The high-end market continues to pick up steam in the post-Easter buying season.  In the past week, we have seen three high-end properties go pending, one in Madeira and two in Vera Cruz.  Showings continue to occur in this traditionally slow season with foreign and domestic buyers returning for post-season purchases. Vera CruzVera Cruz has four pending sales at this time and five closed sales since October 1, 2006. Condo Name Apt.BedroomFull BathRear ViewFurnishedLiving AreaList Price  * PendingVERA CRUZ190344WU3830$2,500,000   * PendingVERA CRUZ210433WU3264$2,095,000    * PendingVERA CRUZ100244WU3846$1,999,000   * PendingVERA CRUZ240643WU4228$3,699,999    MadeiraCurrently, there are a total of five pending sales.  Madeira has eleven closed sales since October 1, 2006.  The closed sale... 05/21/2007

The high-end condo, beach view condo market on Marco Island picked up steam with a post-Easter buying spree.  Buyers focused on two high-end condos, Madeira and Vera Cruz.  The most desirable "04" stack on Madeira is left with only one unit on the market for buyers. Your  market update on closed and pending sales for desirable high-end, beach view condos is below.Vera CruzVera Cruz has two pending sales and five closed sales since October 1, 2006. Condo Name Apt.BedroomFull BathRear ViewFurnishedLiving AreaList Price Sale $ClosedVERA CRUZ80533EU3268$1,650,000 $1,550,000 ClosedVERA CRUZ70533WU3268$1,699,000 $1,550,000 ClosedVERA CRUZ150533WU3268$1,995,000 $1,725,000 ClosedVERA CRUZ80344WU3830$1,995,000 $1,950,000 ClosedVERA CRUZ150344WU3830$2,100,000 $1,915,000           * PendingVERA CR... 05/19/2007

 I just got a call from my son's father about a serious issue on Marco Island.  He wanted to get some exposure to this situation and he asked me to post this on my BLOG to help give some attention to this situation. "Below is a letter we sent to the Marco Island City Council, please take action before our property values are significantly impacted by this action."                                                                     Paul Demos - www.MarcoMagic.com pdemos@comcast.net Why is there always one person cackling "The Sky is Falling" while the rest of us see sunshine?  In short, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO LOGICAL REASON TO OUTLAW WEEKLY VACATION RENTAL HOMES ON MARCO ISLAND.  Such an action would only benefit the vocal minority to the detriment of the community at large.In an article... 05/15/2007

    "Land in Southwest Florida is irreplaceable.  It doesn't matter that the market is weak now.  If you have waterfront property in Naples, it's like having office space in midtown Manhattan."Josh Spencer, Analyst, T. Rowe Price Group The Real Estate Report for Marco Island: Single Family HomesNatalie Kirstein, MBA Premier Properties of Southwest Florida, Inc.Every year people from across the world choose to reside in Marco Island as a primary residence, winter destination, or for investment.   Are we impacted by the housing slowdown reported in the news?  Yes, it does have an impact on our local market from the negative press and apprehension from our feeder markets.  Why then do the economists predict Marco Island as a good long term investment?There are many interesting facets to Ma... 05/08/2007

If you own a home that you rent out on Marco Island you might want to read what Marco Island City Council is thinking of doing...  Limiting the single family homes to 30 day rentals.   There are many homeowners who have purchased vacation homes on Marco Island and rent them out to cover the cost of carrying.  Currently there is no restriction on the length of stay on Marco Island, making single family home vacation rentals very popular.With the Real Estate Market already soft and the number of available listings high, if this were to be implemented it could have a huge impact on the Marco Island economy which is rather dependent on the tourists that visit Marco Island.Read more about this at the Naples Daily News.  Interested in a Marco Island Vacation home rental?   Visit www.MarcoMagi... 05/08/2007

 We vacationed there in January during one of the worst Iowa winters!  The above pond, which was the second largest private pond on Marco Island, was for sale along with the lot next to it for just $325k!The wildlife around this "sanctuary" is spectacular!Can you see the Red-Tailed Hawk in this tree? How's this for an action shot?  This creature was magnificent! I wish I would've been able to purchase these two lots!  Anyone out there feeling generous?  My birthday is coming up in August. I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!Lucky :) 03/31/2007

