It has been another week of great weather, but rain is needed! Below is some news followed by the weekly action posted in the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

At SanibelSusan Realty

Here in the office, we are down to just one listing available and three under contract, with two closings next week. Inventory is sooo low. Realtors everywhere are looking for new listings. That includes us!

What Will Exurb Buyers Do if Called Back to the Office?

Posted May 12, 2021 on FloridaRealtors®: By Kerry Smith – “Pandemic-era buyers moved farther out and to new cities, assuming they’d never have to return to the office. Now, if forced to choose, 25% would pick home over their job.

“SANTA CLARA, Calif. – COVID-19 drove working professionals out of the office and sparked a surge in home buying in the less-expensive outskirts of cities and even in small towns across the U.S. But so far, only 48% of these workers have been told they can continue working remotely. An unknown number may soon be expected to commute to work if a return becomes mandatory, creating a conflict that pits their new house against their job.

“According to a realtor.com study, almost 60% of new homeowners who purchased within the last 12 months work from home – and 62% prefer to be. However, less than half have been told that they can continue to do so. About 25% of those surveyed have no definitive answer on whether they can remain fully remote indefinitely; another 25% already have plans to return.

““Throughout the last year we have seen homebuyers across the country, empowered by the newfound ability to work remotely, moving farther and farther from crowded urban downtowns in search of more space, a higher quality of life and a lower cost of living,” says George Ratiu, Sr. economist for Realtor.com. “Our survey data shows that people are really enjoying their new communities and larger homes, and aren’t willing to give them up anytime soon.”

“If companies start demanding that these workers return to the office, Ratiu says we “could see an influx of new homeowners in the job market. For companies willing to stay more flexible with either hybrid or entirely remote opportunities, there’s a large cohort of young professionals with growing families who … welcome the benefits of a technologically-enhanced employment landscape.”

“Job versus home – When asked what they will do if their employer decides they must return to the jobsite, 48% would try to arrange a flexible schedule that allows for some in-office work and some remote work – but almost 25% said they’d find a new job. Only 30% said they’d willingly return to the office if asked, and only 8% would sell their pandemic-era home to be closer to work.

“Going the distance – Despite the fact that 31% are less willing to commute farther for work, close to 40% would have to travel 30 minutes or more each way to the office if asked to return to the workplace, and 18% of new homeowners would have to commute more than 60-minutes each way – an unappealing prospect for many.

““As offices begin to reopen, those who are currently looking for a new home may have to start factoring commute time into their search. One way to find homes within your desired commute time is to use the Realtor.com commute time filter.,” says Lexie Holbert, home and living expert at Realtor.com.”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity May 14-21, 2021

Sanibel

CONDOS

1 new listing: Mariner Pointe #943 2/2.5 $749K.

No price changes.

5 new sales: Blind Pass #E104 2/2 listed at $549.9K, Sanibel Arms West #I2 2/2 listed at $599K, Heron at The Sanctuary #3A 2/2.5 listed at $839K, Sanddollar #C103 3/2 listed at $1.375M, Gulfside Place #320 2/2 listed at $1.389M.

6 closed sales: Sundial #H107 1/1 $450K; Blind Pass #D203 2/2 $459K; Kimball Lodge #302 1/1 $552,750; Sanibel Arms West #J5 2/2 $600K; Blind Pass #G104 3/2 $687.5K, Sundial #Q401 2/2 $908K.

HOMES

4 new listings: 4506 Bowen Bayou Rd 3/2 $839K, 4516 Bowen Bayou Rd 3/2.5 $979.9K, 5765 Baltusrol Ct 4/4.5 $1.648M, 1360 Eagle Run Dr 5/3.5 $2.695M.

3 price changes: 2011 Mitzi Ln 2/1 now $650K, 4619 Bowen Bayou Rd 3/2 now $848K, 1237 Isabel Dr 6/6.5 now $2.995M.

11 new sales: 5161 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 3/2 listed at $574K, 1649 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 half-duplex listed at $599.9K, 4505 Bowen Bayou Rd 3/3 listed at $729K, 555 Piedmont Rd 3/2 listed at $765K, 9408 Moonlight Dr 3/2 listed at $768.5K, 2548 Wulfert Rd 3/4 listed at $943K, 221 Robinwood Cir 3/2 listed at $999K, 5431 Shearwater Dr 3/3 listed at $1.148M, 1187 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 listed at $1.399M, 4701 Rue Belle Mer 4/5 listed at $3.395M, 1306 Seaspray Ln 4/4 listed at $4.245M.

13 closed sales: 1942 Roseate Ln 2/2 $500K; 1695 Serenity Ln 3/2 $619,830; 2441 Shop Rd 4/3.5 $920K; 5424 Shearwater Dr 3/2.5 $999K; 2563 Coconut Dr 2/2 $1.049M; 694 Heather Ln 3/3.5 $1.2534M; 1391 Jamaica Dr 4/3 $1.299M; 2303 Troon Ct 3/4 $1.3M; 5423 Shearwater Dr 3/3 $1.315M; 994 Whelk Dr 3/2 $1.325M; 4664 Rue Belle Mer 5/5 $1.62M; 775 Conch Ct 4/3 $1.75M; 4601 Rue Belle Mer 3/2 $2.9M.

LOTS

2 new listings: 2829 Wulfert Rd $349K, 3938 West Gulf Dr $899K.

1 price change: 255 Hurricane Ln now $399K.

2 new sales: 809 Pyrula Ave listed at $424.9K, 0 Rue Bayou listed at $649,555.

2 closed sales: 5687 Baltusrol Ct $385K, 539 Sea Oats Dr $385K.

Captiva

CONDOS

2 new listings: Lands End Village #1649 2/2 $1.349M, Lands End Village #1663 2/2 $1.395M.

No price changes or new sales.

2 closed sales: Tennis Villas # 3233 2/2 $520K, Gulf Beach Villas #2127 2/2 $885K.

HOMES

No new listings or price changes.

1 new sale: 11551 Paige Ct 5/5/2 listed at $6.495M.

2 closed sales: 42 Oster Ct 2/2.5 $1M, 11541 Laika Ln 4/4 $2.15M.

LOTS

No new listings.

1 price change: 16970 Captiva Dr now $4.25M.

No 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!
Until next Friday, Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan