MARLENE'S BLOG


Today's Real Estate News and Advice

Updated: February 6, 2012

Real Estate Outlook: New Home Sales and Prices Decline
Pending existing-home sales may be up across the nation, but new home sales fell for the first the first time in three months in December. These latest figures come from the U.S. Commerce Department. FULL STORY->

Real Estate Marketing Strategies: Powerful Tips for Maximizing Your Success
The biggest obstacle to obtaining success is how you think of yourself. If you spend your day putting yourself down, then you will never move forward. Be conscious of how you talk and think about yourself and when it turns negative, stop yourself and think. There is always something to be happy about and you, loving yourself is certainly worth celebrating. FULL STORY->

Why You Want a Guaranteed Loan
Today's buyers are facing quite a diverse housing market. There are great deals for buyers and investors alike. Home prices are at all-time lows and interest rates are creating some enticing conditions. There are many deals to be had, but how does a buyer know when it's really safe to buy? FULL STORY->

Real Estate Drops But Second Home Market May See Increase
While homeowners fix up their properties, millions of baby boomers (40.7 million people ages 50-59 in the U.S.) prepare to retire and many are predicted to enter the vacation and rental property markets, which would fuel the demand for these types of properties for the next several years. FULL STORY->

Agents: Expanding Your Scope in 2012
Has your market weakened in the aftermath of the 2009 recession? If so, you’re not alone. Many agents are facing the need to expand their business in the coming year. What can you do to ensure your business survives even when times are lean? FULL STORY->

Average Mortgage Rates Ease Setting New Record Lows
In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey®, the average mortgage rates dropped to new all-time record lows as data on economic growth fell short of market projections. All products in the PMMS survey, except the 1-Year ARM, averaged new lows. FULL STORY->

Fewer Real Estate Agents Wearing Rose-colored Glasses
A certain whistle-while-you-work sanguineness comes with the territory in the real estate sales business, but many of California's real estate professionals are having a tough time keeping a song in their hearts about housing. FULL STORY->

The Selling Power of Closets
At first glance your closets may seem like insignificant or unassuming rooms in your home. The truth is, however, that closets can be real selling features. Homes must have storage. From clothes to food to cleaning supplies, closets are the heart of every clean house. FULL STORY->

Mortgage Rates Remain Low While Mixed Reports Flourish
After several positive housing reports released this month, the National Association of Realtor's Pending Home Sales Index decreased 3.5% in December. Since it tends to be a slow month for housing due to several holidays, this report should not come as a shock. According to the Commerce Department, New Home Sales were also down 2% for the month of December. FULL STORY->

Clean up Your Credit
More than ever having a healthy credit score is important. It may mean the difference between securing a home loan or not. Don't let old habits or debts stand in your way of taking advantage of historically low interest rates and great deals on housing. FULL STORY->

Falling In The Cracks
When faced with a homeowner association maintenance or repair issue, the starting point is to determine whether the HOA has the duty to maintain or repair. This may not be as simple as it sounds. While the governing documents generally define the common elements and repair responsibilities, sometimes the item in need of repair may fall into a gray area. FULL STORY->

Canada's Most And Least Affordable Housing Markets
Windsor, Ontario is Canada's most affordable housing market, while world-wide, Vancouver is the second-least affordable of 325 markets surveyed. The study authors say restrictive land use policies are to blame for high real estate prices. FULL STORY->

California Association of REALTORS® To Build Ethics Violations Data Base
Rules and principles designed to uphold or strengthen the NAR Code of Ethics are very good things indeed. But, without specific provisions and programs designed to help implement them, they may not amount to much. The recent action of CAR’s Professional Standards Committee will give teeth to Article IV, section 2, of the NAR Bylaws. FULL STORY->

Real Estate Outlook: Existing-Home Sales Rise Again
The National Association of Realtors latest existing-home sales survey shows that sales are on the rise again. This is the third straight month of increases as well as rising above year ago levels. FULL STORY->

Mortgage Rates Reverse Course on Positive Housing Data
In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® the average mortgage rates climbed as the housing market ended 2011 on a high note. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.98 percent reversing its previous three-week trend of setting all-time record lows. Despite the jump, this marks the eighth consecutive week the 30-year fixed has remained below 4.00 percent. FULL STORY->

Are Homeowners Glad They Own?
It might come as a surprise but a whopping 72 percent of surveyed homeowners nationwide are satisfied with owning a home. The other 28 percent, not so. They say they're dissatisfied and that's likely due to the devaluation of their homes. FULL STORY->

More Real Estate News and Advice...


Don't miss our other site www.NaplesAgents.com. Also check out www.NaplesRealEstateReport.com, www.NaplesGolfRentals.com, and www.NaplesTouristCenter.com

NaplesRealEstate! The Naples Real Estate market is now selling very quickly because prices overcompensated after the downturn. Look at the homes for sale in Naples, houses for sale in Naples, condos for sale in Naples Florida, and you will be impressed with the low prices in terms of Naples Short Sales, Naples Foreclosures, and just darned good deals. Naples FL Real Estate is one of the most rapidly returning and perhaps one of the fasting growing markets in the United States. Not Miami, not Orlando, not Sarasota. Whether you are interested in Naples Florida Homes for Sale or Naples Florida Condos for Sale, or Bonita Springs condos for sales or Bonita Springs Florida condos for sale, we can help you. You will be so happy you bought real estate in the Naples area, especially with Tropics Real Estate and the Marlene Graham Team. Naples has some of the most beautiful Waterfront homes for Sale as well as waterfront condos. Are you looking for homes for sale or maybe land for sale? If it's for sale in Naples Fl we will find it!

Use www.napleshomefinders.com to view our Featured Listings or access the Multiple Listing Service to search for homes on your own. We will also put you into listing book which is a service we offer our clients at no extra charge. We have the tools to help you Search for a Home or to view a Virtual Tour of Naples Homes. If you are looking for paradise you’ve found it! You can see that on our sites NaplesTouristCenter.com, BonitaSpringsTouristCenter.com, EsteroTouristCenter.com, and MarcoTouristCenter.com.

Naples has the balmy tropical weather, sunshine, gulf breezes, majestic sunsets and breathtaking views. Naples has some of the most beautiful and challenging Golf Courses in South Florida - Private Golf Courses or Public Golf Courses. Naples is situated directly on the Gulf of Mexico with shimmering, sandy white beaches and the #1 attraction for fishermen and tourists alike - the Naples Pier. You may even see a Dolphin or a Manatee or a kiteboarder, and when a storm is approaching, even some surfers. Naples is a boater’s fantasyland. You can boat easily through our waterways into the blue waters of the Gulf and fishing is a must, especially in our 10,000 islands area between Naples and Marco Island. Naples also has Yacht Clubs such as the Naples Yacht Club and the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club, sailboat Clubs, powerboat clubs, a city dock with nature and fishing expeditions, and full service marinas. Naples also has some very interesting art galleries and parks, as well as world class restaurants for dining. Need an upscale hotel in Naples? Check out the Ritz Carlton Beach or Ritz Carlton Golf in Naples Florida, the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, the Naples Grande Hotel (formerly known as the Registry Resort) in Naples Florida,and the Edgewater Beach Hotel. Check out our blogs on our various sites for more information: naples blog, naples real estate blog, naples florida real estate blog.

Take your pick from Naples Florida Homes, Luxury Homes, High Rise Condos in Naples Florida or Luxury High Rise Condos in Naples Florida. Give us your criteria and we will not only search every condo, villa, carriage home and single family home until we find a match, we will educate you during the process. Are you an affluent buyer or maybe you are interested in a 1031 exchange? Are you wanting to buy something in a lower budget range? Are you wanting to live in Florida during retirement? Are you relocating to Florida? We have a Naples Florida Relocation service. Are you considering a Naples Florida Rental or a Naples Florida Seasonal Rental? Just let us know and we will find the ideal home to fit you! Are you a real estate agent in the United States or even in England, Scotland or Europe looking for a good agent here? We are very savvy in internet real estate and we are happy to pay you a professional referral while providing your clients with the best of service. We can even help them find hotels and amenities and things to do in Naples Florida. As mentioned earlier we not only have an internet site for booking hotels and learning about our town, but we also have a real tourism (tourist) center right on Fifth Avenue South full of brochures and business cards.

Naples is located in Collier County. There are several different areas in Naples and Marco Island that may interest you - The Moorings, Venetian Bay, Gulf Shore Blvd., US41, Naples Bay, Wiggins Pass, Port Royal, Aqualane Shores, Royal Harbor, Oyster Bay, Little Hickory Bay, Southport, Keewaydin Island, Marco Island, Olde Naples, Vanderbilt, Bonita Beach, Lely, Calusa Bay, VeronaWalk, Third Street, Fifth Avenue South, Pelican Bay, Pelican Marsh, Park Shore, Venetian Village, Bay Colony, Vanderbilt Beach, Collier's Reserve, Audubon, Quail West, Quail Creek, Tiburon, Mediterra, West Bay Club , Twin Eagles, Grey Oaks, The Vineyards, Kensington, Hammock Bay, The Brooks, Pelican Isle, Vasari, Pelican Sound, Pelican Landing, Cedar Hammock, Forest Glen, Barefoot Beach, Pine Ridge, Bonita Springs, Estero, Marco Island, 10,000 Islands in the Everglades...take some time to view our website and contact us with any questions you may have about the Naples real estate market. We will answer you quickly, honestly and knowledgably. You will understand why we are top agents in the Naples market and in our careers as real estate agents, highly respected by our peers in terms of selling Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island, and Estero real estate and even renting Naples and Bonita Springs and Estero real estate. It is even said there are more coporate CEOs and Fortune 500 executives who own vacation homes in Naples than anywhere else in Florida, especially in the luxury neighborhoods of Moorings, Park Shore, Port Royal and Pelican Bay. Bundled golf and golf resorts are also big here.



Send us emails with these headings so we can sort out your needs:

Bonita Springs Real Estate For Sale - Florida
Fort Myers Real Estate For Sale - Florida
Marco Island Real Estate For Sale - Florida
Find a Realtor® - The right Naples real estate agent for you.
View Rental Properties
Selling Your Naples Property?
Find out the market value of your home.
Help me sell my Naples property, List it on Naples MLS.

News from the Naples Florida Real Estate Blog or write to us personally at marlenegraham@earthlink.net for these topics:
Median Price of our real estate and neighborhoods
Other Real Estate News
Useful Informational Services
Realtor Career Information. Sales are brisk and we need more agents!

Naples Florida offers incredible sunsets, exquisite shopping, championship golf courses and resorts & beautiful clean beaches and is home to some of the most impressively desirable waterfront estates and condos in Florida - located on the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida.


Tropics Real Estate's "Marlene Graham Team" is dedicated to enhancing the home buying and selling experience. We offer the best detailed information about homes in Collier County and Naples area of Florida. Find MLS homes for sale, condos for sale, properties for sale, businesses, land and more. Our team of a dozen on Fifth Avenue South are ready to serve your Naples Florida home buying and selling needs. So contact us today!

Keep track of your information before AND AFTER your sale or purchase! We’ll make it easy for you with our home and condo search system called Listing Book. Make notations, maintain a property watch list, save your searches and more all in one place by emailing us for a passcode!


The data relating to real estate for sale on this Website comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program (BR Program) of M.L.S. of Naples, Inc. Properties listed with brokerage firms other than TROPICS REAL ESTATE are marked with the BR House Icon and detailed information about them includes the name of the Listing Brokers. The properties displayed may not be all the properties available through the BR Program.

The data is updated every 4 hours, but can be influenced by delays from various real estate companies entering data in MLS. Some properties that appear for sale on this website may subsequently have sold or may otherwise no longer be available. All properties are subject to price or other changes without notice. For the most current information, please contact us using this form, or click on the "Request Info or Appointment" button on the search results and detailed property pages.

The source of this real property information is the copyrighted and proprietary database compilation of the M.L.S. of Naples, Inc., Copyright© 2010 M.L.S. of Naples, Inc., all rights reserved, and MLS of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and The Beach, Inc., Copyright© 2010 Rapattoni Corporation, all rights reserved, and TROPICS REAL ESTATE. The accuracy of this information is not warranted or guaranteed. This information should be independently verified if any person intends to engage in a transaction in reliance upon it.

Shortcut Searches you can accomplish on this site:

Naples Florida Real Estate, Naples Single Family Homes, Naples Condominiums
Estero Florida Real Estate, Estero Single Family Homes, Estero Condominiums
Bonita Springs Florida Real Estate, Bonita Springs Single Family Homes, Bonita Springs Condominiums
Sanibel Florida Real Estate, Sanibel Single Family Homes, Sanibel Condominiums
Ft. Myers Florida Real Estate, Ft. Myers Single Family Homes, Ft. Myers Condominiums
Marco Island Florida Real Estate, Marco Island Single Family Homes, Marco Island Condominiums
Captiva Florida Real Estate, Captiva Single Family Homes, Captiva Condominiums
Cape Coral Florida Real Estate, Cape Coral Single Family Homes, Cape Coral Condominiums
Waterfront Condominiums Naples FL, Golf Course Homes Naples FL, Golf Communities Naples FL, Beachfront Homes Naples FL
Waterfront Homes Naples FL, Beachfront Condominiums Naples FL


Neighborhood Searches that can be accomplished on our site:
Aqualane Shores, Audubon, Bay Colony, Bell Tower Park, Bonita Bay, Collier's Reserve, The Crossings, The Dunes, Eagle Creek, Fiddlesticks, Gordon Drive, Grey Oaks, Gulf Shore Boulevard, Heritage Palms, Hunters Ridge Golf & Country Club, Imperial Golf Estates, Kensington, Legends, Mediterra, Monterey, The Moorings, Old Naples, Olde Cypress, Palmira, Park Shore Area, Parker Lakes, Pelican Bay, Pelican Isle, Pelican Landing, Pelican Marsh, Pelican Sound, Pine Ridge, Port Royal/Gordon Drive, Quail Creek, Quail West, Rapallo, Royal Harbor Area, Shadow Wood, Stonebridge
The Strand, The Vineyards, Wilderness Country Club, Windstar Golf Club & Marina, Worthington, Wyndemere Country Club

Other Shortcuts or email headers so we can categorize your request:
Naples FL Real Estate
Naples Florida Homes
Naples Florida Properties
Naples Condos
Naples Florida Properties
Estero FL Properties
Estero Florida Homes
Real Estate Estero Florida
Estero Condos
Sanibel Island Florida Real Estate
Sanibel FL Properties
Sanibel Florida Homes
Real Estate Sanibel Florida
Sanibel Condos
Captiva FL Properties
Captiva Florida Homes
Real Estate Captiva Florida
Captiva Condos
Cape Coral Florida Real Estate
Cape Coral FL Properties
Cape Coral Florida Homes
Bonita Springs FL Real Estate
Real Estate Bonita Springs Florida
Bonita Springs Condos
Ft. Myers FL Properties
Ft. Myers Florida Homes
Real Estate Ft. Myers Florida
Ft. Myers Condos
Fort Myers Florida Condos
Fort Myers Florida Real Estate
Marco Florida Real Estate
Marco Island FL Real Estate
Marco Island Florida Homes
Real Estate Marco Island Florida
Marco Island Condos

Thank you for visiting our site. We hope you will make us your primary information source for Collier County and Southwest Florida real estate!


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