Happy Friday, FB friends. It was another busy week at SanibelSusan Realty with more listing inquiries, more showings, more open houses, more follow-up on upcoming closings, a nice new listing, and another in the works. As the November snowbirds started arriving, there was a noticeable boost in local traffic too. Speaking of birds, the white pelicans are back! Hundreds have been photographed on-island this week – many in the waters of the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge and Clam Bayou. Those are always an indication of a change in the seasons.

There also was a little drop in temperatures with daytimes now in the 80’s. The forecast for the end of next week has even cooler daytime weather coming. Cooler here, meaning in the 70’s – perfect weather for shoveling beach sand and shells. With good shelling reports including two junonias pictured in today’s “Island Sun”, it is a great time to be in Florida.

Below are a couple of news items, followed by the action posted this week in the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service. Not many new sales were announced at our East-end Realtor Caravan meeting yesterday, but business is picking up.

At the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors®, the Christmas tree is up in preparation for our annual “Fall Into Christmas” fundraiser for Friends Who Care which is next Thursday after work. Our members will be donating toys and gift cards for those in need. The Association’s food drive for the F.I.S.H. San-Cap food pantry also is underway and continues until the end of the year.

Weekend Happenings

Island Seniors’ Annual Trash & Treasures Sale – tomorrow, Saturday, Nov 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Center-4-Life on Library Way.

38^th Taste of the Islands – benefitting CROW (Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife) on Sunday, Nov 10 from noon to 5 p.m. at Sanibel Community Park (across the street from SanibelSusan Realty). Music by Private Stock Bank, food samples from 14 island establishments, plus silent auction items and CROW ambassadors inside the Community House. Entry fee is $7/person with children under 12 free.

Annual Sanibel Veterans Day Ceremony – Around the flagpole at City Hall at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov 11. Hosted by the City of Sanibel and Lee Coast Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, featuring music and guest speakers. The City proudly has 24 veterans among their workforce.

Protecting Florida Together

For those near and far, following Florida’s water quality reports is challenging. There are many on-line postings, particularly on social media, that are outdated and inaccurate. On Tuesday, during a conference at Lovers Key State Park on Fort Myers Beach, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the creation of a new website that focuses on state water quality. The website, called Protecting Florida Together, allows members of the public to check water quality status in three bodies of water: the Caloosahatchee River, Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River. The Governor said that by next year, users also will be able to get info on water in other bodies of water in Florida. With 66 million state visitors during the first half of this year, the website is meant to get meaningful information out to Floridians, their families, and those coming here. The site also offers ways users can volunteer to help improve water quality. There also is a timeline of action the state has taken to improve water quality.

Sanibel to Install Red Tide Signs

In another effort to combat misinformation, James Evans, Sanibel’s Director of Natural Resources announced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the City is getting ready to install signs on island public beaches. The signage will include red tide info with a description of where there is a red tide bloom, what health symptoms are associated with red tide, and websites/phone numbers to get additional info (via the Florida Dept of Health website). The signs also will have an explanation of the differences between a red tide caution and an alert. Evans described the current red tide status as a “patchy bloom” and that “It’s all about being transparent, but it’s also about providing correct information.”

Who’s Buying Rental Vacation Property?

From the Nov/Dec 2019 issue of “Florida Realtor”: “Some 75% of prospective vacation rental buyers have a combined family income of less than $150,000 per year. Over a quarter of prospective vacation rental buyers are in their 20’s and 30’s. This new generation of investors is looking to cash in on the sharing economy-driven vacation rental boom.” Source – Vacasa 2019 Vacation Rental Buyers Profile (FYI, with 5,000+ employees, Vacasa managers 23,000+vacation properties in 17 countries.)

Closing Checklist for Sellers

Good scoop here from homelight.com, the balance.com, Florida Realtors:

“You may already have gathered all the paperwork you need for closing day, but there are a few other tasks to handle before you get to the closing table.

