Well not really, but as tonight is the Season Nine Idol finale and Simon’s swansong, it might be fun to look at where the stars of the show might live if they relocated to Fort Myers.

Simon Cowell has ended his longtime illustrious bachelorhood with an engagement to make up artist Mezhgan Hussainy.  The Captiva Gold Coast is by far the best choice for these two lovebirds as it offers the exclusivity and privacy required by a star of Cowell’s magnitude.  The home I picked out for Simon is a modern 12,000 SF  gulf front estate on Captiva Drive listed for $18M.

Despite an attire and vocabulary that never ceases to amaze, Randy Jackson is truly a man of the people.  I can’t imagine Randy living in a suburban home with a manicured front lawn.    While I initially thought of downtown luxury high-rise development High Point Place as a fit for Randy, there is nothing currently on the market designed for someone of his stature.  A good fit for Randy might be a penthouse unit at the Paramount at Gulf Harbour.  A 4,370 SF unit done up in South Beach pastels listed for $2.25M is my pick for Randy.

Wow, is Lee County really big enough to handle all these Idol stars?  For Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia De Rossi, a waterfront estate on Barefoot beach would seem to be a good fit.  With a number of pets, Ellen and Portia definitely need a single-family home.  How about an 8,030 SF contemporary European inspired Barefoot Beach home with a huge gourmet kitchen for preparing those vegan delicacies, a fitness center and salt water aquarium.  The asking price of $12.575M is a drop in the bucket for this couple.

Oozing with class and style, Kara DioGuardi and recent husband Mike McCuddy need a home to support the growing social demands of Kara’s blossoming career.  With her Italian heritage, an estate home on the shores of Lake Como at Miromar Lakes might suite Kara just fine.  My pick for Kara is a 5,032 SF waterfront home listed for $3.995M in the Isola Bella neighborhood of Miromar Lakes.

Wow, I have left the toughest for last…..just where does ubiquitous metrosexual Idol host Ryan Seacrest belong?  My first thought was Gator Greenwell’s almost finished estate in Alva, but there might be a little too much dust on the roads of Alva for Seacrest’s Bentley.  Suddenly it dawned on me that Ryan belongs on Andy Rosse Lane in Captiva.  I can visualize him holding court at the Key Lime Bistro and the Mucky Duck during the same evening.  How cool would it be to witness a chance meeting between Ryan and Simon at one of the Andy Rosse Lane establishments?  Currently, Ryan can pick from five Andy Rosse Lane homes currently for sale.

The most expensive home to sell in Lee County, Florida during February 2010 was a Captiva single-family home located at 11527 Andy Rosse Lane in Captiva.  This Captiva Village home is 3,793 SF and features 4 BR and 5 BA.  The home was built in 1999 and is located in Captiva’s unique village by the sea. The selling price was $2.05M / $540 SF.

Congratulations to selling Realtor Tracy Walters of John R. Wood Island Real Estate for closing the most expensive residential property in February 2010.

Honorable mention for 2nd most expensive Lee County home sold in February was a single-family home located at 26628 Hickory Boulevard in Bonita Springs.  This direct beachfront home in Bonita Beach is 2,896 SF and features 4 BR and 3.5 BA.  The selling price was $1.9M / $656 SF.

Congratulations to selling Realtor Doug Grant of Coldwell Banker for closing this transaction.

In February 2010, there were five residential transactions in Lee County with a selling price over $1M.  Here is a resource if you are interested in learning more about Fort Myers luxury homes that are currently listed for sale.

Wink News reports that the foreclosure auction held last night at the Harborside Event Center netted sales of 75 homes.  Our market is still heavily weighted towards foreclosures with approximately two-thirds off all homes being sold falling into the distressed category.

We continue to see significant activity mostly from second-home buyers looking to take advantage of aggressively priced foreclosure listings.  Here are free web resources that are updated daily with the latest foreclosure listings:

• Fort Myers foreclosures
• Fort Myers beach foreclosures
• Cape Coral foreclosures
• Estero foreclosures
• Bonita Springs foreclosures

The most expensive home to sell in Lee County Florida during October 2009 was a Bonita Beach gulf-front single-family home located at 27030 Hickory Boulevard, Bonita Springs.  This Bonita Beach home is 1,801 SF and features 3 BR and 3 BA on a .3-acre beachfront lot.

The selling price was $1.545M / $857 SF.  Congratulations to selling Realtor Bob Jensen of Bluebell Real Estate for closing the most expensive residential property in October 2009.

Honorable mention for 2nd most expensive Lee County home sold in October was a single-family home located at 665 Matanzas Court, Fort Myers Beach.  This 2,228 SF bayfront home offers gulf access boating and features a 4 BR and 3 BA.

The selling price was $1.12M / $396 SF. Congratulations to Realtor Gerry Harris of Engel & Voelkers Cape Coral for closing this transaction.

Health Magazine has ranked Bonita Beach as the 7th healthiest beach in the country.  Bonita Beach drew high marks for families with its wonderful shelling at high tide, calm waters for kayaking and the 1,500 acres of  parks fronting the Gulf.

The sand at Bonita Beach was one of the key drivers in this lofty ranking.  One of the Health Magazine judges describe the sand as follows, “It’s like talcum powder,” Howes says. “Your feet feel like they’re getting a spa treatment when you walk on it. I could go for miles and miles.”

Bonita Beach real estate options include both single-family homes and condos located directly on the Gulf.  Barefoot Beach, which sits at the Southern end of Little Hickory Island offers the ultimate in luxury and exclusivity.

Bonita Beach features some of the finest waterfront homes in all of Southwest Florida. These grand estates are located on the west side of Hickory Boulevard, the main thoroughfare traversing Bonita Beach. This barrier island community is located on Little Hickory Island, which sits between Estero bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Sugary white sand, natural coastal dunes, sea oats and voluminous surf together create the much beloved environment that is Bonita Beach. Residents of this community can enjoy all the beach activities during the day and treasure the glorious sunset that ends each day. Many homes along Hickory Blvd. offer panoramic views stretching from Sanibel to Naples and beyond.

Little Hickory Island beachfront homes along Hickory Boulevard start at about $2M and currently range upwards to $7M. View Bonita Beach/Hickory Blvd. homes for sale.

Projects leading area transformation

Two condo projects are reshaping the section of Bonita Beach Road west of US-41. This area is home to older retail and commercial property.

The projects, Bonita Beachwalk and Bonita Village will bring over 200 new housing units to the area. Units in these low-rise buildings start at $349,000. Another development, Blue Marlin Cove will features high-end condos with boat docks.

It’s all about simple living [News-Press]