Much to Appreciate

There's an Alan Sandlin in any of us who've been here longer than a couple of years. As we note in our guide to the region's neighborhoods, in 1986, Sandlin, a Marco Island resident and realtor, balked at what he considered the outrageous price of $30,000 for a lot on the Marco Island waterfront. Had he known then that the $30,000 lot would appreciate some $970,000 by 2004, he'd have come up with the money without hesitating. From the Peace and Orange rivers to what was not long ago the middle-of-nowhere Bonita Springs or Estero, long-timers have seen Southwest Florida property soar to previously unimaginable heights. Even short-timers like me have witnessed the lightning-fast increase of property prices in remote parts of Cape Coral, and watched development push east of Interstate 75 along Bonita Beach Road and Colonial and Palm Beach boulevards and north into Sarasota" target="_blank">Charlotte County. We've seen business and housing opportunities arise along the once lonely stretch of U.S. 41 between Fort Myers and Naples. We've watched prospectors get serious-and become successful-about assembling large tracts in what just a few years ago was Nowheresville, Florida.

This is a story that has played out in Southwest Florida ever since Barron Gift Collier and Thomas Edison discovered the charms of Collier County and Fort Myers, and long before Money magazine named Sarasota" target="_blank">Charlotte County one of its Best Places to Live.

Of course, we know that, and so do you. That's why you're here, and that's why you're looking for your own piece of paradise. You know there is so much to appreciate about our market-glorious beaches and sunsets, fabulous houses at all price points, beautiful weather, wonderful people-the list goes on. And thanks to our history of price appreciation, while you're out there looking for your place along the Gulfshore, you can pretty much rest assured it will be worth more a year from now. Five years, 10 years. You get the picture.

Most important, this is going to be the place you come home to after a morning on the links or struggling with the one that got away, after an afternoon at the beach or pool, after a long day at the office, for a few balmy winter months or whenever you need a quick weekend getaway. It's going to be a special place that you'll enjoy. and appreciate.