Marvelous March on Sunny Sanibel… Shell Festival… Peek of the Unique… Arts & Crafts Fairs… & More

Posted on March 8, 2019 by SanibelSusan

This may have been the week with the last taste of winter weather on the islands. After days of sunshine, there was a cloud-over Tuesday when the weathermen said the polar vortex came to Florida. By noon, temperatures were down into the 60’s. It dipped into the 50’s at night, with probably our last sweater-day on Wednesday.

Shell Table.jpg

By yesterday, it was back into the mid-70’s with the 80’s expected again this weekend – continued beautiful weather for those enjoying outdoor island life. Now the forecasters are saying that it should hit 80 degrees every day right up to our update next Friday. It’s definitely a great time to be in SW Florida.

The Island Is Hoppin’

sailors valentine The 82^nd Annual Sanibel-Captiva Shell Festival is going on at the Community House this week. It runs until 5 p.m. today and then is open again tomorrow Saturday 3/9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

sancap-eventlogo1 Next weekend is the 36^th Annual Sanibel-Captiva Lions Club Fine Arts & Crafts Fair, Friday 3/15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. & Saturday 3/16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Next Saturday 3/16 also is the 18^th Annual Peek at the Unique house tour event. Tickets available through www.EventBrite.com.

On Monday, The Community House is presenting the fifth of its “Community Interests Series”. This one called “Living With Our Four-Legged Neighbors (Rabbits, Iguanas, Coyotes) Now & In The Future”. Presenters are Holly Millebrandt, Sanibel’s Deputy Natural Resources Director, and Dr. Robin Bast, DMV, Staff Veterinarian at C.R.O.W. It begins at 7 p.m. with a $5 donation suggested.

Between the great weather and many events at BIG ARTS, C.R.O.W., Ding Darling SCCF, The Community House, and more, it is no wonder that prospective buyers don’t think about real estate until they face the reality of going home. We had walk-ins this morning that have been renting on island for five weeks. They are going home tomorrow, but they have made a connection with us, so we hope to show them some condos tomorrow.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Real Estate

Not many new Sanibel sales were announced at our Thursday morning Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® Caravan Meeting yesterday. None were reported on Captiva. But, there were plenty of new listings and again a large number of price reductions. A report of the activity posted since last Friday in the islands’ Multiple Listing Service is provided after a couple of news items below.

First, a summary of the number of Sanibel properties for sale today, under contract, and closed year-to-date, followed by their median prices.

Listing Status	Condos		Homes		Lots		Total #
Listing Status	#	Median	#	Median	#	Median	Total #
For sale, available	131	$725,000	250	$949,500	66	$367,000	447
Under contract	18	$699,000	37	$850,000	1	$379,000	56
Sold/closed 1/1-3/8/19	20	$607,442	25	$999,000	1	$185,000	46

Making Sales

Like in most areas, it is a small group of sales associates that make most of the island sales. Today the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® has 231 Realtors® members. The top 25 routinely make between 80% and 90% of the sales. Considering that some sales are made by off-island Realtors® from other nearby Associations, that is a lot of sales by a small group that includes me. Even with the market dip that began during the bout of red tide about nine months ago, these top 25 closed more than $1.3 billion in sales over the last 24 months. So, it makes sense to be sure that this group of colleagues knows about our listings and how they can count on us to help them sell them.

Sanibelsusan Logo This business is all about relationships. Not just relationships with sellers and buyers, and future clients, but also with everyone we interface. It’s important to be in high regard with fellow Realtors®, sometimes doing that by making it easy for them to sell our listings. High producers can be busy, but we often reach out to each other. The SanibelSusan Team likes to remind them of the special features of our listings, ask if they have prospects for them, get their feeling on prices, and remind them that they can count on us for quick response, fliers and thorough property info packages, opening and showing listings for them, even pickup and delivery.

We always want buyers to consider every property that meets their needs, but we know that it is a better experience when the other side of a transaction is with someone you can count on. We always want to be that someone.

The Tax Change Wild Card

REALTOR-Magazine_Logo_ My favorite economist, Lawrence Yun, had a lead article in the March-April issue of “Realtor®” magazine that arrived this week. Here it is:

“Let’s start with the good news. The Federal Reserve won’t aggressively raise interest rates this year. Instead of four rate hikes in 2019, as was widely assumed a few months ago, the Fed is likely to raise its short-term rate just once. This shift has quickly led to a measurable fall in the rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages from 5% in early December to 4.5% a month later. Why the change?

“First, the housing market is softening. Sales haven’t kept up with job gains and population growth. Even inventories, which have been tight for years, are starting to rise.

“Second, the inflation threat is receding. Although consumer price inflation hit a seven-year high of 2.4% last year, there is little sign it will be a factor in 2019. In fact, the Fed expects inflation to drop below 2%. As a result, the outlook for home sales improves. Look for an additional 200,000 sales for every 50-basis-point reduction in the cost of money, based on historical data.

“But a new factor could provide to be a wild card: the limit on mortgage and property tax deductions enacted in 2017. While 95% of homeowners will be able to fully deduct their mortgage interest and taxes under the changes, others will not because they’ll no longer itemize their deductions, which makes homeownership more costly. So lower interest rates may have less power to spur sales.

“For real estate investors, the mortgage interest deduction and property taxes remain fully deductible – as business expenses. Certainly, homeowners facing this unfair tax hit could act like investors by renting out their house (after property disclosures to their mortgage lender), deducting their mortgage interest and property taxes as business expenses, and moving into a comparable rental home.

“But our data shows most people want to live in the home they own. Shouldn’t homeowners get the same tax benefit as investors? In the year ahead, it’s an issue to be raised with lawmakers.”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity Mar 1-8, 2019

Sanibel

CONDOS

8 new listings: Sanibel Arms #D2 1/1 $399K, Sundial #H211 1/1 $399.9K, Sundial #G205 1/1 $465K, Sunset South #6B 2/2 now $599K, Sanibel Surfside #125 2/2 1.049M, Kings Crown #102 2/2 $1.249M, Villas of Sanibel #A201 3/3 $1.299M, Pine Cove #204 3/2 $1.45M.

10 price changes: Sanibel Arms #B1 1/1 now $475K, Pointe Santo #D21 2/2 now 665K, Lighthouse Point #229 3/2 now $699K, Island Beach Club #210B 2/2 now $749K, Loggerhead Cay #192 2/2 now $769K, Surfside 12 #A1 3/2 now $774K, Compass Point #183 2/2 now $1.225M, Gulfside Place #221 2/2 now $1.24M, Villas of Sanibel #A102 3/3 now $1.389M, By-The-Sea #C102 3/2 now $1.595M.

2 new sales: Sundial #J101 1/1 listed at $449K, Compass Point #161 3/3 listed at $1.175M.

5 closed sales: Sundial #D204 1/1 $395K, Sundial #D304 1/1 $400K, Cottage Colony West #108 1/1 $601K, Bayview Village #2A 3/3 $735K, Nutmeg Village #103 2/2 $775K.

