Hello from Naples!
Rae and Fred have completed downsizing in Kensington. Rae sold their home in Kensington in less than 24 hours for more than asking price…more evidence of how strong a seller’s market Naples is experiencing. Rae and Fred bought a Coach Home in Kensington. They have already moved in and completed several improvements including fresh paint and a flooring update.
Granddaughter Natalie surprised her mother, Nicola and arrived home from school for Easter weekend. It had been 2.5 months since they were together and their joyful reunion is posted on Instagram. The Wakelin’s had a great Easter with church in the morning at North Naples Church and a beautiful dinner on the lanai cooked by Jeff Wakelin. They were missing Liz and David who spent the day with David’s family in North Carolina.
Here’s an Interesting Article from Florida Weekly: Impact of Collier’s Paradise Coast Sports Complex Has Already Begun
Another Florida magic kingdom is sprouting just off I-75’s Exit 101 in Collier County. This one has nothing to do with an anthropomorphic mouse or castles or make-believe of any kind. The Paradise Coast Sports Complex is a very real $100 million, multi-purpose venue for not only sports but cultural events as well.
It is a joint venture between Collier County and Sports Force Parks, which also operates parks in Sandusky, Ohio and Vicksburg, Miss. At build-out it will comprise about 180 acres and more than 20 athletic fields centered around a 3,500-seat stadium with a full video scoreboard. The stadium is already open.
Jeff Walters, the complex’s business development manager, called the relationship with the county a “dual partnership.” “We’re in business with Collier County,” Mr. Walters said. “Collier County funded the project and we’ve been brought in to construct and manage and program the facility.” Collier County commissioners unanimously voted in favor of $33 million in December for additional funding for the project’s second phase.
Sports and arts groups are lining up to use the facility. Naples United Premier Soccer Team announced a partnership in December with the complex to play its 2021 season at the facility. Two months after the soccer club’s announcement, the United Arts Council of Collier County announced it would hold events at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.“ The impact has already begun,” said Liz Sanders, president of the Sports Council of Collier County and a hotelier who is area director of sales for Springhill Suites and related properties. That means hotels such as the ones Ms. Sanders represents will benefit. But that’s not all. “All the hotels in town are benefiting,” Ms. Sanders said.
Naples United Soccer FC now calls Paradise Coast home. “It will be our home for the next three years,” said Naples United co-founder Veronica Docio. She said the club has been using the facility since January and it will be its home when the season starts in May. The club, which was founded in 2017, previously used high school stadiums. “No comparison,” Ms. Docio said of the upgrade from high school stadiums to the Paradise Coast Sports Complex. Naples FC director Enoch Showunmi agrees. “Shaping up to be one of the best sports facilities I’ve seen,” said Mr. Showunmi, who was born in England and has been in the U.S. for six years. He sees the club’s new home as a place not only to improve the level of play, but build a passion for his sport in general as well as building the sport from the youth level on up. “We want to galvanize the community,” Mr. Showunmi said. The complex’s stadium has locker room facilities and the grandstand offers suites for sponsors and guests. Naples United, which plays in the Sunshine Conference of the National Premier Soccer League, is also offering camps and clinics for youth players at its new homes. Docio said the club recently played a match at home against a Miami team. “They were a little bit jealous,” Ms. Docio said.
One of the facility’s assets is its location right off the Interstate near where it bends east toward Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
The Paradise Coast Sports Complex is also becoming a go-to destination for Pop Warner Football teams in the Peace River Conference, which comprises 19 youth football and cheer organizations from Naples through Lehigh Acres and up to Venice and Sarasota. Collier County’s five Pop Warner teams now call it their home field and played home games there in 2020 and will do the same in 2021. Jerry Craft, president of the Naples Hurricanes, said local Pop Warner organizers would like to have regional and national events at Paradise Coast. For the time being, there is a snag. “Not enough hotels,” Mr. Craft said.
But there are plenty of young football players and cheerleaders in Pop Warner. Mr. Craft said each of Collier County’s five Pop Warner organizations have between 250 and 300 cheerleaders and football players.
The complex’s economic potential intrigues Jack Wert, executive director of the county’s Tourist Development Council. “It increases our capability to grow our sports tourism,” Mr. Wert said.
While Lee County has two Major League Baseball teams, the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, that call it home for spring training, a minor-league baseball team in the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, a minor-league hockey team in the Florida Everblades and a Division 1 athletic program at Florida Gulf Coast University, the focus in Collier is amateur sports.
That includes one of the nation’s premier pickleball facilities at East Naples Community Park, which features 64 courts and is only 9.7 miles away from Paradise Coast, according to Google Maps. The focus for Collier County is luring more regional and national amateur events to town. The new facility will help.
“It is eventually going to bring us to the next level,” Mr. Wert said.
