Naples Real Estate Market Report | Year End 2018
5 Positive Trends for Real Estate Buyers & 5 Positive Trends for Real Estate Sellers in 2019
The Naples real estate market ended 2018 with impressive annual activity statistics in all areas of the residential Naples real estate market including an 11% increase in total closed sales and a 14% increase in inventory compared to 2017. Sales of homes over $1 million continued to drive the market in 2018, especially in the condominium market where closed sales of condominiums over $1 million increased 37%! According to the Year End 2018 Naples real estate Market Report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®).
“Prices held steady in 2018 with just a 3% increase in median closed price,” said Brenda Fioretti, real estate Broker. “However, for Naples homes over $300,000, the median closed price actually decreased 1%.”
Upon reviewing the YE 2018 Naples Real Estate Market Report, Fioretti concluded that there are many positive trends for both Naples home buyers and Naples Home sellers in 2019. The top 5 positive trends for home buyers and sellers are:
Single-family homes in the Naples Beach area (34102, 34103, 34108) reported the highest median closed price increase (14%) in 2018 compared to 2017. But that’s most likely due to closed Naples real estate sales of a few multi-million homes that took place last year including a $48.8 million transaction in June for a home in Port Royal.
The median closed Naples real estate prices listed on NABOR®’s market reports do not reflect average sales prices. Rather, the median closed price demonstrates a rate wherein half the closed sales were purchased for amounts below the figure (median) and half the real estate sales were purchased for prices above it. As such, of the 662 single-family homes located in the Naples Beach area that sold in 2018, the median closed real estate price was $1,268,000 in 2018 compared to the 652 single-family Naples homes that sold in 2017 where the median closed price was $1,117,000. Incidentally, closed Naples real estate sales in this area increased only 2%.
Conversely, closed sales of single-family homes in the Ave Maria/Immokalee area increased 233% to 143 homes in 2018 compared to 43 single-family homes in 2017. Median closed prices for single-family Naples homes in the Ave Maria/Immokalee area decreased 4% to $245,000 in 2018 compared to $255,000 in 2017.
According to Kathy Zorn, broker, many small Southwest Florida builders are listing their newly constructed homes on the Southwest Florida MLS (multiple listing service), which is reflected in the increased inventory statistics in all price points and in all geographic locations. “Inventory for single-family homes under $500,000 increased the most in 2018, which is good news for buyers who don’t necessarily require a Naples home for sale within walking distance of the beach. In fact, the highest increase in inventory for 2018 was 34%, and it appeared in the under $300,000 Naples single-family homes category.”
While the Ave Maria/Immokalee area also reported the highest increase in Naples single-family inventory (40%) among all geographic areas tracked, the single-family home inventory in Central Naples (34104, 34105, 34116) increased 38% to 391 homes in 2018 from 283 homes in 2017.
As pointed out by NABOR® President Jeff Jones, the 3% increase in overall pending sales for 2018 concerned him at first as it looked too low compared to activity in other areas of the report. However, after much discussion with several broker analysts also reviewing the annual Naples real estate market report including Mike Hughes, Vice President, it was determined that, according to Hughes, “the smaller-than-expected increase was because many closings for a large percentage of homes under contract in the 4th quarter of 2017 were delayed while repairs from Hurricane Irma damage took place.”
Even though the Southwest Florida MLS system is not as widely used by REALTORS® working in commercial real estate in Naples, the data collected does help Naples real estate agents gauge this sector of the market. According to Wes Kunkle, Broker, “Vacancy rates for commercial properties are low right now. I’m seeing most vacancy rates well under 5%.”
Historically, commercial real estate activity is directly affected by the residential Naples real estate market. When nearly 1,000 more homes are sold annually compared to a previous year, as was the case between 2017 and 2018, it is realistic to expect the number of businesses will increase to meet the needs of those new consumers.
Dozens of new commercial properties are in various stages of development across Collier County, many of which have large grocery store anchors.
If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Naples, contact Taber at Calusa Bay Properties – Calusa Bay Properties is one of the top selling real estate firms in Southwest Florida. We specialize in new home construction within the Pelican Bay community. Click Here to Learn More About Calusa Bay Properties.
Want to look at some NABOR® Statistics?
Taber Tagliasacchi, P.A. | 239.287.0777 | Taber@TaberNaples.com
This report was provided by NABOR®
