Canadian Snowbirds Delaying Fla. Visits Until COVID-19 Eases

Lambiance – Pelican Bay – Naples, FL – I saw this article in my trade e-mail this morning and wanted to share it with you.

Travel decisions for our Canadian snow birds likely are contingent on how much longer the U.S.-Canadian border remains shut or if Florida’s COVID-19 cases rise or fall in the next few months.

Source: Canadian Snowbirds Delaying Fla. Visits Until COVID-19 Eases

As I read this article, I thought about L’Ambiance’s Canadian owners and our Canadian renters who return to us. Until Canada reopens the boarder to the U.S., they won’t be visiting. I haven’t seen any stats about the lack of European visitors this summer as of yet.

The Naples Board of Realtors July Stats showed a decrease of -3.2% in Naples Beach Area condo median closed sale price.  You can view the full report just click here —- report. Just scroll down to the Naples Beach stats on page 17.  All and all I’d say the market is doing pretty good considering we are in a pandemic.

L’Ambiance’s palm trees were trimmed this and the coconuts were removed. This made for some pretty interesting sounds. I’m always happy to see the coconuts down before a hurricane. I can just picture a storm slamming them into a window.  Our Hong Kong Orchid trees were also trimmed too.

Trimmed Palm Trees

Trimmed Hong Kong Orchid

Trimmed Palms in L’Ambiance

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So, how have you been managing through the pandemic? Don and I have pretty much stayed close to home. We usually do quit a bit of entertaining but that has stopped. We find ourselves virtually entertaining on Skype or Zoom now. We hope you and your families are all safe and healthy.

Downing Frye’s office has moved! Our new office is in the Galleria on Vanderbilt at:

8950 Fontana Del Sol Way Suite 100 – Naples, FL 34109

If you own in L’Ambiance, have you joined our L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay Facebook page yet? It’s a great source to ask questions and to get information. Just click here —> LAmbiance in Pelican Bay. Because I am keeping this a private page, you’ll be asked to answer a couple of questions so I can approve you on the page.

If you are thinking of selling your L’Ambiance unit, please call me before you do any major remodeling. I’d be happy to discuss current market conditions and give you selling tips. I have a list of buyers who are looking for specific units in L’Ambiance. I’d be happy to discuss not only the pricing in L’Ambiance but the pricing for low-rises in Pelican Bay and condos in Naples to see how your unit fits into the equation.

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

Please note that I receive not compensation for mention of any businesses or events.

About the author:

Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay. Her 43 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources to LAmbiance Sellers and Buyers. For more information, please contact Lynn Wilber via e-mail at Lynn@NaplesBuys.com or call 239-594-2780.

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LAmbiance Real Estate News

LAmbiance – Pelican Bay – Naples, FL – It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. For those of you who live in LAmbiance and know my husband, Don, our last few months have been taken up with Don’s back. He’s feeling better now. He jokes that for a while there he walked like “Grampa McCoy”. Needless to say I am thrilled he is feeling better.

So, what’s been happening with real estate in L’Ambiance? We currently have 4 active listings in L’Ambiance: http://bit.ly/LambForSale Of these four listings, 3 of them are second floor coach homes. These particular models used to be in high demand because of their open floor plans, great square footage and a two car garage. What I am seeing now is that the prices that have gotten so high that the buyers who can afford these units have issues with climbing stairs. The buyers who can climb the stairs find these units out of their price range. The market time on these units have increased.

We currently have two first floor coach homes pending. These first floor 3 bedroom units are in quite the demand. Both these units came under contract within a week! http://bit.ly/LambPending

Since the beginning of January 2019 Lambiance saw eight sales ranging from $490,000.00 to $875,000.00: http://bit.ly/2019LambSales EIGHT of these sales were GARDEN units that sold.

Pelican Bay has seen 82 low-rise sales so far this year with an average sales price of $556,854.00 and a median price of $536,000.00. 2018 saw 100 low-rise sales with an average sales price of $551,866.00 and a median sales price of $525,000.00. We’ve seen a slight increase with less sales.

