Blog

Select Vendor of the Week

Posted on July 22, 2011

We are very proud to feature the Professional itMan, LLC as this week's select vendor! Some of the many services that the ProitMan provides includes: Complete Homewatch Services, Storm shutter installation, Arrival & departure services, Airport pick-up, Furniture set up, Furniture assembly & repairs, Picture hanging & artwork placement, Delivery services, and Complete cleaning services. Born and raised in Naples, owner Rocco Comperatore III prides himself in customer service. His

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Rather Than Sitting On The Fence…

Posted on July 13, 2011

...Why not own it? Homes are more affordable-According to the Freddie Mac House Price Index, current housing prices are down 27% on average across the nation from their peak values 5 years ago. Rates are Low- At an average of 4.6%, a 30 year fixed mortgage interest rate remains at record lows! Timing is Everything-New loan limits, as published by FHFA and HUD, state conforming loan limits will be reduced

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A Reflection of Supply and Demand

Posted on July 01, 2011

The Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate offices in Naples and Bonita Springs Florida recently had the honor of having Cindy Carroll as a guest speaker at their joint monthly business meeting. Cindy is a State-Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser who I happen to go back with to the days when we were both picking up our kids at the same day care. In other words, she's been around the block

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Free eBooks

Posted on June 29, 2011

One of the most popular pages on our website has become the "FREE eBooks" page on NaplesRealEstate.com. We invite you to log on today and find the page listed in the menu bar on the left side of our homepage. Simply click on this link and you can download one, or all, of the four FREE eBooks listed below. How to Create the Perfect Retirement: Today more than ever, you

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How Do You Say, “Lanai?”

Posted on June 23, 2011

Many times, while getting to know a buyer's wants, especially when they are relocating to Florida from a northern home, the square footage needs differ greatly from what they originally specify to what they ultimately buy...People forget, or don't realize, what an intricate part of their home's living space the lanai [also known as a screened porch] becomes. Downsizing from a 4 or 5 thousand square foot home into less

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Fun Summer Activities in Naples Florida

Posted on June 21, 2011

Well, here it is again already...the first day of summer, and I am about to write what has become my most popular annual blog post: Cool things to do in Naples Florida during your Summer vacation! But, whether you are here on vacation or not, the locals also love this time of year--less crowds, great sales, amazing restaurant specials...May I suggest a few activities that will surely make the long

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The Real Estate Industry is Pro-Consumer

Posted on June 20, 2011

As a follow-up to my most recent post about how the real estate industry is so "pro-consumer", I'd like to share some ideas about the other occupations directly effected by a home sale from start to finish. I have thought about this a lot since Ron Phipp's talk here in Naples last week, and the idea that an average of 147 entities are involved in each and every real estate

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Who is Ron Phipps?

Posted on June 18, 2011

"You don't do anything by yourself...." ~Ron Phipps Ron Phipps. That name may not mean a lot to a lot of people, but to those of us actively participating in the real estate industry today, it's a familiar name. Ron is the current President of The National Association of Realtors. He was the guest speaker at The President's Luncheon yesterday at The Naples Area Board of Realtors, and I was

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Is Season Really Over?

Posted on June 14, 2011

Where has the Naples Real Estate Blogger been? It's been a busy couple of weeks at NaplesRealEstate.com. Chip and I have been showing homes to prospective Neapolitans almost everyday for the past 2 weeks. 'Season' might technically be over, but buyers looking for real values are coming back to town now that the crowds are gone to look hard at those listings that are still available...And the best buys are

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It’s Hurrican Season~Be Prepared!

Posted on June 01, 2011

Today is June 1st, which officially marks the first day of the 2011 hurricane season. This will run for six months, ending on November 30th. Here are a few facts, as well as a few 'links' to informative websites that I'd like to share with you! Did you know that for hundreds of years hurricanes in the West Indies were named after the particular saint's day on which the storm

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Rememberence

Posted on May 30, 2011

"I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers" ~ Ephesians 1:16 On this Memorial Day, The Harris Peppe Team would like to invite you to join us as we honor the brave men and women who have given their lives so selflessly over many generations to allow us to live in a country committed to freedom. It is our deepest prayer that

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Retirement?

Posted on May 26, 2011

What makes a person decide to retire? This week a dear friend of mine at the office, a lady about 80, decided to retire....I remember when I met Pat for the first time when I joined Coldwell Banker back in 1986...She was then, about the same age that I am now...Where did those 25 years go? And am I still going to be doing this 25 years from now? I

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Naples Ranks High On “Most Relaxing Beaches” List

Posted on May 23, 2011

A recent article in U.S. News Travel magazine ranked Naples Florida beaches as the #5 "Most Relaxing Beach" in the United States and the Caribbean. [although I am a bit perplexed as to how Corfu made the list at #6 since I believe it is in Greece, yes?] Anyway, Naples beaches are pretty spectacular. When customers tell me that they are first time visitors to Naples, but follow that comment

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What’s Happening In Paradise?

Posted on May 17, 2011

Things got quiet around here pretty quickly this year...the seasonal snowbirds hung in longer than usual, possibly because of the later than normal Easter, plus the inclement weather up north...but, all of a sudden, in the past week or so, it has gotten very quiet. We didn't 'ease' into summer...it just kinda' happened one day. I found myself driving on an otherwise busy road this morning without another car in

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Naples Real Estate Blog: What is a QR Code?

Posted on May 10, 2011

First posted 7 months ago, long before most of the QR Code murmers began, I thought it was a good idea to re-post--for those of you still unsure of the future of QR Codes! Trust me, they are changing the way we send and receive information! Click on the link below to read the full article as previously posted by The Naples Real Estate Blogger. Naples Real Estate Blog: What

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Do We ‘Own’ Our Prospects?

Posted on May 09, 2011

I do my best to qualify buyers before beginning the house hunting process. Whether it be at an open house or a sign call, after 30+ years in the business, I have my list of questions readily at hand...One of the first questions I ask a guest at an open house, or an incoming phone inquiry is this, "Are you working with another real estate agent?" Sometimes the answer is

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Naples Florida Residential Pending Sales UP UP UP!

Posted on May 05, 2011

I'm a very visual person, comes from my art background I guess, but you have to admit, a picture can paint a thousand words. Take for example the chart below [click on picture to enlarge]. This graph depicts the Pendings month by month for the past 4 years in Naples Florida. Who can argue that sales are up? If this doesn't convince the buyers that are on the fence that

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Zillow Estimates of Value in Naples Florida

Posted on May 03, 2011

More than once in the past few weeks I have had the same conversation with a potential customer having to do with the accuracy of the "Zestimates" on Zillow.com I just hung up after trying to substantiate an asking price of a home listed on Zillow and decided to view those listings which I know for a fact are priced very well, just to see what value Zillow has put

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Naples Waterfront Real Estate

Posted on April 27, 2011

Waterfront can mean a lot of things depending upon where you are from...If I show someone from Michigan or Wisconsin, as an example, a home on a "lake' in Naples they just chuckle and say, "You call this a lake?" That being said, we do have lakes, rivers, canals with both direct and indirect access as well as those man-made canals that were dredged out years ago to build the

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Happy Easter

Posted on April 24, 2011

Wishing you a new day, filled with hope and joy. Any stone of despair lying heavy on your heart will roll away into this bright morning light. Happy Easter from all of us at NaplesRealEstate.com

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Happy Earth Day!

Posted on April 22, 2011

Happy Earth Day from The NaplesRealEstate.com Team at The Coldwell Banker Previews International office on Fifth Avenue South in beautiful downtown Naples, Florida.

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Is It Really Almost May?

Posted on April 21, 2011

I don't know about you, but I am amazed that it is almost May? I don't know where the season has gone! We have been so busy...between work and kids and grandkids and volunteering and the day-in and day-out routines that somewhere along the way February and March slipped into April without any warning and I now find myself scheduling summer activities...Being a real estate agent in Naples Florida, we

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Downtown Naples Update

Posted on April 15, 2011

What's happening in Old Naples? When you open a map of Collier County, and realize that a lot of it even spills over to the reverse side of the map, you can visualize the size of our county. It is the largest county, land-wise, east of the Mississippi River! Then when you isolate the streets that typically outline the neighborhood of Old Naples, you really become aware of what a

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Coldwell Banker’s New Commercials!

Posted on April 05, 2011

The 2011 commercials have recently been rolled out at the Annual International Business conference, and as always the marketing team has really outdone themselves. I wasn't sure if I'd ever like a real estate TV commercial as much as i liked the portraits of 'Coldwell' and 'Banker' coming to life and talking to each other after the hours, but these two really are going to put a smile on your

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First Quarter 2011

Posted on April 01, 2011

The first quarter of 2011 is officially behind us. It's been a much busier 'season' than any we've experience since 2005. Prices are leveling off in most price points, and inventory remains low. Economists predict we are at or near the bottom. Homes and condos are selling, but it is only the most competitively priced properties that have gone under contract in the past 90 days in any given community.

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