View from one of the open terraces at Lighthouse Point #332 on 10-14-11

It is yet another beautiful Friday on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. David took this photo this afternoon when he went to check the new paint and carpet at our Lighthouse Point condo listing. This is the view from one of the terraces at that condo. It overlooks the community lagoon and bird rookery to the San Carlos Bay beach. In another few hours this terrace will also have magnificent sunset views!

Southwest Florida had a cool front pass by us last night which resulted in reduced humidity and ideal temperatures today – low 70’s this morning and low 80’s now. The same is expected right through the weekend with skies forecasted to be clear to party cloudy – perfect for some of upcoming events mentioned below.

Weekend Happenings

It is going to be a busy one on Sanibel:

• Saturday, 10/15, is the FISH (Friends in Service Here) 10K Race. This main fundraiser for FISH starts at 7:30 a.m. (and ends) at The Sanibel Community House with more than 450 runners expected.
• Sunday, 10/16, is the beginning of “Ding” Darling Days, which is a week-long celebration honoring the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. It kicks off with “Free Family Fun Day” on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each subsequent day through the week events are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. with the following themes: Monday – “Technology in the Outdoors Day”, Tuesday – “Animal Investigation Day”, Wednesday – “Celebrate Calusa Day”, Thursday – “Refuge Discovery Day”, Friday – “Get Outdoors Day”. More free events are offered on the last day, Saturday, 10/22, which will be “Conservation Art Day”. For a full schedule of events go to http://www.dingdarlingsociety.org where we are getting good publicity as a sponsor.

Future Events Announced

• Taste of the Islands will be celebrated this year on Sunday, November 13, from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. right across the street from our office at Sanibel Community Park. This is the Taste’s 30th event with 20 local restaurants already signed up. The festivities include featured dishes from these island restaurants with celebrity chef judges, a server relay race island style, as well as an island chef challenge cook-off (with the three ingredients yet to be announced). Rumor has it that music will be provided by Marty Stokes (fellow Realtor) and The Captiva Band. It’s always a fun afternoon. As the annual fundraiser for CROW (The Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife), it benefits a terrific cause. For more info go to www.tastesanibelcaptiva.com.
• Dancing With the Islands’ Stars recently had their kick-off party, so the word is out on the locals who will participate in this now annual event which is The Sanibel Community House major fundraiser. Usually sold out for both dress rehearsal and the main event nights, tickets go on sale December 5. Dress rehearsal is January 27 and the main production is the next night, the 28th. More info is available at www.sanibelcommunityhouse.net.

SanibelSusan’s Friday Blogs

This blog continues to get more subscribers. Though it started as a public expansion of the Friday updates we send to our sellers reporting the weekly island real estate activity, it has recently turned into more. The newly added property search tab above that links to our islands Multiple Listing Service through a cooperative Internet Data Exchange agreement has brought good response, so this week, I added a separate tab for each of SanibelSusan’s home and condo listings. These individual postings already are getting “lookers” too. Please click on the “listing” tabs above to check out them out.

We typically go into high season (the winter months) with 30-35 listings, or about 10 to 12 each of condos, homes, and lots. However, with homes moving well this year, we are down to just two home listings, so we are particularly looking for home listings. If you are an island property owner thinking of selling, please contact SanibelSusan Realty at 888-603-0603 or 239-472-HOME (4663), Ext. 1 or email to Susan@SanibelSusan.com.

How to Prevent Mold Using a Humidistat

We recently had a condo listing where the air conditioning system broke down and the seller did not want to put any more money into the property. The buyers who decided to purchase it “as is” then asked, after their inspection period, but before the closing, if the seller would permit them to install a portable dehumidifier as a means of mold control. The seller gladly complied. While going through this exercise, Dave found the following article posted on the internet by Florida Power and Light. It has good info particularly if you own property in Florida and only live here in the winter or are away for long periods. This was excerpted from a column on September 1, 2011, by Craig Muccio, called “Ask the Energy Expert”.
Mold can begin to take root inside your home when the relative humidity (RH) exceeds about 68%. A humidistat, which directly controls indoor relative humidity, is one way to prevent mold. Dehumidifiers and some central air conditioners have a built-in humidistat that tells the system to dehumidify the air to a desired point. Set the controls of your humidistats and dehumidifiers to 58% RH to maintain acceptable humidity, since some humidistat sensors are inaccurate by as many as 10 percentage points.
If you don’t have a humidistat, another way to control mold while you are away is by programming the A/C to run at 72 degrees for two hours before sunrise and at 88 degrees the rest of the day.