Have you ever tried to find information about Marco Island but had to look in multiple places to find it? That's why we created Marco-Island-Info.com your Complete Guide to History , Beaches , Climate , Live Weather Radar , Dining , Churches , Shopping , Fishing , Parks & Recreation , Marinas & Boating , Newspapers , Television & News Stations , Radio Stations - FM - AM , Hotels & Resorts , Community Services , Marco Schools , Collier County Schools , Marco Island Business Directory , Web Cams , Real Estate and more. We will continue to add more content, links and useful information to the site to assist residents and visitors. If you can't find it on the site. Let us know and we will do our best to provide it.Are you a business or service provider on Marco Island? List your business fo... 03/29/2007

I recently read some good news at the Florida Realtors site about Florida’s existing home sales rising in July. They said that the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) said that July was the 11th month in a row that sales activity increased in the year-to-year comparison. This is great news not only for us here in Florida but for everyone inerested in real estate. Read the full story at http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=221974     03/15/2007

2006 Year End Real Estate Review for Marco Island Florida When is the right time to buy Marco Island property? How would you like paying 5%, 10% or 20% less than 2005 prices? Would you like to save upto $200,000 off 2005 sale prices? Now you can...We are providing with you exclusive real estate data you will only find from the Tenney Team at Coldwell Banker. We are showing you the actual real estate market statistics that will provide you the knowledge to make the right real estate decision when it comes to true market value. The tables we are providing below shows you 2006 Sales verses 2005 Sales. Bottomline.... It is a buyer's market!!! There are "Great Real Estate Opportunities Available" You as a real estate buyer on Marco Island, are holding all the cards... Still Record Low Intere... 03/05/2007

Caleb Mardini had an excellent post earlier today What Do You Say?   In it he sighted two of my previous posts and how do we assist the consumer with all the information that is out there.  How do we assist buyers and sellers with the massive information overload.  In it I wrote:"The question at hand is one that is very difficult to answer outright.  One that I have been struggling with here.   I see that the past two years we have been correcting from what happened with all the investors that were moving away from the stock market and into Real Estate for the perceived "quick buck" in flipping properties.   I am not the only Realtor having great difficulty in getting buyers off the fence.  Buyers are stuck in analysis paralysis, waiting for the absolutely perfect time.  There will be a... 02/16/2007

Read my prior updates here on the Apollo condo.  Like all of Marco Island, there has been not much activity here as well.   In fact there were no sales in this building according to the Marco Area MLS in 2006, so to have one in 2007 is showing that there are some signs of activity slowly coming back to Marco Island.The Apollo has the most important thing when it comes to Real Estate -- Location! Location! Location!  Located right on the beach at the southern end of Marco Island's Crescent Beach.  It also allows daily rentals, so it made for a popular choice of investors.  There were no sales in 2006 for any units on the MLS for the Apollo. and currently there are no pending units.There are 6 1 bedroom units available with an average list  price of $541,117 and an average of 115 days on ... 02/16/2007

 Angler's Cove is a great boating community that affords owners the ability to have weekly rentals.  There are only a handful of condos on Marco Island that allow the weekly rentals.   So usually this condo has been popular with Investors.  This is a boating community with boat docks available for the residents here.  There are tennis courts, pools and spas dotted in the property.  Centrally located on the Island there are shops and restaurants within walking distance.There are two bedroom and one bedroom units in this complex, some have covered parking and there are some with a cabana which make them more desirable.  Not much has happened in this complex lately, so to have two sales already is a great thing.  It shows that there are buyers out there!  Unfortuantely, it also shows a sig... 02/16/2007

I had the honor of decorating a brand new home on Marco Island that will be used as a Vacation Rental.  Those of you thinking of putting your home in the Rental Pool need to do some serious soul searching before getting involved in this market.  If you are in the market to rent a property on Marco Island, my son's father has several rentals available and they can be seen at his website.  He does his own management, with an excellent network of support staff to keep these homes running.  He goes beyond what most when it comes to vacation rentals -- foosball, table tennis, boat rentals are just some of the added benefits he has.  His houses are decorated beautifully, and you can expect to have a wonderful time.  He has invested in his business, with a fully automated system for bookings r... 02/14/2007

     Ok, so you didn't do something for your sweetheart for Valentine's day and now you are in a panic.  What should you do?   Check out this handy Marco Island Romance List:   http://marcoislandhomes.blogspot.com/2007/02/marco-island-valentines-day-last-minute.html  These are just a few things to help make your Valentine's Day on Marco Island very special...  It is now all up to you!  Make it a great day!     This information is provided by Colleen Kulikowski, Realtor Celebration Florida Homes BLOG            Paradise Report Website        Marco Island Homes BLOG (407) 288-0017            mailto:colleen@paradisereport.com An avid writer and photographer Colleen Kulikowski utilizes these talents to assist her clients in achieving their Real Estate goals.   She grew up in Western NY and ... 02/13/2007

