Cape Coral Florida Real Estate Deals

Defying the odds - as we enter what is typically the SLOWEST
season for real estate sales, Cape Coral Florida is steaming forward.

With more home sales in the month of September than mid-July to
August combined, Cape Coral property sellers couldn't be more
happier with the outlook.

"We had nearly quadruple the closings of property in our office during
the month of September than we had in August," says Sean Campbell
a Real Estate Broker in Cape Coral.

In fact, according to the US Department of Commerce, inventories
dropped from 7 million to 6.6 million homes this month.

A good sign that the nationwide slump in the States is turning the corner.

And Cape Coral, Florida real estate not only validates that, but even
seems to be up in the front ranks pulling that charge.

It's too early to tell - but as we mentioned earlier we see signs in the industry that
it will become more profitable to lock into mortgages now before the Fed decides
to raise their rates once again.

So if you're looking to buy Florida real estate - or anywhere in Cape Coral for that
matter, take this information into account.

Fort McMurray gives new meaning to 'boom town'
JEFFREY SIMPSON

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

FORT McMURRAY, ALTA. — All Canadian roads, and not just the overburdened one from Edmonton, these days lead to Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The massive oil sands that lie throughout northern Alberta, with Fort McMurray as the urban epicentre, are pouring money into Alberta's coffers, widening the spread between its fiscal wealth and that of all other provinces.

The oil sands are pouring money into the federal treasury, helping it to show surpluses, which in turn are eyed by provinces and interest groups. They are pouring contracts into other provinces, spreading at least some of the wealth elsewhere in Canada.

They are pouring profits into shareholders' pockets of energy companies.

They are pouring oil into the market, especially the United States, at the very moment when Alberta's sources of conventional oil and natural gas are declining.

Canada produces about 2.5-million barrels of crude oil daily, and ships about 1.6-million to the U.S. To keep that level of exports, let alone to expand it, the oil sands are critical.

They are also pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making it among the reasons why Canada will not meet its Kyoto greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Unless new ways of handling this climate-warmer are found — and applied in the exploitation of the oil sands — Canadians will continue to be among the worst per capita carbon-emitters in the world.

A few oil sands projects are using new technologies to capture carbon; most are not. The oil sands, as nowhere else in Canada, pose the issue squarely: Will Canada take greenhouse gas emissions and global warming seriously and attempt to be a world leader in fighting climate change; or will Canada continue to be a laggard with one of the worst records on earth? The Alberta government estimates that only 2 per cent of established oil sands reserves have thus far been exploited. What gets done with the rest will spell the difference between massive climate degradation by Canada or serious progress.

The oil sands are pouring people into Fort McMurray, straining every social service and physical infrastructure. Roads, schools, health-care, housing, recreational facilities — you name it, and Fort McMurray is grappling with providing them.

The oil sands boom caught the Alberta government of outgoing Premier Ralph Klein snoozing. Nobody could see the boom coming, Mr. Klein insists by way of explaining why his government has been playing catch-up. Another explanation is that Mr. Klein slept through a host of issues in the last half of his years in office, content to ride along on a magic carpet of petrodollars.

Now the Premier is leaving, having lost the confidence of his party. The debate about who succeeds him is partly over the right vision for Alberta which, in turn, means how to handle the wealth generated by energy revenues, notably from these oil sands.

Predicting how much money the oil sands will generate is a mug's game. One estimate, accepted by the local chamber of commerce, suggests $125-billion of oil sands investment will flow into the municipality of Wood Buffalo that extends northward from Fort McMurray in the next decade. Edmonton is anticipating about $30-billion of oil sands investment money. And there will be billions more in the Cold Lake and Peace River Oil Sands area.

The Fort McMurray area is therefore the most robust economic engine in the western world. The vacancy rate for housing is zero. About a thousand people are waiting for some kind of social housing. People are doubling up in units. This spring, again according to the local chamber, the average cost of a house in Fort McMurray surpassed that of Toronto.

