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Top 10: March’s most expensive house sold for staggering $22M in Collier County

Top 10: March’s most expensive house sold for staggering $22M in Collier County

Mark H. Bickel | Naples Daily News

A Naples home is No. 1 on the list for most expensive single-family property transfers in Collier County from March 1-31, 2024.

This home is located at 900 Spyglass Lane in the Port Royal neighborhood. It has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms. It sold for for $22,000,000.

The house previously sold for $4,300,000 in 2005.

See the Top 10 real estate sales in Collier County recorded for March 2024 on naplesnews.com.

To view luxury homes currently for sale in Port Royal contact David at 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com

Edison Award may go to Naples firm that helped NFL QBs

Edison Award may go to Naples firm that helped NFL QBs

Phil Fernandez | Naples Daily News

Collier’s largest private company that helps in recovery of pro athletes gets recognition

Collier County’s largest private employer is among innovative finalists for the 37th annual international Edison Awards, which honors some of the planet’s greatest minds.

The future and the execution of concepts to come are what’s at the heart of the awards, named after Southwest Florida winter resident and global whiz Thomas Alva Edison. Established in 1987 in New York, the confab of some of Earth’s top business and government executives, academics and inventors comes to the region for the fourth time on April 17-19, when top winners will be selected from the finalists and given the Gold Award.

Here’s what to know.

What is Collier’s top private employer?
A finalist this year, Arthrex, which employs 3,983 in Collier, received three golds in 2021.

Besides being No. 1 among private firms and headquartered in Naples, the worldwide medical device manufacturer has the second largest staff behind Publix in the five-county area…

Read more to find out What NFL Super Bowl QBs benefitted from Arthrex advances.

If you are looking for a home in thriving Southwest Florida, contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

NABOR Market Report | February 2024

NABOR Market Report | February 2024

Rising Inventory and Competitive Pricing are Favorable for Home Sales

Naples, Fla. (March 29, 2024) – The overall median closed price in Naples increased 5 percent to $625,000 in February from $595,188 in February 2023, but there were also 2,264 price decreases reported. Brokers contend that price decreases may be one indication that sellers are shifting from aspirational pricing to realistic market pricing. According to the February 2024 Market Report by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), closed sales decreased 9.3 percent in February despite a 66.6 percent increase in inventory to 5,139 properties from 3,085 properties in February 2023.

Rising Inventory Brings Patience
February’s price decreases demonstrate that REALTORS® are counseling sellers about realistic market pricing. Although some sellers are still struggling to accept the fact that the pandemic buying frenzy years with climbing price increases are over. As more new sellers enter the market (up 24.6 percent to 1,668 new listings from 1,336 new listings in February 2023), those sellers with overpriced properties risk missing an opportunity to attract and sell to eager buyers.

According to the report, in February 2019 the median closed price was $335,000. Cindy Carroll of Carroll & Carroll Appraisers & Consultants, LLC., and broker analysts like Budge Huskey, CEO, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, agree that “in the face of far more inventory and opportunity, home values are holding steady in Naples today. People are being highly selective and will wait until they find the right property.”

Insurance vs. Interest Rates
The February Market Report showed a 103.4 percent increase in inventory for properties under $300,000. Mike Hughes, Vice President and General Manager for Downing-Frye Realty, Inc., said that this might be because “investors are offloading rental property units to capitalize on the winter selling season. Also, the carrying costs on some of these properties has climbed in recent years. This increase in inventory, for buyers looking in this price range, is encouraging as their selection was quite limited a year ago.”

As many Naples residents are discovering, when home values increase, the replacement cost to insure them also increases. Insurance rates and association fees could increase for condominium owners by the end of 2024 as mandatory milestone inspections must be completed by year end. Inventory for condominiums increased 104.2 percent in February to 2,614 condominiums from 1,280 condominiums in February 2023.

The NABOR® February 2024 Market Report provides comparisons of single-family home and condominium sales (via the Southwest Florida MLS), price ranges, and geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. NABOR® sales statistics are presented in chart format, including these overall (single-family and condominium) findings for 2024:NABOR Market report chart - February 2024Market Report Standouts
Upon observation, the February Market Report shows median closed price decreased for condominiums located in the Naples Beach (34102, 34103, 34108); Central Naples (34104, 34105, 34116); and Immokalee/Ave Maria areas. And the area with most closed sales of single family homes in February was East Naples (34114, 34117, 34120 and 34137), which also reported the highest inventory of available properties (1,125).

