Life In Bonita Springs

Choosing a Bonita Springs Listing Specialist Agent

If you have be researching listing specialists or looking for advice to list and sell your home in the Bonita Springs area, here are a few tips.  These tips are offered as advice from a local, Bonita Springs listing specialist and my own personal experience of having recently sold my own Bonita Springs homes as well as a second home I owned in Northern Arizona. 

If you’ve own your home in Bonita Springs for some time it may help with familiarity of listing agents in Bonita Springs. You may also be in contact with the agent who helped you purchase your home and also have confidence in their ability to also list your Bonita Springs home.  You may have also received several mailings over the years from real estate agents in the area or in your neighborhood. Cross referencing the information you have with information on the internet is the most useful tool tool for consumers. 

Neighborhood Web Presence

Check the listing agent’s web presence: Internet presence is the single most important selling tools in real estate; especially a destination location such as Bonita Springs, Florida. Listing specialists need to have top notch web presence. Home sellers should Google “your neighborhood by name” such as “Bonita Farms” or “Bonita Farms Bonita Springs” to see who has high ranking Google presence for that search term.  Ninety-two percent of home buyers uses the internet to search for homes and you want to be certain that there is a strong presence directly related to local searches.

Listing Specialist Web Presence

Next, Google the real estate agent’s name to see their own web presence and if they rank well in search results for their own name. If, for example, you search for the name “Chris Griffith Bonita Springs” you would find my website LifeInBonitaSprings.com ranking first as well as a few real estate industry websites such as Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Trulia.com and ActiveRain.com.  The individual presence should rank above the free sites or phone directory sites if your real estate agent has invested properly in a website well heeled enough to market real estate and themselves. 

Think of it this way, most real estate buyers are up north Googling  and searching for homes online before they physically arrive in Bonita Springs, Florida.  Hire someone to sell your real estate who is leveraging the web and in front of the buyers, already.

Select a Full Time Listing Agent

Be sure to interview the real estate agent and make sure that they are a full time real estate agent. Length of time working as a full time real estate could be a large factor in determining both experience and dedication to the profession.  When I researched the real estate agent to sell my own home in Northern Arizona he had nearly thirty years in the real estate business and I had vetted both his reputation and online presence.

Experienced, Accomplished Listing Specialist

Find out if your potential listing agent has any real estate  designations.  These are the “letters behind their name” such as CRS, ABR, GRI.  They represent extended education and often a sales volume dollar figure has to be met in order for them to earn the designation.   In my opinion, the CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) designation is one of the most significant designations a real estate agent, especially a listing agent, can hold. It indicates that they have been in the business a while, sell a large volume in dollar figure and have spent a significant amount of both time and money on supplemental education. The agent I selected to sell my out of state property was a CRS. When I help refer agents to friends or family I also use the CRS directory to find the most qualified, experienced agents.

Technology Based Listing Specialist Agent

Technology is important so the person you select as your listing specialist should have a few “must have” tools in their arsenal:

• Either professional photographer or use DSLR camera with wide angel lens and, of course, the skill to use it properly. Check their prior listings. There are agents using cell phone photography.
• Use a supplemental video or photo tour to also include neighborhood or amenity photos.
• Online, electronic contract signing platform such as DocuSign , DotLoop or AppFiles to save you time, money and hassle of printing, signing, scanning documents.
• Be able to operate as a mobile agent with smart phone and tablet.
• Supplement the MLS with documents regarding the home, the community, maps, floor plans, disclosures.

Systems Based Listing Agent

Last, you should be able to speak to the listing agent and fully understand the home selling process from the moment you sign your listing agreement until the day of closing, before you even decide to move ahead with that person. Conversationally, a listing specialist should be able to answer the majority of the questions ask while sitting at your kitchen table or on Skype/Face Time.  A great real estate agent will provide, usually without asking, an estimated seller’s net sheet so you fully understand your closing costs and how much you can expect to receive in net proceeds at closing.  That specialist will also provide a sample sales contract so you can review it prior to an offer coming in and be able to make more of a stress free decision when the offer comes in.

Information Based Listing Agent

Remember, there isn’t any one item that should be the deciding factor but a culmination of items combined that help you reach a comfort level with the real estate agent who best fits you, the neighborhood and your individual property. 

Last but not least, you can review the agent's license history at www.MyFloridaLicense.com to see when they have acquired their real estate license and if there have been any complaints or actions.

To contact Chris Griffith about listing your home for sale call or text 239-273-7430.

Bonita Springs Estero Real Estate Statistics

So, how is the real estate in Bonita Springs faring as we enter the fall season? It may surprise you to know that our current active real estate for sale in Bonita Springs and Estero (homes, condos, manufactured homes, town homes) only has about 1% distressed properties for sale at this time.  That means there are very few foreclosures for sale and even fewer short sales for sale.

The real estate market is moving swiftly. We’ve kept pace with prior years real estate sales going a few years back.  More sales will be recorded as closing paperwork that happened out of the are gets mail/recorded at the courthouse. 

Real estate consumers are paying for their purchase with cash about 56% of the time.  We’ve seen more cash in the real estate market in the past but now that prices are rising it is harder for most buyers to be liquid for a home purchase.  Conventional mortgage financing comes in second with about 33% of the transactions. There are forms of alternative financing accounting for about 5% of sales which is running hand and hand with FHA mortgages.  Just under 2% of our sold homes were financed with a VA mortgage which is a wonderful program which affords veterans the ability to purchase a home with very little or no money down. They aren’t without closing and underwriting woes, I will warn you.  Recently, we closed one of our listings in Imperial Shores and it took a great deal of work to get that to the closing table due to the regulations and inspections issues.

About 74% of our closed sales were priced at $400,000 or less.  The majority of those properties were priced in the $300,000’s +/-.  There are few sales under $200,000.  As of Oct 12, 2016 there were only six homes under $200,000 in Bonita Springs and Estero, Florida … of those homes many need extensive work and/or do not qualify for conventional financing due to damage or condition of the property.  We can all agree that $200,000 is a lot of money but it doesn’t purchase much with regard to a single family home in Bonita Springs or Estero Florida.

Luxury homes in Bonita Springs  in the $1M and up range continue to sell, depending upon community and the inventory.  Should you be searching for a home priced at $800,000 or higher you will want to make sure your real estate agent performs an absorption rate to make sure you are negotiating the best deal. If you would like to learn more about the Bonita Springs housing market and specifically a neighborhood where you have a home to sell or buy, contact Chris by phone/text 239-273-7430.

If you would like to download the entire graph reports to print click here: September 2016 Market Report

Moving Companies for Bonita Springs Home Sellers

Tips for moving from Bonita Springs. As a listing agent, one of the questions I get quite often is about moving.  How to find a mover. How to hire a mover.  Can you trust the movers?  Well, when you think of your entire household of possessions getting loaded up and moved across the country to or from Bonita Springs you have to wonder what will happen to it along the way.

First, I will tell you I had a nightmare experience moving in the mid 1990’s.  I really had to suck it up to trust a mover again.  In my circumstance in 2015 I personally moved my own furniture from a 2nd home from Northern AZ to Bonita Springs, Florida. I called a few moving companies but ended up using Allied (the orange trucks you see on the highway).  They're a national franchise and send an owner/operator. Our owner operator was a nice family man and his nephew was helping him on this trip.

Through Allied direct I ordered the move and then Allied sent send local packers the first day, day 2 the truck came and they loaded it and dropped it in Bonita Springs  a day early.  They showed up in a work van, not a big truck. The van was all packing supplies; boxes, bubble wrap, wrapping paper, tape, labeling, etc. Packing the furniture took about eight hours.  They packed everything down to home accessories, silverware, stemware. Really, you’d be impressed at how careful and calculated each piece was wrapped.

It cost roughly $5K with the packing and moving truck included. (2bed/den, 2 ba home that was about 2,500 sf in size)  We received, in Bonita Springs, Florida, everything that was loaded and only had one little cereal bowl that broke .. and it didn't even match anything we owned so it was no loss.

There was a ton of communication between the schedulers, packers, drivers, corporate. The truck was loaded with the possessions of several other people who had their households picked up and moved.  Our driver stopped in Texas, Atlanta, Tampa and, after us, Fort Lauderdale and then he was going home for a few weeks.  I believe he lived in New Jersey.  We were completely satisfied with the move.

