Marco Island Real Estate News

We all have dreams that we are convinced we'll achieve one day.  Marco Island dreams are our business.  When it comes down to it, though, we are really afraid of our dreams. We're afraid of the unknown. We are afraid of actually taking the leap and making the commitment.  The grandest dreams we carry inside are tempered by a fear of failure and sometimes a fear of success.  We all know the expression, "be careful what you wish for, you might get it."  Most of us will admit that we're at least a little afraid of change. 

But change is good.  None of us are getting any younger and the clock is ticking.  The status quo, no matter how nice it may be, will satisfy us less and less over time.  We have to take action or life can get stale.  A shake-up can

August was a good month in the Single Family Home (SFH) market on Marco Island.  Sales were brisk.  Listings are up.  Smiles are up. 

In August, New listings were up 15% over July and up a whopping 44% over August of last year.  Sold listings in August were up 12% over July and up 31% over August of 2011.  Pendings are following the same trend.The only cloud on this sunny day are August prices.  The August median SFH price is down about 2% when compared to August of last year.  Don't worry to much about that, though.  The year-to-date median price which is a much better barometer of price trends is up - 3.4%.  Not to shabby.

From an anecdotal perspective, our customers these days are not wasting time choosing a property to buy.  The general

As the season approaches here on Marco Island, many home owners thinking of selling have a dilemma.  There are so many real estate companies on the island, it can be difficult to choose the best one to sell your home.  Of course, I'm biased.  I think Remax is the best and I'll explain why in a minute but there are literally dozens of companies right here on Marco that will take your listing.

Some companies boast that they specialize in luxury homes, others brag about their newspaper advertisement budgets and others talk about how long they've been in business.  While these are all good arguments, it can be difficult to extrapolate how these various features will benefit you specifically.  What set of attributes will get the job done FOR YOU?

It's

Do you think you it would be valuable to know what is about to come onto the Marco Island real estate market in the coming weeks?  Of course it would.  The more information you can get, the better, right?  You need to know that you have had every opportunity to see the relevant inventory.

Selling real estate effectively means keeping your ear to the ground.  The most desirable properties go fast.  Sometimes, they sell before they even get listed.  How do you get to see these properties?  Well, your agent has to be paying attention.  They say that 90% of life is showing up.  Well, 90% of real estate sales is "product knowledge" and that means knowing as much about what will be coming to market as possible.

As your agents, it is our responsibility

When trying to sell your home, keep in mind that you are in a competition with other sellers in your area.  As with any race, you have to strategize and execute if you want to win.  Follow some of the tips below to get your home in top form and insure you beat out the competition.

1. Check out your competition.  Drive through the neighborhood and look for homes that are for sale.  Keep an eye out for open houses and go to them whenever possible.  Make a mental note of the condition of the homes and how they're priced.  You will probably start to notice a trend: the homes that are in the best shape and priced the most competitively sell the fastest and for the most money. 
2. Put your plan of attack together.  With the help of your Realtor , you can

Who doesn't like free stuff?  Everybody likes free stuff!  We are going to be selecting a winner every week for the rest of the year and sending them a free Marco Island t-shirt.  All you have to do is register.  You can click on the photo on the home page to reach the registration form or simply use our Property Search a couple of times and the system will ask you to register.  Either way, you're signed up and could win a free t-shirt. We'll contact winners every Monday. 

When you register, you will remain eligible for the t-shirt drawing for the rest of the year.  The promotion ends on New Years Day 2013.

There is another sure-fire way to get a t-shirt.  Just buy or sell a property with The Boyle Team and you'll get one automatically.

Zillow.com, the real estate information company, recently released a study that finds, in most U.S cities, buying is a better deal than renting after just 3 years of ownership.  In Florida, it's even less time because real estate prices have been crushed.

If there's one thing I see Marco Island buyers struggling with, it's property valuation.  Even in a market where prices are often between a half and a third of what they were five years ago, many are still unsure that they're getting a good deal.  This study by Zillow is proof that not only are prices cheap when compared to 2006, they have fallen to the lowest in the country relative to rent.The time to buy in Florida is right now. 

Many are familiar with the price-to-rent ratio.  This is a

We have a couple of notable condos that were just listed this week.  First, check out the new short sale in Bougainvillea Gardens.  This is the only unit available in this perennial favorite and it's priced at only $249,000.  It has two bedrooms and two baths and has been beautifully remodelled with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  The floor plan is feels roomier than its 1200 s.f.  Bougainvillea Gardens is located on the South End of Marco Island and is just a short stroll to the beach.  For more info, just contact us or click to see the listing.

Next, we have a unit in South Seas East. Just about the same price as the Bougainvillea condo, the South Seas unit has partial views of the bay and you can walk right outside and start

Last week saw a total of 16 sales close on Marco Island with the majority of those being condos.  To break it down:

• Three homes sold with two very close in price at $250,000 and $255,000 respectively and one at $667,500. 
• Thirteen condos sold ranging in price from $80,000-$1,675,000.

Sometimes there's an obvious trend.  For example, condos that sell mostly in the $300,000-$600,000 range.  That was not the case this week.  Prices were all over the place with no obvious rhyme or reason to it.  Let's take a closer look at what sold:

• The two Marco Island homes that sold in the $200's were both inland with no water access.  This would explain their lower prices however, the one that sold on 29 N. Barfield was an exceptional deal.  It

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