The Naples Florida November 2019 Statistics: http://bit.ly/NaplesNov2019Stats is a long report that covers the Overall Market, the Single Family Market and the Condo Market. You’ll want to take a look at page 6 of the report that shows the number of condo sales betweeen 500K and 1 million, 440 sales, are down 5.5%. This is along the lines of the number of sales of low-rises in Pelican Bay being down in 2019. Page six also shows us that the number of sales for condos over 1 million total 373 sales. Page 17 shows the Naples Beach condos year to date figures show the average price up 8.9% to $997,441.00 and a median price up 5.5% to $675,000.00.

What will 2020 have in store for the real estate market? My crystal ball is still a bit too cloudy to tell you an answer!

Wherever you are enjoying your New Year, both Don and I wish you all a very happy and HEALTHY 2020.

Have you signed up for our new L’Ambiance Community website?  Because our new LAmbiance site is a secure site, registration is required. Shortly after you submit your registration, you will receive an email with login instructions. You will then be able to choose a password, login and browse the member-only sections of the site. The registration link is: https://lambiancenaples.com/registration

If you own in L’Ambiance, have you joined our L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay Facebook page yet? It’s a great source to ask questions and to get information. Just click here —> LAmbiance in Pelican Bay. Because I am keeping this a private page, you’ll be asked to answer a couple of questions so I can approve you on the page.

If you are thinking of selling your L’Ambiance unit, please call me before you do any major remodeling. I’d be happy to discuss current market conditions and give you selling tips. I have a list of buyers who are looking for specific units in L’Ambiance. I’d be happy to discuss not only the pricing in L’Ambiance but the pricing for low-rises in Pelican Bay and condos in Naples to see how your unit fits into the equation.

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

Please note that I receive not compensation for mention of any businesses or events.

About the author:

Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay. Her 41 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources to LAmbiance Sellers and Buyers. For more information, please contact Lynn Wilber via e-mail at Lynn@NaplesBuys.com or call 239-594-2780.

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Red Tide in Naples FL

LAmbiance – Pelican Bay – Naples FL – If you are a member of our LAmbiance in Pelican Bay page on Facebook, you have seen all the posts I have made about the epic red tide that has hit our area this year. Those of you who know Don and I are aware we spend 90% of our summer after work at the beach, unless ThorGuard has prevented us from getting there. (ThorGuard is Pelican Bay’s lightning protection system. I could write a whole another article on ThorGuard.) Since about the beginning of August, we have been unable to go to the beach due to high red tide levels. In the twenty-two years we have lived in Naples, this was the worst red tide we have seen.

You may find yourselves coming back to Naples and be lucky enough that the red tide is not present.  Today I checked https://visitbeaches.org/ to determine if red tide is present on Vanderbilt Beach because I’d like to visit the beach today.  Luckily red tide is not present as of 10:43 AM this morning. One thing to keep in mind about red tide is that it can come and go. It can be nice in the AM and terrible in the PM.  I’ve put the above link on my phone’s home screen along with:

Collier County Red Tide Status

NOAA Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletin

If you are returning to Naples and you are lucky enough to be here when there is no red tide, you might think “Oh it wasn’t that bad, the press must just have been playing it up.”  I am here to tell you as your neighbor, who has been here all summer, IT WAS THAT BAD.  Don and I had the unfortunate experience to be in the Gulf when the tides changed. We found ourselves being circled by dead fish, dead crabs as big as my hands and dead eels as long as my arm.  We quickly left the water and we haven’t been in the Gulf since that time.  If you really know the Wilbers, you know how much this had to hurt our summer.

“So what?” you might ask yourselves. “Red Tide isn’t here now, why should I worry about it?”  You should worry about it because red tide comes and goes.  While it might not be here while you are in town, it could reappear a week after you leave.

There was an excellent article in the TC Palm Treasure Coast Newspaper today.  In the article there is a link to a video of the blue-green toxic algal bloom flowing through Cape Coral.  One of the sentences in the article really stuck home with me, “Those of us who live here know paradise is in trouble.”  I thought to myself “Oh my God! This is so true!”  I live here and I have seen and smelt the dead fish. I heard from my friends about the black water down at Marker36 beach. I’ve seen the tram drivers wearing masks to protect themselves from red tide. I’ve seen the warning about high bacteria levels at Vanderbilt beach.  This is not fake news, it is a reality.

