Marco Island Real Estate Blog

Where in the world can you buy a two bedroom / two bath condo with a boat dock ($400 per year) and immediate Gulf access for less than $200,000?  Marco Island - that's where. But Marco Island is expensive, right? Not any more.  The real estate market in Florida appears to have started to inch up from the bottom but the bargains are still all over the island.  This is one of them.  This very condo sold for $510,000 in 2005.

Sounds pretty good, doesnt it?  But it gets better.  This condo has great water views and a screened lanai.  There is a swimming pool, a fishing pier, and is close to some of Marco Island's most popular restaurants.

Located on the north side of the Island in the Old Marco section, Marco Inn Villas is located right where you want

In the last week, there were four new water direct, single-family homes that hit the market.  Let's take a look from highest to lowest price:

827 Chestnut sits on a large lot with only a quick boat ride needed to get to the Marco River.  This immaculate home features 3BR/3BA, 4136 square feet, a Living Room with vaulted, wood ceilings, Pool and Spa and even a Dock and Lift!  It's priced at $415,000.

The next new listing is on Apataki and includes 3BR/2BA and 2479 square feet.  Located in the desirable River Area, this home has a boat Dock and Lift, an oversized 2.5 car garage, and brand new Kitchen.  Its price of $625,000 sounds like a good deal to us.

620 Partridge is a Custom Built 3BR/2BA home with 3022 square feet.  Just a short distance

Wow! It's been quite a year for vacant lots on Marco Island.  The market, in general, has been strong all summer long.  Median prices are up for homes, condos, and lots but the stand-out statistic is the volume of lots sold.  So far this year, we've sold 196 lots.  Last year by this time, we had sold 107.  That's an 83% increase!  It's incredible.

To what can we attribute this incredible demand?  Well, construction died in Florida a few years ago.  If you live in Florida, you're probably aware of a couple of neighborhoods that are still ghost towns to this day.  New home construction came to such an abrupt halt in 2007 that some homes were even left half-built.  Builders were going bankrupt under heavy debt loads that could no longer be supported by

There are several reasons why buying before the end of the year could be a great investment.

1. Tax benefits:

Mortgage Interest Deduction: To take advantage of this deduction for 2012, buy before the end of the year.  Even though your deduction will be small since it will only be on 1 month of interest, it's better than nothing.  You can deduct on any mortgage debt up to one million dollars.

Mortgage Insurance Premium: If you have PMI because your down payment was less that 20%, you may be eligible for a deduction.  The deduction would be on the interest paid on your PMI payments.  The caveat is that your adjusted gross income must be below $100,000.  Incomes over $100,000 will have a reduced deduction of 10% for every $1000 over the

December 7, 2012 is a day that will live in imfamy. No,not really.  It's just another beautiful day here in paradise - blue skies and about 80 degrees.  Today, though, I wanted to talk about a listing that is getting a lot of attention on our website, BuyMarco.com. Our "Hot Listing of the Week" is this condo in San Marco Villas II.  It's a two bedroom, one-and-a-half bath unit with some luxurious upgrades and it's priced at only $149,900.

San Marco Villas is located just off San Marco Road right in the middle of the island.  It was built in 1985 and makes for a great first or second home or investment property.  The monthly maintenance fee is very reasonable at only $365 and taxes last year on this unit were only $1342.  The property is convenient to

There were 5 new water direct listings that came on the market in the last week.  Two were in Riverside, the rest were in Anglers Cove, Smokehouse Harbour and Marco Inn Villas.

Riverside had two listings priced at $179,900 and $199,500.  The lower priced listing is in Building C, Apt. 409 and features 1BR/1BA and 800 square feet.  This unit has great views of the Jolley Bridge and Marco River.  The amenities included are two large pools with spas, three lighted tennis courts and a marina.  Boat docks can be leased for only $200/month.  Building E, Apt. 410 is also a 1BR/1BA with 800 square feet and has been nicely updated.  Enjoy the great sunsets from this 4th floor unit.

Unit A-201 in Anglers Cove is an awesome corner unit with a completely

BREAKING NEWS!  The Remax franchise on Marco Island has been purchased!  We are now Remax Affinity Plus.  This change is not only exciting for all of the agents but it means great things for all of our customers. We are now part of a large group of Remax offices from Port Charlotte south through Naples and now Marco.

Our new owners are absolute rock stars of Florida real estate.  Remax Anchor of Charlotte County and Remax Affinity of Naples and Bonita Springs have combined forces and purchased the Marco Island franchise.  Remax Anchor won top honors in the Remax system worldwide in 2009.  Success like this relies a philosophy of customer service that is top-knotch.

For current sellers that were listed with the old Remax, your listings will

This week's most popular listing on BuyMarco.com is in one of the original beach condos on Marco Island - Sunset House North.  Sunset House and its sister to its north were built 1969.  The Mackle brothers built Emerald Beach and then moved onto these.  In fact, they designated a penthouse in Sunset House for none other than President Richard Nixon.  Ultimately, he took one they had built on Key Biscayne instead.

Even though Sunset House is now beyond its 40th birthday, you would never know it by looking at its condition.  Like most Marco Island beach condos, these are meticulously maintained from top to bottom.  The mature landscaping is stunning and the views are second to none.

The unit that has topped the list this week is a one bedroom / one

When Marco Islanders think of The Estates, they think "luxury" and "the most expensive area on Marco Island".  We thought we'd show you how little you can spend and still live in The Estates. Let's start with the least expensive home currently for sale there:

811 Scott Dr. is priced at only $315,000  Situated on a hill with a huge lot, this 3BR/2BA home with 1420 square feet also features a 2 car garage and workshop.  Yes, it needs some updates but for the price, it's hard to go wrong.  Next we have 1621 Copeland.  This house has 5BR/2BA and 2894 square feet all for only $449,000 in the middle of The Estates.  Featuring Waters Bay views, a large, private yard and surrounded by more expensive homes, this home looks like a steal to us.  It's only been

The most popular listing this week on BuyMarco.com is also the least expensive condo available on the island right now. Can you imagine owning a condo on Marco Island for less than $40,000. Well, now you can. This one bedroom / one bath condo located in Marco Manor is a steal! It is a short sale that was just listed a few days ago and it won't last long.

Marco Manor is located on Hartley Avenue in the heart of Marco Island, Florida.  It is within walking distance to fine shops and restaurants.  There is a big, oval swimming pool out back.  It really is a fantastic bargain at $39,900.  The monthly mainteance fee is $220 and covers insurance, pest control, lawn and landscaping maintenance and trash removal.

Only one other 1 bedroom unit has sold in