If you do not have a programmable thermostat, set the A/C at 77 degrees for condos or apartments and 80 degrees for single-family homes and townhouses. (Remember to have the fan switch set to auto.)

If you live in Florida seasonally or leave for extended periods of time, the most economical way to prevent mold in a vacant home is by using stand-alone dehumidifiers instead of A/C. Use one for every 1,000 square feet. The expert also recommends repairing any leaks around doors, windows and in your A/C ductwork, which will help minimize the amount of moisture getting into your home.

Sanibel & Captiva MLS Activity October 7-14

Sanibel
CONDOS
4 new listings: Tennisplace #C33 2/1.5 $260K, Loggerhead Cay #462 2/2 $499K, Sundial $T207 2/2 $949K, Sunward #203 3/2 $1.195M.
6 price changes: Ibis at The Sanctuary #A102 2/2 now $420K; Tarpon Beach #110 2/2 now $639K; Sandpiper Beach #302 2/2 now $644.5K; Sand Pointe #211 2/2 now $649K; Cyprina Beach #9 3/2.5 now $649,946; Island Beach Club #P1E 2/2 now $699.5K.
1 new sale: Loggerhead Cay #333 2/2 listed for $419K.
3 closed sales: Mariner Pointe #1012 2/2 $230K (our listing), Spanish Cay #B1 2/2 $289K, Sundial #O302 2/2 $450K.
 
HOMES
9 new listings: 683 Emeril Ct 2/2 $449K, 458 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 $459K, 3940 Coquina Dr 3/2 $475K, 6467 Pine Ave 3/3 $549K, 1345 Junonia St 2/2 $565K, 244 Daniel Dr 3/3 $799K, 784 Birdie View Pt 4/4 $1.695M, 615 Lighthouse Way 3/4.5 $2.495M, 4449 Waters Edge Ln 3/3 $3.9M.
9 price changes: 978 Greenwood Ct S 3/2.5 half-duplex now $359.5K, 799 Casa Ybel Rd 4/3 duplex now $399K, 935 Lindgren Blvd 3/2 now $599K, 1339 Par View Dr 3/2 now $749K, 5750 Pine Tree Dr 2/2 now $879K, 4630 Rue Bayou 4/4 now $1.325M, 1314 Isabel Dr 4/3.5 now $2.295M, 829 Tulip Ln 5/4.5 now $2.495M, 1191 Bird Ln 4/3 now $2.95M (short sale).
No new sales.
1 closed sale: 1751 Jewel Box Dr 4/4 $1.25M.
 
LOTS
2 new listings: 5618 Baltusrol Ct $299K, 2423 Blue Crab Ct $399K.
1 price change: 4077 Coquina Dr now $250K.
No new sales.
1 closed sale: 971 Main St $100K (foreclosure).
 
Captiva
CONDOS
3 new listings: Bayside Villas #4208 1/2 $325K, Bayside Villas #5236 1/2 $329K, Tennis Villas #2324 2/2 $575K.
1 price change: Beach Villas #2618 2/2 now $659K.
1 new sale: Beach Villas #5330 3/3 listed for $629.5K.
No closed sales.
 
HOMES
1 new listing:  15891 Captiva Dr 7/5 $3.399M.
2 price changes: 11516 Andy Rosse Ln 6/6 now $2.59M, 15631 Captiva Dr 5/4.5 now $3.15M.
2 new sales: 16891 Captiva Dr 3/2 listed for $1.19M, 11550 Laika Ln 4/3.5 listed for $1.495M.
1 closed sale: 11537 Laika Ln 4/3 $1.275M.
 
LOTS
Nothing to report.