NAPLES, Fla.-October 16, 2009-  Summer was an unusually strong selling period, according to a report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island).

The Naples area housing market continues to show steady increases in both pending and closed sales in the third quarter of 2009. Pending sales increased to 2,570 contracts in the third quarter of 2009 compared to 1,314 contracts in the third quarter of 2008. "In the third quarter of 2009, the Naples area is seeing an overall increase of pending sales in all geographic areas. Showings continue to remain strong, as buyers take advantage of the unique opportunities in today's market," acknowledged Mike Hughes, Vice-President of Downing-Frye Realty.

The available inventory decreased 14 percent in the third quarter of 2009 to 9,209 compared to 10,658 in the third quarter of 2008.

The third quarter report provides annual comparisons of single-family home and condo sales (via the SunshineMLS), price ranges, geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. The statistics are presented in chart format, along with the following analysis:

? Overall pending sales under $300,000 saw a 126 percent increase with 1,917 contracts in the third quarter of 2009 compared to 849 contracts in the third quarter of 2008.

? Single-family homes sales increased 87 percent with 1,488 sales in the third quarter of 2009 compared to 795 sales in the third quarter of 2008.

? The overall median closed price decreased 30 percent to $176,000 in the third quarter of 2009 from $250,000 in the third quarter of 2008.
The median refers to the middle value in a set of statistical values that are arranged in ascending or descending order, in this case prices at which homes were actually sold. It should be noted that in any given period the median could vary greatly if there is an anomaly, a single sale that is significantly higher or lower than other properties in the area.

In the September report, compiled by NABOR, overall condo pending and closed sales increased in all geographic areas.

"Condo sales continue a steady climb, as pending sales increased 159 percent with 350 contracts in September 2009 compared to 135 contracts in September 2008. Closed sales also saw a double digit increase in September, as sales rose 60 percent compared to the same month last year," stated Jo Carter, President of Jo Cater & Associates.

"September marks the sixth consecutive month of an increase in pending sales in the $500,000 to $1 million category," stated Bill Coffey, Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker. "This indicates that the high end market is returning."

The median closed price for properties excluding the under $300,000 section of the market decreased only 6 percent to $525,000 in September 2009 from $557,000 in September 2008.

The September report provides annual comparisons of single-family home and condo sales (via the SunshineMLS), price ranges, geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. The statistics are presented in chart format, along with the following analysis:

? Overall pending home sales saw a 107 percent increase with 848 contracts in September 2009 compared to 410 contracts in September 2008. Properties under $300,000 saw a 142 percent increase in pending sales with 645 contracts in September 2009 compared to 266 contracts in September 2008.

? Single-family pending sales saw an 82 percent increase with 497 contracts in September 2009 compared to 273 contracts in September 2008.

To View The Complete Year To Date Real Estate Market Report:
http://swfproperty.com/market_report

Courtesy Of www.NaplesNews.com
By LAURA LAYDEN (Contact)
Originally published 12:28 p.m., Friday, April 17, 2009
Updated 6:08 p.m., Friday, April 17, 2009

The Realtor board, which has been releasing monthly reports on sales for more than a year, is now generating quarterly reports to show broader trends.

In the first quarter, home listings declined nearly 9 percent. The inventory of homes shrank to 11,211, down from 12,207 in the first quarter of 2008.

Here are some of the other findings for the first quarter of this year:

*Sales for homes under $300,000 saw a 113 percent increase. There were 964, compared to 452 in the first quarter of 2008.

*Single-family home sales under $300,000 increased 242 percent to 510, up from 149 in the first quarter of 2008.

*The median price ? the price at which half the homes sell for more and half for less ? declined 36 percent to $237,000 for the year ending in March 2009. For the same 12 months a year ago, the median was $370,000.

Over the past year, 5,091 homes have sold in the Naples area. That was 30 percent more than in the previous 12 months, when there were 3,910 home sales.

In the first quarter, 1,335 homes sold, up 33 percent from 1,002 in the same quarter in 2008. North Naples had the most sales at 346. East Naples was second with 322.

"Single-family home sales led the way," said Brett Brown, president of the Naples Area Board of Realtors and a broker at Downing-Frye Realty.

"We're outpacing the inventory with closed sales," he said.

An online real estate listing service called FrontDoor.com recently named Naples the No. 2 bargain home buyer market.

The market continues to be driven by foreclosures and short sales. Buyers are looking for bargains.

While sales more than doubled for homes priced at $300,000 or less in the first quarter, they were down in all other price ranges compared to a year ago.

"That market below $300,000 continues to be on fire and I think it will be for the rest of the year," said Mike Hughes, a vice president for Downing-Frye.

The stock market tumble has slowed sales above $1 million over the past few months because it had made those heavily invested more cautious about spending money now. However, he noted that median prices do seem to be stabilizing in markets above $300,000.

