Another Friday is here with more summer-like weather in Southwest Florida this week. Traffic is considerably less but many visitors here now, the regulars at this time of year, have said that it is busier than they remember it. Even so, comparing it to my neighborhood and chats with vacation rental managers, many snowbirds have departed, but the vacationer rental business is up considerably compared to a usual spring.

Weather, Osprey, & Gas

The islands still need rain. Though it was overcast for a bit yesterday and earlier today, only a few showers have been reported in SW Florida, mostly inland. We know not to wish for too much spring rain or water releases from Lake Okeechobee pick up.

If you have followed the photos that our pal, Scott, has shared with us the past two weeks, I hope you enjoy these which he sent last night. Look how the baby chicks are growing. They are fluffy as their feathers fill in. Baby osprey usually fly about 60 days from hatching, spending two months with their parents, in and near their nest. (Scott, thanks again!)

From the many national media reports about potential gas shortages from the temporary closure of the Colonial pipeline, it was unusual here Wed night to see a huge line to gas-up at the Chevron Station on Periwinkle. As I headed home shortly after 5 p.m., it was tough to maneuver around the line-up. Patrons should have listened to the entire news report which said the only Florida areas possibly affected by that pipeline closure are in Tallahassee and the panhandle. There actually is a surplus of gas in SW Florida. Those hyped-up buyers emptied the island of gas temporarily. Things are back to normal now.

At SanibelSusan Realty

Here in the office, SanibelSusan has been struggling this week with computer withdrawal. The hard drive on my office laptop crashed last week and was determined corrupt. I know Realtors® spend a lot of time tied to their computers, but to say I missed mine, is an understatement. Operating by iPad and iPhone just is not the same. Luckily, most of our shared office work is either internet-driven or on our network, so the team has not missed a beat and I tried to keep my grumbling to a minimum.

Thankfully, Wally Mulka, owner of Barrier IT Solutions, lives on-island and quickly came to my rescue. His wife is a Realtor® pal so he knows our pain and has plenty of patience. Early this week Wally was able to recover my data, buy and install a new hard drive, and today he reinstalled it and the software to get me back in business. I am a happy camper with that friendly laptop back on my desk.

It likewise was tortuous fun to receive three offers on our next-to-last listing over the Mothers’ Day weekend – the offers were presented through three busy Realtor® mothers who had opportunities to view and show that property on Saturday during a short 2-hour window between renters.

With inventory tight and demand high, the successful offer was significantly over asking price. It had no contingencies, included a huge escrow deposit, with closing in two weeks. The buyer and seller are happy, but it was not fun relaying sad news on Mothers’ Day to the Mom Realtors® representing the unsuccessful buyers. The team and I are very thankful for the sale but were reminded again that this business is more fun when everyone comes out a winner. Gratefully, those Realtor® Moms were professional and understanding. We hope to do another deal with them soon.

Our weekly reports of the activity posted in the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is after a couple of news report below. First, an update of inventory based on MLS data today.

	SANIBEL						CAPTIVA
	Condos		Homes		Lots		Condos		Homes		Lots
	#	$ Price	#	$ Price	#	$ Price	#	$/Price	#	$ Price	#	$ Price
Available for Sale	22	794,354	34	2,218,658	16	564,452	4	2,181,000	13	6,017,538	1	3,995,000
Under Contract	52	850,299	75	1,498,296	20	1,002,295	9	1,225,100	9	2,153,777	0	N/A
Closed 1/1-5/14/21	128	854,281	159	1,293,272	39	614,461	28	1,058,892	25	2,998,016	1	2,000,000
Closed in 2020	192	733,876	290	954,718	23	606,233	47	821,713	27	2.923,148	4	2,537,500
Closed in 2019	127	694,392	211	1,112,748	15	372,200	29	1.037,077	17	2,737,503	1	1,375,000

Note: Prices in italics are asking prices (properties available & under contract)

It is true, there are only 90 properties for sale on both islands (Sanibel & Captiva, condos, homes, lots), with 545 already sold this year. The market is CRAZY! The buyers who have said, “I’m going to wait awhile for things to cool off” are likely going to miss out. Read more about that in the article below.

The Real Estate Market Isn’t in a Bubble – It Just Isn’t

Posted last Friday on FloridaRealtors®: “Rising home prices and recession memories have convinced some buyers that a bubble will pop and prices will drop. But it’s just too much demand and too little supply.

“NEW YORK – The U.S. housing market is on a hot streak with double-digit annual gains in home prices, bidding wars and surging buyer demand. That type of soaring housing market is prompting more “bubble” fears in some corners, but economists say the housing market isn’t getting overinflated. A bubble won’t pop, thousands of homes won’t slide into foreclosure, and buyers who wait likely won’t be better off.

““We have strong conviction that we are not experiencing a bubble in U.S. housing,” Vishwanath Tirupattur, a Morgan Stanley strategist, wrote in a note to clients this week.

“Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors®, agrees. He told Axios last month: “This is not a bubble. It is simply lack of supply.”

“The rapid rise in prices may be concerning to home shoppers, however. The median selling price for a home is up $35,000 compared to a year ago, which is the fastest-paced increase since 2006, Tirupattur says.

“But this isn’t 2006. Housing inventories are low, credit remains tight, and lenders aren’t issuing risky loans like they did back then. Product risk – such as from mortgages with introductory periods, teaser rates or balloon payments – comprised about 40% of the mortgage market between 2004 to 2006. Those factors are now at only 2% of the mortgage market, according to Morgan Stanley.

