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July 20, 2010
Posted July 20th, 2010 at 8:00 pm by Michele Harrison
The numbers are in, and it has been another strong quarter for Collier County real estate! Across all price levels, we saw almost a 20% total increase in closed sales compared to the second quarter of 2009 along with an increase in total pending sales up 8%. Inventory levels overall fell by 9% compared to second quarter 2009, and we saw a 10% increase in median close price for the $300,000 and below price range which is a welcome change.
A few points of interest by price point on the quarterly numbers include:
- $0-$300K – a 22% increase in the median closing price for single family homes jumping from 115 in 2009 to 140 in 2010 and condo closings up 30% compared to the same time last year.
- $300K-$500K – single family closings at a 31% increase over 2009 and an inventory decrease of 17% moving from 935 to 796. The condo market saw a 32% decrease in inventory levels and was the only category that saw a major decline in days on the market coming in at 190 for 2010 compared to 235 for 2009.
- $500-$1M – almost double the average increase in single family closings at 51% coupled with a decrease in inventory levels of 16%. The condo market saw a 29% increase in closings and inventory reductions at a 26% decline.
- $1M-$2M – a 61% increase in single family pending sales and a 60% increase in closed sales. The condo market saw a 31% increase in closings and a 21% reduction in inventory levels.
- $2M+ market – a 30% increase in single family pending sales, an 11% increase in closings, and the highest decrease in both inventory levels (29%) and days on the market (27%). Pending condo sales nearly tripled the average increase at 59%, and had the best decrease in inventory at 36%.
Clearly, it is safe to say that Collier County’s real estate market is in recovery!
To view the full report, go to http://nabor.com/zzdwnlds/news/July_16_2010_Press_Release.pdf
To view statistics, go to http://nabor.com/zzdwnlds/news/2nd_Quarter_Statistics.pdf
Categories: 55+ Living, Naples Home Market
Tags: 2010, closed sales, Collier County, condo, condo closings, days on the market, FL, Florida, increase in closings, increase in pending sales, inventory decrease, inventory levels, inventory reductions, median close price, Naples, pending sales, real estate, recovery, second quarter, single-family homes, statistics —
June 30, 2010
Posted June 30th, 2010 at 9:54 pm by Michele Harrison
I wanted to take a moment to let everyone know that there is no oil on our beaches here in Naples!
With all the coverage lately showing oil coming ashore in other areas of the Gulf of Mexico, it is important that we get the word out that Collier County has not seen any of it yet on our coastline. In fact, the Naples Daily News reported that the county’s summer marketing campaign has focused on the message that the beaches are clean and the county is open for business. According to Collier County’s Tourism Director, Jack Wert, surveys have shown that the the “unspoiled environment” and the “white, sandy beaches” were the most influential factors bringing visitors to our area lately.
Stated in a recent report given to County Commissioners:
- “There were 111,700 visitors staying in hotels or other short-term rentals last month, up 3.9 percent from 107,500 in May 2009.”
- “Hotel occupancy rose 2.3 percent in May, compared to the same month a year ago.”
- “The total economic impact of tourism reached nearly $98.3 million last month, up 5.4 from a year ago.”
Even with the above positive statistics related to tourism, I think there is some concern that exists out there about vacationing on Florida beaches in general. People have to be told explicitely that our area is fine; otherwise, they assume our beaches look like the ones they are seeing on the national news.
Make sure to spread the word!
Categories: 55+ Living, Boating, Environment, Human Interest, Naples News
Tags: beaches, Collier County, Collier County Tourism Director, county commissioners, economic impact, Florida, Florida beaches, Gulf of Mexico, hotel occupancy, hotels, Jack Wert, Naples, Naples Daily News, no oil in Naples, short-term rentals, tourism, unspoiled environment, white sandy beaches —
April 18, 2010
April 12, 2010
Posted April 12th, 2010 at 11:33 pm by Michele Harrison
Are you walking in the Relay for Life Naples 2010 this weekend? I am! If you haven’t already registered make sure you sign up with the American Cancer Society for this very important event. Come out and join all of us walking to help fight cancer!
