Premier Sotheby's opens Sanibel office

NAPLES — Premier Sotheby's International Realty has opened a new office on the Lee County barrier island of Sanibel.

Premier Sotheby's recently was the listing agent in the sale of a gulf-front estate on Sanibel that closed in October for $8.48 million. That was the highest price so far this year on the island, the company says.

Naples-based Premier Sotheby's has more than 700 agents and employees in 22 offices stretching from the Tampa Bay area to Marco Island on the Gulf Coast and in the Carolinas. In 2013, the company closed more than 3,670 transactions totaling more than $2.8 billion in sales. Premier Sotheby's ranks 37th among the 500 largest brokers in the country, according to the Real Trends 500 survey of the top U.S. residential sellers.

“This new Sanibel location provides the perfect setting to serve our current clients and attract new ones,” says Judy Green, the president and CEO of Premier Sotheby's, in a statement. “A presence in this unique area helps us serve both the seasonal and year-round needs of the luxury real estate market with our unrivaled global reach and innovative resources.”

Wil Rivait, the former owner of Old Captiva Inn Restaurant and a longtime real estate professional on the island, will run the new Sanibel office at 2341 Palm Ridge Road.