HOMES

10 new listings: 9195 Dimmick Dr 2/2 $469K; 9277 Dimmick Dr 3/2 $549K; 705 Rabbit Rd 3/3 $579,555; 6143 Henderson Rd 4/3 $599K; 430 Old Trail 3/2.5 $669.9K; 513 Rabbit Rd 3/2 $684.5K; 750 Martha’s Ln 3/2 $699K; 2719 Wulfert Rd 4/4/2 $1.499M; 401 Bella Vista Way 4/4 $2.75M; 1540 San Carlos Bay Dr 4/4.5 $4.299M.

31 price changes: 9228 Belding Dr 2/1.5 now $499.9K, 651 Donax St 4/2 duplex now $524.9K, 922 Pepper Tree Pl 2/2 now $599K, 945 S. Yachtsman Dr 2/2 now $599K, 610 Hideaway Ct 3/2.5 now $629K, 1586 Century Ct 3/2.5 now $679K, 1555 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 now $695K, 955 S. Yachtsman Dr 3/2 now $699K, 1217 Par View Dr 3/3 now $729K, 566 Boulder Dr 3/2 now $779K, 2480 Library Way 3/2.5 now $779K, 3861 Coquina Dr 3/3 now $789K, 513 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 now $799K, 4460 Waters Edge Ln 3/2 now $799K, 1396 Tahiti Dr 4/3 now $799.9K, 660 Oliva St 3/3 now $829K, 6033 Dinkins Lake Rd 3/3.5 now $829K, 3013 Turtle Gait Ln 3/2.5 now $829.9K, 1676 Middle Gulf Dr 3/2 now $850K, 1236 Par View Dr 3/2.5 now $859K, 3850 Coquina Dr 3/3 now $995K, 1309 Eagle Run Dr 3/2.5 now $1.095M, 932 Whelk Dr 3/3 now $1.195M, 297 Ferry Landing Dr 3/3 now $1.195M, 1717 Venus Dr 3/2.5 now $1.299M, 2689 Wulfert Rd 4/5.5 now $1.747M, 6071 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 5/4.5 now $1.995M, 2391 Shop Rd 3/2.5 now $2.099M, 842 Limpet Dr 3/3.5 now $2.295M (our listing), 3009 Turtle Gait Ln 4/4.5 now $2.795M, 4355 West Gulf Dr 4/4/2 now $5.995M.

842 Limpet Dr looking toward San Carlos Bay & the mainland

7 new sales: 2074 Wild Lime Dr 3/2 listed at $549,899; 1018 Demere Ln 4/2 listed at $599K; 721 Cardium St 3/2 listed at $745K; 1755 Jewel Box Dr 3/2 listed at $779K; 434 Lake Murex Cir 4/3 listed at $850K; 1248 Par View Dr 4/4.5 listed at $1.299M; 1237 Isabel Dr 5/6.5 listed at $2.895M.

5 closed sales: 849 Beach Rd 4/4 duplex $550K, 585 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 $589K, 1230 Ferry Rd 3/4 $1.0325M, 5407 Osprey Ct 4/3 $1.26M, 925 Whelk Dr 3/3.5 $2.25M.

LOTS

No new listings.

4 price changes: 5116 Sea Bell Rd now $159K; 5126 Sea Bell Rd now $159K; 3308 Saint Kilda Rd now $519,555; 1226 Isabel Dr now $1.295M.

No new or closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

1 new listing: Beach Villas #2418 2/2 $655K.

No price changes or new sales.

1 closed sale: Sunset Captiva #302 4/3 $1.8M.

HOMES

No new listings.

3 price changes: 55 Sandpiper Ct 3/2 now $929K, 14981 Binder Dr 3/3 now $995K, 11501 Laika Ln 3/3 now $1.495M.

No new or closed sales.

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.

Enjoy your weekend! Until next Friday, Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan

Beach b

Another Sunny Sanibel Friday With Temps in Mid-70’s

Posted on January 18, 2019 by SanibelSusan

It seems that SanibelSusan’s Friday island updates often begin with weather and traffic reports. Why should this week be any different? So, I’ve had my heat on at home at night for almost a week now and we often have kicked it on at the office first thing in the morning to take the chill off. Temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s are hardly a chill, particularly when looking at the national weather forecast and the snow expected to hit New England and the Midwest this weekend. We hope that those affected stay warm and safe.

Usually those winter snowstorms affect Florida weather in some way, sometimes resulting in good shelling. Those doing the Sanibel Stoop continued to find special shells this week. Here’s a jumbo Scotch Bonnet collected on January 15th.

Here, the forecast for next week shows day-time temperatures in the mid-60’s to mid-70’s. With a low in the 40’s expected Sunday night (that could be our lowest of the year so far).

Island roadway traffic and business are still off compared to previous January’s. Today, traffic past the office is a little heavier with an Arts & Crafts Fair going on at The Community House. It’s going on there tomorrow too. Real estate business usually picks up in February, with the islands are at their busiest.

At the local Association of Realtors® meeting yesterday only a couple of sales were announced, but there were plenty of new listings and price reductions. A full caravan followed including our new listing at Lighthouse Point which got good feedback by both Realtors® and neighbors/island visitors. It’s great value, priced to sell quickly if you are interested in a beach-front 3-bedroom on the bay. (photos below)

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0134.JPG

The details on all of the islands’ Multiple Listing Service action since last Friday follow a few news items below.

Tonight is the Association’s annual Installation & Awards Banquet at The Sanctuary.

Florida Realtors® Mid-Year Business Meetings

Next week are the Florida Realtors Mid-Winter Business Meetings in Orlando where state leaders kick off the year. With that trip in mind, I’ve been watching Orlando forecasts too. Their forecast shows their daytime temperatures expected to be higher than here (80 degrees Saturday and 78 degrees Wed). But their nights are regularly into the 40’s.

Teammates Dave, Elise, and Lisa will be covering on-island while I’m away. The meeting schedule is consolidated this year, so I’ll be back on island Saturday. Wednesday, I again am sitting on the Audition Panel for Florida Realtors® instructors. We have a record number of 48 auditions scheduled during our all-day session. Thursday morning the Legislative Think Tank meets, as well as the Resort & 2^nd Home Forum (where water quality and short-term rentals are on the agenda). Thursday afternoon, I have a Curriculum Subcommittee meeting in preparation for Friday’s Professional Development Committee meeting. With multiple meetings and events happening simultaneously, it’s always a productive invigorating time including great networking. Hard to believe this will be my 21^st year serving. Today’s technology sure makes participating and doing business from afar easier now.

Florida Brokers Use New Tax Law as a Marketing Tool

From Monday’s Florida Realtors® on-line:

“MIAMI – Jan. 14, 2019 – Florida real estate professionals are pitching the state’s tax benefits in places like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – states where homeowners were hit the hardest by a sweeping tax law that capped deductions on state and local taxes since they have some of the highest income and property taxes. “What we’ve done is kind of double down on the Northeast because of the tax incentives,” says Daniel de la Vega, president of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty in Miami.

“Under the tax law, deductions for state and local taxes, including property taxes, are limited to $10,000. According to Jay Phillip Parker, CEO of Douglas Elliman Real Estate’s Florida operations, “If you’re looking at an ultra-high net worth individual or a very high-income employee, if they can make the move, there are real benefits.”

“The efforts appear to be gaining traction, with Redfin reporting an average 5% gain in sales prices for Florida luxury homes on a year-over-year basis in the third quarter. Moreover, Florida luxury home prices have outperformed the national average for four consecutive quarters. Over the same year-over-year period, luxury home sales in Florida edged up 6%, but declined 0.7% nationally.

“Cristobal Young, a Cornell University sociologist and author of “The Myth of Millionaire Tax Flight: How Place Still Matters to the Rich,” says that if you strip Florida out of the national data, evidence of rich people moving from high- to low-tax states essentially disappears.”

Source: Bloomberg (01/11/19) Levin, Jonathan

2018 Was 3rd Year For Above-Average Catastrophes

Florida Realtors posted the below article on-line yesterday:

“CoreLogic’s annual Natural Hazard Report, which addresses the recent wildfires in California and severe rainfall- and hurricane-induced flooding throughout the nation, as the leading catastrophes in 2018.

“Much like 2017, last year was an above-average year for hurricanes, flooding, wildfires and severe winds, the report concludes. It’s the 3rd year in a row for increased damage from disasters, which property insurance companies consider when requesting rate increases.

“The annual report analyzes hazard activity in the U.S. including events for Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes, flooding, wind, wildfire, earthquake and volcano, hail and tornado, as well as several international events including typhoons and cyclones in Japan, Oman, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

“”In 2018, the U.S. continued to experience damaging weather and natural catastrophes in high exposure areas, and in some instances, in regions that had been impacted in less than a year prior,” says Howard Botts, chief scientist, CoreLogic. “Hazards will always pose a real threat to homes and businesses and knowing exactly what that risk entails is critical to helping ensure sufficient protection from the financial catastrophes that so often follow natural disasters.”

“Report highlights

“Flooding

In 2018, there were over 1,600 significant flood events that occurred in the U.S., 59% of which were flash flood-related.

“Residential and commercial flood damage in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia from Hurricane Florence is estimated at $19 billion to $28.5 billion, of which roughly 85% of residential flood losses were uninsured.

“Multiple states, including Texas, North and South Carolina, Maryland and Wisconsin, experienced 1,000-year floods; several 2018 floods occurred less than two years after an earlier problem, even though they’re considered 1,000-year flood events.

“Six percent of properties nationwide are within Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), and approximately one-third of those have flood insurance policies.

“Atlantic hurricanes

“The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season saw 15 named storms, eight of which were hurricanes. Two of these, Hurricanes Florence (Category 1) and Michael (Category 4), made landfall along the U.S., making 2018 the third back-to-back season of above-average hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

“Approximately 700,000 residential and commercial properties experienced catastrophic flooding and wind damage from Hurricane Florence, which is estimated to have caused between $20 to $30 billion in insured and uninsured loss.

“Michael is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle since 1900 and the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It’s estimated to have caused $2.5 to $4 billion in residential and commercial insured loss from wind and storm surge.

“Wildfire

“The number of acres burned in 2018 is the eighth highest in U.S. history as reported through Nov. 30, 2018.

A total of 11 western states had at least one wildfire that exceeded 50,000 burned acres; the leading states were California and Oregon, each with seven fires that burned more than 50,000 acres.

“The November 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California destroyed nearly the entire city of Paradise and brought damage or destruction to 18,804 structures.

“The Woolsey wildfire in the coastal community of Malibu destroyed more than 1,600 structures.

CoreLogic estimates that the combined total insured and uninsured loss for these two wildfires is between $15 billion and $19 billion.”

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity Jan 11-18, 2019

Sanibel

CONDOS

5 new listings: Donax Village #10 1/1.5 $379K, Loggerhead Cay #582 2/2 $689K, Sandpiper Beach #303 2/2 $785K, Tarpon Beach #112 2/2 $1.149M, Atrium #207 2/2 $1.55M.

5 price changes: Tennisplace #D22 1/1 now $235K, Tennisplace #B22 2/1.5 now $309K, Sundial #H108 1/1 now $459K, Pointe Santo #B2 2/2 now $699K, Villas of Sanibel #A102 3/3 now $1.49M.

1 new sale: Bayview Village #2A 3/3 listed at $749K.

1 closed sale: Compass Point #232 2/2 $585K (our buyer).

Compass Point from the beach

HOMES

5 new listings: 4755 Ruelle 3/3 $785K; 2441 Los Colony Rd 4/2.5 $898,997; 3351 Saint Kilda Rd 3/3 $1.25M; 5407 Osprey Ct 4/3 $1.595M; 4143 West Gulf Dr 4/3.5 $6.795M.

14 price changes: 1027 Sand Castle Rd 2/2 now $499K, 9248 Dimmick Dr 3/3 now $630K, 1441 Sand Castle Rd 3/2.5 now $699K, 721 Cardium St 3/2 now $745K, 1978 Roseate Ln 3/2 now $748.9K, 1225 Seagrape Ln 3/3 now $799K, 4760 Rue Helene 3/2 now $829K, 1656 Middle Gulf Dr 3/4 now $895K, 4787 Rue Helene 4/3 now $959K, 5422 Shearwater Dr 3/2.5 half-duplex now $989K, 1345 Eagle Run Dr 3/2.5 now $1.195M, 532 Sea Oats Dr 4/4 now $1.495M, 500 Kinzie Island Ct 3/3 now $1.499M, 784 Limpet Dr 4/3 now $1.789M.

7 new sales: 9431 Moonlight Dr 3/2 listed at $597K, 221 Robinwood Cir 3/2 listed at $679K, 678 Durion Ct 3/2 listed at $799K, 2479 Blind Pass Ct 3/2 listed at $874.9K, 1127 Buttonwood Ln 3/2.5 listed at $925K, 789 Pyrula Ave 4/2.5 listed at $999K, 1230 Ferry Rd 3/4 listed at $1.095M.

No closed sales.

LOTS

No new listings.

3 price changes: 5847 Pine Ave now $349,555; 0 Island Inn Rd now $849,555; 4767 Tradewinds Dr now $1.595M.

1 new sale: 4565 Bowen Bayou Rd listed at $189.9K.

No closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

1 new listing: Gulf Beach Villas #2112 1/1 $517.9K.

1 price change: Seabreeze #1253 3/3 now $1,799,999.

1 new sale: Beach Villas #2625 2/2 listed at $635K.

1 closed sale: Bayside Villas #5234 1/2 $389K.

HOMES

3 new listings: 11544 Wightman Ln 4/4.5 $2.395M, 15831 Captiva Dr 2/2.5 $4.15M, 16548 Captiva Dr 4/4 $4.5M.

3 price changes: 11535 Wightman Ln 4/4 now $1.849M, 11547 Laika Ln 4/4 now $2.395M, 16531 Captiva Dr 8/8 now $3.6M.

No new or closed sales.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

Enjoy your weekend!

