Life In Bonita Springs

Search The MLS Has Been Changed

If you’re a registered user of the MLS search on this website and you’ve noticed that things are changed, you’re right.  While I tried to have the system updated when I was moving some technology around I just couldn’t get it through to a tech at the last MLS/IDX service.   I eventually chose the path of least resistance which was changing services.

The MLS real estate search feature has been changed so you will have to register again to use it.  It’s painless, I swear.  I also hear it’s easier to use and save favorite listings.

It’s a minor bump in the real estate road.  You can start the new home search and registration process here at the link below:

Search Bonita Springs Real Estate

Top 5 Mexican Restaurants and Nacho Joints

• Tijuana Flats - US 41 across from Pelican Landing, Bonita Springs, Florida
• Senor Tequila - US 41 at West Terry Street, Bonita Springs, Florida [coming soon]
• El Paisano - West Terry Street, Bonita Springs, Florida
• Moes - Coconut Pointe Mall, Estero Florida
• La Bamba - Miromar Outlets, Estero Florida

Along The Imperial River in Old Bonita

There are little gems like these hidden all over in Bonita Springs, Florida.  In the older, original section of Bonita there are still remnants of old groves.  Mature citrus trees are tucked away in the back yards of many homes.

The blossoms are out right now.  Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, you can drive by a big enough grove and smell them through the car air conditioning.  There are often home owners that sell citrus off the trees road side in the Dean Street area.  The “fresh from the tree” oranges aren’t picture perfect like grocery store oranges but they usually taste better.  Looks isn’t everything, right?

You can find fresh local citrus at several of our farmer’s markets depending upon the time of the year.  Many of our farmer’s markets are seasonal and close shortly after Easter.

If you’re looking for farmers markets in Bonita Springs or Estero, Florida try:

• Farmer Mikes on Morton Road
• The Lion’s Club on Pennsylvania Avenue
• The Wednesday Farmer’s Market at Riverside Park on Old 41 Road
• Flamingo Island Flea Market on Bonita Beach Road
• Mehmett’s Produce in Estero on US 41
• The Farmer’s Market at the Promenade on Saturday

What Are Your Bonita Springs Top Picks?

In the spirit of wrapping up all things “Tourist Season 2009” and to get this over with, so I can get to passing out these massive, seven foot, six inch tall trophies, I’ve decided to publish a list for the “Spring 2010 Top Ten of Bonita Springs”.  It’s all my humble opinion, of course.

Think of it as kind of like Oprah’s favorite things, but with me picking it. Oh and there’s a lot less net worth.  Oh, and different hair, mine is graying, Oprah’s magically isn’t. Oh, and I'm not giving away any prize or merchandise or even trophies for that matter. 

Without further delay … in no particular order:

1. The Survey Cafe’s new tapas menu and beer and wine list available on Friday and Saturday nights in greater downtown old Bonita Springs, Florida. A few fave’s are the cheese plate and the pulled pork nachos. Mini Me likes the nachos. I had the cheese plate, also the scallop plate.
2. White Sands Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Mason – They love dogs and have even saved LBD several times as well as perform a few acts of kindness for good folks who ran out of cash trying to cure their sick dog, when they were so close to saving the dog … Dr. Mason decided it was easier to save ‘em than watch ‘em die.
3. The two Bonita Springs Rotary Club’s, morning and noon.  Without those clubs there would be less community events and festivals like Taste of Bonita, Taste of Estero, The Boat Parade and the Christmas Tree stand.
4. Alan from Pack and Ship on Bonita Beach Road, because when you go in his store to ship a letter, Fed-Ex, UPS or a box, you’re family, he remembers your name and says please and thank you. He even takes bags of left over packing peanuts I collect from seller’s of real estate who have left them behind. (I have moral conflict about sending them to a landfill)
5. Chris Griffith, because it’s all about the details and when she sees expired license plates on cars in parking lots always leaves a note on the car door so they can get that fixed before they get a ticket. I just found a June ‘08.  Hello?  These days, it’s like looking for four leaf clovers.
6. The Flesher Family for putting lights up again so this city had a place to go celebrate the season with their family and enjoy time with each other like they should have been doing all these years. Just sayin’.
7. Pat, the guy that lives next door to my mom and dad because he takes charge of watching their house and charges their car battery. He also runs a business that does finish trim carpentry (crown molding, baseboards, mill work, new doors, etc) so if you need anyone in that department, call me and I’ll hook you up.
8. Bonitian rednecks, because they’re usually good and kind and generous.  They’ll take you to the woods in East Bonita or on an Airboat in the Everglades just to make sure you see God’s country.
9. Barefoot Beach Park for totally rocking the Gulf of Mexico and adding concession food, kayaks, restroom facilities and a gopher tortoise preserve just to push it over the top.  Blam!
10. Farmer Mike’s U–Pick or you pick, for turning out the best produce in the area.  The stand runs seasonally, Nov to April/May-ish. Fresh tomatoes and in the spring the strawberries are so abundant when you open your car door your mouth waters.

