Local City Tips

I haven't posted to my blog for a while because I've been so busy with real estate. So with this post, I'll update the year to date statistics for real estate sales on Pine Island from January 1, 2009 thru September 30, 2009: 54 Waterfront Homes sold, median price $310,000. 49 Non-waterfront Homes sold, median price $143,000. 5 Waterfront condos sold, median price $180,500. 1 Non-waterfront condo for $85,000. 4 Duplexes sold, median price sold $127,500. 40 Manufactured homes sold, median... Read Full Story

Considering summer is our "off season" here on Pine Island, it is good to see we are still averaging at least one closed sale per weekday. Sales that closed this week are a good cross section of the overall real estate market here on Pine Island and gives you an idea of the various types of property that are selling here: 1 Manufactured Home on the water sold for $95,000. 1 Four bedroom, two bath home near the public park and pool sold for $149,000. 1 Large Country Home on 1.5 acres sold... Read Full Story

While Pine Island has not suffered as badly in the real estate down turn as much of the rest of southwest Florida, there are still some foreclosures and shortsales here. So far this year, foreclosures and shortsales have represented about 23% of sold homes on Pine Island. Right now, there are 5 foreclosed on homes offered for sale through the MLS, 4 of which are waterfront homes. The median asking price is $365,000. Some of these are luxurious waterfront pool homes. There are 2... Read Full Story

I was lucky enough to see this year's winner of the largest mango contest from the Mango Mania Festival on Pine Island at the Baypoint Road Tropical Fruit Market...Here it is, weighing in at a hefty 5.31 pounds. I like the orange (instead of blue) first place ribbon, same color as mango flesh. I also enjoyed eating some fresh fried fish fritters there. Stop by Baypoint Road on a summer weekend and enjoy the fresh tropical fruit, flowers and fish. Real estate sales are staying steady here... Read Full Story

Yesterday, after retweeting an article from TravelDudes entitled “10 Great Cheap Places to Eat in New York City” , we received a request for an L.A. version. Eating cheaply and eating well on the road in big cities can get expensive. Having lived and worked in Los Angeles for several years, we’re happy to compile a list of some of our favorite places to eat cheaply while in Los Angeles. Here are our top 10 cheap places to eat in Los Angeles: Hungry Pocket (Mediterranean) 1715 Pico Blvd... Read Full Story

My friend and client, Ken Martin, put on a demonstration of his considerable skills as a farrier (person who cares for horses hoofs and shoes them) this week at the St. James Civic Association. Another friend of mine Jeanne Burnett, provided her horses, Patches and Tucker, as the "show and tell" animals. The demonstration was really interesting and the horses were incredibly well behaved, despite passing motorcycles, bicycles, pitbulls etc. I have been showing some horse properties this week... Read Full Story

Some of the big events of the year are coming up this month on Pine Island! Next weekend is the 3 day Blue Way Paddling Festival (Oct 31-Nov 2) There will be a kayak fishing tournament in Matlacha on Saturday and a kayak race on Matlacha Bay on Sunda. Events sponsored by the Calusa Land Trust include: Saturday Nov 1 at 10AM a kayak trip to Kalusa Island will depart from Jug Creek Cottages in Bokeelia. Kayaks will be available to rent on site from Tropic Star. For more info. about the Calusa... Read Full Story

My friend and client Karen from Maryland shipped her Chincoteague Island pony here last week. I'm keeping the pony at my place for a while until Karen moves here permanently. What a beautiful pony that is part of an interesting chapter in American History and literature! (Who can forget the great books by Marguerite Henry, including "Misty of Chincoteague"?) Pine Island is a great place for ponies and horses, nearly half of the land is agriculturally zoned. Existing homes on agricultural... Read Full Story

Hello on-line readers. There are also some paper publications that cover Pine Island. Our weekly newspaper is The Pine Island Eagle ( http://www.pineisland-eagle.com/ ) A new monthly paper publication that focuses on boating and fishing all around Southwest Florida, but often has features about Pine Island is Nautical Mile ( http://www.nauticalmileenterprises.com/ ) Also their website http://www.destinationpineisland.com/ claims it is the only Pine Island visitor guide. Finally don't... Read Full Story

Pine Island, Florida real estate sales starting picking up in January and have increased ever since. Here's a summary of what sold during the 1rst Quarter of 2009 on Pine Island: 16 Water Front Single Family Homes - Median Price $270,000. 13 Non Water Front Single Family Homes - Median Price $143,000. 11 Manufactured Homes - Median Price $100,000.00 9 Homesites or Vacant Land - Median Price $40,000. I think real estate prices, especially for waterfront properties, have hit bottom on Pine... Read Full Story