Market Conditions | David Critzer, REALTOR®

NABOR Market Report | September 2024

Strong Inventory Favorable for Pre-Season Buyers

Naples, Fla. (November 1, 2024) – Overall inventory of homes in Naples increased 37.3 percent in September to 4,288 properties from 3,123 properties in September 2023, which benefits home buyers. According to the September 2024 Market Report by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), the rise in inventory was met with increased buyer interest as indicated by pending sales (sales under contract) during September, which increased 1 percent to 622 pending sales from 619 pending sales in September 2023. Broker analysts reviewing the September report are confident more sellers will enter the market in the coming months in anticipation of a visitor increase during the winter. Pre-season buyers are encouraged to take advantage of the increased property selections available before competition heats up.

Will Supply Exceed Demand?

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, the “months’ supply” data refers to the number of months it would take for the current inventory of homes on the market to sell given the current sales pace. Lower levels of months’ supply tend to push prices up, while higher months’ supply puts downward pressure on prices. For the Naples market, the months’ supply in September was 6.3 months. Nationally, a six months’ supply is associated with moderate price appreciation.

However, according to Cindy Carroll of Carroll & Carroll Appraisers & Consultants, LLC, “The Naples market is unique, and in my experience, a 12 months’ supply of homes has historically been where our market enjoys a balance.” A balanced housing market is when the supply of homes for sale is roughly equal to the demand from buyers. In a balanced market, neither buyers nor sellers command an advantage, and prices tend to remain stable.

While overall closed sales decreased 13.2 percent in September to 527 closed sales from 607 closed sales in September 2023, the rise in days on the market (from 59 in September 2023 to 83 in September 2024) means it is taking longer for homes to go from pending status to closed status. According to broker analysts, the monthly pending sales data is a significant contributing factor of the overall housing market health. They are currently optimistic that the recent increase in pending sales will continue to improve over the next six months, suggesting a positive outlook for the housing market.

What Challenges Lie Ahead?

Interestingly, data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) indicates that home sales increased following nine of the last 11 presidential elections.

Carroll remarked that, “Given the increase in inventory, I would expect to see more prices decreases. But I have not seen a loss in value yet.”

The lack of noticeable price drops could be due to several factors including: still high demand relative to supply, buyer hesitancy related to interest rates or the election, or sellers being reluctant to significantly lower prices.

The overall median closed price in September increased 2.4 percent to $588,560 from $575,000 in September 2023. Compared to previous market reports in 2024, September’s median closed price was the lowest reported so far. However, it is still far above the median closed price reported during September 2019, which was $325,000.

The NABOR® September 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:

For more information about buying a home in the Naples, Florida area contact David at David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

‘Superb’ estate in Old Naples sells ahead of auction

Laura Layden | Naples Daily News

A cottage-style luxury estate near downtown Naples sold before auction.

An on-site auction, scheduled for Monday, was canceled.

After three weekends of open houses and global outreach, the nearly 5,000-square-foot home, built in 2022, went under contract on Friday, for cash and without contingencies, said Randy Haddaway, founder and CEO of Elite Auctions.

His company, based in Naples, was hired to do the auction, which included a big marketing and advertising push ahead of the event.

It’s the third time in a row that a multimillion-dollar house sold in the Naples market before a planned auction by Elite. Properties that make it to auction are sold to the highest bidder without a reserve price.

Read more on this and other luxury properties on naplesnews.com.

Contact David at David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086 for more information and to view luxury properties in Naples, Bonita Springs and Marco Island.

Housing in Collier County: Making Home Affordable?

Naples Press, Edition 10/4/2024 | By Aisling Swift

Arthrex seeks approval for transitional apartment complex to attract employees

North Naples-based medical device manufacturer Arthrex plans to build contemporary transitional corporate housing in North Naples to make it easier to attract and retain employees.

It’s the first petition under the zoning category of transitional corporate housing to come before the county.

“Arthrex and other employers, candidly, are struggling in getting employees or people to relocate to Collier County to come in and work,” Arthrex land-use attorney Richard Yovanovich told the Collier County Planning Commission on Sept. 20, adding that Arthrex has 300 vacancies. “One of the reasons is the sticker shock at what it costs to either rent or buy a unit.

“And they believe—and other employers believe—that if they can offer this transitional housing opportunity, people will come, they’ll work here and then they’ll find a place where they wish to live and reside in Collier County,” he added.

