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Home.com releases list of Top 100 U.S. cities for real estate searches: Cape Coral, FL makes the list!

May 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Cape Coral, Ft. Myers and Naples, Florida made Homes.com list of Top 100 U.S. Cities for buyers searching online for real estate. 

At #16, Cape Coral, FL continues to be very popular with domestic and international buyers.  This year, Rob Ricca and I have sold homes to buyers from Canada, Germany, and Luxembourg, continuing to work with clients from around the world.

If you’re thinking of buying, now is a great time, since the seasonal buyers and vacationers are no longer here in great numbers. Inventory is still less than previous year’s levels and competition for well-priced properties is high.

We are always looking for quality homes to add to our portfolio of listings, so call us if you’re thinking of selling! We will promote your property on over 550 global web sites and expose it to over 15 Million Buyers daily!!

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The ONLY 4-bedroom, Waterfront home in Cape Coral, FL UNDER $150,000!

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We have a NEW listing! Located on a fresh-water canal, this 4-bedroom, 3-bath home is ideal!  With over 2200 sq. ft. living area,  every family member can enjoy their own space.  The home has a formal living room, formal dining room, family room, breakfast nook, a huge kitchen with a snack bar, PLUS a Master Suite with walk-in closet, soaking tub and shower, and 3 guest bedrooms.  Enjoy fishing from your own back yard in this lovely area.  See all the details:

2816  NW 17th Place,  Cape Coral, FL  33993

or, watch the search other Florida properties at: www.floridamoves.com/susan.ball

 

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Cape Coral and Fort Myers Real Estate Sales Trends for September 2011

November 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Set Your Clock Back on Nov. 6th

September 2011 is the latest, full-month real estate figures we can share. In our highest-demand price point, the under $150,000 single family home, available inventory is down more than 67% over last September. What about prices and new listings? 

All over Lee County, housing inventory is down, a fraction of what it was last year.  Take a look at the under $150,000 housing availability in Cape Coral, for example: CHART for Cape Coral September Inventory. Pricing in that segment of the market is up 5.7% year-over-year.  How many months of inventory do we have, now that we are approaching our high “selling season?”  Cape Coral’s Under $150K

Waterfront Homes under $500K, Days on Market and List/Sell Ratio

Finally, let’s talk about pricing. In the “Waterfront Cape Coral Homes Under $500K” category, the time it takes to sell (Days on Market) is up a bit this year over last, however, so are prices! Sellers are receiving a higher selling price in relationship to their list price when compared to last year.

The average “price per square foot” of living area in this category is up 11.8% year over year. Click on this link to see the Vast Difference in Available Waterfront Inventory in Cape Coral. 

I LOVE STATISTICS and MATH, perhaps you don’t. So, let me just sum up: We are now approaching the BEST time to sell, when winter residents and vacationers are here. Use the month of November to make those easy repairs and touch-ups that will enhance your home (call us for a FREE pamphlet with these tips). Give us a call and we’ll be happy to stop by with a personalized analysis of your property’s value in today’s market.

Global interest is steady in SW Florida real estate. Allow your Local Experts with Global Experience to help you, your neighbors, and your friends with any real estate needs! 

All the best,

Susan Ball & Rob Ricca

Filed Under: Buy a House, Condos, Foreclosures, Homes, Homes for Sale, Housing Market, Luxury Homes, Market Trends, Property Investment, Real Estate, Real Estate Agent, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral, Florida

October 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

While working with a buyer from out-of-town, I had an inquiry about owls. The buyer had heard that there are a type of owl in Cape Coral, Florida that can effect home building and using one’s property.

The City of Cape Coral has a great “Frequently Asked Questions” document about the Burrowing Owl, cute residents of our community.  Feel free to use this link to see photos and information about the owls. 

Burrowing Owls, Frequently Asked Questions

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Congress flags possible new route to America visa

October 24, 2011 By 2 Comments

 

You’ve heard me talking about foreign direct investment in real estate in Florida many times. 31% of all foreign real estate buyers purchase in Florida. We are still, however, burdened with short sales and foreclosures, although our inventory has been shrinking a bit.  This new Senate proposal may help international buyers with their immigration needs while solving the nation’s real estate crisis.  Read the full article about the tourist visa program attached to real estate purchases.

Congress flags possible new route to America visa.

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Just Back from European Promotional Tour of SW Florida Properties: SUCCESS!!

October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

File:Pan Am logo.png - Logopedia, the logo and…It’s great to have been in the airline business for almost 20 years!  There I learned a lot about the rest of the world and developed a comfort level with people from many different countries.  In the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to travel to Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf, Germany and Istanbul, Turkey, where I met with professionals involved in transportation, tourism, and real estate. The overwhelming response that I received from everyone was the surprise at the values and great deals available in the Florida real estate market.

People from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Germany were all very surprised at the luxurious homes that are available well below $2 million.  For example, take a look at one of our Previews International Exceptional Residences, located here in SW Florida. Exceptional Waterfront Estate Home  This incredible home with 100 feet of waterfront boasts 4 bedrooms and 5 baths and is minutes from open waters leading to the Gulf of Mexico. 

While in Turkey, I toured the areas of waterfront properties, some of which approach prices of $20 million.  Yet, the quality and luxurious finishes and amenties that are available here are not present in those homes.  And, in Germany, city apartments often approach the cost of a luxury home in SW Florida.

It’s no wonder we are the benefit of so much direct foreign investment in real estate and businesses here in Florida.  Of all international real estate investors, 31% purchased in Florida last year.  Foreign buyers look for quality properties that they can enjoy as second homes or as income producing properties.  Our recent meeting of the European American Network featured speakers including Norma Henning, honorary German counsel and local real estate and immigration attorney, addressing the impact of foreign investment and tourism to our area. Shared, too, were concerns about immigration restrictions prohibiting investors from enjoying their second homes.  Read the full article, “Existing laws already hold back tourists coming to spend millions of dollars here,” as written in the News-Press.

I do know this: our area receives terrific interest and a multitude of inquiries from around the world.  I am utilizing the tools that Coldwell Banker provides to insure that my clients’ properties are exposed  to buyers from around the world and this, in fact, is one of the great pleasures of my real estate career: interacting one-on-one with buyers and sellers here and abroad.

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SW Florida’s Real Estate Market is ON FIRE!

September 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

SW Florida's Real Estate Market is ON FIRE!!

SW Florida’s real estate market is HOT! The month is not quite over, yet we’ve had 4 closings and 7 new listings! Buyers are extremely active in the market, which is unusual for this time of year. The sense of urgency is evident, as prices rise and inventory shrinks.

Land, condos and houses…it seems that buyers from all over the world are converging on SW Florida, making purchases now that they’ve seen the statistics on pricing and inventory. The global marketplace may be driven by news of gains in pricing and the desirability of our area.

Money Magazine released an article naming the Top Places to Retire. (Click to read the full article) Based upon cost of living and other factors, 10 US Cities were selected. Cape Coral, Florida came in as #2 on the list! Mind you, the article uses 2010 housing statistics. The median price of a home in Cape Coral has risen significantly this year, up almost 30% from last year!

If you’re thinking about selling, now is the time to put your property on the market. Inventory has shrunk and, even more importantly, the number of distressed property (foreclosures and short sales) on the market has lessened. Timing is critical: we are approaching our busy season, with winter residents and vacationers returning to our area. Placing your property on the market now will allow us to feature it in upcoming magazines, real estate publications, and Internet sites where winter buyers are already shopping and planning their buying trips.

Allow us to provide you with the maximum exposure for your property, posting it on over 350 Internet web sites and international real estate search sites. Remember, Florida is the #1 choice for international buyers, with 31% choosing to buy here. The agency listing your property for sale must have a strong global presence in order for your property to tap into this excellent source of buyers.

Please take a look at our new listings and the visual tours:
Great SW Florida Homes, Condos and Land and let us know if we can speak with you about selling your property!

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Watch Your Mail: SW Florida Tax Notices Mailing Soon!

August 7, 2011 By 4 Comments

Watch your mailboxes carefully, because the Property Appraiser’s office of Lee County, FL will soon be mailing out Truth In Millage (TRIM) notices to all property owners in cities like  Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Bonita Springs, Estero, North Fort Myers, Sanibel and Pine Island and all of unincorporated Lee County.

This notice advises property owners of proposed 2011 tax liability. The form consists of 3 columns: one for last years taxes, column 2 shows this year’s taxes if there are no budget changes, and the 3rd column shows this year’s taxes if the proposed budget changes are made. Remember, 2011 property taxes are based upon sales that occurred during the previous calendar year. So, for this year’s assessed values, sales of property during 2010 are considered and used to determine assessed value.

When you receive your TRIM notice, there are THREE important things to make note of: #1, look at the postmark on the envelope and make note of the mailing date. #2, check the assessed value of your property, #3 , check for the deadline date listed below the columns for filing an appeal.If you disagree with the property appraiser’s assessed value of your property, you have only until that date to file an appeal.

 The Property Appraiser’s office states: “If you disagree with your property’s assessed value, please attempt to discuss it with a staff member of the Property Appraiser’s Office. If you petition the VAB for a change in value, the Clerk must RECEIVE the petition by the deadline date. Please see your proposed notice for the deadline date. (NOT MERELY POSTMARKED).”  Here’s a helpful link to information on the appeal process: The Value Adjustment Board (VAB) Process

How do you know if your assessed property value is correct? You can attempt to find out using some of those online valuation sites, however, not all of those paint a true picture of valuation, since many of these are not kept up to date.  I would suggest that if you have any questions about your property’s value, just give us a call and we’d be happy to provide you with a complimentary market value analysis. We are local experts and pleased to provide you with up-to-date information!  We look forward to hearing from you!

Filed Under: Appraisal, Builders, Buy a House, Community, Condos, Estate, Homes, Homes for Sale, Housing Market, International Real Estate, Luxury Homes, Mortgages, Property, Property Investment, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Real Estate Agent, selling a house Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Green builder builds Net Zero homes in Cape Coral, Florida

August 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

Last week was an exciting week in Cape Coral, FL!  Rob Ricca and I are working with 3 different buyers on homes in our city and we closed a sale of one of Fort Myers, FL high-rise condos, too!  I took a few moments away from all of this activity to attend the groundbreaking of a new model home in SW Cape Coral, built by Ravenwood Homes.  This model is a Net Zero energy efficient home, designed to allow the owner minimal energy consumption throughout the year! 

Rob and I also are working with one of our clients on his new, custom-built and designed energy efficient home. Ravenwood Homes and their design team are creating our client’s dream home on a terrific water front lot that he purchased from us last year.

Feel free to read the article of coverage from the News-Press on their links below!  Also, if you know someone that has vacant land with waterfront, now will be a great time to build. Interest rates are still low, building costs are reasonable, and buyers are looking for new construction.  Contact me for more information.

Groundbreaking of Net Zero Model Home by Ravenwood Homes

Net Zero Homes built by Ravenwood Homes

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From 2½ Years to 5 Months: Cape Coral Housing Inventory Falls

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

  

In 2011, buyer demand for Cape Coral real estate has been very strong, resulting in a significant change in the availability of property for sale in the community. I experienced this while working with buyers from Canada last week. They were seeking a gulf-access pool home and, while 40 of those homes sold in the past 90 days, there were only 13 homes for them to see last week!

Inventory levels of Cape Coral during the past year look like this:

 

 

 

 

  July 2010 Jan 2011 Jun 2011 1-year Change
Single Family Homes for Sale 3319 3012 2143 -35.4%
Multi Family Homes for Sale 517 476 321 -38%


Certain segments of the market have experienced even more severe changes.

1. In Cape Coral, single family homes with list prices under $200,000 dropped from 2,318 homes to 1,310 homes. This means we have 43.5% fewer homes available at prices under $200,000.

2. For every 5 Foreclosures for sale in July, 2010, there are only 2 foreclosure properties for sale now. That means not only less availability, it also means less competition for the conventional home-seller.

3. There are 46% fewer Short Sale single-family and multi-family properties on the market this July compared to last July.

Imagine shopping in a store where there is 50% to 60% less merchandise than there used to be! Remember “New Coke?” When Coca Cola announced the New Coke, there was a run on the store for Old Coke. Picture that same feeling here, where inexpensive houses are harder and harder to find!

With respect to real estate sales and properties for sale, how does this July market compare to prior years? Four years ago, July, 2007, the number of months of inventory (absorption rate) of single family homes was 31.24 months. In other words, if no more single family homes came on the market, there were enough homes on the market in July 2007 that it would take over 2½ years before all the single family homes would be sold. Today, in July 2011, our homes are selling so quickly and there are so few of them, that we only have a 5 month’s worth of inventory!

This change is so noteworthy that even the News-Press, our local newspaper even published a front-page article last week reflecting on the good news: Lee County Housing on Upswing

There are a number of reasons for the sales activity the Cape Coral real estate market has been experiencing in 2011. Despite a challenging economy, International buyers favor Florida and spend 31% of their real estate dollar in our state. Cape Coral was recently selected as the most popular destination when these buyers search online. Cape Coral’s weather, miles of waterfront and attractive real estate prices have created massive appeal to foreign buyers. Southwest Florida’s airport (RSW) is one of ONLY 26 US airports with non-stop service to a foreign country. Ease of access from Germany, Canada, and our new service from Denmark make SW Florida very atractive.

In my next newsletter, I will share more reasons we’re experiencing a recovery and new, interesting statistics from our market.

Right now, I would like to you to think about anyone you know who may have thought of selling, but didn’t want the competition from short sales or foreclosures. Now, may be the very time they should like their property for sale. Of course, I would love to help them. Please honor me by sharing my contact information or give me a call.

Or, do you know someone who was thinking of buying and hesitated because they thought prices were still coming down?We’re seeing just the opposite here in SW Florida! Encourage that person to contact us today, before their delay costs them more money.

Hope to hear from you!

Susan

Filed Under: Buy a House, Condos, Foreclosures, Homes, Homes for Sale, Housing Market, Property Investment, Real Estate Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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