• Clean the entire house, including inside drawers & cabinets.
• Close utility accounts & have them shut off or transfer accounts on the day of closing.
• Place all keys (house, mailbox, pool, etc.), garage remotes, alarm & gate codes, etc. in one place, such as a drawer closest to the refrigerator.
• Create a packet of appliance manuals, service contracts, written warranties, etc. & place them in the same drawer.
• Visit usps.com/manage/forward.htm to direct the post office to forward your mail. Also, consider leaving a large stamped envelope that’s addressed to your new home so the buyers can forward any important mail that ends up at your former home.
• Cancel newspaper subscriptions, if any.
• Do a final sweep of every drawer, cabinet, & surface to make sure you haven’t left anything behind.
• Lock up the house, turn off the lights, & close the blinds on the way out.
• Make a note to cancel homeowner’s insurance after the closing is complete & the title has been transferred or the deed recorded.”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity November 1 – 8, 2019

Sanibel

CONDOS

4 new listings: Sundial #F408 1/1 $499K, Sanibel Arm West #A1 2/2 $534K, Lighthouse Point #211 2/2 $599K (our listing), Oceans Reach #4C1 2/2 $899K.

3 price changes: Mariner Pointe #842 2/2 now $579K, Sand Pointe #111 2/2 now $699K, Kings Crown #102 2/2 now $975K.

2 new sales: Sanibel Siesta #108 2/2 listed at $579K, Tarpon Beach #104 2/2 listed at $1,149,555.

2 closed sales: Sundial #J201 1/1 $542K, Sanibel Moorings #1341 2/2 $670K.

HOMES

7 new listings: 1458 Sandpiper Cir 3/2.5 half-duplex $489.9K, 5297 Punta Caloosa Ct 2/3 $789K, 1410 Sanderling Cir 3/2 $875K, 966 Kings Crown Dr 3/2 $1.06M, 1333 Eagle Run Dr 3/2.5 $1.095M, 2477 Wulfert Rd 3/4 $1.375M, 5044 Joewood Dr 4/4.5 $2.15M.

7 price changes: 730 Cardium St 2/2 now $579K, 1418 Sanderling Cir 3/3 now $599.5K, 743 Windlass Way 3/2 now $649K, 1410 Albatross Rd 3/3 now $779K, 5422 Shearwater Dr 3/2.5 now $975K, 2857 Wulfert Rd 4/5 now $1.298M, 5250 Caloosa End Ln 3/2.5 now $1.389M.

2 new sales: 706 Nerita St 3/2 listed at $774K, 1243 Sand Castle Rd 4/4 listed at $1.05M.

2 closed sales: 1324 Seaspray Ln 3/3 $1.05M, 725 Donax St 6/6 $1.22M.

LOTS

1 new listing: 4334 West Gulf Dr $989K.

No price changes, new, or closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

No new listings

2 price changes: Bayside Villas #4212 1/1 now $368.9K, Lands End Village #1608 3/3 now $2.149M.

1 new sale: Beach Homes #11 4/3 listed at $2.35M.

1 closed sale: Gulf Beach Villas #2004 2/2 $627.5K.

HOMES

No new listings or price changes.

1 new sale: 16596 Captiva Dr 6/8.5 listed at $6.499M.

1 closed sale: 15161 Wiles Dr 5/5.5 $2.2M.

LOTS

1 new listing: 16151/16155 Captiva Dr $7.9M.

No price changes, new, or closed sales.

This representation is based in part on data supplied by the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® 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.

Enjoy your weekend & don’t forget to honor Veterans on Monday (& every day). If you are on-island, keep an eye out for one of these shells. Painted by Amy Cloud & posted on “Sanibel Shells” Facebook page, Amy created these in honor of her Dad who is a WWII veteran & celebrating his 97th birthday. She said the Sanibel Shell fairies will be sprinkling them here. To all veterans, thank you for your service, & a special birthday thank you to Amy’s Dad. Also thanks to Amy for sharing her photo!

Susan Andrews aka SanibelSusan