Summer is supposed to be slow;


at least in Fort Myers. It's hot and humid and I can't even bend over and tie my shoes without dripping sweat on the laces. Floridians head to North Carolina or other places cooler up north, but the tourists head to the beach and are easily recognized by the locals by the way they are proud of their red color. For the past two weeks, however, Gail and I have been busy here in town. Today I want to tell you about North Star, High Point, Oasis, Hotel Indigo, and two historic homes for sales in Fort Myers.



Let's start with drinks and dinner at H2. Last week Gail and I joined the always vivacious Christina Boyhan, one of my most favored commercial lenders, now with Florida Community Banks, Inc.. Christina recently left First Horizon who had a residential and commercial loan production office at University Center on the corner of Summerlin and College Parkway in South Fort Myers. They recently closed the residential offices and left Jon Powell as the sole commercial loan officer in the office.



Christina wanted to introduce us to her new company and talk generally how Florida Community Banks can work with us and our developers. I asked Steve Jarvis, the developer of Brantley Commons to join us. We all enjoyed generous drinks, fine wine, and lots of tapas. H2 is one of the survivors in the downtown Fort Myers River District and Harold cooks the way I like to eat: he keeps the food coming in small portions, high quality, and always presents it well. Service is excellent. It's just plain fun eating there.



When Gail and I first arrived it took us about ten minutes to actually get to Christina; this was not because H2 was so crowded, but because we knew so many people there that evening. Near the door was Pat Riley, the project manager for Longwater Yacht Club, Longwater is being planned at the old Manatee World site on Palm Beach Blvd. and Route 75. He is also working on Caloosa Landing, across from Sweetwater on Rt. 31 and the Caloosahatchee River. Both of these projects I have been involved in for the past year or two: hotels, marinas, condos, and restaurants and perhaps timeshare vacation ownership. No links here yet folks: it's way too early. If you want more information, call me. (Developers only please; there are no presales here as the plans are still being gestated.)



North Star Yacht Club



On the other side of the bar were Jennifer Griffin from ISG and Kemp Demming of Continental Realty. Here was their news: Hypo Bank, the original lender on North Star Yacht Club, has taken over the project. Hypo had filed lis pen dens and then came to an agreement with Continental Realty to take over the project. Jennifer and Kemp are no longer involved with North Star. Hypo hired The Marketing Directors, Inc. to take over sales and marketing. Tweed Advertising was released and B-Squared has taken over the advertising. Laurie Hill, one of my favorite condo sales people (at least the most favorite not working for me!) will join the sales effort on Monday, June 23. Laurie was formally at Homes for America (Beau Rivage and St. Tropez). The sales manager at North Star is George Freelove. There have been some price changes but otherwise no other major changes yet. Call us if you want to learn more. 239-277-9309


Hotel Indigo



We also ran in to Phil Hugh. Phil is with DOC Development and has his office right around the corner from our Engel and Voelkers offices. Phil has two projects in town, the Hotel Indigo and an office building on Hendry, a few doors down from us. We are very excited about the new downtown hotel which should be open before the start of next season. The hotel will attract more nighttime visitors to The River District and with an intimate sense of class will be a welcome addition to town.



Oasis



Speaking of class, let's get to Oasis. Earlier this week Oasis had its grand opening and tour of the amenities and four furnished models. Many of you know my dear friend Kevin Manning of BBL passed away from cancer. The Oasis was one of Kevin's key projects and he was proud to be working on it and even more pleased to be involved with Jorge Perez, Micheal Klinger and The Related Group. Kevin's wife Terri and my wife, Gail, are best friends. We of course asked Terri to come to the opening with us. It was a proud moment for me to walk into the lobby of Oasis with both of these beautiful women on my arms. Micheal Klinger, project manager for The Oasis made a point to tell Terri how much Kevin was missed at the event. We also ran in to Mike Bette, owner of BBL and one of Kevin's mentors. It was a bitter sweet moment for those of us that knew Kevin.



Our impressions of Oasis: The pool area and amenities are unmatched in any other project here in Fort Myers. This is truly a resort style community. Think South Beach; think Hotel Delano. White "beds" with canopies (rumored to cost over $10,000 a piece) are scattered around the deck and are punctuated with white lounges, white tables, and fountains; No flapping curtains like the Delano, but white was everywhere and there are sweeping views of the river, downtown, and the bridges. All that is missing here is a restaurant and bar. We found the rooms also cutting edge in style; very urban, clean, and the views, oh the views! The kitchens are very Miami and more reminiscent of urban living than anything here in town.



The party was attended by many of my friends in the real estate business but also in attendance with local luminaries like Fran and John Fenning, renowned artist Darryl Pottorf, Mayor Jim Humphrey and many of vendors that made Oasis possible.



Closing will begin very soon at Oasis as Tower 2 is now complete. There, of course, will be many dropouts - perhaps 30% or more. These will be the people who will walk away from their deposits. Engel and Voelkers is working with many of the buyers and has begun marketing Oasis to the European Market.



High Point



Perhaps it is no surprise that some of the other downtown developers were in attendance. High Point marketing director, the lovely Cheryl Yano, High Point design consultant Laura Youmans and developer Nick Camerata were pleased to have another project like Oasis to bring prospects to the city. I have a few friends that have moved into Highpoint, and for full time living this is one of my favorite downtown. residences. If you have not visited this masterpiece, you need to. Please call 239-277-9309 for a tour.



Tour Downtown



For a tour of any of the downtown projects, Engel and Voelkers is the place to start. We are located at 1635 Hendry, directly across from the parking lot between Second and First Streets. We can give you or your buyers an overview of downtown and the advantages of city living.



Riverfront History



By the way, there are now two riverfront estates on the National Register of Historic Places for sale in Fort Myers. We have the 1925 Stribley Estate, next to the Edison Ford estates offered through our office. Sitting regally on 2.5 acres, this estate has been meticulously rebuilt to the most exacting standards and is now complete and ready for sale. Charles Stribley, a paper industrialist from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, built this winter retreat next his fellow industrialists Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. His home was very opulent, however, especially compared to the austere homes of his neighbors. This historic estate is offered at $5,400,000 fully furnished.



Also available downtown is the Heitman House. This 1908 riverfront masterpiece operates as a Wedding and special event center and is just a short distance from our office.



Call us for Your Real Estate Needs



Readers, we have a great deal going on in both our commercial division (Market America Realty and Investments) and our residential company: Engel And Voelkers. In the commercial arena we just closed on another Brantley Commons Building. (Market America sold four of the top twenty office transactions last year!). We have special retail opportunities now at Shoppes at Diplomat, and have just listed one the last large parcels of developable commercial properties in Cape Coral: 20+ acres - and at a price that makes developable sense. ( Link not ready yet - call me for details).



Ask me to call you



I have hinted in previous newsletters about large offerings of single family homes and condos at "blow away" prices. Be patient. We are making progress and expect some announcements soon. Condos, single family homes, and lots. If you want a phone call on these opportunities, please be so kind to email me at gregg.fous@engelvoelkers.com and make sure you are on my personal call list. Give me your full contact info in that email. When we have to offer what we have to offer, it will not be on the market long.



Thanks for your patronage. Gregg Fous 239-851-5464 Gregg.Fous@engelvoelkers.com



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