Happy Friday from SanibelSusan! Sanibel and Captiva Islands remain busy. The real estate activity here this week resulted in several new sales as described in the report from the local Multiple Listing Service at the end of this posting.

My showings last weekend brought SanibelSusan Realty another home sale on Monday. With two closings this week, as well as a terrific new bay-front condo listing, it was a good few days for me and my team. I will be out with more lookers this weekend – the fourth weekend in a row – all different buyers. The last three weekends brought sales. I hope this one does too!

There have been a few complaints the last few days about the weather and the beach. Another cool front is just arriving which has meant a few cloudy days in Southwest Florida. The retail establishments and restaurants are packed on overcast days though, so there are smiles here even when the sun is not out.

Sanibel & Captiva Island Sales Year-to-Date

Sanibel home sales continue to be the hot item, with 68 already sold or under contract this year, compared to 43 condos, and three lots.

Captiva’s numbers are:  seven homes, eight condos, and one lot. With just another few weeks until Easter, local Realtors® are busy and hopeful that the buyers stay active beyond “high season”.

Island Happenings in March

Clients often ask, what is happening while I am in town this week? The below events are scheduled over the next two weeks. Many days there are several special event choices.

Notes:

BIG ARTS = Barrier Island Group for the Arts, www.bigarts.org

CROW = Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, www.crowclinic.org

“Ding” Darling = J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge, www.dingdarlingsociety.org

FISH = “Friends in Service Here” of Sanibel, www.fishofsanibel.com

SCA = Sanibel Community Association at Sanibel Community House, www.sanibelcommunityhouse.net

SCCF = Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, www.sccf.org

1st     “Why Wild Animals Come to CROW”, CROW; Butterflies of Florida, SCCF;         Lecture: “The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America” by authors Don & Lillian Stokes, “Ding” Darling

1st to 23rd “The Marvelous Wonderettes”, BIG ARTS Herb Strauss Theater

2nd    “Florida Felines”, CROW; “Trio Cavatina”, www.SanibelMusicFestival.org

3rd & 10th “Charles Lindbergh: The Lone Eagle”, BIG ARTS Herb Strauss Theater

3rd     Island Jazz at Boler Garden, BIG ARTS; The Forum Lecture: Rami George Khouri, Schein Performance Hall, BIG ARTS

4th     “Diamondback Terrapin in Pine Island Sound“, SCCF; BIG ARTS Sanibel Oscar Night

5th     “Something Special”, CROW; Beach Walk at The Island Inn, SCCF; “Tank Talk”, SCCF; “Gould Trio with Robert Plane, Clarinet, www.SanibelMusicFestival.org

6th     “Rescues & Releases of CROW’s Patients”, CROW; “Coyote & Bear Tales”, SCCF; “The City That Almost Wasn’t & The Sanibel Plan”, SCCF

7th     “Clinic Rounds”, CROW; “Turtle Tracks”, SCCF; “Goat Dairy & Hydroponic Farm Field Trip”, SCCF

7th to 9th 76th Annual Sanibel Shell Fair & Show, SCA

8th     “Why Wild Animals Come to CROW”, CROW; “The Engangered Eastern Indigo Snake”, SCCF; Lecture: “How to Read a Florida Gulf Coast Beach” by author Tonya Clayton, “Ding” Darling; Fred Hersch Trio, BIG ARTS

9th     “Sanibel Shorebirds”, CROW; “The Arabesque Winds with Cherry Tsang, Piano”, www.SanibelMusicFestival.org

10th   Caloosahatchee Oxbow & Riverlore Cruise, SCCF; “Charles Lindbergh: The Lone Eagle”, BIG ARTS Herb Strauss Theater; The Forum Lecture: Frank Verrastro, Schein Performance Hall, BIG ARTS; Island Jazz at Boler Garden, BIG ARTS

11th   Birding at the Preserves (Sanibel Gardens), SCCF; Bike Club Meeting, SCA;        Film Night, Schein Performance Hall, BIG ARTS

12th   Garden Club Meeting, SCA; Fishing Club Meeting, SCA; “CROW’s Aquatic Patients: Fresh Water & Sea Turtles”, CROW; “Ariet Quartet”, www.SanibelMusicFestival.org

13th   “Rescues & Releases of CROW’s Patients”, CROW; Film: “America’s Darling: The Story of Jay N. “Ding” Darling, “Ding” Darling; Concert: Southwest Florida Symphony, Schein Performance Hall, BIG ARTS

14th   Art League Pot Luck, SCA; “The Alien Invasion”, SCCF; “Clinic Rounds”, CROW; “Snowy Plovers”, SCCF; “Sunset, Moonlight, & Wading Birds Cruise”, SCCF        Community Collaborations: Spring Writers Read, Schein Performance Hall, BIG ARTS

15th   “Meet Animal Ambassador, Trouper Lee”, CROW; “Photos: Candids by Bill Heyd”, SCCF; Lectures: “Bringing Environmental Education to Russia: by supervisory refuge manager Toni Westland & “Mission to China” by refuge manager Paul Tritaik, “Ding” Darling; Swamp House Party at The Sanibel Community House, SCA; Cinema Toast, BIG ARTS

What’s Happening With Real Estate in the United Kingdom

As a Transnational Referral Certified (TRC) Realtor®, SanibelSusan closely follows the real estate markets in the countries that often bring buyers to Sanibel and Captiva too. I read an interesting post this week from a UK colleague who said, “TRC’s interested in the UK market will be happy to hear 2013 has started on a good note with the number of house hunters rising in January to its highest level in 5 years, according to NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents).”

NAEA is the UK’s leading professional body for estate agency personnel, being part of a group representing 13,000 members who practice across all aspects of property services both in the UK and overseas. These include residential and commercial sales and lettings, property management, business transfer, auctioneering and land.