The home that the furniture was being placed in (in Bonita Springs) wasn’t closed sale yet so I had to have the furniture stored in my garage until closing. The truck was too large for my street so Allied covered transfer of the load to a smaller truck to make it up my street. While they were unloading the furniture I pulled out a few pieces and before they left they asked why. I said that I had a little rental and I was calling my son to come get it.  The men said that a second drop was covered and since the rental was was just on the other side of the Imperial River in Nuttinglikit Grove they dropped it off at no extra charge and assembled the dining table, again.

By the way, I had shared the nightmare moving experience with my movers and the driver told me, at pick up, that the reason my move will be a success is because it was professionally packed.  It makes all the difference in the world.  I never thought in a million years that the wine glasses would make it, but they did.  I guess the packers know what they are doing.  I got exactly what I paid for. 

This was a great moving experience moving from Arizona to Bonita Springs, Florida. It was a total 2,240 miles and I received every item in perfect condition.

Downtown Bonita Springs Events Calendar 2016-2017

The Winter 2016-2017 Calendar of Events for Riverside Park and the Downtown Bonita Springs recently redeveloped area is ready. Most of the events and dates that the City of Bonita Springs has released are listed below. If you have an update or know of something coming up, let me know.

In addition to this post I also had this calendar professionally printed on a keepsake postcard for anyone who would like to keep it on their fridge.  Simply email me or text me your name/address and I’ll drop one into the mail for you.

See You At Riverside Park!

2016

Oct 22 RiverFest 2-9 pm

Oct 31 Halloween in the Park 6-9 pm

Nov 6 Bonita Springs Concert Band 2-4 pm

Nov 11 Veteran's Day Service 11:00 am

Rotary Club of Bonita Springs Noon-Taste of Bonita Weekend

Nov 18 Wine Fest & Craft Beer Social 4:30-9 pm

Nov 19 Cook-Off & Craft Vendor Fair 11-3 pm

Nov 19 Free Concert Caribbean Chillers 5-9 pm

Nov 20 Taste of Bonita 11-5:00 pm

Dec 6 Holiday in the Park 4:30-8 pm

Dec 10 Bonita Academy of Dance Holiday Show 5-7 pm

Dec 11 Bonita Springs Concert Band 2-4 pm

2017

Jan 14-15 National Art Fest 10-5 pm

Jan 22 Bonita Springs Concert Band 2-4

Jan 28 Bark in the Park

Jan 30-31 National Art Fest 10-5 pm

Feb 4 Bonita Brew Fest 4-7:30 pm

Feb 5 Music Makers Big Band Concert 2-4 pm

Feb 7 Stardust Memories Big Band Concert 7-9 pm

Feb 11-12 National Art Fest 10·5 pm

Feb 18 CREW Concert 6:30-9 pm

Feb 19 Music Makers Big Band Concert 2-4 pm

Feb 25 Keep the Beautiful in Bonita Clean Up 8:00am

Feb 25 Fruit Tree Sale 9-2 pm

Feb 26 Bonita Springs Concert Band 2-4 pm

Feb 28 Stardust Memories Big Band Concert 7-9 pm

Mar 4-5 National Art Fest 10-5 pm

Mar 7 Stardust Memories Big Band Concert 7-9 pm

Mar 10-11 Blues Festival 1-9 pm Fri, 11-9 pm Sat

Mar 28 Stardust Memories Big Band Concert 7-9 pm

April 4 Stardust Memories Big Band Concert 7-9 pm

April 23 Bonita Springs Concert Band 2-4 pm

*Celebrate Bonita Festival TBD

*All dates, events and times are subject to change.

Public Golf in the Bonita Springs Area 

Whether you’re a seasonal resident or a full time resident of Bonita Springs you may be looking for golf privileges.  If you are not in a bundled golf community or an equity golf community there are alternatives for golfing in Bonita Springs and Estero, Florida. We have a variety of golf courses which may be public golf courses, semi-private golf courses or open to the public during the early construction phases of building.  Most of the golf courses mentioned will have real estate for sale so the links will show a variety of properties available.

• San Carlos Park Golf Course in South Fort Myers.  www.SanCarlosGolfClub.com
• Stoneybrook in Estero Florida offers public golf course access is located at Corkscrew Road and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway.
• Raptor Bay in Bonita Springs at the Hyatt Resort off of Coconut Road.
• Bonita Fairways in Bonita Springs on West Terry Street.
• Bonita National in Bonita Springs at the east end of Bonita Beach Road is semi public during the building phase of the community.
• Arrowhead Golf Course in Naples is a public golf course located off of Immokalee Road at Heritage Greens Drive.
• Valencia Golf Course is a public located in Naples off of Immokalee Road and Randall Road.
• Villages at Country Creek Golf Course is located in Estero, Florida on Corkscrew Road.
• Westminster Golf Course in Lehigh Acres. 

Last but not least, you can always try GolfNow.com is a great website which shows available golf and often at a discount. Local golfers use this website to find golf across southwest Florida in the Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero and Fort Myers, Florida areas.

Bonita Golf and County Club has not been open for several years and not likely open in the near future. (Oct 2016)

During the “off season” or summer months many golf courses are open to the public and run ads and coupons in complementary golf magazines and newspapers such as the Bonita Banner.

If you would like help buying or selling a golf home or condo in the Bonita Springs area call or text Chris Griffith at 239-273-7430.

The Splash Pad at The Commons Club

Did you know that The Commons Club at the Brooks features a splash pad for the littles. The Brooks consist of four communities including Shadowood at The Brooks which has an optional golf equity, Spring Run at The Brooks and Copperleaf at the Brooks which have bundled golf and Lighthouse Bay which features no golf. Membership at the commons Club is optional.  One of it’s little known secrets is the splash pad which is a huge attraction for those with the little people who have energy to burn. 

If you’d like to know more about buying a home or condo in The Brooks call or text Chris today at 239-273-7430

Bonita Springs Single Family Homes Under $200,000?

The Bonita Springs  and Estero Florida real estate market has seen a little bit of inventory accumulate during the so-called slow summer period.  Prices have still been rising as the entry level priced properties keep selling off.  As of September 10, 2016 there were only three single family homes for sale in all of Bonita/Estero, priced under $200,000.   The balance of the sales under $200,000 are condo and manufactured homes. Periodically, a home will come onto the market under $200,000 but they are often in a condition that prevents them from being eligible for traditional financing programs. 

The alternative for affordable housing is to move north to San Carlos Park in South Fort Myers or to look in Gateway for gated affordable homes.  The Bonita Springs condo market has seen rising prices, also.  There are still condos for sale under 200K but not many with a garage.  Typically, as a recommendation for resale power I suggest trying to find a condo with 2bed+den, if available, over a 2 bedroom unit.  If you can get a condo with a garage it is great for resale, also.  There are nine condos for sale with a 1 car garage.  Most are in Estero in the community of Villagio.  Other neighborhoods to watch would be The Tides at Pelican Landing, Spanish Wells and Morton Grove.

In the month of August 2015 Bonita Springs home sales were paid for with cash about 42% of the time and financed conventionally about 42% of the time. There were fractional amounts of FHA, VA and hard money financing.

About 3% of the closed sales in August is distressed, consisting of foreclosures and short sales.  The real estate that is actively listed consists of nearly 99% equity properties meaning that about 1% of the active homes for sale in Bonita Springs and Estero are foreclosure or short sale.

“Units sold” remain steady and positive.  There would likely be more units sold if there were more affordable homes available.

In all, 50% of homes sales occur in the $200-400,000 price point so whether you’re a buyer or a seller keep that in mind when you are about to proceed with buying or selling.  Be sure to obtain an absorption rate for the community in which you are buying or selling to fully understand whether it is a buyer’s market or a seller’s market.

If you’d like to learn more about buying or selling a home in Bonita Springs or Estero, Florida call or text Chris Griffith at 239-273-7430

Mosquito & Zika Virus in Bonita Springs, Florida

I went to a CERT class in Collier County tonight and the speaker was from the health department talking about ZIKA. It was interesting and I snapped shots of the screen and flyers to share with you all by way of the Bonita Springs Estero Community Forum I run on Facebook but thought I’d put it on my Bonita Springs website, too. The photos are best viewed on a PC or larger screen tablet, of course.

To join the forum, click here:  Bonita Springs Estero Community Forum

The big take away items from this meeting about Zika Virus was:

1. Standing clean water breeds mosquitoes, which we all know,but they only live 200 yards from where they are born so if you're getting bit, there is standing water somewhere near you. If you flush water like bird baths and bromeliads (which are apparently huge breeding pools) once per week you will interrupt their life cycle by killing their larvae.

2. You must also put sunscreen on first and then bug spray for either product to work correctly when wearing both at the same time.

3. If you buy bug spray to wear to protect yourself from the ZIKA carrying mosquitoes you must read the % of ingredients. It may read DEET on the label but it must have 30% DEET to be effective. Many skimp with as little as 2%!! There's more info in the photos attached.

4. Paralysis and extreme muscle weakness can be a condition of being bit by the mosquito carrying ZIKA.

I'm not a pro on ZIKA but have provided what I was able to gather from the meeting and collect a few photos.  Whether you live in the Bonita Springs area or not, the practices and principals are going to be quite similar.  Contact your local health department to learn more about how it would effect your family members and how to manage your home and surroundings to not contribute to the mosquito population.

As far as the economy and real estate market vs. ZIKA, it is not influencing home buyers or sellers to date. (Sept 2016) The massive retirement population moving south and buying homes has not changed.  If you have questions about ZIKA in Bonita Springs or any of the other surrounding cities such as Estero, Fort Myers and Naples, Florida contact the Florida Department of Health.

You can learn more by visiting their website: Zika Virus in Florida

Finding Real Estate Deals in Bonita Springs

For just under twenty years I have helped buyers and sellers of real estate in the Bonita Springs area.  One of the reoccurring themes I have noticed is that buyers will ask me to call them when I see a great deal or a “gem” that they shouldn’t pass up.  It might surprise you to learn that the percentage of real estate buyers who act on the opportunity when I notify them is slim to none.  Really.  To that end, I will start the list and lead with …

1. Act on the opportunity - plant the seed, already! Understand the current real estate market and learn why it is a good opportunity and then act.  I can lead by example on this having purchased my own real estate investments in the Bonita Farms and Nuttinglikit Grove communities most recently.  I’ve had friends walk into both homes and say, “Gosh, when you find a gem like this, let me know so I can get one.” Well, truth be told this “gem” was sea foam green in every room.  I painted it Sherwin Willliams Navajo White in every room and it was immediately gem status for about two grand.

2. Follow the real estate market and if it is trending upward for an extended period of time get in and don’t hold out for 100% of your “wants and needs” list.  Recently, I was working with buyers who were looking in Rapallo and I overheard one of the buyers say to the other.  “It was nearly perfect except I can’t stand a stainless steel sink.”  This is such an easy fix that it is laughable.   I also had a buyer in Wildcat Run who didn’t like the mirrors in a kitchen back splash.  It’s an easy fix and the right crew can remedy that situation for less than it will cost you in the long run of shopping and having prices rise around you.

3. Don’t get hung up on what So-in-So paid for their condo, home or villa. Your friend bragging about buying a condo in Coconut Shores two years ago at $175,000 can not compare to today’s prices which are selling in the low $200,000’s.  (Sept 2016)  Drawing your line in the sand saying that you’re not spending over $175,000 when there hasn’t been any condo close sale in that price range for years is unrealistic. The real estate market requires excess inventory for prices to go down.  That is not happening and we have 8-10,000 boomers retiring every day in the US of A ensuring that the inventory won’t build up for quite some time.

4. Be at the ready for the deal that comes down the pipe.  If you are going to be a cash buyer, get liquid.  If you are going to finance, speak to a lender  who is local and have your preapproval in hand and documentation ready so that it will only need updated. If you haven’t gotten a mortgage in several years let me share this with you about financing:  The more you have, the more you have to prove and that takes time.  If you are a fortunate person with a comfortable life be prepared to start digging through files and getting bank statements, etc.

I recently wrote a great piece on first time buyers that is just as helpful for those who have not purchased a home in the Bonita Springs area for a while.  Read also: First Time Home Buyer Guide

5. Don’t be afraid to look outside of your original are if you have found that real estate prices have gone above your budget in Bonita Springs.  As of September 2016 there were only three single family homes for sale in Bonita Springs, Florida under the price of $200,000.  About 7 miles north of Bonita Springs is a community called San Carlos Park which offers more selection in single family homes under $200,000 plus a variety spanning the $200,000’s. 

If you’d like to learn more about buying a home in  the Bonita Springs area or even in San Carlos Park call or text Chris Griffith at 239-273-7430.