Nanci Theoret
Florida's real estate market is red-hot, and Collier County-Naples, in particular-continues its reign as one of the top choices for vacation retreats and second-family residences, hence the spike in prices of once-affordable homes. From bungalows in quiet fishing towns on the fringes of the Everglades to cosmopolitan high-rises overlooking the Gulf of Mexico to mansion-like estates in gated communities, Collier County no longer resembles the subtropical frontier of the late 1800s, when farmers, fishermen and squatters arrived via ox cart and sailboat. Memphis millionaire Barron Gift Collier can take much of the credit for the metamorphosis. Fueled by his determination to help other wealthy Northerners and sportsmen discover the area, Collier built the Tamiami Trail, the Tampa-to-Miami road that, upon its completion in 1928, linked Collier County to the rest of the world. Air-conditioning, I-75 and an international airport have furthered Collier County's rise in recent decades.
BONITA SPRINGS
Bonita Shores
Bounded by Bonita Beach Road to the north, West Avenue to the west, Vanderbilt Drive to the east and Audubon Country Club to the south.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
Three single-family homes.
Price range $430,000-$675,000.
What you get for $430,000 Two-bedroom, two-bath 1970s-era home with 1,250 square feet and private pool.
What you get for $675,000 A 2,200-square-foot home built in 1975, with four bedrooms, three baths, den and lake view.
Retired Midwesterners defined 1950s Bonita Shores, which still boasts that decade's small two-bedroom homes, often with just one bath and no garage. But families with children have slowly taken over this working-class community west of U.S. 41 and an easy bike ride from the beach. Today mid-20th-century homes mix with newer Mediterranean architecture. With its homeowners association, Neighborhood Watch program and community clubhouse, Bonita Shores is one of those rare Florida communities-a place where you're likely to know your neighbors. West of West Avenue, Hickory Shores offers waterfront homes along Hickory Bay and finger streets jutting into the water. Buyers, of course, pay for the proximity to the bay.
Barefoot Beach
Bounded by Bonita Beach Road to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Barefoot Beach Preserve to the south and Little Hickory Bay to the east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
20 single-family homes and villas, three condos.
Price range, single-family
$1,395,000-$6,795,000.
What you get for $1,395,000 Four-bedroom, three-bath lakefront home built in 1999, with 4,420 square feet and a private pool; located in the Southport on the Bay community.
What you get for $6,795,000 Four-bedroom, three-bath Gulf-front home with beach garden, beachfront decks and boat garage.
Price range, condo $899,000-$1,635,000.
What you get for $899,000 Two-bedroom, two-bath 1,600-square-foot mid-rise in a gated boating and tennis community.
What you get for $1,635,000 Mid-rise Gulf-view condo with three bedrooms, three baths and 2,000 square feet in a gated boating and tennis community.
The modest cottages that once personified the sleepy Barefoot Beach area have given way to towering three- and four-story Mediterranean- and Florida-style homes and a string of upscale villa and condo buildings with community associations, pools and gardens. Offering bay- and beachfront properties, Barefoot Beach is also home to a 342-acre state preserve where the public can enjoy the beach and view gopher tortoises, bottle-nosed dolphins and endangered sea turtles. Barefoot Beach becomes a gated community when the park closes at dusk.
EVERGLADES CITY
State Road 29 south from U.S. 41, within Everglades National Park.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
More than a dozen lots, single-family homes and resort condos.
Price range, single-family
$339,000-$999,000.
What you get for $339,000 Two-bedroom, one-bath stilt home on Copeland Avenue with an open deck.
What you get for $999,000 Three-bedroom, two-bath stilt home with tin roof, two boat docks, direct Gulf access and a walk-around screened porch overlooking Panther Creek. Price range, condo $169,000-$498,500.
What you get for $169,000 Fully furnished two-bedroom, two-bath unit in Captain's Table condominiums.
What you get for $498,500 Fully furnished third-floor waterfront condo in Lake Placid Waterways, with two bedrooms, two baths, vaulted ceilings and a large screened lanai overlooking a private dock with lift.
The former county seat, Everglades City has managed to escape most of the urban trappings of its neighbors to the north. Residents-mainly commercial fishermen, stone crabbers and relocated urbanites who at some point opted for a slower lifestyle-pride themselves on what you won't find there: traffic lights, shopping malls, golf courses or high-rises. Measuring just four blocks wide and less than two miles long, Everglades City maintains a rural small-town flavor. Building restrictions keep homes to just three stories, and a smattering of original buildings date back to the days of Barron Collier. There's even a quaint day spa. Everglades City is also home to one of Florida's few remaining K-12 schools. And thanks to its location within the Ten Thousand Islands, it's a magnet for serious boaters and anglers. You'll find sportsmen's condos and cabins, along with developments in even more secluded locations on Plantation Island and the 150-acre Chokoloskee Island, home to the historic Smallwood Store.