Until next Friday, Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan

Island Sales This Week, 2018 Forecasts, & More

Posted on March 2, 2018 by SanibelSusan

great-white-pelican-namibia It’s SanibelSusan with another weekly report of real estate happenings. You are probably sick of me blogging about Sanibel’s summer-like weather and the traffic, so just a quick update, that it’s more of the same. A mini-cool front arrived today, bringing temperatures that will be only mid-70’s for the next few days.

Sanibel-shells-from-storm-winds Meanwhile, the 81^st Sanibel Shell Festival across the street from SanibelSusan Realty at The Community House appears to be a huge success. It wraps up tomorrow afternoon.

An interesting mix of articles is below, followed by the activity posting in the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service this week.

2018 national trends include big shifts in housing
good news from Sanibel police department
Sanibel Planning Commission ordinance action relating to pools and flood insurance
annual Market Watch with real estate outlook.

2018’s Top Trends

From the March 2018 “Florida Realtor®” magazine: Realtor.com logos

“Big Shifts in Housing… Realtor.com® predicts four developments this year.

Inventory Will Increase. Starting in August 2017, the U.S. housing market started to see a higher-than-normal month-over-month increase in the number of homes on the market. Based on this trend, Realtor.com® projects that U.S. year-over-year inventory growth will tick up into positive territory by fall 2018, for the first time since 2015.
Price Appreciation Will Slow. Home prices are forecasted to slow to 3.2% growth year-over-year nationally, from an estimated increase of 5.5% in 2017. Most of the slowing will be felt in the higher-priced segment as more available inventory in this price range and a smaller pool of buyers forces sellers to price competitively. Entry-level homes will continue to see price gains due to the larger number of buyers that can afford them and more limited homes available in this price range.
Millennials Will Gain Market Share. Although millennials will continue to face challenges with rising interest rates and home prices, they are on track to gain mortgage market share in all price points, due to the sheer size of the generation. Millennials could reach 43% of home buyers with a mortgage by the end of 2018, up from an estimated 40% in 2017.
Southern Markets Will Lead Sales Growth. Southern cities should beat the national average in home sales growth in 2018, with Lakeland – Winter Haven leading Florida. Sales are expected to grow by 6% or more in these markets, compared with 2.5% nationally. The majority of this growth can be attributed to healthy building levels combating the housing shortage.”

Report from Sanibel’s Finest

An article in this week’s “Santiva Chronicle”, shows a big drop in island crime. Some of the statistics in the associated article include:

“Crime on Sanibel was down in 2017, including a huge drop in burglaries, according to statistics released Monday, Feb. 26, by Police Chief William Dalton. The police department tracked 72 federal reportable crimes in 2017, the only time in the past 11 years that that number has been below 100…

“Sanibel continues to be murder-free and no armed robberies have occurred since 2013. No vehicle thefts were reported in 2017, the only time in the past decade that has happened….

“Sanibel residents accounted for just 15% of the department’s arrests in 2017 with nearly half – 46% – coming from elsewhere in Lee County….

“Although crime numbers were down in 2017, the phone was still ringing at police headquarters. The department took in 26,140 calls. That’s an average of 72 per day or one every 20 minutes.”

Planning Commission Acts on Ordinances Re: Pools & Flood Insurance

As reported this week in the “Santiva-Chronicle:

“An ordinance amending the height of a swimming pool and decks in relation to the adjoining structure was unanimously approved by the Sanibel Planning Commission at MacKenzie Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

“It is a move the commission said is grounded in common sense and will help streamline approval of pools and decks. Because of the current wording, the commission was forced to hold hearings about them when their approval was a matter of common sense. It was also costly to applicants.

“Wording of the ordinance to go to the City Council for approval is: “Any swimming pool elevated higher than three feet, six inches above the ground cannot be higher than the lowest floor of the associated structure. For the purpose of this height limit, a mid-level entry or other area devoted only to building access shall not be considered the lowest floor, even if constructed above the base flood elevation.”

“The current elevation is seven feet, but that is not based on the lowest floor. The change will allow the Planning Department to grant approval without it coming to the Planning Commission, Benjamin Pople, city planner, said in his presentation of the ordinance….

“Also Tuesday, the commission unanimously approved an ordinance to go to City Council that would bring the city in line with the Florida Department of Emergency Management pertaining to flood insurance.

“The ordinance about flood insurance is mandatory to preserve the city’s status and rating as a continuing participant in the National Flood Insurance Program’s continuing rating system which benefits Sanibel residents with a 25% discount on flood insurance premiums.

“Commission members cautioned residents that flood insurance rates still apply and that 25% savings aren’t always realized if insurance companies raise rates….”

Annual Market Watch – Lee & Collier Counties

Each year, the Fort Myers “New-Press” hosts an event, where local real estate experts share their outlook on the real estate market. Here are excerpts from their on-line article posted this week.

“A recession may be on the way, but first-time home-buyer millennials and retiring Baby Boomers looking for a deal may be coming to the rescue in Southwest Florida’s residential market.

“That was among the big takeaways Tuesday at The News-Press Market Watch Real Estate 2018 at Germain Arena, where more than 1,000 people were on hand to gauge the market pulse from industry experts.

“Presenters included Randy Thibaut, land sales and development expert and owner and founder of Land Solutions Inc.; Denny Grimes, residential real estate expert and president of Denny Grimes & Co.; and Stan Stouder, CCIM, commercial real estate expert and founding partner with CRE Consultants.

“As Thibaut entered the stage, a screen showed a roller coaster on its way up a track. “We’ve been climbing this roller coaster that’s behind me for almost nine years since the downturn,” he said. “Are we going to go up and over and are we going to lose our lunch, or are we just going to have a little hiccup? One thing is for sure: we’re going to have change.”

“Total single-family and multifamily permits increased 28% in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties year-over-year, with Lee leading the way.

“Why? “Apartments and assisted living were again on fire,” he said. “That changed the dynamics of the market.” On the home front, more buyers are looking for “value” properties, those under $300,000, and builders who cater to that demand are benefiting. “The millennials are coming and they are buying homes because they’re having families,” he said. “There’s a different type of baby boomer – they’re coming here with less money in their pockets. They’re coming. The difference is they’re not looking for $500,000 homes.”

“On the other end of the market, there’s strong demand for luxury high-rise condos in Naples and Bonita Springs, in developments such as Aqua and Seaglass at Bonita Bay. “The product came out and they gobbled it up,” Thibaut said.

“Downtown Fort Myers is a bit of a different story, where developments such as ONE, The Place on First and Prima Luce are in the works. “These projects are still trying to get started, and I think some of them will,” Thibaut said. “It hasn’t been for the lack of trying.” Market watchers should also keep a close eye on the Corkscrew Road corridor, where there are a lot of development plans.

“But ultimately, how are things? “We’re not going down into the abyss,” he said. “Are we going to have a little hiccup? I think so.”

“Prior to the event, Thibaut was asked about impact fees, which are a hot topic in Lee County. “The impact fees that are scheduled to be looked at in March will be the deciding factor over whether we’ll be able to serve our workforce and Middle America employees,” he said. “If they raise the impact fees a lot, they will hurt the biggest percentage of the buying sector. Now is not the right time for a full increase.” Thibaut said people looking to buy a home under $300,000 are the sector that “can’t afford the increase or they won’t be able to own and live the American Dream.”

