I was reading an article earlier this week that stated that over the next 4 years the largest percentage of people ever to retire in a 4 year period will occur! An then I began thinking, "Where will they go?" North Dakota-NO! Maine-NO! Tennesse-Maybe! Florida-YES!!! I live in one of the most beautiful places in this country and I sell real estate here too! I was fortunate to have found Cape Coral, Florida in 2000 and I have watched a city come to life right in front of my eyes. Cape Coral is a boaters paradise with over 400 miles of canals many with access to the Gulf of Mexico and over 27 miles of shoreline! Our average yearly temperature does not vary more than 10 degrees, technically making it a sub tropical climate! Cape Coral is the second largest city by land mass in Florida at 11... 05/05/2008

        Joe Kendall, Realtor with Sandals Realty writes, The Foreclosure process can be avoided by working with your current mortgage holder. One option you have is doing a bank short sale. I suggest you request a Short Sale package from your lender. After sending in the required documents they will advise you on where you qualify for a  Bank Approved Short Sale. The Lender will advise you to get your home listed with a Realtor, price it where  the current market value for the home and bring them an offer. I suggest to you that you use a Realtor that is experienced in doing Bank Short Sales.  I work with WINGED FOOT TITLE Company that provides the service you need to get the short sales accepted and closed! They provide me with a Pre-Title work and a HUD-1 statement to present to the Le... 05/05/2008

As we begin the long recovery in real estate sales and prices, many real estate investors are coming back to test the waters.  The primary motivation seems to be that they can buy inexpensive homes now, rent them at a small negative cash flow for three years and then turn the investment over for a nice total return.Where I have questioned this practice is whether buying the low-end homes will give the best total return.  It seems to me that buying mid-range homes on a golf course or on waterfront lots would seem to give more acceleration on price looking down the road.  Several investors I have talked to say "Yes, but I like to stick to the bottom rung on the ladder."  The rents are another issue that I have thought about.  Right now rents have crashed due to the large number of homes f... 05/03/2008

Have you been waiting to buy REO, bank owned, foreclosure properties in the Cape Coral Florida area? Cape Coral Florida is an area of SW Florida famous for its lovely boating community and gulf access canals. Cape Coral is a boater's paradise with over 400 miles of canals. Cape Coral waterfront living at reduced prices is now possible. In todays market a normal sale price for a gulf access pool home is $280,000 average.The response of the home buying public is growing. There were 106 gulf access homes under contract in April. That number is up from 47 in March. May is looking promising already. The inventory will be eaten up quickly at this rate.If you're a qualified buyer looking to buy a REO, bank owned, foreclosure home, call me and I'll find you an excellent deal.Barbara KlareGulf C... 05/02/2008

         Joe Kendall Realtor with Sandals Realty Waterfront and Foreclosure Specialist writes if you are a avid boater or have great interest in fun on the water ? You must see the most talked about event in Cape Coral the very popular Cardboat Reggatta! it will be heard this year on Saturday May 17th at Seahawk Park starting at 9:00 A.M.  You can see a clip of fun at the last couple of races from just clicking here  04/30/2008

Selling Your Cape Coral Home in Today’s Market! It looks like homes in Cape Coral, Florida are selling again! You can sell your Cape Coral if you follow these 3 steps. 1. The Price The worth of your home is exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. I know that sounds harsh but it’s true. The price has nothing to do with what you paid for the home or what you want to get. The listing price should be an estimate, within 5% of the presumed selling price.  That listing price will get potential buyers in the door. Today’s buyers are thinking price first amenities second. If you’re not getting 2 or more showings per week your home is probably overpriced. Even in the present market, most homes are sold closer to asking price within 40 days. If after speaking to a Realtor, you’re still un... 04/30/2008

Day after day, doom and gloom.  Where are the articles that talk about multiple offers?  Remember those?  During the boom every home seemed to have multiple offers on it.  Well that is exactly what we are seeing in the Cape Coral market once again.  In the lower price ranges almost every home is in a multiple offer situation.  Some buyers are stunned.  They ask "How can I have to pay full price or more in what has been called the worst Real Estate Market in history"?  "I thought this was a Buyers Market".  "Can't we offer 10 or 20% less"?  Well it was the worst Real Estate Market in history and yes it is still a Buyers Market, but no you can't offer 10-20% less, not if you want to buy the house.  How can this be, you think?Simple, really!  Supply and demand.  Although we have had a glut... 04/30/2008

