This Thanksgiving our newest grandbaby (and her family too) will be coming to spend the holiday with us. Having family here for Thanksgiving feels like a homecoming. Growing up my family moved all over the southwest. I was number six out of seven children and several of my older siblings were away at college when I was still in elementary school but Thanksgiving and Christmas meant they were coming home. So, even though many of the houses we moved to were not the homes my siblings had ever lived in, they were still coming “home”. The same is now true for Ray and I. When our children and grandchildren come to visit, they may not have lived in this house, but in my heart it feels like they are coming home. Home really is a place we create in our hearts to hold the people we love.
Ray and I have a unique role in people’s lives; it is to find them a place they will call home. Yes, we sell real estate and that means we sell houses but houses involve people and people have stories that make their house their home. We work with families that are growing so they need to upsize. There are people who have decided it's time to downsize, or want maintenance free living. There are others who have decided this “snowbird thing” is for the birds and have decided to move to Florida full-time. Jobs change, lives change and houses are bought and sold.
Over a 100 years ago several men in San Francisco, California noticed a need to protect homebuyers from swindlers. Two of those men, Colbert Coldwell and Benjamin Banker, founded the Coldwell Banker brand to protect and guide people as they were buying and selling property in the early 1900’s. That is the simple foundation of Coldwell Banker Realty: providing honest, clear and professional support through the complicated process of transferring the rights of property from one person to another. The occupation of Realtor is so intense that a Code Of Ethics was created that all Realtors must abide by. I
know in the newsletters we talk about the “real estate market” and real estate is a market but this market is very personal. “Real estate” is where we lay our heads at night, where we laugh with friends, where we hold our loved ones, where we gather for holidays, where we create HOME. The people we
work with are HOME buyers and HOME sellers and Ray and I are grateful for each of you who trust us with being your Realtor.
Stats and Data for November 2023
This months state and data I believe you will find interesting. Check out the two infographics below. They show the stats for October 2023 and October 2022. How has the market changed year over year? hmmmm let's take a look...
(please note this is from our Stellar MLS which covers a huge region. So these infographics reflect more than just Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte)
What interesting tidbits do you see comparing the two infographics? For me, I noticed in 2023 the Months of Inventory has increased. The days on the market have gone from 29 days last year to 41 days this year . But, the really interesting one is "AVG. Sales Price" has increased by $16,000. So, prices are not falling. And homes are staying on the market a little longer. Interesting.
Also, regionally Sellers are getting about 97% of their list price. Something to note is when a property comes on the market priced a little too optimistically, those tend to be the ones that have price adjustments. And a price reduction is simply a Seller getting the price inline with the market so Buyers will make an offer. Now Buyers have the luxury of looking at many homes and are not feeling the "pressure" to hurry up and choose one.
So, let's look at a couple specific communities. Remember you can email, call or text me and ask for me to check out a specific community or area. This month one of the communities is Pelican Point Goff & Country Club (PPG&CC). Why PPG&CC? Because a reader asked me to look at the community. (Thanks, Frank.)
Pelican Point Golf & Country Club
Click to read the blog I wrote about Pelican Point Golf and Country Club
- Currently there are 14 single family homes on the market with a price range of $400,000 to $899,000
- There are seven pending sales
- in the last 180 days 22 homes sold for prices between $441,000 to $875,000
- Sellers were getting about 98% of their list price and homes were going under contract in about 59 days
But there is a whole other part to Pelican Point and that is the villa market. What does that look like?
- There are nine villas on the market with a price range of $415,000 to $499,900
- One pending sale
- 11 villas sold in the last 180 days. Price point for the SOLD units is $335,000 to $430,000.
- Sellers are getting about 96% of their list price and villas went under contract in about 51 days.
Here is a link to the Pelican Point Golf & Country Club Market Report
Click this link to see an example of a home in PPG&CC
North Port Charlotte Estates
This is an area of homes that are on beautiful three acres or larger lots. This is not a development with an HOA. It is made up of mostly custom built homes. One of the great things about North Port Charlotte Estates is it's an equestrian friendly area and there are homes with barns and stables. Many of the homes have pools, some have out buildings, most have ponds. It is quiet country living and yet only about 20 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and around 10 miles from Wellen Park. The Myakkahatchee Creek Park is in the neighborhood offering nature walking, equestrian and biking trails.
- Currently there are nine homes on the market with a price range of $544,000 to $1,640,000
- There is one pending sale
- 10 homes have SOLD on the last 180 days. They have sold from $480,000 to $1,250,000
- Sellers have received 97% of their list price and the homes went under contract in an average of 62 days.
Check out this recently SOLD HOME
Let me know if there is a community you would like highlighted in an upcoming newsletter.
Anyone else relate and kinda feel like a squirrel preparing for winter on Thanksgiving? After grazing on the charcuterie boards all around and then the real meal is served, And wait there's more- dessert, too! 
As we jump into the Holiday season starting with one of giving Thanks Ray and I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with homemade love and gratitude.
Happy THANKSgiving to each of you from Ray and me!
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