Planning commissioners unanimously recommended that the 2.06acre site at 208 Palm River Blvd. be rezoned from multifamily to Residential Planned-Unit Development and to amend the county’s Growth Management Plan to add the Palm River Corporate Housing Residential Subdistrict. It would allow up to 41 furnished rentals—eight more than currently allowed—for Arthrex employees and others relocating here, on assignment or undergoing training.

If there’s a vacancy and Arthrex doesn’t need it, the apartment would be available to other county employers, including NCH, which once used the property for transitional employees, such as traveling nurses.

Read the full article on Naples Press, Edition 10/4/2024.

NABOR Market Report | June 2024

Summer Buyers Enjoy More Options as Inventory Picks Up in June

Naples, Fla. (July 26, 2024) – Despite a 59 percent increase in overall inventory during June (compared to June 2023), overall closed sales during the month decreased 17.3 percent to 710 closed sales from 859 closed sales in June 2023. Data reflected in the June 2024 Market Report by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), showed the overall median closed price decreased .8 percent to $595,000 from $600,000 in June 2023. Broker analysts say a steady number of list price reductions each month coupled with more realistic prices set by sellers will help the Naples market find its new “sweet spot” for home buying.

Price reductions occur for many reasons: nearby comparative homes are priced lower, there have been no recent showings or offers on the home, the home has received a low appraisal, or to attract more buyers.

The June report showed 1,351 price reductions compared to 94 price increases. Coupled with a 95 percent list to sale price ratio, the data appears to indicate that sellers are making headway to adjust their initial asking prices to better reflect today’s market and, to some degree, are entertaining negotiations to secure a buyer.

A Bounty of Options

Summer buyers will enjoy more home options as the inventory of properties continues to rise compared to the last three years. In June, the 59 percent increase in inventory resulted in an available pool of 4,680 properties compared to only 2,943 properties during June 2023. Plus, confidence in the market remains steady with overall new listings in June increasing 1.5 percent to 896 new listings from 882 new listings in June 2023. Driving this influx of inventory was the number of new listings in the condominium market, which increased 9 percent compared to a 3.9 percent decrease in new listings for the single-family home market.

While inventory is nearly split between single-family homes and condominiums, the median close price in the single family home market decreased 3 percent in June to $730,000 from $752,500 in June 2023, while the median closed price in the condominium market increased .8 percent to $485,000 from $481,250.

The NABOR® June 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:

Geographic Standouts

The South Naples area (34112, 34113) reported the highest percentage of inventory increase in June (+80 percent) compared to other geographic areas tracked by NABOR®. The median closed price in South Naples increased 1.1 percent in June to $477,500 from $472,500 in June 2023. Alternately, the North Naples area (34109, 34110, 34119) showed the highest decrease in median closed price in June (-15.2 percent) to $627,500 from $740,000 in June 2023.

For more information about buying a home in the Naples, Florida area contact David at David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

NABOR Market Report | May 2024

Price Climb Slows as Inventory Heats Up for Summer

Naples, Fla. (June 28, 2024) – As competition grows in the Naples housing market – overall inventory increased 67.1 percent in May to 5,019 properties from 3,004 properties in May 2023 – monthly closed sales for the month decreased 12.2 percent to 907 closed sales from 1,033 closed sales in May 2023. Broker analysts reviewing the May 2024 Market Report by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), are closely monitoring the number of monthly price decreases to see whether it could turn the tide and improve sales this summer. One thing was certain in the May Market Report: summer buyers will have many more options than winter buyers.

In addition to 1,710 price decreases reported in May, the median closed price was $650,000, the same as the median closed price reported in April, which enjoyed 2,365 price decreases. Comparatively, the median closed price increased 8.3 percent to $650,000 from $600,000 in May 2023.

Another benefit of rising inventory and list price decreases has been the rise in the number of properties for sale in the lower end of the market. For May, properties in the $300,000 and below price category increased 104 percent to 308 from 151 in May 2023. Similarly, properties for sale in the $300,000 to $500,000 price category increased 90.1 percent to 1,032 from 543 in May 2023.

