Posts Tagged ‘Bonita Springs real estate’

Mid-priced homes surge 29% in Naples, Florida

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Pending sales of all single-family homes and condos increased!

 According to the Naples Area Board of Realtors’ (NABOR) most recent market report, pending home sales of Naples area mid-priced single-family homes and condos (between $300,000 and $ 1 million) surged 29 percent in January 2012. The report tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island).

According to Phil Wood, President and CEO of John R. Wood Realtors, “Pending sales were very strong in January, plus some of the transactions were new development projects.”

Naples Area Board of REALTORS® data shows that the overall market experienced 8,295 closed sales for the 12 months ending January 2012, a 5 percent increase over the 12-month period ending January 2011 (7,879 closed sales).

NABOR® data shows:  

  • Overall pending sales in the $300,000 to $500,000 category increased 34 percent from 115 in January 2011 to 154 in January 2012.  
  • Closed sales in the $1 million to $2 million category increased 13 percent from 336 to 379 for the 12- month period ending January 2012.
  • Inventory dropped 19 percent from 9,388 in January 2011 and remains at a low level with 7,860 available properties in January 2012.
  • Average days on the market (DOM) in the $500,000 to $1 million category decreased 10 percent from 213 in January 2011 to 192 in January 2012.
  • Overall sales of homes and condos between $1million and $2 million increased 53 percent, January 2012 compared to January 2011.

“The $500,000 to $1 million category has been historically a leading market indicator, and that category experienced a 23 percent rise in pending sales from 100 in January 2011 to 123 in January 2012, a positive sign,” remarked Dr. Shelton Weeks, Director of the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development & Finance at Florida Gulf Coast University.

 ”A good report from developers, along with positive comments of an overall healthy market, may bring more buyers off the side-lines,” said Mike Hughes, General Manager of Downing-Fry Realty. “The strong activity in pending sales brings a sense of urgency that if they wait too long to make a purchase, the property may not be there.”

“We are now seeing multiple buyers competing for the same property,” said Brenda Fioretti, NABOR® Media Relations Committee Chairman and Managing Broker of Prudential Florida Realty.

To view the entire report, visit www.NaplesArea.com 

See the John R. Wood January 2012 Market Reports below:

Market Report January 2012

Neighborhood Snapshot January 2012

To search for homes for sale in Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, FL click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge






Naples, Florida Real Estate – John R. Wood’s Jan 2012 Market Report

Friday, February 17th, 2012

In this month’s John R. Wood Market Report, closed sales units are up 5% during the prior 12 months (2/1/11 – 1/31/12).  Additionally, sales volume is up 7.5% during this same period.

In the luxury home market, units priced at $1,000,000 and above, closings are up 10% over the past 12 months.  January 2012 pended sales priced below $250,000 have dropped 14% from this time last year.  Pended sales remained brisk in January with almost 1,400 units, the highest level since April 2011.

 

The number of properties placed on the market in January was the lowest for the month since 2005. Available inventory on February 1, 2012 stands at 8,181 units (4,404 condominiums and 3,777 single family homes). Additionally, more neighborhoods are experiencing less than a one-year supply of homes for sale. Overall, available inventory represents a 22% decrease from February 1, 2011 and is approximately a nine-month supply.

 

To see the full Market Report including a detailed analysis, click HERE.

Don’t forget to look at the Neighborhood Snapshot Report for January 2012 as well!

 

To find homes for sale in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero or Marco Island, click HERE!

 

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol for Local Knowledge






Foreclosures decrease in Collier County

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

In a report released by RealtyTrac, foreclosure activity in Lee County fell in January by 15.32% compared with December 2011, ranking it 19th in the state.

The analysis also showed that Collier County’s January 2012 foreclosures dropped to 257 housing units (one in every 768), down 28.21% from 358 in December 2011, and down 5.17%  from 271 units during January 2011.

In Lee County, 945 housing units were in foreclosure last month (one in every 393), down from 1,116 in December 2011. However, compared year over year, foreclosures have increased nearly 11 percent, up from 854, comparing January 2011 to January 2012.

To search for homes for sale in Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs, and Marco Island, click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge






Nothing says “Be Mine” like a condo on the beach in Naples, Florida!

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

It’s Valentine’s Day and, YES, we’re totally serious! Just imagine your significant other opening the small velvet box you’ve just handed over, knowing that what he or she is expecting is NOT in that box! What actually is in that box is a key…but not just ANY key! It’s a key to a luxurious condominium on the beach!

Ok, so this would take some amount of pre-planning, but any time of the year is perfect for purchasing a second or vacation home in beautiful Naples, Florida! Whether it’s a high-rise condo on the beach or a single-family home at a resort-style golf community, buying luxury property in Naples, Florida is always a great investment!

Aside from the fact that inventory is shrinking and home sales are increasing, Naples is second to none when it comes to the luxury beach and resort lifestyle! Enjoy miles of white sand beaches, incredible sunsets, lush preserves, dining and shopping, and world-class golf courses.

So, for your NEXT Valentine’s day why not start planning now! By this time next year, you and your sweetie could be admiring the ocean from your beachfront condo! WAY better than chocolate and flowers!!

Case in point, check out this amazing condo and the View!

Find a John R. Wood Agent now! 

To search for homes for sale in Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs, and Marco Island, click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge






3 reasons people want to buy homes (and buy them in Southwest Florida, please!)

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Besides the obvious reasons that include great prices and low mortgage rates, there are some other reasons people want to buy homes. According to Inman’s Tara-Nicholle Nelson, increased conversations are taking place that center around people who want to buy and are defending reason to buy.  Here are the most popular reasons she sites in her article:

I just want to own the place I live.  The desire to be a homeowner seems to be the most popular reason.  It may include a bunch of motivations, like tax considerations, the ability to gain equity over time, own the home and furnish as you desire. This popular reason may demonstrate that in the debate about whether a home is an investment or a place to live, the emotions around owning the place you live trump investment.

I want to buy now and move later. Warren Buffet’s assistant just famously bought a retirement home, years in advance, publicly stating that she did so on her boss’s advice to buy now and move later. This is a partially market-based sentiment, of course, as the rationale for buying right now is that prices and interest rates are low.  But it’s also partially lifestyle-based, as this is a motive for buying that you’re much more likely to hear from those who have diligently saved and are currently well-employed, but look forward to moving to a locale with a lower cost of living in the years to come, when they change career paths or retire.

I don’t want to have to move anymore. The truth that living in a home you don’t own may mean moving when you don’t want to is a big emotional driver for home buying these days. It helps that rates and prices are low, and that many of these renters have been saving aggressively over the past few years.

Whatever your reason may be for buying a home, it’s hard to deny both the great value and lifestyle that you get by purchasing a property in Southwest Florida!

To find homes for sale in beautiful Southwest Florida, click HERE!

To learn more about Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and Marco Island, click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge






Foreign homebuyers keep Florida markets hot!

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Lured by some of the lowest housing prices in a decade, foreign-born residents and visitors are buying U.S. properties at a rapid rate. More than 8 percent of all real estate sales in 2010 were to foreign nationals, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Mortgage companies offer a variety of products to foreign nationals but the products’ accessibility and terms depend on the borrower’s immigration status and documentation of credit status in his or her home country.

International interest in U.S. properties is growing fast. Sales of real estate to foreigners increased from $66 billion in 2009 to $82 billion in 2010, according to NAR data.

In Florida, which accounts for 10 percent of the country’s immigrant population,  foreign buyers accounted for almost 31 percent of all real estate transactions. Other states popular with foreign homebuyers include California, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Tennessee and New York.

Foreign nationals tend to buy homes in communities where they already have roots or where large immigrant populations exist. In Florida, Cubans, Haitians and Colombians account for the majority of foreign buyers while in most of the Southwest, Mexicans make up the majority. Canadians are buying heavily all across the country.

 To find homes for sale in beautiful Southwest Florida, click HERE!

To learn more about Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and Marco Island, click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge






Real Estate – The Alternative to Buying a Home

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

The Alternative to Buying

If a family continues to rent, they are looking at a housing expense which will rise with the market. Rental costs increase by 3% a year historically. But today’s rental market favors the landlord to a greater degree. Below is a graph of how rental prices have increased recently and where they are projected to go over the next few years based on a report from Marcus & Millichap.

Hoping to save by delaying the purchase of a home may result in higher housing costs while you’re waiting, thus achieving the exact opposite result.

Check with a John R. Wood Agent to determine the best option for you and your lifestyle!

To find homes for sale in beautiful Southwest Florida, click HERE!

To learn more about Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and Marco Island, click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge






Naples, Florida Real Estate – Are You the “Quarterback” of your real estate transaction?

Monday, February 6th, 2012

You know we had to do it! With everyone still discussing the Superbowl today, we had to come up with something clever to blog about today and integrate the Superbowl somehow!

Well, we cannot take all the credit! Some of the credit must go to the KCMBlog, where this original idea came from. We love the correlation between the job of the players and your relationship with those individuals that make your real estate transaction a successful one!

Thanks to the KCMBlog and their accurate opinion of how the team works best:

  • Head Coach (Your Loan Officer) – Your loan officer should be the Head Coach. After careful analysis of your income, credit and assets, this is the person in the best position to make sure you are playing to your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses.  Your loan officer can discuss the economic realities of homeownership, while listening to your quality of life concerns. The loan officer can set up the game plan.
  • Offensive Coordinator (Your Real Estate Agent) – Your real estate agent is your offensive coordinator. Armed with the game plan. the agent calls the plays, counseling you on the geography, the competition, the best ways to negotiate your way to your personal touchdown. Agents know the playing field (the inventory and the market). If you hire them to represent you, they can disclose the weaknesses of your competition (the seller).
  • Offensive Line (Your Attorney, Accountant and Financial Advisors) – Your attorney, accountant and financial advisors are your offensive line. They are there to protect you from the blitzes that come from outside (sellers, title issues, tax consequences, and protecting your assets). Not the glamour positions, but vital to any success you are going to have.
  • Running Backs and Wide Receivers (Your Friends and Family) – Your friends and family are the running backs and wide receivers. They often receive the glory and attention, but honestly, if everyone else doesn’t do their job, they rarely ever see success. Bad game plans, weak play calling, poor execution on the offensive line or by you, as quarterback, leave them merely as names on the roster.

As with any team, communication is the most important component to getting the desired results. Being the center of the action, the quarterback (you) talks honestly with the coaches and coordinators, so they can help direct you on the proper play calling.

Simultaneously, you need to heed the feedback from your offensive line, running backs, and receivers to filter wise advice from emotion.

Let John R. Wood assist you in being the “quarterback” of your home-buying process! We are ready to be your “Offensive Coordinator” and find you the right vacation or home-away-from-home property!

To find a John R. Wood Agent today, click HERE!

To see homes for sale in Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, FL, click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge.

 






Naples, Florida Real Estate: Now is the time to take advantage of mortgage rates

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Last week, according to an article found on CNNMoney, “rates on both the 30-year and 15-year fixed loans fell to new records, at 3.89 percent and 3.16 percent, respectively, according to Freddie Mac.”  The question remains: how long will prospective buyers enjoy such low rates?

Potential buyers sitting on the fence waiting for the rates to go lower may be getting their reason to act: a recent action by Congress may be pushing those rates higher shortly. According to CNNMoney, “to pay for the extension of payroll tax cuts, Congress mandated an increase in fees for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. That could mean an increase in upfront costs for borrowers of about half a point, starting April 1. The new fee would add $500 for every $100,000 in principal.” Instead of an additional upfront fee, borrowers could pay the fee as a higher interest rate, [adding] an additional one-eighth of a point to their rate. That amount might seem inconsequential, but when added to a $250,000 mortgage, the mortgagee could be paying approximately $225 more per year.

With a market filled with desirable listings, interest rates at historic lows, and a threat of rising rates, prospective buyers would benefit from getting off the fence and jumping into the present day ‘buyers’ market.

So, what are you waiting for? Click HERE to find a John R. Wood Agent today!

Click HERE to search for homes for sale in Naples, Estero, and Bonita Springs, Florida!






Naples, Florida Real Estate – Now is a good time to buy for…well, everyone!

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

According to the Research Institute for Housing America, all age groups think that now is a good time to buy. Positive home buying sentiment is measured by the % of households who agree that now is a good time to buy. See the chart to the left…

Is now a good time for you to buy in Southwest Florida? You bet it is!

To search for homes for sale in Naples, Bonita Springs or Estero, FL, click HERE!

John R. Wood Realtors – The Symbol of Local Knowledge