Time to Buy That Vacation Home

The clouds hanging over upscale vacation-home markets are starting to lift. While prices are still falling in most regions, the luxury segment is picking up, and brokers are reporting more inquiries than they have had in years.

The upshot: If you have the money and plan on staying put for the long term, now may be a good time to buy.

Five years after housing's peak, markets that once were out of sight even for well-heeled buyers are now in range. On Hilton Head Island, S.C., a three-bedroom home nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Calibogue Sound changed hands in April for $750,000, after having sold for $1.2 million in June 2006. In Vail, Colo., a three-bedroom home that fetched $3.3 million in 2008 sold in February for $2.5 million.

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COMING

Overall, the median second-home price was $150,000 in 2010, down 11% from 2009 and roughly 25% from 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors. That isn't pretty, but it is only slightly worse than the 22% drop for the overall housing market. The higher end of the market—homes in the $5 million-plus range—has held up better, says Douglas Duncan, chief economist at Fannie Mae. "At the top of the market, particularly luxury homes, prices have proven very elastic, and have sprung upward quickly," he says.

Buyers are taking heed. On Palm Beach Island, Fla., sales were up 50% in the year ending June 30. Transactions in the Hamptons, on New York's Long Island, jumped 59% in the second quarter from a year earlier. In Aspen, Colo., sales for the year ending May 31 were up 10%.

The number of people looking at properties is up as well: In Vail, Hilton Head and Palm Beach, foot traffic has jumped by at least 30% this year, according to local real-estate agents. "People have frugality fatigue," says John Burns, president of John Burns Real Estate Consulting Inc. in Irvine, Calif.

Great Home, Great Location

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WOW! Only three houses from San Carlos Bay and a long view of the canal. This home is truly the essence of "living the Sanibel lifestyle" ! Come see this immaculate three bedroom and three bathroom masterpiece featuring a soaring 2 story living room and a wonderful master suite. An open and airy floor plan and water views of both the Bay and canal bring the outdoors inside. Boating enthusiasts can moor a large craft at the extended dock and keep their pleasure or fishing boat on the 10,000 lb lift. Watch dolphins and manatees frolic, and catch snook, snapper and redfish in the wide canal in front of your new home. Enjoy Sunrise and the Sunset from your glassed in lanai and dock

 http://www.youtube.com/user/teampetel

Shellabration 2012! is an islandwide, week long celebration of the Sanibel Shell Fair and Show, designed as a tribute to the island's shell bounty. The celebration will run from February 26 through March 4, with the shell fair and show running March 1 to 3 at The Community House. Shellabrators from around the island are joining in on the excitement with events and promotions. Everybody is invited to participate. A calendar of events will be prepared and promoted in local and national publications. Below is current list of Shellabrators!

• Amy's Something Special, 630 Tarpon Bay Road, is going to offer a 15 percent discount on locally made shell pendants wrapped in sterling silver.
• BIG ARTS will be participating with a shell-theme art exhibit in the Theater Lobby Gallery February 26 through March 4.
• Billy's Bike And Rentals, will be giving all customers (on-line and in-store) a raffle ticket for a chance to own a signed Shellabration poster designed by artist Pam Brodersen
• Sanibel Historical Museum will have several shell collections on display throughout Shellabration week inside the Rutland Home, Burnap Cottage, Morning Glories and the schoolhouse. In addition, there will also be a shell collection from Thomas Edison with a letter to authenticate it from Mina Edison.
• Great White Grill has created its own microbrew, Shellabraton Beer, to be available during Shellabration week.
• She Sells Sea Shells will be running two promotions during Shellabration week: 25 percent off craft supplies including wood and paper mache boxes and frames, many other paper and wood items, glue, glaze, glitter, glass jars and mirror backs; Sailor's Valentines priced at $275 will be reduced to $75.
• The Sanibel Public Library will have a shell book reading and fossil shell displays featuring 120 different species as old as 5 million years. Some of the shells are extinct and some are found at the beach today. The fossils are from the Burnt Store area is in North Fort Myers. For 10,000 years the area has been dry land. Before that, during the Pliocene and Pleistocene eras it was at times a shallow bay of what is now the Gulf of Mexico. When stockpiling this fill on the Library building site in the early 1990s, the material was observed to be full of marine fossils, evidence of the abundant life of the ancient sea.
• A Shellabration necklace will be offered for sale at various venues around the island. It will allow for creative additions to make each one as unique as its owner.
• Children's art, The children of the island will be invited to get involved by creating a special Shellabration! work of art.
• An attempt to break a Guiness Book of Worlds Records with the Sanibel Stoop will take place Friday, February 17.
• Opening Gala at Traditions, Sunday February 26.
• Fashion show luncheon at Sweet Melissa's featuring one of a kind shell adorned garments.
• 75th Shell Fair and Show, Thursday March 1 to Saturday March 3.
• Rusty Brown presents In Celebration of Ann Morrow Lindbergh, followed by a traditional ice cream social.

For more information on how you can Shellabrate, contact Billy Kirkland at 472- 5848, Barb Harrington at 472-2783, or Jill Kobe at The Community House at 472-2155 or via email at jill@sanibelcommunityhouse. net.

Sanibel Ding Days Photo Contest Entries Sought

July marks the opening of the 24th annual "Ding" Darling Days Amateur Nature Photography Contest. The contest, sponsored by the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) and held in conjunction with "Ding" Darling Days, October 16 to 22, honors the birthday of Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, one of the foremost conservationists in American history.

He was the driving force behind the eponymous J N "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Deadline for submission is 4 p.m. on September 15. For an entry form and other contest information and rules, log on to www. dingdarlingsociety.org and click on Photo Contest, or contact DDWS at dingdarlingoffice@ yahoo.com or 472-1100, ext. 233. Winners will be announced and awarded prizes at Conservation Art Day on Saturday, October 22, during "Ding" Darling Days. Entries may be delivered in person to J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR or by mail to "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society, One Wildlife Drive, Sanibel, FL 33957 (attn. Gary Ogden). New this year: Entry fee is $25 per person. First, second, and third place winners and honorable mentions will be formally announced during the "Ding" Darling Day's weeklong celebration held in October. Cash prizes will be awarded. Photos may be used by the society in any way with appropriate credit. The three judges will be a refuge staff person, a professional photographer and a member of the Sanibel community.

To support DDWS and the refuge with a tax-deductible gift, visit www.dingdarlingsociety. org or contact Birgie Vertesch at 292-0566, 472-1100 ext. 4, or director@ dingdarlingsociety.org

Fla.’s existing condo sales, median price up in

ORLANDO, Fla., – July 20, 2011 – Florida’s existing condo sales

rose 8 percent in June with a total of 7,922 units sold statewide

 compared to 7,330 sold in June 2010, according to the latest hou

sing data released by Florida Realtors®. The statewide existing

condo median sales price last month was $94,100; a year earlier, it

was $92,300 for a 2 percent increase. The national median existing

condo sales price was $165,400 in May 2011, according to the

 National Association of Realtors® (NAR).

Sea Turtle Update

Sea Turtle Research and Monitoring

	Sea Turtle Nesting Stats As of July 29, 2011
		Nests	False Crawls	Hatches
	Sanibel East End	35	83	8
	Sanibel West End	235* **	349	40**
	Captiva	75	52	36
	TOTAL	345	484	84

Most nests on the islands are Loggerhead. However, this year we have one Kemps Ridley** and five Greens * included in the totals above. Read about the Kemp's Ridley.

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