SanibelSusan here reporting another sunny Friday on Sanibel, though we sure had plenty of rain earlier in the week when Tropical Storm Emily passed over the islands. Since Wednesday afternoon, it’s been mostly bright and hot – finally true Florida summer weather. It sure seems like it flew by this year.

Beginning soon many local establishments will close temporarily for their annual deep-cleans, employee vacations, remodeling, etc. In the meantime, those here are enjoying meals out without a wait and very little traffic.

At SanibelSusan Realty

A SanibelSusan Realty we were happy to receive a new listing this morning and another this afternoon. (My apologies for posting this blog so late today, but we must keep that new business coming.)

Following a couple of news items below is the action posted in the Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service since last Friday. One of our new listing made the summary, the other will be inputted tomorrow after photographs are taken.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors®

This year, as part of the Association’s 2017 campaign – “Working Together to Make a Difference”, from May through November, the Communications and Public Relations Committee has spearheaded several projects to aid local charities. Participation has increased with each one.

Last Friday, our food-packing event for Meals of Hope was a great success. With a few last-minute donations to defray cost of food and supplies, 28,800 meals were packed in less than the expected two hours. Many thanks to all contributors and 90+ packing volunteers, including association Realtors® and business partners, their families, friends, and neighbors, and especially to my committee members for their support.

It was a great exercise in team building with a purpose – certainly an afternoon to remember. Press releases have been submitted and plenty of photos are posted on Facebook highlighting the event. Thanks to photographer Jim Anderson, JMA Photography, for providing proof that no one looks good in a hair net.

Yesterday, culminating our other July project, collecting items for Bedz for Kidz, program founder Realtor® Cynthia Shafer came to the island to pick up the many twin and crib sheets, and backpacks and small suitcases donated by Association members. Bedz for Kidz is well on its way to providing 3,000 beds for children that are moved by the local court system into safer homes. For 16+years, Cynthia and her husband John have spent their Saturdays delivering, installing, and equipping beds for these needy children and their families. They are an inspiration! Big thank you to all Association of Realtors® contributors. Below is a picture of some of us with the donations and Cynthia.

Want to See the Largest Junonia?

As reported in today’s “Island Sun”:

“…The world’s largest recorded junonia – a specimen measuring nearly 6” in length – calls the island home. ”Everybody who comes to Sanibel would love to find a junonia, or even see one,” said Larry Strange, owner of Sanibel Seashell Industries, who recently acquired the record-setting shell.

“According to the “Registry of World Record Size Shells”, the largest junonia ever recorded – a Scaphella junonia measuring 154.0 cm – was collected in the Gulf of Mexico by The Hansbys in 1972. That shell became part of a collection owned by a mollusk enthusiast in Jacksonville, FL.

“Strange, a marine biologist and retired educator, was contacted by the son of the junonia’s owner, who asked if he would be interested in purchasing his father’s massive shell collection.

“”I had read about his record junonia, and I asked (the son) if it was still part of the collection,” said Strange, who eventually purchased the museum-quality assortment. “His father got the shell from a fisherman working on a shrimp trawler, who obtain a lot of junonias because they’re out in waters 40 to 80 feet.”

“However, junonias are rather uncommon to find washed up on the shorelines of Sanibel, so they are highly revered by both amateur and serious shell enthusiasts.

“In the three weeks since the giant junonia has been on display at the family-run business, Strange noted that people are coming into the store just to see the record-setting shell. “People are walking in and ask just to see it, or take a photo with it,” he said, noting that the shell is encased under a glass dome inside the main display case of the store, located at 1544 Periwinkle Way….

“All are welcome to stop by Sanibel Shell Industries and see the world’s largest junonia in person. The business – which originally opened in 1942 – is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 472-1603 or visit www.seashells.com for more information.”

Sellers Net Highest Profit in a Decade

This headline caught my eye, posted online July 31, 3017 at “Realtor®Mag”:

“Home sellers in the 2nd quarter of this year sold their properties for an average $51,000 more than they paid for them when they bought them. That’s the highest price gain for sellers since the second quarter of 2007, when it was $57,000, according to a new report by real estate data form ATTOM Data Solutions. This represents an average return on investment of 26%.

“The sellers had owned their homes an average of eight years, which is the longest tenure of homeownership since the first quarter of 2000, when ATTOM Data Solutions began tracking such data. However, “potential home sellers in today’s market are caught in a Catch-22,” says Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions. “While it’s the most profitable time to sell in a decade, it’s also extremely difficult to find another home to purchase, which is helping to keep homeowners in their homes longer before selling. And the market is becoming even more competitive, with the share of cash buyers in the second quarter increasing annually for the first time in four years.”

“Out of 118 metro areas with at least 1,000 homes sales in the second quarter, ATTOM Data Solutions found that these cities had the highest percentage of sales in which sellers got top dollar:

• San Jose, Calif.: 75%
• San Francisco: 65%
• Seattle: 63%
• Modesto, Calif.: 62%
• Denver: 62%”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity July 28 – August 4, 2017

Sanibel

CONDOS

5 new listings: Spanish Cay #A7 1/1 $299K (our listing) (photos below), Seashells #44 2/2 $339K, Sundial West #H409 1/1 $489K, Sundial West #G204 2/2 $699K, Bandy Beach #A101 3/2 $1.399M.

1 price change: Tarpon Beach #103 2/2 now $749K.

2 new sales: Blind Pass #F106 2/2 listed at $409K, Sand Pointe #113 2/2 listed at $719K.

5 closed sales: Mariner Pointe #1412 1/1 $325K, Shorewood #2D 3/2 $972.5K, Sanibel Seaview 3B2 3/3 $1.445M, High Tide #A102 3/2.5 $1.425M, High Tide #A302 3/2 $1.5M.

HOMES

1 new listing: 813 Rabbit Rd 2/2 $449K.

3 price changes: 673 East Rocks 3/2 now $729,888; 655 Anchor Dr 3/3 now $749K; 1656 Middle Gulf Dr 3/4 now $1.099M.

2 new sales: 3364 Twin Lakes Ln 3/2 listed at $699K, 931 S. Yachtsman Dr 4/3.5 listed at $870K.

2 closed sales: 9409 Moonlight Dr 3/2.5 $599K, 518 N. Yachtsman Dr 3/3 $1.248M.

LOTS

No new listings.

2 price changes: 1026 Fish Crow Rd now $395K, 5821 Pine Tree Dr now $556K.

No new sales.

3 closed sales: 540 East Lake Rd $162.5K, 9023 Mockingbird Dr $380K, 2479 Harbour Ln $485K.

Captiva

CONDOS

No new listings or price changes.

2 new sales: Tennis Villas #3118 1/1 listed at $255.5K, Beach Villas #2514 2/2 listed at $609K.

1 closed sale: Sunset Beach Villas #2325 2/2 $557K.

HOMES

Nothing to report.

LOTS

1 new listing: 956 Plantation Rd $2.195M.

No price changes, new, or 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, Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan