Cape Coral is a vibrant and friendly community with all the beauty that you expect from Southwest Florida. With over 400 miles of waterways – boating, fishing and water sports are a significant enhancement to our quality of life.

Cape Coral is located in Southwest Florida south of Tampa and west of Miami. With golf courses, tennis courts, boat ramps, athletic parks, natural preserves and more, the quality of life in Cape Coral is second to non.

Our city has one of the best recreation departments in the state, providing all kinds of services for young and old. Cape Coral consistently ranks at the top for public safety in both Florida and the United States. Our city council shows a continued commitment to maintaining this excellent public safety record. Our economic growth and educational system, combines with our top public safety standing, make Cape Coral one of the most desirable locations in the entire world.

Fort Myers, Florida is a commercial center and county seat of Lee County. A bulk of the city rests on the banks of the border of the Caloosahatchee River. Fort Myers is one of a pair of cities that make up the Cape Coral – Fort Myers metropolitan area.

Fort Myers was established in 1886 and is called the gateway to the Southwest Florida region, a major tourist destination. Both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford established winter homes which are primary historical tourist attractions today.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MATLACHA

“Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow” is the Matlacha motto reflecting our island lifestyle and the laid-back, desultory atmosphere reminiscent of Florida in the 50’s.

A “unique” unpretentious community located in the Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve, the name Matlacha comes from the Seminole word for “shallow waters”. Residents are interested in fishing, boating and the surrounding environment. The area still attracts an eclectic mix of individualists. There is a small community park with a fishing pier, picnic pavilions, boat ramp and community center. Our hardy pioneers carved the park out of mangrove swamp back in the 50’s.

The first wooden bridge, a swing bridge, over Matlacha Pass was constructed in 1927 The old wooden bridge became known as “The Fishingest Bridge in the World” during World War II when soldiers stationed at Page Field discovered the great fishing, a claim still made about the concrete replacement bridge built by the county in 1969. The Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve is a fish nursery area rich in nutrients that nurture and supply fish for the Gulf of Mexico.

A community of single family residential neighborhoods, art galleries and craft shops with owner operated businesses, with only one or two exceptions every building in Matlacha is on the water. The neighborhoods are very diverse, comprised of West Island or Island Harbors, Porpoise Point, Old Matlacha (once known as “Carnietown”), Matlacha Avenue Section, Matlacha Shores and Matlacha Isles. The western segment of Matlacha, along Pine Island Road, extends to Little Pine Island

Occasionally, tarpon and porpoise were so plentiful that they chased the immature fish into canals and made enough racket to wake residents at night. Playful manatees would interact with fishermen. Shore birds were everywhere and residents often would find a white or blue heron standing next to their refrigerators waiting for their usual handout. A successful scallop and oyster business existed at Piners Seafood Packing House in Matlacha into the 60’s.

In the 90’s the “Matlacha Historic Fishing Village” came into being when property owners along Pine Island Road voted to create an historic district. In the mid ‘90’s Matlacha began to change as more yuppies moved in, building bigger homes and buying larger boats not well suited to our shallow waters. The challenge of Matlacha’s future will be to educate the new people that the real charm of Matlacha is in the fact that you don’t have to impress anyone.

To preserve the unique ambiance of this quaint area join us in becoming truly a part of where it takes seven people to figure out what day of the week it is and who cares anyway.

Brief history of Matlacha prepared by Kathy Malone and Brian Griffin.

By: G. M. Filisko

Published: March 29, 2010

Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s important to choose representation that meets your needs in the transaction.

1. Buyer’s agency

When you’re buying a home, you can hire an agent who represents only you, called an exclusive buyer’s representative or agent. A buyer’s agent works in your best interest and owes you a fiduciary duty. You can pay your buyer’s agent yourself, or ask the seller, or the seller’s agent, to pay your agent a share of their sales commission.

If you’re selling your home and hiring an agent to list it exclusively, you’ve hired a selling representative–an agent who owes fiduciary duties to you. Typically, you pay a selling agent a commission at closing. Selling agents usually offer or agree to pay a portion of their sales commission to the buyer’s agent. If your seller’s agent brings in a buyer, your agent keeps the entire commission.

2. Subagency

When you purchase a home, the agent you can opt to work with may not be your agent at all, but instead may be a subagent of the seller. In general, a subagent represents and acts in the best interest of the sellers and sellers’ agent.

If your agent is acting as a subagent, you can expect to be treated honestly, but the subagent owes loyalty to the sellers and their agent and can’t put your interests above those of the sellers. In a few states, agents aren’t permitted to act as subagents.

Never tell a subagent anything you don’t want the sellers to know. Maybe you offered $150,000 for a home but are willing to go up to $160,000. That’s the type of information subagents would be required to pass on to their clients, the sellers.

3. Disclosed dual agency

In many states, agents and companies can represent both parties in a home sale as long as that relationship is fully disclosed. It’s called disclosed dual agency. Because dual agents represent both parties, they can’t be protective of and loyal to only you. Dual agents don’t owe all the traditional fiduciary duties to clients. Instead, they owe limited fiduciary duties to each party.

Why would you agree to dual agency? Suppose you want to buy a house that’s listed for sale by the same real estate brokerage where your buyer’s agent works. In that case, the real estate brokerage would be representing both you and the seller and you’d both have to agree to that.

Because there’s a potential for conflicts of interest with dual agency, all parties must give their informed consent. In many states, that consent must be in writing.

4. Designated agency

A form of disclosed dual agency, “designated agency” allows two different agents within a single firm to represent the buyer and seller in the same transaction. To avoid conflicts that can arise with dual agency, some managing brokers designate or appoint agents in their company to represent only sellers, or only buyers. But that isn’t required for designated agency. A designated, or appointed, agent will give you full representation and represent your best interests.

5. Nonagency relationship

In some states, you can choose not to be represented by an agent. That’s referred to as nonagency or working with a transaction broker or facilitator. In general, in nonagency representation, the real estate professional you work with owes you fewer duties than a traditional agency relationship. And those duties vary from state to state. Ask the person you’re working with to explain what he or she will and won’t do for you.

Other web resources

More on real estate agents’ roles

G.M. Filisko is an attorney and award-winning writer who zealously protected her clients’ interests as a lawyer. A frequent contributor to many national publications, including Bankrate.com, REALTOR® Magazine, and the American Bar Association Journal, she specializes in real estate, business, personal finance, and legal topics.

By: G. M. Filisko

Published: February 10, 2010

By doing your homework before you buy, you’ll feel more content about your new home.

1. Decide how much home you can afford

Generally, you can afford a home priced 2 to 3 times your gross income. Remember to consider costs every homeowner must cover: property taxes, insurance, maintenance, utilities, and community association fees, if applicable, as well as costs specific to your family, such as day care if you plan to have children.

2. Develop your home wish list

Be honest about which features you must have and which you’d like to have. Handicap accessibility for an aging parent or special needs child is a must. Granite countertops and stainless steel appliances are in the bonus category. Come up with your top-five must-haves and top-five wants to help you focus your search and make a logical, rather than emotional, choice when home shopping.

3. Select where you want to live

Make a list of your top-five community priorities, such as commute time, schools, and recreational facilities. Ask your REALTOR® to help you identify three to four target neighborhoods based on your priorities.

4. Start saving

Have you saved enough money to qualify for a mortgage and cover your downpayment? Ideally, you should have 20% of the purchase price set aside for a downpayment, but some lenders allow as little as 5% down. A small downpayment preserves your savings for emergencies.

However, the lower your downpayment, the higher the loan amount you’ll need to qualify for, and if you still qualify, the higher your monthly payment. Your downpayment size can also influence your interest rate and the type of loan you can get.

Finally, if your downpayment is less than 20%, you’ll be required to purchase private mortgage insurance. Depending on the size of your loan, PMI can add hundreds to your monthly payment. Check with your state and local government for mortgage and downpayment assistance programs for first-time buyers.

5. Ask about all the costs before you sign

A downpayment is just one homebuying cost. Your REALTOR® can tell you what other costs buyers commonly pay in your area—including home inspections, attorneys’ fees, and transfer fees of 2% to 7% of the home price. Tally up the extras you’ll also want to buy after you move-in, such as window coverings and patio furniture for your new yard.

6. Get your credit in order

A credit report details your borrowing history, including any late payments and bad debts, and typically includes a credit score. Lenders lean heavily on your credit report and credit score in determining whether, how much, and at what interest rate to lend for a home. Most require a minimum credit score of 620 for a home mortgage.

You’re entitled to free copies of your credit reports annually from the major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Order and then pore over them to ensure the information is accurate, and try to correct any errors before you buy. If your credit score isn’t up to snuff, the easiest ways to improve it are to pay every bill on time and pay down high credit card debt.