Labour is in short supply. Workers are being flown in daily from Edmonton. People are migrating from Newfoundland, other Atlantic Canadian provinces, Northern Ontario, Saskatchewan; in short, from wide swaths of Canada. Air Canada put on a daily flight to Toronto, while it cuts non-stop flights in other parts of hinterland Canada.

There are 69 oil sands projects in various states of operation or development in northern Alberta. They now produce about 1.1-million barrels of oil per day, or a little under half of the country's daily production. That share will rise.

With money like that in play, and with staggering environmental and fiscal consequences at stake, all roads by one route or another run through Fort McMurray.

jsimpson@globeandmail.com

RE: West Virginia Real Estate 'Land For Sale'..is the Secret Out?

First, you're probably thinking, "what the heck is this post doing on a blog about Cape Coral Florida Real Estate?"

Great question. I think it's important to keep people apprised of key investment markets, and also great places baby boomers are looking to retire to. Hence, let me explain..

Not too long ago I wrote an article about West Virginia which is one of the markets that I considered, "America's Best Kept Investment Secret".

And while that sparked a bit of controversy, the general consensus was that - yes - indeed there is some great real estate in the hills and mountains of West Virginia.


In fact, if you searched the term "West Virginia real estate" in a free keyword search tool like WordTracker, you'd find that last month alone there were 75,765 searches on that keyphrase alone!!!

More...

Now I'd say that's a general keyphrase, but it does highlight the tremendous activity of people searching for West Virginia real estate over a 30 day period.

What's more, to get more specific, if we searched the keyphrease "West Virginia Land For Sale", we find that 2,468 people typed this into Google, Yahoo! or MSN last month.

So who's searching for West Virginia property?

From what we've seen it's the "land banking" investors and also an early phase of the soon-to-be-retirees that are looking to purchase prime property at affordable prices (Sorry if that sounds like a Wal-Mart commercial, but that's the best way to describe it), well ahead of the expected influx of boomers in the next 5 years.

So if you're looking for some excellent property to buy, hold, then flip - or think that owning some West Virginia real estate would be great for a mountain getaway, I'd encourage you to take a look at one of the prime estate developments that's being started in West Virginia today.


Not only is this a gated community (highly desirable for sophisticated buyers), but development just started which means you can still acquire land for great prices.

The developer's even offering up to 90% financing on the purchase of land!

Check out the West Virginia land they have for sale at http://www.MyWillowWoodAcres.com

As a result of falling oil prices, it seems the Fed is breathing a small sigh of relief and
for the moment will not be raising the interest rate to curb inflation.

Which means, as a result, we should expect Mortgage Rates to hold steady for some time.

Given that real estate sales are slumping in the NorthWest, and faced with some ARM
renewals coming up on many Americans who refinanced 1-3 years ago, American homeowners
are breathing a sigh of relief as well.

Heck, some of them were even sweating bullets.

And this is great news for homebuyers looking to purchase real estate in Cape Coral.

Now is the time to lock in a fixed rate for that new home or second home. Be sure to
take advanatage of this window of opportunity...it may not last long.

And by the way - don't bother paying retail for Cape Coral real estate either.

Check out http://www.Cape-Coral-Florida-New-Homes.com for brand new construction deals.

Before you go anywhere, we'd recommend you check out the new properties they've listed
here for purchase. Then look around...because you won't find a better source for properties.

All the best.

There, the big guns have said it today in a response to Congress asking the questions about whether or not the U.S. will suffer a housing bubble.

In fact, let me copy their own words as quoted in Inman News today:

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

“Economists and a representative for the National Association of Realtors, in congressional testimony today, raised red flags about “exotic” mortgages and rising interest rates, energy prices and house prices, though they said they do not expect a doomsday scenario for the nation’s housing market.