“Also, the housing market has a record low number of homes available for sale, in part likely caused by the pandemic. At the end of March, there were 1.07 million homes available for sale, according to NAR data. For comparison, during the housing bubble, in July 2007, there were more than four times that – 4 million homes available for sale.

“Still, while home prices won’t keep climbing at the current pace, they aren’t expected to fall either, economists say.

““We are not at all suggesting that home price appreciation will maintain its current torrid pace,” Tirupattur writes. “Home prices will continue to rise, but more gradually.””

Source: “Why Morgan Stanley Is Convinced the Housing Market Isn’t in a Bubble,” Yahoo! Finance (May 5, 2021) and “The Dispiriting Housing Boom,” Axios (April 11, 2021)

Island Scoop

July 4^th Parade – It was announced this week that out of an abundance of caution, the July 4^th Parade 2021 again is cancelled this year.

Sanibel City Manager Retiring – Longtime Sanibel City Manager, Judie Zimomra announced this week – just after her 20^th anniversary with the City – that she is retiring on Sep 24. Successfully leading Sanibel through through some unusual times – Hurricanes Charley and Irma, economic crises,  Sanibel Bear visits, red tide and blue-green algae events, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Judie is most deserving of a wonderful retirement, but she sure is going to be a tough act to follow. She multi-tasks better than the best.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season – Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) turtle patrol have already documented six sea turtle nests on the islands, marking the official start of the sea turtle nesting season. They remind us to turn out lights at night, remove beach furniture, fill in holes, pick up litter, and only use flashlights with red filters when on the beach after dark. To sign up for the Adopt-a-Beach and Adopt-a-Nest programs to help with sea turtle research and monitoring, email SCCF’s Coastal Wildlife Director, Kelly Sloan at ksloan@sccf.org. For more tips on how you can help, visit www.SanCapLifeSavers.org.

Wildlife Drive Summer Fees – “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society announced that admission fees for Wildlife Drive remain the same after “season” ends. However, the $10 vehicle fee is good for three days of admission from May 1 through Sep 30. Visitors are reminded to show their receipt at the entrance fee booth when returning. Daily fees for cyclists and pedestrians are $1 each visit for those aged 16 and older.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity May 7-14, 2021

Sanibel

CONDOS

2 new listings: Mariner Pointe #712 2/2.5 $669K, Sanddollar #C103 3/2 $1.375M.

No price changes.

7 new sales: Spanish Cay #D6 2/2 listed at $549K; Cottage Colony West #102 1/1 listed at $579,990; Sanibel Arms West #I8 2/2 listed at $624K; Island Beach Club #330A 2/2 listed at $739K; Loggerhead Cay #101 2/2 listed at $998,899; Pointe Santo #C43 3/2 listed at $1.05M (our listing), Atrium #102 3/2 listed at $1.498M.

11 closed sales: Sundial #F206 1/1 $465K, Mariner Pointe #733 2/2 $531K, Sanibel Arms West #H4 2/2 $549K, Island Beach Club #210A 2/2 $729K, Signal Inn #14 2/2 $790K, Sanibel Surfside #234 2/2 $800K, Sanibel Arms West #E4 2/2 $885K, Oceans Reach #1C1 2/2 $899K, Pointe Santo #C23 3/2 $920K, Sanddollar #A101 2/2 $1.13M, Pointe Santo #E26 2/2 $1.2M.

HOMES

6 new listings: 5161 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 3/2 $574K, 1649 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 half-duplex $599.9K, 1605 Sand Castle Rd 3/2.5 half-duplex $699K, 429 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 $749.5K, 1187 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 $1.399M, 4014 West Gulf Dr 4/4 $3.849M.

1 price change: 2011 Mitzi Ln 2/1 now $675K.

9 new sales: 9195 Dimmick Dr 2/2 listed at $550K, 9214 Kincaid Ct 2/2 listed at $695K, 1585 Serenity Ln 3/3 listed at $749K, 450 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 listed at $878K, 750 Nerita St 3/2 listed at $899K, 1296 Par View Dr 3/3 listed at $949K, 486 Surf Sound Ct 3/3.5 listed at $1.2M, 999 East Gulf Dr #103 4/3 listed at $1.995M, 950 Victoria Way 4/4 listed at $2.25M.

13 closed sales: 2405 Los Colony Rd 3/2 $380K, 2015 Wild Lime Dr 3/3 $560K, 2620 West Gulf Dr 3/2 $735K, 1560 Royal Poinciana Dr 3/2 $825K, 445 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 $839K, 613 Lake Murex Cir 3/3 $985K, 751 Windlass way 5/5 $1.5M, 2464 Blind Pass Ct 3/2 $1.175M, 742 Sand Dollar Dr 3/3 $1.525M, 6412 Pine Ave 3/2.5 $1.579M, 4809 Tradewinds Dr 3/3.5 $1.835M, 813 Angel Wing Dr 3/3.5 $2.639M, 4601 Rue Belle Mer 3/2 $2.9M.

LOTS

1 new listing: 461 Sawgrass Pl $699K.

No price changes.

3 new sales: 2095 Wild Lime Dr listed at $269K, 2299 Starfish Ln listed at $549K, 1028 Bayview Dr listed at $2.195M.

3 closed sales: 1318 Par View Dr $375K, 1226 Isabel Dr $1.2M, 5301-25 Sanibel-Captiva Rd $1.2M.

Captiva

CONDOS

No new listings, price changes, or new sales.

1 closed sale: Marina Villas #708 2/2 $750K.

HOMES & 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.

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

Until next Friday, Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan