Sunset Friday, September 18th was absolutely gorgeous!  I even managed to see a tiny green flash that night!  I have been getting better at using my new Flip video camera.  It is sooooooo easy to use.  I wish I would have captured the green flash for you on video but I was so excited that I almost dropped the camera.  Here’s the sunset that night for you to view:

Building are still in the process of being painted here in L’Ambiance.  As of this last week the painters were on building 5.  I can not wait for all this work to finish so that I can throughly wash my lanai and all the windows in my unit.

Wondering what is happening with the Albertson’s at the Market Place in Pelican Bay? Read about it here: http://www.realtown.com/Lynngri/blog

Please enjoy the sunset video.  Where ever you are, I hope that you can return to L’Ambiance soon!

Are you on Facebook?  I have recently started a group page for Pelican Bay called Pelican Bay in Naples, Florida a Beach Neighborhood.  Please login, sign up and share photos, videos and experiences of living in Pelican Bay.  You can even start discussions with other group members about items of importance to you in Pelican Bay.

Should you be thinking of selling your home in L’Ambiance and want a candid assessment of what it would take to sell your home in today’s market, I would be happy to provide you with a free market evaluation.  Feel free to call me at 239-594-2780 or e-mail me at Lynn@NaplesBuys.com

Would you like to own a home in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay?  SEARCH HERE, once at the search page you can search by the L’Ambiance development, save your search and new listings will be sent to you.

Would you like to subscribe to L’Ambiance updates?  E-mail me at Lynn@NaplesBuys.com to be added to the subscription list.  Please know that I will keep your e-mail address private.

Care to comment about living in L’Ambiance?  Just click on the ADD COMMENT link at the end of this entry.

About the author:

Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay.  Her 31 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources for Pelican Bay Sellers and Buyers.  For more information, please contact Lynn Wilber or call 239-594-2780.

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Memorial Day is rapidly approaching…..have you found yourself wondering how fast this year seems to be passing by?  I sure have thought about how time has been flying by.  L’Ambiance almost seems as if it were a ghost town since most of our residents have headed back North.  Well, while the majority of residents are away….L’Ambiance projects are underway.

The remodeling of our clubhouse has begun.  I took these photos to show you the work that is being done.  The steam room in the men’s bathroom is still a work in progress.  The entire inside of the clubhouse will be repainted and the common area will be redone.  The Floor Exercise Room is being turned into a library.  Should you happen to be in town for the Memorial Day be aware that work is being done. 

On Monday, May 18th from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM the fire department will be checking out the fire alarms in buildings 100 – 1000.  The fire department will not need to gain access to the units.  Be aware that you may hear fire alarms going off intermittently during the inspection period.

What’s been happening with real estate in L’Ambiance?  Unfortunately not much.

Please remember that where ever you see highlighted text, you can click on the high light and be taken to a window with more information.

What’s been happening with real estate in L’Ambiance?  Unfortunately not much.  To view real estate activity in L’Ambiance, click on:

• ACTIVE LISTINGS
• PENDING SALES
• CLOSED SALES
• UNSOLD UNITS

Many of the aquascapes in L’Ambiance have been turned off.  The reason this has happened is because our lake level is very low and we did not want our pumps to burn out.  The newspaper reported that since January 1st of this year, we have only received 1.39 INCHES of rain.  The good news is that we had a thunderstorm today!  I was so excited I actually ran outside to take a video of the dark clouds and thunder.

 
Should you be returning to L’Ambiance for the Memorial Day holiday, please keep in mind all the work that will be occurring during your stay.  Our lovely pool area and the beautiful beach in Pelican Bay will be waiting for you!

Should you be thinking of selling your home in L’Ambiance and would like a candid assessment of what it would take to sell your home in today’s market, I would be happy to provide you with a free market evaluation. Feel free to give me a call at 239-594-2780 or e-mail me at Lynn@NaplesBuys.com.

Looking for a home in L’Ambiance?  Search here, once at the search page, you can search by development, save your search and new listing updates will be e-mailed to you.

Care to share a comment with us?  Just click on the comment link at the bottom of this blog entry.  Comments are always welcome.

About the author:

Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay.  Her 31 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources for Pelican Bay Sellers and Buyers.  For more information, please contact Lynn Wilber or call 239-594-2780.

YouTube | Linkedin | Google | Website | Pelican Bay Blog

The New Year has started out pretty hectic.  My phone has been ringing and I have been receiving e-mail inquiries about homes.  I have to say that it seems busier to me than the beginning of last year!

I have finally finished calculating the statistics for L’Ambiance.  I have separated the coach homes from the garden homes and the first floor residences from the second floor residences.  To view these statistics click on:  Lambiance 2008 YTD Statistics 

In 2008 there were two first floor coach homes that closed with an average sales price of $787,450.00.  These sellers received 6.75% less than their asking price.  In 2007 there were no first floor coach homes that sold.  It is interesting to note that the first floor coach homes listed in 2008 showed a decrease of 14.95% from the asking prices in 2007.  Market time on active listing first floor coach homes went from 119 days in 2007 to 169 days in 2008.

There was only one second floor coach home that closed in 2008 for $750,000.00.  Those sellers received 16.20% less than their asking price.

First floor garden homes had an average sales price of $546,875.00 in 2008.  This was an increase of 5.3% over 2007’s figures for first floor garden homes.  This increase could be a bit misleading because there were only two closed first floor garden homes in 2007 and both of those were two bedroom units.  Of the 4 first floor garden closed sales in 2008 three of them were 3 bedroom units.

Second floor garden homes only saw one closed sale in 2008 for $548,000.00.  Those sellers received 5.88% less than their asking price.  The average sales price of this 2008 sale was 2.7% less than the 2007 figure.

L’Ambiance currently has 14 active listings on the market.  We had 8 closed sales in 2008.  This means that we have an inventory of L’Ambiance units that could last 21 months.  Low rises in Pelican Bay currently has an inventory that could last 18 months.  The National Association of Realtors says that a “normal” amount of inventory should be six months of inventory.  You can see that neither Pelican Bay nor L’Ambiance has a “normal” amount of inventory.  

How can we clear out this inventory?  My advice has not changed.  If you do not really HAVE TO sell, do not put your home on the market.  Out of 69 closed low rise sales in 2008, 31 of them were all under $499,999.00.  SIXTY percent of all low rises listed in Pelican Bay in 2008 FAILED to sell.  This market dictates that a home be priced at or under market in order for it to be sold and be in top condition.  The market is what the market is.

The Florida Association of Realtors published an article discussing  existing home sales.  This article talks about how home sales over $750,000.00 have dropped 47%.  FAR feels that mortgages that do not have government backing are experiencing a credit crunch.  Buyers who need jumbo mortgages are paying nearly 2% higher than conventional borrowers.  FAR feels that because of  higher interest rates, the higher end market is stalling.  

Moving on to other topics, were any of you able to see the mother alligator with her babies?  Mom was hanging around the North berm where it intersects with the boardwalk.  I managed to snap a photo of her and her babies when she was there the beginning of December.

I also managed to snap some photos of a heron a few days later.

Want to see what cities people are in when they view our L’Ambiance site?  If you scroll down the blog to the very bottom, you will notice a box on the right hand side called “Feedjit”. This widget keeps tracks of the location of people viewing the site.  Not too long ago we had someone from Bangkok viewing our site! 

My listing at 2100 Lambiance CIR #101 recently dropped their listing price to $749,900.00.  The second floor listing that I have in Covington Row at the Crescent also recently dropped their asking price from $899,900.00 to $799,900.  If you are contemplating owning a larger unit and would like to see either of these two properties, please call me at 239-594-2780 or e-mail me at Lynn@NaplesBuys.com  

Friends have been calling me today from Chicago telling me how horribly cold it is with the wind chill.  Where ever you are when you reading this blog entry, I hope that you are staying warm.

Summer has brought quiet times to L’Ambiance.  While our Gulf water temperatures are hovering around 90 degrees, there are fewer residents in Pelican Bay and the beach has seen a lot less traffic.  Within the last two weeks, I have also seen a bit of a slow down in real estate.  During this slower time I have been busy working on my Naples web site, NaplesWave.com. I have added all sorts of additional pages to the site with information on Naples and Pelican Bay.  If you have a chance, please take a look at the site and let me know what you think.  I am also still working on improving this blog site for L’Ambiance residents.  I have provided some of the same links that our on our L’Ambiance site along the side of the page.

I also have been working on posting my listings to YouTube.  This is the first L’Ambiance listing that I video taped and edited.

The L’Ambiance Statistics as of June 19, 2008 show that we have 11 active listings on the market.  Since the beginning of the year, we have had 4 closed sales.  Two of those sales were in the Coach Homes, which have kept the average sale price of L’Ambiance up.  The two sales that took place in the Garden Homes were for $565,000.00 and $557,500.00.  Of the 11 active listings currently on the market, only three of them are Coach Homes.  60% of all L’Ambiance listings are failing to sell, while 58% of all the low rise condos in Pelican Bay are failing to sell.  At the end of 2007, 71% of all low rises were failing to sell.  I believe that this number has improved because some seller decided to bring their asking prices closer to market price and some buyers are finally beginning to recognize that they should make a buying decision.  I have complied all the statistics for Pelican Bay at Pelican Bay Statistics.

Many sellers talk about the wonderful location L’Ambiance has not only to the beach but also to nearby shopping and amenities.  L’Ambiance’s location is one huge reason that my husband and I purchased in L’Ambiance.  Today’s market takes location into account but price is still the key.  I have discussed location and pricing in my blog entry Strip Joints and Selling Houses. 

The L’Ambiance Board has been busy attempting to find a solution to our aquascape issues.  At this point in time there are currently 5 pumps that are not in operation.  Our Board is exploring  a new pump system that will be less problematic than the current ones we have.  Our Decorating Committee recently brought their suggestions to the Board for redecorating our clubhouse.  Our Board could not agree on the Commitee’s recomendation and has requested that alternative plans be explored.

L’Ambiance’s Compliance Committee has been established to hear formal complaints and proposed Notices of Intent to Fine for alleged violations of L’Ambiance’s Rules, Regulations and Use Restrictions.  Three member residents have been appointed by our Board to serve of this committee.  Any owner who is brought before this committee will be given notice of the hearing, evidence to support the alleged violation, and be allowed to be heard with remarks and evidence in their favor.  One such hearing was held recently for a noise nuisance.  The Committee recommended to the Board that the fine be upheld.  The owner was subsequently fined $100.00 for the violation.

We are continuing the monument lighting project at Hammock Oak and Oakmont corner locations on Pelican Bay Blvd.  The new lighting should be complete before residents return for the season.

You can see from the Pelican Bay statistics that there have been only 32 Low Rises Sales in Pelican Bay since the beginning of the year.  19 of those sales are in low rises with the same type of rental policy that L’Ambiance has.   That is over 50% of all the sales!  L’Ambiances three times a year, minimum 30 day rental policy has helped hold our home values. 

Naples Statistics show that prices in both single family homes and condominiums have decreased. 

Please have a safe and happy 4th of July.  I hope to see some of you returning to L’Ambiance for the holiday to enjoy some of our L’Ambiance local color!