“With rising mortgage rates, home buyers are becoming exhausted financially, which explains why sales have tumbled in high-priced regions of the country,” said Tom Stevens, president of the National Association of Realtors and vice president of real estate brokerage giant NRT Inc., in written testimony.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

There you have it. Finally, just what WE’VE been saying all along…because the media has hyped it up as if everything was going down all over the nation.

What's interesting to note is that they point out much of the trouble comes from the 'exotic' type mortgages. Now in terms of Cape Coral, Florida real estate - where property prices in some neighborhoods can run into the millions, many of the buyers here can typically afford their payments.

But a note of caution if you're about to buy in Cape Coral - based on the comments made above, and it's of my firm belief, if you can get a sensible fixed-rate mortage for your real estate and lock it in, then that's the way to go...even if you do plan on flipping the property in the next two years due to the appreciation and growth within Cape Coral.

Kudo’s to the industry players for acknolwedging the true facts and separating them from the real estate hype. Now, just what do you think the Feds will do next based on this expert real estate testimony?

Let us know your thoughts by replying to this blog right here.

We've started this blog as a communications medium about something we're passionate about. Real estate.

In particular, Cape Coral Florida real estate. Many times over you've seen in these posts the statistical data from US Census showing that Cape Coral is the fastest growing city for populations over 100,000.

What's more, the business community is growing at a clip of 12% per annum (city of Cape Coral website). What a great location, great sun, great real estate values.

And so, I'll take your questions about the area and properties in general. Feel free to reply to this blog right here. Cheers, bw

Here's an article from Reuters commenting on the draw to "virtual" real estate, and developing raw land. Quite an interesting spin...know local Cape Coral Florida real estate market knowledge here folks.

Just a "unique" article I think people will find outrageous.

--------------------------------------------------------

Large swathes of undeveloped online property, some bearing an uncanny resemblance to a palm-studded West Coast beachfront idyll, are selling for up to $550 an acre.

That amount is but a song compared with real world real estate, but these are computerized representations of property — pretty pictures, if you will — in an online graphic role-playing game known as Second Life.

"The idea of land ownership and the ease with which you can own land and do something with it... is intoxicating," said Philip Rosedale, CEO of Second Life creator, San Francisco-based Linden Labs.

Second Life is a relatively new entry into the world of Massively Multiplayer Online games, known to enthusiasts as MMOs. (Some refer to them as MMORPGs, massively multiuser online role-playing games.) Like Sony's EverQuest and Electronic Arts' The Sims Online, players create their own civilizations and interact with others living alternative lives online.

Starting a "second life" costs $9.95 a month and requires a download at the game's Web site and a fairly powerful Mac or Windows-based computer. Current players arrange welcoming parties for newbies and often help point them toward plots available for virtual homesteading.

The Second Life world is a little over a year old, but in its accelerated ecosystem, where players fly and don't waste time eating or going to the bathroom, a commercial society has quickly emerged — complete with stores, artisans, charities and social clubs.

Linden decided to allow the buying and selling of property in the Second Life world in December, ending a land-rush system where players dashed into new land created as Linden added new servers to place their claims.

"That was fun, but people in Second Life are building businesses, selling cars and clothing. It seemed dumb to have how fast you can move determine what land you were able to get," Rosedale said.

It turns out people are motivated to buy virtual real estate for some of the same reasons they buy it in the real world.

"My vision is to buy real estate in Second Life with one or two other investors and make it available to new players as a business," says a Portland-based player known as Merwin Marker.

Like many players, Marker doesn't want too many details of his "first life" to sully the fantasy he's built in Second Life. He allows that he is male, middle-aged, and runs a home-based healthcare recruiting business.

Marker owns an ocean-front spread on which he heads Awakening Avatars, the fourth-most-popular social group in the game.

His two-thirds of an acre property could fetch as much as 10 Linden dollars a square meter, or $106 at today's exchange rate, a bit higher than the average price of about $100 for an acre.

All goods and services in the game can be transacted in either Linden or U.S. dollars. One entrepreneur and Second Life player runs a currency exchange.

Gamers have long laid down hard currency to buy virtual objects. Ebay does a brisk trade in currency and artifacts from the fantasy world, Ultima Online. But the prices paid for Linden property are breaking new ground.

Since the company began allowing the sale of property, growth of the game increased by two-thirds and the company adds between 30 and 40 new computers a month, each creating a new island out of an endless digital sea.

Property is taxed by "The Lindens," as the overseers of Second Life are known, and Rosedale says real estate tax revenue now exceeds subscriptions for the closely held Linden Labs.

The company, which is backed by Lotus founder and high-tech investor Mitchell Kapor, has about 10,000 active players.

Second Lifers are free to think big, and many do, so Linden this spring began offering the ultimate prize for the acquisitive — the private virtual island. The going price: $980 up front and $195 a month to maintain.

Rosedale says six virtual islands are currently on offer, which the company will design to the specifications of any player, or group of players who wish to own one.

"Land ownership feels important and tangible," he says. "It's a real piece of the future."

It's official - today is the first day back to school for the kids.

So what's so significant about that?

Well if you're a parent, you're probably breathing a big sign of relief!:-)

No more babysitters needed, kids are out the house, and things are
a bit quieter in the neighborhood.

OK, those are all "givens". Everybody knows that. But here's what
back to school means for real estate values around the world.

Because they 'soften' during this time.

What do I mean by that?

Well, for one thing, historically, we're coming into the time of year when
the majority of homebuyers have exited the marketplace. Because
kids are back in school, the parents don't want to just up and move in the
middle of the school year. It's a nightmare for them and their children.

Secondly, the real estate market almost grinds to a halt during mid October
clear through to the first week of January.

Those reasons are plain obvious, because no one is thinking about buying a
new home and making a move soon when they have to deal with Hallowe'en,
ThanksGiving, Hannukah/Christmas, and New Year's.

That's what happens to the marketplace. But what this spells for YOU as
a homebuyer is BETTER DEALS.

For instance, anyone that is selling KNOWS that we're entering the slowest
time of year. Which means less buyers, and they're more apt to offer incentives.

Heck, I'll bet they'll even lower their price much more than they would have if
it was still the summer season. So get out there, and find those undervalued
properties and make yourself some Money (equity).

Now's the time to find MORE LUCRATIVE real estate deals.

P.S. Got an opinion or a question? We'd love to hear from you. Feel free to respond
and share your comments on real estate and/or this blog here.

As you saw from yesterday's blog post, the Cape Coral Florida real estate market had quite a week last week.

What's interesting to note are the commercial acquisitions that have taken place. There is prime development land in Cape Coral still available for home building, or industrial/commercial complexes.

I'm curious about your views on the marketplace - feel free to respond here with your opinion and share your insights.

For any doubters in the Cape Coral Florida real estate market,
please take a look at these figures (you can doublecheck this via MLS)

NON RESIDENTIAL:

1631 Del Prado Blvd sold to Coral Pointe Investment LLC $23,141,200.
125 NE Pine Island Rd. sold to Cape Croal 20 LLC $2,550,000.
3670 Del Prado sold to Talan, Corp. $675,000
Ne Pine Island Rd. sold to Pine-Andalusia LLC $369,500.
1106 NE 8th St sold to Edward Short $90,000

RESIDENTIAL:
SE Cape Coral-33904:
$3,130,500.00

N. Cape Coral-33909:
$4,895,500.00

SW Cape Coral-33914
$5,567,600.00

Central Cape Coral-33991
$3,383,900.00

NW Cape Coral-33993
$1,724,200.00

Residential Sales TTL:
$18,701,700.00


Commercial Sales TTL:
$26,825,700.00

TTL= $45,527,400.00

Figure it out the market is still strong...one week and that much in transactions???

Feel free to comment on this blog..