“Grimes was next on stage, touching on seemingly controversial topics — fake news, the wall and DACA — in a nonconfrontational way because his points weren’t really about those topics at all.

“National headlines about the hot real estate market are giving some buyers and sellers a false perspective on the local market, which isn’t so hot. “There’s a party going on and we’re not part of it,” he said. “But that’s OK. We’ll win in the end.” The number of home sales was down 3% in Lee and up 3% in Collier year-to-year. Grimes used the words “steady” and “stable” in describing the market, with an exception here and there.

““Cape Coral was the star performer in Lee County,” he said. “Collier South is the star performer there.”

In the Cape, dry lot prices have been rising, commanding $20,000 and up, while Lehigh lot prices start at $5,000. “Cape Coral is in for another growth spurt,” Grimes said.

“Home prices, however, have hit a wall. The median sales price for an existing home was $238,500 in December, compared to $250,000 a year earlier. That median price is close to $450,000 in Collier County and $217,500 in Charlotte.

“On DACA — homes where you can dock a boat — Grimes said the cost to live on the waterfront in Cape Coral averages $479,000, not far below the cost in Fort Myers. “It’s the best waterfront value and it’s gaining on Fort Myers,” he said.

“Stouder started out by saying self-storage is going gangbusters. Eight self-storage businesses went up between 2010-14, with 12 built between 2015 and now, with another 12 under construction. “There’s a correlation between those and the robust number of apartment units being built,” he said.

“Senior housing, too, has also continued to surge. Ten senior housing projects were completed between 2000 and 2014. In the past three years, 21 senior housing projects have come to market.

A few notable projects for market-watchers to keep an eye on: Meridian Place industrial property near Southwest Florida International Airport, where a 201,000-square-feet of space is expected to be built.

“That’s a big industrial project and that’s because the vacancy rate is so low,” he said.

“Stouder also talked about the likelihood of a recession. “The stock market is having heartburn, but not a heart attack,” he said. Stouder pointed to the fact that it’s been “about eight and a half years since the last recession was declared over in June 2009,” so a recession is inevitable due to market cycles, it’s just a matter of when.

“Stouder also offered a “what’s that?” segment. In the “what’s that?” segment, market-watchers should look for the Grand Central project to come out of the ground across from Page Field Commons. That project will have the area’s first Krispy Kreme location.

“For people who might be wondering what to do with their money, whether after a property sale or because they simply want to make a smart investment, “it’s time to sell.” “How many of you wished in 2009 that you’d have sold in 2006,” he said. “If you get greedy, you will get burnt.””

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity February 23-March 2, 2018

Sanibel

CONDOS

6 new listings: Mariner Pointe #241 2/2.5 $629K; St.Croix #4 2/2.5 $995K; Yacht Haven #2 3/2 $1.099M; Pointe Santo #C3 3/2 $1,184,415; By-The-Sea #C102 2/2 $1.349M; Tamarind #B302 2/2 $1.824M.

4 price changes: Sanibel Moorings #941 2/2 now $529.9K, Pointe Santo #D32 2/2 now $779K, Island Beach Club #220E 2/2 now $949K, Island Beach Club #340D 2/2 now $1.324M.

4 new sales: Sanibel Moorings #212 1/1 listed at $425K, Beach Road Villa #104 2/2 listed at $455K, Loggerhead Cay #264 2/2 listed at $598.3K (our listing), Blue Gulf #101 3/2 listed at $1.42M.

10 closed sales: Tennisplace #D21 1/1 $235K, Lake Palms #6 2/2.5 $339K, Seashells #40 2/2 $320K, Sundial West #F308 1/1 $415K, Lighthouse Point #217 3/2 $455K, Mariner Pointe #733 2/2 $475K, Loggerhead Cay #402 2/2 $560K, Sanibel Inn #3535 2/2 $745K, Nutmeg Village #201 2/2 $965K, By-The-Sea #C302 3/2 $1.675M.

HOMES

3 new listings: 1283 Par View Dr 2/2 $574K, 4239 Gulf Pines Dr 3/2 $735K, 4171 West Gulf Dr 3/2 $3.248M.

24 price changes: 813 Rabbit Rd 2/2 half-duplex now $399K, 1940 Periwinkle Way 3/2 half-duplex now $470K, 1938 Roseate Ln 3/2 now $499K, 3043 Poinciana Cir 3/2 now $525K, 998 Fish Crow Rd 3/2 now $629K, 1020 White Ibis Dr 3/3 now $649K, 1342 Junonia St 3/3 now $669K, 1450 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 now $749.9K, 5430 Osprey Ct 3/3 now $764K, 5690 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 3/3 now $979K, 938 Pecten Ct 3/2.5 now $1.135M, 1747 Jewel Box Dr 3/2 now $1.165M, 1349 Eagle Run Dr 3/2.5 now $1.175M, 1672 Hibiscus Dr 3/2 now $1.179M, 529 Lighthouse Way 3/3 now $1.22M, 519 Kinzie Island Ct 3/2.5 now $1.275M, 1672 Hibiscus Dr 3/2 now $1.179M, 1743 Venus Dr 4/3.5 now $1.65M, 794 Conch Ct 3/2.5 now $1.679M, 267 Ferry Landing Dr 3/2 now $1.749M, 2029 Periwinkle Way 4/3 now $1.799M, 2167 Starfish Ln 4/4.5 now $1.875M, 5606 Baltusrol Ct 4/6 now $2.195M, 1552 San Carlos Bay Dr 4/5.5 now $2.425M

11 new sales: 970 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 listed at $599K, 1008 Demere Ln 2/2 listed at $615K, 678 East Rocks 3/2 listed at $829K, 4791 Rue Helene 3/2 listed at $849K, 3239 Twin Lakes Ln 3/2 listed at $899K, 1114 Captains Walk St 3/3 listed at $899K, 1275 Par View Dr 3/2 listed at $949K, 4960 Joewood Dr 3/3 listed at $1.049M, 6412 Pine Ave 4/2.5 listed at $1.245M, 4265 West Gulf Dr 4/4.5 listed at $4.895M, 1310 Seaspray Ln 4/4 listed at $5.795M.

8 closed sales: 9446 Yucca Ct 3/2 $530K; 1341 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 $820K; 765 Conch Ct 5/4 $810K; 701 Anchor Dr 3/3.5 $1,186,810; 3822 West Gulf Dr 3/2 $1.2M; 899 Almas Ct 3/2 $1.2M; 960 Victoria Way 3/3 $1.4595M; 547 Kinzie Island Ct 4/4.5 $1.7M.

LOTS

1 new listing: 9232 Dimmick Dr $199,555.

3 price changes: 2307 Wulfert Rd now $219.9K, 2133 Starfish Ln now $399K, 1770 Dixie Beach Blvd now $689,999.

1 new sale:1312 Eagle Run Dr listed at $319K.

No closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

1 new listing: Bayside Villas #5102 1/2 $375K.

