Naples, Florida has some of the most amazing waterfront homes in the world. Like a box of chocolates, Naples waterfront homes and condos in Naples FL come in many different shapes and flavors. From luxury, beachfront mansions with post card views of the Gulf of Mexico to canal and bay front homes with deep water access to the Gulf, the Naples waterfront can be defined in many ways. Even the natural and man-made lakes are considered “waterfront” in Naples. On the Naples waterfront, there is something for everyone.

Port Royal Waterfont Home on Admiralty Bay

Naples is a boater’s playground. In several Naples communities, finger-like streets with canals on both sides connect to bays and then to three main deep water passes that lead to the Gulf of Mexico. Each of these streets surrounded by canals hold some of the most sough-after waterfront homes in the world.

In Olde Naples, Naples Bay and Crayton Cove (home of the famous Great Dock Canoe Race) are the epicenter of Naples waterfront and boating. From marinas (including the City Dock) and yaht clubs surrounding, you can dock, launch, fuel or even rent a boat. When your’re ready you can venture out to the Gulf through Admiralty Bay and Gordon Pass or through the in-land waterways to Key Waydin Island or further to Marco Island.

Boating communities in Olde Naples include Port Royal, Aqualane Shores and Royal Harbor. Each of these communities offers deep water access with no bridges to pass under before you reach the Gulf.

Just north of Olde Naples, is the nautically themed Moorings. Streets like Rudder Rd. and Spinnaker Dr. have Naples FL homes on the water with docks and lifts for power boats, sail boats and jet skiis. From there boaters navigate through the extra wide Moorings Bay to Gulf access through Doctors Pass.

Even further north is Park Shore and Seagate. This area also has many Naples homes on the water. Boaters from this area pass through Venetian Bay and Inner Doctors Bay to Moorings Bay, then out to the Gulf through Doctors Pass. All of this becomes crystal clear when looking at a map of the Naples coastline.

Furthest north on the Naples waterfront is the Vanderbilt Beach area. Waterfront views and Gulf access can be found in the Conners area of Vanderbilt Beach. Boating in this area is a bit more challenging (this comes from personal experience over the years). These canals and waterways are tough to navigate with larger drafting boats and at low tide. Wiggins gives boaters in this area access to the Gulf of Mexico, but beware of shifting sandbars and oyster beds when navigating these waters.

The Conners subdivision has some of the best values in Naples waterfront homes (click here to see Conners waterfront homes for sale). Yes, you have to deal with tricky navigation at low tide, but there are some beautiful waterfront homes that would be priced much higher if they were located in the Moorings or Aqualane Shores.

For those that must have Naples beachfront homes and condos with views of the Gulf of Mexico, Naples is your paradise. Ah, to step out your back door, walk across your backyard and sink your toes into the warm, white sand of the Naples Beach. Can it get any better?

Naples, Florida has over 7 miles of the most beautiful white sand beaches you will ever experience. The Travel Channel voted us the “Best Beach in America” and Naples pops up on many top 10 beach lists around the world. In fact, one of the unique features of Olde Naples is that almost every avenue dead-ends at the beach. There is public parking in metered spaces and special resident spaces that require a County Beach Parking Permit. These permits are easily obtained by Collier County residents for no charge.

Naples beachfront homes and condos (here I’m talking right in front of the sand, not across the street)  currently range in price from a low of $499,000 for an older condo to over $22 million for the highest priced luxury homes on the beaches in front of Olde Naples and Port Royal. In between those extremes, there is a lot to choose from. It only depends on how large and how new you want your Naples beachfront home or condo (click here to see my favorite beachfront condo in Naples, Sancerre).

For a list of homes with views of the Gulf, canal, bays or lakes in Naples, please use our advanced property search and select the “Waterfront Description” (halfway down the page to the left) you prefer.

As a 30+ year resident, I grew-up living in Naples waterfront homes and boating on the local waterways. If you have any questions about the Naples or would like to view any of the properties you see on our website, I’d love to help you find that beachfront or waterfront home of your dreams. You can email me here or call 239-417-1115.

Sancerre, in my humble opinion, has the best Naples Florida beachfront condos in all of Naples real estate. This prestigious Gulf front address, located at 1801 Gulfshore Boulevard North, offers privacy and world class service to 23 of the finest properties ever available in Naples.

In fact, the term condo hardly befits such a luxurious property as this. Home or enclave of homes is a much more fitting way to define the Sancerre Naples. According to the concierge, “our goal is to make it (Sancerre) feel like a home for out residents and their guests.”

Quality of life sets Sancerre Naples apart from other beachfront condos. Concierge service is available 24-hours per day. Form assisting with travel arrangements to assisting with groceries, private massages, restaurant reservations and placing chairs and umbrellas on the beach, virtually anything legal can be provided by the Sancerre concierge staff.

One of my favorite traditions of this home on the beach is the nightly lighting of the outdoor fireplace located in the pool area by the beach. Year-round, Rain or shine, the outdoor fireplace is lit every evening. Residents love the homey feeling of seeing a fire in their view of the beach and Gulf of Mexico from their windows above.

The building itself is 9 stories with a prime location minutes from Olde Naples in the Moorings just south of Doctor’s Pass. Residences range from 4,037  to over 4,653 sqare feet of living area and from $3.4 to $3.8 million. The complex is gated and has guarded security. Most units have 1-car garages and spaces for more parking in front and beside the building. There are a couple two-car garages deeded to certain units.

In addition to spectacular views of the beach and Gulf from every unit, residents enjoy a heated beachfront pool and spa. Private elevators bring you to a private foyer before entry into each residence. If 4 bedrooms are not enough, there are extra guest suites available on the concierge level.

Sancerre in Naples Florida is truly a place that anyone would be happy to call home.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL SANCERRE NAPLES CONDOS FOR SALE & SEE MORE INFORMATION.

Naples real estate has never seen such great deals on Naples FL homes! Don’t miss this amazing 5 Acre Ranch in north Naples near the beach. Great location for a Naples luxury home with tennis, resort-style pool and horse stables – what more could you ask for?

5 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms
6010 Square Feet

Listing # 210015917

Welcome home to Equus Ranch! This exquisitely designed Naples home with amazing detail sits on a spacious 5 acres! Enjoy a lifestyle that includes a tennis court, the finest dressage riding ring in the area & 3 turn out pastures next to a 16ft aisle barn that has 4 individual paddocked stalls & a guest room w/ full bath that can easily be converted to a guest house, 10ft deep rock lined pool w/ waterfalls, a slide & a cave, 2 basketball courts, Viking grill outside/bar and kitchen and more! On the interior, you’ll love the 16ft soaring ceilings w/ unique wooden trim work, Faux painting & design by an Austrian Artist, theatre/projector room w/ full bath (can also be a guest room), 2 mini-master bedrooms upstairs w/ built in desks & their own full baths, Viking and sub-zero appliances in kitchen & plenty more! Livingston Woods is a very unique Naples FL neighborhood offering large, private lots west of I-75 and is situated across from Community School of Naples.

Contact Mark Weber, Broker/Owner of White Sands Realty in Naples FL for more information or call directly at 239-417-1115.

One of the most frequent questions we get as Naples Realtors is whether our clients should look at Naples foreclosures or short sales to get the best deal on Naples FL homes and condos for sale.

White Sands Realty always recommends going with a foreclosure over a short sale of the same caliber and location. Bank owned foreclosures offer several advantages including:

• Clear Title – Tax and other liens must be settled at the time the lender forecloses.
• Faster Response Time - Short Sales (really, “Long Sales”) on Naples FL homes can take 3 months to over a year with no guarantees. Banks respond within a week or less in most cases.
• Straight Forward – On Short Sales, just before closing the bank may ask a buyer to pay off a lien or portion thereof. That doesn’t happen in a foreclosure.
• Clean Pools & Mowed Yards – Most bank owned foreclosures are kept in livable condition by the bank. This is not so in a short sale where pools can take thousands of dollars to restore to their working state.
• Financing Available – Financing is more readily available for foreclosures. Short sales are purchased mainly by cash buyers. Although, many banks like cash on foreclosures as well.

Even though the short sale process is improving through government incentives to the losing bank, it can still be a time consuming process for the buyer looking for a great deal on Naples homes.

In a short sale the lender is agreeing to take less than the lendee (seller) owes them on the property. The lender is primarily concerned about making sure the seller is truly unable to pay them and not just “unwilling” to do so. This investigation of the seller is what takes the majority of the time in a short sale. Yes, the lender is concerned about the property valuation, but their primary concern is preventing sellers who are able to pay from walking away from their obligations. As a buyer, this investigation process can be frustrating to say the least. Buyers are seldom made aware of all the behind-the-scenes requests made to the property seller and they are left wondering. As a result, most short sale buyers often walk away before the bank ever gets back with an approval.

On the other hand, Naples foreclosures are already bank owned and the lenders losses are already known. The previous owner is out of the picture and the bank must only decide what further loss they are willing to take on this particular property.

Select this link for a complete list of all Naples foreclosures from below $50,000 to over $3 million.

4 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms
1 Partial Baths
4410 Square Feet

Listing # 210008121

NAPLES FL HOME – REDUCED $1 MILLION! This stunning Naples home is beyond compare. Situated on the 6th green of Mediterra‘s North course (West of Livingston Rd in the most desired section of Mediterra) in the exclusive neighborhood of Positano, the expansive golf course views are unsurpassed. No detail has been left to chance. Classic Tuscan design is complemented with rusticated stone and antique exterior finishes. Lush interior courtyard with fountain, outdoor summer kitchen and bar area, deluxe audio system, exterior landscape lighting, real brick inlayed to the foyer ceiling, wood beams, artistic faux paintings, professionally decorated by Collins & Dupont. Owner is moving to a larger home within Mediterra. Once a Mediterra resident, you’ll never want to leave. Although the pictures are spectacular, you will be even more impressed in person. Come see it today or take a virutual tour now.

Contact us for more information on this, or more amazing Naples FL Homes.

Olde Naples homes and condos are perfectly located in the epicenter of Naples life. “Olde Naples” is often loosely defined but primarily includes all real estate from Golf Drive (at the north end) down to 14th Ave South that is west of US 41 or the Tamiami Trail. It also encompasses the property south of 41 (as it turns west to Miami) and west of the Gordon River where Tin City and the Riverwalk restaurant are located.

Naples real estate to the south of 14th Ave South includes the subdivisions of Aqualane Shores and Port Royal. These areas are not Olde Naples. They were man-made in the 1950′s and are therefore not “olde” by Naples standards.

Old Naples is a charming combination of old beach cottages (some dating back to the early 20th century) and new luxury homes situated peacefully among hundreds of tall coconut palms bent and twisted by the winds and weather.

One of he main draws is the proximity to the beautiful white sand beaches Naples is famous for. Almost every avenue, from Golf Drive to 14th Avenue ends at the beachfront. There is public parking and exclusive beach parking for local residents. Each avenue is unique, some with park benches are favorite spots for locals to watch the amazing Naples sunsets.

This charming Gulf Coast city is beyond compare. Neapolitan architecture is at the heart of the casual yet sophisticated lifestyle. A walk down the coconut palm lined streets of 3rd Street or 5th Avenue South will give you a taste of the Naples way of life. Boutique shopping, art galleries and sidewalk cafés abound.

Current Olde Naples real estate prices vary greatly. On the low end of Naples properties, a small one-bedroom condo can sell in the low $100’s and, at the upper end, a home directly on the beach with waterfront views of the Gulf of Mexico, for over $6 million. In between are Naples FL homes and condos for everyone.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OLDE NAPLES HOMES & CONDOS

I know, I know, I wouldn’t believe a Realtor either if I didn’t see the statistics for myself. But yes, there are communities in Naples, Florida where home prices have actually increased over the last year.

If you listen carefully enough, the statistics are whispering to you that prices may be ready to increase across the board and you will miss the opportunity to buy at prices that may never be this low again.

According to Zillow.com, home values in Pelican Bay in Naples, Florida have risen 3.9% year-over-year and 7% quarter-Over-quarter as of May 31, 2010. See the chart to the left showing the dramatic upswing in Pelican Bay property values.

The increase in Pelican Bay real estate value has a lot to do with sellers. Sellers willingness to slash prices to get sales last summer is a thing of the past. As inventory has dropped and sales have increased, current sellers are holding strong. They are not willing to drop their prices as much to make a sale. Seller stances like this are one of the first signs of a bottom in the market and a brighter future for the entire Naples real estate market.

At White Sands Realty, we have also seen increasing values in new home communities like Marbella Lakes where home buyers have seen an increase of over 6% in home values over the last year.

As more and more communities in Naples like Pelican Bay and Marbella Lakes see small increases in value, Naples real estate as a whole will begin to turn the corner to recovery – if that hasn’t started already.

Don’t miss the boat! Start your search for all Naples homes and condos for sale today at www.WhiteSandsNaples.com

Best Regards,

Mark Weber, Naples Realtor, Broker & Owner
Naples Area Board of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Florida Association of Realtors

Read how White Sands Realty began & the reasons behind their success in an Interview with Mark Weber.

Luxury Naples Home on 10 Acres in Florida. Listed on Naples MLS for $8.75 Million. This is one of the top Naples real estate properties with lots of land so near the beach. This home was the winner of the 2009 CBIA SAND DOLLAR AWARD / EXEC HOME. There are

actually 2 luxury estate Southern styled homes on a private lake. The main home (5-suites, 3-bay garage, cabana, pool & spa) offers marble & hardwood floors, soaring ceilings, custom woodwork, elevator, huge feature windows, top of the range appliances, gourmet kitchen, sunken wet bar, butler’s pantry & laundry/mud room. 3rd floor wood finished library. Wired for every conceivable use. State of the art finishes & elegant craftsmanship throughout. Slate tile terraces. Indoor/outdoor fireplaces and 3 A/C systems, high performance air handlers. The 3,625 S/F Guest House offers 3-suites, loft, study, hot tub, detached 2-bay garage & office. Rainwater piped into the lake for irrigation. Private septic, sewer, reverse osmosis system + 2,000 gal tank & 2 back-up gas generators. 20 horses permitted on this high, dry and cleared property west of I-75. This is an amazing luxury Naples home within 8 minutes of the beach and 12 minutes to Olde Naples. Mercato is only 5 minutes away. Call Mark Weber at White Sands Realty 239-417-1115 for more information on this amazing Naples real estate for sale.

By Mark Weber

Finding your perfect home can be a challenge for new and seasoned home buyers alike. Whether you are looking for a home in my hometown of Naples, Florida or anywhere in the world, there are some basic steps you should take to ensure your success.

1. Research before you look. 87% of buyers now begin their home search on the Internet according to the National Association of Realtors®. This is an important step that can mean more wasted time than not unless you find and use a comprehensive web site. This portal to the local real estate multiple listing service (MLS) should allow you free access to all the local listings and the ability to narrow your search from a wide range of criteria. Sites that only allow you limited access until you send them your most intimate personal details and are nothing more than lead generation tools for the designers are not the places you want to be spending your time.  Also steer clear of web sites that only give you the agent or office listings. You want to see everything in the local MLS and then narrow your search to the best of the best.

Our site, www.whitesandsnaples.com is a prime example of what to look for in a local real estate search. We designed our award winning web site to allow buyers from around the world to see everything for sale in Naples Florida just like a Naples Realtor would. You can search for Naples foreclosures and eliminate short sales if you like. It even allows you to search for vacant land, rentals, and Naples commercial property.

If you’re looking for similar web sites in different areas you should use www.Google.com,  www.Yahoo.com, or www.Bing.com and type in the name of the area (In our case: Naples Florida), then the terms “Real Estate.” Example: “Naples Florida Real Estate.”

Once you find an easy-to-use site that allows you access to all MLS listings in the local area, go to the “About” tab and read about the experience and background of the company or Realtor who set up the site. If you like what you see, don’t be afraid to sign up for more information and email them directly with your contact information. If they respond timely and professionally, then you know you have found someone in the area that can help you find your dream home (see step 8).

Ask your new contact lots of questions, but be sure to …

2. Be realistic. It’s OK to be picky, but don’t be unrealistic with your expectations. There’s no such thing as a perfect home. Use your list of priorities as a guide to evaluate each property.

3. Get your finances in order. Really this should be done prior to step 1. You don’t want to fall in love with something you can’t afford. Review your credit report and be sure you have enough money to cover your down payment and closing costs. Then, talk to a lender and get prequalified for a mortgage. This will help when it comes to negotiations. Many sellers will ask for your prequalification letter and if you already have it ready it will give you an edge and show your sincerity to the seller. This could lead to better pricing or terms on your end.

Be wary of online lenders and amazing low rates. Chances are these entry rates will come with lots of additional fees tacked on. Also many of these online lenders work out of their homes and will tell you just about anything to get your business. Ask your local Realtor from step 1 who he recommends. Realtors tend to choose the best lenders that get the job done and keep their buyers happy.

4. Don’t ask too many people for opinions. It will drive you crazy. Select one or two people to turn to if you feel you need a second opinion, but be ready to make the final decision with your spouse or on your own. If you’ve done your homework in the above steps, you can be confident your making an educated decision. Don’t second guess yourself. Focus on the beauty of your new home and enjoy everything it has to offer.

5. Decide your moving time-line. When is your lease up? Are you allowed to sublet? How tight is the rental market in your area? All of these factors will help you determine when you should move. Remember that when you get to the negotiation table you will most likely have the edge if you can move quickly, especially if the property is vacant. Sellers expenses can add up if you delay the closing for more than forty-five days. Every month that goes by they have to pay more taxes and other fees to maintain the property.

6. Think long term. Are you looking for a starter house with plans to move up in a few years, or do you hope to stay in this home for a longer period? This decision may dictate what type of home you’ll buy as well as the type of mortgage terms that will best suit you.

7. Insist on a home inspection. Always do a basic home inspection from a reputable home inspector. Your Realtor should be able to recommend one or two inspectors. If mold or radon is suspected, don’t hesitate to add these to the inspection. Pool equipment should also be inspected by a pool company if it’s present. If possible, get a warranty from the seller to cover defects for one year. Some inspection companies provide warranties as well.

8. Research & Hire a REALTOR®. I mentioned this already in step one, but it’s worth mentioning again that you should be committed to one Realtor in the area where you’re buying. Google them by name and company and ask for references and reviews. I always tell my new customers to Google me at “Mark Weber Naples” and look up my reviews on “Insider Pages“. These are excellent sources to find background information on your local real estate professional. The Internet has the good, bad and the ugly. If there is someone out there they have wronged it will likely show up. Conversely if they are great at what they do, it will also show up in these simple background searches anyone can do.

When you’re confident, hire a Realtor who specializes in buyer representation. Unlike a listing agent, whose first duty is to the seller, a buyer’s representative is working only for you. Buyer’s reps paid out of the seller’s commission payment. They work hard on your behalf to get you the best deal possible. They are obligated by law  to be loyal to you and most of all protect you.

Return the same loyalty to your chosen Realtor. If you see an open house on Sunday while driving by, let the agent inside know you are working with another Realtor and they should respect that. Keep some of your Realtors business cards and hand them out if another agent asks or hounds you for information. Loyalty is a two way street and you will be rewarded in spades when your Realtor goes to bat for you during tough negotiations.

Loving where you live is one of the best feelings in the world. Follow these steps and you will find the home of your dreams. Remember it’s a process. You will go through ups and downs along the way, but in the end you will know you made the right decision.

Mark Weber is the Broker & Owner of White Sands Realty in Naples, Florida. He has been a Realtor for 18 years.