 Or another title for this could be "Shopping Survival Tatics in Southwest Florida" I crossed the SS Jolley Bridge yesterday on what is best called a shopping adventure.  Why is this little trip significant?  Well it is season and driving around here when all the snowbirds are here becomes a challenge.  Each day it gets a little more difficult with the influx of the snowbirds.  It also makes me start counting the days until Easter, when most flock home.Read the Rest of my Story about Driving in SouthWest Florida, visit my Marco Island Blog  This information is provided by Colleen Kulikowski, Realtor Celebration Florida HomesParadise Report WebsiteMarco Island Homes  An avid writer and photographer Colleen Kulikowski utilizes these talents to assist her clients in achieving their Real Es... 02/13/2007

  Back in September I wrote about why there haven't been sales in this building and I shared the following:So why so few sales?   If I can see the numbers, and it is simple statistics you would think that the sellers would understand that their list prices are over what the market will bear.  2004 and 2005 saw tremendous rises in prices and was an unusual increase.   When coming to your List price you really need to disregard (I know I am not going to be popular here BUT...) the tremendous appreciation.  If I take the Average Sales price of 2003 of $444,700 and give it a 15% appreciation each year I come up with $676,332.  The Average sale price for 2006 is $680,000.  The year ended with average sales price of $684,000 with a total of 5 closed sales, 14 less than the prior year.  Sales ... 02/11/2007

A few of you know that I have had a busy two weeks!  Write a post -- who has time when you are decorating!  I have a new found appreciation for those that professionally stage homes!  I had the honor of decorating and staging a house for my son's father who will be renting this home as a vacation rental.  So in many instances I had to stage it for use.  Craig Schiller who was kind enough to answer a bunch of my questions and gave me encouragement.  I had it easy, I could put some personality into the rooms, something that if we were attempting to sell the property I would have had to shy away from.  The house is just about done, and I am working to do the finishing touches.   There are things that have been ordered and will be phased into the home over the coming weeks.  The first rente... 02/05/2007

 Angler's Cove - Marco Island, Florida Market UpdateSunsets on Marco Island are wonderful this time of year!  You could be here enjoying them yourself if you owned here on Marco Island!   So here is a great community to think about purchasing in so you too can enjoy the sugar sand beaches of Marco Island!Since my last Market Update, there have been some changes, and you can see all my previous posts about Angler's Cove including photos and stats here on my BLOG.Here is what is happening in this Boating community on the Marco River:There are 22 Active 1-bedroom units on the market with an average list price of $343,659 and average days on the market of 113.There is only one pending 1-bedroom unit at this time, and it was listed at $269,000 and was on the market 55 days when it went pendi... 01/16/2007

Known for having the best beaches in Southwest Floirda, Marco Island is one of the top vacation destination to beach lovers. Although all of Marco Island's beach is considered free to the public, only a few locations have public access to the beach. Resident's Beach Location: At the intersection of Collier Blvd and San Marco Rd South Marco Beach Marco Island Resident's Beach offers Bathrooms, Grass Tiki huts and parking. The city of Marco Island holds a variety of events and celebrations there throughout the year. Access to Resident's Beach is for Marco Island residents only. Visitors staying on Marco Island can apply for a temporary permit with the City of Marco Island. Tigertail Beach Location: Marco Island There are 31 acres of natural environment and beach amenities. Amenities inclu... 01/14/2007

 It figures that I will be in Orlando attending the mid-winter meetings of the Florida Association of Realtors the one weekend that there is a lot of fun things to do in Naples and Marco Island!  So you are visiting and wondering what to do.  Well Naples & Marco Island Florida are full of options next weekend!  So many things are happening next weekend in the Southwest Florida region, so if you are here you should check one of these out!The third annual Southwest Florida Birding Festival comes to Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve the 19-21 located at 300 Tower Road (off Collier Blvd) call (239) 417-6310 for more information.On both Saturday and Sunday the 20th & 21st there will be Celebrate the Arts at the ARt League of Marco Island located at 1010 Winterberry Drive on Mar... 01/13/2007