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Other Islands close to Sanibel & Captiva

Other Southwest Florida Islands

There are five major island communities in Southwest Florida. Traveling from north to south, they are Boca Grande, Captiva, Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach and Marco Island. We specialize in Sanibel and Captiva property, but if you’re interested in other islands, we can help you there too. Here’s some information about them. 

Boca Grande – Gasparilla Island. Cape Cod in Florida

The Village of Boca Grande is located on Gasparilla Island, 15 miles south of Englewood and 20 miles south west of Port Charlotte. It’s connected to the mainland by a very short drawbridge at the little town of Placida.

Gasparilla Island is half a mile at its widest point and seven miles long and the village of Boca Grande is situated five miles south of the causeway and has the ambiance of a Cape Cod village with quaint multicolored pastel cottages, village shops, restaurants and marinas reminiscent of New England. There are no high rise buildings . Most of the 1,000 year‑round residents of Gasparilla Island cluster around the village area where some magnificent vintage Gulf front estates are interspersed with old Florida style cottages.

Many of the 1,500 homes on the island are on the water.

Boca Grande is undergoing a real estate boom and, at the time of writing, there are only a handful of  waterfront homes left on the market.

Estero Island -Fun in the Sun

Officially named Fort Myers Beach, even though it is some 15 miles away from the city of Fort Myers, Estero Island stretches seven miles from north to south hugging the Lee Island Coast. “The Beach,” as it is informally known, is connected on the northern shore by a high span bridge and on the south end by a drawbridge which leads to Lovers Key Recreation Area and on to Bonita Beach and Bonita Springs.

The town center at the foot of the high span bridge is called Times Square, a busy walking mall with colorful brick pavers, a community fishing pier, public beach, souvenir shops and an assortment of small restaurants with outdoor tables to watch the world go by.

The southern end of Estero is more residential in nature. Along the beach front, high rise condominium complexes are interspersed with single family homes. Away from the beach, most of the building consists of single family homes.

The year round population of Fort Myers Beach is 7,500 with 4,800 registered voters. This increases to some 45,000 at the height of the winter season, particularly during Spring Break when families and students from throughout the nation flock to “The Beach” for fun and frolic.

Marco Island - Edge of the Everglades

Marco, the most southerly island of the group, is six miles long and four miles wide. Located some 25 miles from Naples, on the southwestern tip of Florida at the entrance to the Everglades, it is the closest to Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Although not the largest in land area, it has the largest population with year‑round residents numbering some 12,000. This increases to around 38,000 in season.

In addition to beach and water attractions, Marco Island boasts golf courses and very good fishing. Close to the Everglades National Park, it offers a number of eco tours. Yet the sophisticated city of Naples with its galleries, fine stores, and cultural offerings is relatively close.

Currently there are some 23,000 homes and condos on the island. Although the number of new condos which can be built are very limited, there is availability for some 5,000 more single family homes.

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Average island prices drop but sales pick up pointing to good season

The average price of property sold on Sanibel between January 1st and September 30th has dropped 19% so far this year making a 25 percent decrease on average prices of sold property on Sanibel over two years.

The most expensive properties showed the biggest drop with a 27 percent drop in beachfront property prices and a 23 percent drop in bay front property. The only property type that gained was inland property which increased 13 percent in the first three quarters of this year.

Captiva fared no better with property prices overall dropping 30 percent over the year and 26 percent over two years. All categories dropped with near beach properties dropping as much as 55 percent.

Take a longer view and the picture is better. Captiva does better than Sanibel. Over five years, the average price of Captiva property has gained 57 percent. (But bear in mind that Captiva was still recovering from Hurricane Charlie five years ago and prices were depressed.) Average prices on Sanibel dropped just  9 percent over five years.

 

Take a still longer view and all categories fared, if not brilliantly, at least adequately.  Sanibel prices have increased 50 percent in the last ten years  and Captiva prices have gone up 42 percent with Captiva beachfront and Captiva near beach homes starring with 86 percent and 94 percent increases respectively. For a spreadsheet of island prices over ten years and more, e-mail Wendy at Wendy@SanibelProperty.com

And now for even better news……  Following a dismal start, a lackluster spring and a mediocre summer, sales have already started picking up for the fall with 17 homes and 14 condos either pending or contingent. This is highly unusual: October is generally our slowest month.