Popcorn Clouds Are Back on Sunny Sanibel

All is well again this week on sunny Sanibel, though the summer rain pattern has surprised some with a few quick showers in the morning, rather than afternoon. Regardless, they passed quickly, have kept temperatures down, and often arrive with puffy popcorn clouds that hang around to contribute to spectacular sunsets.

Nesting Season Update

Shore Birds – Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) announced this week that state-threatened Least Terns are nesting by the causeway for the second year in a row. Before last year, it had been 30 years since these tiny terns had attempted to nest here. In conjunction with Florida Fish and Wildlife and Florida Department of Transportations SW Florida, SCCF’s shore bird team posted off several areas to protect the birds from disturbance before eggs were laid. Environmental monitors are out daily to ensure the well-being of the nests.

Sea Turtles – The first sea turtle nest of the season hatched Monday night. It was a rare Leatherback. As of Tuesday, SCCF’s Turtle Patrol had documented 554 Loggerhead nests and that one Leatherback (422 nests on Sanibel and 133 on Captiva). As of last Friday, they also reported 974 false crawls. Two of those false crawls were the first recorded visits from Green turtles. A false crawl is when a female sea turtle comes ashore but does not lay eggs. This is a common occurrence – with hundreds to thousands of false crawls documented per season on Sanibel and Captiva – but the frequency at which false crawls occur varies from year to year. In 2023, there were over 3,400 false crawls over the season, while in 2022, there were only around 1,000. It is not always understood why a sea turtle false crawls. It can happen naturally, because of beach conditions, or be caused by some external disturbance, like artificial lighting, human presence, or some other physical disruption. It is possible that false crawls happen if certain cues are missing to signal a suitable nesting site, such as sand-moisture content, slope, elevation, or wave exposure. Call the Sea Turtle Hotline at 978-728-3663 to report any issues with nests, nesting turtles, or hatchlings.

Ready for July 4^th

Plenty of holiday celebrations are planned on the island, but as a reminder, no fireworks are allowed on Sanibel and there will be no evening fireworks display. Below are some island events scheduled for Thursday, July 4:

31^st Annual Independence Day Parade begins at 9:30 a.m., travelling from Island Inn Rd/Tarpon Bay Rd to Periwinkle Way east, ending at Casa Ybel Rd. (Note: These roadways close at 9 a.m.)

Star Spangled Celebration in Jerry’s Parking Lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with hot dogs, face painting, refreshments, and food samples.

Celebration at the Rec Center following the parade, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with hot dogs, gym games, open pools, stilt walker, bounce house, face painting, and Kona ice truck.

44^th Sanibel Road Rally presented by local non-profit Friends of Randy. Begins at noon at The Timbers parking lot. This in-vehicle scavenger hunt requires registration, takes under two hours, and ends with a party and prizes at the restaurant. Proceeds this year to benefit F.I.S.H.

Out With The Old

Some commented on my news last week about By-the-Sea. Yes, the demolition of the condo buildings there is underway. Sometimes that is what is necessary for restorations/rebuilding to occur. The east-most building was down by my Wednesday drive-by, and by last night the center building also was partially down. One more to go.

You also may have heard about the recent demolition of the BIG ARTS formerly-Strauss Theater at 2200 Periwinkle Way. I remember when it was built and enjoyed many performances there, before it suspended its professional-theater program in 2018. Other old timers also probably remember such theater names as Pirate Playhouse, Periwinkle Theater, and The Old Schoolhouse Theater. BIG ARTS acquired the former Strauss in 2010 and the community looks forward to what will appear next in that location.

What’s In Store for Realtors®

In the wake of the recent landmark National Association of Realtors® (NAR) settlement and that offers of compensation to buyers’ agents soon will be excluded from the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), real estate professionals face the challenge of navigating a new normal. What will that look like?

Starting August 17, a buyer’s agent is required to have a buyer representation agreement signed by the buyer. That agreement will detail how that agent will be compensated. While the seller may continue to pay the commission, it will now require negotiation between the buyer/buyer’s agent and the listing agent/seller.

Florida Realtors® has already issued some new forms with more coming out soon and many island Realtors® are looking forward to upcoming classes expanding on these forms. You can be sure The SanibelSusan Team will be ready to comply with the new requirements.

Eagles Will Always Soar

As a long-time fan of Steven David from Fort Lauderdale, I agree with his editorial below, from the July 2024 Florida Realtor® magazine. It was written for Realtors® and in typical Steven David fashion, tells it like it is”. I hope you also enjoy it.

“The recent NAR settlement will have a profound and positive impact on the best agents. After 50 years in the industry, and a senior GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) instructor for over 36 years, I believe my observations on expectations and performance have empirical support.

“More than 70% of the agent population will likely fail in the new reality. They have neither the skills, intestinal fortitude nor market knowledge to justify direct compensation. More to the point, many simply don’t put forth the effort to learn, grow, and apply their skill set. Ours is not an easy path to success, yet many have made incredible careers.

“The 14 hours of mandatory Florida continuing education (CE) courses will keep your license current. It does not ensure a profitable career. Busting your rear end every day will. Not giving up, not accepting anything, but trying, growing and doing what the best do will bring success regardless of the new rules going into place mid-August.

“The business will no longer be a stop-over point in many less motivated people’s paths from mediocrity to mediocrity. If you chose a sales career, you knew you were entitled to nothing unless you earned it. Expectation without excellence is foolhardy.

“I believe you are one of the strong ones. As a Realtor® friend told me years ago: “Eagles will always soar; they’ll hunt their food; they never doubt the outcome. And they will never hang out with pigeons.”

Sanibel & Captiva Association of Realtors®

Guest speaker Matt DePaolis, SCCF Environmental Policy Director, updated attendees yesterday at the local Association of Realtors® June membership meeting. It was a well-attended event and his presentation was excellent, but it was disheartening during the Caravan meeting that followed to have no new sales announced. A few price reductions were reported. The Open House tour after the meeting had four Sanibel homes and a Sundial condo available for viewing.

Regarding Sundial, it also was announced that beginning near the end of July, the Resort will be offering day passes with access to their beach and big pool. Cost will include a food allowance at their on-site establishments. Regarding condo rentals, Sundial East units are already taking bookings beginning Aug 3, while some Sundial West units are expected to be ready by Nov.

Below, with data from the islands Multiple Listing Service (MLS) are summary tables of the residential sales statistics, followed by info the Sanibel/Captiva MLS action reported this week.

SANIBEL RESIDENTIAL	CONDOS			HOMES			LOTS
	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM
For sale:	94	1,045,846	163	119	2,616,082	137	29	748,686	249
Under contract	6	1,277,983	112	18	1,248,938	141	3	3,556,000	168
Sold 2024 to 6/28	44	818,989	123	109	1,434,910	98	11	1,497,818	155
Sold 2023	98	955,261	65	263	1,267,390	73	24	920,645	76
Sold 2022	123	1,136,199	44	185	1,602,745	52	26	779,528	223
Sold 2021	287	875,127	113	355	1,341,881	89	69	698,862	442

CAPTIVA RESIDENTIAL	CONDOS			HOMES			LOTS
	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM
For sale	32	1,539,843	187	19	7,166,842	236	2	13,750,000	232
Under contract	1	3,250,000	289	1	2,850,000	57	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2024 to 6/28	10	1,650,000	146	5	4,944,500	146	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2023	17	834,176	98	17	2,716,647	70	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2022	28	1,458,983	52	22	5,636,386	133	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2021	64	1,150,373	145	44	2,988,520	261	2	2,950,000	731

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity Jun 21-28

Sanibel

CONDOS

2 new listings: Sanibel Arms West #F7 2/2 $1.049M, Sanibel Moorings #1112 2/2 $1.2M.

2 price changes: Captains Walk #C6 1/1 now $349K, Sandpiper Beach #502 2/2 now $865K.

No new sales.

2 closed sales: Sunset South #12C 2/2 $525K, Sanibel Siesta #405 2/2 $775K.

HOMES

3 new listings: 490/460 Old Trail 3/2.5 $650K, 628 Lake Murex Cir 3/2.5 $1.597M, 2287 Starfish Ln 4/4 $2,489,900.

1 back-on-market: 9003 Mockingbird Dr 5/4 $959K.

6 price changes: 1719 Serenity Ln 3/2 now $775K, 653 Oliva St 3/2 now $898.5K, 1846 Farm Tr 3/2 now $899K, 1813 Long Point Ln 4/2.5 now $925K, 9247 Dimmick Dr 3/2 now $999K, 519 Kinzie Island Ct 4/3.5 now $2.829M.

4 new sales: 2479 Blind Pass Ct 3/2 listed at $999.9K, 1011 S Yachtsman Dr 5/2.5 listed at $1.15M, 1402 Middle Gulf Dr 3/3 listed at $1.545M, 928 Pecten Ct 3/2.5 listed at $1.595M.

4 closed sales: 9428 Moonlight Dr 3/2 $795K, 931 S Yachtsman Dr 4/3.5 $948K, 4340 West Gulf Dr 5/3.5 $1.7M, 228 Violet Dr 3/2.5.5 $2.4M.

LOTS

No new listings or price changes

1 new sale: 4657 Rue Belle Mer listed at $3.3M.

1 closed sale: 2505 Lands End Pl $1.2M.

Captiva

CONDOS,

No new listings.

2 price changes: Beach Vilas #2521 2/2 now $945K, Lands End Village #1659 2/2 now $1.485M.

No new or closed sales.

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.