Did you know Relay for Life started back in 1985 when a Tacoma, Washington doctor raised $27,000 for the fight against cancer by running the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound? The doctor’s friends paid to walk with him over a 24-hour period. One year later, the first team event happened in Washington with 19 teams raising $33,000. Today, according to the American Cancer Society, “more than 4,900 Relays occur throughout the US with 19 nations joining the efforts for more than 3.5 million total participants. Together, survivors and those impacted by cancer have raised more than $405 million worldwide.”
This annual event is a great way to support a wonderful organization’s mission, celebrate with survivors, mourn for those lost to the disease, get some good exercise, and spend some time with friends and fellow walkers. To register or to get more information about the event go to http://www.explorenaples.com/relayforlife/.
14th Annual Relay for Life Naples event details:
Location:
Gulfview Middle School
255 – 6th Street South
Naples, Florida 34102
Dates & Times:
Start: Friday, April 16, 2010 – 4pm
End: Saturday, April 17, 2010 – 10am
Hope to see everyone there!
Categories: 55+ Living, Human Interest, Naples News
Tags: 14th Annual Relay for Life Naples, 6th Street South, American Cancer Society, Baker Stadium, Florida, Gulfview Middle School, Naples, Relay for Life, Relay for Life Naples 2010, University of Puget Sound —
March 30, 2010
Posted March 30th, 2010 at 10:40 am by Michele Harrison
For those of you that missed it, the New York Times just published a great travel piece titled 36 Hours in Naples, Florida a few days ago. It takes the reader through 36 hours of experiencing our great city to showcase what we have to offer here in Naples. It points out early on that we have created a beautiful and relaxing environment in our city that is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the east coast…even though we are only a short two-hour drive across the state.
The writer touches on…
- experiencing our beautiful sunsets,
- tips on finding the best beach spots,
- suggestions for great restaurants, bars and pubs,
- finding high-fashion and jewelry boutiques,
- some wonderful places to stay, and
- activities not to be missed – the Naples Botanical Garden and the Naples Museum of Art.
Take a few minutes and check it out at http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/travel/28hours.html?src=me&ref=general. You may even want to send it to friends that are thinking about coming to visit.
Enjoy!
March 26, 2010
Posted March 26th, 2010 at 12:20 pm by Michele Harrison
Make sure you don’t miss the 22ndAnnual Naples Festival for the Arts this weekend happening in the Fifth Avenue South shopping and dining district! This is one of the last major festivals of its kind happening this season. The festival is brought to the Naples community through a partnership between The Naples Art Association at The von Liebig Art Center and the Downtown Naples Association. It runs Saturday, March 27th and Sunday, March 28th from 10am to 5pm both days.
This event features 250 artists covering a spectrum of media including areas such as: paintings, jewelry, metal, leather, sculpture, glass, digit arts, and more. For a complete listing of artists being showcased at the event, please go to http://www.naplesart.org/content/calendar-events?q=content/downtown-naples-festival-arts. The artists are listed and grouped by artistic area at the bottom of the above referenced page, and many of them have websites where you can find out more information about their work.
This festival and other events like it in our area help to shape who we are as a community. The fact that we bring together highly successful business with world-class cultural facilities and activities in a tropical paradise setting makes Naples a truly unique city that we should be very proud to call home!
So, get out with friends and family this weekend to enjoy the weather and the beautiful works of art being showcased at the festival!
Have fun!
Categories: 55+ Living, Human Interest, Naples News
Tags: 22nd Annual Naples Festival for the Arts, Downtown Naples Association, Fifth Avenue South, glass digital arts, jewelry, leather, metal, Naples, Naples Art Association, paintings, sculpture, The von Liebig Art Center —
March 7, 2010
Posted March 7th, 2010 at 6:06 pm by Michele Harrison
Like many, I have always felt as though Princess Diana represented something different in the world of royalty. Her compassion, extensive charity work, high-style, and marriage to Prince Charles made her the “world’s most photographed woman.” I had a great deal of respect for her. As a strong-minded woman, she broke through the many barriers of those who had come before her. Her devotion to her children, William and Harry took center stage in her life. Many people don’t realize it, but Diana actually chose the children’s names, selected her own nanny for the boys instead of using the royal nanny, took responsibility for planning their daily activities, personally walked them to school whenever she could, and tried to plan her own activities around their schedules. It was clear that Diana was committed to making sure she was a large part of her children’s lives and wanted to have a hand in raising her boys instead of leaving it up to the royal staff.
Diana was very well known for her choice of clothing which became newsworthy starting with her wedding dress when she married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981. Since that day, she was photographed all over the world at different times: in royal settings, during public speeches, while giving aid to the less fortunate, etc. She always evidenced class, refinement and a soft, approachable stature. For the next two decades, Diana’s life and style would change and create a story like no one else could have ever imagined.
We here in Naples, happen to be lucky enough to have an exhibit that has been created solely for The von Liebig Art Center featuring an original collection of the late Princess Diana’s gowns, shoes, and handbags plus some of her memorabilia. A few of the dresses and items being featured have never before been exhibited in the United States. Some memorabilia items include pieces from Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, and Prince Charles. Diana’s personal chef, Darren Grady, will also be giving lectures on March 13th and 14th about Diana and his book Eating Royally; Recipes and Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen.
I think it is hard to find anyone who didn’t connect with Diana in one form or another, especially with her humanitarian heart which so many around the world experienced and observed. The above exhibits, lectures, and even a black-tie event on March 10th, will maintain Diana’s legacy of social and charitable acts. A portion of all ticket sales will be contributed to the Pink Ribbon Crusade, “a charitable organization formed by several of the dress owners who support women with breast cancer, for distribution to local women with breast cancer affiliated with Bosom Buddies and the NCH Hospital Foundation.”
Event details can be found at the von Liebig Art Center website at – http://www.naplesart.org/Diana/
I hope you can get out and enjoy some or all of these events…remember it is for a good cause!
Categories: 55+ Living, Human Interest, Naples News
Tags: Bosom Buddies, Darren Grady, Naples, NCH Hospital Foundation, Pink Ribbon Crusade, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, royalty, the Queen Mother, The von Liebig Art Center, United States —
March 2, 2010
Posted March 2nd, 2010 at 3:53 pm by Michele Harrison
Have you ever had a chance to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York City? Did you know it is one of the finest and largest art museums in the world with over two million works of art that cover five thousand years of history and culture? It happens to be one of my favorite places to go in New York, and I am apparently not alone. The Met has more than five million visitors through her doors each year!
We, here in Naples, were fortunate enough to have Philippe de Montebello, Director Emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as the lecturer at the most recent Naples Town Hall Distinguished Speaker Series event this past weekend. I had the pleasure of enjoying the dinner event with a few friends, and it was truly one of the most fascinating and captivating talks I have ever heard. The life that Mr. Montebello has had is nothing short of amazing, and you found yourself not only excited about art in general, but also informed and appreciative of all the forethought that goes into setting up the major collections the we all get to enjoy. The details he spoke about from acquiring certain pieces of art to setting up the displays for the collections were absolutely intriguing!
According to Philippe’s bio, The Met, “nearly doubled in size under his leadership, vastly increasing its exhibition space, acquired significant collections and individual masterpieces, mounted acclaimed international loan exhibitions, developed wide-reaching educational programs, and reinstalled much of its permanent collections in new and refurbished galleries. In 2008, Philippe became the first scholar in residence at the Prado Museum in Madrid, and he joined the Board of Trustees of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. In the fall of 2009, Mr. de Montebello launched a new academic career as the first Fiske Kimball Professor in the History and Culture of Museums at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University and as a special advisor for NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus.”
For those of you that weren’t able to attend this lecture, you can see Philippe on the weekly WNET/PBS culture series called SundayArts that he co-hosts with Paula Zahn. It will definitely be worth your time. You can also see his full biography from the Naples Town Hall Distinguished Speaker Series here –
http://www.naplesdistinguishedspeakers.org/pages/philippe_de_montebello.html
I must say that I am so eager for our next trip to New York in April! I will have a completely different perspective and excitement this time as we move through the Met…and I can’t wait!
