Clermont at Pelican Marsh Addition

At the request of a new customer today, I have just created and launched the Clermont at Pelican Marsh floor plan page on my Naples Florida real estate website. Of course you've been able to search all IDX Clermont at Pelican Marsh condos for sale, see pictures, learn about the Clermont at Pelican Marsh community and even evaluate best Pelican Marsh deals. It's all part of my plan to make ShannonLefevre.com the easiest and most informative Naples Florida real estate website around.

Speaking of Clermont at Pelican Marsh, there are currently 9 listings available as we speak with a couple of serious opportunities. Clermont's central location within the gates of Pelican Marsh make this a great value especially with the newly opened Mercato shopping and dining experience located just around the corner.

To see Clermont at Pelican Marsh listings or for more information about Clermont at Pelican Marsh, contact me direct!

PS~ If you have any ideas, suggestions or special requests regarding my website or blog, please feel free to contact me direct!

Best Regards,

Bay Colony Naples Market Update

There were a total of 37 properties that closed in Bay Colony Naples Florida in 2009. That's just over half of what closed in 2008! Bay Colony like the rest of the Naples beachfront communities felt a little impact due to the economic downturn most likely from the dip in the stock market back in September 2008 among other factors.

Bay Colony was considered one of Naples shining stars when it came to real estate activity but sales traffic decreased considerably while we found inventories on the rise for the first time in years in 2009.

It's not just the economic downturn that kept buyers away. Feedback I received while showing and discussing options with buyers this year resulted in a small handful of rejections for Bay Colony. Most prevalent were the fees Bay Colony fees. Bay Colony lives like a country club. When you add in the Bay Colony beach club, Bay Colony tennis club and other amenities Bay Colony has to offer, you know all that has to come with a price but the price is just something some buyers weren't willing to pay this past year. It's always been a topic of discussion but I haven't actually see it prevent buyers from buying as often as I did in 2009. It's all part of that, "we're trying to pay closer attention to our money" movement going on right now.

Another drawback I heard about was that Bay Colony is starting to show her age. The grounds, beaches and amenities are still fabulous but the units and common areas in many of the buildings and some of the single family properties available are REALLY starting to show their age. Hey, aging gracefully isn't just for the ladies as we all know. Contessa at Bay Colony has already had a fabulous face lift and there are some other building that have made improvements and talks are in the works with some of the other ones but....that didn't stop some people from choosing other locations this year due to the perceived maintenance and construction issues down the road.

The other behavior I saw from buyers this year was that pricing in Bay Colony was too high. They expected buyers to either come way off their price during negotiations or they just simply went elsewhere. In some cases low offers were made, buyers split only to come back later and find either their selections had sold or sellers were still not as flexible as they'd hoped.

Here's a run down of each Bay Colony community now:

Overall there are a total of 55 Bay Colony Listings. That's just over 14 months supply...not too terribly bad but not typical for Bay Colony either.

Bay Colony Shores:
5 Active
1 Pending
6 Closed in 2009
Bay Colony Shores had an excellent year and although this location was sluggish in 2008, she recovered nicely in 2009. Bay Colony Shores is STABLE.

Biltmore at Bay Colony:
4 Active
1 Closed in 2009
Biltmore at Bay Colony has some challenges!

Brighton at Bay Colony:
4 Active
2 Closed in 2009
There's a nice opportunity in Brighton at Bay Colony!

Carlysle at Bay Colony:
4 Active
2 Closed in 2009
Carlysle at Bay Colony has some challenges and there is some opportunity here as well.

Contessa at Bay Colony:
3 Active
5 Closed in 2009
Contessa did GREAT in 2009 and has some beautifully remodeled units available!

Mansion La Palma at Bay Colony:
1 Active
1 Closed in 2009
Mansion La Palma is a STABLE community.

Marquesa at Bay Colony:
3 Active
1 Closed in 2009
Marquesa at Bay Colony is a little uneven but there is a terrific valued property available right now!

Remington at Bay Colony:
5 Active
1 Closed in 2009 and a beach cabana :)
Remington at Bay Colony has an oversupply of inventory right now.

Salerno at Bay Colony:
5 Active
2 Closed in 2009
Salerno has an oversupply of inventory right now.

Strand at Bay Colony:
1 Active
3 Closed in 2009
Strand at Bay Colony did exceptionally well in 2009.

Toscana at Bay Colony:
2 Active
5 Closed in 2009
Toscana at Bay Colony did very well in 2009

Trieste at Bay Colony:
11 Active
3 Closed in 2009
Trieste has an oversupply of inventory right now...still.

