lunch when a gentleman in his 60s I would guess, or late 50s, who was sitting with another gentleman started a semi-conversation with me. When he found out I was a real estate agent, he indicated that he lived in Olde Naples. Generally men who live in prestigious areas mention those areas as a frame of reference indicating they might have some means. And not that he was necessarily trying to up his estimation in my eyes, in a place like Campiello's prestige is bandied around by men since there are many singles that hang out there. 

But then he said something that I am finding is being injected into more and more conversations these days: "But I don't know how long."

I furrowed my brow not sure what he was meaning.

"I have it as a short sale right now, but I stopped making my payments in February, so if it doesn't sell I don't know how much longer I will be in there. But you know, I really don't care. I'm okay with that."

Wow! Bet he wouldn't have been caught dead saying that to a stranger just a couple of years ago.

And the frustrating part of all this is that the folks caught in that situation are usually the previously great credit crowd. Now, as many people have suddenly seen things spinning wildly out of their control, they've come to terms with the fact that they can't take advantage of the (temporary) bargains their homes have become; they know someone else will; and as embarrassing as such a scenario once was, it is acceptable conversation for even the elite. If ever there was an illustration of the real estate cycle, this is it, and those who luck out to have cash when it hits the bottom ... well ... it's like a license to print money.

 

Search Like an Agent!

Hello again

As you can see I'm the type of person who writes only when I feel optimistic about what is happening around me. I guess that's why I always appear to be optimistic.

Things have been slow the last week or so in my real estate life, but things are percolating again! Potential deals on four places and two more that have had three showings in the past three days. I like that.

Also I am developing out some sites that might be of interest to real estate agents and those who are not. I am working on RealEstateAgentReferrals.com. Right now there is only one article there, but it's one that you might enjoy and soon I will be soliciting agents to be on the site. Just wanted to get it on the internet for a bit so that it resolves correctly.

The address is www.realestateagentreferrals.com .

Another site you might like that is not online as of me writing this sentence, but should be online by the end of the day or tomorrow would be www.floridalistingbook.com . Back in the day when agents didn't have computers they had listing books -- those of us in our 40s and 50s probably remember how coveted and secretive those books were. Well now of course you can find all kinds of real estate information on the internet, valid and not, and the books have gone the way of the eight-track tape. Now with the guidance of a good real estate agent --- or in my case ... ahem ... a great real estate agent ... you can put all the pieces together easily and quickly.

Well now I (aka according to this site www.mostinterestingwomanintheworld.com) am offering my clients the chance to search the internet like an agent with a new program I have joined called Listing Book. You just contact me, say you want to search the internet like an agent and then I set you up for the program in my region free of charge. Of course I hope that also means that would will pick me as your agent! That's the hope anyway. So just let me know and I will sign you up ... and no you will not have to sign in blood that you will stick by my side. So don't worry. But again, I really hope that is your intention! It's certainly mine  :  )

Well I'm getting hungry, so I'll make this one short and sweet. Plus I have to work on those sites!

See you and don't forget to write me at marlenegraham@earthlink.net to request your Listing Book Invitiation!