Bill Gillhespy's Fort Myers Beach Blog

Mr Banker: Please, Just Shut Up !!! Zip it !!!

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:40:34 -0700

Mr Banker: Please, just shut up !!! At a recent open house on a short sale property I was speaking with a nice couple who were looking for a great deal on a canal home here on Fort Myers Beach. A second couple walked in, I acknowledged them and continued speaking with the first couple.

The man interrupted and asked what the price was. I answered and he scoffed, indicating his opinion was much lower. Our conversation included his comment that it would never appraise at the $280k list price, that it would take a minimum of $200k to " Fix it up a little..." and that " I am a banker so I know more about these things. "

I tried to assure him it would appraise well , needs no where near $200k in repairs, etc. His entire comments were negative about this listing and his attitude was obviously condescending. The first couple looked shocked and headed for the door. " Mr Banker " walked them out to their car and said " I'm a banker. I gaurantee you it won't appraise anywhere near that price." Oh, did I say that all of this was without him even walking through the property ?

So, a " banker " knows more about property values than a local agent ? A banker thinks it is o.k. to disparage a property in front of a potential buyer ? A banker knowes a property value without even looking aroound the place ? Hey, Mr Banker, just shut up !!

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

OPEN HOUSE - Sunday Feb 12, 2012 1 PM - 3 PM

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:42:38 -0800

I will be holding the 3 bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage canal home " open " today from 1 Pm - 3 PM. This home is absolutely immaculate in every way ! many wonderful family memories here and your family can do the same. Located on a wide canal leading to the bay and on to the Gulf of Mexico.

3 Bedroom canal home located in Fairview Isles on Fort Myers Beach " OPEN " today from 1 PM - 3 PM

This beautiful canal home is located in highly sought after Fairview Isles on Fort Myers Beach. Mid island location is close to shopping, restaurants, pharmacy and one of the nicest stretches of Gulf of Mexico beach. Plenty of room for a pool. Update to your own taste. Truss system trqnsfers roof weight to exterior walls making interior changes simple and far less expensive.

Upgraded truss system, exterior & attic insulation already done. Small dock and boat davits in place. Fairview Isles is a very nice and friendly community of full and part time residents.

This terrific home is listed @ # 449,000 and compares very well to other nearby listings. If you can find a better value than this - buy it quick !

For a private showing call me direct 239 - 699-7128.

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach World Championships of Sand Sculpture Winners - 2011

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:46:01 -0800

Fort Myers Beach Hosts the World Championships of Sand Sculpting - Nov 2011 For the first time ever the " World " sand sculpting event was held in the state of Florida. It followed by 2 weeks the American Sand Sculpting Championships. Masters level sculpters qualified for the world event at various national competitions. Contestants must endure a brutal " pound up " phase of alternating sand, water and compacting to ensure the sand holds together once the forms are removed.

The carving is done on a very strict schedule and no additional help is allowed. The winners for the 2011 Fort Myers Beach World Championships of Sand Sculpting are as follows:

First place: Fallen Empire

Second Place: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Third Place: Stretched Too Thin

Peoples' Choice Award - \

The event drew close to 100,000 visitors over the ten day event which took place on the beach in front of the Fort Myers Beach Holiday Inn. The amazing sculptures and enthusiatic support from visitors and locals alike hopefully will bring this world class event back again next year !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach 25th Annual Sand Sculpting Championships, Nov 3-6, 2011

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:29:21 -0700

The Fort Myers Beach 25th Annual American Sand Sculpting Championship takes place Nov 3 - 6, 2011. If you are looking for a totally unique experience for the family you owe it to yourself to attend our annual sand sculpting contest ! Competitors from all over the world gather here to show their amazing carving skills. Each entrant is provided a mound of our beach sand and must complete their sculpting by the Sunday judging. The event takes place in front of the Gullwing Resort ( 6620 Estero Blvd ) here on Fort Myers Beach. The event draws approx 50,000 visitors and you should plan to park in the area and catch the beach trolly to0 the site.

The competitors must follow a strict schedule and no help is allowed. The forms are filled with 3-4 inches of sand, soaked and then packed until hard. This is brutal work ! After the desired height is achieved the forms are removed and the sculptor begins a rough outline of the final sculpting.

The event begins at 8 am and runs till dark. Get there early, visit the vendor booths and enjoy our island paradise ! Remember also that the World Sand Sculpting Championships come to Fort Myers Beach later this month: Nov 18. Is it time to buy your own sand castle ?

Bill Gillhespy, Realtor

239 699-7128

www.BillGillhespy.com

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach " Smokin' In The Mangroves " BBQ Cook Off !

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:53:09 -0700

If you are lucky enough to be on Fort Myers Beach today, Saturday, June 18, 2011 you might have noticed a delicious aroma in the air. That aroma is from the first annual " Smokin In The Mangroves " BBQ competition. The teams have been here since yesterday and most have their smokers going since then. This is a "Blind Judging " contest where everyone competes on a level playing field. The judges do not know which team made which entry ! Even a first timer can win with the best tasting entry.

The competition is being held at the Santini Plaza directly in front of the marina at the south end. Teams are here from all over the southland and many bring with them trophies and awards as proof of their prowess ! Smokers can prepare any type of meat they want but only chicken, ribs and pork will be submitted for judging.

Walking among the teams and seeing & smelling the smoke is truly intoxicating to anyone who appreciates great smoked meat. Some of the teams had huge multi grate rigs while others were more on the amateur level.

Competitors may elect to enter all three meats and sell to the public or they may decide to enter only the judged events. Crowds enjoyed the bright sunny day with an intense blue sky. There was plenty of parking, plenty of space to walk through the grounds and enjoy the sights. Or to just people watch. How many BBQ competitions are held next to a bustling marina ?

As is the case with any public event the decision to have this competition again rests with the attendees and the competitors. Based on the quality of the entries and the reaction of those attending it seems like we have the correct formula for another terrific Fort Myers Beach annual attraction !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach " OPEN HOUSE " 53 Pompano, Sunday April 24, 2011, Gulf front

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 11:08:07 -0700

" OPEN HOUSE " Sunday April 24, 2011 at 53 Pompano, Fort Myers Beach, 39331 from 10 AM - noon. If you are anywhere near Fort Myers Beach on Sunday stop by my open house for this spectacular 4 bedroom Gulf front property. Everything here is on a grand scale and fully upgraded. When you open the door your eye is immediately drawn to the gorgeous view of the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Plenty of room for family and guests in this spacious and open floor plan. Great landscaping makes this a terrific island getaway or a rental machine.

Stop by if you get a chance or call me direct to see this or other Fort Myers Beach properties : 239 699-7128

Gulf view from the veranda. Plenty of room for a pool.

This is the view from the Gulf side. Wide beach and unobstructed sunset views !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach " Art on the Boulevard ", 2011

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:21:18 -0700

Fort Myers Beach " Art on the Boulevard " Sunday April 3 from noon to 4 PM The Fort Myers Beach Art Association is holding an " Art on the Boulevard " at Century 21 Tripower located at 2001 Estero Boulevard. The local artists are hanging their best works as I write this and the public is invited to enjoy the show Sunday April 3 from noon to 4 PM.

Works included in this show highlight local island life and scenes ! The paintings are being hung on the walls and aisles of the real estate office. Tripower has long supported the local art community and is thrilled to host the show and invited public. Most of the works are for sale and the artists will be on hand to answer your questions. Hope to see you here !!!

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach Sand Bash is here !

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:11:13 -0700

Fort Myers Beach Sand Bash is here and runs through Sunday April 3, 2011. Our island and amazing beaches is lucky enough to have two sand sculpting events ! The newest event is called the Fort Myers Beach Sand Bash and is in its first year. Headquartered at the Fort Myers Beach Holiday Inn the event is open to visitors daily until the final judging on April 3, 2011.

This event is different in that there will be nine 2 man/woman teams working on carvings over two stories in height and over 400 square feet at the base. A $10,000 purse is helping attract mastor carvers from all over. Event organizers promise to have about double the number of shuttles as for past events.

Admission is $8 / day for adults with kids under 5 admitted free. Four day passes are $20 for adults. Fun, games, vendors, food and some amazing sand carvings await young and old. These pictures are from the 2010 Sand Sculptin event.

Have a great time, bring your camera and call me if you would like some beach to call your own ! 239 699-7128

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

2011 Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:08:23 -0700

The 2011 Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival happens this weekend: March 12 & 13. It started off Saturday with a 5K Run followed by the 53rd Annual Shrimp festival parade. The parade route runs along Estero Blvd which is the north south drag for Fort Myers Beach. The parade started at 10 am and this year lasted untill 11:20. Seems like the parade gets bigger and better every year ! Local bands, civic and community groups, fire & EMS units, local buisinesses, Shrimp Queen contestants, motorized vihicles and just about anyone who wants to be part of a fun parade joins in ! One float handed out ice cold water to our visitors, some wore goofy costumes, everyone had a great time. Family friendly fun, great weather, smiling crowds. Fort Myers Beach - I love this place !!! The festival continues through Sunday with a great vendor area where you can enjoy all sorts of shrimp related food.

The 12 Shrimp Festival Queen contestants were crowd favorites. Doesn't every kid love a parade ! These two sisters had a blast !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

53rd Annual Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival, March 12 & 13, 2011

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:02:12 -0800

The 53 rd Annual Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival will begin on Saturday March 12, 2011 with our Shrimp Parade. The festival began in 1959 as a very local celebration for the local shrimpers, crabbers and fisherman. Today it boasts a terrific parade, crowning of a Shrimp Festival Princess, food & crafts expo and the Blessing of the Fleet.

The festival kicks off with the 10 am parade. The parade route begins at the island elementary school and ends at Lynn Hall Park.

Important reminder: The bridge to Fort Myers Beach will close at 9 am and remain closed until noon !!!

If you need to get on or off Fort Myers Beach from the north end you must do so prior to the bridge closing. Don't chance missing a flight by not observing the bridge closure times.

Best viewing is along Estero Blvd. Bring a lawn chair and cooler and catch some beads thrown by the parade participants. It's a great family event and the kids love those dang beads !

The parade only lasts approx 45 minutes and includes an impressive assortment of marching units, bands, motorized vehicles and community groups. If you like local community happenings you'll love our Annual Shrimp Festival ! Just one more reason why I love this place ! Enjoy !!!

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Garage Sale to help homeless pets on Fort Myers Beach, 3/19/11

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:34:43 -0800

Fort Myers Beach garage sale to help Homeless Pets If you are an animal lover like our family you should plan to attend the garage sale to benefit homeless pets on Saturday, March 19, 2011. Please consider donating items for the sale. Drop off donated items at: 7875 Buccaneer Dr or 7901 Buccaneer Dr. on the south end of the island. You can also drop off sale items or baked goods at Century 21 Tripower's office at 2001 Estero Blvd. and I will make sure they get to the sale ! There will be a bake sale at the same time to help raise additional money for our homeless friends.

This is our " pound rescue " which we named " Pepper " . Get it ? Black _____ !!! She adopted us as a puppy while my oldest daughter, Jamie, was voluntering at the local animal shelter. When the family joined me here in Fort Myers Beach several years ago Pepper was one of the family ! Our critters certainly do bring a lot of joy into our lives.

Back to the homeless benefit. Please look around the house for good saleable items and bring them to one of the drop-off points. It will help the homeless dogs/cats and you'll feel so much better !

Thanks for all your help !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

NBC Channel 2 interviews one of our own Fort Myers Beach Realtors !

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:23:29 -0800

NBC 2 interviews one of our own Fort Myers Beach Realtors One of Century 21 Tripower's top producing agents will be on the evening news courtesy of NBC channel 2 ! Our own Roseanna Reilly was interviewed on the subject of Canadian buyers coming to Fort Myers Beach. The interview lasted approx 20 minutes and took place at our new offices located at 2001 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach, 33931. The focus was on our local market and how our northern friends are attracted to the real estate deals available now. Market stats show that a significant portion of our buyers make the trek to our Gulf front waters starting from the eastern provinces of Canada. Our northern buyers are friendly, open, know their price range and appreciate a good deal when they see it. The interview will air February 21, 2011 on the evening news. Congrats to all !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

A lonely walk on Fort Myers Beach !

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:41:54 -0800

Our Gulf of Mexico beaches are considered to be some of the finest. From mid-October through April we have many visitors who come for the terrific weather and love walking the beach. What can I say, you may have passed me walking my pound rescue lab on a pleasant evening. Watching one of our world famous sunsets is a favorite pastime for visitors and locals alike ! But once in awhile we get to enjoy a solitary walk with just our thoughts ! It may be an early morning walk with th e shore birds or an evening walk with th e sound of the waves to accompany us.

While showing a gorgeous Gulf front condo and standing on the rooftop deck I spotted this lone figure enjoying a walk on the northern end of the island. It was approximately 5 PM and still plenty of sun. I happened to have my camera with me and put the filter ( circular polarizer ) on in hopes of getting a great shot and not have the sun totally scorch my shot. You can see below the interesting effect it had. If you look along the tideline you will see the beach walker as hge makes his way along the Gulf. Enjoy !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach duplex for sale

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:19:19 -0800

Fort Myers Beach duplex for sale: Investor bought two nice properties and only has time for one ! This legal duplex has a one bedroom, one bath and a renovated two bedroom, two bath plus a den on a quiet mid-island street on Fort Myers Beach. The den could be used as a third bedroom and would be perfect for a child or home office. The prior owner was in the middle of a very nice renovation and the current owner is completing those projects. Recent improvements include: new A/C for the 2/2 side, new kitchen cabinets, new natural stone counters, beautiful tiled master bath, etc. Check out duplex prices and consider this for a terrific investment property or live in one side and rent the other. Our rental department would love to have this beauty in their inventory !

For this or other Fort Myers Beach properties call me direct: 239 699-7128 Bill Gillhespy

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor

Fort Myers Beach " Art on the Boulevard " was a huge success !

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:54:11 -0800

Fort Myers Beach " Art on the Boulevard " was a huge success ! The 2011 Fort Myers Beach " Art on the Boulevard " doubled attendance over last year. The weather was perfect for a stroll on Estero Boulevard and locals and visitors alike were out in force ! Official hours were Sunday, Feb 6 from noon to four pm.

Art lovers started showing up much earlier. The Art Association members were on hand to answer questions, show their artwork and mingle with visitors while enjoying a glass of wine !

Century 21 Tripower Realty was again the sponsor for this second annual event. Based on the results and comments from association members and visitors this fun event will be back again next year. Bigger and better is usually a formula for success !

Unframed prints, note cards and more were on display and available for sale. Portions of each sale go to support the association.

All of the work on display was done by local artists and often involved depictions of various scenes and themes around Fort Myers Beach.

This year's show had so many entries that we agents gladly donated our cubicle walls as space for extra artwork to be displayed. All for a great cause !

Fort Myers Beach is known for a wide variety of reasons to get out and enjoy our spectacular weather and lifestyle. Spending time wandering among terrific artworks is another reason our locals and northern visitors love it here !

Website: www.BillGillhespy.com

Fort Myers Beach Realtor