Hurricane Wilma Effects on Naples Florida Real Estate

If 2004 is any indication, it looks like Naples will be a hot market for its 2005-2006 tourist season. While Wilma caused flooding, widespread landscape damage, minor structual damage and utility outages, 2004 proved that these events can be viewed as a buying opportunity. Four hurricanes through Florida only spurred on buying activity and took the market to new heights.

The inventory was on the rise prior to Wilma's arrival and as with every hurricane there will be some owners deciding to sell. So with inventories replenished and seller's now wanting to sell, the market should be in good balance again after our strong seller's market of last season. So we are forecasting a strong healthy balanced market with buyer's being able to find real value again.

Find opportunities as they come on the market:

See Today's New Listings

Or have new listings emailed to you

or visit our site at www.ARnaples.com

Stephan Barker Earns CIPS Designation

Stephen Barker of Amerivest Realty was awarded the prestigious Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation and joins a worldwide referral network of elite global real estate practitioners with expertise in working with international clients as well as immigrants. The CIPS Designation is awarded by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), which represents over 1,000,000 REALTORS® in the United States. Stephen Barker will be formally recognized at the NAR’s Annual Convention in San Francisco, California on October 29, 2005. Stephen originated from England but now resides in Naples Florida, where his international skills and experience helps buying and selling clients, irrespective of where they live or where they want to buy.

Members of the CIPS Network are crucial players in today’s global real estate market. The CIPS designation recognizes members who have achieved the necessary training and experience to work successfully with international clients and properties. To earn the CIPS designation, REALTORS® complete rigorous coursework devoted to learning cultural differences and international business practices. Designees must also prove achievement in international real estate transactions. Stephen Barker joins a distinguished society of over 1200 real estate professionals throughout the world who have earned the CIPS designation. He is the first Amerivest Realty agent to attain this international designation and one of only 7 Realtors® in the whole of Naples. “This is a highly prestigious award in our industry,” said Carmela Ma, CIPS, NAR International Operations Committee Chair. “Stephen Barker is now established as an expert in international real estate.”

To contact Stephen Barker, call: (239)-293-4327
Email: sbarker@amerivestrealty.com
Web: www.NaplesBeautifulHomes.com

Amerivest Realty Features New Naples Subdivision Pages

Amerivest Realty is featuring their new community pages on their site. Each page has a description of the community with photos as well as a list of properties for sale. This comprehensive tool is available publicly at www.AmerivestRealtyofNaples.com. Here's a list of the communities with links to their pages for easy reference:

Aqualane Shores, Audubon, Autumn Woods, Barefoot Beach, Bay Colony, Bears Paw, Berkshire Lakes, Bermuda Links, Bermuda Palms, Bonita Bay, Briarwood, Bridgewater Bay, Carlton Lakes, Cedar Creek, Cedar Hammock, Colliers Reserve, Cypress Woods, DelaSol, Diamond Lake, Eagle Creek, Falling Waters, Fiddlers Creek, Forest Glen, Forest Park, Glen Eagle, Grey Oaks, HawksRidge, Highland Woods, Imperial Golf Estates, Indigo Lakes, Island Walk, Kensington, Key Marco, Laurel Lakes, Lely Golf Resort, Livingston Woods, Longshore Lake, Maplewood, Marker Lake Villas, Mediterra, Mill Run, Miromar Lakes, Monterey, Naples Heritage, Naples Lakes, Naples Park, Olde Cypress, Palmira, Pebblebrooke Lakes, Pelican Bay, Pelican Landing, Pelican Marsh, Pine Ridge, Pipers Grove, Port Royal, Quail Creek, Quail Creek Village, Quail West, Quarry, Saturnia Lakes, Spanish Wells, Sterling Oaks, Stonebridge, Stonegate, Tall Pines, The Brooks, The Dunes, The Strand, Tiburon, Tuscany Cove, Tuscany Reserve, Twin Eagles, Valencia Lakes, Vanderbilt Beach, Vanderbilt Towers, Vasari, Villagio, Vineyards, Waterways, West Bay, Wildcat Run, Wilderness, Wilshire Lakes, Windstar, Worthington

Economic Update

U.S. Economy: U.S. Consumer Spending Falls
U.S. consumer spending fell in August by the most in more than three years, led by a slump in automobile purchases, and may keep dropping as Americans pay record gasoline prices in the wake of the hurricanes. Incomes unexpectedly dropped because of uninsured property losses after Hurricane Katrina.

The 0.5 percent decline in spending followed a revised 1.2 percent gain in July, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. The drop in spending was the biggest since May 2002. Incomes fell 0.1 percent, the first decline since January, after a 0.3 percent increase the previous month.

Uninsured property losses from Katrina reduced personal income by about $100 billion, Commerce said. The slump in spending may spread beyond autos this month as Americans forgo nonessential purchases, such as visiting restaurants or buying clothes, to pay soaring fuel bills, economists said. Consumer confidence fell by the most in 15 years this month after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and pushed gasoline prices to a record.

“There is going to be a very significant hit to real incomes over the next few months as you approach the heating season,” said Robert Mellman, an economist at JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York, before the report. “With energy prices as high as they are, there is a bit more concern as to whether spending will even bounce back as soon as the first quarter.”

However, a bright side exists. Incomes rose 5.6 percent in August from the same month last year, paced by a 6.6 percent gain in wages and salaries.

Real Estate Watch: US Agencies Partner for Energy Efficiency
A new joint venture of the U.S. Department of Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working to cut household energy costs by 10 percent during the next decade. The Partnership for Home Energy Efficiency will market Energy Star products, roll out new energy-efficiency services, and offer energy savings to residents of low-income and subsidized housing. The agencies also will work on design technologies and policies to support the production of affordable homes that use net zero energy.

