Life In Bonita Springs

Getting kicked When Your Down

Today my doorbell rang and there was a familiar face standing there when I opened the door. It was Sandy. Sandy's had a rough year. He and his wife lost their Bonita Springs home. You see, they got one of those crappy loans that just ballooned to oblivion. I watched the stress and pain on his face grow over months. It was too late to help him by the time he came to me. I didn't sell him the home or recommend the lender he used.

I tried to get him to refinance with one of my preferred, trusted lenders and he didn't do it. Long story short his mortgage consumed him and it wasn't long before he received his notice of default. The lender he has his mortgage with has absolutely no desire to renegotiate his mortgage, interest or principal. He owes about $150,000 on the home. The home has been listed as a short sale for several months and an offer has come in for $40,000 and the bank is seriously considering this offer.

Explain me this: Why would a bank put a family on the street and loose an immediate $110,000 on their investment when they could have just restructured the crappy mortgage the handed the first buyer?

It chaps me that these banks are so flipping arrogant and heartless. My hope is that when these banks ask for a government bail out people like Sandy can come forward and rat them out for what they've done to themselves. I hope there are investigations and when these banks are proven to have fraudulently sold property for pennies on the dollar when they had a different choice, they are punished swiftly. They aren't even trying.

Today, Sandy came to me for a new matter. He is looking for a rental to live in because his family is days away from being homeless. The home he found is perfect and the landlord has asked for a deposit. Unfortunately, many of Sandy's friends have given their security deposit only to have their rental get foreclosed on just weeks or months after they move in and they've lost their money. Sandy wanted me to check the property out for liens or lis pendens that could be an indication of foreclosure or bank action.

The good news is that there are ways to protect your self from loss. Since this home isn't in an association and we can't verify that the owners are current on fees or really does own the home we were able to verify that the owner is the true owner at www.leepa.com and then we check the Lee County Clerks office to see if there have been any filings that would be red flags at www.leeclerk.org.

He'll proceed ahead with the rental because there didn't seem to be any issues. My advise to Sandy was to negotiate the security deposit to be as low as possible, regardless. Why? Because you never know. I gave him the Clerks website and instructed him to check the status of the home every month when he writes out his rent check to see if anything has changed.

If you think you need to check out your rental home or landlord follow some of the tools and tips here: For Sale While For Rent

Estero High School Team Sports

Coach Belinda, who coaches Estero High School Cheerleaders, sent me the latest booster form via email and I thought I'd share it with the community. With everyone buckling down I decided to grab a 1/2 page add to support the teams. My kids graduated in '87 but I still know how hard the coaches and kids work at Estero High School and I want to support them. If you'd like to sponsor an add in any of the team sport programs I have uploaded the form so you can print it in a word .doc file. I'd be happy to fax it to you if need be, also.

Sponsorships run from $10 for a one line add to up to $600 for a full back page or full inside cover add. Coach Belinda's name is on the booster form if you have pointed questions about being an Estero High School Booster.

My gift to you if you sponsor an add for the Estero High School Boosters by finding out about the ad here is: I will write a story about your local business, SEO rich and link to your website after you place your order with boosters. Just fax me a copy of your order filled out or contact me to get started. How's that for a two-fer? Of course, your business has to be rated G or PG, which I think goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyway.

http://lifeinbonitasprings.com/?attachment_id=720 is the link to the order form.

Thank you for supporting Estero High School Boosters.

*Chris*

It's not always about real estate

I do have fun on the web and I read a lot of other writers. I was reading another real estate agent's blog and found wordle. http://wordle.net/

This is a fun little gadget that can scan your site and compile your text and writing into a tag cloud. I've seen it around a bit a thought I'd try it. I stayed with the average "standard" non-threatening colors and whipped it up to Flickr.com.

Not long after I experimented with my wordle cloud I checked in to read the most recent post on The Pioneer Woman. Her dog, Nell, has been missing and I was wondering if she turned up yet. Nell, is still off wanderin'. At any rate there was a magnificent piece on farm kids and calf castration. I know. I happened to be eating tacos with chipotle tabasco at the time so it was all a little too realistic.

Care to guess why I no longer live on a farm?

At any rate, I wondered what the wordle tag cloud looks like for a website that has a graphic description of what goes on on that there range with those calves and testicle counting cowboys. Maybe Ree will find the link someday to this story and wordle herself. Happy Trails!

If you're interested in experiencing a little bit of life on the range, go here:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/2008/07/whippersnappers_calf_nuts_and_worry.html and don't forget to subscribe to the feed.

Lover's Key Beach - Bonita Beach - Barefoot Beach

Did you know that two of the top ten Florida beaches as listed by the Travel Channel are located in Lee County Florida? It looks like Southwest Florida beaches are IT! Sanibel Island is a given and almost always makes any beach list. Lover's Key has made the list this year, too. Lover's Key Beach is just north of Bonita Beach and Barefoot Beach right before Fort Myers Beach drawbridge. Lover's Key is also connected to Dog Beach, the only pet friendly beach in the area.

