Naples, FL

As some of you have heard, Palmira Golf and Country Club experienced a pretty sad week due to the closing of their clubhouse and the 26 jobs that were lost as a result. It's been rumored there may be other golf clubs with similar financial situations. The good news is the community has already formed a committee to find a solution and protect the success of the development. They have been very busy and you can ready more about it at www.savepalmira.com.

So here's the deal. First and foremost, not every golf course is in trouble. Secondly, if you're shopping for Naples golf course properties, it's probably worth a few phone calls to the association and/or perhaps a local attorney to determine the state of the financial stability of the community you're considering. I spoke with my attorney this morning to get his opinion. He confirmed asking the golf club is the best way to uncover the facts and he would be available to assist should a more detailed search be warranted.

I made a few phone calls today to some of the golf clubs most of my clients prefer. Here's the information I was given:

Pelican Bay: I spoke with Donna Marie Amy Membership Direct at The Club Pelican Bay who provided the following information:

In light of all that is taking place in the world of golf in Naples, Florida, I would like to share some very unique tributes of The Club Pelican Bay. With exception of a $500 annual assessment, our Club has completed nearly twenty-two million dollars ($22,000,000) in renovations without a major assessment to the membership. By not refunding our initiation fee we are creating a financially secure club for our current future members. This is just one of many wonderful attributes that I believe are unique qualities that are only to be found at The Club Pelican Bay. If you have more questions you can contact Donna Marie direct.

Donna Marie Amy
Membership Director
The Club Pelican Bay
239-514-2494
fax 239-597-4072
donnamarie_amy@theclubpelicanbay.com

The Club at Mediterra: I spoke with Manon "Max" Passino who cheerfully pointed out that the club at Mediterra was in "absolutely beautiful" condition and are "rock solid" financially. For more details regarding Mediterra you can call "Max" at 239-254-3000. For more information regarding Mediterra homes or Mediterra villas, you can contact me.

Pelican Marsh Golf Club: I spoke with Kimberly with membership and was assured there are no issues with the financial stability of the Pelican Marsh Golf Club. For more information about club membership at Pelican Marsh you can contact Kimberly at 239-597-3000 or if you're interested in Pelican Marsh homes or Pelican Marsh condos, you can contact me.

Bay Colony Golf Club: Is getting ready to start a fabulous renovation including an addition to the golf club adding a dance floor additional dining room space with a better arrangement for the bar and an extension of the outside terrace. Included in the renovation is a reconfiguration of the cart staging area and will be completed by October of 2009. According to Debbie they are very financially sound and are looking forward to the improvements. The renovation will accomodate larger parties with the ability for members to have seperate (private) parties at the same time. Best of all is the fact that the impact of the renovation will not displace the members using the club until May 1, 2009 (after season). Membership sales have been strong this year and Debbie fully expect to see strong sales going forward. For more information about the Bay Colony Golf Club you can contact Debbie Lohan, Membership Director at 239-449-4564 or DebbieL@BayColonyGolfClub.com. If you're interested in Estates at Bay Colony homes, you can contact me direct.

Of course you're going to want to do your own due diligence when you purchase and the information contained in this blog post is current today, October 6, 2008. If you're interested in Naples golf homes or Naples Golf condos, let me know. I'm happy to assist!

Best Regards,

Your Naples Smart Girl!

Based the closed sale data from 1/1/2008 through 9/30/2008 for single-family and detached-villas homes excluding Golden Gate City and Golden Gates Estates.

If you thinking about buying or selling a home in Naples, Bonita Springs, or Estero get the data and get the facts on the local market. The local market is within the community and the neighborhood in the community. Request a Personalized Market Report for the area you are interested in.

It's the 1st of the month (or maybe a bit beyond) and I have posted on www.BobPisa.com a reports that shows the charts for 12-month running average selling prices and unit volume sales. The data is broken down by area - Naples and Bonita Springs / Estero Florida. It is also broken down by single-family home and condominium. Here are the single-family pending home sales trends, the leading market indicator...

Bonita Springs / Estero on the left, Naples (rocket ship) on the right.
Data provided by Sunshine MLS

Bonita / Estero have leveled off over the past few months although the trend is still positive. The average number of homes sold for the past 12 months is 57 so a saw tooth trendline is not unexpected. There seems to be no stopping Naples though...look at that trend line! You may click on each image to go directly to the report page on my web site.