Naples Florida Is the Place To Live!

Where to Live in Naples Florida - Retirement and Real Estate in Naples Fl

2010-05-11T00:50:00.000-04:00

Naples Relay For Life April 16, 2010.mp4

2010-04-17T13:54:00.000-04:00

Easter and Costco!

2010-04-03T03:42:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter and Passover!

I love this time of year, I actually think that of all the holidays I celebrate Easter is my favorite. My grandmother always made us new clothes...she was a great seamstress. We had massive amounts of food and of course all kinds of candy and lots of colored eggs. I always loved flowers and in the spring the flowers are at their prettiest.

When I lived in Ohio, Easter was a signal that spring had come, it just seemed like every year exciting things were just waiting to happen. Living here in Naples it seems strange to me because spring has a different meaning to me....it signals a time that my snowbird friends are or will soon be heading back up north for the summer. Easter in Naples signals that the real estate season will be winding down, just when I am ready to kick it up a notch!

The real estate market has been brisk in the Naples area. A report was recently in the Naples Daily News that sales were up 50% over the same time last year. Yeah!! It has been so rewarding to see and hear more people be more positive about everything in their life.

I keep saying I am not going to participate in "the depressed economy"; I am going to remain upbeat and create my own economy! That may seem foolish to some but I just don't care to be focusing on all the doom and gloom. I read recently that "if you want to change your life and how you feel then change your thoughts....so I just choose to be positive!!

So did having Costco in my title throw you? Well about 2 weeks ago I went to lunch with a bunch of ladies from Pelican Marsh (the community I live in) and at my table they were all talking about going to Costco. I was the only one at the table that didn't have a Costco card! Actually, I just didn't have the desire to go to Costco...I don't like to shop and I certainly don't like to go to the grocery store. My husband has been doing 99% of the grocery shopping for years! But I was intrigued by my friends excitement and I had to check out what the fuss was all about.

Well ladies if you are reading this I am now a proud Costco card-carrying member. I was in the store for 3 hours today!! I couldn't believe all the employees hawking all kinds of food and I was just in awe of how excited they were...it was like being at the fair and being enticed to get the cotton candy. I laugh now, but when I first got there and heard people shouting out I thought there was a fight somewhere.

So what does Easter, Costco and real estate have in common?? Well not much EXCEPT this might just be the time of the year for you to step out of the box and try something new. Go somewhere new, read something new, eat something new, live somewhere new, open your mind to new thoughts and just revel in this wonderful awesome time of the year that God has given us!

It Took My Mom's 75th Birthday To Bring Me To Tears

2010-03-17T01:11:00.002-04:00

Wow, I have been so busy the past 5 weeks. I just haven't found much time to write. Of course this is the busy season for real estate in Naples, we have our snowbirds here and lots of visitors, some visiting our area for the first time. And yes, I have been busy with open houses, showing etc. Lots of interest and activity and it's been great.

But this year it seems as if I have been busier with my family and maybe that is because my senses and awareness is heighten this year. Since December 1st 2009 I have had 9 of my immediate family members have a birthday that I have celebrated with them. I am lucky and have all of my daughters (they followed us with their families soon after we moved to Naples) and grandkids living in here in Florida and most of them right here in Naples. I make every attempt to go to every event they have as well. As a grandparent I get great joy being a part of their life and it helps keep me up on what the new trends are for the younger crowd.

2010 has brought two milestones in my family. One, my granddaughter Lily had her 1st birthday (see the picture, isn't she cute?) and the other was my Mom's 75th birthday. It struck me at some point in the last few weeks that I would be 75 years old when my granddaughter has her 18th birthday...the age my mom is right now. There is so many things I want her and all my grandkids to know but Lily will really only know me as a older woman. I am hoping that she will be able to go thru my blogs and get a sense of how much I love her and all my grandkids. It will be interesting to see if people will write in journals with pen and paper or will we all be putting our thoughts on the internet for all to see! I'll let you know when I turn 75!!

My mom's birthday had a profound effect on me. She had family come and visit and celebrate with her from all over the country (see photo..she is pretty cute too). She has in the last 2 years visited almost every grandchild and great grandchild that she has....and they all love her. As I was driving from Naples up to Lakeland FL to celebrate with her, I thought of the fact that ALL of her grandchildren and great grandchildren adore her. For the last 20 years of my life I wanted my grandkids to love me like I loved my grandmother, I aspired to be like my Grannie Strong. As I was driving and tears streaming down my face, I realize for the 1st time that I wanted my grandkids to love me like my mother is loved. Now I aspire to be like my mom!!

So what does this all have to do with real estate? Nothing EXCEPT just remember when you buy a second home in Naples Florida you just may want to have an extra bedroom for the grandkids to stay. And if you love them and stay a part of their lives I guarantee that "they will come"!

It Was A Super Sunday

2010-02-08T01:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't been blogging for a while but I am making a committment to post something at least once a week.

Today was Super Bowl Sunday and I am happy to say that my Saints won!! I like the Colts but a few years back, actually quite a few years back, I lived in the New Orleans area. I went to most of the home games and it was great even tho they were about the worst team in the league. So to the Saints and to all of New Orleans~congrats, it was just your time.

Still on the subject of New Orleans, if you ever get the opportunity to visit go on a diet BEFORE you go. The food is just incredible, I haven't found any place I have ever traveled to that can even compare. I was lucky enough to have a great chef from The Commanders Palace teach me how to make all the dishes that they were famous for....just wish he was here now, not to teach me, but to cook for me since I rarely cook anymore.

Today was a super day not just for football. Today I did not do an open house, which is really rare because if I am in town on a Sunday I always do an open. Today I had clients that requested that I take them on a tour in Pelican Marsh to view homes from $700,000 to about $1.1 million. We saw some beautiful homes, each one had something special to offer whether it was the view or details of the home.

I think I was just as excited as my clients were because I got to go to other Realtors open houses and have fun instead of working. Because believe it or not I love to show homes to buyers...it doesn't seem like work to me. And I am happy to report that I felt that everyone we met today on our tour was positive and upbeat. I think people are feeling more confident and ready to either downsize or ready to buy something larger. For me, we have been very busy the last 6 months and we see the homes and condos in our community (Pelican Marsh) selling, some of them in a matter of weeks not months. So for all of us that is good news because our homes are investments and the signs that the real estate market is rebounding is a good thing!

I Can't Carve a Turkey...Until Now!

2009-11-18T19:22:00.001-05:00

So Thanksgiving is right around the corner and over at my house for the last couple of years we’ve cooked a ham and a turkey. You see, to be honest with you, I’ve never been great at carving a turkey. I looked more like I was in one of those Psycho movies; I would butcher that poor little turkey.
But I saw this really cool video on YouTube, that is just a couple of minutes long, and it’s an expert turkey carver, teaching you exactly how to be an expert too! It’s very, very cool; a totally different technique and he shows you two different ways to carve the breast. One way is the classic way; but then he shows a second even better way. Very clever. Click on the link and become an expert. No more embarrassing moments in the kitchen. I’ve always hated it when someone asked me to carve the turkey and I had to say I didn’t know how. Well now I can!! Check out the link to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GCdkuQoLrY

Let us be your expert for all your real estate needs and check out the turkey carving link so you can be an expert too!! It’ll only take you a few minutes and you will be the hit of the Holidays.

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday!

Kitchen Trivia

2009-10-28T01:17:00.000-04:00

I was sitting here in my kitchen getting ready to help with some cooking and it reminded me of this very interesting fact I read. Did you know that the can opener was invented 48 years AFTER the can was invented? So they had cans almost a half a century before somebody sat up and said, “hey, there must be an easier way to open these darn things than beating them over a rock or stabbing them with a fork or a knife” or however they opened them up, a half a century ago. The bottom line is, that way back, people with canned goods had a problem (for almost 50 years) and they really didn’t know they had a problem because if they did, they would have went ahead and invented the can opener.

Here’s my point…You can be walking around with a problem and you don’t even know it’s a problem yet. Maybe you’re having an issue with your housing. We always tell you, and we mean this with all sincerity, if you’re looking to buy, sell, refinance, modify your loan, you need a home inspector or handyman, anything you’re doing that even remotely resembles doing something in real estate give us a call and we’ll hook you up with somebody that you can trust. In today’s market there are so many issues floating around, so many potential landmines, we don’t want you to be going around doing things the hard way when there’s a very easy solution once you know it.

We keep ourselves abreast of new solutions as they come available and we will share them with you. There are a lot of things going on; a lot of changes happening and a lot of them are for the better. Things are improving and we’re seeing properties starting to move, loan modifications starting to happen, refinances are coming into place. Things are getting a lot easier, but until you know that there’s a possible solution, you’re just walking in the dark and we don’t want that to happen with you.

Give us a call. at 239.595.8542 if you need anything....we're here to help.

Time Is Getting Short...Act Fast For Great Savings!

2009-10-02T21:22:00.000-04:00

There are a couple of programs being offered to assist buyers that are offering great benefits and they are both running out soon.

First is a Freddie Mac program offering assistance to buyers to buy homes that they now own. Go to HomeSteps to read all the rules. You must have a certificate presented with any offer you make on their homes-we will be happy to assist you with the contract and with all the paperwork to have a successful transaction. You must have an approved offer by October 31, 2009 and close by December 31, 2009.

The next program is a 1st time home buyers tax credit (if you have not owned a home in last 3 years you may still qualify), you can get up to $8000 tax credit. You must close by November 30, 2009. Go to Federal Tax Credit for all of the rules.

These are both really good deals with huge savings, don't miss the boat if you are searching for a new place and you qualify for these....give us a call and we will be happy to go through the entire process.