THIS IS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN FOCUS.

COMING UP IS A VACCINE TO STOP CANCER ON THE HORIZON.

WE TALKED TO A CANCER SURVIVOR WHO WAS PART OF A CLINICAL TRIAL COMBATING THE DISEASE, WHICH IS ALREADY SHOWING PROMISING RESULTS.

WE GET A LOOK INTO THE CURRENT STATE OF THE LOCAL HOUSING MARKET AND FIND OUT HOW AI IS BEING USED TO HELP.

REALTORS AS WE HIT THE ROAD TO TRACK DOWN A HIDDEN GEM TUCKED AWAY IN A QUARTER OF MARCO ISLAND.

HOW A SMALL STRUCTURE OFFERS INSIGHTS INTO AN ISLAND COMMUNITIES PAST.

HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

MORE THAN 380,000 WOMEN IN THE U.S.

WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER THIS YEAR.

A NEW BREAST CANCER VACCINE IS SHOWING PROMISE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE DISEASE.

THE CLEVELAND CLINIC RECENTLY RELEASED FINDINGS FROM THE FIRST PHASE OF A CLINICAL TRIAL FOR THE VACCINE.

IT AIMS TO PREVENT TRIPLE NEGATIVE CANCER, WHICH IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE AND DEADLY FORM.

I HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF THE VERY FIRST PATIENTS TO TAKE PART IN THE CLINICAL TRIAL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER STORY.

>> THE CHASE YOU ARE DIAGNOSED AT THE VERY YOUNG AGE OF 31.

>> WITH ONE OF THE MOST AGGRESSIVE FORMS OF CANCER, CAN YOU TAKE US BACK TO HOW YOU EVEN DISCOVERED THE YOU HAD THIS TERRIBLE CANCER IN YOUR REACTION TO IT?

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

SEE.

I WAS I WAS VERY YOUNG WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED MY DOG KATO ACTUALLY IS THE ONE THAT ALERTED ME TO THE FACT THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE.

HE STARTED ACTING REALLY ANXIOUS AROUND ME.

AND AND THEN ONE DAY, HE JUST KIND OF KNOWS MY LEFT AND SET DOWN IN WIND AND LOOKED AT ME AND THEN HE DID IT AGAIN IN WAYS THAT THE SECOND TIME IT HURT AND I FELT A LUMP RIGHT WHERE HE PRESSED.

SO I DECIDED TO.

AND JUST OFF OFF THE WRONG, I CONTACTED MY PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER AND TOLD THEM THAT I HAD FOUND A LUMP AND WANTED TO GET CHECKED.

AND I WAS TOLD YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR CANCER.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

WE CAN SEE YOU IN 6 TO 8 MONTHS.

AND THAT WAS NOT A SATISFACTORY ANSWER FOR ME.

SO I ENDED UP GOING TO A PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT AT DUKE AND SHE GOT ME AND WITHIN LIKE 2 WEEKS AND SHE CHECKED IT OUT.

ALSO SAID IT, YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR CANCER.

ALSO, CANCER USUALLY DOESN'T HURT.

AND SO IT'S PROBABLY NOTHING.

AND AT THAT POINT I PUSHED AND I SAID WELL LET'S GET A TEST TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS BECAUSE IT SHOULDN'T BE THERE.

AND THAT'S WHEN THEY SENT ME FOR MAMMOGRAM.

I DO.

AND IT LOOKS SUSPICIOUS.

A MAMMOGRAM AND ULTRASOUND AND I ENDED UP DOING A BIOPSY AND IT CAME BACK A STRICT ABOUT TRIPLE NEGATIVE CANCER.

AND YOU HAD THOSE SYMPTOMS.

NO SYMPTOMS.

NO FAMILY HISTORY.

NO KNOWN GENETIC MUTATIONS JUST COMPLETELY OUT OF THE BLUE, CAME UP.

BACKED BY WORLD FOR A BIT.

>> WHEN THEY TOLD YOU WHAT THE DIAGNOSIS WAS, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION?

>> I WAS >> BUT I ALSO LIKE I KNEW FROM THE WAY MY DOG WAS ACTING, THAT THERE ARE SOMETHING WAS OFF.

>> AND IT JUST FELT IT FELT LIKE A HARDER EVERY LUMP AND THAT FELT LIKE SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T BE THERE.

SO I I HAD A FEELING IN MY GUT THAT THAT IT WAS SOMETHING VERY BAD, BUT IT'S IT'S ALWAYS A SHOCK TO GET, YOU KNOW, AT THAT AGE IN PARTICULAR, WHEN YOU'RE OTHERWISE HEALTHY TO GET A DIAGNOSIS LIKE THAT AND TO FIND OUT THAT IT'S THE MOST AGGRESSIVE FORM OF CANCER.

THERE IS.

AND TREATMENT OPTIONS ARE VERY LIMITED.

>> AND FROM THAT POINT FORWARD, WHAT TREATMENTS TO TO UNDERGO?

>> YES, SO I DID IV CHEMOTHERAPY AND ATE ROUNDS OF THAT.

I THEN HAD SURGERY TO REMOVE THE TUMOR AND ALSO SOME LYMPH NODES.

AND THEN I HAD 24 ROUNDS OF RADIATION AND THEN I HAD 6 MONTHS OF ORAL CHEMO.

>> HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THESE VACCINE TRIALS THAT WERE UNDERWAY AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC?

>> YEAH.

SO UNFORTUNATELY, TRIPLE NEGATIVE CANCER HAS A REALLY HIGH RATE OF RECURRENCE.

MY ONCOLOGIST TOLD ME THAT FOR MY SPECIFIC AND STAGE IN GRADE OF CANCER THAT I HAD ABOUT A 40% CHANCE OF IT COMING BACK IN THE FIRST 2 TO 3 YEARS.

AND THAT WAS TERRIFYING TO ME BECAUSE OFTENTIMES WHEN IT COMES BACK IT IT COMES BACK IN A CHEMO RESISTANT FORM.

AND THERE'S NOT THAT MANY TARGETED OPTIONS FOR TRIPLE NEGATIVE CANCER IT CAME A DOESN'T WORK.

IT'S IT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING.

AND YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF BACKUP TREATMENT MODALITIES.

SO I STARTED RESEARCHING, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT I FOUND THAT IT WAS THEIR CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT.

I STARTED RESEARCHING EVERYTHING THAT I COULD POSSIBLY DO TO PREVENT, YOU KNOW, RECURRENCE FROM HAPPENING.

AND THAT'S WHEN I FOUND THE CLEVELAND CLINIC TRIAL AND KIND OF THE RESEARCH BEHIND THAT THAT HAD BEEN ONGOING FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS AND I LOOKED AT IT KIND OF DIGEST ALL OF THAT AND THEN TOOK IT TO MY COLLEGE US AND CHINA TURNS OF LIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?

I REALLY WANT TO TRY TO GET IN AND SHE WAS SUPPORTIVE.

SO THEN I REACHED OUT TO THE CLEVELAND CLINIC AND GOT PUT ON THEIR WAITLIST.

AND YOU ARE ONE OF 35 PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PHASE.

ONE.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESULT SO FAR IN YOUR CASE?

IT'S BEEN GREAT.

SO I AM STILL NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE, JULY.

2ND OF THIS YEAR, I WILL OFFICIALLY BE IN THE 5 YEAR MISSION CATEGORY, WHICH I'M REALLY EXCITED TO ACHIEVE.

SO, YEAH, IT'S BEEN IT'S BEEN PHENOMENAL.

I TRULY FEEL LIKE THIS VACCINE HAS MADE FROM PATIENT PERSPECTIVE, AT LEAST HE'S MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN MY SURVIVAL AND NOT HAVING A RECURRENCE.

>> DID YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

YEAH.

AND AT THE TIME THAT I PARTICIPATED IN THE TRIAL, ALL THOSE CONCERNS OF KIND OF BEEN ALLEVIATED BACKSIDE SPENT SO MUCH TIME DIGGING INTO THE RESEARCH.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK ANYTIME YOU TRY SOMETHING NEW, THAT'S THAT'S BY ITS NATURE EXPERIMENTAL LIKE THERE'S A CERTAIN LEVEL OF ANXIETY THAT GOES WITH THAT.

