Susan here, reporting that it has been another busy fun week at SanibelSusan Realty. The team and I had two nice closings today, received another new listing, put an off-island listing under contract, and have other offers and negotiations underway. Just how we like it! Whenever winter weather strikes up north, island real estate action picks up and we are very thankful for it! A complete list of the activity posted in the islands’ Multiple Listing Service since last Friday, follows a few news items below.

And the weather, I can’t forget to mention that a mini-cool front arrived with lower temperatures expected for the next week – 70’s during the days – 60’s at night. Red tide continues to linger, with some beach reports changing daily, others hourly. Many visitors have asked, “Will it be there when I come for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or June, etc.?” The truthful answer is “We hope not, but we don’t know”. Today it is overcast and raining, but the rain is needed, so hopefully it will help wash those organisms (aka alga blooms) away!

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors®

Last night was the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® “Fall Into Christmas” benefit. Catered by Paper Fig Kitchen, it was a fun 2-hour after-work comradery event where member donations were collected for Friends Who Care. In addition to piles of new toys, $2,500 was raised to help families in need have a merrier Christmas. Thank you to affiliate sponsors: Dan Krispiinsky with Lake Michigan Credit Union of Florida, Dave Arter with Private Client Insurance Services, Angie Roehl with Rosier Insurance, and Amanda Curran with Superior Title Service. Four local designers also donated holiday décor items for the Silent Auction: Constance Davidson Interior Design, Decorating Den, Norris Furniture & Interiors, & Matter Brothers.

Scoop from Sanibel Sea School

Coastal Keepers, the branch of Sanibel Sea School that creates and implements local conservation initiatives, is now called Coastal Watch. As background (from their October newsletter: “After being founded as a local chapter of Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START) many years ago, a group of dedicated local residents decided in 2017 to merge with Sanibel Sea School to become Coastal Keepers. The change would provide more autonomy to plan and carry out initiatives on our islands.”

Having discovered that the Coastal Keepers name is copyrighted by a national organization, the local organization’s name was changed to Coastal Watch.

November 16, at their next fundraiser “The Launch”, Coastal Watch will announce what is happening next with them. Over the years, they have built a marine science education portal used by public schools, created Seafood Savvy to educate citizens about sustainable seafood, and implemented the Bring Your Own Bag and Strawless on Sanibel initiatives to reduce plastic in the ocean. Learn about the event and purchase tickets at http:www.//sancapcoastalwatch.org/the-launch

Florida Realtors® Wins National Challenge

 

 

Announced last week at the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) 2019 Conference and Trade Expo in San Francisco, Florida Realtors Pres. Eric Sain and CEO Margy Grant accepted a $10K check from NAR for Florida Realtors successful “You, Only Better” campaign to encourage participation in C2EX. Here is the press release:

“Hearing, “You won $10,000!” started this year’s National Association of Realtors® (NAR) 2019 Conference and Trade Expo off with a bang for Florida Realtors® President Eric Sain and CEO Margy Grant. The duo accepted a $10,000 check from NAR for Florida Realtors’ successful “You, Only Better” campaign to promote C2EX, NAR’s Commitment to Excellence program. Florida Realtors was named the winner of the state association category in NAR’s C3 Challenge contest, which sought creative campaigns from real estate brokerages, local Realtor® association and state Realtor® associations that encouraged participation in C2EX during the challenge period, May 1-Sept. 1, 2019.

““I’m delighted and honored to be here on behalf of Florida Realtors to accept this recognition for our efforts to promote C2EX to our members,” said 2019 Florida Realtors President Eric Sain, a Realtor and district sales manager with Illustrated Properties in Palm Beach, and 2020 chair of NAR’s Commitment to Excellence Committee. “Our ‘You, Only Better’ campaign was creative, easy-to-understand and fun, which sparked excitement among our members and generated enthusiasm to participate in the program. From our animated C2EX logo to the C2EX T-shirt to the animated video explaining C2EX and how the program can help Realtors increase their professionalism, ‘You, Only Better’ has been a hit with our members. “And now, with this $10,000 award from NAR, we look forward to continuing our C2EX promotion and to even greater success in 2020!”

“The C2EX program is not a designation or course. The online self-assessment isn’t a requirement, but a benefit available to Realtors 24-7, at their convenience. The online resource measures a Realtor’s proficiency in each of 10 elements of professionalism – 11 elements for brokers. Based on individual results, the platform generates customized learning paths, recommends experiences, and provides tools and resources to increase that Realtor’s knowledge and skillsets. C2EX is NAR’s answer to Realtors’ call to raise the bar for professionalism.

“From the very beginning, when NAR launched C2EX this past January, Florida’s Realtors embraced the program,” said CEO Margy Grant. “Our members are passionate about Realtor professionalism and have long supported efforts to showcase that value to consumers. I’m proud to share that during the C3 Challenge period, Florida Realtors’ participation increased by 306% – and we’re excited to build on that enthusiasm in the coming year.”….”

Realtor® Advocacy Wins in 2019

It is hard to believe that 2019 is winding down. The National Association of Realtors® has received positive feedback from their new widely broadcast advertising campaign, “That’s Who We R”. The Realtor® trademarked symbol indicates that a real estate licensee subscribes to the Realtor® Code of Ethics and belongs to their local, state, and the National Association of Realtors®. The next phase of that campaign ramps up early next year. Here are some advocacy wins in 2019 as reported by NAR President John Smaby:

National Flood Insurance Program – “In late September, Congress passed a temporary extension of the National Flood Insurance Program, the 13^th since 2017. Over the summer, the House Financial Services Committee unanimously approved a five-year extension including significant reforms to flood mapping and mitigation. Realtors® support that legislation and will continue to fight for a long-term solution, knowing that just a few days’ lapse in coverage can result in the delay or cancellation of thousands of sales contracts.”

FHA Condominium Loan Rules – “In October, new Federal Housing Administration condominium loan rules went into effect. The changes, which include greater flexibility in the mix of commercial and residential space and the return of single-loan approvals, should expand homeownership opportunities and reduce affordability constraints that are keeping buyers out of the market.”

Work continues to help members put the new qualified opportunity zones program to work in their communities. The program is an element of the tax code with the potential to spur economic growth in underserved areas while providing tax benefits to investors. Realtors® also continue to work with congressional leaders on housing finance reform to ensure that creditworthy Americans in every corner of the country have access to affordable mortgages. The very nature of our business is evolving, and we are happy to be part of it.

Holiday Shopping at the “Ding” E-Store

www.ShopDingDarling.com is now live for purchasing unique souvenirs and gifts from anywhere in the U.S. “Ding’ Darling Wildlife Society operates the Nature Store to support the Refuge through the sale of logo apparel and memorabilia, kids toys, eco-friendly kitchen accessories, art, birding guides and other nature books, fair-trade decorative pieces, and a wide variety of gifts related to nature and conservation. In phase 1 of the store’s e-commerce site rollout, it carries an inventory of items available for online order. According to their online news last week, staff gradually will add more items. In the meantime, in-store items not included on the site are available by phone order at 239-472-1100 ext. 241.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity November 8 – 15, 2019

Sanibel

CONDOS

6 new listings: Kimball Lodge #223 1/1.5 $395K, Seashells #37 2/2 $429K, Sanibel Moorings #821 2/2 $579K, Sand Pointe #111 2/2 $699K, Sanctuary Golf Villages I #2-5 2/2.5 $714K, Sandpiper Beach #205 2/2 $879K.

9 price changes: Donax Village #10 1/2 now $358K; Mariner Pointe #952 1/1 now $399,999; Mariner Pointe #1052 2/2 now $499.9K; Pointe Santo #D21 2/2 now $599K; Snug Harbor #312 3/2 now $619K; Compass Point #221 2/2 now $674.9K; Sanibel Inn #3514 2/2 now $739.9K; Sanctuary Golf Villages I #1-4 3/3 now $875K; Sundial#E108 3/2 now $1.25M.

3 new sales: Seashells #15 2/2 listed at $439K, Sanibel Moorings #821 2/2 listed at $579K, Mariner Pointe #842 2/2 $579K.

1 closed sale: Pine Cove #201 3/2 $1.35M (our listing).

HOMES

7 new listings: 9444 Cotten Ct 3/2.5 $665K, 718 Durion Ct 3/2 $669K, 822 Beach Rd 4/4 duplex $839K, 1501 Sand Castle Rd 5/3.5 $899K, 4345 Gulf Pines Dr 4/4 $950K, 4954 Joewood Dr 3/2 $1.45M, 1540 San Carlos Bay Dr 4/4.5 $4.395M.

8 price changes: 1401 Sandpiper Cir 3/2.5 half-duplex now $494.9K, 325 East Gulf Dr 1/1 now $512K, 9052 Mockingbird Dr 3/2 now $615K, 9446 Beverly Ln 3/3.5 now $620K, 513 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 now $729K, 257 Daniel Dr 3/2 now $750K, 1396 Tahiti Dr 4/3 now $779.9K, 924 Pecten Ct 4/4 now $1.699M.

2 new sales: 1418 Sanderling Cir 3/3 listed at $599.5K, 1121 Skiff Pl 3/3 listed at $995K.

3 closed sales: 1365 Tahiti Dr 2/2 $445K (our listing), 681 Rabbit Rd 3/2 $482K, 1586 Century Ct 3/2.5 $630K.

LOTS

2 new listings: 1894 Farm Trl $249K (our listing), 1313 Par View Dr $325K.

2 price changes: 9345 Dimmick Dr now $339K, 0 Island Inn Rd now $699K.

No new sales.

1 closed sale: 933 Strangler Fig Ln $435K.

Captiva

CONDOS

1 new listing: Bayside Villas #4106 1/2 $395K.

No price changes, new sales, or closed sales.

HOMES

No new listings

1 price change: 11509 Chapin Ln 4/4 now $1,799,999.

1 new sale: 14980 Binder Dr 4/4 listed at $2.695M.

No closed sales.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

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.

Until next Friday, Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan