Have you heard the good news? (Cape Coral, Fort Myers: for sale, real estate, foreclosures)

[hiknapster]

A friend sent me this today. No matter how you slice it, it's stellar news.

Sales in the Naples area last year rose 10 percent, the first annual increase in at least five years, while the median price for homes listed at $300,000 or more gained 4 percent to $544,000, according to data compiled by the Naples Area Board of Realtors.

Naples Rises From Florida Housing Swamp as Wealthy Buyers Return to Market - Bloomberg

[Beth Mone`]

That's great news. It would be interesting to see a demographics map of where the recovery is occurring. Odds are it's in Naples proper and along the coast, rather than inland.

Beth

[hiknapster]

Probably. I'm curious, though. This is not the first time that's you've discussed Naples proper. Why is this so important to you?

[Beth Mone`]

That's easy. We live here. We have for many years. We own a business here and we saw a lot of misinformation when we reviewed City Data. We're logged on all day with our business. Community is part of our overall online program. We decided that perhaps we could provide a more accurate viewpoint of Naples to visitors with questions.

Beth

[hiknapster]

I understand that. But would it matter if inland properties were appreciating, too? It's great to have community pride but the forum is for the inland parts as well.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Beth Mone`

That's easy. We live here. We have for many years. We own a business here and we saw a lot of misinformation when we reviewed City Data. We're logged on all day with our business. Community is part of our overall online program. We decided that perhaps we could provide a more accurate viewpoint of Naples to visitors with questions.

Beth

What misinformation?

[Beth Mone`]

I can't tell you where to begin. There has been so much of it. There's lots of misinformation here and misunderstanding about Naples and the communities that surround it. It's our intent to be helpful, nothing more.

Please feel free to read any posts we've participated in. We'd like your opinion.

Beth

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Beth Mone`

I can't tell you where to begin. There has been so much of it. There's lots of misinformation here and misunderstanding about Naples and the communities that surround it. It's our intent to be helpful, nothing more.

Please feel free to read any posts we've participated in. We'd like your opinion.

Beth

I've read several of your posts and thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm not the shrinking violet type so I would have said something if I disagreed with you. I was just a bit concerned that there are fewer people posting. It's probably due to the great weather but I hope it's not because they feel like this forum is not for them anymore.

I think you and I are on the same page. My husband's family has been in the area for years and years, too, and our daughter was born in Naples. She's 11 now. We may be coming back to the area but even if we don't, our hearts will always be there. I have a feeling that we love southwest Florida as much as you.

I am quite sure that the article refers to Naples proper only because the premise is focusing on higher-end properties. But as you know, as goes Naples, so goes the neighborhood and its surroundings. In fact, I posted the same article in the Fort Myers-Cape Coral forum because I firmly believe that it affects that area, too. In fact, sales are definitely up and foreclosures are down in Lee County.

Naples-Marco Island-Fort Myers has had a long history together. There are many that work in one area and live in the other. I'm kind of sorry to see the forum split like it did. Oh, well. Such is life.

Thanks for the response, Beth.

Heidi

[JudiPatooti]

I'm not from Naples proper, although I sure wish I DID live there because it's so treed and beautiful. But, alas, we can't afford it and I still do write here . For what it's worth, I never felt that there was a "split" in this forum. I wonder if there seem to be less participants recently because the weather has been so outstanding. Maybe everyone is occupied outdoors! I'm a night owl, so the weather doesn't conflict with my visits to CD.

I'll add that the housing bomb hit our East Naples community before they reached the mid-point of building 2000 houses here. Building certainly did slow down, but it never ceased entirely and each year since 2007 they build more homes per year than the previous year. These past two winter seasons have been great for sales in our community. And, we here in Naples continue to be the top selling community of new homes for our builder (Pulte) in the state of FL. The builder hoped to be finished and out of here by 2008 which hasn't happened yet, but they're getting there and are now hoping to leave by the end of 2012. So, more sales per year are definitely not only going on in The City of Naples.

Maybe we can actually say that things are looking up. I hope so, anyway, although who knows if Naples is indicative of the rest of the country? Come to think of it, I know it is not as far as new home sales go, because national statistics were just announced two days ago about this being the lowest year in our country for new house building in umpteen years. (Sorry I was only listening with half an ear and I can't be more specific, but that was the gist of it.)

[hiknapster]

Judi, there was a split. Naples use to be under Fort Myers-Cape Coral. I think that forum definitely needed to add the "Naples" name but I'm not sure about getting your own forum. You certainly don't get much action and we still get Naples questions. Oh, well.

Great to hear that your community is selling well. Fort Myers and Cape Coral are selling too, but that is not surprising. There prices are very, very low.

Yes, on average, sales were down, especially after the tax credit went away. However, there are some areas of the country that are doing well and unemployment rates are very, very good in different areas of the country.

Like politics, all real estate is local.

Anyway, glad to deliver good news to your area.

Originally Posted by JudiPatooti

I'm not from Naples proper, although I sure wish I DID live there because it's so treed and beautiful. But, alas, we can't afford it and I still do write here . For what it's worth, I never felt that there was a "split" in this forum. I wonder if there seem to be less participants recently because the weather has been so outstanding. Maybe everyone is occupied outdoors! I'm a night owl, so the weather doesn't conflict with my visits to CD.

I'll add that the housing bomb hit our East Naples community before they reached the mid-point of building 2000 houses here. Building certainly did slow down, but it never ceased entirely and each year since 2007 they build more homes per year than the previous year. These past two winter seasons have been great for sales in our community. And, we here in Naples continue to be the top selling community of new homes for our builder (Pulte) in the state of FL. The builder hoped to be finished and out of here by 2008 which hasn't happened yet, but they're getting there and are now hoping to leave by the end of 2012. So, more sales per year are definitely not only going on in The City of Naples.

Maybe we can actually say that things are looking up. I hope so, anyway, although who knows if Naples is indicative of the rest of the country? Come to think of it, I know it is not as far as new home sales go, because national statistics were just announced two days ago about this being the lowest year in our country for new house building in umpteen years. (Sorry I was only listening with half an ear and I can't be more specific, but that was the gist of it.)