I wonder if the people that visit the beaches to nominate them or review them have ever been to Barefoot Beach Preserve. It's in Collier County, just a mile or two from Bonita Beach. Any time I have buyers visiting the area looking to purchase their own Bonita Springs real estate I send them to that beach. They always report back a fantastic review.

If you're wondering where the rest of the beaches in the top ten Florida beaches are located:

1. South Beach

2. Siesta Key Beach

3. Palm Beach

4. Lovers Key Beach

5. Clearwater Beach

6. Smathers Beach

7. Sanspur Beach

8. Panama City Beach

9. Sanibel Beach

10. Daytona Beach

A Tale of Pricing Riverfront Gulf Access Homes

Sometimes when homes don't sell as fast as expected the homeowner becomes frustrated. The current state of the Bonita Springs real estate market has brought sales to some home sellers while other homes remain unsold. The only thing that is obvious about the current real estate market is that proper pricing is still king when trying to sell your home. If you're a frustrated home owner trying to price your home to sell in today's market here are a few tips and examples about pricing.

While working with a buyer looking at gulf access and riverfront property in Bonita Springs and Estero it became clear after visiting about ten homes which homes were priced competitively for the market and which homes weren't. It doesn't necessarily mean that the homes were mispriced from the get go. Maybe the market just sank around the price and there haven't been price adjustments to remain competitive. For whatever reason the owner and maybe their agent never realized that the home is now priced out of the market and it just makes the other homes look more attractive as a better deal. Homes priced poorly will, in essence, help the neighbor sell his home first.

If you're a Bonita Springs home owner and you've had your home on the market for a while with less than stellar results you might want to update your figures and take another stab getting your home sold.

For starters, you do need to listen to feedback that your real estate agent gets for you from the buyers agents that have shown your home. If it's not clean enough, clean it. If it smells, fix it. If it needs the walls toned down, paint it. The point is it's an unbiased person that has seen your home and the homes that compete with your home and they're offering a free review of why the buyers didn't buy. The trick is that you might have to be thick skinned and not be defensive when you are told the truth.

The feedback might include the results of where the buyer did purchase. If you're losing the lion's share of buyers to a specific Bonita Springs community or area, then that's now your biggest competition and you need to pay attention to what is going on in that neighborhood, too. Sometimes buyers just go to the next community down the road because the same floor plan is available there at a significant savings in price. Be aware that sometimes the buyer that last went through your home never purchased anywhere. It wouldn't hurt to know that, too.

Recently, I gave feedback to the listing agent of a $1.3M gulf access home I showed. The home was cute enough and had seen a little updating since being built in the late 60's. I shared with the listing agent that my buyers no longer had interest in the home because they had found two homes that were priced just under $1M with an equally beautiful view and the homes were considerably newer, offered more detail and had been built with newer building codes. One home was built in 2006 and the other in 1999. There was even a riverfront comparable sale of less than a month ago at $880,000 in Serrano of Bonita Springs that ran circles around it in upgrades and price. The agent seemed surprised and may have had no idea how far off their price was. As a courtesy, I actually offered the addresses of the other gulf access homes so that the agent could make appointments to preview the homes with the sellers so they would see first hand what their competition looks like.

It's OK to visit the competition to make sure you're home is priced competitively. Open houses aren't just for buyer's they're for sellers, too. If you see a home in your Bonita Springs Community that is being held open stop in and take a look. Your agent can even make an appointment for you to see the home.

The next thing I'd suggest that you do is get a fresh comparative market analysis for the property and figure out the current absorption rate. The CMA will utilized the most recent sales criteria to help you figure out how to price your home for the current market, not what the market indicated three months, six months or a year ago when it was first listed. The absorption rate is something you'll want to stay on top of, too. I wonder if the sellers of the gulf access homes we looked at knew that their absorption rate is about 3.5 years. That's a long time to be paying taxes, insurance, mortgage, utilities and maintenance on a home that is not selling. It may be in the owner's best interest to price more effectively to sell faster and keep the long term holding costs down. Plus, if the seller needs to be living in Memphis in six months, he should know that that may not happen unless the pricing is more aggressive.

Read also: So, What Is The Absorption Rate For Your Bonita Springs Home?

Finally, know that most of what your agent will use for a CMA and absorption rate will be used in part by a property appraiser when it comes time to appraise your home. If you or your agent can't find recent sales that support your list price, the appraiser probably won't either. This could mean your home won't appraise for its contracted sale price and if it doesn't appraise, the bank won't lend on that sale price. You might have to kiss that buyer goodbye or renegotiate a new sale price.

Remember, your Bonita Springs home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay and the price that an appraiser verifies its value be. Finding the fine line and walking it like a tight rope isn't as hard as you think. It certainly has to be easier than writing checks to float a home that's not selling.

Rio Maggiore Floor Plan

If you're looking for condos for sale in Rapallo, take a look at the Rio Maggiore model. The Rio Maggiore is the largest floor plan model available in Rapallo at Coconut Point of Estero, Florida. The Rio Maggiore offers 2,584 square foot of living. That's pretty big living area as far as condos go in Estero, Florida or even Bonita Springs, for that matter.

At this time there are plenty of homes for sale in Rapallo but only a limited amount of Rio Maggiore models available. The current list price of this model of condo on the market is $379,000 to just under $500,000. Most condominium homes in Rapallo offer water views, but they all offer the great amenity package that Rapallo offers. Don't forget that community beach shuttle that is included with home ownership. It's a keeper.

Enjoy the images of Rapallo and this featured Rio Maggiore model at Rapallo. Current asking price is $429,000. This home offers tons of upgrades, to the tune of $80,000. The best feature is the great preserve and lake view. It's never been lived in and just waiting for your special decorating touch.

To learn more about the community of Rapallo read also: Rapallo at Coconut Point | Estero Florida

Alternate carriage home floor plans at Rapallo include:

• Vernazza – 1,966 Living
• Levanto – 2,016 Living
• Monterosso – 2,492
• Rio Maggiore – 2,584

Hidden Gems in Bonita Springs, Florida

Remember Mallow Cups? I do. It had been decades since I'd had one and then one day I stumbled back onto them in when I visited the Ben Franklin Store in Amherst, Ohio. I bought the whole box on the spot. The girl working the register said any time someone walks in and sees them, the whole box is purchased. If you don't know what a Mallow Cup is, it's shaped like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup but inside is coconut and marshmallow. I know. Take a deep breath, it will be OK. Collect yourself!

For the last few years my mother has brought mallow cups every fall when she returns to Bonita Springs for the winter. Any time she has a friend coming to town from Amherst, she has them run by Ben's and pick up a box of them to bring with them. The price of admission to Bonita Springs, Florida is a box of Mallow Cups.

Imagine my surprise when I walk into the store just a couple of blocks from my house and find Mallow Cups starting back at me in all of its refined, sugary glory. I bought the entire box immediately. I was ambushed by the family when I walked through the door. We've all developed a palate for Mallow Cups. Hey, there's more to me than just real estate, I'm a candy connoisseur, too.

My secret Mallow Cup stash is at the Kangaroo gas station near Target on West Terry Street in Bonita Springs. The Kangaroo store that just sold that winning "gas for life" lottery ticket. No, it wasn't to me. Boo!

I am now on my way to the store to get that box before someone reads this post and steals my stash!

Today, I was snooping around on Flickr.com and stumbled across this fantastic image. Jeff Turner, queso grande at Real Estate Shows, Inc., captured it to share with the world. Jeff takes some pretty awesome pictures. Many of which end up being my desk top image of the week. If I have to stare at the screen *that many* hours of the day, it should at least look pretty. No? Anyway, I thought this picture was so pretty I decided to share it with you. I've not seen a peacock, ever, in Southwest Florida. If you're a Bonitian and can tell me where one is located I'd love to see it. Is it too hot for them to live here?

I recall seeing one when I was a young'n in Northern Ohio but that is the extent of my experience with this remarkable bird. Full size image here

Oh, and for you REALTOR types, Jeff Turner's Real Estate Shows are internet commercials you make with your own digital photos. Learn more by clicking: Real Estate Shows I heard their customer service is *FaNtAsTic*, too!

The Gorton's Fisherman? | Bonita Springs, Florida

This one is coming from my Flickr.com archives. I took it a while back right after the bug incident on Old 41 while I was running. The experience was so terrible I ended up running on Bonita Beach to avoid the gnats on the next run. That's when I found this fisherman mailbox.

Today, I tried giving a run down West Terry Street another shot and had nearly the same crappy results with the gnats. They're just terrible, especially by Bonita Springs Middle School. There's standing water from the storms and I bet it made them hatch. Well, I had them on me, in my hair and even in my eyes. Unfortunately I had made salsa verde right before I walked out the door for the run and had jalapeno juice on my fingers so I couldn't even wipe my eyes. If I was smart, I'd just quit running. It's beginning to be work.

Next run is back at Bonita Beach. The gulf wind keeps the bugs away. I know...I could always head indoor to the treadmill a the gym but I don't do so well on those things. Plus, when we have power outages and people are running and they turn off, they literally run smack into the dashboards. It's hilarious, but I don't want that happening to me.

Any who, The fisherman lives on Hickory Boulevard kind of near beach access #2, just a couple hundred feet from Doc's Beach House restaurant. His mermaids are a stone's throw away, too. Read also: The Little Mermaid of Bonita Beach. I'll be down there running circles around him tomorrow because I'm over the gnat situation in Bonita Farms.

Enjoy these sunny pictures of Bonita Beach. If you're from Bonita Springs or Estero you know it has now rained for days. I thought you may not be able to remember what sunshine looks like. Cheer up, brighter days are head. Enjoy your complimentary dose of Vitamin D to get you through this tragedy.

I can't wait to see my shadow again ... how about you?