Jill Kushner - Specializing in The Colony Golf & Bay Club, Bonita Springs, Florida FL - Downing-Frye Realty Inc.

Castella is a total of 76 residences; 3 buildings of 24 units. Six stories over parking level and 4 residences on each level. Of those 76 residences, just 4 are for sale. Most of the owners love Castella for it's unique lifestyle quality, boasting the largest screened in lanais in all the condominium offerings in The Colony.

Averaging around 650 sq. feet of outdoor space, there's enough room for eating area, living and even a couple of chaise lounges...all fitting rather comfortably and presenting a perfect mix of casual and elegant living. Castella is one with Florida nature as the neighborhood is surrounded by protected lands. The resort-style pool complete with lagoon and waterfalls gives residents a sense they escaped to a island retreat. Tile throughout, except in bedrooms, this very gently and rarely occupied home is full of upgrades and is ready to enjoy. Take the tour of this rare gem, http://www.rickbethem.com/Castella-2303/index.html

Castella residents are included in all the Pelican Landing and Colony amenities....private beach park, canoe/kayak/sailing clubs (vessels provided), private waterfront dining at The Bay Club, a huge tennis program and lots of planned activities. Please inquire about the Colony's equity Golf packages now available.

Labels: Lifestyle

Tile throughout, rich kitchen finishes, designer custom features. What a find! Perfectly situated on Florencia's 10th floor for magnificent wide and expansive views of the Gulf, Estero Bay, the golf course and preserve. 2 bedrooms + den, or 3-bedroom, 2.5 baths and of course, the popular private elevator entry. 2 deeded garage spaces. $739,000

Exquisite amenities abound in Florencia, The Colony's newest luxury high rise. Business center w/computers, 2 guest suites, lavish movie theatre, state-of-the-art fitness, beautiful social room and so much more. The Colony at Pelican Landing has a private beach park available to ALL residents, 2 canoe/kayak parks, big tennis program, and private waterfront dining at The Bay Club-a destination for sunset cocktails, morning coffee and evening dining. Equity golf membership at The Colony Golf and Bay Club is also available.

Labels: Lifestyle

Bill and Dorothy Podl are enjoying their 4th season at their Florida home in The Colony. Their summer home is in Wayne, Illinois, outside of Chicago. They are members of St. Charles Country Club there and when considering a Florida home, a top end golf course and country club community were high on their wish list. When they began looking in Bonita Springs, Bill played the course at The Colony and fell in love with it. He found it to be a course he would enjoy playing day after day. An added bonus was that the size of the Colony Country Club would allow them to really get to know the members and form lasting friendships. Now, more than 3 years later, they feel very fortunate to have a place where they feel completely at home.

Not only are they delighted with their choice of The Colony and Country Club, but their condo as well. They reside in Castella, a mid-rise building with friendly residents and fabulous views of both sunrises and sunsets. The resort style pool is beautiful and a gathering place for residents.

The Podl's enjoy the community's water taxi to the private beach park and often see dolphins jumping in the wake of the boat. They feel this is a very good alternative to beach front property and now they don't even have to rent boats when visitors come.

The Colony is within minutes of shopping and fine restaurants, yet they hear no road noise from their home-just peace and quiet. They have seen a Florida panther and deer from their lanai, a great variety of birds, including the occasional Osprey flying past their windows showing off a fish in its talons.

Having the Podl's as Colony residents is real treat for everyone. They are proactive in getting new residents involved and their enthusiasm is downright infectious.

From the desk of

Holly A. Harmon, Board Certified Florida Real Estate Attorney

Living at The Colony is like having your own slice of heaven. Those that don’t live or vacation here strive to, and those that do live or vacation here strive to remain, although sometimes life situations necessitate having to move on. So whether you’re looking to buy into that slice, or have to leave that slice behind, it’s important to surround yourself with a team of qualified, informed professionals to guide you through the process.

The first and most important step is to select a knowledgeable, qualified real estate agent who is intimately familiar with the community, understands all the nuances of The Colony, and can sell both the product and the lifestyle. The second most important step is to select a good closing agent or representative to handle the transaction. It is customary in Lee County for a seller to pay the premium for issuance of an owner’s title insurance policy for the benefit of the buyer (to establish the Seller has marketable title to the property and back it up with title insurance coverage), and to select the closing agent to issue said title insurance. A Buyer in Lee County will typically retain an attorney (not a title company since title insurance is being issued by the Seller’s closing agent) to review the documents prepared by the Seller’s closing agent and otherwise represent the Buyer in all aspects of the purchase transaction.

A common missperception is that only title companies can act as closing agents and handle closings, and attorneys get involved only when issues or disputes arise. The truth is that either an attorney or title company may act in that capacity; in fact, they are direct competitors. Nearly all real estate attorneys are title agents and several, this author included, make their living handling closings and issuing title insurance. One would argue that hiring an attorney to act as closing agent reduces the likelihood of having issues or disputes. Another common misperception is that attorneys’ closing fees are higher than those of a title company, when in fact, they are very competitive.

The roles and functions of attorneys and title companies differ greatly. An attorney handling your sale or purchase transaction can answer legal questions and dispense legal advice, resolve legal issues, and generally represent your interests exclusive of all others’. A title company essentially represents the transaction, and when legal issues, disputes and matters arise, must refer their customer to an attorney.

A thorough discussion of this topic requires more space than this newsletter can accommodate, so I will conclude with this thought: sale and purchase transactions are equal parts excitement and stress. Minimize the stress and maximize the excitement by making informed and reasoned decisions when selecting your representatives …your slice of heaven depends on it.

Note: Ms. Harmon is a sole practitioner with the law firm Holly A. Harmon, Chartered. She is a graduate of Florida State College of Law and has practiced real estate law for 26 years, 24 of those exclusively in real estate. Her office number is (239) 596-0886.