On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 01:46:57 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

Well in Snellville, you are not paying inflated union prices. And $900,000
of the $1mm is land value in places that people want to live.

=================================================

Around here in SWFL we actually have negative value houses, not
necessarily bad ones either. The implication being that vacant lots
are frequently selling for more than a lot and house together in
comparable locations. This is particulary true for waterfront
property where the house is more than 10 or 15 years old.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
news:1105238479.45f0efa35258cfa6e9b6fbd59361628e@t eranews...
Calif Bill wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Calif Bill wrote:

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...


Calif Bill wrote:


"P. Fritz" wrote in message
...



"NOYB" wrote in message
...

Naples, Florida offers more than just luxury home sales...
The Naples-Bonita Springs area was ranked the HOTTEST HOUSING

MARKET

IN



THE

COUNTRY for eight consecutive years (1999 to 2003), according to

U.S.


Housing Markets. Factors contributing to the first-place ranking of

Naples,

Florida home sales include a strong economy, an increase in jobs, a

high



quality of life and very competitive pricing for housing. New

construction

has been driven both by the demand from people relocating to this

area


as

well as part-time residents purchasing a second or third home in

Naples.



The strong appreciation of single-family homes and condominiums in

the


Naples-Bonita Springs area since 1990 has made a home for sale in

naples



a

solid investment. In fact, Kiplinger's RANKED NAPLES #3 IN THE TOP

METRO



MARKETS IN THE U.S. FOR PROJECTED INCREASE IN MEDIAN HOME,

1999-2010.


Although well known for its luxury home market, more and more

families


have

discovered that Southwest Florida is quite affordable. Demand from

this



market segment has resulted in a large selection of housing

options,

from

condominiums and coach homes to villas, single-family homes and

custom-built

houses.

Quality of life remains a key issue to Southwest Florida's ongoing

appeal.

Little wonder NAPLES WAS RANKED SIXTH AMONG THE "BEST SMALL PLACES

TO


LIVE

IN AMERICA"by Money Magazine and Bonita Springs was named one of

"50

Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family" by Carter Press. Also, Bonita

Springs

was identified by U.S. Housing Markets as the "5th hottest housing

market in

the U.S" and the "13th best medium-sized Southern city" according

to

Money

Magazine.



http://naplesresidential.com/realestate.cfm



------------------------------------------------------------------------
-

-

---------------------



How'd Snellville do?


I'm sure the trailer parks are just fine ;-)




Most expensive single family home in Snellville.

1050 Laurel Cove Drive
Snellville, GA 30078 - Gwinnett Co.
$ 177,900 5 Beds, 3 Full Baths Status: PendingContract

Subdivision: Dominion Walk; Yr. Built: 1994

And this is upscale?




Real estate values first are local, crap-for-brains. Property values
in
around around SF and LA are grossly overinflated, and hundreds of
thousands of dollars will buy you next to nothing. How many
10-year-old,
five bedroom , three bath homes on a decent lot in SF might you find
in
the SF SMSA? None?



Real estate values reflect the desire of people to live in the area.

You

can find nice a five bedroom , three bath homes on a decent lot in SF,
probably a lot more than 10 years old, and a hell of a lot more than
$177,500. Probably 10x more, as it is 10x nicer to live here than

there.


Yeah, but the point is, a $200,000 house is a $200,000 house. If you pay
a million and a half for it, you're an idiot.

A million dollar house for a million dollars is something else entirely.


Well in Snellville, you are not paying inflated union prices. And
$900,000
of the $1mm is land value in places that people want to live.



I'd rather have a nice $200,000 three acre lot in a great area, and an
$800,000 house...than some old P.O.S. house in the SF area that runs a
million and needs another $500,000 invested in it to make it decent.

For a half million in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, you can buy a nice
new, 3000-square- foot brick home on a wooded lot a mile from Chesapeake
Bay, and for a bit more, on a deepwater creek that leads to the Bay.

SF is very nice, but so is the Washington, DC, area. I like to visit SF,
but I'd rather live on the East Coast.

The coastal part of Georgia is ok, but I don't even like driving through
the rest of the state. Savannah is a beautiful city.


SF, do not have to wonder if an electric snowblower is worthwhile. Do not
have to shrinkwrap the boat 6 months a year. And a long way from
Washington, DC: the logic free zone.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message East Coast.