Low interest rates are helping to drive more sales.

"I think people are concerned about interest rates going up again," said Michele Harrison, a broker-associate with John R. Wood Realtors.

A year ago, there was a 45-month supply of single-family homes on the market. Now, there's a 14-month supply, Hughes said.

Realtors are now getting multiple offers for homes priced at under $300,000.

Earlier this week, his company wrote a contract for a home that had four offers on it.

The buyers are mixed. Many are second-home buyers, who only plan to live here a few months out of the year. There are some first-time buyers, who are taking advantage of low interest rates and an $8,000 federal tax credit, and long-term investors.

Downing-Frye has seen many buyers coming from the Northeast and from overseas.

"One thing I've learned over the years is Naples has luster," Hughes said.

John Steinwand, president, CEO and principal broker at Naples Realty Services, said he's noticed a lot more buyers from Canada. "They're back," he said.

Banks and Realtors are getting better at short sales, which is helping to turn more pending sales into actual sales. Short sales are sales made for less than the bank is owed to avoid foreclosure.

"The agents have honed their skills on short sales. They know how to do them now," said Kathy Zorn, broker-owner and president of Florida Home Realty.

Monthly statistics for March showed sales continue to increase. There were 569 closed single-family and condo sales, up from 411 a year ago.

There were 414 homes sold for less than $300,000 last month, up from 197 a year ago. In every other price category, sales were lower than they were in the same month a year ago.

Pending sales for single-family homes saw nearly a 137 percent increase last month. There were 625, up from 264 in the same month a year ago.

Condo sales increased 11 percent in March to 277, up from 250 a year ago. Pending sales also rose.

The median price for all homes dropped more than 46 percent to $170,000 in March, down from $319,000 a year ago.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- Home prices have fallen more than 6 percent in the past year, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which tracks 292 U.S. metropolitan areas. That means bargains can be found just about everywhere.

Naples ranked No. 2 overall. Known for its artsy side and the natural wonder of the nearby Everglades, Naples was a vacation destination overrun with real estate investors during boom time. Prices plummeted nearly 33 percent over the past year, offering new buying opportunities for people looking to move to the beach.

The other top 10 markets are Stockton, Calif., at No. 1, followed by Las Vegas at No. 3, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Napa, Calif., Phoenix, San Diego, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

Go to http://www.frontdoor.com/top10 to read more about each of the top 10 picks. The Naples link is http://www.frontdoor.com/Buy/Top-10-Bargain-Markets-for-Homebuyers/54963/p2

Photo: Tampa Gator Tampa, Fla.

When Carole and Jim Gourley started looking at vacation properties in Florida last December, they weren't all that serious. The retired couple, who live in Ontario, had rented in Panama City Beach for five winters. Stuck at home with a sick pet this year, Jim Gourley started browsing for foreclosures down south for fun.

"One thing led to another and we found a condo we liked the look of and decided to pursue it," Carole Gourley says. "We could not believe the prices that some of the properties were being listed for, especially since the one we liked is only four years old."

They ended up buying a three-bedroom condo in Bellasol, a development in Fort Myers, where prices currently range from $39,000 to $170,000. "We paid 25% of the original selling price," she says. "We feel that we got an extremely good deal.

The Gourleys are part of a new surge of buyer interest along Florida's Gulf Coast, where real estate websites are seeing a dramatic increase in traffic and local brokers are experiencing an uptick in inquiries and sales.

In housing markets around the country, there are signs that perhaps the bottom has been reached, and sales are beginning to come back up?with prices hopefully to follow.

To get a handle on these rebounding markets, we asked real estate search firm Trulia to tell us the cities in which they have seen the greatest rise in searches?a proxy for buyer interest?over the last year

The result: Seven of the ten cities were in Florida, a poster state for the real estate boom and bust, and five were on the Gulf Coast side of the state.

Obviously, this isn't boom buying, wherein people are investing their money because prices are rising dramatically.

"Basically, the market crashed so hard, prices have fallen so much, that places have become interesting to people again," says Mark Washburn, a realtor at Island Coast Realty in Ft. Myers who blogs about the local market.

The same holds true in the other Florida markets, says Stan Geberer, associate at Fishkind & Associates, a real estate consulting firm based in Orlando. "Those are all places that have seen a 30 to 50 percent decline in prices over the past year or so," he says. "From the peak of the market they may be down even further than that."

According to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, in the fourth quarter of 2005, home prices rose 36 percent in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area, 38.3 percent in the Naples-Marco Island area, and 28.2 percent in the greater Miami area. In just the last quarter of 2008, prices fell 32.9 percent, 32.8 percent and 24.1 percent respectively.

"Those areas saw the greatest levels of overbuilding, the greatest levels of speculation during the bubble," says Geberer. "[Southwest Florida] was a heavy area for starter home investors." 

