Hi Everyone, hope your holiday was great. At our last South Fort Myers Neighborhood Watch meeting we voted on not having a meeting in December. It was felt there is too much going on that time of year and it will be better to pick back up again in January. Again our meetings our held the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Karl Drews center in San Carlos Park. The meeting starts at 7:15 and we serve beverages and desserts free to all who atttend. Also there is NO fee to belong to Neighborhood Watch and we welcome you and hope to see you there. 11/27/2007

         These days it seems that every hours we see negative posts or news about our Florida Real Estate market, not to mention the other 66 out of 150 major cities in the USA who also have seen a serious drop in price value and sales. Non members of AR and other Real Estate sites know the numbers. People are well aware of the market in Florida. The radios mention it, the local and national TV stations and newspapers mention it and many AR members go on and on, rain or shine, about how lousy the market is. Lets look at the larger picture.   Potential buyers  and investors who want to relocate in South West Florida do not need to be told in hundreds of ways why the market is slowing down.They know it by now. They want to know what are the good deals in Florida.How do I know that? Becaus... 11/26/2007

Well we are well into the running season in Southwest Florida. The annual Thanksgiving day Race in Cape Coral saw 1379 runners take to the course. Yours truly did manage to finish. The next race on the calendar is Dec 1 at 8am in Downtown Fort Myers. The 29th annual City of Palms River run will feature a 10K race and a 2 mile walk. The 10k race course takes runners from Centennial Park, over both the Caloosahatchee and Edison bridges and finishes along the river on Edwards drive. The 2 mile walk goes over the Edison Bridge and back. You may register by mail to: City of Palms River Run, PO Box 60131, Ft Myers Florida 33906-6131 (post marked by Nov 26th) or you may register the day of the race. $20.00 registration, make checks payable to: Fort Myers Track Club. For more details log on to ... 11/24/2007

Hemingway, DReam catchers   While wishing all of you a pleasant and festive time during Thanksgiving in Fort Myers Beach   I am sending this moon among palm branches. We of course all wish for a better market.What's new? But we have a lot to be thankful for.                                       So many took short cuts the last few years and are now paying the price.They also wanted to catch that American Dream.After all we were all of us emigrants at one point. Sadly to many were just innocent bystanders. Today the market offers tremendous opportunities for buyers granted they are well advised and informed.That is our role.We are the real estate dream catchers.    Your family, your clients are not different from you and me. They want to get the best deal possible.This is our job.  Ern... 11/21/2007

Fort Myers Real Estate We here at the Colleen Pearsall Real Estate Group continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep our clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends.  Below you will find Fort Myers real estate statistics for the 3rd week of November 2007 New listings 292New Pendings 55New Expired Listings 118New Sold Listings 39Averag days on the market 101To find the value of your home with a free, over-the-net home evaluation, please visit: http://www.fortmyershousevalue.com/ 11/17/2007

  The fight for a reformed Florida Property Tax started over a year ago. Governor Charlie Crist has been pushing a badly needed reform since the first quarter of his term. Cities, feeling the heat from national government cuts are mostly against it. Where is the money going to come from? I don't think it's a question of where is the money coming from. Its more of a question of greed.                                                                                         Marco Island Collier CountyIn South West Florida counties like Collier County and Lee County have seen their income ballooning through the last 5 years due to a tremendous influx of new residents, businesses and property values which went through the roof. Even with the drastic drop in sales in Florida and here in South ... 11/16/2007

The 2007 Holiday House theme is " A Trip to the Past " and will be held Nov 30th  -  Dec 30th  with a member preview Nov 29 @ 7 PM.  Regular hours will be 5:30 pm  -  9 pm.This is the 32nd annual Holiday House with millions of lights, nightly musical performances, art exhibit, artists and authors,holiday shopping, " Children's Tree Trail" and museum and lab also open.  Adults; $15, Children ( 6-12 )  $1.    Located at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates,  2350 McGregor Blvd.  239  334-7410  or www.efwefla.org   Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  11/16/2007