Florida, including Sanibel and Captiva Islands, has always had many vacation-home buyers from the UK. With their recession changing too, the trend should continue.

Osprey Cam

The osprey cam at Ocean’s Reach condominiums on Sanibel’s Camino del Mar Drive, in partnership with the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society, is focused now on a mama osprey hatching three eggs.

The eggs were laid several days apart in early February and take about 35 days to hatch. Fun to watch the progress at http://www.oceansreach.com/osprey-cam.cfm

Island Wildlife Last Week

Another fun posting each week by the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society is a list of the wildlife sighted in the Refuge on Wildlife Drive and on The Bailey Tract (off Tarpon Bay Road).

The list for the week ending Tues, February 23, 2013 includes many varieties:  71 different birds, 7 different butterflies, 6 different snakes, 3 different frogs, 3 different turtles, 3 different crabs, 2 different lizards, American alligators, 9-banded armadillos, bobcats, coyotes, Virginia opossums, river otters, marsh rabbits, diamond-backed terrapins, gopher tortoises, and Southern five-lined skinks. The full list is posted at   http://www.dingdarlingsociety.org/

Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service Activity February 22-March 1

Sanibel
CONDOS
6 new listings: Sundial #H102 2/2 $498K, Mariner Pointe #631 2/2 $549K (our listing), Pointe Santo #C26 2/2 $669K, Nutmeg Village #101 2/2 $919K, Gulfside Place #209 2/2 $955K, Sedgemoor #105 3/3.5 $2.425M.
7 price changes: Seawind #A102 2/2.5 now $424.9K, Kings Crown #313 2/2 now $610K, Sunset South #3B 2/2 now $639K, Sanddollar #B104 2/2 now $891K, Seascape #302 3/3.5 now $1.329M, Lantana #102 4/3.5 now $1.495M, Sedgemoor #202 3/3.5 now $2.22M.
4 new sales: Colonnades #C18 1/1 listed for $129K, Captains Walk #E5 2/2 listed for $224.5K, Sundial #Q301 2/2 listed for $595K. La Playa #3B 3/2 listed for $1.45M.
3 closed sales: Sundial #G106 1/1 $270K, Sanibel Moorings #1042 2/2 $383K, Gulf Beach #205 2/2 $685K.

HOMES
5 new listings: 4563 Brainard Bayou Rd 3/3 $760K; 1291 Sand Castle Rd 4/3.5 $849K; 1329 Eagle Run Dr 3/2.5 $989K; 1001 Kings Crown Dr 3/2.5 $1.159M; 2507 Blind Pass Ct 4/3 $1,225,555.
13 price changes: 1125 Captains Walk St 2/2 now $499.9K, 9446 Yucca Ct 3/2 now $519K, 1667 Sabal Sands Rd 3/3 now $539K, 9319 Kincaid Ct 3/2 now $574.9K, 9203 Dimmick Dr 3/3 now $619K, 696 Durion Ct 3/2.5 now $635K, 9224 Dimmick Dr 4/2 now $699K, 6009 Clam Bayou Ln 4/3 now $836K, 804 Birdie View Pt 3/3 now $1.089M, 5403 Shearwater Dr 4/3 now $1.145M, 6440 Pine Ave 3/2.5 now $1.631M, 3615 West Gulf Dr 3/2 now $2.495M, 2980 Wulfert Rd 5/5 now $3.495M. 
6 new sales: 9106 Mockingbird Dr 2/2 listed for $479K, 1271 Sand Castle Rd 3/2.5 listed for $589K, 2631 SanCap Rd 2/2 listed for $699K, 1216 Par View Dr 3/2 listed for $699K, 4518 Bowen Bayou Rd 4/4 listed for $725K (our sale), 214 Palm Lake Dr 3/2.5 listed for $749K, 4164 West Gulf Dr 4/4 listed for $1.995M, 3635 West Gulf Dr 4/4.5 listed for $4.199M.
8 closed sales: 4057 Coquina Dr 2/2 $301K (foreclosure), 3311 Twin Lakes Ln 3/3 $540K, 1449 Tahiti Dr 3/3 $550K, 525 N Yachtsman Dr 3/2 $550K, 928 Pepper Tree Place 2/2 $600K, 1441 Causey Ct 3/2 $671K, 569 Lighthouse Way 3/3 $785K (our buyer), 1660 Bunting Ln 4/3.5 $910K (our buyer).

LOTS
1 new listing: 860 Birdie View Pt $389K.
1 price changes: 708 Durion Ct now $359K.
No new or closed sales.

Captiva
CONDOS

No new listings or price changes.
1 new sale: Bayside Villas #5308 3/3 listed for $560K.
No closed sales.
HOMES
1 new listing: 1129 Longifolia Ct 4/5 $5.995M.
4 price changes: 11490 Dickey Ln 3/2 now $879K, 11525 Chapin Ln 4/4 now $1.549M, 15127 Captiva Dr 8/6.5 duplex now $2.025M (short sale), 16428 Captiva Dr 7/8/2 now $12.2M.
1 new sale: 56 Sandpiper Ct 2/2.5 listed for $669K.
1 closed sale: 11551 Paige Ct 5/6/2 $4.735M.

LOTS
Nothing to report.

This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors or its Multiple Listing Service.  Neither the association nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy.  Data maintained by the association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.  The information provided represents the general real estate activity in the community and does not imply that SanibelSusan Realty Associates is participating or participated in these transactions.  If your property currently is listed with another broker, this is not intended as a solicitation of that listing.

 

Best wishes for another great week!

 SanibelSusan & The SanibelSusan Team – Dave, Elise, & Lisa