Plans to add six baseball diamonds and five softball fields should have those operating if not in 2022, by 2023. As with the “rectangular” multi-purpose fields, the baseball and softball fields will also have synthetic turf. The fields will be full-sized with 90-foot baselines but can be converted to shorter distance for youth events.
The amenities include what is called The Great Lawn, a venue for concerts. Cultural events are definitely in the mix at Paradise Coast. “I do want to continue to remind everybody we do seem to be considered a sports complex but we’re not,” Mr. Walters said. Music and art shows are in the mix at a venue Mr. Walters touts with enthusiasm. “There’s nothing like this in the entire country,” Mr. Walters said.
Other possible additions moving forward are a golf course and children’s jungle gym. Staging 5K and 10K road races and other running events are possibilities. There are many potential uses. “I’d love to see a velodrome (an arena for track cycling),” Mr. Walters said.
Anything seems possible. “I think the complex will be a shining star,” Ms. Sanders said. Right there off Exit 101 off I-75, where the Interstate bends and the future beckons and magic is happening.
Official March 2021 Climate Data at Naples Airport:
March 2020 |
YTD 2020 |
March 2021 |
YTD 2021 |
Normal YTD |
|
Rainfall in inches |
.00 |
2.59 |
.46 |
1.58 |
6.33 |
Record High March Rainfall |
13.56 (1970) |
||||
Record Low March Rainfall |
0.00 (1974) |
||||
High March Temperature |
91 |
89 |
|||
Low March Temperature |
49 |
52 |
|||
Record High March Temperature |
95 (1965) |
||||
Record Low March Temperature |
33 (1980) |
Temperatures in March were just about normal for the month. The normal average max temperature in March is 79.9 and we recorded 81.1. Rainfall was well below normal again in March, the lakes and ponds around Naples are looking low.
Book Review: “The Law of Innocence” by Michael Connelly
I am amazed at how prolific a writer Michael Connelly is. This is the second novel he has published during 2020, and he had produced at least one book a year for the last twenty years or so. What is more, that productivity is not achieved at the cost of quality; this latest offering is up to his customary high standard.
“The Law of Innocence” is from a Connelly series of novels featuring Mickey Haller, known as the ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ because for a long time he worked from the back of his chauffeur driven Town Car, rather than from a formal office. As the novel opens, we learn that Haller is in prison, on remand and awaiting trial for murder after the body of one of his former clients was found in the trunk of his car. The case appears strong, and the District Attorney’s Office is pursuing their investigations zealously, feeling extra delight in the thought of perhaps convicting someone who over the years had proved such a thorn in their side. Haller has marshaled his own team and is working vigorously on his defense from his prison cell but knows that he is embarking on the most important case of his career.
I love reading Michael Connolly’s books and this is a great one.
Here are a few reviews on Amazon:
“When Mickey Haller is arrested for a murder he didn’t commit, he decides to defend himself with a little help from his friends. And off we go on one of the best courtroom dramas I have ever read. Michael Connelly at his very best.
“One of those books you want to finish and want to keep reading. Really enjoyable and different but I have to say I found the ending a bit rushed and not very satisfying. So saying, the actual content was well up there with his best.”
“Mickey Haller is back and back in spades. Only now he is the star defense lawyer for himself, accused of murder in the first degree. The story reads like a runaway freight train and doesn’t end until it has reached a thrilling crescendo. The master storyteller has done it again.”
Restaurant Recommendation: Turco Taco (Creekside Corners) 1514 Immokalee Rd. Naples
Turco Taco has two locations in Naples. The original is at 410 9th St. N. We recently ate at the newer location. This twin of the gourmet taco shop opened recently in Creekside Corners, the retail center anchored by Bone Hook Brewing and McAlister’s Deli on the southeast corner of Goodlette-Frank and Immokalee roads.
The simple menu for the popular eatery features tacos and quesadillas with antibiotic-free and hormone-free meats grilled on a vertical rotisserie, gourmet salads, Mexican corn, guacamole, Mexican paletas ice cream and more. The food is delicious.
The owner is an immigrant from Turkey who has worked his way up the restaurant ladder in Turkey, the US and Australia. He and his staff are very accommodating and enthusiastic!
Here are a few recent reviews on Trip Advisor:
“I’ve been driving past Turco Taco at least 3x a week. Finally stopped to try it and I am glad I did. First of all it’s affordable. Secondly, it is healthy, fresh and well-presented delicious food!! Not the sloppy high calorie fattening Tex Mex. LOVE this place and will definitely return to try everything. I had the fish taco and got a lovely grilled whole piece of fish in the taco with great slaw topping. I hope these guys thrive!”
“Wow! This place was great! The food was fresh and delicious and the staff was fantastic! The vegetales tacos were outstanding!”
Naples Real Estate: Here are the March 2021 Naples/Bonita market statistics.
For the first quarter of 2021, there were 5,701 closed sales in all of Naples and Bonita. This compares with 3,689 closed sales for the same period last year. Sales have continued to surge into the spring. YTD home sales are up 55% from last year.
