Thursday, the Planning Commission of Collier County will review and discuss the newly proposed ordinance that will effect future growth in Collier County, especially to the east of Collier Boulevard. The ordinance was in response to the DCA (Florida Department of Community Affairs) stating that, in their opinion, the county’s capital improvements were not financially feasible. When plans for services are drawn up, the counties, as well as cities are required to update the DCA.

Following a vote by the Collier County Commissioners (3 to 2 vote) staff was instructed to draft a proposed ordinance. The proposal will effectively put the brakes on future development, and the key word is ‘future’, because development in process will be allowed to continue. The county attorneys have said that in order for the ordinance to pass, it must be by a Super Majority, which means that 5 out of the 6 commissioners must vote for it.

One of the voices not so muted in discussing the issue is that of Michelle Harrison, the president of the Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA). She stated that no matter what you call it, a building moratorium or planning moratorium, it will have the same effect of totally crippling the local economy. To date, there has been no analysis of the economic impact such an ordinance would have on the local economy.

What an enormously hot political issue potato this is for the county and it will be interesting to see the turnout, especially builders and developers who may show up to vehemently protest!

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While viewing property in Pelican Bay the other afternoon, the clients expressed a wish to take the tram (originally coined by the Scots for coal truck) out to the beach. For those who don’t know, Pelican Bay is a private self-contained community that stretches for two and a half miles along some of the most beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered in the northern side by The Inn at Pelican Bay, while on the southern end are The Waterside Shops, a world-class shopping facility. Within Pelican Bay there is a 570 acre conservation area, as well as over 40 acres of parks and trails.

It had been a while since I last took the tram out to the beach and as we rode out from the north tram stop, I was reminded of how truly wonderful it really is. The ride takes you out through the mangroves, where you see all the wonders of Florida, both plant and animal. It’s here you’ll see alligators, cranes, storks and a multitude of other birds. It really is a great nature ride that seems as if it ends way early.

The good news is that you can not only enjoy the fabulous beach, but have a drink and dine, enjoying the sunset at one of the two fine dining restaurants on the Gulf in Pelican Bay. It is an experience that we, who have the privelidge and pleasure of living here, sometimes take for granted. If you find someone living in Pelican Bay you know, maybe you can borrow their pass to ride the tram out through mangroves and go through the experience.

If not, you’ll have to find a realtor, like myself, who’ll gladly show you!

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This afternoon, I had the pleasure of showing a wonderful home in Pelican Bay to clients who specifically flew in from Marblehead, Massachusetts, (and just for the day I might add,) to see it. It actually was the third time that I had been in it and with each time, there was something new to learn about. There isn’t anything typical about this home, except the price $1,745,000, which puts it in the low end of the higher end homes in Naples, Florida. (I don’t want to sound as if I’m sticking my nose in the air, but there are so many in this price range that it isn’t funny.)

The home is a very special home, four bedrooms and four baths, with wonderful spaces both inside and out. You have to like a house with a Southwestern flair, for it has Mexican Tile throughout its 4,700 under air, and definitely is far different from the Naples norm of Tuscan or Mediterranean. The home has high ceilings and angled walls, with a tremendous amount of high windows and light. The outside pool and spa area lends itself to outdoor entertaining. It is completely walled around the whole home, giving it huge privacy. It is a house where you close your eyes and envision some great parties going in any season.

The home has been on the market for well over a year and has recently been reduced for the third time to the price it is now at, which begs the question, why hasn’t it sold because it is such a great house. The answer comes in two forms, first certainly not everyone likes Southwestern, although Pat and I would move in in a heartbeat, if we could.

But I think that the overall reason the home hasn’t sold is primarily because very few people can envision what is behind those walls, and therefore, if their realtor told them to do a drive-by, they would totally not get it because of how it is structured and a perceived lack of ‘curb appeal’. Pat and I got it immediately, when we first drove by, because we look for homes like that, and yet I’ll bet that many, many people, including realtors, have missed it.

The moral: You damn sure can’t judge this home by its cover!!!

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Thank goodness for my Sprint AirCard! I’m not quite sure what I did prior purchasing it. It’s kind of like what did I do prior to the availability of the ATM for cash to get me through the weenends. I’m sure that I cashed a check on Friday so that I had enough money to get me by, it’s just that it seems like another lifetime ago and I really can’t remember. And so it is with my aircard!

Sitting an Open House is a dream now, because despite the total lack of traffic, (we are in the usual Naples’ summer doldrums now and no one is coming through,) I can accomplish a lot of work on my laptop and not have to worry about whether someone shows up or not. Before, I would sit around trying to get some reading done, which wasn’t really a bad thing, it just that one can only read so much before you get totally bored. Now I’m a working fool. As a matter of fact, I’m writing this blog post using my aircard as we speak, taking sitting open houses to a whole other level!

If and when I do get a prospect in, I can now access the MLS and dazzle he or she by even printing out information that they just might want. Oh how I love technology! (It’s just that I wish that I were going to live another hundred years to see what they will have then.)

At any rate, I believe that paying $60 a month for the wireless aircard phone line is well worth it. Not only does it alleviate my boredom, (if I wanted to, I could play online games,) but it just might impress someone enough who isn’t working with another realtor to work with me. Who knows?

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For as long as I have been in real estate, I find myself terribly confused by the market here in Naples, Florida and more so by where it might be headed. My heart tells me that we have bottomed out and that things will stay rather flat for a while longer before starting the climb upward again. Although not a nay sayer, my head tells me a slightly different story, (and it may be that I have started listening to potential buyers who sill believe that the market is headed lower.)

I find that real buyers are all acting like they were all born under the sign Libra, which is my sign and therefore I have a great excuse. They are all on the fence about buying, at the moment, and can’t or won’t make any kind of decision. They seem to be as perplexed about the market as I am, although naturally I never tip my hand about where my head is at or that I don’t know either. I always say to clients or prospects when asked about where I think the market is going that if I knew for sure and was this great soothsayer, I’d be living in Port Royal and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. (Port Royal houses the creme de la creme of the Naples lifestyle.)

The thing of it is that I don’t think that anyone knows for sure, there are just too many variables relating to the economy, the gas prices, the weather and on and on. The one thing that I do know for sure is that here in Naples, we are living in a world-class destination and that counts for a lot. The market may be correcting or doing its thing, at the moment, but the bottom line is that it will be back with its usual vigor because Naples is Naples!

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I consider myself extremely handy, when it comes to fixing things around the house, and since we own a rental income property, as well as our primary here in Naples, Florida, I guess that I had better be handy. There is always something that is need of repair between the homes, plus I have done a significant amount of work for listing clients, whose homes are needing minor work to get them in shape to sell.

Over the years and with all the properties that we have had, as well as the properties that I have listed, I truly cannot think of anything that I haven’t had my hand in with regard to replacing or fixing. I have installed electrical outlets, ceiling fans, and hot water heaters, although I have to tell you that electricity isn’t my favorite thing to mess with. I have done my share of plumbing work, fixed tons of pipe leaks and installed countless toilets. (The things that we do for not only ourselves, but our clients as well!)

Well I recently met my match in a Kohler toilet in one of the guest areas in my home that needed a new flapper. While trying to remove the old flapper, I broke off one of the nipples on the side of the fill valve that holds it. No problem, I’ll just run out to Sunshine Ace Hardware, our local hardware store about 2 miles away and buy a new fill valve with flapper, ($6.00). I love our Ace Hardware because there is always someone to help you and even the gals are as knowledgeable as the guys…it’s amazing!

So I return with the new fill valve, (I have the toilet tank off from the base,) and in a matter of minutes, I have the new valve installed. I bolt the tank to the toilet, I check everything, (it all seems fine,) fill the tank, flush it and and we are good to go. All of a sudden realize that I’m hearing a small leaking sound as the water is slowly draining out of the tank.

No problem, I’ll just un-bolt the tank and re-do everything again, reset the seal and bolt it all back together. Well after six different attempts, (and several trips to the local plumbing supply house because I kept breaking or tearing the tank to bowl seal,) I decided that I’d had enough. I was hot,sweaty and very angry that I couldn’t get it right. I finally called a plumber and in less than an hour he had it operating correctly.

Along the way, I learned a few things. First, Kohler Toilets require Kohler parts to operate properly and second, sometimes it’s best to just let a professional take care of it. Despite the fact that I think I’m pretty handy, in this case it would have saved time, aggravation and even money!

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There are an abundance of misconceptions about Home Inspections, the process and the reports that are created from them. I’m of the opinion that no matter what the property, condo or single family home, a home inspection is always a smart thing to do.

Some people seem concerned as to whether it is worth the money and my philosophy has always been that no matter what the cost, (and it can vary somewhat) it is a nominal and worthwhile cost to bear. Consider what you could be paying if something major went wrong or if you found a structural defect that could have been caught through a qualified home inspection.

One of the misconceptions about home inspections is that if you are having a new home built or are purchasing a new home, that a home inspection is not necessary. Quite the opposite…how many times have you heard horror stories from people who have built new homes only to find defects, and some of them quite major, after moving in and living there. A very high percentage of new construction homes have both structural and frame problems, as well as mold and moisture problems.

As a matter of fact, here in Naples, Florida, there was a recent article in the Naples Daily News about an $11,000,000 home, only two years old, that was literally being gutted because of mold issues, as well as major structural problems that the owners have discovered. It has turned into litigation that involves not only the builder and his sub-contractors, but the real estate firm on the selling side and the selling agent as well. Certainly not a pretty picture!

Another misconception is that you really don’t need a termite inspection. Again for the nominal cost of the termite inspection, coupled with the fact the there are vast termite colonies all over the State of Florida, it is prudent to have one done, with the regular home inspection.

As a buyer, you or your representatives don’t have to be there for the inspection, but it is certainly advisable, since it gives one the opportunity to ask questions of the inspector. It also gives you the chance to see how all the systems operate, as well as where they are located.

With regard to the report that is created from a home inspection, the items listed for repair or replacement, or items that are found to be defective are always negotiated. There is no requirement that they must be done by the seller.

Finally, just as all realtors are not created equal, so it is with the home inspectors. Check the credentials of any home inspector that you are wanting to employ. A good place to start is ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors). On their website, you will be able to find a qualified inspector, who is a member in good standing. 

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One of the great joys for me is firing off ‘the canon’, which sits faithfully on my roll-top desk most all year. There are really only two times a year that I can do it successfully, (without getting arrested,) the 4^th of July and New Year’s Eve. You have to understand that at 63 years old, there is still a lot of kid in me and I get a bang (literally) from shooting it off!

The canon, about 14 inches in length and weighs a ton, is a hand made replica of one of the guns that sits on the gun deck on the Constitution (“Old Ironsides”), that wonderful old ship that resides in Boston Harbor. An interesting side note, once a year, the ship gets turned around, so that it weathers on both sides equally.

This particular canon was hand crafted by a gentleman in Marblehead, Massachusetts, who made about 15 or 20 of these for special friends and family. It would take him the better of a year to craft one, lovingly taking his time to make sure that the specifications were exactly to scale. The barrel is hand-turned from a solid piece of brass and the carriage is made from cherry wood. The canon can either fire 10 gauge shotgun blank shells or can be stuffed with wadding. (I prefer firing the blanks.)

In celebratory style we dragged it out and let loose just at dusk on July 4^th and what a blast we had, as always. The damn thing can be heard from two miles away…better than any ‘cherry bomb’ that I ever set off!

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