Sources: Bloomberg, National Association of Realtors

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For additional information, please contact: Jo Beth Nicoll at jnicoll@homebanc.com
The mortgage information contained herewithin is subject to change. Please contact your HomeBanc Mortgage Consultant directly for the latest information.

Naples MLS Stats for September 2005

MLS statistics released for improved residential property (not lots). Inventories continue to rise as the pace of pending sales begins to slow. One month does not make a trend though, but we will watch it closely. Overall, 2005 is still far ahead of last year.

Closings For The Month Of
Sep 2005: 722
Sep 2004: 621

YTD Closings From
Jan-Sep 2005: 7,335
Jan-Sep 2004: 7,115

Pending For The Month Of
Sep 2005: 522
Sep 2004: 563

YTD Pending From
Jan-Sep 2005: 7,905
Jan-Sep 2004: 6,954

Inventory: 3,948 (approx. a 5 month supply)

Active (active and pending with contingency status) residential inventory in all Naples areas as retrieved from SunshineMLS today.

Economic Update

US Economy - Construction Spending Up in August
Increased demand for a variety of goods in August, along with a renewed boom in housing and record-high construction spending, pushed new factory orders up by 2.5% in the weeks ahead of Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the Commerce Department reported this week. Though the two devastating storms have since put a damper on consumer confidence and depressed short-term forecasts, the Institute of Supply Management reported on Monday that U.S. manufacturers might have already recaptured some of that earlier momentum, sharing the more buoyant outlook of CEOs and small business owners in recent months.

New factory orders rose by $9.7 billion to $395.2 billion in August, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. The increase, the third in four months, reflects higher demand for both durable goods, up 3.4%, and non-durable goods, up 1.6%. The figure for durable goods, those expected to last three years or more, was revised upward from an earlier estimate of 3.3% issued last week. At the same time, construction spending climbed by 0.4% to a record high $1.11 trillion in August, the department reported, marking the highest increase in three months. After showing no change in July, residential construction picked up by 0.2%. Also up was nonresidential construction spending, by 0.8%, the biggest increase since March.

Real Estate Watch - 33% of REALTORS® Business Comes From Internet
On average, real estate professionals generate a full one-third of their business from the Internet, e-mail is the primary communications tool for nearly half, and a portable wireless device was the most important technological upgrade for nearly one-third.

The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® capped off its opening session of the Centennial REALTOR® Expo in San Diego recently by unveiling the “2005 Use of Technology Survey,” which tracks current technology-use trends among members. The survey, conducted during the second quarter this year, examined what technology practitioners use and how they've incorporated it into their business. It found that:

90% have a high-speed Internet connection at home, an increase from 82% a year ago and 71% in 2003

67% find the Internet extremely or very important in the marketing and promotion of their business

61% post listings to their own Web site

46% of respondents use e-mail as their primary form of communication with their clients

33% of California REALTORS’ business comes from the Internet

31% said a Blackberry or Treo handheld device was their most important technology upgrade in 2005; the wireless devices incorporate cell phone communications, Internet access, e-mail, digital contact management, and other features.

- Sources: Inc.com, National Association of Realtors

Product Highlight
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The mortgage information contained herewithin is subject to change. Please contact your HomeBanc Mortgage Consultant directly for the latest information.
For additional information, please contact:
Jo Beth Nicoll at jnicoll@homebanc.com

Profit from Real Estate Flipping

Investors who resell a property between three and six months after buying it are most likely to earn big profits, according to a study of flipping in three hot U.S. markets. Flipping, or buying undervalued property to earn a profit after a resale within 24 months of the purchase, nets returns three to five times greater than annual appreciation in a given market, the study also shows. Anaheim, Calif.-based First American Real Estate Solutions conducted the study of transactions in Las Vegas, Miami, and Orange County, Calif., from 1999 through June of 2005.

While home prices in those markets rose by 20 percent to 30 percent a year, flipping investors often earned what amounted to more than a 100 percent rate of appreciation. The study revealed a "sweet spot" of three to six months from the time of purchase to the sale. During this period, the annualized rate of return was usually 20 percent to 40 percent or more above the market's overall appreciation rate.

Las Vegas yielded the largest percentage of flippers, compared with Miami and Orange County, who earned 40 percent or more during the sweet spot period. Las Vegas also yielded a greater percentage of flippers earning the highest levels of returns during six to 12-month flips and 12 to 24-month flips. Longer flips earned the most, as much as 140 percent, but fewer flippers remained in the market that long. Again, Las Vegas yielded a greater share of long-term flips that earned top dollar.

Christopher Cagan, author of "Real Estate Flipping: Gold Mine, Mistake or Fraud" and First American's director of research and analytics, says flippers reaped greater returns than the general market because they invested in some of the nation's hottest markets and purchased distressed or undervalued properties.

Information Provided by: www.Berniesellsnaples.com

Ali O'Connor Joins Amerivest Realty

Amerivest Realty - Naples Florida is pleased to announce the addition of Ali O'Conner, Realtor to the Amerivest Realty 'family' as of September 2005!

Always looking for the best way to serve to her customers, Ali was impressed by the technology advances Amerivest Realty offers to their agents.

She'll be happy to explain your options to you so as to 'keep you in the current real estate loop'. Visit her website at www.AliSellsSunandSea.com and contact her by email or phone.

And remember, Ali is your Florida Real Estate Agent AND Animal Ally so with every closed sale, she'll donate $100 to the animal welfare/educational organization of your choice, including shelters caring for animal victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.