Naples Bonita Springs Estero Florida

After writing about my day at Tuscany Reserve golf course (see previous BLOG entry) I began to feel guilty about not writing about Grandezza. Why? I live in Grandezza and I am a golf member too since March of 2006! However, I have only played my home course maybe a half dozen times with the last two rounds just this past weekend. Why, again you ask? Work.

Grandezza is a beautiful golf course country club community in Estero which is where much of the booming growth is in the area. Just north of Grandezza, which is located on the east side of Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, are Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Gulf Coast Town Center Mall, and the Southwest Regional International Airport (RSW). Immediately on the west side of Ben Hill is Germain arena - home of the Everblades hockey team and the site for numerous events and activities like the Boston Pops Tribute to Gerswin Concert a few months back -, Miromar Outlet Mall, and the brand new International Design Center. All this is just a stone's throw to I-75 for easy access north and south to Bonita Springs and Naples.

Lastly, a few more miles to the west at Coconut Road and US 41 there is Coconut Point Mall which is a mixed-use development of condos, shopping, and restaurants. Exclusive of the International Design Center, the three retail spaces mentioned are fully leased and represent more than three million square feet of retail! All this space was absorbed in about a three year period.

From Coconut Road north on US41 to Corkscrew Road is now what's called the ‘miracle mile' for additional residential and commercial development all in progress including about five new banks!

I digress, back to Grandezza! The Grandezza development is home to many communities within - Cypress Cove, Avalon, Oakwood, Saraceno, Santa Lucia (my favorite :) ), Sabal Palm, Villa Grande, Grande Estates, Solemar, and Savona. Each community offers something different from condos, to coach homes, to villas, and single family homes from about 1800 square feet to 4,000+.

But it's the golf, right! Oh yeah, there's tennis and fitness too in the 53,000 square foot club house. Click here for more info. And, click the picture below for an interactive golf course tour.

It's hard to compare Grandezza Golf to Tuscany Reserve Golf. Grandezza is very challenging with a lot more water in play, several narrow fairways, and undulating fairways with moguls and bunkers everywhere! For my last round I managed five pars! The rest of the round...well...

Come to Grandezza and Live the Grand Life.

Click the picture and then click Next

Our board of Realtors - NABOR - arranged for the off season for its members and guests to have access to the Tuscany Reserve Golf course. My buddy is an avid (and reasonably good) golfer (I, on the other hand am not so good) and could not wait for us to get on the course. Truth be told, neither could I. This is a PGA Championship course. And while there is water to deal with it's not as bad as many other Florida courses. The fairways, for the most part, are wide open.

BUT, it's the dangers that are not so apparent that can kill your game. It tests (and requires) golfing skills that are not in use for most of us regularly. Like, the rough and grass around the bunkers is pretty deep and thick. I actually plugged a ball in it near a green side bunker. Trying to swing a club through that stuff is quite another story. The greens are smallish so you need to hit them. If you don't, you roll off into swales and valleys that you must putt up from. Worse, the green side bunkers are many and they're deep. Many opportunities to loft the ball 6 - 8 feet to get over the ridge and you could have a fair distance to get to the pin too!

The short grass and the greens are just perfect. This is by far the best manicured course I've played. Of course, this time of year in FL it's not played all that much. We finished around 11:30 AM and it was 94 degrees and just a tad humid :) All in all, it was a great morning out.

Yes, there is plenty of real estate for sale in Tuscany Preserve. Check out some information on my web site - www.BobPisa.com or directly to Tuscany Preserve.

Bob Pisa
Prestige Properties
239.261.4000 x32

Even more than feel it, there's real evidence. A few BLOG entries back I reported the opinion of noted Florida economist Hank Fishkind where he essentially said that we've hit the bottom months ago. Go read that entry if you missed it.

Now, I just read the NAR (National Association of REALTORS) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) data for June 2007 and the data clearly shows improvement. (I put the data on my web site http://www.bobpisa.com/ and the direct link to the page is here for easy access if you are interested.)

As I look at the seasonally adjusted data I see:

• Since December of 2005 the index has declined each and every month (except for February 2007) about 4 to 5 points per month.

• In June 2007 it reversed with a 5 point increase.

A five point monthly gain is the largest single month increase since March of 2004 when it was 6.1% according to NAR. It's also important to remember that this data is for pending home sales (active contracts) so this is very much a forward looking indicator.

This is good news all around and let us hope it continues, we'll see with next months data.

Coincidently during a training session that I attended today one of the seasoned agents commented that he is seeing more activity and a decided change for the positive during what is traditionally very slow period in our geography - Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Florida.

So, we have a noted economist, data from NAR, and anecdotal input for the southwest Florida market all indicating improvement...I can feel it!

Bob Pisa
Prestige Properties
bob@BobPisa.com
239 261-4000 x32

8/8/2007 - addendum - The AP reported data from the Mortgage Bankers Association today that said the weekly mortgage index is up 8.1% from the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis. This is the first increase after two consecutive weeks of declines. The mortgage index measures the volume of new mortgage applications; overall the cost for a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped.

Are you thinking about a real estate purchase that's many miles away? Whether it's relocation or a second summer/winter home a local REALTOR can be a huge benefit to you.

In my case - southwest Florida, Naples, Bonita Springs, and Estero - I can provide a "long distance shopping" experience that will allow you to "hit the ground running" when we meet in person. I connect with clients initially through me web site http://www.bobpisa.com/. In Florida where many, many homes are second winter homes this is most beneficial.

I've been doing exactly this recently with a client in New England who is looking for a second, winter home in the Naples area. It just so happens that I relocated from New England (Boston area) myself. Being so far away you really don't know where to start and you want to maximize the use of your time when you make a trip.

After an initial phone call I had enough information and parameters to begin working on a tour of southwest Florida for them. Over a period of one week I sent several e-mails with links to various communities and listings from our MLS system. This allowed them to get a feel for each area, learn about amenities, help determine what "wants" versus "needs" are, and to see what is available in their price range. I also included, at their request, what is available for new construction as well as beach front condos - the full gamut.

The use of e-mail with embedded links and photos makes it easy for the consumer to navigate through the information provided and to get a pretty good idea of what the properties are like. Additional narrative by me for each one also sets the stage and helps to fill in the blanks. I send only one community per e-mail to lessen the information overload aspect. E-mail is beneficial to everyone because it's not intrusive, it's easily organized, and we all can work at our own pace when time is available. Not having met these clients face-to-face yet, I feel like I already know them.

Is a long distance REALTOR for you? Give it a try and if you're interested in southwest Florida give me a try.

If you're wondering what this e-PRO thing is all about check out the "About Me" page on my web site.

Bob Pisa
Prestige Properties of South Florida, Inc
www.BobPisa.com