Naples News

A deal for members to buy the Shadow Wood and Commons clubs is in the hole.

Or so it appears.

After calling off an agreement to buy their golf and social clubs in The Brooks in early September from their developer, members have negotiated a new deal that could lead them to victory.

On Monday, Bonita Bay Group announced an agreement in principle for members to purchase the two clubs — and their assets — for $8.25 million in cash. In the original agreement, members would have paid $8.3 million.

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Xcellimark recently launched the latest in real estate website technology with its website for Southwest Florida REALTORS®:www.SouthwestFloridaWaterfrontProperties.com

(PRWEB) November 3, 2009 — Xcellimark, an award-winning web design and Internet marketing firm headquartered in Orlando Florida, presents the latest in real estate website technology with its recently launched website for Melinda and Paul Sullivan, Southwest Florida REALTORS®: www.SouthwestFloridaWaterfrontProperties.com. The website provides visitors with a comprehensive, fast and effective way to search for waterfront properties in Southwest Florida.

Visitors can conduct detailed property searches based on property type, view, number of bedrooms, amenities, area, community, square footage, price range, target price and so much more. For those who want to find waterfront properties in less time, there’s a “Quick Search” option that locates properties by address, MLS ID, city/area, community or sub-division. From the home page visitors can quickly find home or condo listings by city either from a drop down menu, quick search buttons, or from a map showing where each city is located on the Florida coastline.

“We believe this website will become the leading waterfront real estate website for Southwest Florida. It is unique in that it specifically targets waterfront properties by area, offers enhanced presentation of MLS real estate information and has many features that make it easier for the user to research and find properties that fit their interests. The website is also built to be very search engine friendly and comes with a unique admin area that makes it easy for Melinda and Paul to manage the website themselves. This will save them considerable time and money both in the short and long term. If you are interested in buying or selling a waterfront property in South Florida this is the site that someone will want to check out. It is the best real estate resource in its market,” said Scott Lambert, President of Xcellimark.

The website also provides visitors with all the information available about each property including features, photos, video tours and instant city or property viewing via interactive Google maps.

“Our new website is more than we even dreamed of. It’s a fully customized website with sophisticated programming and every custom feature we asked for, designed by the web specialists of Xcellimark. In addition to being completed in a timely manner, the website looks beautiful and is exceptionally functional. We can’t wait for people to experience the ease and degree in which they can find the waterfront home or condo of their dreams from the convenience of their own computer,” said Melinda Sullivan, Southwest Florida REALTORS®.

About Xcellimark
Xcellimark is an award-winning Internet Marketing firm based in Orlando, Florida with clients throughout the US and Canada. Xcellimark specializes in web design and development, search engine marketing and rich media, providing clients with the means to receive qualified sales leads using a skilled online conversion process. Through their unique approach to Internet marketing, Xcellimark has significantly increased their client’s qualified sales inquiries and has helped clients grow their business. For more information on how Xcellimark can help you improve your bottom line, contact Scott Lambert at 407-678-3062 or visitwww.xcellimark.com.

Yahoo.com

Bonita Bay Group has reached an agreement in principle for the members of the Shadow Wood Country Club and The Brooks Commons Club to purchase the clubs’ combined assets for $8.25 million in cash, Bonita Bay announced today.

The tentative agreement is with the Shadow Wood Country Club Member Board and The Brooks Commons Club Transition Team, according to the Bonita Bay release.

The sales agreement includes Shadow Wood Country Club and its two 18-hole golf courses, the Shadow Wood Preserve club and golf course, and the amenities at The Brooks Commons Club including a fitness center, restaurant and beach club, the release states.

Bonita Bay Group, based in Bonita Springs, is the developer of six planned communities in Lee and Collier counties.

This is the second Bonita Bay community to reach a resolution on club ownership.

Members of the Club at Mediterra reached an agreement with Bonita Bay Group to purchase the club’s assets for $6.8 million in cash, the company announced Oct. 23.

The agreement calls for the club members to assume the community’s $15 million debt to the bondholders of a community development district set up to build Mediterra’s infrastructure.

Mediterra straddles the Lee and Collier County line, just south of Bonita Beach Road between old U.S. 41 and Livingston Road.

News Press

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Answers remain elusive for homeowners struggling with Chinese-manufactured drywall.

A multi-agency task force could not definitively link the problems homeowners have been reporting to the specific characteristics of Chinese-made drywall, according to results of a 10-home study released Thursday.

The task force is hopeful results from a larger 50-home sampling, whose results will be released next month, will identify a causal link to metal corrosion and upper respiratory irritation symptoms described by nearly 2,000 homeowners in 30 states.

“We hope (the broader test) will help us find that nexus to help us fight the corrosion problem,” said Lori Saltzman, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s health sciences director.

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If timing is everything, then completion of the Beach Clubhouse at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club held particular significance to the Fredericks. Miromar Lakes resident Connie Frederick says “it seemed like the Beach Clubhouse was being built just for my daughter’s wedding.”

The Frederick family watched construction progress and a few months after completion, their event took place. That was a little over a year ago. Since then, the Beach Clubhouse has been the site of many holiday celebrations, private family gatherings and a host of community activities.

The Beach Clubhouse is the third and final building in the 39,000-square-foot Beach Club, which is the centerpiece of the community. With architectural flair and amenities that are much more than the typical country club, the Beach Club has garnered numerous best clubhouse awards and it has proven to be a major influence in shaping the social life of residents.

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Lee County property tax bills for 2009 are being mailed out; the county tax collector said all should be in the mail no later than Sunday.  he county offers discounts for early payment: 4 percent in November, 3 percent in December, 2 percent in January and 1 percent in February.   Penalties will be added if payment is made starting April 1.  Information, including payment methods, can be found at the Web site, leetc.com.

Experts navigating through Collier County’s foreclosure crisis painted a picture Wednesday of a long road ahead with a few signs of relief.

“We’re looking at record foreclosures,” said Jeffrey Ahren, one of the founders of Collier County Foreclosure Task Force. “I don’t know that the number is going to decrease any time soon. We’re maybe not yet bottomed out.”

Ahren, speaking at the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, said halfway through this year the county was on track to reach 9,000 homes in foreclosure. But he’s hoping a recent month-to-month decline is a positive trend.

In July, the county saw a record 1,100 foreclosures, but the number dropped to 811 in August, Ahren said.

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New home construction is picking up in Southwest Florida while demand is down.

A report by Metrostudy, a national housing research firm, shows the pace of move-ins has slowed, while the inventory of homes is growing.

Finished vacant inventory rose from 703 units in the second quarter to 728 in the third quarter of this year in the Naples and Fort Myers markets, according to the study.

“The increase was completely attributable to townhome inventory,” said Brad Hunter, who directs Metrostudy’s market research operations in Southwest Florida.

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Pelican Landing / The Pointe

$255,000    3 bedrooms 2 full baths

Light, bright & airy end unit condo with great landscaped view from lanai offered turnkey furnished. Split bedroom floor plan offers privacy for guests. Large open kitchen with breakfast bar. Lots of windows in the family room and kitchen offering all day sunshine. Tiled lanai floor with great private view. Master bedroom has sliding door to lanai, 2 closets and double sinks in bathroom. Hurricane shutters on lanai. Pelican Landing amenities include a canoe park, tennis, fitness, boat to the private beach island, golf course, butterfly garden and more. Call today to see this property!

Call Melinda Sullivan 239.292.9166

Home prices rose for the third straight month in August, data Tuesday showed, a key sign for a broad and sustained housing recovery.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 major cities climbed 1 percent from July to a seasonally adjusted reading of 144.5. While prices are down 11.4 percent from August a year ago, the annual declines have slowed since February.

Prices are at levels not seen since August 2003 and have fallen almost 30 percent from the peak in May 2006.

The latest index shows a widespread turnaround with prices rising month-over-month in 15 metro areas since June.

“If the increases are consistent across the markets, this is key,” said Wharton School real estate professor Susan Wachter before the index was released. “Then we’re seeing the formation of a bottom.”

However, Wachter along with other industry experts still worry that rising unemployment and more foreclosures could stifle the rebound. Another unknown is whether a temporary federal tax credit for first-time buyers will be extended to help boost sales.

First-time homebuyers can receive a credit of 10 percent of the sales price, up to $8,000. The real estate industry is lobbying Congress to extend the credit past the Nov. 30 deadline. Top Democrats in the Senate are pressing a plan that would prolong the credit but gradually phase it out over the next year.

Not all metros posted gains in August, though. Prices in Las Vegas, Seattle and Charlotte, N.C., all fell to their lowest levels in August. Prices in Las Vegas have plunged by 56 percent since peaking in April 2006, the largest peak-to-trough decline of all 20 cities.

Associated Press

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