SanibelSusan here, reporting that there has been a little less real estate activity this week on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Many on the island now seem to be in the holiday-prep mode. Some snowbirds already are heading north to be with family for the holidays, and Christmas visitors have not started arriving yet. Several rental units and resorts have vacancies both this week and next.

Teammate Dave held an Open House for the better part of the day yesterday at Pointe Santo C34. There usually is good traffic at that complex both from those staying there and driving/biking by, but he had only a couple of curious tenants visit.

 

Below are a few news items followed by the action posted since last Friday in the Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors®

At the Thursday morning Association of Realtors® Caravan Meeting yesterday, members brought toys and gift cards for “Friends Who Care”. “Friends Who Care” is a non-profit started back in 1983 by island tax consultant Tom Louwers and his late wife Teresa.

For years, local Realtors® have worked with them, helping collect, wrap, and distribute gifts and toys to island children and children of island employees who need aid. Working hand-in-hand to provide gifts associated with local giving trees, this year six “Friends Who Care” Santas will make the rounds, just before Christmas, distributing the gifts.

If you also would like to give, there are giving trees in many locations including the post office, Bank of the Islands, and Bailey’s or call at 239-472-5152. Adult helpers are always appreciated for gift sorting Wednesday, December 14, at 2 p.m. in Sundial’s San-Cap Room, followed by wrapping the next day at 9 a.m. (bring scissors). Gift delivery – also known as the Santa Run – by the local Kiwanians – is the evening of December 23.

During the business part of the meeting, I was happy to report that our listing at Sunset South, announced last week as a new listing, already is under contract.

Sanibel Civic Core Project

At Tuesday’s Sanibel City Council meeting, council members unanimously agreed to move forward with putting the Civic and Cultural Core Project up for public referendum on the March 7, 2017 ballot. The project which is estimated to cost approximately $42 million is a proposed multi-faceted facility including a new Island Seniors Center (Center-4-Life) building, BIG ARTS performance hall, theater and learning center, all interconnected to the existing library, City Hall, and Sanibel Historical Museum and Village by way of meandering walkways, bicycle and pedestrian paths. The 25-acre site also would include green space and large community green for public gatherings.

Funding for the project is proposed to come from BIG ARTS ($12 million), City of Sanibel ($8M), and grants and other funding sources ($22M), in addition to the City’s contribution of 25 acres of land, long with BIG ARTS one acre. There is more info about the project at www.SanibelCCP.org with upcoming “town hall” type meetings and additional press releases planned.

Shell Harbor Dredging

The City began dredging the entrance channel to Shell Harbor, near the Sanibel Marina, on November 30. Work will be complete soon, but in the meantime boat traffic periodically may be stopped or slowed.

 More Boating News

The public boat ramp at the Tarpon Bay Recreation Area is closed due to limited parking during construction of the new onsite Marine Lab. The Refuge is funding the construction and providing access to Tarpon Bay in partnership with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, which will outfit the lab and collaborate with its research.

The ramp will stay closed until further notice, or likely until after the Lab construction is complete, slated for fall 2017.

Check Those Web Cams

Reports are that viewings on the various island web cams are up. Happens every year when winter weather sets in up north. If you too want to check them out, it is easiest to go to the Chamber’s website at https://sanibel-captiva.org/sanibel-webcams/. Then pick and choose the location: Island Inn, Casa Ybel Resort, Sundial Beach Resort & Spa, J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge, The Mucky Duck, or Pink Shell (on Fort Myers Beach).

For the traffic cams, go to http://www.mysanibel.us/traffic/ and choose from: Causeway Span C, Periwinkle & Casa Ybel (looking east or west), Periwinkle & Tarpon Bay (looking north, south, or east).

Reopening Soon

• Sanibel Café – which has been closed since the end of September due to a kitchen fire is expected to reopen before the end of the year.
• Island Cow – has been closed all week while the parking lot is getting pavers.

Got Shells? Give Shells!

According to their Fall 2016 newsletter, “The Shell Museum needs shells. Not the world’s largest or rare specimens for …exhibits, but the kinds of shells anyone can find on our local beaches on any given day. Why this “shell emergency?” The daily Family Shell Art programs are so popular that the Museum is running low on raw materials, aka shells!…

“”The shells don’t have to be perfect, and they can be from any Southwest Florida beach…they do need to be clean, and they must not be what the museum calls “live collected”, in other words, …only shells that are empty when found.”

“The preferred types of shells are lightning whelks under 3” long, paper figs, tulips, rose petal telins, buttercup lucins, apple murexes, paired cockles, dosinias, coquinas, large scallops, kitten paws, turkey wings, and button snails.

“Anyone with shells to donate may bring them to the Museum…for information, call 239-395-2233.”

Shell Art at the Beach

Here are a couple of photos of some cool holiday beach art made from shells in the sand. The word on the beach is that this is the work of a visiting couple who come to the island every year now. The husband creates the displays for his wife. This year, they include: a reindeer, a penguin wearing a Santa hat, and Santa himself with a few gifts. Pretty creative!

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

Sanibel

CONDOS

4 new listings: Sanibel Arms West #H2 2/2 $525K, Lighthouse Point #217 3/2/2 $569K, Lighthouse Point #211 2/2 $699K, Loggerhead Cay #181 2/2 $699K.

2 price changes: Donax Village #3 2/2 now $489K, Sanddollar #B204 2/2 now $895K.

4 new sales: Sunset South #11C 2/2 listed at $599K (our listing), Sundial East #P201 2/2 listed at $789K, Kings Crown #105 3/2 listed at $1.289M, Golden Beach #2 3/2.5 listed at $1.499M.

4 closed sales: Loggerhead Cay #452 2/2 $520K, Blind Pass #B203 3/2 $540K, Mariner Pointe #943 2/2.5 $555K, Chelsea Place #2 3/4 $3.65M.

HOMES

6 new listings: 915 Main St 2/1 $449K, 1817 Atlanta Plaza 3/2 $504.9K, 1983 Roseate Ln 2/2 $539K, 3043 Poinciana Cir 4/2 $599K, 465 Lake Murex Cir 2/2.5 $659K, 539 East Rocks Dr 5/5 $1.3M.

3 price changes: 998 Greenwood Ct 3/2 half-duplex now $439K, 5105 SanibelCaptiva Rd 4/3 now $664K, 1272 Isabel Dr 4/4.5 now $3.45M.

3 new sales: 4215 Old Banyan Way 3/3 listed at $699K, 3019 Poinciana Cir 5/3.5 listed at $950K, 232 Robinwod Cir 4/3 listed at $1.195M.

2 closed sales: 677 Durion Ct 3/2 $733K, 526 N Yachtsman Dr 3/2 $945K.

LOTS

2 new listings: 434 Lake Murex Cir $275K, 1301 Sand Castle Rd $380K.

1 price change: 1311 Par View Dr now $289K.

1 new sale: 592 Sea Oats Dr listed at $349.9K.

No closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

Nothing to report.

HOMES

1 new listing: 11530 Chapin Ln 3/2 $1.395M.

2 price changes: 14980 Binder Dr 4/3 now $1,377,963; 14860 Mango Ct 5/4 now $2,343,953.

No new sales.

2 closed sales: 1135 Longifolia Ct 4/4.5 $3.45M, 953 South Seas Plantation Rd 5/5.5 $5.8035M

LOTS

No new listings or price changes.

1 new sale: 16950 Captiva Dr now $2.995M.

No closed sales.

(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.)

Until next Friday, enjoy your pre-holiday fun & please give The SanibelSusan Team a call if buying a piece of Paradise is on your Christmas list!

Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan