After a couple of breezy days earlier in the week, the cool front now has passed through Florida. It caused more winter-like temperatures with lows into the 60’s both Tues and Wed nights, while daytime temps barely got into the 70’s. Low humidity too, which is a welcome change.

The forecasters say that today through Christmas and the days after, island temperatures again will reach into the 80’s. I just drove up Periwinkle and my car says it’s 75 degrees at 1 p.m. Christmas Eve. Great weather for a tropical holiday! Guess, we can save our holiday sweaters for another year.

This week and next, there are no Realtor® meetings/caravans scheduled, but teammate Dave held another Open House at our Sealoft Village listing just before it went under contract Tues. It was a busy week for all of our listings, with a nice closing on Monday and multiple offers on the others.

By this morning all of them are under contract. One condo sold by a Sanibel Realtor®, another by one from Ft. Myers, while I was the lucky one to put our last listing under contract. What a great Christmas Eve Day! We are thankful

It looks like this sale surge will continue into 2022. Supply and demand are in control with demand high and supply so limited. The SanibelSusan Team doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. Prospective buyers on the sidelines waiting for the market to normalize, may find that this is the new normal. We just hope we can find enough new listings to satisfy their needs.

The week’s details about the action in the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service follow a couple of news items below. First another update of island inventory today based on data from the islands MLS.

On Sanibel, just 53 properties (including condos, homes, & lots) are for sale,15 on Captiva. Year-to-date, 695 Sanibel properties have sold/closed, 106 on Captiva, plus another 69 are under contract on Sanibel, 7 on Captiva. Never, ever has the market been like this!

 

Status	SANIBEL						CAPTIVA
	Condos		Homes		Lots		Condos		Homes		Lots
	#	Avg $	#	Avg $	#	Avg $	#	Avg $	#	Avg $	#	Avg $
For sale	16	1,103,050	18	2,644.111	19	630,210	4	2,684,750	11	6,247,545	0	N/A
Under contract	26	1,011,144	36	1,691,027	7	676,840	6	913,000	1	3,595,000	0	N/A
Sold to 12/24/21	281	867,274	346	1,340,276	68	703,830	61	1,164,014	43	2,914,067	2	2,950,000
Sold 2020	192	733,876	290	954,718	23	606,233	47	821,713	27	2,923,148	4	2,537,500
Sold 2005	232	758,507	260	1,028,584	68	496,726	45	863,642	31	2,309,758	0	N/A

Shell Museum Announces New Classes

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum recently announced a new 2022 class lineup for adults. Taught by museum Curator and Science Director Dr Jose H. Leal, senior marine biologist Rebecca Mensch, and professor of drawing with Florida Gulf Coast university Ehren Gerhard, the spring lineup includes:

• Feb 10 – Fantastic Shells & Where to Find Them
• Mar 2 – San Carlos Bay – Bunche Beach Marine Biology & Field Lab
• Mar 17 – Biodiversity & Taxonomy of Molusks
• Mar 31 – Drawing & Illustrating Shells
• Apr 13 – Shell Morphology: Understanding Shell Descriptions

Also, on the 4^th Tues of each month January through June, beginning at 5:30 p.m. after the museum, closes, they are offering “After Hours in the Aquariums” which will enable participants to experience the aquariums and marine life of the Living Gallery in an interactive program. Program tickets will include admission, tour, snacks, choice of beverage, and one museum pass redeemable for a future visit. Maximum capacity per event is 15 attendees, registration required at www.ShelMuseum.org/after-hours. Or for the classes, register at www.ShellMuseum.org/classes.

Living Shoreline Structure Completed on Woodring Rd

In their Wed, e-mail update, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) posted a link to this article:

“Mangrove wetland habitats lining Southwest Florida’s coastlines are highly effective in diminishing wave action and damage from high winds. They also trap pollutants and provide crucial habitat for a host of sea life, including the endangered small-tooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata). When biologists notice areas of mangrove-covered shorelines disappearing from erosion, it is a cause for serious concern.

“Nearly 18 months ago, a Dutch marine biologist contacted SCCF about designing, funding, and installing a pilot project on Sanibel to protect mangroves threatened by erosion. This project, completely funded by the Dutch government, will provide an alternative to concrete and riprap, which often lead to additional mangrove loss.

“The Netherlands-based company, BESE Products, uses a biodegradable habitat restoration structure made from the production waste of potato chips and french fries. The waste is collected in the Netherlands and sent to Germany, where it is manufactured into a 3D lattice that helps deposit sediment and can protect mangrove seedlings along high-energy shorelines, such as those along Woodring Road. The goal of this project is to protect the mangroves along Woodring Road, a stretch of Sanibel’s shoreline that has been gradually disappearing over the past few decades.

“SCCF Coastal Watch volunteers spent several hours helping prepare these elements for installation. Hundreds of biodegradable sheets needed to be snapped together to form the completed structures. Volunteers also attached thousands of oyster shells to the structures to promote oyster attachment and growth. Volunteers handily completed this tedious task.

“On installation day, Dec. 20, the BESE structures were placed with rebar just off the shoreline along Woodring Road. With the assistance of 15 volunteers planting mangroves, hammering rebar, and transporting the material to the project site, the installation was completed in two hours. The newly installed temporary structures will allow a surface for oysters to start forming a reef and protect the mangroves from high wave action. The BESE structures are expected to last up to five years and leave behind an established oyster and mangrove habitat. If successful, this will be a positive alternative for future restoration projects.”

Florida. Grand Jury Recommends More Condo Inspections

Posted last weekend by Florida Realtors® and sourced to The Associated Press:

“A Grand Jury tasked with recommending Fla. condo law changes in the wake of the Surfside collapse wants more inspections, less corrosion and faster reporting.

“MIAMI (AP) – A Florida grand jury issued a lengthy list of recommendations Wednesday aimed at preventing another condominium collapse like the one that killed 98 people in June, including earlier and more frequent inspections, and better waterproofing.

“In its report on the Surfside collapse, the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury called on state and local officials to require condominium towers to have an initial recertification inspection by an engineer between 10 and 15 years after their construction and every 10 years thereafter. Currently, Miami-Dade and neighboring Broward County require inspections at 40 years. Other Florida counties have no requirement.

“Champlain Towers South, built in 1981, collapsed June 24 as its 40-year recertification was due. No cause of the collapse has been determined, but records show the building had significant structural damage in its underground parking garage. An engineer had already concluded that $15 million of repairs would be required to bring it up to code. Some of the damage at the oceanside building is believed to have come from saltwater in the air.

“The grand jury report laments that the state repealed a requirement imposed in 2008 requiring that all condo towers bigger than three stories be inspected every five years. The requirement was repealed two years after it was imposed because it was deemed too costly. “In hindsight, it would appear the Legislature’s repeal of that statute was a huge mistake!” the report says.

“Other recommendations include:

• Requiring that condo towers be repainted and waterproofed every 10 years to prevent corrosion.
• Having local governments increase the size of their building departments, including by hiring more inspectors.
• Suspending for at least a year the licenses of engineers and architects who submit false or misleading recertification reports and barring their employers from doing such inspections for the same period. Requiring that a second offense result in a license revocation.
• Requiring architects and engineers who find severe structural damage during an inspection to report it to local officials within 24 hours and not just to the condo board.
• Requiring condo board owners to take courses on their role in overseeing building maintenance and effectively managing a building’s finances.”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity December 17-24, 2021

Sanibel

CONDOS

4 new listings: Sanibel Moorings #1132 2/2 $799K, Heron at The Sanctuary III #1B 3/2.5 $875K, Sand Pointe #218 2/2 $1.099M, Pointe Santo #D37 2/2 $1.395M.

1 price change: Gulfside Place #210 2/2 now $1.5999M.

7 new sales: Duggers #1 1/1 listed at $475K, Ibis at The Sanctuary #A101 2/2 listed at $665K, Donax Village #7 2/2 listed at $699K (our listing), Donax Village #9 2/2 listed at $750K, Sanibel Surfside #213 2/2 listed at $899K, Sealoft Village #109 2/2 listed at $899K (our listing), Tarpon Beach #106 2/2 listed at $1.095M.

2 closed sales: Donax Village #10 1 /2 $555.5K, Atrium #106 2/2 $1.71M.

HOMES

1 new listing: 543 East Gulf Dr 2/2 $3.5M.

No price changes.

3 new sales: 644 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 listed at $869K, 3702 Coquina Dr 2/2 listed at $899K, 857 Birdie View Pt 3/2.5 listed at $1.795M.

3 closed sales: 719 Durion Ct 3/2 $995K, 375 East Gulf Dr 5/5 $2.9M (our listing), 1320 Seaspray Ln 3/4.5 $3.765M.

LOTS

No new listings, price changes.

1 new sale: 860 Lindgren Blvd listed at $1.2M (our listing & sale).

No closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

1 new listing: Beach Villas #2635 3/3 $1.6M.

No price changes, new or closed.

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”.

The team and I wish you a wonderful Christmas and safe/healthy 2022. Though the office will be closed tomorrow and New Year’s Day, we will be on our electronic devices and look forward to another successful year. We appreciate our readers and look forward to their business!

Happy holidays!

Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan