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FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE SUN ON FLORIDA’S GULF COAST...
AN OBTAINABLE DREAM WITH RE/MAX’S MICHELE LEONE
If you think purchasing a home in Florida is something you can’t do from Western Pennsylvania,
you’re wrong.
A Realtor with the RE/MAX Home Center in the South Hills, Michele Leone is an expert in both the
local Pittsburgh market as well as the market of Southwest Florida, where she travels frequently.
Leone has both a Florida and Pennsylvania license. Along with selling Pittsburgh real estate full
time, she is the only locally based agent actively selling Florida properties as well. She specializes in
new and pre-construction residential properties in southwestern Florida’s coastal areas, but she has
experience selling existing homes as well.
In Florida, she is affiliated with The Realty Group of Southwest Florida and has an extensive
network of builders, mortgage brokers and other related professionals to help her clients navigate
the process of purchasing real estate. And she is engaged the entire time – from monitoring a
home’s construction to keeping her clients up-to-date on the progress and impending closing
date. For clients who are looking to rent out their properties, Leone is able to recommend a trusted
management team, a list of reliable cleaning people, etc.
Leone said the recent surge of over-65 visitors, paired with a low inventory of existing properties
has made it virtually impossible to find a suitable home to rent for less than $4,000 a month. That
price doesn’t include the mandatory 11 percent leisure tax, plus additional application and cleaning
fees. So instead of throwing money away on rent, many clients are taking advantage of low interest
rates and buying new construction homes.
Unlike the tight rental market, Southwest Florida is teeming with available new construction
homes, Leone said.
Many people believe that they can save money by going directly to the builder without having
their own buyer’s agent, but that is not the case. Builders rely heavily on independent agents to
sell their communities and because of this relationship with realtors, they cannot and will not give
buyers a discount if they are not represented by their own agent. Currently, Leone is offering a 1
percent rebate on any new construction home that is purchased with her as the registered Realtor.
When she started selling Florida properties 13 years ago, Leone said that she “found a need that
wasn’t being met.”
She adds, “After the severe decline in the housing market in 2007, many developers stopped
building in Florida. But they came back in 2014 and are now busy trying to make up for years of
pent-up demand. A lot of my Pittsburgh clients tell me that they don’t know who to trust in Florida
when it comes to real estate and would rather deal with someone from their hometown. I do
whatever I can to help. I even have past clients who still
call me for directions and restaurant recommendations!”
For more information on Leone’s Florida properties,
go to flsouthwestproperties.com, where you can peruse
properties from 122 communities in Southwest Florida,
from Venice to Naples, with 238 property listings. There
are communities and properties to fit every lifestyle
and budget. You can also call Michele Leone directly at
412.294.8144.
Michele Leone
Realtor | Multi-Million Dollar Producer
412.294.8144
[email protected]
Condominiums in Bonita Springs
Priced from $1,000,000
55 & Better Community in Estero
Priced from $267,999
Luxury Golf Villas in Miromar Lakes
Priced from $1,200,000
Resort & Golf Community in Naples
Priced from $427,690
“My Pittsburgh clients tell me
that they don’t know who to trust
in Florida when it comes to real
estate and would rather deal with
someone from their hometown!”
southwest
FLORIDA PROPERTIES
Visit flsouthwestproperties.com today.
Upper St. Clair | Summer 2016 | icmags.com 29