7. Get prequalified

Meet with a lender to get a prequalification letter that says how much house you’re qualified to buy. Start gathering the paperwork your lender says it needs. Most want to see W-2 forms verifying your employment and income, copies of pay stubs, and two to four months of banking statements.

If you’re self-employed, you’ll need your current profit and loss statement, a current balance sheet, and personal and business income tax returns for the previous two years.

Consider your financing options. The longer the loan, the smaller your monthly payment. Fixed-rate mortgages offer payment certainty; an adjustable-rate mortgage offers a lower monthly payment. However, an adjustable-rate mortgage may adjust dramatically. Be sure to calculate your affordability at both the lowest and highest possible ARM rate.

More from HouseLogic

Learn how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages can help you save on financing

Learn more about the costs of homeownership

Other web resources

Homebuyer counseling resources

WASHINGTON – May 9, 2011 – Perhaps some states are more neighborly than others; or perhaps some states apply for the National Association of Realtors®’ Good Neighbor Awards more than others. In either case, California and Florida have tallied the most Good Neighbors with 14 and 11, respectively, in the 11 years since the program started in 2000.

CHICAGO – May 6, 2011 – Realtor.com recently unveiled a list of markets where property values are stabilizing, buyer traffic is picking up, and prices will likely appreciate soon.

Top five “turnaround towns”

1. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y.: List prices are increasing, and days on the market for inventory is shrinking (87 days, which is nearly half the national average).

2. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif.: While housing values here have fallen 378 percent compared to the its 2006 housing peak, a turnaround is underway with list prices showing signs of stabilizing month-over-month and homes spending fewer days on the market. This area is also the third most-searched at Realtor.com, so buyer interest appears high.

3. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla.: Vacation homes here are getting more pricey here: The median list price has risen 24.12 percent in March – the highest median price increase nationwide. However, distressed sales have weighed heavily on this market so prices are still 60 percent lower than the 2006 housing peak.

4. Dallas, Texas: Median list prices are down only slightly by 1 percent year-over-year, and the median age of Dallas’ inventory stands at 100 days. While home values here have dropped about 10 percent from their peak (national median drop was 31 percent), Dallas has not faced as steep of property value declines as other bigger cities.

5. Boston, Mass.: Demand for homes here is starting to pick up. The median age of inventory is 130 days, which is 30 days below the national average. Median list prices are down just slightly – 0.26 percent – year over year.

Source: “Top 10 Early Turnaround Towns From REALTOR.com, Part II,” Realtor.com (April 28, 2011

CHICAGO – May 2, 2011 – Landscaping can be pricey, but it can make a big difference in creating curb appeal that attracts buyers to the door.

“The condition of your lawn has a big effect on the look and value of your home, whether you have a complicated landscaping plan with water features and/or an expanse of grass and flowers,” Angie Hicks, founder of service-ratings site Angie’s List, told the Chicago Tribune.

If working with a landscaping pro to boost your seller’s curb appeal, here are some tips to getting more for your money.

▪ Schedule consultations. Contact several landscaping pros to arrange appointments for them to visit the property, recommend what needs to be done and give you options. (For people to contact, check sites such as Yelp.com or Kudzu.com.) Use these pros as consultants explaining what the property needs. For smaller tasks, such as mowing, raking or weeding, you could try to find a local teenager willing to offer a good deal, suggests Robert Krughoff, president of Consumers’ Checkbook.

▪ Get several price bids. Request estimates on what you want done from at least three companies – you may find big price differences. Krughoff cites an example of a tree-removal job that could cost from $1,935 to $6,300 depending on the company. As for lawn care, Consumers’ Checkbook found companies quoting ranges from $229 to $805.

And just because a company is pricier don’t assume you’ll get better results. Krughoff says the Consumers’ Checkbook found no correlation between price and quality in lawn care and tree services.

▪ Watch for add-ons. Krughoff says don’t be quick to say “yes” whenever a landscaper or lawn service recommends various fertilizers, sprayings and treatment. Make sure there’s a compelling case on why it’s necessary.

▪ Don’t pay until the job is done. If possible, pay nothing until the job is completed so that you have more leverage ensuring the job is done to your satisfaction. However, some companies may require a deposit. If so, pay with a credit card, experts suggest. By using a credit card, you’ll be able to dispute the charge with the credit card company if the service was incomplete or not done adequately.