Last-minute shoppers at Miromar Outlets prepare for ChristmasMama Sonya spreads holiday cheer to hundreds of Lee County kids
ESTERO Last-minute shoppers at Miromar Outlets prepare for Christmas It’s the last Sunday before Christmas, and you know what that means: last-minute shopping is in full force.
Mama Sonya spreads holiday cheer to hundreds of Lee County kids During the holidays, the spirit of giving takes center stage, and one local woman goes above and beyond.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Deadly DUI, fairground murder and shooting at police This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features deadly DUIs, murder at a fairground and the attempted murder of a Sanibel police officer.
FORT MYERS Man arrested after shots fired in the air, stolen gun recovered A man was arrested early Sunday in Fort Myers after police responded to a ShotSpotter alert near Maple and Meadows streets.
FORT MYERS Crash investigation underway in downtown Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash in downtown Fort Myers on Fowler Street.
Cool, comfortable Sunday in store with highs in the low 70s The Weather Authority is tracking a beautiful Sunday in store across Southwest Florida, with afternoon highs only topping out in the low 70s.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts annual Holiday Boat-a-Long Families, residents, and businesses came out to enjoy Cape Coral’s annual Holiday Boat-a-Long and Christmas movie on Saturday.
FORT MYERS FGCU head volleyball coach steps down to coach UCF FGCU coach Matt Botsford announced that he is stepping down as head volleyball coach to join the University of Central Florida Knights.
FORT MYERS Top rated prospects shine in City of Palms Classic Year-after-year some of the top high school teams featuring many of the top players in the country compete in the Fort Myers Tournament.
Meals for Hope brings Southwest Florida together to fight hunger On Saturday morning, Meals for Hope held its annual Holidays Without Hunger event, aiming to ensure no one in Southwest Florida goes hungry during the holidays.
1 dead, 2 injured in four-vehicle crash on I-75 in Collier County A collision involving four vehicles on northbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 108 resulted in one fatality, minor injuries to two others, and a large paint spill.
Lee County woman’s home transforms into Santa’s Workshop for families in need One Lee County woman’s home has looked like Santa’s workshop since June.
Chilly first day of winter with plenty of sunshine overhead The Weather Authority says Saturday is the first day of the winter solstice, and it feels like it across Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Kitten recovering after surviving horrific abuse At 12 pounds and 12 weeks old, this little kitty was snatched from her home and literally dragged through the unthinkable.
Losing loved ones in the line of duty; Community offers support to Diaz family Heartbreak over Sergeant Elio Diaz’s death consumed the Charlotte County community, after the fallen hero was laid to rest Friday.
ESTERO Last-minute shoppers at Miromar Outlets prepare for Christmas It’s the last Sunday before Christmas, and you know what that means: last-minute shopping is in full force.
Mama Sonya spreads holiday cheer to hundreds of Lee County kids During the holidays, the spirit of giving takes center stage, and one local woman goes above and beyond.
WINK Neighborhood Watch: Deadly DUI, fairground murder and shooting at police This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features deadly DUIs, murder at a fairground and the attempted murder of a Sanibel police officer.
FORT MYERS Man arrested after shots fired in the air, stolen gun recovered A man was arrested early Sunday in Fort Myers after police responded to a ShotSpotter alert near Maple and Meadows streets.
FORT MYERS Crash investigation underway in downtown Fort Myers The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash in downtown Fort Myers on Fowler Street.
Cool, comfortable Sunday in store with highs in the low 70s The Weather Authority is tracking a beautiful Sunday in store across Southwest Florida, with afternoon highs only topping out in the low 70s.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral hosts annual Holiday Boat-a-Long Families, residents, and businesses came out to enjoy Cape Coral’s annual Holiday Boat-a-Long and Christmas movie on Saturday.
FORT MYERS FGCU head volleyball coach steps down to coach UCF FGCU coach Matt Botsford announced that he is stepping down as head volleyball coach to join the University of Central Florida Knights.
FORT MYERS Top rated prospects shine in City of Palms Classic Year-after-year some of the top high school teams featuring many of the top players in the country compete in the Fort Myers Tournament.
Meals for Hope brings Southwest Florida together to fight hunger On Saturday morning, Meals for Hope held its annual Holidays Without Hunger event, aiming to ensure no one in Southwest Florida goes hungry during the holidays.
1 dead, 2 injured in four-vehicle crash on I-75 in Collier County A collision involving four vehicles on northbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 108 resulted in one fatality, minor injuries to two others, and a large paint spill.
Lee County woman’s home transforms into Santa’s Workshop for families in need One Lee County woman’s home has looked like Santa’s workshop since June.
Chilly first day of winter with plenty of sunshine overhead The Weather Authority says Saturday is the first day of the winter solstice, and it feels like it across Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Kitten recovering after surviving horrific abuse At 12 pounds and 12 weeks old, this little kitty was snatched from her home and literally dragged through the unthinkable.
Losing loved ones in the line of duty; Community offers support to Diaz family Heartbreak over Sergeant Elio Diaz’s death consumed the Charlotte County community, after the fallen hero was laid to rest Friday.
Homes are being sold as is after Hurricane Ian left them severely damaged. That’s what you will find if you search for Cape Coral on Zillow. The damage is part of the deal. “They’re not in a place where they can afford to rebuild or renovate the home. So their best option is to take what they can and move on forward,” said Gary Benoit, with Cape Premier Realty. Benoit has accepted the difficult task of finding buyers for a home hit by Ian in Cape Coral. A couple in the 80’s invested in the property as a place to retire years ago. But Ian stopped that plan. “Unfortunately, they basically lost everything, insurance doesn’t cover the majority of the damage that happened. And in their particular instance, they didn’t carry flood insurance, and their homeowner’s insurance was very minimal,” Benoit said. There was no choice but to sell. And they are not alone. A search of recently listed homes on Zillow show a handful of damaged homes for sale. The couple’s home is listed for almost $300,000, that’s thousands under market value. Investors are buying homes as-is, with hurricane damage. (CREDIT: WINK News) WINK News asked FGCU Lucas Professor of Real Estate Shelton Weeks if that could hurt the value of neighboring properties. “In the end, it will be a good thing, if we can have the market sort these properties out and get them into the hands of individuals who are able to bring them back to a usable state,” Weeks said. Benoit said he listed the home three days ago and the interest has been surprising and primarily from investors. He believes his client’s home will sell rather fast. If you’re looking to purchase a home as-is, it’s always best to get a professional inspection before you buy. But for investor James McCoy, those are the kind of homes he is looking for. “We got, we believe, we got a fair deal on it,” McCoy said. “They got a fair deal. At the end, everybody’s happy they got the money they needed to move on with their life.” McCoy’s most recent investment is a property in southwest Cape Coral on Pelican Boulevard that was damaged by the hurricane. “It did take some water so the remediation process has been started,” McCoy said. Rick Pitts is the owner and broker of Sellstate Excelsior Realty. His brokerage helped close McCoy’s deal. Pitts said the majority of the properties that are going through his brokerage are going as-is. A canal-front home is selling for $500,000. Pitts said most people realize a good deal when they see it. “You should put into the property because you’ll never be able to buy properties in Southwest Florida again for, you know, $100,000,” Pitts said. Especially in 2022.