Realty Check

Some had shed their posh digs to make money; others reacted to lifestyle changes. Naples realtor Ginny Lee and Robb & Stucky senior staff designer Jo Alaimo each have 17 years on the local scene, and both have clients who moved five or six times.

"These people are able to live anywhere they choose," Alaimo explains. "Perhaps they were comfortable in Port Royal until grandchildren came along. Then they wanted a penthouse on the beach."

But as grandbabies grew and moved on, beach life palled, she continues, and the charms of gated golf communities became alluring. "Fine dining with reservations and driving reserved for the golf course started looking mighty good," she says.

Lee, president of America’s Best Real Estate Centers Inc., notes that marital changes and focus shifts are the impetus for new addresses.

"Perhaps they chose their home based on where their boat was docked," she points out. "Then they got rid of the boat. Or maybe they love new surroundings, so they move when their developer opens a new building."

Some condo clients hanker for a larger unit or a different floor than their original purchase. That’s when the packing starts. Lee says she has clients who made such good profits by moving in and moving out that their last homes were virtually free.

Now many of those sellers eager to move on are shackled by buyers who’ve backed off. Bad press has contributed to the slowdown, as have some savvy developers who anticipated the slump and kept their projects on the drawing board.

Lee furnished statistics showing 359 Collier County existing condo units priced more than $1 million were sold in 2005, while 205 had closed by mid-November 2006. Seven hundred existing single-family Collier homes priced more than $1 million sold in 2005, but only 363 sold by mid-November 2006.

Until there’s new market action, those most often on the move might be stuck where they are.

New Communities

It could be that the pace has slowed, but the Southwest Florida building industry is far from stalled. Projects across the region are going full-speed ahead with a variety of home products for buyers. In Collier County, WCI Communities is working on Pallino, a neighborhood composed of two 35-unit, mid-rise, golf course condominiums at Tiburón in north Naples. The five-story buildings will present nature preserve, lake, pool and golf course views. Prices range from $575,000 to $940,000 for seven floor plans offering 1,456 to 2,054 square feet. The Rick Smith Golf Academy is among the amenities on the premises, and the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort is a neighbor.

In south Lee County, the Miromar Lakes development’s revised site plan for Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club includes three new single-family home neighborhoods in The Peninsula. London Bay Homes and California-based Scheurer Architects are developing 20 home sites in Portofino on the 100-acre island. Twelve home sites are available in Sorrento, a sector being developed by Gulfshore Homes, Toscana Homes, Snell Construction and Cornerstone Homes. McGarvey Custom Homes and Gulfshore Homes will build the 19 homes of Murano. Condo fanciers also have new options in the 60 units Gulfshore Homes is constructing in Ravenna. Shopping opportunities at the golf community have been enhanced by first-phase opening of the Gulf Coast Town Center regional mall.

Set to rise next to a Fort Myers historical treasure is Riverwalk at Sunset, a complex of 52 townhomes, villas, mid-rise tower units and penthouses. Priced in the $600,000s, and built next to the venerable Burroughs Home at 2515 First St., the homes will be located by the Caloosahatchee River and within walking distance of downtown attractions. According to Lisa Green, vice president of Today Realty Advisors Inc., a vanishing-edge pool is among the amenities.

Crosswinds is making its presence felt in Cape Coral, building custom homes throughout the community on buyers’ lots. The former Michigan builder has been a bicoastal Florida homebuilder since 2003, with annual sales of more than 500 homes. Four samples of the company’s models are for sale at 4912 Chiquita Blvd.

Models We Love

The ambiance of the antebellum South surrounds the Plantation model at Verandah, Bonita Bay Group’s, green-built, Orange River community in Fort Myers. Beyond the beckoning front porch of the two-story design lies a generous, 3,500-square-foot floor plan that includes an upper-level bonus room suite and lanai ideal for extending the gracious hospitality of a bygone era. The vintage mood is heightened by Old Florida architecture, paned pocket doors to the lanai and lap-like siding. The sweeping great-room format enhances chances for casual living and easy entertaining. Built by Southern Bay Homes in the River Point neighborhood, and priced at $1,298,000, the model is sold, but open on leaseback through the end of 2007.

The Caldecott neighborhood at Lely Resort in Naples is the site of the Florence, a two-bedroom, two-bath home being built by Stock Development. Set in a community rich with golfing opportunities, and in a neighborhood of 63 homes, the Florence will provide a family room, study, breakfast nook, screened lanai and two-car garage within its 2,927 total square feet, priced at $509,990. Mediterranean detailing, such as paned, arched windows and column-like embellishment, boost this home’s personality and curb appeal.

An eye-catching set of models in Cape Coral is being sold by Crosswinds from its Select Showcase Collection. The builder of build-on-your-lot homes is marketing four-bedroom homes priced from the $600s. The Quinton has a bonus room, cabana bath and three-car garage. Its master suite includes a sitting room. Ceiling details and arched doorways enhance the Bristol’s master suite. The Jamison’s open kitchen is rich with granite and clever with workspace. All have been designed with generous outdoor spaces including screened pool areas and paved patios.