1 price change: Captiva Shores #8B 3/2.4 now $1.599M.

1 new sale: Bayside Villas #5144 1/2 listed at $385K.

2 closed sales: Tennis Villas #3210 1/1 $297K, Beach Villas #2621 2/2 $645K.

HOMES

1 new listings: 11540 Laika Ln 3/3 $1.625M.

3 price changes: 11490 Dickey Ln 3/2 now $995K, 11535 Chapin Ln 4/3 now $1.359M, 11509 Chapin Ln 4/4 now $1,999.999.

No new sales.

1 closed sale: 15154 Wiles Dr 4/3 $1.475M.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

Until next Friday, here’s hoping you have good weather too! If not, come to the islands, the bougainvillea and hibiscus are blooming everywhere. It really is a paradise here!

Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan (& please call me to help you with island real estate)

Sunshine, Shells, & Sales… oh, my

Posted on March 3, 2017 by SanibelSusan

SusanSusan here reporting another beautiful Friday on sunny Sanibel with unusually warm summer-like weather most of the week. A cool front (or what the weathermen call a cool front) arrived last night so the weather today – and for the weekend – is expected to be breezy, a little cloudy, and only in the mid-70’s. Back to sunshine and higher 70’s by early next week. Either way, perfect for snowbirds, visitors, vacationers, and locals.

shell-car

Traffic this week is better too. The 80^th Sanibel Shell Fair and Show which started yesterday and runs through tomorrow at the newly-renovated Community House is expecting record crowds. But, cars are moving nicely along Periwinkle and in front of Sanibel Square thanks to the additional police aides directing traffic at the crosswalks.

Show award winners received their ribbons Wednesday night. Congratulations to friends Heather O’Keefe, Mindy Pierce, and Dianne Reich whose works all received ribbons.

dianne-reich-sailors-valentine

Some of Heather’s shell jewelry

heather-jewelry

Heather also has been at the Show’s Author’s Table today to autograph her new book, “American Shell Craft” with vintage hand-crafted seashell jewelry made from 1930-1970. The show is open until 4 p.m. today and again tomorrow Sat from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you don’t get to the Fair and want a copy of Heather’s book, it is at Sanibel shops: McIntosh Books and Three Crafty Ladies.

Yes, those are sea shells.

Thursday Realtor® Caravan

The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® weekly morning meeting was well attended yesterday followed by an east-end caravan. I was the only Realtor® who announced “three” sales, though several others were announced. A report of the Multiple Listing Service activity since last Friday follows a few news items below.

“Working Together to Make a Difference” – As Communications and Public Relations Committee Chair, I also was happy to report that our February progress report press release in our 2017 “Working Together to Make a Difference” campaign has been submitted to local publications. It is already posted on the “Santiva-Chronicle” on line.

Two Everglades Restoration Projects – Also announced was a new recently-released study by Clemson University for the Everglades Foundation. It covers the Benefit & Benefit/Cost Calculations for Two Everglades Restoration Projects. One, called the South Reservoir is south of Lake Okeechobee and would provide storage when the lake is too full. The other, called the North Reservoir, would be storage north of Lake O to capture water before it enters the lake. A purpose of the reservoirs is to mitigate the discharge of excess water from the lake into the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers where it damages estuaries and negatively affects water quality.

government_affairs_rpac_logo_home A FloridaRealtors® study funded by RPAC dollars is referenced in the study. If you are interested in what the study says about how these reservoirs could affect your property values, click on the blue link above. With several bills related to water quality on the state legislature’s docket, you can be sure that local Realtors® are staying attuned to them. Over the next few weeks, there likely will be “Calls for Action”. I will be asking you to join in them.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Real Estate “Season” Update

Now that the first two months of the year have flown by, it is a good time to see how the 2017 island real estate market is shaping up. Here is a summary of the statistics:

Available Today Under Contract Today Sold & Closed in 2017

No. Average Price No. Average Price No. Average Price

Sanibel Condos 111 774,375 21 791,471 19 821,921

Captiva Condos 30 1,198,683 3 427,667 6 492,167

Sanibel Homes 196 1,535,822 37 1,156,577 34 941,162

Captiva Homes 33 3,063,936 9 3,420,000 3 1,800,000

Sanibel Lots 66 495,258 7 340,129 7 419,617

Captiva Lots 1 950,000 2 2,547,500 0 N/A

Comparing current inventory to this “high season” rate of sales, there is just about a year’s worth of Sanibel inventory for homes and condos, and more than 16 months of vacant land inventory. That is a lot of inventory going into March, since sales usually slow down considerably after Easter.

On Captiva, there are 10 months of condos and almost two years of home inventory.

So, what is selling on Sanibel? Of the 19 condo sales:

Six are large units 2-bedrooms with den or bigger, or gulf-front, but with weekly rentals allowed – Average price = $973,200.
Five are 2-bedroom income-producers – Average price = $536,600.
Three are gulf-front residential condos – Average price = $1,246,667.
Two are condos with boat dockage – Average price = $569,000.
Two are condos at The Sanctuary golf community – Average price $602,500
One is a gulf-view residential condo – Price $592,000.

Of the 34 Sanibel home sales:

Ten are near-beach – Average price = $853,200.
Nine are canal-front – Average price = $1,252,111.
Seven are inland – Average price = $565,643.
Five are in golf communities (four in The Dunes, one in The Sanctuary) – Average price = $660,000.
One gulf-front – Price $2,400,000.
One bay-front – Price $1,700,000.
One on bayou – Price $830,000.

Of the seven Sanibel lot sales:

Three are on golf course (Two in The Sanctuary, one in Beachview Estates) – Average price = $263,333.
Two are near-beach – Average price = $395,000.
One is on deep-water-access canal – Price $1,050,000.
One on bayou – Price $307,318.

Twenty Sanibel price reductions were announced this week. March is when sellers with time constraints, should re-evaluate to ensure that their property is positioned to sell when they want. We know that it only takes one serious buyer to make a sale, but with just a few weeks of “high season” left, the pool of potential buyers will be diminishing soon.

Sanibel Designated 7th Safest City in Florida

As reported on line yesterday at “Island Reporter”, “Captiva Current”, “Sanibel-Captiva Islander”:

Sanibelcityseal logo “The City of Sanibel has been designated as the seventh safest city in Florida based upon a report “Safest Cities in Florida” released by the National Council for Home Safety and Security. There are 410 municipalities in Florida.

“Upon reading the report, Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane stated, “Our community places the highest priority on the personal safety of our citizens. We consider community safety an investment not an expenditure; an investment in our daily quality of life as well as our property values.”

“The methodology utilized by the National Council for determining the designations included a review of the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report (U.C.R.), as well as population and other data. The study did not include any cities that failed to submit an FBI U.C.R. report, or cities with populations less than 5,000 persons.

“The remaining cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) per 100,000 people. These variables were then weighted with violent crimes accounting for 70% of the total (due to their severity) and property crimes accounting for 30%.

“In 2016, the City of Sanibel experienced a 6% reduction, from 112 in 2015 to 105 in 2016, within the federally reportable crimes. The City of Sanibel’s 2016 UCR of 105 crimes is the lowest recorded in the last 13 years.

“In 2016 there were 43 reported burglaries, 41 reported theft, 15 reported assaults, two reported vehicle thefts and four classified as other. The year prior, the federally reportable crimes included 24 burglary, 56 thefts, 27 assaults, three vehicle thefts and two rapes.

“”Our greatest asset to maintaining a safe community is a diligent, alert population committed to working in partnership with the police. We always urge our residents and visitors to report any type of suspicious behavior or activity. We always prefer to be in the crime prevention rather than response mode,” Chief of Police William Dalton said.”

Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service Activity February 24-March 3, 2017

Sanibel

CONDOS

5 new listings: Seashells #11 2/2 $395K, Seashells #3 2/2 $405.4K, Donax Village #1 2/2 $539K, Sanctuary Golf Villages I #5 2/2.5 $749K, Sanctuary Golf Villages I #2 3/3 $789K.

5 price changes: Sanibel Inn #3512 2/2 now $659K, Sunset South #2A 2/2 now $729K, Kings Crown #211 3/2 now $849.9K, Tanglewood #1A 3/2 now $1.05M, Pine Cove #102 3/2 now $1.397M.

2 new sales: Mariner Pointe #842 2/2 listed at $499K, Nutmeg Village #303 2/2 listed at $774K (our listing).

View from Nutmeg Village #303

3 closed sales: Loggerhead Cay #234 2/2 $537K, Heron at The Sanctuary II #1B 3/2.5 $580K, Sundial East #L402 2/2 $735K.

HOMES

9 new listings: 644 Lake Murex Cir 3/2 $699K, 5739 Pine Tree Dr 3/2 $749K, 999 East Gulf Dr 3/2.5 $1.099M, 4080 West Gulf Dr 3/2 $1.195M, 9019 Mockingbird Dr 4/4 $1.199M, 408 Bella Vista Way 4/4 $1.595M, 2981 Wulfert Rd 4/4.5 $1.695M, 1149 Paper Fig Ct 4/3 $2.495M, 3547 West Gulf Dr 4/4 $5.25M.

15 price changes: 9436 Yucca Ct 3/2 now $619K; 545 Piedmont Rd 3/2 now $649K; 1478 Albatross Rd 3/2 now $649K; 3152 Twin Lakes Ln 3/3 now $697K; 5100 Sea Bell Rd 4/2.5 now $699K; 1052 Fish Crow Rd 3/2 now $724K; 243 Southwinds Dr 3/2.5 now $855K; 941 Pecten Ct 3/2 now $949K; 1035 Kings Crown Dr 3/2 now $1.15M; 1656 Middle Gulf Dr 3/4 now $1.199M, 732 Windlass Way 4/3.5 now $1.295M; 1525 San Carlos Bay Dr 3/2 now $1.949M; 2451 Blind Pass Ct 4/4.5 now $1,949,999; 6494 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 3/2 now $1.995M; 1083 Bird Ln 4/2.5 now $3.495M.

3 new sales: 4239 Gulf Pines Dr. 3/2 listed at $549K, 1683 Bunting Ln 3/3 listed at $779,555; 932 Whelk Dr 3/3 listed at $1.425M.

8 closed sales: 980 Sand Castle Rd 3/3 $470K, 1851 Farm Trl 3/2 $505K, 1153 Sabal St 3/2.5 $707K, 5406 Osprey Ct 3/2 $830K, 1174 Harbour Cottage Ct 3/3 half-duplex $1M, 1089 Skiff Pl 3/2 $1.089M, 539 East Rocks Dr 5/5 $1.275M, 1314 Seaspray Ln 3/3 $2.4M.

LOTS

1 new listing: 9023 Mockingbird Dr $389K.

No price changes.

2 new sales: 1550 Centre St listed at $199K (our listing), 1048 Fish Crow Rd listed at $399K.

1 closed sale: 629 Lighthouse Way $1.05M.

Captiva

CONDOS

1 new listing: Tennis Villas #3237 2/2 $440K.

No price changes or new sales.

1 closed sale: Bayside Villas #5228 1/2 $320K.

HOMES

3 new listings: 11461 Old Lodge Ln 2/2 $1.025M, 15147 Captiva Dr 6/5.5 $5.695M, 1121 Schefflera Ct 4/4.5 $5.999M.

No price changes.

2 new sales: 11514 Andy Rosse Ln 5/5 listed at $2.375M, 15843 Captiva Dr 3/3 listed at $5.5M.

1 closed sale: 11537 Laika Ln 4/3 $1.475M.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

(This representation is based, in whole, or in part, on data supplied by the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® or its 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 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, wishing you sunshine too!

Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan

Pointe Santo View – taken from #C34

A December Week on Sanibel/Captiva

Posted on December 9, 2016 by SanibelSusan

SanibelSusan here, reporting that there has been a little less real estate activity this week on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Many on the island now seem to be in the holiday-prep mode. Some snowbirds already are heading north to be with family for the holidays, and Christmas visitors have not started arriving yet. Several rental units and resorts have vacancies both this week and next.

Teammate Dave held an Open House for the better part of the day yesterday at Pointe Santo C34. There usually is good traffic at that complex both from those staying there and driving/biking by, but he had only a couple of curious tenants visit.

View from Pointe Santo #C34

Below are a few news items followed by the action posted since last Friday in the Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors®

SanCapAssnLogo At the Thursday morning Association of Realtors® Caravan Meeting yesterday, members brought toys and gift cards for “Friends Who Care”. “Friends Who Care” is a non-profit started back in 1983 by island tax consultant Tom Louwers and his late wife Teresa.

For years, local Realtors® have worked with them, helping collect, wrap, and distribute gifts and toys to island children and children of island employees who need aid. Working hand-in-hand to provide gifts associated with local giving trees, this year six “Friends Who Care” Santas will make the rounds, just before Christmas, distributing the gifts. santa-toy-bag

If you also would like to give, there are giving trees in many locations including the post office, Bank of the Islands, and Bailey’s or call at 239-472-5152. Adult helpers are always appreciated for gift sorting Wednesday, December 14, at 2 p.m. in Sundial’s San-Cap Room, followed by wrapping the next day at 9 a.m. (bring scissors). Gift delivery – also known as the Santa Run – by the local Kiwanians – is the evening of December 23.

During the business part of the meeting, I was happy to report that our listing at Sunset South, announced last week as a new listing, already is under contract.

Sanibel Civic Core Project

At Tuesday’s Sanibel City Council meeting, council members unanimously agreed to move forward with putting the Civic and Cultural Core Project up for public referendum on the March 7, 2017 ballot. The project which is estimated to cost approximately $42 million is a proposed multi-faceted facility including a new Island Seniors Center (Center-4-Life) building, BIG ARTS performance hall, theater and learning center, all interconnected to the existing library, City Hall, and Sanibel Historical Museum and Village by way of meandering walkways, bicycle and pedestrian paths. The 25-acre site also would include green space and large community green for public gatherings.

