Earlier this summer we began our search for a home in the Naples area We were referred to Maurice Cat White Sands Maurice took the time to understand our interests and our goals Then he patientiently showed us multiple options on a number of trips Once we found the home we really wanted he followed up with us to help through the closing After closing he continued help with alternative recommendations for the service providiers we were looking for
We strongly recommend Maurice and White Sands particulaly for anyone who is new to the Naples area
My wife and I were searching for a luxury home in Naples Florida via Google.
We saw some familiar names associated with luxury real estate, but what really impressed us was the responsiveness from our inquiry to White Sands Realty website.
Almost instantaneously, we were contacted by Derek A. who provided us in-depth knowledge of the Naples area and quickly deduced what we were searching for in a luxury residence. What impressed us the most from Derek was how practical and insightful his guidance was. Not only was he very insightful but incredibly responsive during the real estate search, throughout the closing, and yes, even after the closing.
Without reservation I would give Derek A. and White Sands Realty our highest recommendation no matter if you are searching for a condo, apartment, townhouse, Villa, or luxury estate. Derek is the professional and experienced agent to get it done and then some!
Sometimes testimonials or comments on the web seem fake to me. Fake or not, I read a lot of them. When Iâm looking to buy a specific camera, or an expensive camera lens, I read every single comment. I was looking for a wireless head set a while back. My wife says she is not turning up the TV any louder. I read every word, the good and the bad of wireless headsets.
With that in mind, may I tell you my story? Iâm 72 years old, male and living in Indianapolis. I was vacationing in Florida during spring break. I was sitting on an 8th floor balcony of our time share. I was looking out at the ocean and I thought to myself ⦠why canât I live in weather like this all the time?
That day I decided I want to live in WARM! My wife and I owned three homes back in Indianapolis. I was sick and tired of cold weather. So, I started looking at Florida and tried to decide where I wanted to live.
I knew I wanted south; south like Miami or Naples. I even looked at Key West. I went on line and searched for homes all over the state. I even considered âThe Villagesâ north of Orlando. This process of looking for a home in Florida took one year and seven months. Thatâs how long it took to sell three homes in Indianapolis.
That gave me a lot of face time on the computer. As I looked at different towns and cities, it became clear to me. I need to focus on Southwest Florida. Why Southwest Florida? Southwest Florida has little or no sinkhole activity. The gulf waters are more inviting than the Atlantic Ocean. And Southwest Florida is affordable. Follow the money, as they say.
I was a mortgage lender for 30 years and I have worked with many a Realtor. I begged business from them for 30 years. In Indianapolis eighty percent of the Realtors are selling twenty percent of the real estate and twenty percent of Realtors are selling eighty percent of the real estate. But, Iâm sure you all-ready know these numbers. It seems itâs that way everywhere.
When we finally had two homes sold and we were getting ready to list our last home in Indianapolis, I got scared. I was a wiz on the computer surfing all the web sites and aware of homes for sale. I even know how to use Goggle Earth to move up and down a street where a home is listed. But it was time to enlist the services of a Realtor. Think about it. If our last home in Indianapolis sells quickly, I donât have a clue where Iâm going to live.
I started calling Realtors in Florida. One of the first questions they asked was, âHow soon do you need a home?â When I answered, âI donât know Iâm just now listing our last home for sell⦠it could take a month or six months or a year.â It was clear to me, I was not a prospect they wanted to mess with. I know from my personal experience of 30 years in mortgage lending, people drop Realtors like a hot potato. For some reason, people are not loyal. Well, the same is true on the part of some Realtors. I can just hear a Realtor saying to them self, âIf I canât make money on you right now Iâm not interested.â
I talked to about half a dozen Realtors and got the same brush off. That was until I talked to Steven S., White Sands Reality. His questions started with why I wanted to live in Southwest Florida? How many people will be living in the home? How big of a home do you need? Will you need a pool? Will you need lots of land with the home, or will a postage stamp lot do? Do you need a pet friendly community? Are you aware of the cost of living in a gated community? Have you ever had experience with Home Owners Associations? Should we look for single family home outside of a gated community? What is your price point? And then the question I knew was coming, âHow soon are you moving?â
When I told him I had just listed the last home in Indianapolis and it might take several months, he was excited. âWonderful, we have time to find just the right area and home for you here in Southwest Florida.â Then, he asked me a funny question. âMay I help find a home for you, your wife and your 95 year old father?â
Then, on the phone, he began and explained all the positives and negatives of living in Marco Island, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Cape Coral and Fort Myers. I asked about North Fort Myers, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. Much to my surprise, he told me he didnât follow Punta Gorda or Port Charlotte. In the beginning we focused on areas that Steven felt needed our attention. As the days and months slipped by, Steven was always just a phone call away. He never failed to respond to my phone calls.
I was driving a school bus in Indianapolis. When school was out I decided to drive from Indianapolis to Southwest Florida and look at all the communities we had talked about. We spent a week driving through Naples to Port Charlotte and everything in between. I told him I knew he said he was not expert in Fort Myers and North Fort Myers. But, I wanted him to bone up and start learning the area. I told Steven, âI want you to be my Realtor in these areas, too.â Steven said he would make some calls. He was like a kid, excited about what he found. âYouâve got to look at these homes, they have everything you have been looking for and well below your price point.â
He said he didnât follow property north, but by the time our last home in Indianapolis sold he knew where we were going to look and, more important, where we couldnât. Tammy and I got on a plane and flew down to Fort Myers. I left my second car in a public storage unit in June. We got the car out of the storage unit and we started looking at Cape Coral that Sunday afternoon.
Monday morning Tammy and I met with Steven and his wife, Realtor Gorana. They planned for us to see as many homes as we could squeeze in in a day. Funny, the first home we looked at, we bought! âWe canât afford a Gated community.â âThe home is looking out over a golf course, we canât afford that!â But, we could, he found it. The home was brand new and the people who built the home backed out of the transaction so the builder was anxious to resell it.
At the end of the day on Monday we stopped for a soft drink and talked about the homes he scheduled for us to see in Cape Coral tomorrow. I asked Steven if he had any home on his list that would rival the first home we looked at on the golf course. His answer was a simple, âNO!â
Tuesday, Steven was back and forth with the builder on our offer to purchase the home. My price, their counter, our counter back and, finally, in the afternoon they agreed with our price, âIF you can close the transaction by the end of the month.â The end of the month was two days away⦠Thursday!
Thursday afternoon the closing agent pushed the keys and electric garage door openers across the table into our hands. The beautiful home we fell in love with was ours. That night Steven and Gorana invited us to dinner in Naples to celebrate. We were on cloud nine.
In all the years I interfaced professionally with Realtors in Indianapolis I never had a more pleasant and straightforward business transaction than I had with Steven S. I recommend Steven to anyone looking for help in finding your home in Southwest Florida. By the way, the winter weather here is fabulous.
My husband and I recently purchased a new home in the Isles of Collier Preserve development in South Naples. Living in Minnesota, we could not have accomplished this without Steve and Gorana S. When we first started looking, I contacted White Sands Realty and a few others from an internet search. Steve reached out to me by phone within a day and immediately put me at ease. We had two house-hunting trips and Steve and Gorana made them both enjoyable and stress-free. It was like spending the day with good friends. Between these two visits, Steve and Gorana videotaped their visit to the Isles community, which had just opened, and sent us a link to the video. They thought the location, community environment, and price point were what we were looking for. And they were absolutely right! On the second visit, we ended up finalizing the purchase of our new home.
Steve knew that my husband was also looking for a boat slip in the area. So, he found one for sale very close to our neighborhood. Steve helped my husband by contacting the marina, although he received no compensation for this. We feel so lucky to have met and worked with Steve and Gorana. They are good people and we count them among our friends in Naples. We highly recommend Steve and Gorana S. if you are looking for a realtor in SW Florida.
Earlier this summer we began our search for a home in the Naples area We were referred to Maurice Cat White Sands Maurice took the time to understand our interests and our goals Then he patientiently showed us multiple options on a number of trips Once we found the home we really wanted he followed up with us to help through the closing After closing he continued help with alternative recommendations for the service providiers we were looking for
We strongly recommend Maurice and White Sands particulaly for anyone who is new to the Naples area
My wife and I were searching for a luxury home in Naples Florida via Google.
We saw some familiar names associated with luxury real estate, but what really impressed us was the responsiveness from our inquiry to White Sands Realty website.
Almost instantaneously, we were contacted by Derek A. who provided us in-depth knowledge of the Naples area and quickly deduced what we were searching for in a luxury residence. What impressed us the most from Derek was how practical and insightful his guidance was. Not only was he very insightful but incredibly responsive during the real estate search, throughout the closing, and yes, even after the closing.
Without reservation I would give Derek A. and White Sands Realty our highest recommendation no matter if you are searching for a condo, apartment, townhouse, Villa, or luxury estate. Derek is the professional and experienced agent to get it done and then some!
Sometimes testimonials or comments on the web seem fake to me. Fake or not, I read a lot of them. When Iâm looking to buy a specific camera, or an expensive camera lens, I read every single comment. I was looking for a wireless head set a while back. My wife says she is not turning up the TV any louder. I read every word, the good and the bad of wireless headsets.
With that in mind, may I tell you my story? Iâm 72 years old, male and living in Indianapolis. I was vacationing in Florida during spring break. I was sitting on an 8th floor balcony of our time share. I was looking out at the ocean and I thought to myself ⦠why canât I live in weather like this all the time?
That day I decided I want to live in WARM! My wife and I owned three homes back in Indianapolis. I was sick and tired of cold weather. So, I started looking at Florida and tried to decide where I wanted to live.
I knew I wanted south; south like Miami or Naples. I even looked at Key West. I went on line and searched for homes all over the state. I even considered âThe Villagesâ north of Orlando. This process of looking for a home in Florida took one year and seven months. Thatâs how long it took to sell three homes in Indianapolis.
That gave me a lot of face time on the computer. As I looked at different towns and cities, it became clear to me. I need to focus on Southwest Florida. Why Southwest Florida? Southwest Florida has little or no sinkhole activity. The gulf waters are more inviting than the Atlantic Ocean. And Southwest Florida is affordable. Follow the money, as they say.
I was a mortgage lender for 30 years and I have worked with many a Realtor. I begged business from them for 30 years. In Indianapolis eighty percent of the Realtors are selling twenty percent of the real estate and twenty percent of Realtors are selling eighty percent of the real estate. But, Iâm sure you all-ready know these numbers. It seems itâs that way everywhere.
When we finally had two homes sold and we were getting ready to list our last home in Indianapolis, I got scared. I was a wiz on the computer surfing all the web sites and aware of homes for sale. I even know how to use Goggle Earth to move up and down a street where a home is listed. But it was time to enlist the services of a Realtor. Think about it. If our last home in Indianapolis sells quickly, I donât have a clue where Iâm going to live.
I started calling Realtors in Florida. One of the first questions they asked was, âHow soon do you need a home?â When I answered, âI donât know Iâm just now listing our last home for sell⦠it could take a month or six months or a year.â It was clear to me, I was not a prospect they wanted to mess with. I know from my personal experience of 30 years in mortgage lending, people drop Realtors like a hot potato. For some reason, people are not loyal. Well, the same is true on the part of some Realtors. I can just hear a Realtor saying to them self, âIf I canât make money on you right now Iâm not interested.â
I talked to about half a dozen Realtors and got the same brush off. That was until I talked to Steven S., White Sands Reality. His questions started with why I wanted to live in Southwest Florida? How many people will be living in the home? How big of a home do you need? Will you need a pool? Will you need lots of land with the home, or will a postage stamp lot do? Do you need a pet friendly community? Are you aware of the cost of living in a gated community? Have you ever had experience with Home Owners Associations? Should we look for single family home outside of a gated community? What is your price point? And then the question I knew was coming, âHow soon are you moving?â
When I told him I had just listed the last home in Indianapolis and it might take several months, he was excited. âWonderful, we have time to find just the right area and home for you here in Southwest Florida.â Then, he asked me a funny question. âMay I help find a home for you, your wife and your 95 year old father?â
Then, on the phone, he began and explained all the positives and negatives of living in Marco Island, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Cape Coral and Fort Myers. I asked about North Fort Myers, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. Much to my surprise, he told me he didnât follow Punta Gorda or Port Charlotte. In the beginning we focused on areas that Steven felt needed our attention. As the days and months slipped by, Steven was always just a phone call away. He never failed to respond to my phone calls.
I was driving a school bus in Indianapolis. When school was out I decided to drive from Indianapolis to Southwest Florida and look at all the communities we had talked about. We spent a week driving through Naples to Port Charlotte and everything in between. I told him I knew he said he was not expert in Fort Myers and North Fort Myers. But, I wanted him to bone up and start learning the area. I told Steven, âI want you to be my Realtor in these areas, too.â Steven said he would make some calls. He was like a kid, excited about what he found. âYouâve got to look at these homes, they have everything you have been looking for and well below your price point.â
He said he didnât follow property north, but by the time our last home in Indianapolis sold he knew where we were going to look and, more important, where we couldnât. Tammy and I got on a plane and flew down to Fort Myers. I left my second car in a public storage unit in June. We got the car out of the storage unit and we started looking at Cape Coral that Sunday afternoon.
Monday morning Tammy and I met with Steven and his wife, Realtor Gorana. They planned for us to see as many homes as we could squeeze in in a day. Funny, the first home we looked at, we bought! âWe canât afford a Gated community.â âThe home is looking out over a golf course, we canât afford that!â But, we could, he found it. The home was brand new and the people who built the home backed out of the transaction so the builder was anxious to resell it.
At the end of the day on Monday we stopped for a soft drink and talked about the homes he scheduled for us to see in Cape Coral tomorrow. I asked Steven if he had any home on his list that would rival the first home we looked at on the golf course. His answer was a simple, âNO!â
Tuesday, Steven was back and forth with the builder on our offer to purchase the home. My price, their counter, our counter back and, finally, in the afternoon they agreed with our price, âIF you can close the transaction by the end of the month.â The end of the month was two days away⦠Thursday!
Thursday afternoon the closing agent pushed the keys and electric garage door openers across the table into our hands. The beautiful home we fell in love with was ours. That night Steven and Gorana invited us to dinner in Naples to celebrate. We were on cloud nine.
In all the years I interfaced professionally with Realtors in Indianapolis I never had a more pleasant and straightforward business transaction than I had with Steven S. I recommend Steven to anyone looking for help in finding your home in Southwest Florida. By the way, the winter weather here is fabulous.
Derek is an excellent realtor. He really knows the market, is easy to work with and did a fantastic job for us.
My husband and I recently purchased a new home in the Isles of Collier Preserve development in South Naples. Living in Minnesota, we could not have accomplished this without Steve and Gorana S. When we first started looking, I contacted White Sands Realty and a few others from an internet search. Steve reached out to me by phone within a day and immediately put me at ease. We had two house-hunting trips and Steve and Gorana made them both enjoyable and stress-free. It was like spending the day with good friends. Between these two visits, Steve and Gorana videotaped their visit to the Isles community, which had just opened, and sent us a link to the video. They thought the location, community environment, and price point were what we were looking for. And they were absolutely right! On the second visit, we ended up finalizing the purchase of our new home.
Steve knew that my husband was also looking for a boat slip in the area. So, he found one for sale very close to our neighborhood. Steve helped my husband by contacting the marina, although he received no compensation for this. We feel so lucky to have met and worked with Steve and Gorana. They are good people and we count them among our friends in Naples. We highly recommend Steve and Gorana S. if you are looking for a realtor in SW Florida.