Life In Bonita Springs

The Liberty Youth Ranch Consignment Store

On Old 41 Road, just north of Bonita Beach Road, in Bonita Springs, Florida is the Liberty Youth Ranch consignment store is located. The Liberty Youth Ranch raises funds through donations and consignment of great furniture and household items that is in great shape and can be repurposed, recycled, reused and enjoyed.

All funds raised helps children by supporting the Ranch. The kids on the ranch are young people who, through no fault of their own, became in need of a place to live and a family to love them.

Liberty Youth Ranch is an alternative to foster care. There are qualifications for children to be accepted at the ranch. Quite simply, the children can’t be a danger to others, be delinquent or in the juvenile system.

The Liberty Youth Ranch is a great place for good kids who just had a bad turn of events with their family such as losing their parents to death, incarceration, court intervention.

If you’re looking for a place to donate your unwanted household items or you’re thinking of purchasing something new try shopping at the Liberty Youth Ranch Upscale Shoppe consignment store first. You’ll be recycling household items and helping children at the same time.

If you’d like to learn more about Liberty Youth Ranch visit their website www.LibertyYouthRanch.org

If you’d like to visit the store click the map to Liberty Youth Ranch.

The Naples Lemon House

The last few Friday's I've run photos of mailboxes for the "mailbox series" on my blog. Occasionally I'll go out for a drive or just take a turn down a street to see if I can find a candidate for a post. While driving through the Vanderbilt and the Naples Park area I stumbled across a yard sign. I thought it was a real estate sign from a distance. As I'm driving closer to it I'm thinking, "Danger Realty"? Isn't that an odd name? It turns out that it is a real estate agency style of sign but it's not a sign, it's a warning.

A young couple purchased the Naples spec home in 2003 and just a few years later had some issues pop up. I'll interject that this home was purchased for about $2,000,000. A few minor defects showed up a couple of years down the road, which lead to huge problems. The issues were cause by latent construction defects. It was only a matter of time before the home was consumed with hazardous and dangerous defects that caused health issues for the family that lived in it. The home itself is now in pretty bad shape and basically a total loss. Stucco is peeling off, porches and patios are filleted open and reveal nothing but rotted, black, moldy wood. It's just awful to look at and no doubt a tragedy to live through.

I've visited the website that the owners started to inform the public about the lack of rights home owners have with construction defects, even with homeowner insurance. The website reads like a fiction novel it's so remarkable and unbelievable. Sadly, their issues have not been resolved. It also appears that there has been no entry on the website since January of 08. I certainly hope everything is alright, on of the owners has suffered serious health issues as a result of living in this toxic home.

It turns out that many insurance policies will not cover the mitigation and repair of toxic mold and there is continued litigation with the builder and developer seeking restitution. There is so much more to this story and I'll let you read it for yourself.

If you're interested in learning more about The Naples Lemon House visit their website www.TheNaplesLemonHouse.org

No matter how flat a pancake is it still has two sides

Sometimes people are just a victim of circumstance, they get sick, they get hurt, they lose their job, you name it. Sometimes people just lose their home and it wasn't their greed or narcissism that caused it. Hey, I don't agree 100% with everything this video has to say because all defaulting mortgages weren't bad mortgages. I write a lot about foreclosure, bank bail out and short sales. I stumbled onto this video and thought I would share it with you. If the screen doesn't load, you can click the link for the video, here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOaDrM3rMXs

The Tag Team Wrecking Crew

For those of you who don’t know I have a couple of kids. I’m a mom, too. They are actually twins. When I do things I always go big. I’m also efficient so I figured having a litter was an effective way to cut “down time” and carrying costs. I wasn’t exactly built to breed so that “save time & money” pregnancy was a good call.

The wonder twins are grown and gone at this point. While in the middle of raising them I cursed the twin gods for the punishment. I actually miss some of the shenanigans, now. To this day, nobody, I repeat, nobody has fessed up to how the toilet was broken off of the floor. You know there had to be a Class A wrestling match. I know someone had to get bruised or hurt during that scuffle. I saw three young people do the “I don’t know” schrug when I asked how it happened. I quit yelling about the bathroom at that point. There was already two chunks out of the porcelain tub, Mini-Me had pre-treated a stain on her shirt and forgotten she left the sink running flooding the bathroom, the soap tray fell out of the wall in the shower so I quit getting upset. I made up my mind to have the bathroom remodeled when they left. I did. Stripped it down to the studs and they’re not allowed to even come visit anymore.

I better get a card or something today for the hell they put me through. I’d settle for someone washing my car. 

Do You Want a Couple of New Toilets?

“I never thought I would be one of those people.” he said. Frankly, I never thought he would be one of those people, either. We’ve all read about foreclosure and we’ve seen a few stories on TV but may not have the chance to see it up close and personal. To have a face, a name and a family to put on the action of foreclosure is a sad day, indeed. Unfortunately, I’ve known more than a few families that have added their identity to the face of foreclosure recently.

Steve is a great guy, a smart guy, hard worker, a local business man, a great boss, father, honest, kind and now, a victim of foreclosure. Bankruptcy is not too far around the corner, either. The rotten economy and downturn of the building industry has left more than a few people and Bonita Springs businesses in one heck of a bind. I visited Steve at his Bonita Springs home and he just looked around, at the new hardwood floor he had put in just a few months ago, the new halogen lights in the ceiling and the custom marble floors. I sold him the house about three years ago. He’s done wonders with it. It was a decorating disaster and he turned it into a raving beauty. I envy anyone that lives under the roof. It’s gorgeous, now. Unfortunately, there’s one person under that roof that I don’t envy right now. The look on his face says it all. He again, reiterates, “I never thought I would be one of those people.” This time the “those” he’s referring to is not only the people that lose their home but the “those” that start stripping out the house.

According to Steve, the “help line” that his mortgage company has isn’t really a help line. It is no more than a dept collection tip off line. When he called it, they just started harassing him, not helping him. Not one lick of effort was focused on helping him stay in his home, deferring payments to the end of the mortgage or a mortgage “work out” plan. He could have opted for a deed in lieu of foreclosure, had anyone mentioned it. More effort was made to harass him into the next mortgage payment and track him down to serve him with the lis pendens and foreclosure notice. Sadly, the end is near. The American dream of home ownership has turned into a nightmare. The bank will soon own a home with no toilets, fans, light fixtures, wash basins or even light switches. He’s got those one touch jobbies that are very expensive. He was kind enough to offer them to me, knowing full well that I hired him to install them in my house last year when I had my home updated.

Every time I see the commercial or hear the ad on the radio about “calling someone” or “doing something” to stop foreclosure I think of Steve, his rotten bank, the flawed system, the ugly truth of foreclosure and the sad state that families are left by it.

If you are a Bonita Springs home owner and you’re not sleeping well because foreclosure is looming, know this:

• Not everyone that loses their home has a subprime loan.
• You don’t have to be a dead beat to lose your home.
• Losing your home doesn’t make you a dead beat.
• Most families are only a few paychecks away from the danger of foreclosure.
• Some crazy Bonita Springs real estate agent still cares and will help you buy another home down the road.

Many home owners are too embarrassed to ask for help until it’s too late. If Steve had come to me sooner we might have been able to sell short or direct him to start on a deed in Lieu of Foreclosure to keep him from losing the home to bank action. That’s a big “might have been able to” because the banks aren’t really cooperating too well with a lot of home owners.

So Steve will pack up and move out and probably take a few things that aren’t screwed down so tightly. He had a beautiful house that was a labor of love and a roller coaster ride to watch get restored. Now it’s just collateral damage of the economic downturn and housing crisis. Steve, thanks for the memories…and thanks but no thanks for the chandelier.

Vanderbilt Mail Beacon

In the quest to capture Southwest Florida mailboxes I ran across this lighthouse mailbox. Hey, it's Southwest Florida. The city of Bonita Springs is peppered with unique mailboxes, the likes of which are mostly nautical themed, fish themed, boat themed, lighthouse themed or ocean themed. I feel like Forest Gump; shimp gumbo, shrimp scampi, shrimp creole...

Today's lighthouse mailbox is sponsored by a lovely canal front, gulf access home just off of Vanderbilt Bay. It's at the far end down by The Ritz Carlton hotel and Pelican Bay. For those of you curious, Vanderbilt Bay offers gulf access via Wiggins Pass, just 20-30 minutes idle speed away. Most of the Vanderbilt area is no more than a 10-15 minute bike ride to the white, sugar sand beaches of Vanderbilt. Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park is located on the gulf at Vanderbilt Beach, too.

Enjoying Collier County Beaches in Bonita Springs?

Little do many people know that there are Collier County Beaches in Bonita Springs. At the entry to the Barefoot Beach Community is a large Collier County beach park. In addition to the Collier Count Parks Beaches there is a State Park at the south end of Barefoot Beach. The state park is accessible via Barefoot Beach Blvd across the Street from The Bonita Beach and Tennis Club Condominiums.

Collier County offers beach parking to visitors and residents with beach permits.

The web address for beach parking permit information is:

http://www.naplesgov.com

• Caxambas Park - South Collier Boulevard (642-0004)
• Veterans Community Park - 1895 Veterans Park Drive (566-2367)
• North Collier Regional Park - 15000 Livingston Road (254-4024)
• North Collier Government Services Center - 2335 Orange Blossom (774-8999)
• City of Naples - City Hall - 735 8th Street South (213-1800) or (213-7120)

Bonita Springs Sales and Listings Update

Folks, we're winding down from tourist season here in Bonita Springs, Florida but we're still seeing sales activity. The last several weeks have seen a steady increase in pending and closed sales. The same tune is playing about Bonita Springs real estate, it has to be priced right and when it is, it sells. We aren't over the hump yet but things are leveling off. According to economists the Bonita Springs and Naples areas will maintain level pricing and see and uptick in sales with more movement increases in the fall.

I'd like to thank the stupendous "Mr. J" for passing on this article (through the bars of the fortress) for me to share with you from the Wallstreet Journal - Dated May 6, 2008: The Housing Crisis According to WSJ

Your April '08 Estero and Bonita Springs real estate market report is available and ready for your review. The report shows the units of sale for the month of April for the last three consecutive years. Yada, yada: The data is from the Sunshine MLS which is, of course, deemed accurate but not guaranteed. After all, the information is put into those computers by humans. Enjoy this months Bonita Springs market report and check out the low rise condo sales for April '08.

The following units of sale for each of the categories listed are as follows:

An absorption rate of less than six months indicates a sellers market, an absorption rate of more than six months indicates a buyers market. The current absorption rate for the Bonita Springs - Estero standing inventory is:

If your home is listed for sale or you are thinking of selling your Bonita Springs home here are some tips to make sure your home will be on of the *sold* properties in the next May or June market report:

• Get a proper CMA with comparable sales no older than three months.
• You must figure out the actual monthly holding costs for your home. You can use this worksheet to calculate your holding costs.
• It is *imperative* to have your agent figure the absorption rate for your property - Multiply months on market by the monthly holding costs to figure out if you can afford the home that long. This is what an absorption rate is.
• Adjust the price accordingly - which may be even lower than the CMA. You're either going to bleed now or bleed later.
• Take your property off the market if you can not price it effectively or get it in the condition to compete with its competition.

Swans of Coconut Point

There is a large lake with a water feature fountain between Coconut Point Mall and Tamiami Trail. While taking a shortcut from Rapallo I crossed the big wooden bridge by Hemingway's and Moe's and saw this lovely swan keeping house. She's on the south side of the bridge in some bunches of grass. Today, when I took her picture she had company.  Mr. Wonderful is curled up behind her.

I am not sure how long the pair have been on the nest or how long it would take for peeps to hatch. I looked it up online - 35 days after the last egg is laid. There is some serious math involved, here, and some serious guessing as to how many eggs are actually there. They've been on the nest for a few weeks now. I can't wait to see the peeps. There is also a pair of black swans on the lake. I wonder if there will be white peeps, black peeps or two tone peeps.

Now, I look for excuses to cut through Coconut Point. I take the long way from the Brooks or Marsh Landing just so I can ride over the bridge to see Harold and Maude. If you stop in to take a look, just take a look. Don't get too close to them and certainly don't touch them. You can see them by slowly driving by. Everyone is slowly driving by now. The secret is out. Harold and Maude are going to be parents.

For the record, the swans have excellent taste. They've chosen one of the most prime locations in all of Estero. It's waddling distance to just about every convenience.

As-Is with The Right To Inspect | Bonita Springs Real Estate

Sometimes homes in Bonita Springs are sold "As-Is".  What is an "As-Is" sale?  Well, it's kind of what it sounds like.  Typically the purchase offer is written on an "As-Is" language specific contract which also gives the buyer the right to have the home or condo properly inspected so the buyer knows if there are any defects.  They are buying the property with the understanding that they are accepting the home as it is, without the seller providing any warranty or guarantee to fix or repair faulty items.

In some instances homes or condos are sold "As-Is" because the seller isn't able or willing to provide repairs.  The reasons can vary.

• The seller may not live in the area and is unable to perform the repairs.
• The property price was negotiated taking into consideration the estimated cost of known defects.
• The seller may have passed away and the property is part of an estate liquidation.
• The property is bank owned.
• The seller has sold to get out and not financially able to afford repairs.
• The property is sold at a tremendous discount and the seller doesn't want further expense associated with the close.
• The home is purchased at a real estate auction.

Most Bonita Springs real estate is sold with a seller's disclosure document.  The seller's disclosure is a few pages of questions and answers about the condition of the home.  The seller usually provides the document to the buyer no matter if the home is being sold with warranty or not.  A buyer or a buyer's agent is welcome to ask the seller to provide one if it is not readily available, also.

If a buyer goes into an "As-Is" purchase and sale with their eyes wide open and they perform their due diligence and inspections there isn't really an issue.  Home inspections in the Bonita Springs area can run from just a few hundred dollars and vary in price depending upon the size and age of the home or condo.  Common defects that are typically found are usually minor; such as dripping faucets, frozen GFCI outlets, loose handles and burned out light bulbs.  If there is a larger issue the contract usually provides for a contingency that the "home inspection is acceptable to the buyer".  The buyer can then determine whether or not they would like to move forward with their purchase.  Some buyers may even request that code violations be remedied at the seller's expense prior to closing.

If you'd like to learn more about purchasing or selling Bonita Springs real estate on an "As-Is" contract, contact your real estate agent to review a Florida FAR-BAR contract.