GOLDEN GATE CITY
Bounded by Green Boulevard to the north, Santa Barbara Boulevard to the west, State Road 951 to the east and the main Golden Gate Canal to the south.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
39 single-family homes.
Price range $239,000-$450,000.
What you get for $239,000 A 1,075-square-foot home built in 1968, with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a den.
What you get for $450,000 Four-bedroom, three-bath home built in 2003, with a den, upgrades and 2,700 square feet.
Like its more affordable Lee County cousin, Lehigh Acres, Golden Gate City is experiencing an influx of buyers from Miami and other South Florida cities, all content to swap big-city comforts for a more affordable, less-taxing lifestyle. Although not an official city, Golden Gate has all the conveniences of a full-fledged municipality-library, fire and police services, and a satellite office for the Collier County Tax Collector-sprinkled among national chain and local mom-and-pop grocery stores and restaurants. You'll also find some canal-front homes.
GOLDEN GATE ESTATES
Stretching from just west of I-75 at Pine Ridge Road north to Immokalee Road, east to Desoto Boulevard and south past I-75 as it becomes Alligator Alley.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
More than 250 single-family homes.
Price range $249,000-$2,800,000.
What you get for $249,000 Three-bedroom, two-bath 1,040-square-foot home built in 1997 on 1.14 acres.
What you get for $2,800,000 A 4,900-square-foot home built in 2000, with five bedrooms, four baths and a den; sits on a wooded, landscaped lot with pond and waterscape.
Golden Gate Estates' 43,000-plus acres make it Collier's largest neighborhood, incorporating gated communities like Vineyards, Wyndemere Country Club and the newer town-and-coach-home community Mariposa. The Estates, as it's known by locals, has a history similar to many of its neighbors: swampland tamed into canal-front lots. Many of the area's original five-acre lots have been subdivided multiple times, resulting in 1.25-acre tracts. New restrictions prevent existing five-acre lots from being divided more than once. These large tracts attract equestrians, families with young children and those who want a little elbow room. As a general rule, property farther from Naples proper is less expensive.
IMMOKALEE
Toward the northeast corner of Collier County.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
Two single-family homes.
Price range $85,000 and $199,990.
What you get for $85,000 A five-bedroom, two-bath wood-framed house with manufactured addition and 1,350 square feet.
What you get for $199,990 Two-bedroom, one-bath 1,100-square-foot stilt home built in 2000, with a wraparound porch that surveys its two acres; just minutes from Lake Trafford.
Immokalee celebrated last fall when the city's high school football team won the AA state championship. Home to an Indian reservation, a casino and an airport, Immokalee was settled in 1873 by hunters, trappers, cattlemen and traders. Today, it's a can't-get-there-from-here town of 20,000 year-round residents. The mostly Hispanic and Haitian population works in nearby fields and lives in trailer parks and tenant housing. But a new future for Immokalee is about to emerge, aided by Ave Maria University, the first new Catholic university to be built in the United States in 40 years. Scheduled to open its doors just 10 miles away from the town in 2006, the 5,025-acre site will include a full-fledged town with 11,000 homes.
IMMOKALEE ROAD RESIDENTIAL
From U.S. 41 east to Immokalee.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
More than 250 single-family homes, villas and condos.
Price range, single-family
$349,000-$5,950,000.
What you get for $349,000 Two-bedroom, two-bath home in ungated Willoughby Acres, built in 1985 on a large lot.
What you get for $5,950,000 Five-bedroom, eight-bath estate in Quail West with golf and lake views, heart-pine beamed ceilings, French terracotta tile, antique pine floors, master suite exercise room and fireplaces.
Price range, condo $210,000-$579,000.
What you get for $210,000 A 1,000-square-foot home located in a low-rise building within Key Royal Condominiums east of I-75, with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a lake view.
What you get for $579,000 Low-rise 2,685-square-foot condo in the gated Strand golf course community, with three bedrooms, three baths, a den, vaulted ceilings and skylight.
Old meets new in this emerging growth corridor. Pockets of '70s-era nongated residential neighborhoods with large lots and tree-lined streets are sprinkled among both ultra-upscale (Collier's Reserve, Quail West and TwinEagles) and more family-oriented and affordable (Indigo Lakes, Ibis Cove, Saturnia Lakes and Pebblebrooke) gated communities. A road-widening project has been a harbinger for the eastern stretch of the road, bringing with it a renewed interest in living well east of I-75-one that's now accommodated by new shopping centers and grocery chains.
ISLES OF CAPRI
Off Isle of Capri Road and Capri Boulevard-the last right before the bridge to Marco Island-in the southeastern portion of Collier County.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
13 single-family homes, 11 condos.
Price range, single-family
$865,000-$3,700,000.
What you get for $865,000 A three-bedroom, two-bath fixer-upper offering a 2,000-square-foot living area and 1,200 square feet of office and work space below.
What you get for $3,700,000 One of the largest lots on the island, featuring a two-bedroom, two-bath home with nearly 2,300 square feet, dining and living rooms, a wet bar, and a screened lanai on both levels.
Price range, condo $609,500-$999,000.
What you get for $609,500 An end-unit home in La Peninsula with two bedrooms, three baths and 1,860 square feet.
What you get for $999,000 A 2,250-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath La Peninsula condo with granite countertops, an expanded lanai, hardwood floors and a wet bar.
If you wanted to, you could Rollerblade from one end of Isles of Capri to the other-just follow the two-lane Capri Road, which links this charming chain of four islands. Some advice: Just don't do it at night. Who knows what lurks amid the 600 acres of surrounding mangroves and ink-black stretches of that main drag. Connected by land bridges, the islands were created in the mid-1950s by Tennessean Leland L. "Doc" Loach. Three have been set aside for residential; the fourth has restaurants, full-service marinas, a yacht club, vacation and annual rentals, and a general store offering everything from just-made grouper sandwiches to sundries. Colorful street names like Pago Pago, Kon Tiki and Jamaica remind travelers they're island hopping-even if they can't always see the water.
MARCO ISLAND
The northernmost and largest of the Ten Thousand Islands, bounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Marco River.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
232 single-family homes, 115 condos and timeshares.
Price range, single family
$445,000-$16,900,000.
What you get for $445,000 A severely water-damaged home with three bedrooms, two baths and 1,635 square feet.
What you get for $16,900,000 A five-bedroom, eight-bath greystone manor located on four lots overlooking Roberts Bay and inspired by Europe's finest mansions; features 14,445 square feet of living space, a tennis court, gazebo and boat dock.
Price range, condo $238,900-$12,900,000.
What you get for $238,900 A charming 405-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bath furnished condo in Marco's Seabreeze Apartments.
What you get for $12,900,000 A grand penthouse in the new Belize high-rise, with five bedrooms and eight baths.
It's really no secret that Marco Islanders like to keep to themselves. If anything, they consider nearby Naples merely an amenity of their 24-square-mile island. But there's not much need to travel to the mainland. Marco Island has its own shops, medical facilities and weekend entertainment, a portion of it courtesy of Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland, where entrepreneurs and businessmen mingle with fishing folk each Sunday afternoon. The city council has also made living on Marco a little more appealing, reducing last year's millage rate in response to a 38-percent increase in property values. Marco has its many personalities: turn-of-the-century charm in Old Marco, where late-1800s structures built by homesteader Capt. W.D. "Bill" Collier still stand; a more cosmopolitan presence along Collier Boulevard with its high-rise towers mingling with beachfront resort hotels; and grand estates built on the remnants of towering shell mounds built by the Calusa Indians, which place these homes 50 feet above sea level. Sixty percent of Marco's homes are on the water-the Marco River, the Gulf, canals, and the surrounding bays and estuaries-and water is the main attraction. Water brought brothers Elliott, Robert and Frank Mackle here in the 1960s. Their Deltona Corp. devised an island city of more than 12,000 home sites, 125 miles of paved roads, 90 miles of navigable canals, retail and hotel sites, schools, churches and medical facilities, even a Gulf beach.
Goodland
A rounded peninsula on southeastern Marco Island surrounded by Goodland Bay, Coon Key Pass and Gullivan Bay.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
Two single-family homes, three condos.
Price range, single-family
$485,000 and $3,000,000.
What you get for $485,000 A 1,040-square-foot canal-front cottage with a bonus room and 1,040 square feet.
What you get for $3,000,000 A 1,450-square-foot two-bedroom, one-bath home on a .75-acre lot on Coon Key Pass, with panoramic views of protected mangrove islands and the Gulf.
Price range, condos $729,000-$870,000.
What you get for $729,000 A three-bedroom, two-bath unit in a low-rise building in the new Calusa Island Village, with bay and canal views and 1,710 square feet of living space.
What you get for $870,000 A Calusa Island Village condo with three bedrooms, three baths, 2,255 square feet and a boat dock.
Before the Jolly Bridge, a still-visible swing bridge near Goodland was the official entry onto Marco Island. Goodland, the story goes, was sparsely inhabited until 1949, when Barron Collier moved squatters and their homes from Marco proper to Goodland. The town retains an Old Florida commercial-fishing atmosphere-one that attracts weekend revelry at Stan's with its bayfront chickee, live music and cheap pitchers of beer. Nearby, there's an old store that's now a museum plastered with Calusa artifacts, mounted fish, old tools and fishing gear; T-shirts are stapled to the ceiling. The building's old movie screen and projector serve as a reminder of its storied past. A sign of the times in Goodland: The fishing hamlet's first planned community, Calusa Island Village, is now under construction.
NAPLES
Airport-Pulling Road Residential
From Immokalee Road to Tamiami Trail East.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
More than 100 single-family estates and condos, mostly in gated communities.
Price range, single-family
$650,000-$7,295,000.
What you get for $650,000 A 2,365-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath home with a sunken fireplace room and lake view, located in Naples' premier tennis community, Naples Bath and Tennis Club.
What you get for $7,295,000 An Aurora Award-winning estate in the Estuary, offering five bedrooms, eight baths and a 5,000-square-foot outdoor living area with summer kitchen, fireplace and fountain.
Price range, condos $365,000-$899,500.
What you get for $365,000 A two-bedroom, two-bath condo in the Carrington neighborhood at Stonebridge-golf included.
What you get for $899,500 A three-bedroom, two-bath low-rise in the Bolero building- Tiburón signature membership included.
Gated communities (Stonebridge, Pelican Marsh, Tiburón, Grey Oaks, Estuary, Bear's Paw Country Club) are sprinkled among shopping centers, restaurants and car dealerships as Airport-Pulling Road stretches south from Immokalee Road before assuming a more industrial and commercial personality south of Golden Gate Parkway. Nongated neighborhoods lie off side-roads such as Poinciana Drive, Radio Road and Estey Avenue. Tall Pines, a neighborhood of 120 single-family homes sans gates, is tucked behind Barron Collier High School just north of the Airport-Pulling-Pine Ridge intersection.
Aqualane Shores
Between Port Royal to the south, 14th Avenue South to the north, Gulf Shore Boulevard South to the west and Naples Bay to the east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
25 single-family homes.
Price range $2,200,000-$6,990,000.
What you get for $2,200,000 A 1954 bungalow on Gordon Drive just two blocks from the beach, with three bedrooms, two baths and 1,690 square feet.
What you get for $6,990,000 A new 6,000-square-foot two-story luxury home featuring five bedrooms, six baths, a pool and direct Gulf access with two docks.
Prized for its blocks-from-the-beach location and within walking distance of Naples' Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South, the 300-acre Aqualane Shores was divided into 350 home sites by Forest Walker & Sons in the late 1950s. Those first lots were priced around $2,500 at just $100 down and $50 a month. The neighborhood boasts deep-water access (320 homes are on water), mature landscaping and older homes that buyers often renovate or replace.
Livingston Road Residential
Extending north from Immokalee Road to Bonita Beach Road.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
42 single-family homes, 22 condos in the gated communities of Carlton Lakes, Delasol, Mediterra and Vasari; doesn't include build-your-home lots available in Mediterra and Tuscany Reserve.
Price range, single-family
$449,000-$6,595,000.
What you get for $449,000 A 1,775-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath former model home in Carlton Lakes.
What you get for $6,595,000 A model in Mediterra with five bedrooms, seven baths, 7,940 square feet of living space, his-and-her master baths and extensive ceiling details.
Price range, condos $309,900-$979,900.
What you get for $309,900 A first-floor condo in Carlton Lakes with private courtyard entrance, two bedrooms, two baths and 1,200 square feet.
What you get for $979,900 A three-bedroom, three-bath carriage home in Mediterra's Porta Vecchio neighborhood, with den, 2,590 square feet and golf course and lake views.
Gated communities afford the only opportunity to live along the northern section of Livingston Road, an undeveloped area just five years ago. Livingston Road now links Naples and Bonita Springs; and thanks to a recently completed extension, it offers a six-lane, low-traffic corridor to areas south of Naples. Communities on the northern stretch are hot properties: Delasol sold out before construction and Vasari, a relative newcomer, has also sold out. Multimillion-dollar homes are found in Mediterra and Tuscany Reserve, the latter with rolling hills, orchards and its own island.
Livingston Woods
North and east of the intersection of Livingston and Pine Ridge roads.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
Eight single-family homes.
Price range, single-family
$950,000-$5,800,000.
What you get for $950,000 A three-bedroom, three-bath newer home (built in 1995) on 2.27 acres, featuring a grand salon, Jacuzzi tubs, a sitting room with fireplace, and a guest suite with pool.
What you get for $5,800,000 A Palladio-inspired Venetian estate with six bedrooms, nine baths, more than 10,000 square feet, reflecting gardens and a guesthouse.
Close to the Community School, Barron Collier High School, shopping and restaurants, Livingston Woods is being discovered by families who like the extra-large home sites of an in-town location. A handful of narrow, two-lane streets stretches east from Livingston Road to the interstate, offering two-acre-plus-sized lots with Mediterranean and Old Florida homes, long driveways and large back yards.
Old Naples
Bounded by the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club's golf course to the north, Ninth Street South (a.k.a. U.S. 41 or Tamiami Trail North) to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the west and 14th Avenue South to the south.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
34 single-family homes, 45 condos.
Price range, single-family
$1,195,000-$14,900,000.
What you get for $1,195,000 A '60s-era ranch home with three bedrooms, two baths, 2,200 square feet and a two-car carport.
What you get for $14,900,000 A four-bedroom, six-bath, 6,790-square-foot Gulf-front home with tropics-inspired details-authentic thatch ceilings, hand-mudded moldings, Brazilian cherry wood floors, plus hand-carved wood and stone features.
Price range, condos $299,000-$929,000.
What you get for $299,000 A 930-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath home on the third floor of a mid-rise building just blocks away from the beach, Fifth Avenue and restaurants.
What you get for $929,000 An end-unit condo with two bedrooms, two baths, 1,700 square feet and partial Naples Bay views.
Naples' most historic neighborhood, Old Naples is a neighborly sort of place where drivers stop in the street to greet neighbors. Its close-to-everything location places beachcombing, parks, theaters, art galleries, shopping and gourmet dining within walking distance. A two-square-mile grid stretches 10 blocks to Naples Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the scenic Naples Pier, built in 1889 and a popular spot for fishing and sunsets. Avenues run east and west, streets north and south and include the tony shopping centers of Third Street South and Fifth Avenue South. Nearby marinas and boat clubs provide landlocked homeowners the opportunity to become boat owners while enjoying the charm of a small-town setting. Homes include old beach cottages, 1950s ranch homes and new mansions.
Adjoining Gulf Shore Boulevard South, which runs north from Doctors Pass and south to Port Royal, is a tourist's paradise with beach accesses nestled among the old cottages and multimillion-dollar mansions, hidden behind majestic palm trees, towering hedges and tropical landscaping. Featured on HGTV's Dream Drives, Gulf Shore Boulevard is home to the 1895 Palm Cottage, the vacation home of Henry Watterson, one-time editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal. More recent residents include celebrities, entrepreneurs and others from the rich-and-famous set.
Port Royal
Bounded by Lantern Lane to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Gordon's Pass to the south and Naples Bay to the east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
29 single-family homes.
Price range $2,995,000-$16,900,000.
What you get for $2,995,000 A 1984 home on an interior lot, with four bedrooms, five baths, a resurfaced pool and a spa, and just under 3,800 square feet.
What you get for $16,900,000 A 9,700-square-foot Galleon Drive home on a one-acre landscaped lot on the bay, with four bedrooms, eight baths, and an enclosed garden with pool, spa, water fall, koi pond and outdoor kitchen.
Developer John Glen Sample's fascination with the 17th-century Jamaican city and its pirate inhabitants inspired the colorful names of many of Port Royal's 550 waterfront addresses-Rum Row, Spyglass Lane and Galleon Drive. Sample, who made his fortune with the advertising agency that developed the radio soap opera, financed and developed Port Royal, converting swamplands, hammocks and beachfront into one of the country's most coveted neighborhoods. You'll find manmade peninsulas, coves and bays, and homes for the rich (including many captains of industry) and occasionally the famous. Port Royal is revered for its deep-water yacht basin, bridgeless access to the Gulf and Ten Thousand Islands, and its eclectic mix of Mediterranean mansions and cottages tucked behind the tall hedges and landscaping of an old tropical neighborhood.
South Central Naples
South of Golden Gate Parkway, east of Airport-Pulling Road, north of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and west of Collier Boulevard.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
More than 250 single-family homes and condos.
Price range, single-family
$299,000-$3,990,000.
What you get for $299,900 A new Key West-style, two-story home with verandahs on both floors, three bedrooms, three baths, a lake view and 1,440 square feet.
What you get for $3,990,000 A four-bedroom, five-bath home in the gated Islandia community that overlooks a lake and has its own pool-one of only a dozen single-family homes over $1 million in South Central Naples.
Price range, condo $209,250-$850,000.
What you get for $209,250 A 1,266-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath attached villa in Vista Gardens, just off Rattlesnake Hammock Road.
What you get for $850,000 A furnished, 2,063-square-foot low-rise condo overlooking a lake and golf course in Naples Lakes Country Club, with two bedrooms and two baths.
Older gated communities and '60s-era golf courses have been joined by new development-lots of it. On Collier Boulevard, Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot are rising right alongside newer gated communities. Older communities such as Kings Gate, Berkshire Lakes and Queens Park are revered for their mature landscaping, streetlights, sidewalks and larger lots. You're likely to find more listings priced under $550,000 here than anywhere else with a Naples-area address.
South Naples
South of Rattlesnake Hammock Road, west of State Route 951, south to Everglades City and east of Royal Harbor, including neighborhoods on both sides of Isle of Capri Road (Collier Boulevard/951 south of U.S. 41).
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
77 single-family homes, 23 condos.
Price range, single-family
$229,000-$4,399,000.
What you get for $229,000 A circa-1980 1,144-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath home with a large back yard in blue-collar Naples Manor.
What you get for $4,399,000 A 6,695-square-foot estate in Fiddler's Creek, featuring a master suite with exercise room and sitting area, four bedrooms, seven baths and a private pool.
Price range, condos $229,000-$2,600,000.
What you get for $229,000 A 900-square-foot condo in a low-rise building in Lely, offering two bedrooms and two baths.
What you get for $2,600,000 A 5,300-square-foot penthouse in Aversana, a high-rise tower in Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club, with four bedrooms, six baths, a library, ale room and grand salon.
A diverse region, South Central Naples includes Lely (old and new), the lower-income Naples Manor and the growing wealth corridor of Isle of Capri Road. Gated communities like Fiddler's Creek, Hammock Bay and the new Treviso Bay are bordered by the 25,000-acre Rookery Bay Estuarine Preserve.
Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) Residential
Bounded by 111th Avenue North to the north, extending south to State Road 951 (Collier Boulevard) and including blocks east and west along the Tamiami Trail.
As development radiated outward from Old Naples, neighborhoods began to take shape north along U.S. 41. Others started popping up east of 41. Many buyers are full-time residents who enjoy the ambience of Old Naples without its higher home prices. In addition to sometimes subtle age and price differences among these areas (the farther north and east, the less expensive the homes), some neighborhoods have voluntary homeowners associations, including deeded beach access.
Bayfront
At the crossroads of U.S. 41 and Goodlette-Frank Road.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
12 condos.
Price range $485,000-$1,375,000.
What you get for $485,000 A one-bedroom, one-bath home with 852 square feet and porcelain tile.
What you get for $1,375,000 The popular 07 unit with three bedrooms, three baths, 2,500 square feet of living space and the best views in the complex-bay and river.
Residents of Bayfront live above some of Naples' finest restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. Painted in rich Mediterranean hues, this condominium community offers four floors of luxury residences above retail space. Old Naples, Fifth Avenue South and Tin City are within walking distance-via a lighted walkway under the Gordon River Bridge. Residents-only amenities include a heated pool, clubhouse, fitness center, tennis courts, on-site boat slips and preferred rates at area golf courses.
Coquina Sands, The Moorings, Park Shore
Most real estate offices combine these three neighborhoods, which stretch north from the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club to Pelican Bay, with the Gulf and U.S. 41 as western and eastern boundaries.
On the Market
Properties for sale in Coquina Sands, summer 2005
Nine single-family homes, two condos.
Price range, single-family
$989,000-$4,595,000.
What you get for $989,000 A 1,580-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath home that was built in 1965 and needs some work.
What you get for $4,595,000 A new five-bedroom, five-bath home on a golf course, with 7,400 square feet.
Price range, condos $679,000-$2,349,000.
What you get for $679,000 A 1,150-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath low-rise home overlooking a parking lot in the Surfside Club.
What you get for $2,349,000 Two bedrooms, three baths in Via Delfino, with 3,785 square feet, open terraces and Juliet balconies, and views of the Gulf, the city and the Naples Beach Hotel golf course.
Coquina Sands, the smallest of the three areas and directly north of the Naples Beach Hotel's golf course, has winding streets lined with ficus, banyan and palm trees. Also the closest to the Fifth Avenue shopping district, Coquina Sands was established by Milton Link in the 1960s and offers homes with waterfront views-along Hurricane Bay, Compass Cove, Outer Doctors Bay and Moorings Bay-and vistas of the quiet fairways and greens of Moorings Country Club.
On the Market
Properties for sale in The Moorings, summer 2005
40 single-family homes, 31 condos.
Price range, single-family
$1,250,000-$5,995,000.
What you get for $1,250,000 Five bedrooms, three baths in a 3,665-square-foot home built in 1978; features a second-floor master suite.
What you get for $5,995,000 A 2001 French country waterfront estate with three bedrooms, five baths, 5,375 square feet, two boat slips and a car collector's garage.
Price range, condos $419,000-$4,655,000.
What you get for $419,000 A completely renovated and decorator-finished two-bedroom, two-bath end unit in Naples Mimosa Club, with extra side windows (overlooking a pool) and 995 square feet.
What you get for $4,655,000 Four bedrooms, four baths and 4,040 square feet in the Sancerre high-rise built in 2003.
Naples' largest subdivision, with more than 4,000 residents, 960 acres and 840 homes and apartments, The Moorings begins just north of Orchid Drive. Older 1970s homes hearken back to the neighborhood's beginnings; larger homes with mile-long views to Venetian Village are its future.
On the Market
Properties for sale in Park Shore,
summer 2005
21 single-family homes, 64 condos.
Price range, single-family
$825,000-$5,400,000.
What you get for $825,000 A redone turn-key home built in 1971, fully furnished and offering two bedrooms, two baths and 1,795 square feet.
What you get for $5,400,000 Four bedrooms, five baths, 5,600 square feet in a brand-new home with tall ceilings, marble, granite, elevator, boat dock and exotic waterfall.
Price range, condos
$359,000-$8,750,000.
What you get for $359,000 A 1,015-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath courtyard condo on the third floor of Hidden Lake Villas, within walking distance to private beach access and the restaurants and shops of Venetian Village.
What you get for $8,750,000 Four-bedroom, seven-bath penthouse with 9,100 square feet in Le Rivage tower, with 360-degree views of the Gulf, city and bay.
Anchor Rode Drive serves as the dividing line between the Moorings and Park Shore, which extends north to Seagate Drive and west to include Gulf-front properties along Gulf Shore Boulevard North and bay-front settings that overlook Venetian, Inner Doctors, Outer Doctors and Moorings bays. The area's history can be traced to 1964, when developer Raymond L. Lutgert purchased 760 acres along a 1.25-mile stretch of Gulf-front beach. Lutgert's plan included development of Venetian Bay, a navigable body of water that separates the mainland portion of Park Shore, and a serpentine promenade that includes five beachside parks and four open-space commons. Condominiums joined the mix in 1970, when the Lutgert Co. built its first, Colony Gardens, a combination of mid-rise apartments and townhomes with private docks. Venetian Villas, another Lutgert creation that placed villas over the water, was followed by the Village on Venetian Bay, offering upscale waterfront shops and restaurants in a classically styled Mediterranean theme. Some 40 years later, Lutgert's plan is coming full circle, with development of its final high-rise in Park Shore, the 65-unit Aria.
Lake Park
On the east side of U.S. 41 directly across from Coquina Sands.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
One single-family home.
Price $895,000.
What you get for $895,000 A 1965 home with three bedrooms, two baths, 1,505 square feet and wide-open lake views.
Branches of mature trees create a tangled canopy of greenery above narrow two-lane streets-some with traffic-controlling turnabouts-in Lake Park, a neighborhood of '50s-era houses. Residents enjoy proximity to Old Naples, the Coastland Center shopping mall and Fleischmann Park.
Naples Cay
Between Outer Clam Bay to the north, Park Shore to the south, the Gulf to the west and a canal to the east.
Properties for sale, summer 2005
One attached villa, 21 condos.
Villa price $3,295,000
What you get for $3,295,000 A Villas Raphael unit with four bedrooms, four baths and more than 3,000 square feet.
Price range, condos $1,259,000-$11,250,000.
What you get for $1,259,000 A two-bedroom, two-bath high-rise home with 1,305 square feet, den area with island, updated appliances and Gulf views.
What you get for $11,250,000 An 11,700-square-foot high-rise unit in the Seasons at Naples Cay, with panoramic views of the Gulf, city lights, Venetian Bay and preserve from 2,100 square feet of terraces and balconies.
This mostly high-rise condo community enjoys 33 acres of preserves and the white-sand beach of Clam Bay. Within walking distance of the Philharmonic Center and Waterside Shops, the Cay is tucked in a neighborhood of mature trees just south of the Registry Resort.
Naples Park
Bounded on the south by 91st Avenue North, to the north by 111th Avenue North, to the east by U.S. 41 and to the west by Vanderbilt Drive.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
62 single-family homes.
Price range $344,900-$1,599,000.
What you get for $344,900 A 1965 lakefront home with two bedrooms, two baths and 910 square feet of living space.
What you get for $1,599,000 Location (on the widest Connors-Vanderbilt canal) and a half-acre estate-sized lot pump up the price of this three-bedroom, three-bath home built in 1959; features a courtyard pool, guest apartment and a large garage with workshop.
A 22-by-four-block neighborhood of 3,000 homes and 10,000 residents, Naples Park has evolved into a friendly family community featuring older homes (1970s) and a growing number of newer ones. Residents like its proximity to the beach (minutes away by bike or foot) and other nearby amenities-shopping, restaurants, a library, and a public park with racquetball facilities, a jogging path and tennis. Boaters can garage their vessels and launch them at the nearby Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area.
Pelican Bay
Bounded by Seagate Drive to the south, the Gulf of Mexico to the west, U.S. 41 to the east and Vanderbilt Beach Road to the north.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
33 homes, 107 condos.
Price range, single-family
$925,000-$16,650,000.
What you get for $925,000 A three-bedroom, three-bath Oakmont neighborhood home with vaulted ceilings, a family room with fireplace, a private pool, and 2,470 square feet.
What you get for $16,650,000 A four-story beachfront estate with four bedrooms, nine baths, almost 10,000 square feet, embassy-level security, soaring columns and graceful arches.
Price range, condos
$459,000-$11,500,000.
What you get for $459,000 A 1,600-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath condo in the Glencove neighborhood, with dramatic entry and volume ceilings.
What you get for $11,500,000 A 10,465-square-foot two-story penthouse in Windsor at Bay Colony with bay, city, Gulf and preserve views, five bedrooms, seven baths, hardwood and marble floors, and his-and-her bathrooms with steam showers and radiant-heat floors.
Once considered a little off the beaten path, Pelican Bay is now flanked by luxurious resorts (the Ritz-Carlton, Naples, and the Registry Resort), commercial development and the Waterside Shops. Patrons of the arts enjoy the proximity to the Naples Philharmonic Center and its accompanying Naples Art Museum. This sprawling community of 65 neighborhoods, some of them gated, features mature trees and a park-like setting. Public streets boast garden apartments, villas, single-family homes and beachfront estates in The Strand at Bay Colony, a triple-gated community. Amenities, most available only with membership, include three miles of beachfront, 40 acres of designated parks and nature trails, and the Club at Pelican Bay, a country club offering 27 holes of golf and dining. Cap d'Antibes, the final high-rise planned for Pelican Bay, is currently under construction.
Pine Ridge
Across U.S. 41 from Pelican Bay, bordered by Pine Ridge Road, U.S. 41, and Goodlette-Frank and Vanderbilt Beach roads.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
22 single-family homes, one condo.
Price range, single-family
$1,190,000-$7,950,000.
What you get for $1,190,000 A 3,000-square-foot four-bedroom, four-bath home on 1.44 acres, with a 22-foot lap pool in a 2,000-square-foot lanai.
What you get for $7,950,000 A rambling 13,000-square-foot estate with six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, an exercise room and gym, home theater, game room and sauna.
Price, condo $299,900.
What you get for $299,900 A two-bedroom, two-bath condo on the second floor of Emerald Woods, featuring 1,135 square feet, vaulted ceilings, two lanais and new stainless steel appliances.
Pine trees, seven lakes and heavily wooded lots define this transitional '60s-era neighborhood, where buyers will find everything from older homes-some still occupied by the original owners-to newer large million-dollar homes. Larger lots provide plenty of room for guesthouses, stables and horses in one of the only places south of Tampa to offer large home sites so close to the beach. A mixture of old and new is found along Trail Boulevard, which fronts the Tamiami Trail. Properties that border Goodlette-Frank Road are generally two acres and have agricultural zoning.
Royal Harbor
Bounded by Haldeman Creek to the south, Naples Bay to the west and Tamiami Trail to the north and east.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
19 single-family homes.
Price range, single-family
$1,150,000-$8,950,000.
What you get for $1,150,000 A '60s-era home on a canal, with three bedrooms, two baths and 1,590 square feet.
What you get for $8,950,000 A three-year-old home with views of Naples Bay, four bedrooms, seven baths, 7,940 square feet of living space and a 40-foot infinity-edge pool.
Naples Bay separates Port Royal from Royal Harbor, a triangular neighborhood where all 419 single-family homes and home sites sit on water and have direct Gulf access. It's a community of boating enthusiasts and a growing number of families who like Royal Harbor's proximity to Fifth Avenue and the beaches. Gone are the days of $8,000 lots. Even mid-'60s homes are going for a cool million dollars.
Vanderbilt Beach
Extending north along Gulfshore Drive from Vanderbilt Beach to Bluebill Avenue.
On the Market
Properties for sale, summer 2005
21 single-family homes, 23 condos.
Price range, single-family
$1,280,000-$9,500,000.
What you get for $1,280,000 A newly remodeled three-bedroom, two-bath canal-front home built in 1968, with private pool and 1,521 square feet.
What you get for $9,500,000 A five-year-old home with Gulf, bay and canal views, five bedrooms, six baths and a private pool.
Price range, condos $279,000-$3,900,000.
What you get for $279,000 One bedroom, one bath and just 524 square feet in a high-rise building with a bay view.
What you get for $3,900,000 A 2005 high-rise condo on the ninth floor of The Vanderbilt, with three bedrooms, four baths, 3,820 square feet, and bay and Gulf views.
Vanderbilt Beach's two-sided personality includes single-family homes along canals, bays and the beach of Vanderbilt Beach Estates to the east. The mostly older high-rise condominiums with views of the Gulf and Sanibel Island are scattered among upscale resorts, boutique hotels, restaurants and marinas along Gulfshore Drive.
Sources: www.naplesarea.com,
www.johnrwood.com, www.gladesrealty.com.