Closed Sales: Click Here Sorry for the delay in posting today. Busy day. Things are definitely picking up in Naples. If you're planning on listing your property, even if not until November, give me a call so we can get a head start on advertising. We have a one to two month lag time for major publications. Open this weekend  Sunday 1-4 pm - Downtown Naples: 450 Bayfront Place #5301, 410 Bayfront Place #2404 and 15539 Monterosso Lane #202 in Mediterra. Thanks for your business - have a great labor day weekend! 08/29/2008

  Herman-Strackbein designs first Florida Keg Steakhouse Naples' Herman-Strackbein Construction Inc. has completed the 11,000-square-foot renovation of The Keg Steakhouse & Bar at The Galleria at Vanderbilt in North Naples. This first Florida location opened Aug. 18. Herman-Strackbein created an outdoor bar and seating area around an outdoor fireplace, interior split dining room with fireplace, wine cellar and kitchen in what had been the Sanibel Steakhouse. Show: All For Sale For Lease      Stephen A. Cunningham; MAI, CCIM  Principal Managing Director   Email: scunningham@landqwestcommercial.com Office Phone: 239-275-4922 ext. 225 Fax: 239-275-4699 Mobile Phone: 239-910-4085 Professional Affiliations/Community Activities: MAI Member of The Appraisal Institute, CCIM Designee of the CCIM... 08/29/2008

Thru July of this year, there have been 3,754 closings in Sunshine MLS, in the specified areas. So as you can see by the numbers below foreclosure are not the majority of sales taking place in Naples. Only 163 of these were foreclosures, which is a very small number as compared to what media reports would lead one to believe. (4.3%) 45% of the foreclosures were in Golden Gate City and Golden Gate Estates, so there are only 90 closed foreclosure sales in ALL other areas. 84% of the 163 foreclosures sold at $300,000 or less, so it is primarily confined to the lower price ranges. Obviously, there are parts of Lee County where the problem is much more severe, specifically Lehigh Acres and Cape Coral.  These two areas have thousands of lots and/or homes, have traditionally been very reasonab... 08/27/2008

Women's Blues Revue performing 8/23 at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club   As you can see this past Saturday night " Summer Jazz on the Gulf " Concert Series was  a lot of fun!  The weather looked iffy but in the end held and the crowd was friendly and relaxed.  There were people on the lawn who enjoyed looking at the stage ..... And there were people on the beach listening and watching the sunset....   An excellent time was had by all... there were plenty of dining options within the Naples Beach Hotel and the Sunset Beach Bar offered a great view and an adult refreshment.   If you are looking at these pictures and thinking that it would have been fun to go .... Don't worry you still have 1 more opportunity this year!   The next and final concert for this season will be held Saturd... 08/27/2008

Closed Sales: Click Here This morning, Phil Wood of John R. Wood Realtors, sent an email saying that he was interviewed yesterday and did some research on foreclosures that included Naples/Bonita/Estero. The following statistics were included and I wanted to share them with you.· Thru July of this year, there have been 3,754 closings in Sunshine (our MLS), in the specified areas. (a few more than our previous stats since some closings have now been added to the system).· Only 163 of these were foreclosures, which is a very small number as compared to what media reports would lead one to believe. (4.3%)· 45% of the foreclosures were in Golden Gate City and Golden Gate Estates, so there are only 90 closed foreclosure sales in ALL other areas.· 84% of the 163 foreclosures sold at $300,000 ... 08/27/2008

Closed Sales: Click Here I just spoke at length with an appraiser in the local Naples Florida real estate market and he indicated that "in some local markets" prices have stabilized. More good news to back up the data from the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR). As I have reported in a previous blogs, July 2008 Market Report  and Market Rebounding, it appears that, at least in certain geo areas, we have seen prices bottom out.  I will report the August market figures once they become available and hope that this trend continues.  Stats on specific Naples locations are available upon request.   08/26/2008

Natural wetlands and gardens surround astrological elements borrowed from the Renaissance.The Elements: The Stargazing Pavilion and Water Gardens, The Sun Clock, The Solstice Pathway, The Lunar Terrace, The Zodiac Terrace and The Labyrinth. Climb up a few stairs to The Stargazing Pavilion that sits atop a low knoll and overlooks the nature preserve. To better see the evening skies, the site has limited artificial light. The pavilion's dome is open metalwork that is made up of circle, star and moon motifs. Flanking the pavillion are Water Gardens containing soothing fountains and tropical plants. The Sun Clock is an interactive sundial measuring the daily movement of the sun. If you stand on the monthly marker in the center, your shadow will mark the time of day. I've tried it and it rea... 08/25/2008

Von Liebig Art Center    Well today being another rainy day here in Naples I decided to head down to the Von Liebig Art Center and check out  It's a Dog's Life  Photographs by William Wegman. I have four dogs and often try to capture their essence in photos, so I appreciate and admire Wegman's work! While Wegman has a penchant for Wiermaraners I have a nice Welsh Corgi collection.                   Derby                                                Pub                                 Sadie              William Wegman       Unfortunately for me there was a misprint and the exhibit had moved on!  How disappointing!   I decided to stay and check out the latest exhibit and was very glad I did.   Presently the 2008 Faculty Biennial was on display.  This is an amazing display of current fac... 08/23/2008

Closed Sales: Click Here Tonight, The Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club will host another "Summer Jazz on the Gulf" event. This will mark the 23rd consecutive year of the fun, free concert series, which combines the smooth sounds of Jazz with beautiful views of the Gulf, exquisite sunsets, refreshing breezes, and a relaxing atmosphere. Featured this evening are "Women's Blues Revue" made up of 8 of Florida's best blues, jazz, R&B and rock musicians who come together a few times a year to perform. www.womensbluesrevue.comTonight, August 23rd from 7-10 pm - free. Bring a beach chair or blanket. 08/23/2008

Summer Jazz  On The Gulf Saturday 8/23 Don't forget Summer Jazz On The Gulf ,  Saturday evening  I have all the details .... here     Rookery Bay Also this Saturday  there is a Shelling Kayak tour at Rookery Bay. Admission is $35 p/person and $30 for members.  It is limited to just 10 so be sure to call . Time for this event is 12:00 p.m until 3 p.m.  For more information call 239 417 6310 If you are unfamiliar with Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve it is worth checking out! Rookery Bay encompasses over 110,000 protected acres of uplands, mangrove forest,  & Rookery Bay. It is located at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands. Ten Thousand Islands is home to over 200 species of fish and is a natural treasure. For a printable brochure on Rookery Bay with lots of info... 08/22/2008

Sold Properties: Click Here If you're taking a look at new listings and solds, would you let me know if you find me posting them helpful? For those of you not in Naples, here's a little update. Tropical Storm Fay is in her 5th day in Florida. She first stopped in Naples, then made her way to Immokalee, hung out at Disney World for days, headed out to the Atlantic a couple of times, changed her mind and came back to see the home of the Florida Gators at U of F in Gainsville. Where will she go next?She is just the fourth storm to make landfall in Florida three separate times, and the first in nearly 50 years. Before it crosses the Panhandle by the weekend, she could bring buckets of rain and power outages.In Naples, we are still getting outter bands of rain passing through. The good news ... 08/22/2008

Look at all the activity in Pebblebrooke Lakes, most have now sold since April 2008 just look at the charts below. Last 14 homes that have SOLD since April 2008 in Pebblebrooke Lakes. $282,000   399 BURNT PINE DR   PEBBLEBROOKE LAKES   4 Bed   3   0   2,581   2001   4/3/2008     $350,000   377 SWEET BAY LN   PEBBLEBROOKE LAKES   3 Bed   2   1   1,804   2002   4/8/2008     $365,000   265 SHELLSTONE CT   PEBBLEBROOKE LAKES   4 Bed   2   0   2,432   2001   4/10/2008     $200,000   8546 SILK OAK LN   PEBBLEBROOKE LAKES   2+Den   2   0   1,955   2002   4/14/2008     $343,000   382 BURNT PINE DR   PEBBLEBROOKE LAKES   4+Den   3   0   2,949   2001   4/25/2008     $325,000   194 BURNT PINE DR   PEBBLEBROOKE LAKES   4+Den   3   0   2,664   2001   5/22/2008     $300,000   131 BURNT PINE DR   PEBB... 08/21/2008

The day of the storm found me trying to catch up blogging and wade through my tons of paperwork.  I had a contract come in on my 500 Lambiance CIR #201 the day before the storm!  I did manage to get out to take this video of the storm in my community in Pelican Bay.  Make sure to turn on your sound so you can hear the wind! The day after the storm I headed to the beach at Pelican Bay.  The restaurant was open and the trams were running.  The beach had taken a pounding but still looked great! The strong waves did not deter one person from windsurfing at the beach! I wish you could have seen the colors of the sail against the sky! Pelican Bay had a number of downed palm fronds and branches but all is well after TS Fay! 08/21/2008

If you live in an area where the possibilities of devastating storms exist, you can't help but get a sick feeling in your stomach when media resources start chirping about the possibility of a "landfall" close by. First because you worry about just the overall well being of you, your loved ones and your neighbors...then you worry about your "stuff" which of course can all be replaced for the most part and then for us REALTORS, you worry about your livelihood.  What can happen to the real estate we love to sell?  There are some very curious events that have happened in my career since 2004.  First Charley hit up the coast from us.  That was a mean storm for Fort Myers, Sanibel, Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda.  It was quite catastrophic.  For Naples some people didn't have any power  and ... 08/21/2008

For the greater Naples geo areas NA01-NA18Sold properties: Click Here For additional information, email or call me. 08/21/2008

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> NABOR REPORTS UPWARD TREND LINE CONTINUES Report Shows Strong Pending Sales and Reduction in Overall Inventory NAPLES, Fla.-August 14, 2008-July sees positive signs in multiple market indicators, with lower priced property sales doubling from last year, while all other price segments showed small increases in the median price (The “median price” means half of the sales were above that price and half were below) according to a report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island). Overall pending sales, which are a key indicator of buyer activity, increased 75 percent in July 2008 compared to July 2007. This incre... 08/20/2008

Lowdermilk Park Come on when is the last time you ran a 5K?  It's not that hard..... I have my John Clay Tee Shirt and so should you!  How do you get one - well you have to earn it and register to run the John Clay 5k! When? Saturday August 30, 2008 Where?  Lowdermilk Park Naples Florida What time?  7:30 a.m  ( but get there earlier) How much ? Depends on registration  ( see register link above) So maybe your not ready for this race but you'd like to train for a future race, join a running club or even volunteer ?  Check out the Gulf Coast Runners Club of Naples .  They'll get you moving in the right direction!  As always I am At Home By The Gulf 08/20/2008

Okay well hopefully Fay is yesterday's news by now.  How'd it turn out?  Not so bad.  Naples fared well and it never became Hurricane Fay. She is a bit stubborn and may have set her sights back on the Gulf Coast.  Let's hope not!  My company has a press release to ease the minds of those who were bombarded with the media hype and couldn't be here for all the excitement. Probably the biggest issue we had throughout the whole ordeal was water.  We have had a wet summer and then an additional 8 inches in some areas just spells MESS.  Unfortunately I am one of the residents who has to deal with the water and the mess.  I had no electricity for the day yesterday and have several inches of standing water on my property.  Ordinarily not a big deal however I have horses.  I have had to move my ... 08/20/2008

For the greater Naples geo areas NA01-NA18Sold properties: Click Here Despite Tropical Storm Fay, there were some new listings and closed sales. I stayed at home and updated my data base.      08/20/2008

For the greater Naples geo area NA01-NA18Sold properties: Click Here For additional information, please email or call me. 08/19/2008