Increased Demand in February Shows Homebuyers Recognize a Great Value

Contacts: Corey McCloskey, NABOR® Media Relations Committee Chair, (239) 597-1666

Marcia Albert, NABOR® Director of Marketing, (239) 597-1666

Naples, FL (March 24, 2021) – The February 2021 Market Report, released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS^® (NABOR^®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), marks the last month of comparative activity before the pandemic shuttered the global economy in March 2020. That said, overall closed sales of existing homes in Naples for February increased 62 percent to 1,307 closed sales from 807 closed sales in February 2020.

Broker analysts reviewing the February 2021 Market Report were not surprised at the increased momentum as many report buyers are scooping up the available inventory of homes in all geographic locations within Naples almost as fast as they come onto the market. Inventory fell 68.8 percent in February to 2,224 homes from 7,127 homes in February 2020.

Single-family homes continue to be in high demand so, according to the report, many buyers pivoted to condominiums in February. As a result, the condominium market experienced a 75.7 percent increase in closed sales and a 66.6 percent decrease in inventory. In fact, condominium sales in February 2021 eclipsed its comparable sales in any month over the past 15 years.

“This is not a housing boom as many people suggest,” said Spencer Haynes, Vice President of Business Development and Broker with John R. Wood Properties. “I consider it a ‘market correction,’ as our area has simply been undervalued until now and it is finally experiencing its due appreciation.”

Haynes added that “in many desirable locations like California and Atlanta, high buyer demand, low inventory, and rising prices have been a reality for years. And unlike 2005/2006, activity is not a result of ‘manufactured wealth’. Sales today are done with real money, which is why home values in our area are finally increasing. Besides, we have what everyone is looking for as it’s now possible to work from anywhere in the world so why not live and work in paradise.”

The Naples Area Board of REALTORS^® (NABOR^®) is an established organization (Chartered in 1949) whose members have a positive and progressive impact on the Naples Community. NABOR^® is a local board of REALTORS^® and real estate professionals with a legacy of nearly 60 years serving 6,000 plus members. NABOR® is a member of the Florida Realtors and the National Association of REALTORS^®, which is the largest association in the United States with more than 1.3 million members and over 1,400 local board of REALTORS^® nationwide. NABOR^® is structured to provide programs and services to its membership through various committees and the NABOR^® Board of Directors, all of whose members are non-paid volunteers.