Fort Myers

Southwest Florida Has Something For Everyone

Are you tired of the rat race that has you in your car on the way to work at 7am and then back home at 8 in the evening? Would you like to believe there is a real alternative, where you can live in a relaxing environment, more time for leisure activities and access to all the things you love like the beach and golf courses?

Southwest Florida is all this and more, with a great climate all year round and all the facilities you could want for yourself and your family. All here to enhance your life, rather than making you sit in traffic jams.

One of the most outstanding communities on the Southwest Florida peninsula is Bonita Springs, which is also known as the “Gateway to the Gulf”. Bonita Springs was not so long ago a sleepy fishing village, but now enjoys the reputation of being one of the most prestigious residential locations in the state.

The beaches are renowned for their cleanliness and beauty, and feel just like a tropical resort rather than a residential community. The golf courses at Bonita Springs are world-class and other activities include fishing, boating, tennis, and so much more.

Real estate in Bonita Springs tends to be aimed at the second home owner, and the established communities are more high-end. That said, there are also new developments in the area which offer more affordable living, inland from the coast, yet still within reach of all the amenities. If it’s a holiday destination you’re looking for then condominiums in Bonita Springs offer the best way to pay less and get more.

Fort Myers is another prime area situated on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. Once the home of pineapple plantations and cattle farms, it was named after Colonel Abraham Myers, and still manages to blend its rich history with spectacular new developments. The prime attraction of the region is the moderate winter climate which draws many retirees to the area from all over the country.

Fort Myers even has a Recreational Department which organizes activities for young and old alike, from boating to swimming, and ball games to dancing.

Fort Myers real estate appeals to a wide demographic, with everything from affordable cottages, to Art Deco mansions overlooking the river. There are a number of exclusive gated communities for those looking for security and peace of mind, and condominiums line the shoreline for holiday seekers to have a place to come and relax.

No matter where you choose to live in the Southwest Florida region, rest and recreation is the top priority and housing options all revolve around maximizing use of the great climate and facilities.

As a holiday or retirement destination, Florida has everything you could want for a restful time. Real estate options are available for everyone, and prices range from $150,000 for a condo, or modest 3 bedroom house, to $10 million for a spectacular waterside villa. It all depends on your needs, and your budget.

The Plantation – Fort Myers, FL

Furnished and Unfurnished Rentals available in the Plantation in Fort Myers.

Single Family Homes and Condos for sale in the Plantation.

View the Clubhouse and golf course.

Beautiful 3B/3B FURNISHED, BRAND NEW condo with LAKE VIEWS available for annual or seasonal rental – GOLF AVAILABLE! This bright and sunny property features a 2-car garage, and has all of the bells and whistles a tenant could ask for! Upgrades including granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, ceramic tile flooring, and stylishly appointed furnishings are just some of the features of this unit. Lanai is spacious and great for taking in the gorgeous Florida sunsets! Community offers numerous amenities, including an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Hurdzan-Fry, and 30,000 square foot Clubhouse. Located close to schools, restaurants, FGCU, the SWFL International Airport, and the upscale Bell Tower shops, tenants will only be minutes away from everything they could possibly need! Please see confidential comments for details.

About the Plantation…Enjoy the fabulous amenities that Plantation offers. Create your own lifestyle at Plantation. Community Center with Resort style pool, spa, fitness center and 6 Har-tru tennis courts are included with home ownership. Optional affordable golf memberships are available for the Hurzan Fry golf course, 30,000 sq ft club house with restaurant, bar, billiards room and pro shop.  Whether you are looking for homes for sale, annual rentals, seasonal rentals, golf course views, or just a place to play a round or two of golf, be sure to check out the Plantation.  The Plantation is located in South Fort Myers, just minutes away from the Southwest FL International Airport, Gulf Coast Town Center, Miromar Outlets, and Coconut Point Mall.  The Golf Course is situated just north of Naples, Bonita Springs, and Estero.  Red Sox Spring Training and the Beaches are just right around the corner.

