Coldwell Banker's newest "Portraits" Campaign

The Coldwell Banker 'Portraits' campaign, which was originally released in 2008, has begun its 2009 multimedia roll-out highlighting the company's experience and innovation. Remember, Coldwell Banker has been successfully selling homes for 103 years! That is unprecedented in the industry today. The first spot, Iconic Homes, features notable properties such as The White House, Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Waters and the Jetsons' space age residence. The final tag line re-emphasizes our now famous slogan, ..."we never stop moving." It is a super one minute commercial! The second spot highlights how consumers today are empowered by technology. The wealth of information available online is practically unmeasurable! I know you will find this commercial equally entertaining. Michael Fischer, Senior Vice President of marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC was quoted as saying, "Along with reaching consumers on an emotional level, these new commercials highlight how we provide listing information to consumers anytime and anywhere they want it. Relatively speaking, we may be an "old" company, but we've got a bag full of new tricks! Call today, and let us put our experience and technology to work for you: 239.250.4370

Million dollar views!

Today I want to share with you one of the best buys in a perfectly maintained building along Gulf Shore Blvd. located on the bay with easy beach access across the street at The Moorings private beach. This remodeled 2 bedroom condo offers dazzling gulf and bay views, new impact windows, professional on-site management, fitness room, over-sized pool and docks available! Best of all, this home is priced below $500,000! You're just minutes from the downtown area where all the Olde Naples shoppes and restaurants beckon you! This is a true Florida lifestyle. Check out the virtual tour and call us if you'd like a personal tour of this property today! 239-370-0574 Thanks and have a great day!

Newest member on the Team!

The Harris-Peppe Team proudly welcomed their newest member to the "family" today. Actually, it IS the newest member to the family, not really the team! Our very own Meagan Harris and her husband Jay welcomed baby Liv to the world this morning while Auntie Kiki (Krista), Mimi (Michele)& Papa (Chip) were all close at hand! Liv is a beautiful baby girl who weighed in at 6 lbs 5 ozs. and measures 18" long! Her big sister Paige was delighted to finally meet the little person that she has been hearing about all these months!

The Circle of Loves gets bigger all the time!

More Good News

It was refreshing to logon to my networks this morning and read the reports about the upturn in the real estate markets around the country! Existing home sales rose at the fastest rate in over 6 years! Check out the following links for more good news! Inman News Fox Business I'm here to tell you, "housing WILL lead this country out of its recession"! Specifically, here in Naples, there are currently 10,886 Active residential listing being offered through our Multiple Listing System. There are 1,387 homes and condos under contract (Pending). There have been 1,085 Closed Sales Year to date; as compared to 853 for the same time period last year! I am energized to think that I am part of this exciting industry at this crucial time. For additional information about what's selling, please call us today! 239-370-0574 Thank you. I hope to hear from you soon!

Just a few things...

It's been another busy day showing and selling houses in Naples Florida, but I wanted to post a couple of things that I thought were important.

• Jim Gillespie, President and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is going to appear on the "Roadmap to Rebound" segment hosted by Maria Bartiromo on CNBC Friday March 20th at 4:30 PM to talk about the current state of housing. I would highly recommend you tune in if you can. Jim is always an eloquent speaker, and we at Coldwell Banker are fortunate to have his leadership.

• Kelly Rebimbas, Senior Loan Officer at Sunbelt Lending sent out the following newsflash; as reported by the Shirmeyer Rate Market Report, Sigma Research, Inc.: "Big moves from the FOMC as we expected. The FOMC is increasing the MBS purchase program another $700B, taking the total to $1.25T; the Feb will buy $300B in US treasuries through the rest of the year. The Fed will add another $100B of purchases of Fannie and Freddie debt. A market surprise. The Fed is now walking the walk that BOE and BOJ have announced this past week. A huge help for the re-financing of mortgages if the amount the Fed will buy of MBSs is considered enough to get the 30 year fixed down to 4.5% -We will see what happens...Finally someone in Washington has gotten off the dime and did something of serious direct magnitude."

For more information please go to: http://about.reuters.com/productinfo/tradermortgages/besmarter.aspx This report is published each day at 10:30AM and 4:30 PM. Thanks and have a great evening.