Villa La Palma at Bay Colony:
0 Available
2 Closed in 2009
Villa La Palma at Bay Colony did well in 2009

Vizcaya at Bay Colony:
5 Active
1 Pending
1 Closed
Vizcaya at Bay Colony has a an over supply of inventory right now.

Windsor at Bay Colony:
2 Active
1 Closed
Not much to say about the market here in a broadcast but you can call me direct for details. :)

If I were going to list my Bay Colony property right now I would start by calling me. Call me if you want to sell your Bay Colony property and I'll give you a few very compelling reasons why.

If I were considering purchasing in Bay Colony right now, I would call me. Call me and I'll give you a couple of compelling reasons why you want me to assist you with negotiating your Bay Colony purchase.

Best Regards,

Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!

What Will You Pay For Naples Real Estate?

I made a beautiful mistake as a college kid by enrolling in a consumer behavior class years ago. I'd love to say it was part of my well designed plan to offer you the best service possible but it was more dumb luck than anything. I had no idea how incredibly intriguing consumer behavior was and I continue to be in awe over what each selling season of Naples Florida real estate will bring. The class taught me to constantly have my eye on change and I spend a great deal of time watching what Naples real estate buyers do and listening to what they say.

I can confidently say that no two seasons have been the same since I've been selling Naples real estate and I think new surprises are in store for us this year as well. For example, there are quite a few irrefutable signs our market has improved and in some segments our market has fully recovered.

How will this year's buyers handle the news that some select segments have in fact recovered and seller's will not be willing to negotiate as much? How will some buyers respond when they learn they may have missed out on the absolute bottom of the market?

Just today I found myself browsing quickly through a furniture knowing fully that I was NOT a buyer but...circumstances brought me there and I never mind taking a quick peek provided I keep myself in check. I remember specifically seeing two pictures catching my eye. I stopped...determined I wasn't "IN LOVE" but I could be a buyer provided they didn't cost over a certain dollar amount. To my surprise it turned out they were 4 times the amount. It wasn't painful walking away, in fact I hardly gave it a second thought and wondered if the possibility of slightly higher pricing or slightly stiffer negotiating might make a select group of Naples buyers behave the same way.

Well, I already know of two groups of buyers who still bought even though their "predetermined limit" was exceeded. The question everyone wants to know is if we can expect there to be a large swing of buyers who will ultimately purchase.

So far I see:

• Sellers who speak more confidently about selling and who have priced properties more realistically.
• Buyers who behave less hostile and are happier to be purchasing in Naples.
• Buyers who feel like now is the time to do it and so they are in fact purchasing.
• Sellers who are not allowing buyers to pick a number (any number) and are willing to let a deal go than sell below the price they want.
• Sellers who are sticking firm on negotiations even though there may be a couple of sales of very similar properties that sold for less last summer or fall.
• Smaller inventories.
• National real estate stories are becoming more positive.
• Agents nationwide are reporting stronger real estate markets.
• Higher Naples real estate website statistics.
• More buyer email inquiries than last year.
• More buyer phone calls than last year.

This is just a quick peek at the first week of high season but I can cautiously say it's a brighter, happier and more productive snapshot than the beginning of the last 3 seasons...stay tuned as we continue through for another update!

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

Shannon Lefevre, PA

Thank You For Your Continued Support!

I've been working on my Naples Florida real estate website now for about 4.5 years. I am continuously amazed at it's success and I've been truly blessed with the people I've been introduced to and the people I have had the luxury of working for because of it! Blogging here on Active Rain has been terrific for my business but ShannonLefevre.com is my number one most productive real estate marketing tool.

One of the aspects of web marketing that always continues to intrigue me are the keywords people use to find my site. While many find it through search terms related to Naples and the finer neighborhoods Naples has to offer, I am overwhelmed at the number of people who search my site everyday with words directly related to me and my site. I am equally overwhelmed at the gratitude I receive from people who have used and appreciate my hard work.

Afterall, I didn't have some tech guy build ShannonLefevre.com with a thoughtlessly written out check and a wave of a finger. I carefully wrote all of those descriptions and took over 1,000 pictures of Naples myself. Every new page I design, I design with you in mind. It would have cost me well over $100,000 to have the equivalent built but had I contracted all that out, I wouldn't have the same commitment to my client as I do today. All of that research and time spent building the site I did to insure I would be the best agent for the job of helping you buy or sell your Naples home or condo.

By the way I still improve and expand ShannonLefevre.com nearly everyday and welcome your ideas, suggestions, criticism and of course your business.

If you have stumbled upon ShannonLefevre.com by accident, if you have been referred or perhaps you are a repeat visitor, I want to thank you for your time. Thank you for your kind words and thank you for your business because without your business, I would not have the ability to continue to provide the service that ShannonLefevre.com offers.

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

Shannon Lefevre, PA