It’s Heating Up in Naples

If you have been thinking that it’s been a busy season, you are right. Due in part to so many national articles, like Smithsonian Magazine naming Naples one of the Top Ten Small Towns of America this month, and Trip-Advisor naming us to their list of top 25 US beaches, the number of visitors to Naples was up 10% year to date from 2011. People came earlier, stayed 10% longer and, most importantly, their expenditures were up nearly 17% from last year.

Groups with the Largest Increase of Visitors
The groups with the largest increase of visitors year to date were Canadians (up 57% !!) and Europeans (up 35%).  The average age of our guests’ head of household has dropped to 51 and their household income is $161,556 according to Research Data Services’ report prepared for the Collier County Board of Commissioners. Clearly, our guests loved Naples and in droves decided to find a place to call their own here.

When the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR) released their statistics for the housing market for the first quarter of 2012 as compared to the first quarter of 2011, it confirmed what we all had suspected – a great season. In fact, first quarter 2012 was one of the top five ever for pending sales activity. Our inventory of homes for sale is down a whopping 39% from January 2007!

Key Statistics
I have broken out some key points, and to see the full report including charts of specific locations, go to http://www.naplesarea.com/real-estate-news.asp.

• Overall pending sales increased 14% in the $300,000 to $500,000 category, 29% in the $500,000 to $1 million category, and 14% in the $1 million to $2 million category.
• Overall closed sales increased 21% in the $500,000 to $1 million category.
• Overall median closed price homes increased 14%.
• Inventory decreased 13%.

Even more striking were the statistics which compared March 2011 with March 2012 and also the numbers comparing the 12 month period ending in March 2012 versus the 12 month period ending in March 2011.

• The overall median closed price increased 27% in March 2012 compared to March 2011.
• Pending sales increased 19% in the $500,000 to $1 million category for the 12-month period ending March 2012.
• Pending sales increased 57% in the $1 million to $2 million category in March 2012 compared to March 2011.
• Overall closed sales increased 13% in the $2 million plus category for the 12-month period ending March 2012.
• Overall closed sales increased 29% in the $500,000 to $1 million category in March 2012 compared to March 2011.

Now is the Time! Call for a Detailed Analysis!
So if you have been on the fence about selling your home or buying a new one, don’t hesitate any longer. Now is the time to call me for a detailed analysis.

Mara Muller, Broker Associate, ABR, CRS
Premiers Sotheby’s International Realty
239.272.6170
MaraSellsNaples.com

Since 1996, Mara Muller has been fortunate to call Naples home. For your benefit, she is a Certified Residential Specialist® (CRS, a designation earned by fewer than 3% of Realtors nationwide), an Accredited Buyer’s Representative® (ABR), and e-PRO agent. Mara will focus your search for the perfect Dream Home or effectively market your house for its maximum price. Her expertise has been utilized by over 150 Happy Buyers and Sellers in the past 11 years, resulting in more than $100,000,000 in sales. Mara Muller has been honored by the Women’s Council of REALTORS® with the Top Producer Awards General Real Estate Sales three years in a row and Gulfshore Life magazine has awarded Mara “Five Star: Best in Client Satisfaction for each of the past 6 years. A Massachusetts native, Mara is a graduate from The Moses Brown School in Providence, and McGill University in Montreal.