Now that Sanibel September has settled in, it will be interesting to see how this year compares to those in the past. Usually the slowest month for island traffic, Septembers here usually are filled with annual repair and maintenance projects and a few temporary restaurant closures, staff vacations, and general “get ready for season” preparations. This year, September is coupled with election madness and the effects of COVID-19, but it does not seem to be affecting sales much. The market for single-family homes is hot-hot-hot.

This week, Southwest Florida weather has included plenty of summer showers, sometimes heavy, resulting in standing water in a few locations. Those big puddles make the wildlife happy but keep Lee County Mosquito Control super busy. They are doing a great job, by the way.

At SanibelSusan Realty Associates 

Though the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® office remains closed, they have expanded their educational offerings. This week, I took two Zoom classes as part of the 14-hours of Continuing Education Realtors® must take every two years. Tuesday was a 4-hour “Internet Whiz” class by The Real Estate Technology Institute, followed by a 4-hour attorney-presented class Thursday on “Florida Realtors® Contracts”.

Monday is an all-day class that covers Ethics and Core Law. When done, SanibelSusan will be ready for license renewal (and better prepared for the Zoom class she teaches September 22).

This week our listings had some great inquiries/showings with more scheduled this weekend. The action posted since last Friday in the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service follows a few news items below.

City of Sanibel

Of concern to many again was the jump in the number of reported virus cases. With schools back in session and more folks traveling, it is not the time to put your guard down.

On Tuesday, Sanibel Mayor Ruane issued City Proclamation 20-062, extending the declared state of emergency due to COVID-19 until September 15, 2020, unless further extended. (Per State Statute, the maximum duration for a Mayoral Declaration of Emergency is seven days and thus must be updated weekly as the emergency exists.

Per the Florida Department of Health, Sanibel’s total accumulative number of COVID-19 cases since March 26, as of September 10, 2020 is 48.

Monday, September 15, at 9 a.m. is a regular City Council meeting with full agenda (available with live audio link at www.mySanibel.com). COVID-19 is one of many items on the agenda. It will be busy for City leaders that day as after the City Council meeting, the first budget hearing begins at 5 p.m.

Openings/Closings/September Scoop

400 Rabbits – probably opening in December at the Rabbit Rd former Doc Ford’s location, this new restaurant (by the owners of Paper Fig) today posted their new logo on Facebook.

It will be a Mexican-inspired restaurant and tequila bar. Now, that’s a new twist for Sanibel.

Fresh Produce – the clothing store at Periwinkle Place has closed for good (& will be missed).

Sanibel Sprout Juice Bar & Vegan Café – with remodeling almost complete, Sanibel Sprout expects to open soon in the former location of Totally Baked in Island Center at 2407 Periwinkle Way.

Traders Restaurant on Sanibel – which usually closes for the month of September for employee vacations will not close this year. Continuing through September, open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 4 to 8:30 p.m. for inside/patio dining, curbside pickup, & free delivery. Live music nightly beginning at 6 p.m.

Condo Projects Underway – In between the summer showers, several community projects are underway. Here are a few noticed this week: Exterior renovation including new paint & railings at White Sands. Major exterior renovation at Sanibel Arms West “B” building. Exterior work at Building C at Sanddollar too. At Loggerhead Cay, elevators being refurbished, & pool resurfaced.

What Precautions Are Vacation Rentals Taking?

Many have asked what island hotels and vacation rentals are doing to prevent spread of the virus? The below info is extracted from Sanibel Moorings website (www.SanibelMoorings.com) . It is a good example of how hard some businesses are working to keep visitors safe.

“*Important information: Per the City of Sanibel proclamation 20-040, face masks are now REQUIRED for all persons on the Island while indoors at public places, or when social distancing is not possible. Sanibel Moorings will require all persons to wear masks while inside all amenities such as the front office (currently closed for face-to-face interactions), conference room, guest laundry areas, fitness room, and anytime social-distancing is not possible, whether indoors or outdoors.*

“Vacation rentals are still under some restrictions per the State of Florida, Lee County, and the City of Sanibel.

The current restrictions and guidelines affecting Vacation Rentals in Sanibel are as follows:

• Shall prohibit rentals to persons traveling internationally.
• Shall allow adequate time between the conclusion of a guest stay and the check-in of the next guest stay for appropriate cleaning and sanitation.
• Shall clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces in the property between each guest stay.
• Shall wash all linens, dishware, and other service items available for use by guests between each guest rental.
• Shall provide sufficient soap and surface sanitation supplies for guests to use in the vacation rental property during the guest’s rental period.
• Shall ensure adequate safety protocols are in place and publicly displayed, in line with CDC guidance, regarding shared or multi-residence amenities such as pools, gyms, and other communal spaces.
• Shall follow CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting their facility, per the CDC site

“Sanibel Moorings Resort’s COVID-19 Cleaning Procedures and Fees: Safety and cleanliness are and always have been a top priority for us at Sanibel Moorings. At this difficult time, we understand providing the safest, cleanest environment for you is paramount and at the top of your mind! While we have always provided the cleanest accommodations, we have enhanced our already stringent protocols.