BUT THE SIDE EFFECTS THAT I EXPERIENCED, AT LEAST WE'RE VERY MILD.

THEY'RE LIKE INJECTION SITE REDNESS, EXPECT A FEVER A COUPLE HOURS AFTER THE INJECTION, WHICH WAS NOT SUPER HIGH AND ONLY LAST A FEW HOURS.

AND FOR ME, THOSE SIDE EFFECTS WERE ACTUALLY A BIT ENCOURAGING BECAUSE I FELT LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE VACCINES DONE SOMETHING, AT LEAST WE KNOW IT'S IT'S DOING SOMETHING AND BECAUSE I'M HAVING A REACTION.

SO THAT WAS ENCOURAGING THAT THEY WERE THEY WERE VERY MILD AND CERTAINLY IN COMPARISON TO CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT FOR CANCER.

I JUST 9 DAY DIFFERENCE.

WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS VACCINE?

I HOPE IT COMPLETELY ERADICATE CANCER.

AND IF IT DOESN'T COMPLETELY ERADICATE CANCER, I HOPE THAT IT BECOMES A VIABLE TREATMENT OPTION FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER BECAUSE THE CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE TODAY ARE JUST VERY EXTREME.

AN I STILL HAVE SIDE EFFECTS FROM CHEMOTHERAPY AFTER A PUPPY IN MY HANDS AND LEGS AND THE ALTERNATIVE IS OBVIOUSLY WORSE.

I'M VERY HAPPY AND VERY FORTUNATE TO BE ALIVE.

THEY DO HAVE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS AND I HOPE THAT YEAR 10, 15 YEARS FROM NOW, WE LOOK BACK AT THAT IV CHEMOTHERAPY AND HELP, HOWEVER, LIKE YOU CAN JUST GO IN OFFICE, GET A 10 MINUTE AND YOU KNOW.

OFFICES THAT HAVE A VACCINE INJECTION AND BE PROTECTED.

>> IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE TODAY WITH OUR AUDIENCE?

>> YES, I WOULD JUST SAY BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE.

I THINK HAD I HAD MY DOG NOT ALERTED ME AND HAD I NOT ADVOCATED FOR MYSELF THAT I WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY.

SO AND YOU HAVE TO TRUST YOUR GUT.

AND EVEN IF YOU KNOW THE EXPERTS, THE DOCTORS ARE TELLING YOU THAT EVERYTHINGS, FINE, YOU'RE TOO YOUNG CANCER DOESN'T HURT.

YOU KNOW, THE LIST OF THINGS.

JUST GO WITH YOUR GUT AND KEEP PUSHING UNTIL WE FIND >> I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE SO HEALTHY.

TODAY AND YOU LOOK AMAZING AND >> THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR VERY PERSONAL STORY.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> I ALSO SPOKE WITH THE CEO OF THE BIOTECH FIRM WORKING WITH THE CLEVELAND CLINIC ON THIS VACCINE.

THEY ARE HOPING TO ONE DAY MAKE THE VACCINE AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC.

THAT INTERVIEW WILL BE LATER THIS WEEK ON SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN FOCUS YOU CAN HEAD TO WGCU DOT ORG FOR MORE HEALTH RELATED STORIES.

COMING UP.

WELL, SOME HOUSING MARKETS ARE HOT.

OTHERS CAN BE COLD, BUT LOCALS ARE FEELING LIKE GOLDILOCKS WILL TELL YOU WHY.

COMING UP NEXT.

MOST PEOPLE HAVE FAVORITE FOODS AND LIKELY FAVORITE PLACES TO DINE OUT FOR THOSE FOODS.

>> ONE OF THOSE LOCALLY HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR 5 YEARS.

>> BUT IS REOPENING VERY SOON.

IT SWEET TOMATOES.

AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT SWEET TOMATOES, IT'S A WONDERFUL BUFFET.

THE TEACHERS, SALADS AND SOUPS PASTAS DELICIOUS BREADS AND FREE ICE CREAM AND ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE THAT YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE IT.

WE LOVE IT.

