It is another Friday of beautiful summer weather on the islands, but it sure is quiet. The activity posted in the Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service since last Friday follows a couple of news items and illustrates that real estate action is pretty slow too.

The Sanibel/Captiva Real Estate Market

A couple of island brokers commiserated with SanibelSusan yesterday about the market. Our consensus is that we will have another strong “season”. But, surprisingly, it has been slow for most of the summer. Probably related to the press making it sound like all of Florida has red tide/blue green algae, Zika virus, flooding, sink holes, and anything else that makes for dramatic reporting. Of course, here on the islands do not have those things and hope that we never do, but we have heard plenty of these objections, particularly from inquiries from afar from those relying on the news. Election unrest has not helped either.

Closings/Openings/Renovations

The new Doc Ford’s opened today. After last night’s heavily-attended Open House, staff and owners were happy today to have that behind them and be “really” open.

A pal and I had lunch there, seeing plenty of other locals also checking it out.

The décor is relaxing comfortable fish-shanty-style, yet delightfully new bright airy and spacious. (Photo above borrowed from their Facebook page. It shows the new flagship Doc Ford’s managers with co-owner Brenda Harrity in the center. From left to right: Katie, Kim, Brenda, Donna, & Liz.)

Now that it is September a few more restaurants may be closed briefly for their annual deep cleans, fix-ups, and/or staff vacations. Here is an update:

As reported last week, Bleu Rendezvous French Bistro is closed until Oct 6, and Traders Gulf Coast Grill & Gifts is closed until Oct 3. Here are a couple of additional closings. (There are still plenty of good eats open, though!)

• Blue Coyote is closed until Oct 4.
• Gramma Dots is closed until Sep 29.
• Mad Hatter is closed until Oct 1.
• Matzaluna will be closed Sep 12 to 18.
• Over Easy Café will be closed from Sep 12 to 22.
• Rosie’s Café will be closed from Sep 20 to Oct 7.
• Sandbar is closed until Sep 29.
• Traditions is closed until Sep 23.

If you like the outside of the new Huxter’s Market & Deli, be sure and stop in after Sept 27 to see the new interior. They are closed until then for inside remodeling.

The Sanibel Fishing Pier reopened this week after a 3-month renovation that included installing new stringers, decking, and improved handicap accessibility. Work was funded by a grant from the Lee County Tourism Board.

Work now begins on the adjacent boardwalk. (Fishing pier photo at right borrowed from Sanibel City Manager, Judie Zimomra.)

Sanibel Farmers Market opens again on Sunday, Oct 2, and will be open every Sunday from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. until May 28, 2017, except it will be closed Christmas Day (but will be open the next day, Monday, instead). It even will be open on Easter Sunday.

Located on the grounds of Sanibel City Hall, 800 Dunlop Rd.

Sanibel’s Annual Street Resurfacing

The City of Sanibel’s annual street resurfacing project began this week. Each year the City resurfaces selected roads based on a time schedule and their condition. This year the effort involves full-width surfacing of twelve streets and a few other small paving projects. Most of the paving will be done during normal daytime hours other than a small section of Periwinkle Way from Palm Ridge Rd to Tarpon Bay Rd which will be done at night. The work is expected to be complete within 30 days. The streets included this year are: Main St., Fitzhugh St., Angel Wing Dr., Whelk Dr., Pecten Ct., Sand Dollar Dr., Kings Crown Ct., Oyster Ct., Conch Ct., Pen Shell, and Dixie Beach Blvd (3 sections at the road pipe crossings).

Shorebird Nesting Season Ends

Shorebird nesting season which typically runs from February through August was more successful this year compared to 2015. Out of 28 snowy plover nests, seven produced a total of 17 chicks. Last year only nine hatched.

No nesting attempts were made on Captiva. Least terns were not as successful and did not produce any fledglings.