Those price declines are luring bargain hunters. Some are vulture investors, Geberer observes. Washburn is seeing people from north of the Mason-Dixon line, and many from Canada.

National real estate brokerage Coldwell Banker Real Estate is seeing buyers push life plans up as a result of the economy, and seeking deals on their retirement homes. First-time buyers are coming back into the market, says Jim Gillespie, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate, thanks in part to federal incentives, which include a $8000 tax credit for first-time, residential buyers.

Photo: Global Jet Queens, N.Y.

In the comeback markets, many of the deals are short sales or foreclosures. In last quarter of 2008, according to the National Association of Realtors, 45 percent of real estate transactions in the US were so-called distressed sales.

But Gillespie points out that there are also markets that have been strong all along; places like Columbus, Ga. Inventory is up there, but prices are too?very, very slightly, about 1 percent. The same holds in Shreveport, La., and San Antonio, Texas, he says. "In most of the heartland of America, the prices are stable."

While it may not be an easy sell to consumers, he argues that it's a great time to buy: Interest rates are at historic lows, with high inventory levels, there's lots of choice, and prices are down. 

"Once the inventory levels are burned off in those hardest hit states we'll have a balanced market," Gillespie says. "And things will start to go up."

NAPLES, Fla.-March 13, 2009 - In February 2009, the pending sales in the Naples area reached its highest peak in over three years, according to a report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island). Overall pending sales, which are a key indicator of buyer activity, continued its upward trend in February. Pending sales increased 69 percent with 808 pending in February 2009 compared to 479 in February 2008. "This is the first time since 2005 that we are seeing multiple offers on numerous properties. This is shaping up to be the best season we have had in the past 4 years," stated Mike Hughes, Vice-President of Downing-Frye Realty. John Steinwand, President of Naples Realty Services, acknowledges that, "Inventory continues to decline due to the increase in sales. The available inventory decreased 7.6 percent to 11,427 in February 2009 compared to 12,377 in February 2008." In a pattern that is occurring throughout Southwest Florida, the Marco Island and Ft. Myers areas have followed this same trend, recently reporting a surge in sales and a decrease in inventory.

"For the 12 months ending February 2009, pending sales for single-family homes under $300,000 increased 362 percent," stated Jo Carter, President of Jo Carter & Associates.

"With current low interest rates and home prices buyers are motivated and the momentum is continuing," stated Bill Coffey, Branch Manager of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate.

On December 8, 2008, Derek Carlson and The Carlson Group joined Sand Castle Realty.  Located in Naples, Florida with real estate branches located throughout the state, Derek believes that Sand Castle Realty is the perfect brokerage firm for The Carlson Group to call home.  Derek says, "The vision, experience, technology, and drive for success offered by Scott Berry and Sand Castle Realty will give my team and I the necessary tools to succeed in this new real estate market."      

ABOUT THE CARLSON GROUP
Derek Carlson, The Carlson Group founder, created a dynamic team of full-time, fully committed, fully accountable, and fully invested Southwest Florida Real Estate Specialists.  As for experience, The Carlson Group has successfully closed over 400 real estate transactions.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a property in Southwest Florida, The Carlson Group make a serious commitment to their clients.  The Carlson Group utilizes a results driven, high technology real estate marketing campaign, and always put their Southwest Florida clients needs above all else. If you are a buyer or seller in Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers, Estero, or Bonita Springs, interested in buying or selling real estate, you can count on The Carlson Group for honesty, integrity, customer service, and commitment. Buying or selling a home, condominium or any type of real estate and property in Southwest Florida will be one of the largest financial transactions of your life. When you purchase real estate in Southwest Florida, whether it be Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers, Estero or Bonita Springs, it is important that you take the time to find a  Southwest Florida Real Estate Team that is willing to go that extra mile, work with you hand in hand, listen, and understand each of your individual real estate needs.

ABOUT SAND CASTLE REALTY
Sand Castle Realty Group, Inc. was founded by Scott Berry, a business savvy Fortune 500 Executive, to create a win/win scenario in every Florida Real Estate transaction.  Starting with a rock solid foundation based on experience, integrity and trust, Sand Castle Realty Group was quickly named the Fastest Growing Real Estate Firm in Southwest Florida adding 100+ Agents each year.  Scott Berry set out to create a "100% Firm" unlike all other Florida Real Estate Firms. Scott explains, "In this era of discount realty "services", and cut-throat practices, it was clear that the ones suffering the most were our valued customers.  Rather than taking Agents' hard-earned commissions, forcing them to discount their services, we have chosen to let our Agents keep their entire commission.  That means happier Agents who provide the full service their customers expect, and the marketing investment they deserve.  We have successfully combined state of the art technology, top agents, and good old fashioned hard work and customer service, to create the fastest growing real estate firm in Southwest Florida."

For More Information:

The Carlson Group
(239) 431 - 6696
derek@derekcarlson.com