Greg Snow - Southwest Florida Real Estate Expert provides real estate services to Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Islands

 If one were to roll back the years to the Movie, "Rocky III", and the song "Eye of the Tiger" by the group, Survivor, www.survivormusic.com, feelings of pride, spirit, courage, and endurance float around in the brain, as in almost all American classics, the underdog prevails. Many of our local real estate practitioners, mortgage brokers, title companies, appraisers, surveyors, and even sign installers have survived the worst real estate crisis in the memory of this author.."in 69, I was twenty-one, and I called the road my own.." from Jackson Browne's 1977 song "Running on Empty", www.jacksonbrowne.com. Have we reached the bottom of the free fall in real estate values in Lee County, Florida? Did we see "hope" in the eyes of the "oysters" at the bottom, or was it a kinda "hope is a dangerous thing..." glimpse from the classic 1994 movie, "The Shawshank Redemption", www.shawshankredemption.net.

 With our local Multiple Listing Service, www.swflrealtors.com, reporting almost 10,000 closed sales of single famil residences so far in 2009, we might sell in excess of 14,000, although so far over 5800 have sold for less than $100k, and 57 sold for over 1,000,000 (it's 58 if you count the Century 21 Birchwood one for $87 million that really sold for $87,000 lol :) Will we keep surviving as we swim toward the surface while trying not to get the "bends"??? Stay tuned for updates and breaking stories....

  Do you remember Aldous Huxley's " Brave New World",  published in 1931 with London as a backdrop for a futuristic society that would anticipate developments in sleep learning and reproductive technology,www.huxley.net/bnw/index.html - Cached. I'm not against "sleep learning"(as long as I am not falling from high places), and the technology advancement we have experienced in the last twenty years would surprise A.H. , even with his vision described in his work. Locally, in southwest Florida, our real estate market is emerging from a freefall in values and wrecked financial investments, to seeing "the eyes of the oyster", as we swim  toward the surface.Our local MLS, www.swflrealtors.com, indicates we have closed more than 5500 single family residences selling for under $100k, and 3555 that sold for more. The volume is healthy as many agents have adopted to the agonies of short sales, REO's, and distressed properties. The surprise decision on Monday to not continue with the $281 million worth of utility expansion leaves half of Cape Coral on well and septic, and many property owners overjoyed that they don't have to find up to an extra $17,000.

 Forty year ago, U.S. astronaunts walked on the moon for the first time. I was a summer in the U.S Capitol and many of the blue collar workers did NOT believe it, even as they watched on T.V. They felt they were being tricked (our government has a reputation you know) . Today in our beautiful Lee County, Florida, we have a confluence of events contributing to our lives, from no Baltimore Orioles, to Fort Myers Beach manager getting fired because his wife works in the adult entertainment business, to decreased revenue from falling values , to over worked teachers, police, and fire officers, and our Clerk of the Court to 12-13 % unemployment to endless road construction to myopic local politicans and 47 candidates to take Don Stilwell's job, and the National Football League is still 53 days and nights from playing a meaningful game. Let's hope the Steelers starting QB is available on 9/13/09.

 When Jim Morrison of the Doors, sang the haunting words to "The End", www.thedoors.com , he was not referring to the possible conclusion of the worst housing crisis in Lee County, Florida's history. Our local print media, www.news-press.com, led off Sunday with the old "Light at the End of the tunnel clique". Referencing local real estate brokers, bankers and represenatives of our Lee County Building Industry, the swing in mood to semi-cautious optimism is gathering some momentum. The days of bidding or offering below asking price for homes is long past. The days of full price for these REO's (real estate owned) is mostly past. The days when the starter homes get 10-30 offers in first two weeks is here, most savy brokers are advising their clients to go high in their offers if they want the property. Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres are beginning to see decreases in inventory, especially the Cape.

Our median sales price in Lee County has become the same amount it was 12 years ago (about $85,500), which lends creedence to the song "Trucking", www.gratefuldead.com, with long and strange being emphasized strongly. Falling far from the glory daze or days of $322,300 in December of 2005 has left us looking for "The End", and if you are not saddled with an upper end property, as Jim Morrison said" This is the END.........."

 As our schoolchildren escape from their school year imprisonment (according to many of them), I can recall a song by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, and John Bonham named "The song remains the same", www.ledzepplin.com. I have lived here in southwest Florida's Lee County since they let Ronald Regan take office for a second term and many things have stayed constant and many have REALLY changed. Let's have a look-see: The unadultered shriek from both parents and their children when school ends covers opposite ends of the joy-horror spectrum and is most likely a national , if not international given. Our weather pattern is hot and humid n the early morning changing to really hot and really humid by noon to the loud roar of thunder and lightning and pounding quick shower around 4:00ish to the heat is back on around 5:00ish. The desire for water, for consumption, bathing, cooling off, boating, swimming, or fishing is at the top of your demand survival list. Everyone's countdown for football seems to go on and we yearn for our country's passion to arrive sooner than later. The service and retail industry tightens their belts, locals vacation in N.C., Key West seems to be calling for a visit, and our real estate market goes into a kinda of somnabulistic trance and crawls through the summer and early fall.

 As we roll into a hot, humid, thunderstorm driven time of the year in Southwest Florida, one thinks of all the good and maybe not-so-good occurences that accompany "the rainy season". Our eyes and ears are in tune with any developments in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic. Our fabulous demand location has fine beaches, fishing, golfing, parks, concerts, arts and crafts, musuems, and sports events to watch or participate in. Real estate is really affordable. Mortgage rates are attractive. Quality of life is often the preferred item at the top of everyone's list to live in southwest Florida. Health care is readily available as is care for our oldest generation. Schools have improved. Roads have.... well, the BOB barricade people must be really doing great. Our County Commissioners just approved $20 million to buy land near the airport and I-75 interstate to build a new stadium for the Boston Red Sox, www.bostonredsox.com, and will find another $40-50 million for construction. Lee County is also angling to get the Baltimore Orioles to re-locate here which would give us three Major Legue Baseball teams (Minnesota Twins ) www.minnesotatwins.com .

 One of our great destination hot spots in southwest Florida Lee County is Bonita Springs and recently it has garnered news in a not so positive fashion. My brother Dan, has a wonderful Italian restaurant, Futuro's, on Bonita Beach Road, where beryone raves about the food, especially the Philly cheesesteak and the pizza's. Our local newspaper, www.news-press.com, had a story about the late James Bernet's empire of commerical properties going on the market for a $61.2 million dollars in a stale real estate market. Included in the almost 300,000 square feet of office, retail, and warehouse space is the First Florida Bank, along with the Bernwood Shoppes, and Bernwood Design Center. With a vacany rate climbing from 7% in 2007 to over 35% today, it's gonna take a special person(s) to want to pull the trigger on parts if not all of this offering.

 Door number two: The Bonita Bay Group has been told by it's lenders to get rid of the money losing clubs, along with the five golf courses, or else. Difficulty with paying off $120 million line of credit will get anyone's undivide attention. Current membes quarterly dues must be paid by July 1st or all club operations will probably be suspended soon after. Somewhere between 30-35% of the Bonita Bay membership use the club year-round. Many members are upset, and are asking for ownership based on $54 million in deposits already contributed. Stay tuned as one of our area's real estate success stories heads for bankruptcy, the courts, and hard feelings by the residents in these communities. It will be very difficult to buy or sell in any of these properties: Sandoval, Verandah, Twin Eagles, Mediterra, Shadow Wood, or Bonita bay.

 On this sultry Saturday, May 23rd, Memorial Day week-end, so many thoughts, ideas, and feelings run rampant through our southwest Florida area. If I MAY wax realistically (Being that it is MAY :), The entire week-end has so many connotations from area graduations, stark and profound hunger here in Lee County, Bonita Bay Group unloading it's six clubs at it's area developments, Jon Gruden getting the Monday Night Football gig, www.sports.espn.go.com, to the Indy 500 and Coke 600, French Open opens, National Basketball semi-finals, www.nba.com, a new American Idol is crowned, some favorite TV shows get axed, homers flying out of the new Yankee stadium, and of course the news of Amy Mickelson being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Internationally we have turmoil in the world's financial markets, our U.S dollar falling against other benchmark currencies, the continuing issues with the Fab Four of Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Afghanistan, Somali pirates still ahead on style points, our shuttle still out in space, drug cartels still ahead on heads in Mexico, and a world that resembles the film "Rollover", www.blockbuster.com/movies/rollover.html, with no all of us with "our oars in the water".