Funding for the project is proposed to come from BIG ARTS ($12 million), City of Sanibel ($8M), and grants and other funding sources ($22M), in addition to the City’s contribution of 25 acres of land, long with BIG ARTS one acre. There is more info about the project at www.SanibelCCP.org with upcoming “town hall” type meetings and additional press releases planned.

Civic Core Concept 02-16

Shell Harbor Dredging

Photo from taken from Mariner Pointe in 2000, just before an earlier dredging project.

The City began dredging the entrance channel to Shell Harbor, near the Sanibel Marina, on November 30. Work will be complete soon, but in the meantime boat traffic periodically may be stopped or slowed.

More Boating News

The public boat ramp at the Tarpon Bay Recreation Area is closed due to limited parking during construction of the new onsite Marine Lab. The Refuge is funding the construction and providing access to Tarpon Bay in partnership with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, which will outfit the lab and collaborate with its research.

The ramp will stay closed until further notice, or likely until after the Lab construction is complete, slated for fall 2017.

Check Those Web Cams

Reports are that viewings on the various island web cams are up. Happens every year when winter weather sets in up north. If you too want to check them out, it is easiest to go to the Chamber’s website at https://sanibel-captiva.org/sanibel-webcams/. Then pick and choose the location: Island Inn, Casa Ybel Resort, Sundial Beach Resort & Spa, J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge, The Mucky Duck, or Pink Shell (on Fort Myers Beach).

For the traffic cams, go to http://www.mysanibel.us/traffic/ and choose from: Causeway Span C, Periwinkle & Casa Ybel (looking east or west), Periwinkle & Tarpon Bay (looking north, south, or east).

Reopening Soon

Sanibel Café – which has been closed since the end of September due to a kitchen fire is expected to reopen before the end of the year.
Island Cow – has been closed all week while the parking lot is getting pavers.

Got Shells? Give Shells!

Photo by Pam Rambo at http://www.ILoveShelling.com

According to their Fall 2016 newsletter, “The Shell Museum needs shells. Not the world’s largest or rare specimens for …exhibits, but the kinds of shells anyone can find on our local beaches on any given day. Why this “shell emergency?” The daily Family Shell Art programs are so popular that the Museum is running low on raw materials, aka shells!…

“”The shells don’t have to be perfect, and they can be from any Southwest Florida beach…they do need to be clean, and they must not be what the museum calls “live collected”, in other words, …only shells that are empty when found.”

“The preferred types of shells are lightning whelks under 3” long, paper figs, tulips, rose petal telins, buttercup lucins, apple murexes, paired cockles, dosinias, coquinas, large scallops, kitten paws, turkey wings, and button snails.

“Anyone with shells to donate may bring them to the Museum…for information, call 239-395-2233.”

Shell Art at the Beach

Here are a couple of photos of some cool holiday beach art made from shells in the sand. The word on the beach is that this is the work of a visiting couple who come to the island every year now. The husband creates the displays for his wife. This year, they include: a reindeer, a penguin wearing a Santa hat, and Santa himself with a few gifts. Pretty creative!

shell-art-2-12-2016 shell-art-3-12-2016 shell-art-12-2016

Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service Activity December 2-9, 2016

Sanibel

CONDOS

4 new listings: Sanibel Arms West #H2 2/2 $525K, Lighthouse Point #217 3/2/2 $569K, Lighthouse Point #211 2/2 $699K, Loggerhead Cay #181 2/2 $699K.

2 price changes: Donax Village #3 2/2 now $489K, Sanddollar #B204 2/2 now $895K.

4 new sales: Sunset South #11C 2/2 listed at $599K (our listing), Sundial East #P201 2/2 listed at $789K, Kings Crown #105 3/2 listed at $1.289M, Golden Beach #2 3/2.5 listed at $1.499M.

4 closed sales: Loggerhead Cay #452 2/2 $520K, Blind Pass #B203 3/2 $540K, Mariner Pointe #943 2/2.5 $555K, Chelsea Place #2 3/4 $3.65M.

HOMES

6 new listings: 915 Main St 2/1 $449K, 1817 Atlanta Plaza 3/2 $504.9K, 1983 Roseate Ln 2/2 $539K, 3043 Poinciana Cir 4/2 $599K, 465 Lake Murex Cir 2/2.5 $659K, 539 East Rocks Dr 5/5 $1.3M.

3 price changes: 998 Greenwood Ct 3/2 half-duplex now $439K, 5105 SanibelCaptiva Rd 4/3 now $664K, 1272 Isabel Dr 4/4.5 now $3.45M.

3 new sales: 4215 Old Banyan Way 3/3 listed at $699K, 3019 Poinciana Cir 5/3.5 listed at $950K, 232 Robinwod Cir 4/3 listed at $1.195M.

2 closed sales: 677 Durion Ct 3/2 $733K, 526 N Yachtsman Dr 3/2 $945K.

LOTS

2 new listings: 434 Lake Murex Cir $275K, 1301 Sand Castle Rd $380K.

1 price change: 1311 Par View Dr now $289K.

1 new sale: 592 Sea Oats Dr listed at $349.9K.

No closed sales.

Captiva

CONDOS

Nothing to report.

HOMES

1 new listing: 11530 Chapin Ln 3/2 $1.395M.

2 price changes: 14980 Binder Dr 4/3 now $1,377,963; 14860 Mango Ct 5/4 now $2,343,953.

No new sales.

2 closed sales: 1135 Longifolia Ct 4/4.5 $3.45M, 953 South Seas Plantation Rd 5/5.5 $5.8035M

LOTS

No new listings or price changes.

1 new sale: 16950 Captiva Dr now $2.995M.

No closed sales.

Until next Friday, enjoy your pre-holiday fun & please give The SanibelSusan Team a call if buying a piece of Paradise is on your Christmas list!

Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan

The Island Is Hoppin’

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Real Estate

Making Sales

The Tax Change Wild Card

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity Mar 1-8, 2019

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Florida Realtors® Mid-Year Business Meetings

Florida Brokers Use New Tax Law as a Marketing Tool

2018 Was 3rd Year For Above-Average Catastrophes

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity Jan 11-18, 2019

Enjoy your weekend!

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2018’s Top Trends

Report from Sanibel’s Finest

Planning Commission Acts on Ordinances Re: Pools & Flood Insurance

Annual Market Watch – Lee & Collier Counties

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity February 23-March 2, 2018

Until next Friday, here’s hoping you have good weather too! If not, come to the islands, the bougainvillea and hibiscus are blooming everywhere. It really is a paradise here!

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Thursday Realtor® Caravan

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Real Estate “Season” Update

Sanibel Designated 7th Safest City in Florida

Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service Activity February 24-March 3, 2017

Until next Friday, wishing you sunshine too!

Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan

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Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors®

Sanibel Civic Core Project

Shell Harbor Dredging

More Boating News

Check Those Web Cams

Reopening Soon

Got Shells? Give Shells!

Shell Art at the Beach

Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service Activity December 2-9, 2016

Until next Friday, enjoy your pre-holiday fun & please give The SanibelSusan Team a call if buying a piece of Paradise is on your Christmas list!

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