Life In Bonita Springs

The Community of Bonita Bay & It’s Amenities

For the last few weeks I’ve been enjoying the running paths of Bonita Bay and nearly every I’m am there I can’t resist a picture with my phone.  If you’re wondering why I have my phone with me, it’s because it has GPS.

I’ve twice needed to use the GPS in Bonita Bay because I didn’t know where I was.  Once, it was dark and I couldn’t even tell which way north was.  I run in the morning before the sun comes up and those running trails get confusing.  The other time. I walked a golf course cart path and didn’t know where I was. I knew I was south of Bonita Bay Boulevard but I didn’t know which was was out to the main part of Bonita Bay.  Have your laugh, I did.

I’ve decided to start sharing photos in an online album and will continue to add to the album on future visits to the community.  Enjoy the pictures of Bonita Bay in the album below.  I certainly enjoyed taking them.

View Full Album

Experimenting with Inexperienced Real Estate Agents

Who doesn’t have a friend or family member with a real estate license? I think there is an old joke about driving across the Georgia-Florida state line and having one handed to everyone in the car.

It’s easy enough to get a real estate license, two weeks of class and three hundred bucks and presto, license. Heck, even the guard at one of my favorite communities is a presto licensee. He reminds me every time I drive through that he also happens to be a reel-ah-tur. Funny, every time I drive through that gate, he’s wearing a Smokey the Bear hat and looks like a Wackenhut security guard to me.

Last week I watched a transaction go down in flames by a presto license. It’s hard to watch but watching one go when it could have been prevented is even worse. Sometimes it’s almost predictable. Most of those predictable times its easy to identify because the real estate agent has little to no experience. Even worse is when it’s caused by a so-called friend or even a family member with a presto license.

How a consumer loses focus on their own personal, financial well being to help out a family member, when they need help themselves, is confusing to me. In this troubled market, when some sellers are having so many issues with selling short or foreclosure nipping at their heels the idea that they’d turn to someone with ink still wet on their license is troubling.

Maybe it’s because they’re trying to throw a bone to a family member, maybe they just don’t know how to say no. The end result is that they lose. In the best of times, with an equity sale … maybe, just maybe it’s the time to test drive your brother-in-laws, fresh out of the Cheerios box, real estate license but not when there is the possibility of foreclosure and a massive deficiency judgment in the near future.

Unless that licensee is going to be mentored and monitored by someone with experience why would anyone ever gamble with their finances or volatile legal predicament?

A buyer and I just stepped out of an absolute rodeo with home owners who were losing their home to foreclosure and chose to use an inexperienced member of their family to try to sell short. With several months of no results and constant pleas to turn the matter over to someone else to process the transaction the home was foreclosed upon.

The owners of that troubled real estate let themselves get sucked down by their poor choices and well meaning family member who thought a piece of paper made them something they weren’t; an experienced real estate agent. It was a mistake to the tune of roughly a $150,000 deficiency judgment and years of trashed credit.

Driving a car, just like selling real estate, requires a license and no set amount of experience or training. Simply having a license to drive doesn’t make a good driver any more than having a real estate license makes anyone a good real estate agent.

Unfortunately, everyone usually earns both of those lessons the hard way.

###

Real Life in Bonita Springs is a project by Chris Griffith dedicated to writing useful blog posts for consumers about the Bonita Springs, Florida area.  Find out what it is really like to live in Bonita Springs, Florida by reading about our fair city. You’ll get the latest in local real estate information, Bonita Springs real estate market reports and a little bit of humor.  If you have topic ideas, feel free to request a story about the idea, after all, this site is just for you.

You can subscribe to a weekly email newsletter by visiting www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com and entering your email in the subscription area on the center pane of the web page or by adding us to your reader by subscribing to this blog. Oh, and if you’re reading this content anywhere else but www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com or Naples Daily News it is probably stolen.

The Colors of Fall in Florida

It sort of looks like a squash flower and it grows on a vine.  It’s probably only a random weed but I notice things. I’m on my feet a lot and make my way all over town.  The last few months have been spent running the many miles of walking paths in Bonita Bay.  In addition to the street side sidewalks there are marked, paved trails that are woven through the community.  This vine is everywhere along the edge of the golf course and paths.

The flower is tiny and eventually turns into a squash looking fruit or something.  It’s bright orange like fall and when it ripens it’s full of vibrant red seeds.

Actually, there are a lot of color changes happening around Bonita Springs but most people are just too busy to see them because they aren’t huge displays like the leaf changes up north. 

Magnolia trees have been done blossoming and if you look closely at the trees they have a pine cone looking seed pod that is full of bright red seeds, too. Maple trees are slowly turning and weeds are seeding.  Fall is happening out there if you just stop for a minute and look for it.

Things to Do in Bonita Springs & Estero

Cyrus Reed Teed was an unlikely settler who brought followers to Estero in 1894 to build New Jerusalem for his new faith, Koreshanity. The Koreshan colony was known as the Koreshan Unity and believed that the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere.

The Koreshan colony began fading after Teed´s death in 1908, and in 1961 the last four members deeded the land to the state of Florida. Today the Koreshan land is a state park where visitors can fish, picnic, boat, and hike where Teed´s visionaries once lived.  It was one of the modern, original real estate settlements in Southwest Florida.

Koreshan State Historic Site offers a variety of things to do. 

View Full Album

There is a boat ramp and canoe rental available.  Visitors can take self-guided tours of the settlement or a ranger-guided tour.

Camping and overnight stays are permitted, as the park has a full-facility campground. Campers can enjoy campfire programs every Saturday night from January through March.

Self guided tours of the structures and grounds of Koreshan are available daily.  There are long paths that meander along the Estero River from the camping area, thru fields of bamboo, to the settlement buildings.  While some buildings are only availability to look thru windows, there are some open and a brief video about the Koreshan Unity playing in one of the buildings. 

Koreshan State Historic Site has plenty of walking paths, both unpaved rugged and smoother lime rock.  There is lush foliage, exotic trees and orchards and plenty to do outside.  It’s a great family activity and fairly affordable, as the entrance fee is $5 per car.  There are additional charges for guided tours, canoe rentals and camping services.

Koreshan State Historic Site is situated on US 41 – Tamiami Trail in Estero Florida at the northwest corner of Corkscrew Road.  It is easily accessible by car or by bicycle.

FSBO’s Using Real Estate Agents to Fish For Buyers

While it is possible to sell for sale by owner, with the current atmosphere it is improbable in most markets. If there’s an excess of inventory or a neighborhood is just moving slower buyers are scarce no matter who is selling the house. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the ability for a home owner to sell their home, just the probability.

From time to time I get a call from a home owner to let me know their home is for sale. Usually, it’s in a neighborhood that I have listings in or have sold a few in the recent past. The sellers have decided to sell themselves or at least give it a try on their own.

Not long ago I had a call and the home owner wanted to make sure all of the agents with listings in the area knew that their home was for sale and that the home owners were cooperating with real estate agents who were working with buyers shopping that neighborhood. Most real estate agents have no problem showing for sale by owners, but they have to meet the same guidelines for their buyers as listed properties.

The biggest gaffes FSBO sellers make when selling their own real estate is that they don’t understand the market. Selling real estate is about more than jabbing a sign in the lawn, burying a St. Joseph statue and calling a few active real estate agents in the area.

The market is fiercely competitive and if there is more supply than demand it’s like screaming “my house is for sale” into a canyon and expecting an answer back.

The home owner that called me didn’t understand that they currently had one year of inventory in their canyon and that there were no pending sales which means, in this Polaroid moment, that general pricing is probably too high and time on market and inventory is potentially going up.

It’s been years, even decades since some sellers have had a real estate transaction and they may not understand the new, strict appraisal guidelines.

Home owners can drive the street, jot down addresses with signs or even go to Zillow or Realtor.com to get current listings so they know what’s on the market. What they don’t understand is that there are plenty of other unrealistic home owners that will drag you down with them when the list price gets based their wrong list price.

If the FSBO home owners updated and redecorated their place may be prettier but they could have also over improved. Selling a home “turnkey” decorated with Ralph Lauren whatever and fifteen-hundred thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets and expecting your exquisite taste to materialize into a price a buyer is willing to pay is a stretch. On top of that, there is no place on the appraisal form for “how cheerful a home feels”, thread counts or name brands.

These are not only the reasons why a FSBO won’t sell, but not be shown by the real estate agents who were invited to show it, either. Real estate agents won’t skip your property because it’s not listed, but because it’s not the best for their client.

The agent with buyers, actually work for the buyers not the FSBO. It’s their job to find them the best possible properties and an over priced or over improved property that won’t appraise isn’t it.

###

Real Life in Bonita Springs is a project by Chris Griffith dedicated to writing useful blog posts for consumers about the Bonita Springs, Florida area.  Find out what it is really like to live in Bonita Springs, Florida by reading about our fair city. You’ll get the latest in local real estate information, Bonita Springs real estate market reports and a little bit of humor.  If you have topic ideas, feel free to request a story about the idea, after all, this site is just for you.

You can subscribe to a weekly email newsletter by visiting www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com and entering your email in the subscription area on the center pane of the web page or by adding us to your reader by subscribing to this blog. Oh, and if you’re reading this content anywhere else but www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com or Naples Daily News it is probably stolen.

North Naples Gulf Access Boat Ramp & Playground

Cocohatchee River Park is located in Collier County in North Naples, very close to Bonita Springs, Florida.  The park is located at the intersection of Wiggins Pass Road and Vanderbilt Drive south of Bonita Beach Road.  Cocohatchee River Park is a 7 acre property that offers a large playground and picnic area, as well as a public boat ramp.

The playground and picnic area of Cocohatchee River Park is framed by canal and river.  Features of Cocohatchee River Park include a fenced playground and toy area for children, public restrooms, stroller friendly paved walking path and picnic tables under covered shelters.