Here is the 24 hour report for activity in the Cape Coral Real Estate market according to the MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Cape Coral area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Cape Coral Real Estate visit http://www.intelligentlisting.com/New Listings81  Back on Market19  Price Increases4  Price Reductions102  Contingents6  Pendings36  Solds29  Expireds30  Inactives25  SELLERS:  Visit my website http://www.colleenpearsall.com/ for a FREE over the net home evaluation.BUYERS:  Visit my website http://www.colleenpearsall.com/ to be the first to know about hot new listings! Colleen Pearsall239-458-5566colleen@colleenpearsall.c... 04/30/2008

Cape Coral Real Estate – Cape Coral Short Sales   The Cape Coral real estate market is quite intriguing these days.   As many have noticed, there are plenty of short sales and bank owned properties for sale in Cape Coral.   We get calls every day from buyers asking about short sales in Cape Coral. Some of these Cape Coral buyers have been reading a lot on the internet and some have spoken with many different real estate agents as well. Funny thing is, they are getting plenty of different answers about how short sales work. Some advice they get about Cape Coral short sales is good. And some advice not so good.   Our office has a system in place to handle the short sales in Cape Coral. At times negotiating short sales can be trying. It is a lot of work but they are closing.   I wanted to ... 04/29/2008

My last post asked," If we have reached the bottom yet?" Well today we had a young couple come into the office and they wanted to find out if they could afford a home! They spoke to our mortgage representative and they found out they were qualified up to $90,000. Oh well we thought, save some money and we will look again in a year or maybe you can look in another area! Then I said why not take a look on the MLS and see if there is 1 or 2 listings in Cape Coral. I couldn't imagine there would be, let's face it 2 years ago $180,000 was a bargain. So we looked!! 156 listings less than $90,000 and the lowest 3 bedroom, 2 bath home was $58,600!!! You could not buy a lot for that price 2 years ago! This young couple will be able to purchase their first home NOW and so will a lot of others! I ... 04/28/2008

                        Coral Oaks Golf Course 3/2/3 Pool Home;  1607 NW 31st Avenue, 33993         $369,000.2437 sq ft under air,  4714 sq ft totalVaulted ceiling in the family and dining rooms, Trey ceilings in the bedroomsHeated Spillover SPA, Saltwater Pool for low maintenance18" tile floors throughout;  paver-brick driveway and pool deckGolf Cart garage with overhead door;  600 sq ft garageExtra large master bath with walk-thru shower and Roman tubGranite counter-tops, architectural plant shelves throughoutBuilt-in entertainment center, surround sound, speakers in all rooms & verandahWhole-House reverse osmosis system with 800 gallon reserve tankLarge walk-in Closets in all bedrooms, two in the MasterPaver Driveway and Pool DeckBuilt-In Generator Wiring and Cutover Panel; In-the-wa... 04/27/2008

Come celebrate Cinco de Mayo this Saturday, May 3, 2008. Beginning at 5PM, the party is sure to be rocking into the early night hours. This is a family event with food, music and fun! Located on 47th Terrace (N of Cape Coral Pkwy) - Cape Coral, Florida As always, should you, or anyone you know have a real estate need please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours in Success, Susan Milner Florida Future Realty, Inc. (239) 218-2229 Search Cape Coral & other area listings: Cape Coral Real Estate Susan@SusanMilner.com 04/26/2008

This is the most asked question in the southwest Florida real estate community! The million dollar question and I am amazed at all of the responses that I hear to the same question! After 28 months of sitting and waiting, prices have rolled back to 2001 levels! Buyers are all over town and transactions are once again closing on a daily basis! Where is the bottom? What is the botom? An old real estate investor who I have known for some time now recently said this, "You never know you were at the bottom, until you missed it!" Wow!How long are you willing to wait before you decide to buy? At what price is it a good deal? I asked a potential buyer the other day, if they know anybody who wishes they had sold their property 3 years ago at the peak of the market? Of course they did, so I asked... 04/26/2008

            Joe Kendall Realtor with Sandals Realty 239-560-0726 Waterfront and Foreclosure Specialist writes, When looking to buy waterfront property here in Cape Coral, Fort Myers Florida and thru-out southwest Florida, there are some things to consider besides the home your searching to buy. There are several things you should review when making a decision on a waterfront home. Here are a few good points to consider. 1. Always do a visual inspection of the seawall. Look for stress cracks, grumbled concrete, rain water should be draining over the seawall edge to the canal not behind the wall where the yard and see wall meet. Repairing or even replacing a seawall can be very costly. If there are signs of damage you mat want to have the seawall inspected by a marine contractor?  2. If t... 04/24/2008

For some time, we have kept some restaurant information on our main website:   http://www.jimgibson.biz/    go to "About Cape Coral"Here is some supplementary info for someone looking for a quick meal out:Ariani Restaurant,1529 S.E. 15th Terr.,Del Prado Mall,Cape Coral, FL  33990, 239-772-8000    http://www.chefdario.com/ariani.html  opens at 5:30pm, reservations suggested, dressy casual          My all-time favorite for a nice, quiet dinner in a classy setting.          A truely remarkable meal...try the Lambuco.....say hello to Chef Dario and Alice for me! Annies Redstaurant (239) 945-3133 814 Se 47th St, Cape Coral, FL    Just off Coronado, near the CC Pkwy......great breakfast, loved by locals!    Lots of action on Sunday Morning! Azucar Cuban Restaurant  (239) 549-2833 3326 Del Pra... 04/19/2008

                           Joe Kendall, Realtor with Sandals Realty the waterfront & Foreclosure Specialist writes, This home will be featured as an Open House Sunday April 20th from 12:00pm till 4:00pm. The amenities are endless, designed fit for a King or Queen ! Discover the southwest Florida Lifestyle from this outstanding Key West Style Home. Enjoy the view of the spreader canal from the wrap around screened porch,or swim in the  wrap around Pool and Spa, or park your boats on the 80 feet of running dock with a 10,000 lb boat lift! The views from the 3rd floor observation room are amazing! Now is the time to buy a foreclosure home in Florida! Call or email today for more information!                                 04/18/2008

  I really feel that anyone interested in buying waterfront homes in Cape Coral, Fl.  should do so now.  I think we are at the bottom now.  There are so many great deals for buyers now.   Homes that were at $1,000,000 are now at $699,000.  I am showing six of them on Wednesday.   Living in Cape Coral, Fl.  is like being on vacation, step out your back sliders to the dock and hop into your boat for a little sea cruise.  My husband and I have a hard time trying to figure out where to go for vacation.  We have everything we need right here, warm weather, blue skies, pool, boat parked in the canal in our back yard.  We are from Indiana orginally, We laugh now that we used to drive 1200 miles non-stop so that we could enjoy a week in the sun.  We totally feel blessed to be living the life th... 04/15/2008

Cape Coral real estate, not selling?                HA HA. I just did a comparison for Single Family home sales for the first quarter of 2007 vs. the first quarter of 2008. I didn't address condos or vacant land. Just Single Family Homes in Cape Coral. (Read this or just go look at the pictures if you are visual)Here's what I found:NO, none, zip, zero homes sold in Cape Coral from Jan 1, 2007-March 30, 2007 Under $100,000!!!!Guess what though? That same time frame in 2008 we had 42 single family homes sell for under $100,000 - that is GREAT news for first time home buyers and investors. One actually sold for as low as $42,000 - seriously, I couldn't believe it either. It needed some work but STILL - WOW!               In this first quarter of 2007, MOST (70%) of the sales were in the $2... 04/15/2008

American's appetite for big homes and over-sized furniture appears to be shrinking.New-home buyers began asking builder KB Home for smaller floor plans right after the collapse in subprime lending last year, says CEO Jeffrey Mezger.The demand for a huge, high-ceilinged great room is giving way to the desire for special-purpose rooms, including media rooms and home offices, says a spokesman for luxury specialist Pulte Homes.In three of its four new sofa collections, Younger Furniture is offering "apartment size" sofas, which are about 10 inches shorter than full-sized ones. Citing a trend toward smaller homes, Rowe Fine Furniture says it expects its Mini Mod line will account for a quarter of its collection this fall."They're finally getting it," says Jodi FitzGerald, owner of Door Store... 04/15/2008

Denine P. Burney-Brandon       What baby are you?   Bet you forward this to everybody in your address book - I did! These are adorable and I'll bet they fit your b-day/personality to a T................. Jan ---------------JANUARY BABY--------------------Pretty/handsome. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to Recover when hurt. Sensitive. Down-to-Earth.Stubborn. Repost this in 5 mins and you will meet Someone new in 8 days that will perfectly balanceYour personality. Feb ----------FEBRUARY BABY --------------------Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexiest out of everyone.Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. HonestAnd loyal. Determined to reach goals. LovesFreedom. Rebellious whe... 04/14/2008