Complimentary Staging Services

Recently, The Harris-Peppe Team began to offer a new service, free only to our clients and customers. *Staging is fast becoming one of the best solutions in helping to make your home stand apart from its competition. ~and We've had great success! As an example; one of our listings, in Pelican Bay, which had been on the market for a long time, went under contract shortly after we finished the staging process. Currently, in that particular community, there are 12 active listings and only one property under contract! Staging gives your home the edge during these tough times. Of course, all the usual factors are important in today's market: Price, location and condition; but, by staging a home and improving its condition you improve the chances of getting it SOLD! Another example is a coach home that we have listed in Lely within a neighborhood that has 14 active listings. Currently 3 condos are under contract...and ours just so happens to be one of them! Once again, we believe that staging this home gave it the edge it needed in a crowded market. If you would like additional information about this service please call or email us today. One more advantage to listing or buying your home with The Harris-Peppe Team! 239-250-4370 direct harris-peppe@naplesrealestate.com *Staging is a process of eliminating clutter, accessorizing, rearranging existing furniture, adding a few new pieces and removing the personal items that might distract the buyer when looking at your home. We offer this service for free. Any items and/or furnishing purchased during the staging process are paid for by the customer. Proposals are always within the customer's budget. Any expense that exceeds the written proposal is paid for by The Harris-Peppe Team! Our professional staging services are conducted by Fern Peppe, a talented decorator who has been in furniture sales for over 40 years. Read more about Fern on our website.

Just Another Beautiful Day in Paradise!

We are so busy we can't see straight....no complaints here mind you; just an observation...In addition to showing homes, negotiating contracts, managing files, processing new listings, accompanying on showings, checking email as well as checking Twitter, and Myspace, and LinkedIn, and Facebook...and now a new social network called "Ning" that I just read about...whew! ~and proofing ads, and writing letters, and doing mailings, and returning phone calls, and so on and so on...Who said this is not a "real job"?? --Afterwards of course I need to squeeze in eating & sleeping...and spending time with friends & family, volunteering...not to mention keeping up with the gardening, grocery shopping, laundry...AND let's not forget watching Idol, and Lost, and Survivor, and the Apprentice, and The Amazing Race...oh, and let's not forget blogging!! No, no complaints here. I love my life, I love my loved-ones, I love my job, I love Naples! Now, I best get back to work!!! Happy St. Patrick's Day one and all, and may you all feel as lucky as I do today! Blessings to you from the Harris-Peppe Team!

Super New Listing!

LIVE . GOLF . DINE . RELAX . ENJOY

Wonderful opportunity to own an exceptional residence in Arnold Palmer's signature course! The many features of this home include a great room with soaring ceilings, 3 spacious bedroom suites, a luxurious master retreat, perfectly appointed den with custom desk and built-in cabinetry, oversized-island kitchen with walk-in pantry and a casual dining area plus a formal dining room, side entry 3 car garage, a wonderful course-side pool and outside entertainment area surrounded by lush landscaping, and best of all, Full Golf Membership is INCLUDED in the purchase! Call today to see why this lovely home located in the Estates section of Naples lakes is the best value in town! You do the search...compare the size, view, community, amenities, age and location of this fabulous home! This is the Lifestyle you've been dreaming of! For additional photos and a virtual tour of this home, please log onto our award winning website at www.NaplesRealEstate.com Thank you! We hope to hear from you soon!

Do You YouTube?

Do You YouTube? If you've been living on a secluded island for the past 4 years, click on the link and learn all about! In an effort to optimize our web presence, The Harris-Peppe Team has been placing all of our listings on Youtube! Who doesn't "youtube" these days? Just click on the link and check it out! Thank you, and I hope to see you soon in paradise!

Spring Lake Restoration in downtown Naples

Right behind our office, in the alley behind the businesses on Naples' main street: Fifth Avenue South, there's a special little surprise in store for those of you who like to take the path less travelled. I always prefer to walk or bike in the alleys in Old Naples because there are so many wonderful treasures to discover. Recently Spring Lake underwent a beautiful restoration and this lovely deck and arbor were constructed. It's one of my new favorite destinations during the day when I need a little "mini-vacation". Ten minutes sitting on one of the benches, looking out over the lake, watching the ducks and birds and listening to the fountain and I am recharged. Imagine, this sweet place is only a few blocks to the Gulf of Mexico. Here is some interesting information about the Spring Lake project: Establishing Floating Islands: Floating Islands provide space for aquatic vegetation to be planted where littoral zones are not present. Floating islands are buoyant. They are comprised of recycled plastic bottles and foam. The aquatic vegetation is then planted in a unique biomix of soil. Once planted, the island is then launched and anchored in the lake. Aerating The Water: Fountains, or the more effective "bubblers" that lie on the bottom of lakes, increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water which is necessary for the survival of fish and fauna. Aeration also keeps algae growth under control and improves the overall health of the lake.

Coldwell Banker is #1

The Coldwell Banker brand continues to be the most innovative and responsive real estate company in the industry today. Here are just a few examples of what we did in 2008 to solidify our stature as the # 1 real estate franchise in America! Coldwell Banker became the 1st national brand with presence in Facebook and 1st with a real estate Facebook application, Housetrology. Coldwell Banker is the 1st national real estate brand to allow consumers to search for listings on their GPS through Dash Express. For the 9th year in a row, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC was named the #1 real estate franchise by Franchise Times magazine. Our President & CEO, Jim Gillespie, continues to be one of the most relied upon real estate experts within the media outlets. Jim was asked to be the exclusive real estate correspondent with Neil Covuto on Fox Business News Channel after the last presidential debate last fall. Coldwell Banker became the 1st real estate brand with a mobile site for both the iphone and Blackberry as well as other smartphones, including the ability to search for listings & sales agents. -And, just announced yesterday, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC announced the launch of their customized real estate application developed for Microsoft Surface. This home search application will allow the consumer to interact with home listings, mapping and other www.coldwellbanker.com features in a way that is familiar by using simple hand gestures; similar to the intuitive technology demonstrated in the futuristic film: Minority Report. You can expect to see this technology rolled out at events and offices around the country throughout the year. Yes, Coldwell Banker is #1! Call us today so that The Harris-Peppe Team can make you our #1 customer! 239-370-0574

Business is Great, Life is Good

TURN YOUR TVs OFF NOW! STOP READING THE PAPERS! Naysayers beware--I am tuning you out and tuning into my own optimistic, gut feelings, common sense, faith in humanity, observant, hopeful, inner child! "Business is great, Life is good" If I hear the word "CRISIS" one more time, I'm going to scream! Okay...so if a tree falls in the forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound? ...I am now convinced that the answer to this proverbial question is NO!!! No sound...absolutely, no sound! So.......if the major networks and the politicos are spewing off their fear based, negative spin about the terrible state of the economy, but no one in Naples tunes in to hear them, is there still a crisis? Hello-oo, again, I say the answer is NO! A big, fat emphatic, NO! Just take a gander at our the February stats and then you tell me....Is there a crisis in paradise?

• Residential "Pendings" February 2008: 540

• Residential Closed Sales February 2008: 263

• Residential "Pendings" February 2009: 904

• Residential Closed Sales February 2009: 405

Yeah there's a crisis! --and The crisis is: No one is giving us something to shoot for anymore. We are rewarding the under achievers, bailing out the irresponsible, and wallowing in this whole pitiful mess! Let me tell you, there are excellent buys in Naples Florida! --and The sun shines here almost every day! It was 75 degrees today! I've got grapefruit and oranges growing in my back yard for goodness sake!

There are 78 million baby boomers beginning to retire this year...I only need to connect with a couple of dozen of them each year to make an honest living!

Listen, I'm not saying that we should look the other way & it will all go away...I'm saying, "let's choose to participate in the recovery"! Yes, there are some issues that definitely need resolving, but nearly 1000 buyers made the decision to move forward despite the naysayers and went into contract on a home or condo in the past 28 days in Naples Florida! Fifty two of those contracts were for over $1 million dollars! A few were for over $10 million dollars! Call us today and let us share some of the "Good News" about Naples Real Estate with you! We hope to hear from you soon, and we look forward to earning your business! 239-370-0574