There you have it, 10 great things to do, Bonita Springs events or great local Bonita Springs businesses or residents that could use your support.  If you have a great business to add, just put it in a comment so other readers can enjoy.

Things To Do Local Events & Festivals

Our busy tourist season is wrapping up and it’s ushered out the way it came in, with outdoor events and festivals. A little unknown fact about our local events is that there are visitors that plan their trips to and from our area around some of our local events. While our events schedule may not be the initial draw for a visit to southwest Florida they are a reason to plan an “arrive by” or “depart after” date for many people.

Recently, I had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation a couple of people were having about a local event they attended. There was a grumble about how much a sandwich cost and a few other nit-pickery complaints.

While I realize the complaining is nearly a national pass time it saddened me that the people having the conversation didn’t get it. We aren’t a metropolis and most of our public events aren’t thrown by cities without budgets. There also aren’t “party planning squads” at the county or city level of government.

Many of our local events are organized by volunteers and service organizations. While there is generally a charitable aspect to the event there is always the fundamental goal of providing a good time and a sense of community and fellowship for both locals and visitors.

If you pay closer attention at the next event you attend you may notice it. Very often, it’s your community that is actually hosting it, not your city. It’s your neighbor, your doctor, your insurance agent, your accountant and many other small businesses and their owners. They give their time and, most importantly, their money and services to sponsor the events to underwrite expenses.

It’s usually a win-win because it provides a reason for people to come together and an avenue to raise funds and awareness for local charitable organizations or causes.

If you’re one of the lucky people that get to stay here all summer you may realize that there are other benefits besides getting into a restaurant without a reservation and cutting across town in half the time. You have the opportunity to get involved, at any level, to help create or sustain the local community for the winter and spring of next year.

This summer will go by quietly with many local residents and champions of charity quietly planning the next years 5K events, food festivals, boat parades, farmer’s markets, movies in the parks and so on. When our weather is tolerable again we’ll have many ways to welcome back our tourists, celebrate whatever needs celebrated and build our sense community. Remarkably, it will all be created by the hands of unbelievably average, yet extraordinary people that realize that they get what they give.

So maybe the next time you’re at an event and the feeling comes over you that it could have been run better, bigger, cheaper or done more often, know this; you can help with the solution by getting involved or by becoming a sponsor of the event.

Your blood, sweat, tears, time or checkbook is welcome at any service organization or their events. You just have to step up and give of yourself what you can.

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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 left 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.

Things to Do in SW Florida

The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs Noon presents International Fest at The Mercato, Naples, Florida.

• Date:  April 29, 2010
• Time: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
• After party: 8:00-11:00 p.m. at Blue Martini

Your $20.00 passport entitles you to a souvenir beer mug or wine glass, beer or wine tasting, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and no cover charge for the after party at Blue Martini.

A limited number of passports will be availble to purchase the night of the event while supplies last.  Passports can be purchased in advance by calling 239-390-8239.

For a printable flyer of the event click the image to launch the page:

Participating Locations Include:

• AZN Azian Cuisine
• Blue Martini
• Bravo! Cucina Italiana
• McCormick & Schmick’s
• Piola Famosi Per La Pizza
• Pure
• Silverspot
• Stage 62 Dei
• The Capital Grille
• The Pub
• Whole Foods
• Bobby Chan and The Strada will serve Complimentary hors d’oeuvres at their locations.

Four People Shot By Pool in Bonita Springs, Fla

There is no faster way to clear off a pool deck than to announce to the general area, “I am here to take pictures.”  Today, as I quietly took pictures someone in the pool, yes, the pool asked to take my picture with his friends.  He grabbed my camera and shot us.

They asked why I was taking pictures and that if I was a real estate agent.  The ninja-like black outfit was probably a pretty good disguise but they weren’t fooled.  I explained that I was and that I was taking new pictures of the amenities  [The Sanctuary of Bonita Springs] to put in the MLS and on the internet.

Within the next day or so I’ll be listing a one bedroom condo there at The Sanctuary and it will be a short sale. One of my pet peeves is when short sales get listed and they don’t have pictures added.  Even short sales, even foreclosures, even ugly homes and condos deserve to be marketed correctly so that the buyers can find them.  It’s just not right to use the dreaded “Photo Coming Soon” as an advertising tool.

So today, I took pictures of petite, one bedroom condo that will be listed in a day or two at $40,000.  The difference between this little condo and the others listed in the area is that this one will have photos of the great lakefront view, the awesome pool, fitness center, racquet ball court and the real estate agent kicking it with the pool people that chose to not get out of the pictures because they want buyers to know how friendly the neighbors are. 

When Enough Isn't Enough

The big battle many anxious homeowners have had is finding the buyer for their home or condominium.  Depending upon the price range and amount of competing of real estate offers can be few and far between.

Southwest Florida has had more than a brisk winter real estate season, especially under the $400,000 price point, which accounted for just about eighty percent of the sales.  Some properties may have languished on the market for some time before inventory dwindled and buyers eventually noticed them.

There have been some great deals made by buyers.  Grateful sellers anxious to move on to the next phase of their lives strike their deal and wait for the period of time for inspection diligence and the finances for purchase to be arranged.

Sometime shortly after the contract has executed a little bit buyers remorse creeps in.  There are buyers that will just say, “We’re having second thoughts.” There are others that are a little more a passive aggressive and just start nibbling at the deal.

It is kind of like a plate of cookies where nobody can see that a tiny bite has been taken from each one.

First, there is a call of surprise by the buyers that they did not realize they’d be responsible for a little application fee to join the home owner association.

Next, they realize that there are a few missing window screens and they just could not possibly sleep a night in a home without window screens.

After that, there is a call about the “turn-key furnished” home missing items.

While personal items were clearly excluded from the sale the buyers are upset that the canned food from the pantry is missing and they believe that there is a set of towels that is missing.  The towels in question are four yellow towels, which must have been made from Egyptian cotton so precious, that it has rendered the buyers unable to eat, on top of not sleeping.

Who would have known that buying real estate was so stressful?

The current homeowner, looking at the big picture, realizes the screens are about one hundred dollars and a couple of towels from the Target store are probably less than thirty bucks so they commit to replacing them for the sake of a smooth transaction and to help the buyers sleep and regain their appetite.

Some buyers just can’t be satisfied if they’re unhappy from the inside, out. No matter what concessions are made they feel ripped off.  Even though there is an agreeable seller bending to make sure they’re getting what they deserve, real and imagined, they’ll be miserable through the end … if they make it to the end.

These buyers didn’t make it.  They clearly were just looking for a way out instead of just getting out with an inspection clause or just being honest from the start.  The transaction didn’t have to be filled with hen-peckery.  There really was no subterfuge.

Buyers, be careful what you ask for.  You just might get it plus a set of bonus towels.

Sellers, you might just realize that people who will really appreciate your new spare linen and Campbell’s soup the most actually live on Haiti.

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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 left 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.

A Bonitian Flower I Didn’t Want You To Miss

Spotted at Brendan Way in Brendan Cove, Bonita Springs, Florida.  Take a moment.

Vacation Home: It’s All About Perspective

This is one of my favorite little places in Bonita Springs besides that cute little house with awnings on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Rio Vista.  This little place is in Lime Tree Park.

Sometimes I walk by house on Rio Vista and hope that some day the owners are out so I can ask them about their cute little house. 

It would probably be weird for me to randomly knock on their door and say, “Hi, my name is Chris.  You don’t know me but I’m infatuated with your house.  Can I look around a little bit.  Please don’t be afraid of me.” 

That, my friends, is how one ends up with an order of restraint against them.  Violating the personal space of a cute little house with awnings.  I’m just a sucker for little old houses with awnings. With or without the wheels.