Categories: 55+ Living, Human Interest, Naples News
Tags: art collections, art museums, Director Emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, educational programs, Fiske Kimball Professor, Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, international loan exhibitions, Madrid, masterpieces, Musée d'Orsay, Naples, Naples Town Hall Distinguished Speaker Series, New York, New York City, NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus, Paris, Paula Zahn, permanent collections, Philippe de Montebello, Prado Museum, refurbished galleries, SundayArts, the Met, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, WNET/PBS —
February 24, 2010
Posted February 24th, 2010 at 9:15 am by Michele Harrison
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride on a camel? Did you know that camels can carry as much as 1,000 pounds on them during a safari causing them to be known as “ships of the desert?” Even if you haven’t ever thought about this before, doesn’t it sound kind fun and intriguing? Well, the Naples Zoo has just started offering camel rides to patrons visiting the zoo this season.
With the Zoo always looking to promote conservation and education, they have decided to offer camel rides for the first time in the Zoo’s 41 years of being open. The Zoo is trying to get people to learn about “strange” animals, and boy does this speak to that. These animals weigh 2,000 pounds and stand 8 feet, 6 inches tall. The two at the zoo right now actually came to Naples in a semi-truck.
According to National Geographic, camels have been domesticated for approximately 3,500 years. The camels at the zoo are Arabian camels (also known as dromedaries) and have one hump. It is reported that camels can travel up to 100 miles in the desert without water because of the fat stored in their humps that they break down into water and energy for survival in such harsh conditions. These animals also don’t sweat, so when they actually consume water they can conserve it for very long periods of time. I have read that if they are really thirsty they can consume 30 gallons of water at one sitting…yikes!
If you are up for a little fun and adventure, you should head over to check this out at the Zoo off Goodlette-Frank Road. The rides cost $5 on top of zoo admission, and are available from 11am to 4:45pm daily. The two camels’ names are Joshua, 12, and Josephine, 11. The owners of the animals, the Sears, say the camels are bathed every day and don’t spit. Apparently, they have raised these two animals since they were born as “preemies” at their farm called the Hole in the Wall Farms, a nonprofit animal sanctuary in Ohio. Hopefully, you can find some time to go check it out.
Enjoy and send pictures!
Categories: 55+ Living, Environment, Human Interest, Naples News
Tags: animal sanctuary, Arabian camels, Camels Camel rides, conservation, education, Florida, Goodlette-Frank Road, Hole in the Wall Farms, Naples, Naples Zoo, National Geographic, safari, ships of the desert, water —
February 22, 2010
Posted February 22nd, 2010 at 9:45 pm by Michele Harrison
As I was reading the paper this morning, I was thinking about how much our community offers its residents and visitors. Even though we are a tropical paradise location, we still enjoy many cultural aspects that most people only associate with large urban cities. This weekend, for example, we covered different ends of the spectrum with the Southwest Florida community being home to a National Art Festival in Naples and the opening day for spring training for the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers. How many other places in the country consistently offer such diverse cultural experiences in such a sought after location?
The 31st Naples National Art Festival took place at Cambier Park Saturday and Sunday bringing in large crowds of art enthusiasts. Artists from around the country were featured covering 300 booths in total. The event got people of all ages and backgrounds out for the weekend to peruse the displays and possibly purchase pieces that touched them personally. The artists featured in the Festival were hosted by the von Liebig Art Center.
On Saturday, the opening day of the Red Sox spring training took place in Fort Myers at the Player Development Complex. It was open to the public bringing together all sorts of sports fans. Whether you are a fan of the Red Sox or not, this type of sporting event gets the adrenaline flowing again and reminds kids who love baseball to hold on to their dreams of one day standing in the players footsteps.
Of course, there were many other activities going on this past weekend, but I thought the contrast of the two large ones above was a perfect display of what our community offers its residents and visitors. I have personally worked with so many groups and organizations focused on making sure that our beautiful area truly allows for the best “lifestyle” experience for our residents and visitors. Clearly, we have done just that!
Categories: 55+ Living, Human Interest, Naples News
Tags: Cambier Park, diverse cultural experiences, Fort Myers, Naples, National Art Festival, Player Development Complex, Red Sox, Southwest Florida, sports fans, Spring training, tropical paradise, von Liebig Art Center —
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