A Different Seller/Buyer Dynamic

Unlike other cities in the U.S. where home sales are driven by people relocating for work, Naples has always been a lifestyle destination. “People live here because they want to. People are not moving here for jobs,” said Kunkle. In response, Mike Hughes, Vice President and General Manager for Downing Frye Realty, Inc., added, “That means we have a different mix of sellers and buyer here. A majority of our sales are second homes. That said, these sellers don’t have an urgency to sell or won’t risk someone stealing it. On the other hand, second home buyers don’t have an urgency to buy because they have the time and cash to wait until they find exactly what they want.” Another challenge for buyers and sellers in Naples during 2024, and across Florida, will be condominium sales. As Jillian Young, President, Premiere Plus Realty, explained, “By December 31st, the structural integrity reserve law requires all Florida condominiums three stories and higher and 25 to 30 years old have a milestone inspection and use the results to guide them to maintain financial reserves that will pay for future maintenance, inspections and repairs. The burden to raise these funds will require mandatory assessments on current and future owners. Sellers will need to take into account the additional cost to maintain the reserves.”

Geographic Standouts

In May, the median closed price for a single family home in the Naples Beach area (34102, 34103, 34108) decreased 26.1 percent to $2,262,500 from $3,062,500. Conversely, the median closed price for a single family home in the South Naples area (34112, 34113) increased 43.6 percent to $930,000 from $647,500. The lowest median closed price reported during May was in the Central Naples (34104, 34105, 34116) condominium market, which increased only 1.4 percent to $355,000 from $350,000 in May 2023.

For more information about buying or selling a home in the Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island area contact David at 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com.

NABOR Market Report | April 2024

Inventory Hike Helps April Home Sales Swell

Naples, Fla. (May 31, 2024) – The payoff of months of rising inventory was finally realized in April as closed sales increased 3.8 percent to 999 closed sales from 962 closed sales in April 2023. This is the first month closed sales have exceeded past years’ monthly comparable sales since June 2021. According to the April 2024 Market Report by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), the 2,365 price reductions in April stimulated sales in the right direction. Growth in inventory does not appear to be slowing down either, as new listings in April increased 16.3 percent to 1,335 new listings from 1,148 new listings in April 2023.

The New Average

Demand for the Naples lifestyle increased during the pandemic, which depleted inventory for homes in the under $300,000 market – there were 315 homes for sale under $300,000 in April. Conversely, demand for luxury properties have soared, especially in the $500,000 to $1.5 million price category, which increased 68.1 percent compared to April 2023 and occupy the highest number of properties available (2,410) in the current inventory.

However, according to the report, closed sales influencing the overall average price growth was in the Naples Beach area. For April, the average closed price of single family homes in communities located in the Naples Beach area (34102, 34103, 34108) increased 61.6 percent to $4,309,475 from $2,666,512 in April 2023. That said, this area was also where a large majority of properties sold for less than original list price as the percent of list price received decreased to 93.3 percent for single family homes and 94.8 percent for condominiums. This indicates sellers are reducing prices to meet the market.

Future Fit & Forward

According to the April report, the average monthly inventory in Naples is back to its familiar pre-pandemic level. April’s inventory increased 68.1 percent to 5,240 properties from 3,118 properties in April 2023. And the months supply of homes is up to 7.3 months. Huskey commented, “Typically, we begin to see prices slide once the months supply gets above 6 months, but we’re not seeing this in our market today. Inventory is growing, and prices remain stable.”

“Home values have doubled since 2019,” said Cindy Carroll of Carroll & Carroll Appraisers & Consultants, LLC. “And there’s no indication that homeowners are at risk of losing this growth in value.”

Carroll went on to say that there will be spots in the county that will experience a slight loss in value, but nothing on a large scale or that would take us back to pre-pandemic prices. “I am unable to find anything in my research that is alarming. The thing we have to focus on now is re-educating our sellers on home prices today. Their home’s value has likely increased, but the number of price reductions each month tells me that prices are still starting out too high. If a home is not priced competitively when it’s listed, sellers will likely need to lower the price to meet the market.”

As more high-end buyers discover the allure of Naples, broker analysts do not foresee the median closed price decreasing dramatically. For April, the overall median closed price increased 4 percent to $450,000 from $425,000 in April 2023. Though price adjustments are moving the needle in certain markets. April reported 2,365 price decreases, which decreased the median closed price 3.2 percent in the single family home market to $793,750 from $820,000 in April 2023.

The NABOR® April 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: