Naples Waterfront Real Estate

Waterfront can mean a lot of things depending upon where you are from...If I show someone from Michigan or Wisconsin, as an example, a home on a "lake' in Naples they just chuckle and say, "You call this a lake?" That being said, we do have lakes, rivers, canals with both direct and indirect access as well as those man-made canals that were dredged out years ago to build the surrounding infrastructure in certain neighborhoods...We have channels and coves, and of course, we have bays...Clam Bay, Venetian Bay, Moorings Bay, and Naples Bay. There is no shortage of waterfront properties in Naples Florida.

Today's blog post will concentrate on boating waters, specifically single family homes with direct gulf access.

If I do a cursory search in MLS I find 147 homes for sale in Naples with direct access. Starting prices at $224,900. for a quaint 1 bedroom bungalow off Haldeman Creek [oh, yes I forgot, we have creeks]. This cottage is located on a recently dredged canal and will accommodate a small boat. At the high end, a brand new, luxurious 5 bedroom residence boasting nearly 10,000 sq ft of living area priced at $14.9 million! Direct access homes [those on lots that do not have to go under bridges] are located in a variety of neighborhoods in Naples.

There are less than 60 single family homesites in The Moorings with direct access via Moorings Bay through Doctor's Pass out to the gulf. The rest of the Moorings waterfront as well as Park Shore and a handful of lots in Coquina Sands all contend with bridges, but have some of the best views in Naples! Currently there are 31 Active Listings of homes on the water in these 3 neighborhoods, prices starting at $1.5 for a 'tear down' up to $5.2 for a brand new home. Only 2 of the 31 homes presently listed have direct access.

Aqualane Shores is nestled south of Old Naples and borders Naples Bay to its east. From 3rd Street to the west, the lots on Aqualane are referred to as 'dry' lots. Presently there are 27 direct access homes for sale in Aqualane Shores starting at $1,275,000 for a charming 60's vintage pool home, on up to a newer bay front residence listed at $5.9. One of the nice things that this neighborhood offers is a boat in your backyard, walking distance to the beach, and a close proximity to the Third Street shopping district!

Golden Shores typically offers the best buys for direct access lots within the city limits of Naples--It is located on the east side of Naples Bay, still within a close proximity to all the downtown amenities. It offers unbelievable value starting in the $600's. Its 'sister' communities are Oyster Bay, which has both single family homes and condominiums, and Royal Harbor which generally has the deepest canals and larger lots in this location. Oyster Bay, however, has the only waterfront street in all of Naples where the homeowner actually owns the property on both sides of the street--a truly unique feature that add tremendous value as it offers 160' of frontage per household! Lots of extra docking for people that want more than one boat!

Another neighborhood on the east side of the bay, located in the Bayshore Redevelopment District is called Gulf Shores. Here we find smaller homes, mostly built in the 60's and 70's on navigable water and no bridges to the gulf listed in the $300's.

Last but not least, the neighborhood of Port Royal offers deep water yacht basins, wide channels, bay views, large estate-size lots, and membership to the exclusive Port Royal Club. Port Royal is bordered by Naples Bay to its east and the beach to the west. Upon the acquisition of the land now known as Port Royal, its developer stated his ambition was to "make this the finest place to live in the United States." Over a half century later, it is recognized as just that, and contains some of the most impressive mansions in the world! Presently there are 45 homes for sale in Port Royal starting at $2.5 million.

We hope this outline of the waterfront communities of Naples Florida has been helpful. My partner, Chip Harris, is a licensed boat captain, and many times we take our waterfront buyers out prior to making their final decision on one of our boats so that they can see the approach to their new home by water! If you are interested in looking at waterfront homes, please call us today! 239.370.0574

Thank you-Happy house hunting and happy boating!

The Naples Real Estate Blogger

*all info derived from the Naples SunshineMLS and is deemed accurate.

Happy Easter

Wishing you a new day, filled with hope and joy.

Any stone of despair lying heavy on your heart

will roll away into this bright morning light.

Happy Easter from all of us at NaplesRealEstate.com

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day from The Harris-Peppe Team

at The Coldwell Banker Previews International office

on Fifth Avenue South in beautiful downtown Naples, Florida.

Is It Really Almost May?

I don't know about you, but I am amazed that it is almost May? I don't know where the season has gone! We have been so busy...between work and kids and grandkids and volunteering and the day-in and day-out routines that somewhere along the way February and March slipped into April without any warning and I now find myself scheduling summer activities...Being a real estate agent in Naples Florida, we don't keep regular weekly hours. There are no weekends per say...We work most Saturdays showing homes, and Sundays holding open houses. Mine is a crazy, mad calendar filled with colors coding the daily activities in green, orange and pink highlighters...Now that season is indeed winding down, I thought I would share what we think are some of the best buys in Naples Real Estate!

• Best Buy over $2 million: Look no more if you are searching for a large family compound! This southern exposure residence boasts bay views from most rooms! Over 10,000 total square feet, the many features of this home include a private elevator, billiards room, wonderful vanishing edge pool, impact glass & shutters, sauna, master suite sitting area, and so much more. Click here to view the Virtual Tour.
• Best Waterfront Single Family Home Value between $1.5-$2 million: Seeing is believing in this professionally decorated direct access 4+den, 4 full baths, pool, 60' dock, library, indoor air-conditioned storage, reverse osmosis, gourmet kitchen. The list goes on and on! Click here for the Virtual Tour.
• Best In-Town Buy! This is the Olde Naples lifestyle at its best! Only 1 block to all the fabulous 5th Avenue South restaurants, shopping, galleries and live theatre. Beautifully appointed, this home has every imaginable upgrade and feature that one would expect in a luxury property in downtown Naples. Private pool, private elevator, private gardens with fountain and pavers meander around this picturesque Mediterranean-style villa. You won't want to miss viewing the Virtual Tour here!
• Best Bayfront Condo Buy! Choose from two spacious townhomes in the intimate community of Bayview Estates. Totally updated, with docks included, these 3 bedroom 3 bath residences live like a private home with attached 2 car garage. Tropical pool is shared by only 8 condominums. This lovely complex is located at the end of a tree-lined street directly on Naples Bay! The views are priceless! Click here to view both properties: Virtual Tour 1 and Virtual Tour 2.
• Best Buy between $500,000-$1 million: A remarkable single family home located in a gated community in central Naples. 4 bedrooms + bonus room, 3 1/2 baths. Modern, hip & trendy best describe this custom built home. Soaring ceilings, walnut plant flooring, GE monogram appliances. The backyard is a peaceful oasis. To view this spectacular home click here for the Virtual Tour.
• Best Investment Property: Located a short walk to the pristine gulf beaches, and directly on world famous Fifth Avenue South-this exciting 2 bedroom 2 bath condo allows 52 rentals per year and generates an excellent income! Turnkey furnished, the other amenities include a heated pool, large open patio, plus a new roof & freshly painted exterior. Priced to sell at only $329,900. Click here for the Virtual Tour.
• Best Golf Community Condo: First floor end unit with attached garage and spacious lanai, this 2 BR + den is being offered turnkey furnished. Located in a gated community within a short drive to downtown Naples. The community features a Tom Fazio golf course, tennis, fitness center and lovely clubhouse with Naples Bay views. You won't believe the value at $299,900. Check out the Virtual Tour here.
• Best Condo Buy under $250,000! Bright and cheerful, with south exposure and lake views-this 3 bedroom townhome has an attached garage, vaulted ceilings, large lanai, eat-in kitchen, and best of all: It is located in a gated Resort Community featuring a social center, tennis, fitness center, multimedia room, catering kitchen, lap pool plus a resort-style pool. This is Florida living at it's best! Watch the Virtual Tour and see for yourself!

For more information about these Naples Best Buys, please call The Harris-Peppe Team today. 239.370.0574 It may almost be May, but we still have some excellent buys in Naples Florida!

Thanks, and make it a GREAT day!

The Naples Real Estate Blogger

Downtown Naples Update

What's happening in Old Naples?

When you open a map of Collier County, and realize that a lot of it even spills over to the reverse side of the map, you can visualize the size of our county. It is the largest county, land-wise, east of the Mississippi River! Then when you isolate the streets that typically outline the neighborhood of Old Naples, you really become aware of what a treasure our downtown area is indeed. Less than a mile wide, the MLS zone of NA 06, also known as Old Naples and sometimes spelled Olde Naples, runs from the golf course at the historic Beach Club Hotel south to 14th Avenue South, where Aqualane Shores begins. Within this magical rectangle lies several neighborhoods and shopping districts, but for those of us that know Naples, we just refer to it in general as "Old Naples". This is where Naples began. The history of Naples is rich, and that could be an entirely separate blog post, which I will attempt sometime. For now, since I work downtown, and really enjoy selling in Old Naples, I thought I'd do an update of what is currently happening in the Naples Real Estate market downtown!

HOMES:

• Presently there are 83 Single Family Homes on the market in NA 06
• The prices range from $549,000 to $13,900,000.
• There aren't any 'Short Sales' or Foreclosures currently listed in *MLS.
• Currently there are 22 homes under contract, approximately half have had their conditions met and are scheduled to close.
• Year to date there have been 18 closings ranging in price from $330,000 for an older home, about 7 blocks to the beach and 12 blocks north of 5th Avenue South to a beach front cottage which recently closed for $6 million.
• Average sale price in the past 12 months=$1,732,252.
• Median sold price in the past 12 months=$1,375,623.
• 36 of the 83 homes for sale were built 2000 or newer. The least expensive is listed at $1.4 million and is located on 3rd Avenue North, 4 blocks to the beach, built in 2008 with nearly 3,500 sq ft of LA.
• Only 5 of the 36 newer homes were completed in the past 12 months. Prices of these brand new homes start at $1.8 million up to $13.9 million, with homesite premiums depending upon lot size, and distance to the gulf.

CONDOS:

• Presently there are 182 Active condominiums listed in Old Naples.
• The condos for sale start at $112,450 for a 1 bedroom up to $3.2 million for a luxury condominium with amazing amenities.
• Currently 20 condos are under contract and there have been 34 closings year to date. The sold prices have ranged from $75,000 to $1,550,000.
• The average sold price of condos in NA 06 in the past 12 months has been $528,000.
• The median sale price was $396,998.
• There has only been 1 condo sell that was listed at or above $2 million in nearly 2 years!

There are some very good buys right now in Old Naples, but the bottom prices are creeping upward in single family homes due to a lack of inventory in the lower range. ~And, condos in communities with amenities [i.e. pool] are also going fast in the lower price ranges. The high end condominiums are still seeing buyer resistance. The list to sale ratio in both homes & condos over the past 12 months has been 93%. This is contrary to what a lot of media outlets are reporting about Naples. Again, taking a broad stroke of Naples skews the actual results in specific areas such as Old Naples. Old Naples is a treasure and it always will be. Call us today to request additional information about this charming beach front community! Your home in paradise is just a phone call away! 239.370.0574

Thank you and make it a great day!

The Naples Real Estate Blogger

*all information derived from the Naples MLS and is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

Coldwell Banker's New Commercials!

The 2011 commercials have recently been rolled out at the Annual International Business conference, and as always the marketing team has really outdone themselves. I wasn't sure if I'd ever like a real estate TV commercial as much as i liked the portraits of 'Coldwell' and 'Banker' coming to life and talking to each other after the hours, but these two really are going to put a smile on your face! take a few minutes to view the following Coldwell Banker commercials--and let me know which one you liked the best!

Coldwell Banker TV Commercial 2011 #1 Coldwell Banker TV Commercial 2011 #2 Thanks, and make it a great day! The Naples Real Estate Blogger

First Quarter 2011

The first quarter of 2011 is officially behind us. It's been a much busier 'season' than any we've experience since 2005. Prices are leveling off in most price points, and inventory remains low. Economists predict we are at or near the bottom. Homes and condos are selling, but it is only the most competitively priced properties that have gone under contract in the past 90 days in any given community. Realistic sellers can still expect a sale in the next two months as lingering 'snowbirds' wait out their return to their northern homes. Combine the late Easter with the inclement spring weather up north, and I believe we will also have some "be-backs" right into the late spring looking for the 'end-of-season' bargains.

Here are some local Naples Real Estate 1st Qtr 2011 Statistics that I thought you might find interesting:

• Presently there are 7,546 Active Residential listings in the Naples MLS. Down approximately 5% over the same time last year.
• Current Listings: 3,261 are Single Family Homes & 4,285 are Condominiums.
• 1 Qtr 2011 there have been 926 total closed single family home sales. Based on that number we could possibly close over 3,700 homes by the end of the year, making our present inventory of single family homes less than a 1 year absorption rate overall.
• Of the 926 closings, 583 were listed at or below $300,000-that is approximately 63% of the single family homes closed.
• 92 of the 926 closings were homes listed at or above $1 million-approximately 10%
• 1st Qtr 2011 there were 1,114 total condominium closings.
• 836 were listed at or below $300,000-over 75% of the closings.
• 63 of the 1,114 condos closed YTD were listed at or above $1 million, less than 6% of the total closings. Currently condos listed at or above $1 million comprises 11.8% of the total condo inventory. However, it is the luxury condominiums which have seen the greatest increase in number of closings when compared to the 1st Qtr of 2010, up nearly 8%.
• Total closed residential sales 1st Qtr 2010=1,945 vs 1st Qtr 2011=2,040
• 38% of the closings have been conventionally financed. Most buyers are still paying cash.
• The Median sale price in Naples is presently approx. $186,000.
• The Average sale price in Naples is presently approx. $349,000.
• In contrast, the Average sale price in Naples zip codes 34102 & 34103 is $1,199,242.
• NA06: Old Naples average sale price is up an estimated 12% in the past 12 months vs. the previous 12 months.
• NA05: The Crayton Road area average sale price is up approx. 3%.

Perhaps the best barometer in determining the real estate climate is measuring "Pendings". [see chart above]. This best demonstrates the trend line. Sales are UP, and well priced listings are selling fast! Call The Harris-Peppe Team today to discuss in more detail any specific neighborhood that you are interested in and we will gladly assist you. 239.370.0574

Thank you and make it a GREAT day!

The Naples Real Estate Blogger