AND OUR WGCUS MIKE WALCHER HERE WITH THIS WEEK'S BUSINESS SEGMENT TO TELL US ABOUT THE REINCARNATION OF SWEET TOMATOES IN FORT MYERS.

I WILL TELL YOU TO ME THIS IS BREAKING NEWS.

THIS IS A LEAD STORY BECAUSE SO MANY OF US LOVE AND MISS OUR SWEET TOMATOES IN FORT MYERS.

AND AND NOW IT'S FINALLY COMING PACK AND IT WILL BE OPENING SOON.

AND YOU'RE MAKING US HUNGRY, RIGHT?

AND AS A MATTER OF FACT.

>> YOU KNOW, IT WAS SO POPULAR WITH THE FAMILIES BECAUSE THE ADULTS LOVED THE SOUPS AND SALADS.

THE CHILDREN LOVE FREE ICE CREAM.

AND NOW AS WE TOMATOES IS MAKING A DRAMATIC RETURN, A COMPANY BASED IN THE ORLANDO AREA BOUGHT UP THE RIGHTS AND HAS REOPENED ONE SWEET TOMATOES AND TUCSON, ARIZONA.

THE WHOLE CHAIN CLOSED DOWN DURING COVID.

THE FORMER OWNERS DECLARED BANKRUPTCY AND THAT WAS UP SOUTH.

FORT MYERS IS OPENING NEXT.

THE NEW OWNERS ARE REFURBISHING RENOVATING THE FORMER LOCATION ON US.

41 BETWEEN DANIELS AND GLADIOLUS.

THEY'VE HIRED A MANAGER WHO IN TURN IS HIRING COOKS, CASHIERS, KITCHEN WORKERS.

THE PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSON SAYS IT WILL BE SOON BEFORE A GRAND REOPENING HERE, BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS ON GETTING ALL THE NEEDED PERMITS FROM THE LEE COUNTY.

WE TALK WITH 2 HUGE FANS OVER THE PLACE FULL AND ARE YOU ON A FORMER LEE COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS AND MONROE MAPS, 90 YEARS OLD.

FIRST YOUNG WHO SAYS SHE DINED HERE OFTEN WITH HER HUSBAND.

>> I LIKE THE ICE CREAM IN THE SUNDAY'S AND SO DID HE.

BUT WE LIKE THE SALADS.

AND HE LIKE ALL THE ITALIAN FOODS, A SPAGHETTI AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.

SO, YEAH, WE HAVE SOME GOOD MEMORIES HERE.

>> WELL, I WILL ALWAYS GONE TO BUFFETS BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE I COULD BE ASSURED OF A GOOD SALAD BAR.

AND I LIKE SALADS.

I LIKE TO EAT HEALTHY AND THAT'S WHY I FOR THE RAIDERS AND THE THEIR FOOD.

AND THEIR COFFEE HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY TASTY.

>> I'M JUST VERY HAPPY TO SEE SWEET TOMATOES COMING BACK.

I THINK OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS THAT.

AND I THINK EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE HAPPY WHEN THEY FIND THE OPEN.

>> WE CHECKED ON FLORIDA SUNDAY.

IS THAT THE STATE'S BUSINESS REGISTRY?

AND WE FOUND THAT THE NEW OWNERS HAVE BEEN OPERATING UNDER THE NAMES, ST 3, 4, LIMITED LIABILITY.

CORPORATIONS.

IT IS BELIEVED THEY HAVE TIES TO A PRIVATE INVESTMENT FIRM AND THE ORLANDO AREA, A FARM THAT IS KNOWN TO FOLLOW THE WARREN BUFFET STYLE.

THAT IS INVEST LONG-TERM IN REAL QUALITY COMPANIES OR PRODUCTS AND IT SAYS A LOT OF JENNIFER THAT THE OWNERS BELIEVE.

SO WE TOMATOES THAT'S END TO THAT.

>> THAT CATEGORY IS CERTAINLY DOES.

AND I KNOW FOR YEARS, MY FAMILY SO MANY FRIENDS, WE HAVE MANY MEMORIES OF THAT PARTICULAR SWEET TOMATOES.

MANY TEAMS LEAGUES WOULD COME IN AND AND EVERYONE LOVES.

>> EVERYONE LOVES SWEET TOMATOES AT OUR OUR WINTER TIME.

VISITORS LOVE THE PLACE AS WELL.

AND I CAN TELL YOU WE ARE CHECKING THE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA EVERY DAY.

AND WE WILL BRING YOU THE GRAND REOPENING DATE OF SOME IS THEY REVEAL IF YOU THINK THERE'S A CHANCE IT COULD BE OPEN IN TIME FOR MOTHER'S DAY.

THAT'S A LITTLE BIT FAST.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST NOT MUCH MORE THAN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AWAY OR 3 WEEKS.

IT MAY BE A LITTLE LATER THAN THAT.

WE'RE PUTTING SOMETIMES CAN COME TAKE A MOMENT.

WE'LL KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED.

AND THANKS FOR THIS UPDATE.

ITS A HAPPY ONE.

>> THANKS.

>> FROM TRENDS IN NEW BUSINESSES TO THE LATEST IN OUR REAL ESTATE MARKET, YOU CAN CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE STORIES AT WGCU DOT ORG.

IF YOU ARE HOUSE HUNTING IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, THE MARKET IS MOSTLY IN YOUR FAVOR.

ACCORDING TO REAL ESTATE EXPERTS.

IN FACT, THIS WEEK IS CALLED THE GOLDILOCKS WEEK ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA REAL ESTATE EXPERT DENNY GRIMES JOINS US NOW WITH A SNAPSHOT OF THE RESIDENTIAL MARKET IN OUR AREA.

DENNY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME TO JOIN US FROM SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO WHERE YOU ARE ATTENDING A SPECIAL CONFERENCE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF REAL ESTATE.

>> SURE.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.

LESS WIFE FLEW DOWN.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT.

>> NOW WE ARE SEEING FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR BUYERS IN THE 3RD WEEK OF APRIL.

1ST QUARTER NUMBERS JUST CAME OUT FOR JANUARY THROUGH THE END OF MARCH 2026, WHAT IS THE DATA SHOWING US?

>> WELL, THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING.

THE MOST POSITIVE IS AVAILABLE.

SHARON, A COUPLE OF YEARS.

AND WE KIND OF MONITOR 3 KEY INDICATORS.

NUMBER ONE IS THE NUMBER OF SALES QUARTER.

ONE YEAR OVER YEAR IS UP 11%.

SO THAT'S A TREND IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

OUR MARKET IS SHOWING MOMENTUM.

NOT ONLY THAT THIS WAS THE BEST 1ST QUARTER, JENNIFER, WE HAD SINCE 2022 TO WHEN WE ARE COMING OUT OF THE COVID YEARS.

SO SALES MOMENTUM IS POSITIVE.

THE SECOND METRICS IS PRICING PRICING IS FLAT YEAR-OVER-YEAR.

OUR PRICES ARE STABLE RIGHT NOW, WHICH MEANS IS OUR MARKET IS RETURNING TO OUR RATIONAL CITY.

SO THAT'S ALSO GOOD NEWS FOR BUYERS ARE NOR BIDDING WARS.

THAT TYPE THING GOING ON.

SO THE MARKET PRICING IS STABLE AND THE OTHER THING THAT THE 3RD INDICATOR IS THE NUMBER OF HOMES BEING SOLAR INVENTORY INVENTORY BASICALLY IS DOWN ABOUT 15% FROM LAST YEAR.

HOWEVER, IT'S STILL UP 100% FROM 2022.

BEST BETS WHEN WE HAD NOTHING ON THE MARKET.

SO WHAT THAT MEANS FOR BUYERS AS THEY HAVE SELECTIONS AND THEY HAVE CHOICE, THEY'RE NO LONGER DICTATED BY THE SELLER.

WE'RE STILL IN A BUYER'S MARKET, BUT IT'S IMPROVING.

SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS FOR SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

>> WHAT IS THIS TERM THAT I'VE HEARD CALLED GOLDIE LOCKS WERE IN THE GOLDILOCKS WEEK FOR REAL ESTATE.

WHAT DOES THAT EVEN ME?

>> WELL, IT'S FUNNY.

I'M HERE TO LURE BUNNY.

I SO I HAD TO USE AI TO FIGURE OUT WHAT GOLDILOCKS WEEK WAS BECAUSE I NEVER HEARD ABOUT IT.

MY 40 YEARS, A REAL ESTATE.

I JUST HAD A NATIONAL ZOOM CALL WITH 100 PAGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY SAY THEY'VE HEARD THIS GOLDILOCKS SAYING NO.

BUT WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE GOLDILOCKS EFFECT.

YOU KNOW, THE POOR JUST TOO HOT TO COLD.

JUST RIGHT.

AND WHAT KIND OF INDICATE HE'S KIND OF A FUN FACT.

IT'S NOT USEFUL, BUT IT'S MATH THAT A CULT DEFEND DOUBLE THAT SUPPOSEDLY THIS IS THE BEST WEEK TO SELL REAL ESTATE IN THE COUNTRY.

NOW I'VE GOT BAD NEWS FOR YOU ACTUALLY ENDED ON THE 18TH OF THIS MONTH.

SO YOUR VIEWERS AND THIS GOLDILOCKS WEEK.

>> WELL, I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU ABOUT OUR OUR MARKET AND MORTGAGE RATES AND HOW THE DIP IN MORTGAGE RATES IS IMPACTING SALES FOR HOMES IN OUR AREA.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?

>> WELL, I THINK MORTGAGE RATES KIND OF VERY DAILY KIND OF LIKE DRIVING BY THE 7.11 AND LOOK AT THE GAS PRICES AND THEN IT CHANGES EVERY DAY.

AND SO IT'S NOT SIGNIFICANT.

YOU KNOW, THE LOW, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST PART OF MARCH WAS 6%.

NOW IT'S 6.3 DOWN FROM 6.5, IT GOES UP AND DOWN JUST LIKE THE GASOLINE PRICE.

BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY AFFECT THE MARKET.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT RATIONALLY BECAUSE THE DIFFERENCE, IF YOU LOOK AT A $400,000 LOAN ALLOWED THAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 6, 6.3, WHICH IS WHICH IS THE RATE TODAY.

JENNIFER, YOU'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $70 A MONTH OR IT'S GOING TO BE ABOUT $2.50 A DAY.

I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD STOP SOMEBODY FROM GOING INTO HOME OWNERSHIP.

>> IF SOMEONE IS SELLING, HOW LONG CAN THEY EXPECT TO HAVE THEIR HOME LISTED AN ON THE MARKET BEFORE GETTING IT UNDER CONTRACT?

>> WELL, IT'S A FAIR QUESTION.

I MEAN, THERE IS AN AVERAGE OUT THERE.

IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT 75 OR 80 DAYS, BUT REALLY IF THE SELLER IS PHISHING WITH A THIS KIND OF LIKE YOU'RE GOING FISHING, IF YOU THOUGHT A HOOK IN THE WATER WITH NO BAIT ON IT, THERE'S A CHANCE OFFICIAL SWIM INTO IT BACKWARDS AND GET TANGLED IN THE LINE.

BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE VERY OFTEN DIDN'T HAVE VERY FAST.

SO TYPICALLY IN THE MARKET WITH A VELOCITY, IF A SELLER HAS IT PRICE COMPETITIVELY, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ACTION IN THE FIRST 30 DAYS.

>> NOW, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS?

IT TIE OR SELL?

>> WELL, IT'S KIND OF LIKE GOING TO STAGE.

SHOULD YOU BUY GAS OR WAIT FOR THE PRICES COME DOWN?

SO IT DEPENDS ON IF YOU NEED GAS ARE NOT.

IF YOU DON'T NEED TO SELL IN THIS MARKET.

I MEAN.

THEN DON'T IF YOU AND THE PEERS KIND OF THE LINE IN THE SAND.

JENNIFER, IF SOMEONE IS PURCHASE BEFORE 2022, IT DOESN'T MATTER.

THEY'RE GOING TO SELL THEM, MAKE A LOT OF MONEY.

IN FACT, PRICES ARE UP.

LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE UP 40 OR 50% SINCE 2002.

