It’s another happy Friday on Sanibel as Florida braces for a cool front that is expected to swoop through the state over the weekend. Though this afternoon is bright sunshiny and 80+degrees F, with gulf and bay waters the brilliant teal color so loved.  Winds are expected to pick up over night with a fast storm bringing heavy rain forecast to come through tomorrow morning. Hopefully the weathermen are correct in saying it will pass through Lee County quickly.

Gusty winds are expected to continue through Sunday, sometimes reaching 40 mph. Temperatures Saturday night could go down into the 40’s here, even colder inland. By Monday, it will probably be back into the 80’s.

That is the funny thing about Florida, it can be summer, fall, winter, and spring – all in the same day. We also look forward to moving the clocks ahead this weekend. It will be great to again have evening sunshine.

SanibelSusan Realty 

It was a week with another nice closing for us, with another scheduled early next week. We have a couple of new listings soon coming on the market, so preliminary work is underway with those.

At the local Association of Realtors® Thursday morning Caravan Meeting yesterday, there were no new listings open for viewing, no new listings announced, no price reductions, and no sales reported. There was, however, some activity posted this week in the island Multiple Listing Service. It is after a couple of news items below.

Community Seminar Series – Flood Insurance

The public is welcome to attend a Flood Insurance seminar at the Sanibel Community House, Tues March 29 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Guest speakers are David Arter, Private Client Insurance Services, and Chris Heidrick, Heidrick & Co. Insurance. They will provide info on recent flood insurance changes, NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) update, and flood insurance facts, questions/answers.

The event also includes a vendor affiliate trade show with representatives from accounting, banking, design, mortgage, title companies, and more.

F.I.S.H. Bunny Basket Drive

This week, teammate Elise and I brought our goodies for the F.I.S.H. Bunny Basket Drive to the local Association of Realtors®.

The Realtors® Communications & Public Relations Committee is gathering donations to help make Easter baskets for families in need.

Donations are accepted at the Association Office until March 31.

Measuring America

Census data tells an interesting story about our increasingly multicultural country. Below are excepts from the “Measuring America” article in the Winter 2022 issue of “Realtor” magazine.

“Between 2010 and 2020, the nation added roughly 23 million people, a 7% gain, reaching above 331 million. The population grew by nearly 10% in the preceding decade.

“Over the last decade, the United States grew at its slowest rate since the 1930’s, and minorities made up almost all of that population growth. These shifts aren’t surprising. The 2020 census bears out what demographers have been predicting for years. Between 2010 and 2020, Asian Americans experienced the highest population gain (36%) followed by Hispanics (23%) and Black (6%) Americans. In contrast, the White population dropped by 9% from 2010, increasing the overall racial and ethic diversity of the country…

“What the Census Data Says About Homeownership – In addition to the decennial census, the U.S. Census Bureau each year conducts the American Community Survey, one of the most comprehensive sources of U.S. population and housing information.

“COVID-19 complicated the recent operations of the survey, leading the bureau to release a smaller set of products for 2020. The bureau does not recommend comparing the experimental estimates with standard ACS estimates from previous years. But here are some highlights from the November 2021 release:

• 65% – percentage of U.S. homes that were owner occupied in 2020.
• 75% – homeownership rate in Maine. It’s the highest rated in the country, followed by West Virginia (74%), Wyoming (74%), Minnesota (74%), and New Hampshire (73%).
• 12% – percentage of U.S. homes that were vacant in 2020.
• 88% – percentage of households with broadband internet connection. A reliable internet connection has become a truly important utility for most people. It’s now one of the main factors that people consider before moving to an area.
• 42% – number of homes with more or more people 60 years or over.
• 12% – percentage of the population that moved in 2020.”

Hometown Hero Housing Program

Below info from an email received last night from Florida Realtors 2022 President, Christina Pappas:

“As the annual legislative session inches closer to its end, I wanted to bring you some incredible news regarding a new homeownership program that was a core focus of our advocacy efforts this year.

“Although it won‘t be 100% official until the Senate and House pass the budget and the governor signs it, the Hometown Hero Housing Program (HHHP) is set to receive $100 million to provide new avenues of down payment and closing cost assistance for some of our most essential workers.

“The HHHP is a revolving loan program targeted at the people who form the foundation of our communities. Firefighters, nurses, teachers, law enforcement officers, EMT’s and other hometown heroes will soon be able to apply for zero-interest loans through this program to help with down payment and closing costs. Even better, when they well, rent or refinance their home, they pay back the loan and that money is now available to help the next hero buy their new home.

“This program was born through a collaborative effort between your leadership team and legislative leaders in both the Florida House and Florida Senate. By working in partnership with lawmakers, we were able to accelerate our efforts to provide relief to Floridians struggling to keep up with rapidly escalating home prices….”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity March 4-11, 2022

Sanibel

CONDOS

4 new listings: Sundial #I307 1/1 $595K, Breakers West #C1 2/2 $799K, Sundial #B206 2/2 $1.3M, Island Beach Club #P4E 2/2 $1.799M.

2 price changes: Sandalfoot #5A2 2/2 now $1.175M, Junonia #301 4/2 now $2.6M.

6 new sales: Mariner Pointe #323 2/2.5 listed at $649K, Sanibel Surfside #225 2/2 listed at $998K, Sundial #Q302 3/2 listed at $1.365M, Cyprina Beach #8 2/2.5 $1.595M, Kings Crown #117 2/2 listed at $1.65M, Compass Point #192 3/2 listed at $1.75M.

1 closed sale: Mariner Pointe #421 2/2.5 $700K.

HOMES

2 new listings: 244 Palm Lake Dr 3/2.5 $1.268M, 1543 San Carlos Bay Dr 4/4 $2.995M.

No price changes.

7 new sales: 4560 Brainard Bayou Rd 3/2 listed at $829K, 917 Pepper Tree Pl 4/3 listed at $1.399M, 247 Daniel Dr 3/2.5 listed at $1.425M, 1194 Sand Castle Rd 3/2.5 listed at $1.425M, 1174 Harbor Cottage Ct 3/3 half-duplex listed at $1.45M, 1560 Royal Poinciana Dr 3/2 listed at $1.525M, 5817 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 4/3 listed at $1.993M.

9 closed sales: 9472 Balsa Ct 2/2 $765K, 1948 Roseate Ln 2/2.5 $775K, 1251 Sand Castle Rd 4/3 $1.05M, 2620 West Gulf Dr 3/2 $1.3M, 1245 Par View Dr 3/2.5 $1.575M, 2030 Sunrise Cir 3/3 $1.6M, 3716 Coquina Dr 3/2 $1.601M (our buyer), 930 Kings Crown Dr 3/2 $1.85M, 3767 West Gulf Dr 4/4.5 $6.75M.

LOTS

No new listings or price changes.

3 new sales: 1836 Ardsley Way listed at $325,555; 2829 Wulfert Rd listed at $349K; 490 Sea Oats Dr listed at $699K.

1 closed sale: 6000 White Heron Ln $850K.

Captiva

CONDOS

1 new listing: Bayside Villas #4214 1/2 $605K.

No price changes.

1 new sale: Beach Villas #2633 2/2 listed at $1.399M.

2 closed sales: Bayside Villas #5210 1/2 $525K, Bayside Villas #5128 1/2 $590K.

HOMES

No new listings.

1 price change: 15261 Captiva Dr 4/4.5 now $10.989M.

No new sales.

1 closed sale: 11529 Andy Rosse Ln 4/4 $3.495M.

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