Captiva Island Shelling

North Captiva Island, also called Upper Captiva Island, has some of the best shelling in SW Florida. Though Sanibel always seems to be in the shelling limelight thanks to many dollars spent every year on advertising, some of the other barrier islands have equal or better shelling opportunities - and with less people around to compete for the best shells. My favorite spot is on the state preserve land on North Captiva. On this magical stretch of beach, you can walk for almost two miles without seeing a house. There is a little pass down toward the south end that was created from Hurricane Charlie in Aug 2004 ( visit this site for pictures http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/charley/ ). At low tide, you can find hundreds of sand dollars, various conch shells, olives, etc. The only place that rivals this area on North Captiva, is the mostly state owned island of Cayo Costa - which is located one island north of North Captiva. There is great shelling there, too. Perhaps I will touch on Cayo Costa on a future post.

North Captiva Island Real Estate Market

So you might ask how the tiny undiscovered island of Upper Captiva (off the coast of SW Florida) has fared after talk of hurricanes, higher insurance premiums on the way, higher taxes, and with the island still in the rebuilding process from the devastation of Hurricane Charley in Aug 2004. Unlike many markets in Florida, North Captiva isn't showing large increases in inventory ( atleast not yet! ). I find it funny how many realtors remain as bullish as ever in these markets - do they not watch the MLS? As for North Captiva, the summer brought a wave of buyers who scooped up almost all of the lots priced below $200,000 ( you can see some of the current island inventory at http://www.northcaptiva.net ). After all, where else could you buy lots on a Florida island within walking distance to a beautiful beach for that price? Or even $50,000 higher? That is the key. As we enter the next phase of the real estate market - a much more difficult phase - you must look harder to find value. You will have to ask yourself this question: could my investment appreciate in a flat market that lasts for several years? To do that, you will need to one or more of the following things:
1) Pay the right price
2) Buy in an area with improving fundamentals
3) Buy in an area with good supply/demand characteristics ( one reason I like islands )
4) Buy in an undervalued and undiscovered area