While February’s report showed an average of 69 days on market, it is nowhere near the 101 DOM reported in February 2019. Interestingly, average days on market during February was highest in the $5 million and over condominium market (99 DOM). According to Carroll, months of inventory for neighborhoods west of US 41 tend to be higher as these communities are oversaturated with spec homes and aspirational sellers. “Inventory of homes in Aqualane Shores is 3.5 years; and in Port Royal is 2.9 years.”

If you are considering buying or selling your home, contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086. As a Naples REALTOR® he will give you expert advice on how to make the best of today’s market conditions.

Dining, music and fun: Mercato is hot and getting hotter

Dining, music and fun: Mercato is hot and getting hotter

J. Kyle Foster | Naples Daily News

On a Saturday afternoon in January, Mercato in North Naples is busy and will get busier as the hours pass.

People come for the experience – from food and shopping to unique events and outdoor entertainment; from family fun to adult time that includes romantic dinners, cigars, drinks and dancing. The later the night, the heels get higher and the clothes get tighter.

At 4 p.m., it is 75 degrees and a group of 6- to 8-year-old girls practices cartwheels on artificial turf in the middle of the shopping center and later play hide-and-seek – all near busy restaurants, retail stores and an art show that has the street in between closed.

At 8 p.m., the green space is filled with people listening to Wendell Ray singing DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean,” some sitting in chairs they brought with them. Others dancing. Children hop and run around. Stiletto-clad women in short skirts walk by to go to the three late-night spots – Blue Martini, Cavo and Burn.

Most of the restaurants have outdoor seating to take advantage of the Southwest Florida weather and the desire for visitors to enjoy it. Among the restaurants are The 239 Naples, Bar Tulia, The Capital Grille, The Pub, The Hampton Social, Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, Chipotle, Grace & Shelly’s Cupcakes, Kilwin’s ice cream.

Some of these also have locations eight miles south on Fifth Avenue South, also a very popular shopping and eating area in Naples.

“We share a lot of guests (with) downtown,” said Daniel McLean, general manager of Mercato’s Bar Tulia, whose first location was on Fifth. The cocktail menus at each location are created by the bartenders and are different, as are most of the menu items, he said.”It’s even more reason to go to both places” McLean said.

Shopping mall vs. downtown feel
“It’s like a walking shopping mall,” said Heidi Zizza as she was having drinks with friends at a table in the corner near the sidewalk at Blue Martini. “It’s very different from Fifth. Fifth Avenue is more of a downtown.”

Read the full article with photos onnaplesnews.com.

Find a home convenient to great restaurants and entertainment in southwest Florida. Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

Hidden gems: Reader’s Digest calls this Collier beach one of the best in Florida

Hidden gems: Reader’s Digest calls this Collier beach one of the best in Florida

Kendall Little | Naples Daily News

Popular magazine Reader’s Digest highlighted several South Florida beaches in a February article titled “15 Best Beaches in Florida Locals Want to Keep Secret.”

One Collier County beach made the cut: Tigertail Beach on Marco Island.

What did Reader’s Digest say about Tigertail Beach?
Best for: Swimming and bird-watching

After you park your car and start walking toward the water ahead of you, you might ask yourself: Is this the beach? It certainly is “a beach,” but what you see from the parking lot is actually just a huge lagoon, full of birds and tidal pools. And yes, plenty of people set up camp right there! But if you walk just a few minutes past the lagoon (sometimes, depending on the tide, you’ll have to wade through), you’ll get to the real star: three miles of soft, wide sand, fiddler crabs and beautiful migratory shorebirds.

The author, Liz Zack, also recommends watching the sunset and then

grabbing a bite to eat at Sami’s, a local favorite that serves Italian dishes.

What other Southwest Florida beaches were included?

  • Bowman’s Beach, Sanibel
  • Boca Grande, Gasparilla Island
  • Turner Beach, Captiva
  • Lover’s Key State Park, near Fort Myers Beach

How Reader’s Digest chose its ‘Best Florida Beaches’

Read the full article with photos on naplesnews.com.

Contact David to find your new home in southwest Florida. at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.