Here’s an interesting table comparing the 1st quarter of 2021 to last year:
Closed Sales |
Total |
Under $300,000 |
$300,000 to $700,000 |
$700,001 to $1,000,000 |
$1,000,001 to $3,000,000 |
Over $3,000,000 |
YTD March 2020 |
3,689 |
1,476 |
1,519 |
236 |
355 |
103 |
YTD March 2021 |
5,701 |
1,827 |
2,534 |
486 |
654 |
200 |
Difference |
+2,012 |
+351 |
+1,015 |
+250 |
+299 |
+98 |
% Change |
+55% |
+24% |
+67% |
+106% |
+84% |
+95% |
Every category we measure is significantly ahead of last year at the end of the 1st quarter. Naples real estate sales continue to be strong. Realtors in Naples are saying they’ve never seen a market like this one. It is a very strong seller’s market.
The inventory of available resale property remains down from last year and continues to decrease. As the following table shows, the level of inventory varies by price point:
Naples Home Supply as of April 4, 2021 |
Total |
Under $300,000 |
$300,000 to $700,000 |
$700,001 to $1,000,000 |
$1,000,001 to $3,000,000 |
Over $3,000,000 |
Number Sold Last 12 Months |
18,598 |
6,287 |
8,356 |
1,433 |
1,962 |
560 |
Average Number Sold per Month |
1,550 |
524 |
696 |
119 |
164 |
47 |
Total Available for Sale |
1,628 |
370 |
570 |
196 |
313 |
179 |
Months of Supply April 4, 2021 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
We saw housing inventory fall again this month, falling by 27% to 1,628 homes. The supply of homes has declined every month since last July. Currently the average monthly supply only is 1 month. It is hard to believe how little inventory we have in Naples. This is the lowest number in more than 20 years. Most Realtors consider that a six-month supply of homes is neither a buyers’ nor sellers’ market, so this is truly a sellers’ market. For comparison, the high point of available existing home inventory was June 2007 when there were 11,601 listed in the MLS system for Naples and Bonita!
Sales increased again in March while the number of available homes decreased. This incredible market cannot continue indefinitely since we are running out of homes available. In the $1 million to $3 million market, for example, there are 313 properties available. During the last 12 months, 1,962 properties in this price range have sold…which means an average of about 164 per month. At that rate, the 313 homes available represent 2 months of supply, on average.
Kensington Real Estate:
Kensington is the golf course community where Rae and Fred live. Golf and Social memberships are available at Kensington, although none is required to buy here. As of April 4, 2021, there are only 2 active listings in Kensington. This is 4 less than last month… the lowest number anyone here can remember. Here’s a look at the MLS market in Kensington as of April 4, 2021:
Type of Property |
Number |
Lowest Price |
Highest Price |
Average Price per Sq. Ft. |
Avg. Days on Mkt. |
Estate Homes |
1 |
$2,150,000 |
$2,150,000 |
$602 |
11 |
Villas |
0 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
Coach Homes |
1 |
$379,000 |
$379,000 |
$216 |
213 |
Total |
2 |
There have been 53 closed sales in the past 12-month period. At this average selling rate of 4.4 properties per month, the 2 homes listed represent less than 1month of inventory on average. There are only 1 Estate Home and 1 Coach Home on the market. As of April 4, 2021, there are 4 sales pending and 7 sales pending with contingencies at Kensington.
Riverstone Real Estate:
Riverstone is the community where Jeff and Nicola live. Riverstone has numerous amenities available for residents to enjoy. You can spend days swimming and relaxing at the community resort-style pool, playing tennis, taking a fitness class or socializing in the community’s private clubhouse. Here’s a look at the MLS market in Riverstone as of April 4, 2021:
Property |
Number for Sale |
Lowest Price |
Highest Price |
Avg. Asking Price Per Sq. Ft. |
Avg. Days on Market |
Riverstone |
6 |
$598,000 |
$1,230,000 |
$294 |
14 |
Here’s a breakdown of what’s currently on the market thru MLS:
|
|
$500,000 to $599,999 |
$600,000 to $699,999 |
$700,000 to $799,999 |
$800,000 to $899,999 |
$900,000 and Over |
Number for Sale |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
Average Price per Sq. Ft. |
$268 |
NA |
$317 |
$322 |
$271 |
Average Number of Days on Market |
4 |
NA |
14 |
19 |
18 |
Available inventory is one more than last month. As of April 4, there were 6 active listings, 7 pending sales and 14 pending sales with contingencies. The MLS system lists 84 spec and resale homes sold in the last 12 months. With average monthly sales of 7, this means that there is less than one month of inventory at Riverstone.
Give us a call if we can help with any real estate questions you have at 239-398-0028 (Rae) or 239-451-9351 (Nicola).