The Journal
Market reads, neighborhood guides, and restaurant lists from our corner of Southwest Florida.
City Spotlights
Marco Island's market has its own rhythm, and mid-summer is when the real picture shows. Here's how inventory, pricing, and buyer behavior look heading into fall 2026.
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Buyer Guides
The 2021 playbook of flying down for a weekend and writing three offers is finished. Here is the order of operations that actually works for out-of-state buyers in Southwest Florida in 2026.
SWFL Living
The closing table covered the friendly parts of Southwest Florida homeownership. The 95-degree afternoons, the storm that rolls in at 3:15 every day, and the gecko on your kitchen counter — those you figure out on your own. Here's a calmer path through your first summer.
Investment & STR
The STR pro formas circulating in 2021 don't survive contact with 2026 reality. Here's what occupancy, ADR, insurance, and registration actually look like across Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach, and Marco — and where the math still works.
City Spotlights
The headlines moved on from Sanibel two years ago. The real estate market did not. Here's what's actually happening on the island in 2026 — by neighborhood, by property type, and by buyer profile.
Buyer Guides
More than three years after Hurricane Ian, some of the prettiest inventory in Southwest Florida is still working through repairs and claims. Here's how to vet what you're actually buying.
Neighborhood Comparisons
On a map, Naples and Bonita Springs sit fifteen minutes apart. In practice, your Saturday morning, your insurance bill, and your resale pool look meaningfully different in each.
Seller Guides
Selling a home in Florida while you're sitting in Ohio sounds simple until you hit the third repair request and your contractor stops returning calls. Here's how to keep it from going sideways.
Neighborhood Comparisons
Yacht Club, SE Cape, SW Cape, and NW Cape all get called 'canal-front Cape Coral.' The price floors, insurance bills, and boating realities are very different.
SWFL Living
The general hurricane checklist hasn't changed much. What has changed is which carriers will write your policy, what the Citizens takeout letter means, and how long shutters now take to install.
Seller Guides
Most owners assume they should list when buyers show up in November. The real positioning happens five months earlier — and waiting can quietly cost you more than the season earns back.
SWFL Living
Florida-specific knowledge every homeowner and buyer should have.
The SWFL Market Letter
One letter a month from Freddy & Josey — market reads, neighborhood notes, and the occasional restaurant pick. No spam, no pressure.