“Here are a few keys changes we have made to our condo cleaning process:

• A 24-hour gap between guests is enforced to allow time to properly clean, disinfect and then sanitize every condo.
• Housekeepers and staff may not enter a condo until at least three hours have passed since a departing guest has left the condo to allow bacteria and viruses in the air to settle to surfaces.
• After three hours have passed, disinfecting spray will be applied to solid surfaces in the condo and housekeeping will remove all bath towels, sheets, bedspreads, blankets, and pillow shams to be professionally laundered after every guest departure. All garbage and recycling left by the guest will also be removed.
• Maintenance will then enter the condo to perform preventative maintenance.
• The following morning, housekeepers will thoroughly clean the condo.
• After cleaning, the room will be inspected by a head of housekeeping.
• After inspections, a disinfecting solution will be applied to the entire condo by an electrostatic fogger. The solution is botanical in nature and is non-toxic to humans and animals. Click here for more information about the product.
• In order to allow the electrostatic fogger cleaning solution to penetrate all surfaces, decorative pillows and unnecessary paper items have been removed from every unit….

“With the new cleaning and disinfecting guidelines in place, we will need to have a minimum of 24-hours between guests in order to properly disinfect each unit. This may affect some reservations already made, which will need to be moved to accommodate this new process. We will contact all guests affected by the 24-hour policy directly. Thank you for your patience and understanding with this change.

“Changes in Staff Standard Operating Procedures:

• A daily health questionnaire and temperature check is completed by each associate upon arrival to the office.
• Associates that are not feeling healthy, have a temperature of more than 100.4 or that have symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to stay home, see a doctor, and call their supervisor.
• Personal Protective Equipment is used by staff while cleaning condos and common areas
• Masks are required to be worn by associates if they cannot maintain 6ft distance from others

“Current Status of Sanibel Moorings’ services, activities, and amenities (which could change at any time):

The following are OPEN or available:

• The Beach (Beach chairs and loungers are self-service. Bring your own umbrellas!)
• Pools
• Grills
• Tennis Courts (No equipment is available. Please bring your own.)
• Conference Center
• Guest Laundry Rooms
• Fitness Center
• Beach Towel Rentals (delivery only)
• Maintenance Work Orders (unit must be unoccupied while workers are present.)
• DVD Rental (Delivery Only from 8:00am-4:30pm. Please call or text.)

“The following services, activities and amenities have been suspended or closed until further notice:

• Beach Umbrellas (Please bring your own through October, 2020.)
• Monday Shelling Lecture, Wednesday Garden Tours, Friday Beach Walk with Sanibel Sea School (Hopefully resuming in November)
• Paddle Boards, Bikes, Canoe and Kayak Rentals through Sanibel Moorings
• Laundry Exchange Window (call or text for delivery of fresh towels from 8:00am-4:30pm). Dirty bath towels should be taken to the Exchange Window bins designated for dirty towels and linens.
• Maid service for in-house guests

“Our office will remain closed to in-person interactions. We are available, however, via phone, texts, and email from 8:00am-4:30pm every day and from 4:30-6:00pm for guest arrivals (check-ins) curbside….”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity September 4-11, 2020

Sanibel

CONDOS

No new listings.

5 price changes: Captains Walk #E8 2/1.5 now $385K, Sandalfoot #4B2 1/1 now $489K, Sundial #D305 1/1 now $529K, Sanddollar #B104 2/2 now $998K, Sanibel Sunset #301 3/2 now $1.95M.

6 new sales: Mariner Pointe #1083 2/2 listed at $490K, Kimball Lodge #263 1/1.5 listed at $525K, Kings Crown #112 2/2 listed at $679K, Sandpiper Beach #202 2/2 listed at $789K, Blind Pass #G105 4/3 listed at $969K, Gulfside Place #121 2/2 listed at $1.15M.

3 closed sales: Villa Sanibel #3A 2/2 $625K, Sand Pointe #223 2/2 $735K, Kings Crown #306 2/2 $825K.

HOMES

1 new listing: 1357 Jamaica Dr 2/3 duplex $559K.

3 price changes: 799 Casa Ybel Rd 5/3 duplex now $570K, 9307 Dimmick Dr 3/2 now $699K, 917 Lindgren Blvd 3/2 now $895K.

10 new sales: 5151 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 2/2 listed at $467K, 566 Boulder Dr 3/2 listed at $689.9K, 9128 Mockingbird Dr 3/2 listed at $699K, 979 Whelk Dr 3/2.5 listed at $900K, 836 Angel Wing Dr 3/2 listed at $939K, 595 West Rocks Dr 3/3 listed at $1M, 1035 S. Yachtsman Dr 5/4.5 listed at $1.099M, 930 Kings Crown Dr 3/2 listed at $1.395M, 5757 Baltusrol Ct 3/3 listed at $1.539M, 676 Gopher Walk Way 4/5 listed at $1.575M.

3 closed sales: 5304 Umbrella Pool Rd 3/3 $750K, 5422 Shearwater Dr 3/2.5 $750K, 2417 Wulfert Rd 3/3 $945K.

LOTS

No new listings or price changes.

2 new sales: 9226 Kincaid Ct $129K, 489 Ponce De Leon Rd listed at $219K.

No closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

No new listings.

1 price change: Lands End Village #1667 2/2 now $1.088M.

No new sales.

1 closed sale: Beach Homes #21 3/3 $2,775,050.

HOMES

No new listings or price changes.

2 new sales: 1105 Tallow Tree Ct 3/3 half-duplex listed at $2.495M, 15147 Captiva Dr 6/5.5 listed at $3.995M.

No closed sales.

LOTS

No new listings, 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.

Below is our ad from today’s “Island Sun”.

Until next Friday, Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan