When it comes to rear exposure, it's all good!
Many of our new residents come to Cape Coral to enjoy the canal views and the sunny warmth of their pools. On a daily basis, we run through lists of "must haves" in an effort to find the perfect house for each of our buyers. Over the years, we have had buyers express a strong desire to have the pool and water views facing specific directions. Some buyers love to sit in the sun and some prefer the shade. Some like the morning sun to wake them up and some seek sunset views.
We decided to examine the data for evidence that buyers preferred one type of exposure or that one exposure added more value than did another. In general, most people assume that a southern exposure is most in demand and generates a higher sales price. We wanted to compare sales and see if that proved true. We combed through the MLS data over the last two years and the chart below describes what we found.
| Rear View | No. of Sales | Square Feet | Median List Price | Median Sales Price | Cost per Square Foot | Comparison to South | Percentage |
| South | 136 | 2,063 | 352,450 | 32,1250 | $155.72 | -- | 91% |
| East | 125 | 2,049 | 325,000 | 32,0000 | $156.17 | 0.29% | 98% |
| West | 143 | 2,108 | 330,000 | 32,0000 | $151.80 | -2.52% | 97% |
| North | 130 | 2,121 | 322,400 | 32,0000 | $141.44 | -9.17% | 93% |
We looked at the 534 Gulf-access pool homes sold between January 2009 and January 2011. We tracked the number of homes sold, median square footage, median list price, median sales price, price per square foot of the sold listings, percentage of median sales prices compared to southern-exposure homes, and percentage of sales prices to listing prices.
As noted earlier, the general opinion is that southern exposure is thought to be the most popular rear exposure. The cold wind in the winter months usually comes out of the north. The house blocks the wind from the pool area, making it more enjoyable to sit by the pool and view the canal. Many of our German clients as well as those who come here seasonally to hide from a cold winter specifically ask for a southern exposure. People often talk about a southern exposure as a positive feature.
Yet, if you look at the data, it seems as though the number of homes selling with a southern exposure is not significantly higher or lower than those selling with a northern, eastern, or western exposure. It appears that sellers with southern-exposure homes list their homes for a higher median sales price but eventually sell closer to the price of their western and eastern counterparts.
Although some buyers request sunrise and sunset rear exposures, it is obvious that properties with eastern and western exposures are selling for about the same price as those with southern exposures. Some buyers are perfectly happy to have a western exposure with sunset views and to deal with a hotter and sunnier lanai; they take great pleasure in the setting sun as it beams upward and into their lanais. In contrast, homes with an eastern exposure revel in the morning sun. Later in the day, the sun moves behind the house, bringing afternoon shade to those pools.
When we look at the data for northern-exposure homes, we do see that they tend to sell for about 9 percent less than any of the other exposures. With a northern exposure, the pool areas see less sun, especially in the winter months when the sun sits more in the southern sky. When a cold front moves in, the pool area can be windier and colder. For many seasonal residents, these are important factors in their decision-making.
While this research does give us a general idea about the buying patterns of our new residents, rear exposure is definitely a personal preference. We have had clients ask for one direction or another for a number of reasons. Many clients do not think about it and do not express a preference one way or another. While southern exposure is considered the most popular, it is obvious that there is a buyer for every home and every exposure.