Cocohatchee River Park is shaded by mature trees in many locations so umbrellas aren’t necessary.  Picture perfect views of boats going by and river side fishermen are commonplace.  It is possible to bicycle or roller blade to the park on the wide, paved walking paths which line Vanderbilt Drive.

View Full Album

In addition to a playground, Cocohatchee River Park offers one of the largest boat ramp areas with the fastest access to the Gulf of Mexico.

The park provides gulf access through Wiggins Pass and access to the back bay and intracoastal waterway of Bonita Springs and Vanderbilt. From ramp to Gulf is idle time of about 10-15 minutes.

Cocohatchee River Park has more capacity than many other boat launches with many parking spaces and four boat launching lanes for loading and unloading boats.  Check the Collier County Parks Site for current hourly manned operation or call (239) 513-7919.  In addition to the playground and boat ramp, there is also a Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla is on-site which offers boating safety classes.

List To Sold in Less Than 9 Days 

Tailing on last weeks real estate market reports for the month of August 2010 comes this tale of just how fast the entry level real estate is moving.  Ya see, the majority of the listings in the the area selling are priced $200,000 and under, 59% in fact.  Real estate that is in great condition and priced well sells the fastest. 

A couple of weeks ago I listed a second floor condo in Marsh Landing of Estero, Florida.  It was only a matter of a few days and a few showings and this condo was sold.  It sold so fast that the yard sign wasn’t even completed yet.  So today I went to McBrooms Signs on Old 41 and picked up my perfect, never been rained on, real estate sign and put it in my office.  It just didn’t feel right tossing it in the sign pile with the rest of the veteran real estate signs.

It would seem that I need to find myself another listing in Marsh Landing to break this sign in properly.

Where Bonita Springs Meets Fort Myers Beach

On either side of New Pass Bridge there is ample parking if you’d like to take walk over the bridge or just take a few pictures.   With intentions of taking pictures of something green or flowery yesterday, I ventured out only to take more pictures of water.  The water pictures are ok when it’s cloudy, rainy and the sky is being dramatic.  The landscape and golf course pictures in the same atmosphere are just depressing. 

New Pass is where Bonita Springs meets Fort Myers Beach near Lover’s Key.  At the north end of the bridge, on the gulf side, is dog beach.  That’s always good for a laugh or two. There is nothing funnier that watching the dogs at the beach. They’re care free, like children and they totally cut up.

There is usually a fisherman or two at either end of the bridge trying their best.  The day I was here it looked like their best wasn’t good enough.  It did inspire me to pick up fish on the way home at the grocery store.  No license required for my kind of fishing.

The western views from the bridge are gorgeous views of the gulf, sometimes with dramatic storm clouds.  The eastern views are of the back bay and the towers located in The Colony at Pelican Landing.

Unlike public beaches like Barefoot Beach and Bonita Beach, parking is free near the bridge.  It’s a pretty place to watch the sun go down and the boats come home for the evening; red right return.

15 Year, 30 Year Fixed & Jumbo

The Labor Department released its August Consumer Price Index data earlier this morning – and mortgage investors yawned with the year-over-year rate of inflation remaining stable at 1.0%.  Could be we’re in for mortgage interest rates staying in the 4’s range– at least in the near-term. 

Looking ahead to next week, news from the housing sector will predominantly dominate the balance of next week’s economic calendar – ranging from Tuesday morning’s August Housings Start and Building Permit numbers through the existing and new home sales data on Thursday and Friday respectively.  The collective story is expected be one of almost imperceptible improvement – a condition not likely to cause mortgage investors to aggressively push mortgage interest rates notably higher.  

William Dukes  ~  Senior Mortgage Banker

With more than 25 years of financial advising experience including 10 years in mortgage lending Will Dukes understands clients’ borrowing needs and concerns. More importantly, being a "survivor" in the current mortgage lending atmosphere speaks volumes about Will's integrity and ability to navigate rapidly changing conditions. If you have questions about finance contact Will at Summit Home Mortgage, Inc. 239.272.2241.

Postage & Package Shipping For Impatient People

The City of Bonita Springs has two full service post office locations; one on Bonita Beach Road and one on Old 41 Road.  If you didn’t know it, the USPS store on Old 41 Road has an automated postal center. 

If you’re not from the area you may not know how long the lines get in our post office, especially during tourist season.  Christmas and Easter week are especially bad.  Since this machine went in the lines are a little shorter and people like me, that can’t stand waiting in line while daylight is burning are using it.

It’s pretty easy to use and you can’t make mistakes.  It’s a touch screen that’s easy to use.  Consumers can quickly and easily buy stamps, ship packages, ship large envelopes, you name it.  When you get your order completed the way you want it, you swipe your debit or credit card. Poof … and you’re out the door just like me.

If you’d like to skip the line and use the automated postage machine visit the Bonita Springs post office on Old 41 Road.  Here’s a map to the store:

Bonita Springs Post Office