Buying a new home and renting out the old one

I picked up this article from an email that was sent to me, and thought it was very applicable to the Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs, and Fort Myers Markets.  It talks about what a lot of people are doing right now…Buying a new property and renting out the old one.  It even goes into the property management element.  Enjoy…

Buying a new home and renting out the old one

Plus, reverse mortgages and why they need to be FHA-approved

By Lew Sichelman Market Watch

Realty Q&A is a weekly column in which Lew Sichelman, a nationally syndicated columnist who has been covering the housing market for more than 35 years, responds to readers’ questions on real estate.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Question: I’m having trouble understanding the conventional wisdom that says you shouldn’t turn your existing home into a rental property when you buy a new house. The “experts” say if you want a rental, you should sell your house and buy the one next door. I understand the benefits of tax-free capital gains, but what about transaction costs and the ability to lock in a primary residence mortgage rate before you rent it?

My situation is that I have a house worth $260,000 and we owe $140,000 but would take about $50,000 of equity out for part of our down payment on the new home. The house is in a “hip” neighborhood and we could rent out for $1,500 to $1,700 and probably see appreciation. So the property would be cash-flow positive. Wouldn’t it make sense to keep our house as a rental? — Matt.

Answer: Sounds like a plan to me. The scenario you describe makes absolute sense. But the only way you can pull $50,000 out of your present abode is to refinance. And to do that, you’ll have to certify that you will occupy the place. So don’t let anyone in on your plan, especially your loan officer. And don’t buy your next house until the you have the money from the refi in hand.

By the way, I haven’t heard what you call “conventional wisdom” about selling your house and buying the one next door. But I assume that is someone’s answer to escaping places in which the owner owes more to the lender than the joint is worth. The tactic would be to buy the house next door at its sharply deflated value, and then send in the keys with a nice “see ya later” letter to the lender who holds the mortgage on your current house. The ploy will kill your credit, but at least you’ll be in your new, cheaper digs next door before that occurs.

I suppose it also would work in your case. Since you are not upside down on your loan and the house continues to appreciate in value, you could sell at a profit, use some of the proceeds to buy a new house and the rest to buy the place across the street. But if your house is appreciating, you’ve got to figure the one you have your eyes on for a rental is appreciating, too. So where’s the bargain, especially, as you rightfully point out, when you consider transaction costs, taxes and a somewhat higher mortgage rate on the new rental?

Question: Thank you so much for your response. Two different reverse-mortgage lenders told us that they would not be able to process an HECM because of the “condo” issue. If you have the name of a person or business that will help us with this, I would most appreciate the referral. —A.A.

Answer: I spoke with the folks at Generation Mortgage, another major home-equity conversion mortgage lender, and I think I know what the problem may be. The condominium in question probably isn’t on the Federal Housing Administration’s approved list. “Before an application can be taken for a reverse mortgage on a condominium project, a borrower must first find out if the project is on FHA’s approved list,” a Generation spokesperson reminded me. “A borrower can find out this information by contacting an-FHA approved lender or asking their homeowners association.”

If the project is on the list, I was assured there should be no problem. But even if it’s not, my source said, lenders “have approval processing options [that] they can exercise to gain FHA approval.”

Feedback

I like your column and read it regularly. However, you are wrong on the percentage that an agent charges for property management for rental property (residential). In your recent article “When renting out a home is the best option,” you made the following statement in answer to a question: “Hopefully, the house will throw off enough income, even after the agent’s 15% to 17% commission, to cover the mortgage payment. I’ve owned rental properties for 20 years, and have paid agents 10% to 15% to manage my property. You may want to make a comment to this effect to correct this error because the figures are way out of wack. —K.L.

Response: You’re right, sorta. I just threw those percentages out there because no one has any hard numbers on the typical commission. In truth, rental fees are all over the ballpark, and are usually whatever the traffic will bear.

Typically, ma and pa landlords pay agents a fee equal to one month’s rent to sign a tenant to a one-year lease. However, in many resort areas, rental agents ask for — and receive —something on the order of 17% to 20% or more if they have to watch the place when it is empty or have it cleaned and perform other management chores.