On September 24, 2018, I posted a podcast of a discussion of water quality in Southwest Florida. A former Lee County Commissioner, Ray Judah, was being interviewed about all  the aspects that affect our water problems.  If you haven’t listed to the podcast, please do so by clicking —–> PODCAST

I know some of our neighbors are registered to vote in Florida.  While I stem from a family who had constant political discussions, I loathe getting involved in discussions in today’s political climate. Red tide has been a problem going on for years. BOTH political parties have contributed to the lack of financing for red tide research and testing. BOTH political parties have taken campaign money from the sugar cane industry.   I would urge you to contact the candidates on our ballot and see where they stand on getting money for research and testing for red tide and blue-green toxic algal and how they intend to handle more pollutants going into our waterways. Both of our Senators are so excited they have found money, 1.6 billion, for a reservoir to hold the polluted run off from Lake Okeechobee. I still haven’t seen an answer as to what they intend to do with all the polluted water that will be held in the reservoir.

In my opinion, common sense should dictate that our money should be spent on reasearch as to what causes red tide, what feeds red tide and how can we prevent more pollutants from going into Lake Okeechobee.

I have given you a lot of information in this post.  Please take some time to listen to the podcast and read the articles I’ve referenced.  Your neighbor, who happens to be a Realtor, thinks it is important that you research your candidate’s stand on what they plan to do about red tide and pollution flowing into our waterways before you vote.  Your property values could depend on the quality of our water.

Please note that I receive not compensation for mention of any businesses or events.

About the author:

Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay. Her 40 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources to LAmbiance Sellers and Buyers. For more information, please contact Lynn Wiber via e-mail at Lynn@NaplesBuys.comor call 239-594-2780.

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LAmbiance in Pelican Bay Real Estate Statistics

LAmbiance – Pelican Bay – Naples, FL – Are you curious as to what is happening in the real estate market?  It’s been an interesting year so far. Let’s first take a look at what is happening in LAmbiance.

Since the beginning of the year, we have only had 3 closed sales. You’ll note all of them are first floor units.  Two of these sales are coach homes and one is a garden home.  All three of these listings had new kitchens and other updates.  At present we have two active listings.

Pelican Bay currently has 41 low-rise listings on the market.  Of these 41 listings, only 15 are under 500K.  As of today there have been 61 low-rise closed sales since the beginning of the year. When you review these closed sales, you’ll see that 27 of them were 500K and under. The rest of the sales were all over 501K,

The Naples Board of Realtors recently released the 2nd quarter statistics for 2018. When you look at this report make sure to scroll down to the Condominium Market Statistics page.  I found these statistics very interesting.  Most of our sales in L’Ambiance will be between 500K-1M.  Occasionally we get some units under 500K but these units usually need work.  If you look at the statistics by price, you’ll see the market between 500K-1M only represents 11.1% of all the sales in the 12-month period ending June 2018.  The number of closed sales are down 12% prices are down 5% and inventory is down 4%. The average days on the market are up 5%.

Now take a look at the market over 1M.  The number of closed sales are UP 52%. The prices between 1M – 2M are up 12% and the inventory is down 9%.  The higher price ranges are definite on fire right now.

Please take a moment and also view the Naples Beach Statistics on this report.  You’ll see the number of sales for the 12-month period ending June 2018 represent 21.35% of the market.  The median sales price is $650,000.00 and is down 4%.

When you view the closed sales for all of Pelican Bay, you’ll find that of the 221 closed sales since the beginning of this year, 96 of those sales were over 1 million dollars. That’s 43.4% of the market!

In my humble opinion, it would appear wealthy people are taking money out of the stock market and putting it into real estate.  The people who can afford to purchase in LAmbiance are being more conservative in spending their money on a second home.  Keep in mind the tax deduction for interest on a second home ceased to exist.  Florida is also dealing with harmful blue-green algae and red tide.  While we don’t have either here in Naples currently, these conditions might affect Buyers thinking about investing over a half a million dollars when making a purchase.

The average price for a low-rise in Pelican Bay in the first half of 2017 was $613,254.00.  The average price for a low-rise condo in Pelican Bay in the first half of 2018 was $570,293.00.  That’s a 7.1% decrease in the average sales price.

Low-Rises Closed Sales Pelican Bay First Half of 2017

 

Low-Rises Closed Sales Pelican Bay First Half of 2018 

 

You might hear Realtors complain about the lack of inventory in Pelican Bay.  You would think the lack of inventory would be driving the prices higher.  While that is happening in the 1-2 million dollar market, it is not happening in the lower price ranges.  If you are not in the over million dollar price range, this is not the market to be aggressive in your asking price; especially if you have not updated your unit.  Forget about “testing the market”.  If you do not have to sell, do not put your unit on the market.

Have you signed up for our new L’Ambiance Community website?  Because our new LAmbiance site is a secure site, registration is required. Shortly after you submit your registration, you will receive an email with login instructions. You will then be able to choose a password, login and browse the member-only sections of the site.The registration link is: https://lambiancenaples.com/registration

If you own in L’Ambiance, have you joined our L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay Facebook page yet? It’s a great source to ask questions and to get information. Just click here —> LAmbiance in Pelican Bay. Because I am keeping this a private page, you’ll be asked to answer a couple of questions so I can approve you on the page.

If you are thinking of selling your L’Ambiance unit, please call me before you do any major remodeling. I’d be happy to discuss current market conditions and give you selling tips. I have a list of buyers who are looking for specific units in L’Ambiance. I’d be happy to discuss not only the pricing in L’Ambiance but the pricing for low-rises in Pelican Bay and condos in Naples to see how your unit fits into the equation.

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

Please note that I receive not compensation for mention of any businesses or events.

About the author:

Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay. Her 40 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources to LAmbiance Sellers and Buyers. For more information, please contact Lynn Wiber via e-mail at Lynn@NaplesBuys.comor call 239-594-2780.

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LAmbiance Website

LAmbiance – Pelican Bay – Naples FL –  Many thanks to the members of our LAmbiance website committee, EJ Eckert, Whit Turner, Richard Reich and Don Wilber for putting together our new Lambiance community website!  This website is just chock full of all sorts of information you may need from any recent notices to residents and board contact information.  Looking for a form?  You’ll find it on this site.  What committees do we have here in LAmbiance?  The information is on the site. Need a copy of the rules and regulations?  You’ll find them on this site.  Need association documents?  You’ll find those on this site also!  Does your Realtor need condo documents?  There is a specific sign up for Realtors on this page so they will only be able to access association documents.

I snapped a photo of my desktop screen so you could see what the site looks like on-line.

New LAmbiance Website. https://lambiancenaples.com/registration

Because our LAmbiance site is a secure site, registration is required. Shortly after you submit your registration, you will receive an email with login instructions. You will then be able to choose a password, login and browse the member-only sections of the site.

The registration link is: https://lambiancenaples.com/registration

For many years, neighbors have wanted a neighborhood directory.  What is nice about this new site is that neighbors can list their contact information in the neighborhood directory.  Don’t want to be listed?  You can choose NOT to be listed or choose what information in your profile you want listed when you register. You can even post a photo of yourself in your profile! In the upper right hand corner of the site, you’ll even find a link to our LAmbiance Facebook page.  Just click on the white f to be taken to the Facebook site.

Would you like to give feedback on our site?  Once you are registered, you can click on the CONTACT US button on the site. Where it has SEND TO, click on the drop down menu and select WEBSITE QUESTIONS.  You can also comment at the bottom of this blog post and I will make sure the website committee receives your comments.  Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated!

What’s happening in the real estate market?  I’m saving my thoughts for another blog entry as it is just too much to type.

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer!

If you own in L’Ambiance, have you joined our L’ Ambiance in Pelican Bay Facebook page yet? It’s a great source to ask questions and to get information. Just click here —> LAmbiance in Pelican Bay. Because I am keeping this a private page, you’ll be asked to answer a couple of questions so I can approve you on the page.

If you are thinking of selling your L’Ambiance unit, please call me before you do any major remodeling. I’d be happy to discuss current market conditions and give you selling tips. I have a list of buyers who are looking for specific units in L’Ambiance. I’d be happy to discuss not only the pricing in L’Ambiance but the pricing for low-rises in Pelican Bay and condos in Naples to see how your unit fits into the equation.

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

Please note that I receive not compensation for mention of any businesses or events.

About the author:

Lynn Wilber is a Real Estate Professional who lives in L’Ambiance in Pelican Bay. Her 40 years of real estate experience and her area expertise have been valuable resources to LAmbiance Sellers and Buyers. For more information, please contact Lynn Wiber via e-mail at Lynn@NaplesBuys.comor call 239-594-2780.

YouTube | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Reviews | Lambiance on Facebook