The 2007 Festival of Trees will be held at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center beginning with a Showcase of Trees Nov 16th - 18th and Nov 23rd - 25th.  Beautifully decorated trees and wreaths, family entertainment, silent auction and plenty of sweet treats for the whole family !    Also, brteakfast with Santa on Dec 1st.  Yhe group is also looking for " Tree Sponsors " , volunteers and silent auction items.  For further details contact: Carolyn Johnson : 239  995-2106 ext 247  or carolynjohnson@goodwillswfl.org.  The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First St, Fort Myers River District. 11/16/2007

Timberwood Village Condominium Association16750 Island Park Road Fort Myers, FL 33908Real Estate Market Watch Report As of November 12, 2007 there are three condo units "FOR SALE." Two 1075 sq/ft 2 Bedroom 2 Bath priced from $142,500 to $169,000. One 1677 sq/ft 3 Bedroom 3 Bath priced at $206,000.   As of November 12, 2007 five condo units have "SOLD" Two 1075 sq/ft 2 Bedroom 2 Bath from $157,000 to $158,000. One 1275 sq/ft 2 Bedroom 2 Bath $140,000. Two 1677 sq/ft 3 Bedroom 3 Bath from $169,000 to $179,000. This information was obtained from the Florida Gulf Coast Alliance MLS from 01/01/2007 to 11/12/2007 and were sold and/or listed by various MLS participants/REALTORS. Search for active listings in the Timberwood Village Condominium Association. For more information on buying or sell... 11/13/2007

  Newport Glen Condominium Association6311 Sugar Bush Lane Fort Myers, FL 33908Real Estate Market Watch Report As of November 12, 2007 there are eight condo units "FOR SALE." Five 1140 sq/ft single story condos priced from $139,900 to $165,900. Three 1246 sq/ft two story townhouses priced from $160,000 to $195,000. As November 12, 2007 there is currently one condo unit "FOR LEASE/RENT" One 1140 sq/ft single story condo for $900.00 per month.   As of November 12, 2007 four condo units have "SOLD" One 1048 sq/ft single story condo for $144,000. Three 1246 sq/ft two story townhouses from $134,000 to $155,000. Search for active listings in the Newport Glen Condominium AssociationThis information was obtained from the Florida Gulf Coast Alliance MLS from 01/01/2007 to 11/12/2007 and were sol... 11/13/2007

Search Condos FOR SALE in the Newport Glen Condominium Association. Search Homes and Condos FOR SALE in other Island Park Neighborhoods. The Newport Glen Condominium Association is located in South Fort Myers just off of Island Park Road which intersects with 16000 block of South Tamiami Trail also known as U.S. 41. This community is close to everything.  Nestled only 1.1 miles from U.S. 41, your doorstep now becomes a gateway to all areas of Southwest Florida.         Developed in the early 1980's the community sits on just over 16 acres of mature landscaping.               The property features a nice functional community club house available to the residents.  Several times a year the community will hold large community gatherings in the clubhouse spilling out onto the pool deck for ... 11/10/2007

Home is where you hang your heart.  Does it matter what the shape of the home is? Located in the San Carlos Park- South Fort Myers, Florida just a few miles north of Bonita Springs is the New University Pyramid Park.  Pyramid Park is a quaint development of homes in unique shape, form and design.  The shape and location of the pyramid structures is said to bring vitality and wellness to those who dwell in the homes.  The buildings are specifically arranged in such a manner around the lake to receive optimum alpha and omega waves.  Additionally, the spring fed lake is said to also offer wellness properties. Although there are influences of Beethoven, including an enormous statue bust in his likeness at the entry, it is not certain how it relates to the project.  The Pyramid Park website ... 11/10/2007

San Carlos Park in South Fort Myers will be getting a new Northern Hydraulics. It will be taking the place of the old Winn Dixie location next to Blockbuster Video and Suncoast Schools Credit Union. This will bring new, much needed business to this nice little plaza. 11/06/2007

I'm having an Open House for one of my great listings. The home is located in the Prestigious Tidewater Island community. There are only 69 home-sites total 45 of which are gulf access, the other 16 are on a fresh water canal. The homes are predominantly Old-Florida style, and there are also 13 vacant lands still available.The details of the home are:Hardwood Floors Through-Out, Gulf Access, Dock and 10,000 lb Boat Lift, Stainless Appliances, Media Room with Library, Giant Lanai overlooking In-ground Concrete Swimming Pool, This is one of those Old Florida Style homes you must see. The price is at $865,000 and owner is looking for offers.Call Deanna Casalino for a private viewing of this home (239)839-0470or come to our open house Friday November 16th from 10-12:00 pm 11/06/2007

I recently started speaking for a real estate company and with that I am traveling more and more. My partner got me into a travel business called YTB. With YTB I get commission on all travel I book, my own travel website and the rates are very, very competitive. They also pay you referral bonuses for helping people do the same thing you are doing. I signed up a few realtors and mortgage brokers and speakers and now my residual income is pretty darn nice each week. If you travel, even just for vacations, this probably makes a lot of sense for you to do. If you would like more info, shoot me an email.  Ray Higdon 11/03/2007

This is a series of newsletters published by me for the Sunrise Chapter of BNI (Business Network International) in Fort Myers, Lee county. Anyone that would like to visit our chapter is more than welcome to visit as long as we do not have your position filled - see our list of members and their profession.  Also, visitors, your breakfast is on us!  Here is Volume 1 Issue 16 from October 30, 2007                                                       This is Volume 1, Issue 16 of the Lee County, Sunrise Chapter of BNI in Fort Myers weekly newsletter.  If you are in this area, we recommend the services of everyone in this group.  Have a great day!  =============================================================================== Title companies & mortgage brokers, help your borrowers- arrang... 11/02/2007

Pre Approve Your Buyer, don't just Pre Qualify them !!! With all the recent drama surrounding the fallout of the mortgage industry I wanted to extend a personal invitation to fellow ActiveRain members, area REALTORS ®, and customers throughout the State of Florida and 37 other states as seen in the graphic to the right here...  Recently my real estate team has been the victim of these "Pre-Qualified Buyers" several times unfortunately who at the last minute before the financing contingency expires all of a sudden are unable to obtain financing leaving our sellers with a property that has been placed pending for almost 3 weeks and now is back on the market missing out on 3 weeks of potential buyers. None of us like to play games with brokers that play the let's keep throwing the loan fil... 11/01/2007

I'm currently working with buyers who are looking for .... what else...A GOOD DEAL. They are stuck on buying a bank owned or short sale property though. Problem is much of what they've looked at needs a ton of work & it is taking weeks to get any responses back from the banks.I've suggested nicer homes to make offers on where we can negotiate directly with the sellers.Why?Because unfortunately many agents in our market place think they know how to handle a short sale when in fact, they have no clue. Yes, sometimes it is just plain difficult to deal with the lenders & they tell you things & then change their minds, etc. But you still need to know the basic steps & requirements to handle a short sale.Many agents think it is just as simple as making up a price, getting an offer & submittin... 11/01/2007

The Never Ending Harvest Don't Eat The SeedYou've probably heard the story about the man lost in the desert finally stumbling on a farm house with a well. By the well there was a quart jar of water. He hastily and thankfully drank it down, being parched from the searing desert sun. A few days later the owners of the cabin, a man and his son, came back and found the lost man dead. Dead of dehydration he clutched the empty dry glass jar. The quart had only sustained him a few hours. They shook their head in disbelief. The son said, "The idiot drank the priming water. Should have used it to prime the old pump and he'd have been able to take a bath everyday plus Sunday." 10/30/2007

Why? How? How? First of all you need some kind of system. You need a system or systems designed to create streams of on going passive residual income. Since I personally invest heavily into real estate market, I've found some systems there. If you have monthly passive residual income on a property that is appreciating, then you have a system.  Over the years that can add greatly to one's net worth because you get the short term cash flow which makes it easy to hold for the long term appreciation.  And there are other systems or methods I've come across. Some of these are not real estate based. So you need a few systems and these need to be good, proven, on-going systems. Systems that make your money grow without you having to put in lots of time and energy. But just having a system does... 10/30/2007