Florida’s existing condo sales up in 3Q 2010

Interseting article written by Florida Association of Realtors.  Good News is coming….

ORLANDO, Fla. – Nov. 11, 2010 – Sales of existing condominiums in Florida rose 15 percent in third quarter 2010 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®. A total of 16,938 existing condos sold statewide in 3Q 2010; during the same period the year before, a total of 14,793 units changed hands.

Fourteen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported higher existing condo sales in the third quarter, according to Florida Realtors. The statewide existing-condo median sales price was $84,000 for the three-month period; in 3Q 2009, it was $106,000 for a decrease of 21 percent.

“A healthy housing market is built on the foundation of a robust economy,” said Dr. Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness. “As the economic recovery continues in Florida – and in particular as the labor market improves – the housing market will follow suit. The price decline in the condo market continues to attract domestic and foreign buyers to Florida to take advantage of this buying opportunity.

“The third-quarter single-family and condo Florida resales data reflect a slowdown relative to second-quarter data as the expiration of the first-time homebuyer’s tax credit in April pulled future demand into the second quarter,” Snaith said, adding that the drop-off was expected.

Meanwhile, in the year-to-year quarterly comparison for existing single-family home sales, 41,122 homes sold statewide for the quarter compared to 44,451 homes in 3Q 2009 for a 7 percent decrease. The statewide existing-home median sales price was $135,200 in 3Q 2010; a year earlier, it was $145,300 for a decrease of 7 percent. Sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties continue to downwardly distort the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). The median is a typical market price where half the homes sold for more, half for less.

The University of Florida’s Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies’ latest quarterly survey of real estate trends reports that the jobless rate remains a top concern for the future outlook of the state’s real estate industry. The survey polls market research economists, industry executives, real estate scholars and other experts.

Timothy Becker, the center’s director, noted that investment in real estate continues to flow into Florida, though investors are wary about the economy. “The apartment sector is the stellar performer,” he said, adding that conditions continue to improve in the commercial sector. “We’re starting to see stabilization across property types in occupancy, with respondents saying they feel better about what rents are going to look like in the near future.”

Low mortgage rates continued to be available during the third quarter of the year. According to Freddie Mac, the national commitment rate for a 30-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.45 percent in 3Q 2010; one year earlier, it averaged 5.16 percent.

© 2010 Florida Realtors®

Renaissance – Exclusive Offerings – Fort Myers, FL

If you are looking for an exlusive offering of single family homes or exquisite attached villas in a community where the builder have not lacked in details, please consider the Renaissance in Fort Myers.  One of the great benefits of success for the Renaissance is knowing exactly how and where to savor life to the fullest. For members of The Club at Renaissance, the how and where is literally in their backyard. The Club is the centerpiece of the Renaissance community; and it follows in the Country Club tradition of impeccable service, attention to detail, and completeness. It also follows the wonderful new Renaissance tradition of fun, friendliness and lack of formality.

The Club at Renaissance is a Private Club with an 18 hole, Arthur Hill’s designed golf course located on the Southwest Coast of Florida in Ft. Myers . With only 390 luxury home sites available for Estate Homes, Executive Homes, Villas and Coach Homes, this exclusive neighborhood is one of the lowest density master-planned communities in all of Southwest Florida. The convenient yet unspoiled location is minutes from world-class white sand beaches, upscale shopping and dining, award winning medical facilities and an international airport. The property offers the finest amenities including an on-site full service spa, fitness center, aerobics studio, 6 red-clay tennis courts, resort-style pool, steam rooms, gourmet dining, casual dining and bar. The professional Club and Real Estate Associates are onsite to serve your needs every day. The Renaissance enjoys the solitude and tranquility of our unspoiled nature preserves which are throughout our entire property. The Club at Renaissance is one of Florida ’s finest residential golf communities. Rediscover the art of living.

Please click on one of the tours to see our exclusive offerings….

9534 Via Lago Way Fort Myers, FL – Renaissance