Marco Island Real Estate Blog

Most buyers have two things in mind when they start looking for a home.  First, they want to make sure they find a home that has all of the features they need and desire and secondly, they want to get the best deal possible.  

When looking at buyers who have been able to save thousands of dollars off of the seller's asking price, you see a trend.  There are three things that you should be aware of before you ever submit an offer:

• Make sure you have a clear idea of what you're looking for.  I know it sounds like commom sense but many buyers don't realize, until they've started looking, exactly what's important to them.  You have to be able to differentiate between what you desire and what you need.  Finding a home that satisfies both is ideal but

If your home was on the market for awhile and did not sell, try not to get discouraged.  There are several things to consider and sometimes it has nothing to do with your home or the market.  The first step is to make sure you make a commitment to do whatever it takes to get your home sold.  After you've done that, there are four things to consider.  Usually a problem with one of these will explain why your home did not sell.  They are:

1. Teamwork
2. Pricing
3. Condition of your home
4. Marketing

1. Teamwork-Your relationship with your Realtor should be a full partnership where your needs are being heard and communication is a priority.  You should receive prompt feedback after showings occur so you have an idea of what the market thinks of your

What have people been looking at the most on BuyMarco.com this week?  Well, MLS# 2121558 is the winner - a South Seas two bedroom unit.  When a listing achieves "most popular" on our website, it's usually sold or will be very soon.  This is the case today as well.  This condo was only on the market a week so, you value buyers out there need to move quickly.  "If you snooze, you lose" has never been more true than it is this summer.  If you need someone to help improve your reaction time,  we can help.  For a list of our picks for best value, contact us and ask for the current "Best Buys" list.

So, how did this all happen?  This particular condo was the least expensive one available in South Seas Towers.  The asking price on this 2BR/2BA unit in

I've written a couple articles about this lately and I'm doing it again just to emphasize an important point.  The lower priced stuff is being gobbled up, so fast it'll make your head spin.  Regardless of the price range you may be interested in, this is an good indication of market sentiment.  We have customers coming in daily looking for inexpensive property to hold, rent out or use as a second home.  Everyone realized the market bottommed sometime in the last year and now they're afraid that these prices will be gone if they don't move quickly.  They're right.

Of six houses I wanted to show a recent customer, four had gone under contract in the last week.  This is amazing.

So, the lowest priced stuff available in Naples and Marco Island keeps

Known on Marco Island as one of the premier luxury communities, The Estates have been very active in the last 6 months.  As of February 1st, 17 homes have sold ranging in price from $470,000-$2,500,000.  The average selling price was 85% of asking price and the median days on market was 206.  Not bad at all when you consider the price range and the fact that FL real estate is still recovering from the crash.  Currently, there are 37 properties for sale in The Estates ranging in price from $315,000-$12,900,000.  To see more details about these homes with photos, check out The Estates on our website.

Located on the south side of Marco Island, The Estates are off of South Heathwood, Barfield and Inlet Drives.  To the east is Barfield Bay, in between

If you love Southwest Florida and you'd like to spend less than $100,000 on your home here, you have two choices: a manufactured home or a condo.  Finding an affordable Marco Island home under $100,000 was impossible a few years ago.  Today, there are some incredible options even as low as $50,000.  They are rare and disappearing by the day but you can still find them.

Just inland from Marco Island are several mobile home communities that are fantastic.  These well-maintained, friendly neighborhoods have everything you dream of.  Do you want a swimming pool?  We have them.  Do you want to live on a lake?  Done.  We even have one community with its own boat ramp and access to the Gulf of Mexico. Anyone that thinks you are giving something up by choosing

Hideaway Beach Club is a unique, luxury community located on the beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.  This gated community on Marco Island has half of it's 300 acres devoted to wetlands and preserved conservation land and features a large concentration of Florida Live Oak trees.  If your dream is to live in a house directly on the beach, Hideway Beach is the only spot on Marco Island you can acheive this.  The other option would be a condo on the beach, which are also available in the Hideway Beach Club community, as well as all over Marco Island.

Hideaway Beach offers so much to its residents.  It's perfect for the person who wants to remain active in life.  Residents can make use of the huge Hideaway Beach Sports Center featuring a fitness

Luxury homes have been part and parcel to Marco Island since the Mackle brothers first conceived of this tropical paradise in the 1960s.  People from all over the country and the world have chosen Marco as the backdrop for architectural perfection.  While there are million dollar homes scattered all over the island, there are several areas that feature concentrations of multi-million dollar structures. 

Hideaway Beach Club on the northwest corner of the island is a super-luxury, gated community that is home to Marco Island's only beachfront houses.  The Estates on the southeast corner is home to some of the most grand mansions in all of Florida, which is saying a lot. Then you have several other neighborhoods like Key Marco and Tigertail and

After the roller coaster ride home values in Florida and other parts of the country have been on, everyone is always looking for any indication of future market trends. We've heard "when the expensive stuff starts moving we're going to see a recovery.  That's a good one and I have another good one.."when the price of the cheapest houses available on the island start rising, we'll be in a recovery."

Well, that time might be now.  It seems that almost any listing priced under $250k is hot by virtue of it's price alone.  What's more is houses under $200k have all been gobbled up. Investors figure that a house on Marco for $200,000 is a no-brainer.  The only question is will it double or triple in value over the next few years.  Lower income buyers who

There are several options for dining on Marco Island if you're looking for beautiful views of the bays and Gulf.  I will cover a small part of the west side of the island in this blog.  Your choices begin with the shopping and dining destination known as The Esplanade Shoppes.  There are 3 restaurants to choose from located on beautiful Smokehouse Bay.  The first is CJ's on the Bay.  Featuring a large outdoor gazebo bar with nightly happy hour specials, it also includes outdoor tableside seating and a beautiful indoor restaurant as well.  Live entertainment is also presented Thursdays-Saturdays and their food is spectacular.  Chef Laura offers pasta and seafood entrees as well as burgers, pizza and a wide variety of salads.  Next door is Tara Steak