Residents and visitors alike enjoy fly fishing on Sanibel Island all year long, and they get to experience some of the best saltwater fly fishing in the world. The fish are plentiful and there are unmatched sight casting opportunities in most weather and wind conditions. Fly fishing is the most exciting and challenging way to fish on Sanibel. 

The most popular types of fish include redfish, snook, and tarpon with the tarpon offering the ultimate challenge. There’s a variety of fish whether you’re inshore or offshore, so a boat is not required. You may also have the opportunity to catch seatrout, ladyfish, kingfish, flounder, snapper, and many others.

You’ll find several fly fishing charters on the island, which provide lessons, tips, and techniques from master anglers. They will give you information on the right type of equipment and bait to use with recommendations on the best spots to catch different kinds of fish. During peak season, you’ll want to book ahead as their schedules fill up quickly. 

Are you ready to buy a home on Sanibel and go fly fishing every month of the year? Start your home search or contact Kingfisher Real Estate to learn more about the local market.

 

Sanibel Island offers lots of activities for families, including a variety of great shops, eateries, and, of course, beaches! Here are some of the best kid friendly things to do on the island.

Take a Bike Ride

Sanibel is a great place for an adventure on two (or three) wheels. With over 25 miles of paved bike trails (no cars), this is a fun, family friendly way to explore the island and everything it has to offer. Read our post “Where to Go Biking on Sanibel Island” for some of the best bike paths.

Go Shelling 

Get ready to find the perfect shell. There are so many beautiful shells on Sanibel, it’s no wonder Sanibel is one of the best shelling spots in the world. View our “Quick Guide to Shelling on Sanibel Island” for some tips and more information.

Visit the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is world famous for its amazing migratory bird populations and its part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the country. Take a guided tour on Wildlife drive with a naturalist, visit the free education center, hike the trails, and watch plenty of birds.

Take a Dolphin Cruise

You’ll find lots of dolphin cruises and charters around the island. Watch dolphins, and maybe spot some birds, manatees, and other marine life. You’ll also see landmarks and other points of interest on many of the guided tours.

Visit the Lighthouse 

The Sanibel Lighthouse is at the east end of the island. Kids learn about the history of the lighthouse and the area also has a shelling beach, fishing pier, and a nature trail to enjoy. You may even see a dolphin or two.

For all of your Sanibel Island real estate needs, contact Kingfisher Real Estate.

With over 25 miles of bike trails, Sanibel Island offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy a beautiful bike ride. The bike trails go through back roads, friendly neighborhoods, beautiful trees, wooden bridges, quiet waterways, shopping areas, and other points of interest. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about parking! Here are a few popular bike paths.

Rabbit Road Trail

This short and scenic one mile path runs along a canal between West Gulf Drive and Sanibel-Captiva Road. You may see some gray marsh rabbits, herons, and alligator snouts along the way.

Dixie Beach Road

From Periwinkle Way to San Carlos Bay, this easy trail is straight and about one and a half miles long. Once you reach the bay, you can choose to view some bayside homes or an old shell road.

Middle Gulf Cemetery Route

This trail is off the beaten path and provides the opportunity to explore the backwoods and Sanibel’s pioneer cemetery, which is not accessible by car. The path is under a mile long and located east of Casa Ybel Road and continues to the beach at Gulfside Park.

Bailey Road-Dunes Circle

Bailey Road will take you to the bay and a left turn on Sandcastle Road goes around the neighborhood of the Dunes with beautifully landscaped, island style homes. You’ll pass the Dunes Golf & Tennis Club and across from the golf club entrance, you’ll find another bike path that goes to an exclusive waterfront neighborhood. 

Wildlife Drive

This four mile loop is one way, starting on Sanibel-Captiva Road and going around J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. You can stop along the path and climb up to the bird observation tower or do a little hiking on the short trails inside the refuge.

Questions about buying or selling a home on Sanibel Island?
Contact Kingfisher Real Estate

Sanibel Island has some great dog friendly restaurants. Here you’ll find our top picks for Sanibel dining options that allow dogs on the outside patios. Enjoy a nice walk on the beach with your furry friend and then swing by one of these patios to grab a bite to eat. 

The Island Cow

This award winning, family owned and operated dining spot has great food, cold drinks, outdoor games, live entertainment, and one of the largest menus on the island.

George & Wendy’s Sanibel Seafood Grille

Featuring outstanding service, a great atmosphere and delicious fresh, local, and fun cuisine with a lush tropical garden patio that welcomes pets.

Blue Giraffe

Enjoy a unique culinary experience in the garden atmosphere on the pet friendly patio. Boasts one of the best breakfasts on Sanibel and fabulous island inspired lunch and dinner menus.

Cip’s Place

A casual, comfortable dining atmosphere with great food including a variety of lunch and dinner entrees, appetizers, desserts, and a children’s menu.

Over Easy Café

Serving breakfast, lunch, and gluten free menu items. Well behaved canines are welcome to dine with their owners on the patio.

Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen

This eatery opened earlier this year and brings Bourbon Street to the beach with fresh crawfish and other Cajun dishes as well as live music. Open for lunch and dinner and a kid’s menu is available.

Thinking about buying or selling a home on Sanibel Island? Contact Kingfisher Real Estate!

The most important things to consider when buying a home on Sanibel Island is the home, the location, and your budget. You need to know what you’re really looking for in a home, what you really need, and how much house you can afford. 

You’ll save lots of time in your home search if you start out by creating a list of wants and needs. Think about your dream home. What features and amenities does it have? Write everything down and then separate these items by wants or needs. You’ll find that different wants and needs will affect the sales price of the home, and you may not be able to get everything you want. 

Your needs are the essentials. These are the things the property must absolutely have, or it’s a deal breaker. You wouldn’t even consider looking at a home that doesn’t have these things. These ‘must haves’ are very hard or impossible to change, like the number of bathrooms, property type (condo, townhome, house), enough space for your lifestyle, distance from the beach, or yard size.

Your wants are things you’d like to have and could change over time. You would look at properties without these features as long as it has everything you need. If a home has any of these things, it would be a wonderful option to consider. Things like skylights, new windows, and hardwood floors could go on your wants list.

Getting your wants versus needs checklist done before you begin your house hunt will save you tons of time and frustration. No home is perfect, but this will help you make sure you get the right home for you.

Contact Kingfisher Real Estate for all of your Southwest Florida home buying needs on the Sanibel & Captiva Islands!

 

Many of the home renovations that pay off can be costly, but here are some affordable renovations that will give you the most bang for your buck on a budget.

1. Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Improving your home’s energy efficiency can make a bigger difference than cosmetic upgrades when it comes to adding value. The number of energy efficient homes continues to rise and lots of home buyers prefer energy efficient homes because of potential long term savings. Adding attic insulation and making upgrades to your windows and doors are less expensive than solar panels. 

2. Small Kitchen Renovations

Renovating your kitchen can improve your home’s value and it doesn’t have to be an expensive full kitchen renovation to make a big difference. Minor things like painting the cabinets, installing new cabinet doors, and changing out cabinet hardware can make buyers happy. Consider upgrading your countertops and install new appliances if needed, and you don’t need to invest in the most expensive appliances to make your kitchen look fantastic.

3. Small Bathroom Renovations

You can make a big impact on buyers with minor bathroom renovations like regrouting the tile, replacing caulk, and updating the fixtures, mirrors, and toilet. Smaller projects like these can give your bathroom a quick facelift on a low budget.

4. New Paint

One of the best returns on investment is also one of the least expensive. A fresh coat of paint inside and outside can really make your home shine. Interior color trends change over time, but it’s usually best to stay away from dark colors and pure white. Think about the impact the color will have on home buyers and select colors that will make it easier for them to visualize themselves living in your home. 

If you don’t need new paint on the exterior, just clean it up by power washing it. If your front door is old and you aren’t going to replace it, bring it back to life by painting it.

5. Upgrade Floors

Upgrading floors can add value and make your home look well maintained. Hardwood floors are in high demand, but they are more expensive to install than other types of flooring. Replace tile and carpet where needed. At a minimum, refinish hardwood floors, wax tile, and get carpets professionally cleaned. If you’re on a budget, focus on upgrading floors in the kitchen and living areas.

Contact Kingfisher Real Estate for all of your real estate needs on the Sanibel & Captiva Islands.

We hope you’re enjoying the summer in Southwest Florida. If you’re ready to take a break from the sandy beaches and water activities, the Sanibel & Captiva Islands have a great selection of museums and galleries to explore. Click on the links below to get more information.

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum

This museum is currently under renovations and plans to reopen in mid-July 2019 and a new aquarium to open in early 2020. The natural history museum examines seashells and their habitat in detail and provides daily educational beach walks. It’s the only museum of its kind in the country.

Sanibel Historical Museum & Village

Explore the rich history of Sanibel and learn about the early warriors, pioneers, fisherman, and farmers. View nine historic buildings that were moved and restored to their original state, along with several other replicas. Offers general admission and special tours.

Captiva Memorial Library’s History Gallery

Take a virtual journey back before the Sanibel Causeway was completed and opened for traffic from the mainland by climbing aboard a replica of the Santiva. Features informative panels and touch screens inside the windows on the boat.

Tower Gallery

You’ll find plenty of old Florida charm in this gallery featuring 23 artists with a variety of mediums including oil, watercolors, acrylic, photography, wood, ceramic, and metal. Find all this and more housed in an original 1915 Florida cottage.

Watson MacRae Gallery

Located in The Village Shops, this gallery is a premier art gallery in Southwest Florida. New themed monthly exhibits are featured during season. The 30 nationally and regionally acclaimed artists featured specialize in high quality unique contemporary arts and crafts.

2 Islands Gallery

Featuring one of a kind items made by local artists, this is a fun place to shop. You’ll find a variety of custom jewelry, pottery, baskets, photography, ceramics, prints, and island paintings. The boutique section has painted clothing, purses, and more.

Contact Kingfisher Real Estate with any questions about Sanibel & Captiva, or to learn more about the local real estate market.

Kingfisher Real Estate in the News

• Kingfisher Real Estate Donates to SCCF - May 2019
• Kingfisher Donates to SCCF - November 2018
• Kingfisher Real Estate Donates to SCCF - February 2019
• Kingfisher and Associates Donate to SCCF - September 2018
• Kingfisher Real Estate is Recognized as Best of the Islands Winner - 2018

For lots of home buyers, buying a home is one of the largest financial transactions they will make. Real estate agents help buyers find just the right home and negotiate prices and terms of sale. Here are a few takeaways on current home buyer trends from the 2019 NAR survey.

• 87% of all home buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent.
• Working with a real estate agent that is honest and trustworthy is the most important factor for buyers when choosing an agent.
• Finding the right home remained the hardest part of the home buying process, followed by paperwork and understanding the process and steps.
• The percentage of buyers who purchased directly from a builder or previous owner declined to 6% and 7%, respectively.
• 33% of buyers were first-time home buyers.
• 86% of home buyers purchased previously owned homes.
• Buyers typically spent 10 weeks searching for a home and looked at a median of 10 homes.

If you’re looking to buy a home on the beautiful Captiva & Sanibel Islands, contact Kingfisher Real Estate. Ready to start your home search? Use our advanced MLS search tool.

Are you ready to enjoy the summer on the Sanibel & Captiva Islands? The weather is warm, the beaches are beautiful, and the sound of the ocean waves is relaxing. Whether you plan to spend most of the summer soaking up some rays on the beach, taking a stroll and picking up some shells, or all of the above, there are plenty of other fun activities to put on your list this summer. Here are just a few of them.

Sunny Island Adventures

Sunny Island Adventures, located in Captiva, is a one stop shop for recreational rentals and adventure tours. From parasailing to wave runners, and from bikes to golf carts, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Sanibel Dolphin Tours

With two hour private guided dolphin eco tours and customized trips for groups, you’re almost sure to see lots of dolphins at close range. You may even see some manatees, sea turtles, and other marine life around Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, and Fort Myers.

Tarpon Bay Explorers

As the licensed concession to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Tarpon Bay Explorers offers a variety of recreational and educational opportunities that are fun and low impact, including rentals, tours, and charters.

Adventures in Paradise

Offering a variety of fun filled excursions like shelling and lunch cruises, Sanibel trolley tours, wildlife and holiday cruises, fishing charters, and so much more. Activities can be tailored to meet your needs.

Captain Brian on the Water

Enjoy a private small boat charter from Captiva Island to the islands throughout Pine Island Sound. Choose from sunrise and sunset cruises, history and nature trips, custom tours, and more.

Sanibel Thriller

Enjoy an adventure on Sanibel & Captiva's only high speed tour boat. Cruise the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island Sound and see dolphins, exotic birds, and the historic Sanibel Lighthouse.

Questions about the Captiva & Sanibel Islands?
Contact Kingfisher Real Estate

We’re happy to share our local expertise with you!