Natalie Kirstein's Blog

Foreigner buyers now consider the U.S. more affordable due to the historical lows of the dollar against their currency. Below is an example of a sale that occurred on Marco Island in April 2003 and sold again in May 2007. This example details how a Canadian buyer would have lost $66,000 in gains ...

The high-end market continues to pick up steam in the post-Easter buying season.  In the past week, we have seen three high-end properties go pending, one in Madeira and two in Vera Cruz.  Showings continue to occur in this traditionally slow season with foreign and domestic buyers returning for ...

The high-end condo, beach view condo market on Marco Island picked up steam with a post-Easter buying spree.  Buyers focused on two high-end condos, Madeira and Vera Cruz.  The most desirable "04" stack on Madeira is left with only one unit on the market for buyers. Your  market update on closed ...

    "Land in Southwest Florida is irreplaceable.  It doesn't matter that the market is weak now.  If you have waterfront property in Naples, it's like having office space in midtown Manhattan."Josh Spencer, Analyst, T. Rowe Price Group The Real Estate Report for Marco Island: Single Family HomesN...

Top Home Staging BlundersThe first step when preparing your home for sale is to review a comprehensive market analysis detailing comparable active listings, pending sales, and recent closed sales for your residence.  Your goal should be to price your home in the lower price range of comparable pr...

The Real Estate Market ReportA recent article in the Washington Post touted the positive lifestyle in the Naples area.  The article focuses on the sophisticated, active lifestyle afforded in our affluent area.  According the article, Naples offers the finest in hotel accommodations (two Ritz Carl...

Several months ago my neighbor told me about a program whereby a Windstorm Inspector reviews your policy and inspects your home to assess the discrepancies between your policy and structure of the home. I thought this was too good to be true but I thought it was minimal risk.  After a Windstorm I...

The Real Estate Market ReportAs an Economist of Moody's Economy.com, Zoltan Poznar details his thoughts on the economy and specifically the real estate market.  Mr. Poznar believes that the housing market will be back on a modest growth path within the year.   Another positive note is the continu...

This past week has been a dynamic week for real estate in Marco Island.  Since our report last week, the total for pending sales has jumped over $5.5 million dollars from $44 million to almost $50 million in pending sales for single family homes.  How does the pending sales for homes on Marco Isl...