Southwest Florida Real Estate Archives - Page 66 of 83 - Fort Myers Real Estate and Homes For Sale

As you can see from the SW Florida Sales chart, SW Florida single family homes sales have been somewhat seasonal the past few years with sales peaking around April and declining after June or July. Although it’s too soon to tell, early indicators tell us 2011 may repeat recent history as pending sales are trending even with last year and closed sales have begun their descent.

Single Family and Condo Sales in SW Florida — SW Florida Real Estate Sales 2010-2011

Even more importantly this year may be the lack of inventory compared to previous years. We’ve seen a major decline in inventory in recent years. Currently single family inventory stands at 6.89 months supply, but even that number is a little high because many of the short sales are tied up and not closing. In fact, last month only 13.8% of the pending short sales closed which is much lower than traditional pending sales. It’s unreasonable to think all pending sales will close, but 13.8% is practically nothing.

If we took out active short sales from the equation, the month supply of inventory would be lower. I believe the month supply of inventory is deceiving as many homes on the market aren’t really on the market as they’ll never close.

As you can see from the listing inventory chart, it’s really come down in the last 18 months. Lehigh Acres inventory is below 1,000 homes for the first time in years. Of the 975 homes on the market in Lehigh, 470 are short sales and 117 are bank foreclosures. 60.21% of all homes on the market in Lehigh are distressed, and last month 63.06% of all single family sales in Lehigh were distressed.

Single family and condo listing inventory in SW Florida — SW Florida Real Estate Listing Inventory August 2011

Cape Coral and Fort Myers inventory has come down too however the ratio of distressed sales is much less. For instance, Cape Coral distressed inventory now stands at 44.15% compared to 60.21% in Lehigh. Fort Myers distressed inventory stands at 37.18%. On the closed sale side, Cape Coral distressed sales were 50.51% last month and Fort Myers distressed sales were 42.97% last month.

Buyers are finding they just don’t have as many choices today. They love the prices, and they realize homes priced $150,000 or less have seen rising prices, but they’ve been increasingly frustrated by competing with other buyers with multiple offers, or long wait times on short sales. This is just all part of the SW Florida housing market and it may last another few years.

Foreclosures will run their course in due time assuming the economy picks up in the next few years, but short sales may remain for awhile until prices return to points where a seller can afford to sell. We see increasing prices in the low to moderate end going forward; however we don’t envision a return to 2005 levels. The market has reset and people are accepting the new reality of the market.

This is good news for the younger generation as they’ll be able to purchase the American Dream and not be saddled with debt their parents have endured. It’s a fresh slate and we can only hope generations going forward can study the past and learn from it.

While we believe buying real estate today may be a great investment long term because eventually prices will rise, we also recommend buying a home that suits your needs versus focusing strictly on investment potential. Investment potential is what caused so many people to buy into the last market frenzy and some forgot the whole purpose of buying real estate is to fulfill a need, especially if it’s your primary home.

If you’re buying a second home or investment home, there are some factors to look for that may assist you in making the best decision for you. Real estate can be a good investment, and it helps to clearly define what your goals are and think long term. If you’re buying a primary residence, it’s rarely a good idea to buy solely on investment potential if you don’t like the home or it doesn’t meet your needs. Plan B is always to keep it awhile longer until the market works in your favor, and if you’re unhappy with the home, that’s harder to do.

It is a good time to buy, so if you’re in the market, seek professional advice on current market conditions, and put your best foot forward. Don’t be afraid, be informed. Call us at 239-489-4042 if we can help.

As you can see from the attached chart, the percentages of sales that are distressed are rising once again. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as we believe banks should actively work with sellers to allow short sales rather than going through an arduous and costly foreclosure process that ties the home up for months or years. If the homeowner simply cannot afford to stay in the home and all other realistic options have been exhausted, banks should assist in allowing current homeowner to sell to someone who can afford and wants to be in the home, and everyone wins including the neighborhood.

Distressed Sales Chart for Greater Fort Myers, Cape Coral Florida — SW Florida Distressed Sales

Official sales numbers will be released after we write this article. Our internal market research suggests sales will fall in July compared to June by about 216 +/- homes and median prices will fall slightly as well. This may be a function that foreclosures made up a larger portion of the distressed sale pie than in previous months, signaling short sale percentages declined versus foreclosures.

Banks are beginning to release more foreclosures as they’ve turned a corner in the legal battle when they went back and cleaned up the process to file foreclosures. We all knew there would be some pent-up foreclosure supply, but nothing along the lines of 2008-2009 foreclosure filings.

Cape Coral saw almost a 5% increase in distressed sale percentages while Lehigh Acres was up about 3%. Overall sales were down in Lee County, but the breakdown of the sales was leaning more towards distressed sales. County wide distressed sales equaled 48.82% of all single family home sales in July, up from 44.57% in June.

Contrast this with listing inventory in Lee County and you would think there would be upward price pressure as inventory levels dwindle. It’s fascinating to watch the economic dynamics in play. A similar analogy might be predicting hurricane’s forecast trajectory plot and intensity. A storm can be influenced by dry air, low pressure, ridges anticipating forming at a certain time and point, and so forth.

Single Family Listing Inventory Fort Myers- Cape Coral — SW Florida Listing Inventory

Forecasting the SW Florida housing market has similar variables influencing the market. We have banks processing foreclosures as fast as they can, banks willingness to accept short sales, traditional sellers moving up, down, or not at all depending on how much they owe and their job security, and the overall job market. Are jobs moving into the area or out of? When will the economy improve? Interest rates and insurance costs also influence affordability and motivation for buyers.

Predicting the housing market would be so much easier if you could accurately predict each individual variable. Since we cannot, all we can do is monitor local and sometimes world events and report on how they are affecting the real estate market. In past articles we’ve talked about the effect of United States debt on interest rates. We’ve talked about the price of oil’s effect on the economy, and housing supply issues.

As we enter an election year, hopefully the focus will be on the economy and jobs, and if Washington gets out of the private sector’s way and allows it to grow, maybe, just maybe, we’ll see a positive influence on several variables that influence our local real estate market.

Because this is the first debt downgrade from AAA for United States Debt we are entering unchartered territory, but we can offer some clues on what to watch out for and how this could affect Main Street going forward.

Nobody I know would say a downgrade to US debt is a good thing; however there may be a silver lining after all. First off, the downgrade was inevitable. S&P telegraphed this downgrade and stated so much when they announced it would take $4 Trillion in deficit cuts to protect our credit rating. Congress finally sent a bill promising around $1 trillion in cuts now, and other unnamed cuts later on. The reality is we cut about $21 Billion from this year’s budget, which is at a deficit of around $1.6 Trillion, so it’s really a drop in the bucket. We just added over $2 Trillion to the debt to get us through the next election. Wall Street is concerned Washington isn’t serious about cutting costs, and who could blame them with fuzzy math like this?

10 Yr US Government Bond Yield Chart — United States Government Bond 10 Yr Yield

The blame game has begun with Democrats blaming the Tea Party for the downgrade. This is kind of funny as it was the Tea party that pushed for cutting costs, something Standard and Poors said was necessary to protect the US credit rating. So Congress dropped the ball and blamed the only people working towards a solution to protect our rating. Washington doesn’t get it, and now they’re in recess. The world gets it and they realize we’re flat broke. We’ve spent and borrowed beyond our means and nobody wants to pay the bill. Unless we change, we’re in for more downgrades. Even Republicans have said “The Tea Party Won. They changed the conversation from automatic debt increases to deficit reduction.” And this is the problem with Washington. It’s all talk. They cut nothing. All they did was change the conversation, and somehow that’s good enough for Washington. This is the way it’s always been and that’s not good enough anymore. Our debt is being downgraded.

Now, here comes the silver lining for local real estate. Don’t take this as good news, because it’s not, but it’s not all bad like you hear in the media. When there is uncertainty in the market, which there clearly is right now, investors seek a flight to quality, which has traditionally been the US debt. We look good compared to many nations’ debt, so we’re still considered a leader, but our days are numbered.

Part of the flight to quality in uncertain times is seeking out tangible assets that have a value behind them. Obviously one is gold, and another is real estate. The difference is gold is just gold, but you can rent out or live in real estate. You can actually derive an income from real estate. Both can go up and down in value, but only one can provide a yield while you wait.

The other silver lining is investors worldwide have flocked to the 10 Yr Treasury note, as this is safer than the 30 Yr bond. Today’s mortgage rates are closely tied to the 10 Yr note Vs. the 30 Yr bond, and as investors seek safety, the yield is going down making mortgages more affordable, for now. 30 Yr interest rates are down today to 4.375% with no points.

There is a hidden double whammy working in the real estate market’s favor right now. Wall St is skittish, and this could all change on a dime. The final silver lining could be that the S&P downgrade was a shot across the bow of politicians. Perhaps if the American people speak out and tell their politicians we cannot continue living this way, they’ll have the political will to make necessary cuts. America is still a great country, we just spend too much. We have an opportunity to make these cuts voluntarily now, or we can wait until the markets do it for us like with Greece. There were riots in Greece as the public wasn’t ready for the tough choices. Let’s hope the American people are ready today and send that message to their politicians so we don’t have tough choices Forced upon us later on.

In the meantime, take advantage of low interest rates, low prices in Florida, and watch to see if investors take money out of the stock market and invest in real estate markets across the US. Median prices have risen 30% locally, and with any luck we can keep that trend going. Of course, with any luck, Congress and the president will pass a real budget that pays the bills. We can always hope, and maybe, just maybe, this downgrade will wake people up and address a situation that has gone unchecked far too long. If not, there’s always church on Sunday. Maybe that’s what they meant regarding separation between church and state. And if that doesn’t work, watch where the smart money goes.

Washington may not be smart right now, but the money always finds the way. Let’s just hope the money stays in the US and we remain relevant. Stay tuned.

Median single family home prices increased slightly in June rising 1.91% from $114,900 in May to $117,100. The 2nd qtr of 2011 was the 3rd highest on record trailing only 2010 and 2009. Inventory levels have been falling and median prices have been rising.

Median Southwest Florida Real Estate Sales Prices — SW Florida Real Estate Prices 2009-2011

Perhaps the most often asked question is, if prices have risen 30% since January, does that mean all prices have risen that much? The answer is unfortunately not. The official number is simply a median price, which means half the sales occur over $117,100 and half under that amount.

Foreclosures have dried up which has taken many sales away at the lower end of the spectrum. While this does alleviate some pricing pressure to the downside, it doesn’t automatically make higher priced properties worth more. Supply, demand, and economics dictate that. In addition, of the foreclosures we are seeing hit the market, some are at the upper end of the spectrum.

Currently we have 2 properties pre-listed that will be well over $1 million. One is a large home near the end of Captiva Island, and the other is a 5,500 sq ft bay front home in Bonita Springs that features an elevator, pool, 2 docks, and much more. While you would think these eventual sales would pull up the average price, keep in mind they are only 2 sales out of over 1300, so they don’t influence the median price as much as they would the mean average price.

Interest rates may begin rising with the uncertainty over the United States credit rating. Inevitably it looks like Congress will fail to adequately address the root cause of our debt crisis and will place bandages over gaping wounds and $54 Trillion of unfunded debt which will not settle the credit markets long term. What we see today is all political posturing and kicking the can down the road, all the while Medicare may be broke in 6 years and not there for anybody.

It just seems funny that we’re hemorrhaging $1.6 Trillion dollars this year alone which equates to us losing $4.38 Billion every single day. Congress has been talking about cutting between $1 Trillion to $2 Trillion dollars out of deficit over 10 years in return for raising debt ceiling $1-2 Trillion dollars. So in other words, we’ll reduce our deficit about $100 Billion each year for 10 years while we increase it that much today, and it will only carry us through 6 months. The deals pay off nothing and we’re nowhere close to a balanced budget, let alone paying off any of the debt. I think if the American people realized what Congress and the president are really doing, or not really doing they’d demand some action. We’re not really doing anything until we begin balancing our checkbook and paying off some of the debt. Until then, we’re making it worse everyday.

For every 1% increase in interest rates it robs borrowers 9% in purchasing power. Let’s say you were going to buy a $100,000 property today but waited and rates shot up 1% due to a downgrade in US debt. For the same money you would now only qualify for a $90,000 home, which is not good because prices have been going up and you’re still paying the same monthly payment for less home. That’s assuming you can even find a home for 9% less money that meets your needs and isn’t gobbled up by investors. It’s getting tougher for first time home buyers on every front to purchase a home, from banks lending money, to interest rates, decreasing selection, etc.

This whole debt crisis and the excuse of a US debt downgrade is a farce. The credit agencies will downgrade us anyway even if we continue to keep raising the debt ceiling unless we get our fiscal house in order. It’s kind of like a family that agrees to take on more debt. If you take on too much, your credit rating will suffer. So don’t let the politicians fool you that they’re making significant cuts or we need this to avoid default and protect our credit rating, because that’s just Washington speak.

Housing has come under enough pressure in recent years without politicians devaluing our property values because they can’t agree on a budget. Prices have been rising in SW Florida, which is good for a change. Let’s keep the positive momentum going!

Banks Revving Up For More Short Sales

Because Bank of America is the largest servicer of residential loans in the United States, it seems quite reasonable they would have the largest number of foreclosures and for a few years that was true. A few years ago Bank of America announced it was stepping up its efforts to assist homeowners with short sales in hopes of decreasing the amount of foreclosures. It takes time to ramp up, hire, and train enough people to lighten that load, and it used to be said that Bank of America was the worst at processing short sales. That can’t be said any longer as they actually closed more short sales in 2010 than foreclosure sales, and since they automated and moved their short sale process to Equator, an online sales management software tool, the process has become streamlined and much quicker.

No, we didn’t say Ecuador, a country in South America. We said Equator, an online tool qualified agents can become certified in to assist homeowners complete sales transactions. Not every agent will handle a short sale, nor should they. A short sale is a very complex transaction where the bank, or banks, asks for specific documents to help them make a decision on whether to accept less than the full mortgage payoff.

Banks Revving Up For More Short Sales — SW Florida Listing Inventory

This is a very complicated process because there are tax implications for some homeowners and investors, and the banks may sometimes ask for deficiency judgments in others. It gets really complicated when 3rd party liens are placed on the property, like HOA liens or judgments against the creditor. These must all be identified and negotiated as part of the process.

Listing agents are reticent to list these properties as they are more time intensive, and there is no guarantee the bank will agree to a short sale. Further complicating the process, the bank surely won’t agree unless every I is dotted and T crossed to satisfy their guidelines. This generally requires a hardship letter explaining why a short sale should be considered, a letter of authorization authorizing the agent to deal with all the various debtors and lien holders, bank statements, etc. Short sales also take time, as you may be dealing with a primary lender, the investor behind that loan, FNMA, a PMI company, and perhaps a 2nd loan and investor or a home equity line of credit.

Buyer agents are also reticent to show short sales as they’ve discovered some sellers are not a candidate to sell short, or the listing agent isn’t qualified to take the sale to closing. The short sale isn’t a sale to practice on, it must be done by skilled, tireless agents with experience and extensive training with the banks. If you’re a short sale seller, be sure to interview your agent and make sure they are a CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) or similar designation and have lots of experience working with different banks. Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Nationstar, BSI Financial Services, ASC, and others use Equator and expect the agent to be qualified on that system. Others, like Aurora, SunTrust, Ocwen, etc. use their own proprietary system to consider a short sale and the agent must know how to reach each and identify what each lender requires. Ideally this information should be obtained at the time of listing, not when a contract is accepted as this will further delay the process. Learning on the job isn’t a great option for buyer or seller, so working with a listing agent who has experience closing these sales helps all.

Banks today are even reaching out to agents asking to help with our short sales. Two of the largest banks are sending their customers letters on how they may be able to short sale rather than lose their property to foreclosure and they’re even recommending qualified agents to assist. A short sale is not something a For Sale By Owner can do, nor is the bank looking for that.

As you can see by the graph, approximately 31% of all single family home listings today in Lee County are listed as short sale. Listing inventory is going down, and so is short sale inventory because successful short sale closings are going up.

If you’re on the brink of affording your home or property, talk to a short sale expert. It’s amazing that of the foreclosures, 71% of the homeowners never reached out to anyone for help. Help is available, and a short sale is much better on your credit. With banks today getting better at the short sale process, it pays to ask for help. Call your agent today and ask if they can help. If not, don’t hesitate to call us and we’ll see if we can get you help now so it’s not a crisis tomorrow.

The Ellis Team currently has 3 CDPE’s on staff. A CDPE is a Certified Distressed Property Expert, which requires intensive training and extensive short sale experience to attain. To help gear up for the increased short sale demand, the Ellis Team at RE/MAX recently hired Marisa Morgan who worked many years as a long time banker with Bank of America and also in the title business. For years Realtor clients came to her asking advice on how to properly package short sales so the bank would accept them. She sat down and met with several sellers so they understood the process, so it makes sense to add Marisa’s experience to SW Florida’s premiere team to help sellers sell their short sale properties.

Brett discusses short sale issues with Marisa on this week’s Future of Real Estate show entitled “Banks Gearing Up for More Short Sales in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, SW Florida” Video.

Unofficial numbers show SW Florida real estate sales rose in June. Official numbers will be reported July 20, so as we are writing this article early in the week we have to go with internal numbers that show sales rose in June even as inventory numbers fell once again. We lost another 230 units of single family home inventory as many have been questioning where are the foreclosures banks said were coming.

From the beginning we questioned how many foreclosures would hit SW Florida as the distressed inventory directly impacts our market. Nobody seems to have a firm answer other than to say more are coming, and we don’t doubt that. The question is to what degree.

While sales rose in June, pending sales are down as we simply don’t have as much inventory to sell. Foreclosure sales in Fort Myers rose by 16 homes while Cape Coral foreclosures fell by 19 homes. Lehigh Acres foreclosure sales rose by 7.

This past week we were assigned 3 more foreclosure listings, so perhaps this is the beginning of the banks being able to release inventory. Banks have been hamstrung as legal proceedings have shown many of the banks didn’t follow proper legal procedures to foreclose on certain mortgages in certain states, and it’s caused banks to go back and start many foreclosures over and cancel hearings on others until they sort out where the mistakes were made and correct them.

In light of this legal situation, banks have increasingly been more diligent at handling and agreeing to short sales as it may take much longer for the bank/investor to be paid back partial principal if the home is tied up for months or years in foreclosure. We feel there is no advantage to holding back inventory and the sooner we sell all distressed inventory the sooner our market can recover. Others feel by holding back you can prop up prices. We believe in an attempt to prop up prices you ultimately prolong the recovery and keep prices down for longer than if you just take the medicine and deal with it.

Listing Inventory in Cape Coral, Fort Myers Florida — SW Florida real Estate Single Family Home Inventory

Without naming names, we have seen some entities holding back, but this may also be that they can only show so many losses at a time on the balance sheet.. For the most part, most banks are bringing inventory to the market as quickly as they legally can.

As of today, foreclosure listing inventory is up over last month. Fort Myers has 35 more units on the market, Cape Coral has 22 more units on the market, and Lehigh Acres has 15 more units. This could be a sign that banks are releasing. One month doesn’t make a trend, but it is a reversal in direction and July 2011 could be the beginning of that last wave to hit the market.

We’ve just added a new Cape Coral Real Estate Blog in German for our German readers. Be sure to check back for timely real estate information and videos in German. Sharyl Leifeld is a buyer specialist on the Ellis Team who speaks German and promotes education to German’s about the SW Florida real estate market.

Real estate agents today using video are turning to efficient ways to meet with clients and online video is fast becoming a favorite amongst clients to communicate with their agent. Online video has been around for years, but it has come a long way recently and has become mainstream as industry giants have adopted the technology and incorporated it into their products.

Recently Facebook added video using the Skype service to its online chat, and Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft all have video chat and Instant Messaging. Video chat is now available on smart phones as iPhone and Android have incorporated video into their handsets.

Real Estate Agents Using Video — Online Video Conference

The picture shown in this article is a video application called QIK that allows smart phones on the Sprint network to place video calls, record and share videos, upload videos to a library that can be shared, or just send a video mail message. Skype has similar features, as do Google, Yahoo, Microsoft etc. We use video conferencing over cell phones to host quick meetings amongst agents on our team when one of our agents is out in the field or can’t be face to face.

Similarly, clients love to video call as we can talk about contracts and even place items on the whiteboard for each of us to look at and talk about. Sometimes clients have specific questions about a form or contract and it helps to have it on screen and talk about where to initial or how to sign a document. Clients can also ask specific questions relating to a contract.

Photos can even be shared so we can talk about inspection items, details about what needs to be done with a repair, and bring all of the issues into proper context and perspective.

Agents can also use the technology to participate in webinars, and learn from other top agents from all around the country. We’ve done video sessions where we discuss recent short sale trends regarding specific lenders, or shared foreclosure information to assist each agent’s clients obtain the foreclosure. Agents can now share information regardless of which city they’re in and we find this useful in assisting clients. Clients are not only hiring one agent in a particular town, they’re now getting expertise from all around the country as agents have speedy access to talk to one another about particular issues.

In the old days agents would pick up the phone and call one another, or share information on groups and wait for other agents to respond. Now agents who belong to powerful networks can video chat with one another instantly in many cases.

Agents can also post timely information up to YouTube. Our YouTube channel is located at http://www.youtube.com/brettellisfl Many agents these days have YouTube channels in addition to websites and Blogs and are finding video is an important way to educate and communicate. Today’s sophisticated webcams make joining a service relatively easy, and adds two way communication versus the standard way agents communicated via video on YouTube or websites.

We really believe video will replace much wasteful travel time in the future. There is no replacement for seeing a home, but once the home is viewed an agent and client cannot always be in the same place at the same time. For instance, a client make work odd hours, or have to go out of town for awhile and yet they may not want to wasted time waiting to return home. Now that client can meet with their agent wherever they are in the world if the just have a webcam and an Internet connection, or simply even a smart phone. Today’s technology is making video chat so easy and it’s free, and one day soon we’ll all look back and wonder how we lived without it for so long.

Don’t be surprised when we hear people say, “Remember the days when people used to call each other on the telephone? Yeah, how crazy is that?” I remember the days when fax machines were a novel idea, and people used to ask back in the mid 90’s “What’s the Internet?” Thank goodness Al Gore invented it. Young people today just don’t recall what life was like before the Internet, and in a few years people may have a hard time remembering life before video phone calls.

If you haven’t tried it before, the time may be now. It’s not only a big time saver, but it’s free and fun. We hope you have as much fun communicating with people online as we do.

Now that the 4^th of July has passed, we’re entering the summer real estate market in SW Florida. Aside from showing properties in the rain, traditionally the summer has been very good with many of the locals moving up, down, or sideways when they have more time after a busy tourist season.

Of course, the past few years the locals haven’t been making nearly as many moves as many are upside down on their current mortgage, or just flat out don’t like today’s prices. There is no doubt today’s prices are too low, in fact artificially too low, but nonetheless in real estate today is all we have to work with.

Because foreclosures have dropped dramatically due to a number of legal reasons, there has been less pressure on the lower end of the market, thus raising median prices. We’ve included another graph to put prices in perspective.

Many times we like to look at velocity of the market and measure the volume, much like Wall Street does with stocks. Volume has been excellent, and would be much higher if we had more inventory to sell. Lack of inventory will cut down on the number of transactions, and we’ve already felt it.

Agents are all too well aware that many properties receive multiple offers. Buyers on the other hand are skeptical when their agent tells them they need to come in at or over asking price on many properties. In all markets there will always be some properties that are over priced, and a buyer need not ask over asking price if the property is over priced as chances are another buyer isn’t going to come along and scoop it up, unless it’s a one of a kind property, and even then it may not sell.

All too often agents tell me their buyer isn’t listening to them. This past week two agents lost out on two of our listings because we had multiple offers and one of the buyers didn’t realize what they needed to do until it was too late. One of the properties had been on the market a little while so I’m sure the buyer figured their agent was just giving them a song and dance to try and get a sale, but as the listing agent I can assure this was not the case.

Even though this property had been on the market perhaps a few months, the property got hot when all other inventory like it had disappeared and this became the best thing on the market in its location and price range.

All real estate is local, and just because you hear nationally or a particular state is a little slow doesn’t mean everywhere is. In fact, our market was getting crushed when the rest of the country was still prospering. While our market isn’t fully healed, we are seeing price increases when much of the rest of the country has just been going into a slump, which is further evidence that all real estate is local.

Over the July 4^th weekend we had several showings and several offers come in on our properties, which is encouraging for the balance of the summer. Again, these past few years have been anything but traditional, but it’s nice to know that local temperatures aren’t the only thing that’s hot right now. Buyers are here. What’s lacking has been property to sell, and inventory will probably tell the story going forward for the balance of the year. We’ll keep watching, and keep reporting.

The Unanimous Declaration of the United States of America

(Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776)

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. –Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

Reflection Lakes Fort Myers is a gated community in South Ft Myers consisting of 820 properties, 194 of which are single family homes and 358 are villa homes, and 268 condos. Reflection Lakes is centrally located off Summerlin Rd and Cypress Lake Dr with entrances from both.

Perhaps Reflection Lakes greatest beauty is the fact that it abuts Lakes Regional Park full of pristine views and wildlife. Reflection Lakes residents even have their own private entrance into Lakes Park.

Home prices are down significantly from their highs back in 2005, as all neighborhoods are. Currently there are homes priced from $145,000 to $629,700 on the market. The highest sales price for a home in 2011 has been $510,000.

Condos on the market currently range from $119,900 to $219,000. The highest condo sales price in 2011 was $185,000.

Reflection Lakes Fort Myers — 4 Bedroom 3 Bath Home in Reflection lakes

The home pictured above is currently listed by the Ellis Team for $280,000 and is located in the Las Palmas section of Reflection Lakes, formerly known as the Estates II section. The home has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and has 2433 square feet of living area. The kitchen features granite counter tops, and the home has a large private back yard with lake views. The home also has hurricane shutters.

Another amenity residents love is the clubhouse. Reflection Lakes offers clay tennis courts, a bocce court, a full sized basketball court, volleyball court, putting green, and an oversized pool with waterfall along with a children’s pool.

Reflection Lakes Billiard Room

Inside the clubhouse is an exercise room with state of the art professional workout equipment, a card room, billiard room, and a banquet room with full kitchen. The community enjoys many community events as the residents have an active recreation committee planning wonderful events year round.

Clay Tennis Courts in Reflection Lakes Fort Myers Florida — Reflection Lakes Clay Tennis Courts

Reflection Lakes is very stable financially which makes it attractive for buyers and lenders. Lenders today are skittish about lending when there are many homes in foreclosure or a certain number are unoccupied investor units. Reflection Lakes is primarily owner occupied or seasonal residents which makes getting a mortgage easier for borrowers. Fees are low and cable TV is included. Lawn mowing is included in the Villa homes and of course all condos.

We enjoy bringing you market stats and timely real estate information that impacts the market each week. To shake it up a bit, we thought every once in awhile it would be nice to update you on what’s happening in a specific community. Stay tuned and one day you just might see your community featured here.

Fort Myers Real Estate and Homes For Sale

SW Florida Real Estate Market Updates & News

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