Naples Real Estate

When considering buying a “short sale” or “bank owned “ property in Naples there are a few things you should keep in mind.  Foremost is that the home will be sold “as is”.   This means that the homeowner or lender is not going to do anything to “fix the place up”.  If a person can’t make mortgage payments, repairs usually  won’t be made either.  It is also not unusual to find the house stripped of anything that can be sold or used seperately, such as appliances, ceiling fans, light fixtures, toilets, sinks, and even doors and windows.  This can pose the additional problem when the buyer’s lender demands that the home be habitable prior to actually making the loan.  Would you improve a property you don’t own?

Are you bridging a home purchase with a home sale? Do you feel a little anxiety? Don’t worry, you are not alone. According to a recent survey by RealEstate.com, over 2/3 of people who have done this, have had the same feelings. And the good news is that the majority have closed both deals successfully!

When looking for a Qualified Intermediary (QI) for your 1031 Exchange, one of the first things you should ask is, “Is the money in my account commingled with anyone elses account, or is it held in a separate account for each client?” You want your money to be safe and having your own segregrated account, especially one that has its own individual bond, is easily the best way to go. You may even be able to monitor it online. Call Chris and Dick for more information on 1031 exchanges 239-293-1969.

Thanks to the city government of Naples, the Naples Depot Museum will soon have it’s own Model T. This 1922 automobile is similar to the depot hacks that were used to shuttle passengers between the train station and local hotels. After minor restoration work is completed, the car will be driven to this extremely interesting museum on 5th Avenue South in Olde Naples.

In their latest inovative move, NCH Downtown Naples Hospital is helping family and friends of surgical patients keep informed of their progress. A 50 inch plasma screen has been installed in the surgical waiting room that has been linked to various units in the department where trained nurses document the patient’s movement. Now those in the waiting room are up to the minute as far as their loved ones care, which will hopefully relieve some of their anxiety.

iROX is here!!! Whether that is good news or bad may depend on how much traveling you do on Interstate 75. The term iROX comes from I-75 Road Expansion, and gives a spiffy name to this huge $470 million project in Southwest Florida. Thirty miles of the road will be expanded from four lanes to six lanes, beginning in Collier County at the Golden Gate Parkway exit and extending into Lee County at Colonial Boulevard. Drivers should expect delays, however officials of the expansion stated that they do not plan any lane closures during the busiest hours from 8:00 A.M. until 5: P.M. Completion of the project is scheduled for late 2010.

Part of the field for the 2007 Merril Lynch Shootout has been announced and it starts with this year’s Masters Champion, Zach Johnson. But it doesn’t end there. Four other members of the victorious President’s Cup team that defeated the International team in September will also be compeating: Scott Verplank, Woody Austin, Charles Howell III, and Stewart Cink. Also in the field for this two-man team event are fan favorites, Fred Couples, John Daly, Fred Funk, and Chris DiMarco. The event, hosted by Greg Norman, will be held December 5-9 at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, and broadcast on the Golf Channel and NBC.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the housing market in Southwest Florida. At least according to one prominent economist. Henry Fishkind, of Fishkind & Associates, informed his audience at the Southwest Florida Economic Outlook Conference last month that he believes that the market has hit its bottom. One reason for this optimism is the general good health of other sectors of the economy in the area. He did add however, that the slump will not have an immediate end because of the vast inventory of homes presently listed for sale.

Open Houses. Every Sunday you will see hundreds of homes from Olde Naples, Park Shore, and Pelican Bay to Grey Oaks, Olde Cypress, and Quail West, having open houses in hopes of selling these properties. There are two main reasons for having them: sellers insisting that their realtor hold them because they believe it gives them the best opportunity for a sale and, realtors having them in order to find potential buyers for any property, not necessarily the one they are showing. The truth of the matter is that only 2% of homes sold are done through open houses. Most of the people attending these events are either nosy neighbors or someone who uses the time as a type of entertainment. The much more modern way to attract buyers for your home is through an active internet presence, where roughly 75% of homebuyers go for their initial search, and dedicated professionals like Chris and Dick can provide that service

North Naples and Collier County now has a new way to navigate. A new stretch of Logan Blvd. has now been opened. The two mile ride between Immokalee Road and Vanderbilt Beach Road opened on October 2, 2007, and has been a success ever since. This new stretch of Logan has offered travel opportunties for residents of such communities as Heritage Greens, Saturnia Lakes, Olde Cypress, Pebblebrook Lakes, The Quarry, and Golden Gate Estates.