Five Fixes That Can Raise a Home Value

The following article was posted yesterday on FloridaRealtors® and sourced to Information Inc., “This Old House.” It offers some good suggestions.

“For homeowners looking to spruce up their home before listing it, there’s plenty they can do to attract more buyers and potentially boost the value of their home too.

“Veteran real estate professionals recently weighed in at This Old House on some of the best home improvement projects they believe can help a home show better. Here are a few of their ideas:

“1. Open up the space. Create more space, whether that’s even removing a kitchen island or knocking out a non-structural wall. “Right now buyers want a wide open floor plan, the living room right off the kitchen. They are into big spaces,” Kristin Wellins, senior manager of program development at ERA Real Estate, told This Old House.

“2. Light it up. Keep the home bright: Have windows open to let the natural light flow in, consider lights that use motion detectors to turn themselves off, or install sun tubes, a reflective material that funnels natural light from a hole cut in a rooftop down through a ceiling fixture in a room. “High wattage bulbs make small spaces feel larger, and soft lighting brings warmth to empty spaces,” This Old House notes.

“3. Enhance the front door. “Don’t underestimate the power of a front door,” Willens says. “People make up their minds in the first seven seconds of entering a house.” Have an overhang on the front porch, such as an awning or portico above the front door, suggests Roger Voisinet, a real estate professional in Charlottesville, Va.

“4. Pay attention to the floors. Spend some money on the floors, suggests the real estate professionals surveyed by This Old House. Even a $600 to $900 investment could help boost the home’s value by possibly $2,000, they say. Get a carpenter or handyman to eliminate distracting squeaks from floors, repair any broken tiles, patch damaged floorboards, and remove wall-to-wall carpeting, they suggest.

“5. Tackle easy bathroom upgrades. Bathroom upgrades can quickly get pricey but a few upgrades can still make a big difference. For example, swap frosted glass for clear glass, remove any rust stains, apply fresh caulk, update doorknobs and cabinet pulls, replace faucets, buy a new toilet seat, or install a low-flush toilet.”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity September 2-9, 2016

Sanibel

CONDOS

No new listings.

1 price change: Mariner Pointe #522 2/2 now $449K (our listing).

(Photos below at Mariner Pointe with its many amenities (2 pools, private fishing pier, 2 tennis courts, boat dockage, shuffleboard, bbq areas, deeded beach access, plus resident manager. The view from #522 is the 1st photo.)

2 new sales: Sundial West #F105 1/1 listed at $399K, Heron at The Sanctuary #1B 3/3.5 listed at $599K.

No closed sales.

HOMES

1 new listing: 6129 Starling Way 3/2.5 $1.49M.

4 price changes: 4452 Gulf Pines Dr 3/2 now $599K, 1121 Sabal St 3/2.5 now $699K, 2010 Sunrise Cir 5/3 now $799K (our listing) (photos coming next week – our photographer filmed today), 932 Whelk Dr 3/3 now $1.425M.

4 new sales: 9292 Belding Dr 3/2.5 listed at $439K, 5749 Pine Tree Dr 3/3 listed at $6449K, 998 Beach Rd 3/3 listed at $899.9K, 3792 Coquina Dr 3/3 listed at $1.049M.

No closed sales. 35 Sea Hibiscus Ct 3/2 $925K.

LOTS

No new listings.

1 price change: 6411 Pine Ave now $375.5K.

No new sales.

1 closed sale: 3013 Poinciana Cir $233,166.

Captiva 

CONDOS

1 new listing: Lands End Village #1660 3/3 $1.625M.

No price changes, new or closed sales.

HOMES

No new listings, price changes, or new sales.

1 closed sale: 35 Sea Hibiscus Ct 3/2 $925K.

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 general real estate activity in the community and does not imply that SanibelSusan Realty Associates is participating or participated in these transactions.)

If you like quiet, now is a great time to come to the islands…just don’t tell too many!

Happy Friday! Until next week, Susan Andrews aka SanibelSusan