The coastal part of Georgia is ok, but I don't even like driving through
the rest of the state. Savannah is a beautiful city.

The rest of Georgia doesn't like you driving through it. Although you'd fit
right in a backwater place like Snellville.

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
ink.net...


SF, do not have to wonder if an electric snowblower is worthwhile. Do not
have to shrinkwrap the boat 6 months a year. And a long way from
Washington, DC: the logic free zone.



There is no place on earth far enough away from Washington, DC: the logic
free zone.

Eisboch

On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 04:33:57 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Calif Bill" wrote in message
link.net...


SF, do not have to wonder if an electric snowblower is worthwhile. Do not
have to shrinkwrap the boat 6 months a year. And a long way from
Washington, DC: the logic free zone.



There is no place on earth far enough away from Washington, DC: the logic
free zone.

Eisboch

Hey! Be nice! Some of us are forced to live in the zone 'cause that's
where our wives make all the money supporting our fishing lifestyle.

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Oh, puh-lease. It's a dippy little SW Florida retirement area, full of old
f*rts.


Realtors reap rewards of fewer listings, higher prices
By THERESA STAHL, Naples Daily News

January 9, 2005

A year ago, Realtor Stacie Ricci was showing 120 different properties in the
Vanderbilt Beach area. This year is dramatically different, however, as
listings have spiraled down to around 40.

"I'm not complaining," Ricci said. "It's nice to be in a market where buyers
who are looking to purchase something are willing to pay the price."

The high price, that is.

Just before Christmas the lowest price on a beachfront condominium in
Vanderbilt Beach was $599,000, Ricci said. Now the lowest is $699,000.

The shortage of listings everywhere in Collier County, coupled with high
demand, is pushing up prices and turning out big profits for local real
estate agencies.

In 2004, Downing-Frye Realty Inc., one of the area's largest firms, jumped
to $2 billion in sales from $1 billion in 2003. John R. Wood Realtors is
reporting $1.8 billion, up from $1 billion the previous year.

Premier Properties of Southwest Florida Inc., which declined to release
sales figures, stated that it had a better year than Downing-Frye's
increase.

Mike Hughes, vice president and general manager of Downing-Frye, anticipates
more rapid growth in 2005 and an even stronger market.

"In three to five years we'll look back and see a bargain," said Hughes, who
this year added nearly 200 agents to his firm.

....

Local agencies report the market is flooded with investors who believe the
area still lucrative and baby boomers who are willing to pay a premium to
live here.

People turned from the stock market to real estate, said Tom Bringardner,
general manager of Premier Properties.

"They saw Southwest Florida as a safe haven for their money and a beautiful
opportunity for lifestyle," he said.

Peter Kollar, president of the Southwest Florida Real Estate Investment
Association, said finding properties of late is extremely difficult.

As principal broker of HouseTraders Realty Inc., he buys unwanted properties
to rehabilitate and sell for a profit. He said he used to make 10 to 15
acquisitions a month. Lately he's been down to two a month.

"There's plenty of investors looking for the same opportunities," Kollar
said.

Many who lost in the stock market have turned to real estate because it's a
safe investment, Hughes said.

"If you look at how this area has done, it's pretty hard to beat," he said.

The Florida Association of Realtors reported the median sales price for
existing single-family homes in November grew 15 percent over the median in
November 2003. At nearly $370,000, the Naples area had the highest median
sales price in the state.

Coming in second was West Palm Beach/Boca Raton at $343,300, and in third
was Fort Lauderdale at $303,300. The median sales price for the Fort
Myers/Cape Coral area was $197,800.

Despite fewer listings on the Multiple Listing Service, transactions still
are high. The association reported a 28 percent increase in transactions for
November over that month in 2003.

Hughes said the biggest contributor to the torrid sales pace of 2004 was the
influx of baby boomers.

"They're snapping up everything," he said.

Naples has seen only the brink of what's to come from southbound retirees,
Hughes said.

"I hear there are (several) million baby boomers coming into Florida," he
said, "and they're not stopping at Jacksonville." (too close to Georgia I
guess)



MLS shows that from July 1, 2004, through the end of the year, 4,200
properties under $1 million were listed for sale. Only 1,300 were available
at the end of December.

But the listing service only is part of the real estate story.

