Marco Island Real Estate Blog

Wow!  I've been telling you that the low-end is evaporating but we still see something under $50,000 once in a while.  If you're a first-time buyer, investor, or on a fixed income, we have a deal for you.  This home in south Naples is a foreclosure that just came on to the market this week.  Built in 1977, it's a ranch and has 1292 s.f., three bedrooms and 2 baths.

The home is located in the Naples Manor subdivision where sales have been brisk all year.  So far, there have been 33 sales ranging from $53,500 up to $145,000.  So, this will be the lowest sale price this year unless multiple bids bring the price up 10 grand.

If you've been seaching for a foreclosure on Marco Island or nearby as is the case here, you know time is of the essence.  If you

Calculating property tax in Florida can be a little more complicated by the variety of discounts one may be eligible to take.  The big one is the homestead exemption which is basically a discount available if your Florida home is your primary residence.  We thought we'd summarize the rest of the discounts for you today.

The most important information to take from this article is that the taxes shown in the public records for a particular home may be quite different for you when the taxes are recalculated.  Every person has different eligibility and this means two people will be taxed entirely differently on the same property.  Before you buy your Marco Island property, ask us for a tax estimate and will have one calculated for you.

EXEMPTIONS:

DIY, of course, stands for Do-It-Yourself and in real estate we refer to these sellers as FSBOs, pronounced "fizz-bo".  The natural aversion to paying 6% to a broker to sell one's home is absolutely normal.  But, because of the multitude of issues that are involved, selling your home yourself can be challenging.

If you are the adventurous type, go for it.  The key to success in selling your Marco Island home, as is it is with just about everything, is preparation.  Not preparing is a recipe for disaster.  Your home may go unsold for a long time if it sells at all. Plus, your bottom line may shrink considerably if you fail to recognize some of the nuances of the process.

To help you prepare, I've put together a few tips that you should be aware

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