SO THOSE SELLERS HAVE A LOT OF EQUITY.

THEY CAN IF THEY SELL, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE MONEY NOW WHERE THEY GO NEXT.

YOU KNOW, IT'S TOTALLY UP TO THEM.

IF YOU OWN OR PURCHASE AFTER 2022 MOST LIKELY THE MARKET HAS SLIPPED SINCE THEN.

SO YOU MIGHT HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT SELLING.

YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY OWE MORE THAN YOU EQUITY IN YOUR HOME.

SO AND THAT'S THAT LEADS TO A QUESTION.

PEOPLE TALK A LOT ABOUT IS ABOUT FORECLOSURES, PRE FORECLOSURES AND THAT MIGHT PUT YOU IN KIND OF A PICKLE WE SAY IN REAL ESTATE.

>> DO YOU HAVE ANY DATA ON THE FORECLOSURE NUMBERS?

THIS 1ST QUARTER, WHETHER THEY'RE UP OR DOWN IN FLORIDA?

>> THEY'RE EVEN IN CURRENTLY THERE ARE UP, BUT NOT SIGNIFICANTLY.

THERE'S THERE'S NOT A LOT OF OF OF FORECLOSURE PRE FORECLOSURE ACTIVITY RELATIVE TO WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST.

I MEAN, YES, THERE'S A FEW EXTRA MORE FORECLOSURES RIGHT NOW.

AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT NUMBER INCREASE BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED TO SELF AFTER PURCHASING AFTER 2022.

AND THOSE PEOPLE ARE ARE ARE FORECLOSURE PRONE.

SO YOU'LL SEE THE NUMBERS GROW, BUT IT'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER.

>> NOW AT THE CONFERENCE, I KNOW YOU ARE HEARING FROM SPEAKERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND A HOT TOPIC IS HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BEING USED IN THE INDUSTRY.

CAN YOU JUST GIVE US AN IDEA OF HOW YOU'RE USING IT IN YOUR BUSINESS?

>> SHORT.

>> IN OUR IN OUR EVERYDAY BUSINESS.

WHAT WE'RE USING AI FOR IT IS A LOT OF MORE MARKETING MARKETING.

COPY.

IT'S BEEN GREAT TO UNDERWRITING DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT A PROPERTY BECAUSE WE IT LISTS A LOT OF PROPERTIES OR LATER WE KIND OF GET INTO A RIGHT ABOUT JUST DESCRIBING A 3 BETTER TO BATTLE WITH THE OPEN FLOOR PLAN.

I HAS BEEN USED MORE FOR TYPING AND FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS.

ALSO FOR THE CONSUMER.

I MEAN, THE CONSUMER'S ASKING AI A LOT ABOUT THE PROCESS ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD BACKGROUND.

MAYBE SOME MARKET STATS AI IS NOT IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS AT THIS TIME.

MAYBE IT NEVER WILL BE IN THIS.

NOT IN THE SALE PROCESS.

I HAS BEEN USED PRIMARILY IS SUPPORT.

WITH A COPY MARKETING.

>> AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN THE OTHER PIECE OF WISDOM YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR AUDIENCE TO HELP SELLERS AND OR BUYERS AT THIS TIME.

THEY'RE JUST THEY'RE JUST EGALITE ON THE MARKET.

>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PROBABLY ABOUT 8 OR 10,000 DIFFERENT ROLES THAT AGENTS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

CHANCES ARE.

YOU MIGHT KNOW ONE AND THAT PERSON, IF HAS SOME ABILITY IN SOME IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY WITH SOME EXPERIENCED AND FIND SOMEONE BECAUSE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.

THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE WANTING TO MOVE HERE.

THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO INCREASE AS WE MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE WE OFFER 3 THINGS.

EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FOR WATER WORK IN THE WAY OF LIFE.

AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH AN AGENT, YOU LIKE INTEREST.

FIND ONE.

AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE, I'LL RAISE MY HAND ALL APPLY FOR THE JOB.

>> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY FROM PUERTO RICO.

HOPE YOU LEARN MORE AT THE CONFERENCE AND APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IS A HOTSPOT FOR HISTORY LOVERS.

BUT NOT EVERY ATTRACTION DRAWS THE SAME ATTENTION AS THE RINGLING MUSEUM IN SARASOTA... OR EDISON FORD WINTER ESTATES IN FORT MYERS.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GO OFF THE BEATEN PATH TO FIND SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE.

AS PART OF AN UPCOMING PROGRAM... W-G-C-U'S DOCUMENTARY UNIT WAS ABLE TO TRACK DOWN A HIDDEN GEM... TUCKED AWAY IN MARCO ISLAND.

<And this is really a secret.

This is a secret spot.

This is a secret spot.

Yeah.

So this site is publicly accessible.

There's a public easement, but it's in a private gated community.

So unless, you know, you would never think to try and find this site, they're not advertising that you can come back here and see this historic property.

The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

To see the site, we had paid a $10 fee to drive inside the luxurious Key Marco community between Marco Island and Goodland.

This was built for Captain John Horr, who is a captain from the Union Army who settles down here.

There is a pineapple plantation here at the time.

According to the historic register description, pineapple production in South Florida began in 1860.

There were several produce plantations around Marco.

The property was believed to be a vacation retreat for Horr and his family.

They lived in Key West, where Horr operated a grocery business and held various positions, including as U.S.

Marshal.

What's compelling about the home now is how it was constructed.

It's actually a tabby structure.

What it is, is you have different material that's actually mixed in to create that kind of like, again, that like early kind of concrete.

So what we have mixed in here are of course, all the shell and the other archaeological material that would have been plentiful in this area.

So we see that reuse of the archaeological Calusa material here in this historic house.

This whole island is actually very archaeologically rich.

So in trying to pull the site file for the other site, my colleague was like, oh, which one do you need?

So anyone that's building, you know, their house here has to do an archaeological investigation.

If they're adjacent to a known site just to document that, they're not going to impact the archaeological site or to try and document what is actually here.

For WGCU News, I'm Janine Zeitlin.> A ONCE FORGOTTEN STAPLE OF DIETING... IS GETTING REVITALIZED.

THERE'S A COTTAGE CHEESE RENAISSANCE HAPPENING... WITH THE INGREDIENT BECOMING POPULAR IN RECIPIES AND WITH HEALTH EXPERTS.

AND AS W-G-C-U'S TEDDY BYRNE LEARNED... THERE ARE SOME GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS THAT COME ALONG WITH EATING COTTAGE CHEESE It seems like every viral recipe you see on social media these days includes cottage cheese.

But why is this ingredient so popular all of a sudden?

So cottage cheese is actually a really healthy food.

We know tha it has a lot of healthy bacteria that help with our microbiome.

We know it's a great source of protein.

It's also something that Lenn of my patients consider clean.

Kristen Kirkpatrick is a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic.

She says cottage cheese is also extremely versatile.

It can be eaten on its own or mixed in with other ingredients to create smoothies, pancakes, pasta sauce, wraps and even desserts.

Kirkpatrick says if you look in the cottage cheese section at the store, you'll notice there are all kinds of.

Some may be made with whole milk, while others are low in fat.

There's not one type that's necessarily better than the other.

It's more about personal preference and what makes sense for your diet.

However, those with higher protein and fat may keep you fuller for longer.

In terms of the texture, a lot of times it's the chunks that throw people off so you can get a whipped cottage cheese, or you can take cottage cheese, put it in your blender, put it on blend and it will whip it for you.

So it will make it really nice and creamy.

And then you don't get that idea of like, oh my gosh, I'm seeing these chunks.

Kirkpatrick says while cottage cheese can be a great addition to your diet, those who are lactose intolerant or have a case insensitivity should be careful, as it could cause adverse gut issues.

On our next program a special presentation of the latest WGCU documentary, Flight 823 Homage to Heroes.

It chronicles the incredible efforts made by the North Collie Fire Rescue Team as they rushed to the scene of a plane crash on I-75.

It's a tremendous story you will not want to miss.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Make sure you head to WGCU.org That's where you'll find all of our stories.

Have a great evening and we look forward to seeing you back here agai for Southwest Florida in Focus.