The Southwest Florida real estate market is so hot that many properties
never appear on MLS.

At Amerivest Realty in North Naples, which conducts much of its business on
the Internet, just half of its transactions appear on MLS, Amerivest
president Joe Ballarino said.

Strapped for listings, more and more agents are seeking out properties that
match their buyers' specifications by contacting past clients, soliciting
homeowners and hunting down new projects.

"If there's nothing they want, you go out and get them something," said
Ballarino, who is immediate past president of the Naples Area Board of
Realtors (NABOR).

Ballarino said the market conditions are saving time for agents because
buyers are moving fast, bidding at or close to the asking price. Some people
are buying property without seeing it.

For example, potential buyers will visit Naples and find developments they
like but nothing is for sale. When a property becomes available, they will
make an offer because they know it may not last long.

Ballarino said the biggest story of 2004 is that Florida's four hurricanes
didn't affect the real estate market here.

"It was as hot as before, if not hotter," he said.

The difference now is people want homes with updated building codes, which
has increased the demand for new homes, he said.

In this seller's market, buyers have become aggressive in chasing down their
ideal properties.

Coral Springs-based Zuckerman Homes has received more than 2,000 calls about
Mariposa at Whippoorwill, a 180-home development on Whippoorwill Lane in
North Naples. The community hasn't been advertised.

Ryan Zuckerman, vice president of the family-owned business, said the
company's 30-year reputation and a reasonable price range have contributed
to their success. The first four phases of the community have been sold by a
lottery and were met with heavy demand, Zuckerman said.

Homes in Mariposa range from $270,000 to $330,000. Zuckerman said other
communities along Whippoorwill start at $300,000 or higher.

"We're still a bargain for quality building," he said.

With low interest rates and hordes of baby boomers still to come to Florida,
local agency heads say the real estate bubble isn't going to burst.

"I get that question a lot," said Bill Coffey, broker manager for Coldwell
Banker Residential Real Estate Inc. "We're inflated here, somewhat, but our
supply of buyers is going to be fantastic" over the coming years, he said.

Marla Martin, spokeswoman for the Florida Associaton of Realtors, said
Realtors don't like the "bubble" term.

"There is no bubble," she said. "It's market supply and demand."

The market may slow down, she said, but Florida would be less affected than
the rest of the country.

Martin also points out that interest rates still are low, and that Florida
is affordable compared with other warm-weather states such as California and
Texas.

Hughes, of Downing-Frye, said the entire Southwest Florida corridor is "a
very hot market" and won't let up for at least a decade.

"We have never seen this many future buyers coming into our market," he
said.

"NOYB" wrote in message
...


Ballarino said the biggest story of 2004 is that Florida's four hurricanes
didn't affect the real estate market here.

"It was as hot as before, if not hotter," he said.



For reasons that are too goofy and complicated to easily explain, we have
two homes here in Jupiter, FL, (east coast) each on 5+ acre lots. The first
house was purchased 4 years ago, and the second was purchased last year.
Both are located within 15-20 miles of the landfall for two hurricanes this
past fall.

Due in part to the hurricanes and coming to our senses, we decided two
houses really are not necessary, so we decided to try and sell the most
recently acquired home. It had suffered some hurricane damage, mainly 15k
worth of roofing tiles (three buildings) and a large screen enclosure for
the pool that is estimated at 25-35k min. to replace if and when the screen
enclosure people can get to it.

Anyway, I expected a very weak market due to the negative image of the
hurricanes and figured it might take a year or so to sell. It was put on
the market the week before Christmas and we received two offers on the same
day the following week. We did not discount the property for the remaining
hurricane damage because we thought we would have time to fix everything.
The buyers have agreed to purchase the property "as is" and assume
responsibility for the rest of the repairs.

Our realtor had told us that the hurricanes had not dampened the housing
market in Florida at all.
I guess she was right.

Eisboch

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Oh, puh-lease. It's a dippy little SW Florida retirement area, full of
old f*rts.



Realtors reap rewards of fewer listings, higher prices
By THERESA STAHL, Naples Daily News


It doesn't matter. Naples is still nowheresville, where old farts go to
die. The fact that they die a lot results in a churning in the real estate
market.

Naples is too hot from March through October.

Not on the water it's not. I fish 12 months of the year. I'd rather have a
couple of months of hot/humid weather than 4 1/2 months of cold, grey, snow
and sleet.

Naples has no first-class museums or galleries.

Who cares? The weather is too nice to be indoors.

Naples has no first-class universities.

Once again...who cares? I don't want beer-swilling college kids making
trouble in my backyard. I had my fill of that when I was *in* college.


Naples has no first-class teaching hospitals.

Once again...so what? Who wants a student doc working on them? The Schick
Heart Center at Naples Community Hospital is ranked in the top 5% in the
Nation. We also had a Cleveland Clinic open about 4 years ago. Because the
area is so nice down here, it attracts top-notch physicians from around the
country.


Naples has no first-class cultural venues.

The Naples Philharmonic.
http://www.thephil.org/index2.html


The Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.
http://www.bbmannpah.com/



You guys do have good fishing, as does most of Florida, and I presume you
have lots of golf courses.

Excellent year-round fishing, boating, and golf. Those are the reasons that
I moved here.

On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 14:24:44 -0500, "NOYB" wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Oh, puh-lease. It's a dippy little SW Florida retirement area, full of
old f*rts.



Realtors reap rewards of fewer listings, higher prices
By THERESA STAHL, Naples Daily News


It doesn't matter. Naples is still nowheresville, where old farts go to
die. The fact that they die a lot results in a churning in the real estate
market.

Naples is too hot from March through October.

Not on the water it's not. I fish 12 months of the year. I'd rather have a
couple of months of hot/humid weather than 4 1/2 months of cold, grey, snow
and sleet.

Naples has no first-class museums or galleries.

Who cares? The weather is too nice to be indoors.

Naples has no first-class universities.

Once again...who cares? I don't want beer-swilling college kids making
trouble in my backyard. I had my fill of that when I was *in* college.


Naples has no first-class teaching hospitals.

Once again...so what? Who wants a student doc working on them? The Schick
Heart Center at Naples Community Hospital is ranked in the top 5% in the
Nation. We also had a Cleveland Clinic open about 4 years ago. Because the
area is so nice down here, it attracts top-notch physicians from around the
country.


Naples has no first-class cultural venues.

The Naples Philharmonic.
http://www.thephil.org/index2.html


The Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.
http://www.bbmannpah.com/



You guys do have good fishing, as does most of Florida, and I presume you
have lots of golf courses.

Excellent year-round fishing, boating, and golf. Those are the reasons that
I moved here.


Ask Harry how many universities, museums, teaching hospitals and
MacDonalds are in the metropolis in which *he* lives!

He may have a MacDonalds within 15 miles, but I doubt it.

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes

"JohnH" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 9 Jan 2005 14:24:44 -0500, "NOYB" wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Oh, puh-lease. It's a dippy little SW Florida retirement area, full of
old f*rts.



Realtors reap rewards of fewer listings, higher prices
By THERESA STAHL, Naples Daily News


It doesn't matter. Naples is still nowheresville, where old farts go to
die. The fact that they die a lot results in a churning in the real
estate
market.

Naples is too hot from March through October.

Not on the water it's not. I fish 12 months of the year. I'd rather have
a
couple of months of hot/humid weather than 4 1/2 months of cold, grey,
snow
and sleet.

Naples has no first-class museums or galleries.

Who cares? The weather is too nice to be indoors.

Naples has no first-class universities.

Once again...who cares? I don't want beer-swilling college kids making
trouble in my backyard. I had my fill of that when I was *in* college.


Naples has no first-class teaching hospitals.

Once again...so what? Who wants a student doc working on them? The
Schick
Heart Center at Naples Community Hospital is ranked in the top 5% in the
Nation. We also had a Cleveland Clinic open about 4 years ago. Because
the
area is so nice down here, it attracts top-notch physicians from around
the
country.


Naples has no first-class cultural venues.

The Naples Philharmonic.
http://www.thephil.org/index2.html


The Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.
http://www.bbmannpah.com/



You guys do have good fishing, as does most of Florida, and I presume
you
have lots of golf courses.

Excellent year-round fishing, boating, and golf. Those are the reasons
that
I moved here.


Ask Harry how many universities, museums, teaching hospitals and
MacDonalds are in the metropolis in which *he* lives!

He may have a MacDonalds within 15 miles, but I doubt it.

That's a long way to walk to work. Does he hitchhike there?