Blog

If you’re considering putting your home on the market for sale here in SW Florida, there are dozens of details to consider. A buyer may approach you – or your real estate agent – with a purchase offer, but it may be contingent on the buyer getting a mortgage loan, unless they’ve been pre-approved. Another buyer might offer to [...]

When you need work done on your home – especially to the extent caused by Hurricane Ian in September of 2022 – it is critical to hire a general contractor or specialty tradesman to do the job correctly, and to live up to their agreements. After Ian struck, contractors came out of the woodwork in Southwest Florida, looking to [...]

Investing in SW Florida real estate of all types has long been proven to be a sound and financially rewarding method of earning passive income. Owning a rental property – or more than one – can add significant return on your investment and provide a growing, positive cash flow. Investing in a rental property is different than ‘flipping’ real [...]

It was not that long ago when true beer aficionados had to travel to places like Ybor City in Tampa or even Miami or Fort Lauderdale to sample locally brewed craft beers. Now, Southwest Florida residents can visit about 20 craft brew pubs throughout Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Hendry Counties to wet their whistle. Craft beer breweries are smaller [...]

In the competitive world of real estate sales, a skilled real estate professional will use a variety of marketing and sales tactics to attract attention their listings. One of the tools used by most REALTORS® is holding an Open House at your home, hoping to expose it to potential buyers. It should be noted that not all real estate [...]

There is hardly anyone living in Collier, Lee, Hendry, Desoto, or Charlotte counties who did not experience some type of hardship from Hurricane Ian, from losing a few roof shingles or fence panels to the complete loss of their home and all of their personal belongings. The storm wiped out a vast number of homes and businesses and will [...]

If you’re looking for a different kind of weekend activity, grab your sun hat and set out to spend the day at one of the many local Farmer’s Markets throughout Southwest Florida. You can stroll through the vendor’s booths, sample tasty local food, take home some of the area’s freshest produce or a locally made clothing item and enjoy [...]

With the explosive growth in the South Fort Myers area in recent years, its not surprising to see a new restaurant being built or moving into a new shopping center space. And while there are dozens of worthy entries to consider, locals have their own favorites, and for good reason. Let’s take a look at five of the most [...]

Today, it doesn’t take an internet genius to set up many automated systems in your home for smart connectivity. Anyone can do it whether you’re building a new home or improving an existing home. Many people think that a smart home is equipped to do things like turn the air conditioning on and off and regulate the temperature, but [...]

The city of Cape Coral was officially born in 1957, and what has happened there over the last sixty-five years regarding the housing market has seen many ups and downs. The market is often ranked in connection with the Fort Myers Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area market, (SMSA), but that does not always tell the true story of what is [...]

Unless you’ve purchased a Florida condominium or lived in one as a tenant, you’ve likely never had to deal with the condominium association and their board of directors. It can be a bit of an eye-opener for people who have lived in a single-family home, specifically one that is not governed by a Homeowners Association, commonly called the HOA. [...]

In mid-June of 2022, the Lee County Commission voted to sign a settlement that ultimately approved a 6,600-plus acre site off Corkscrew Road in southeast Lee County which is planned for 10,000 homes, hotel, and other commercial space. The agreement followed a lawsuit against the county filed by Corkscrew Grove Limited Partnership in 2011 for denying the company the [...]

Anyone buying or selling a real estate property likely knows about the role a property appraisal plays in almost all transactions. The appraisal of a property can help indicate its actual value and play a major role in the pending sales transaction. Typically, the bank, mortgage company or other funding source will require and order a property appraisal. As [...]

Naples, Florida has long been known as an upscale home and seasonal retreat for the world’s wealthy seeking the finer things in life. In the Downtown Naples area, the glittering good life is epitomized along the chic 5th Avenue South, stretching from U.S. Highway 41, (also called Tamiami Trail), to the sandy shores of the Gulf of Mexico in [...]

If you’re in the market to buy a home now, you will be facing more costs when it comes to financing your mortgage. Current mortgage loan rates are the highest they’ve been in more than 22 years, and the Federal Reserve has indicated they may raise them more. The percentage rate for a fixed 30-year mortgage in Florida as [...]

Within the last 2 years, even with the COVID19 worldwide pandemic taking the country to its economic knees, the construction of new homes in Southwest Florida has seen an impressive surge in activity. You can hardly drive down any residential street or within any gated community without seeing multiple job sites teaming with activity. While the sale of existing [...]

It's no secret that the real estate market, specifically in Florida, is still experiencing a strong seller’s market, with some residential properties often selling for above the asking price and in just a few days. If you are thinking of cashing out, you may ask yourself how much should you spend in repairs when selling your home. Some real [...]

How Fort Myers’ Historic River District Experienced a New Dawn If you’ve never experienced the Downtown Fort Myers Historic River District or haven’t been there since the early 2000’s, you owe it to yourself to revisit this charming and rejuvenated destination. Many people know the downtown area of Fort Myers solely for the location of the famed Thomas Edison [...]

When you buy or build a home located on a golf course, you would expect to be able to enjoy the proximity to playing the game you love for the rest of your time there, or simply enjoy the expansive views of the course instead of looking out your window at other homes. But through a little-known legal maneuver, [...]

When it comes to residential and commercial construction in Lee County, it's hard to imagine a more substantial growth pattern than that being undertaken along the Corkscrew Road development in southern Lee County. Long-time Southwest Floridians remember when Corkscrew Road was an east-west corridor with little or no development back in the 1980’s, with few rooftops along the eastern [...]