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We haven’t gone back in time to the high prices and home sales of 2004, but some area realtors say Marco Island’s real estate industry is far ahead of most areas in the country.

“The week of May 27 to June 3 we had 78 properties either closed or pending sale. That’s just on Marco. We averaged 11 sales per day. I don’t believe there is any other four by six mile area in the country that sees that kind of activity,” said Jim Prange, a realtor with Premier Properties.

Prange and his daughter Nikki say they’ve sold over $34 million in real estate so far this year. They sold five houses and two condos last week alone. The father-daughter team attributes that success to their attitude.

Prange said he hears other realtors saying the market is terrible.

“How are they selling anything with that attitude,” he asks rhetorically.

The Prange team aren’t the only success stories on the island. Team Leader Ken Gandy of Keller Williams said real estate sales on island are turning around.

“It’s not just at Keller Williams. It’s been a tremendous season on island,” Gandy said.

While activity is up, sale prices are still down, real estate professionals say. According to Prange even lower prices is a positive.

“I find it a lot easier now to say ‘now that is a great deal.’ It was hard to say that when prices were up 30 percent from only a few months before,” Prange said.

Although prices haven’t bounced back, other indicators are positive, said Shirley English, executive vice president of the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors.

The best indication she said is to compare year-to-year numbers as opposed to weekly or shorter term statistics.

The market showed positive trends when comparing first quarter sales for 2007 compared to first quarter 2008, English said.

Single family home sales were up 27 percent while average sale prices fell by one percent compared to the first quarter last year.

“Condos are a different story,” English said.

While condo sales also increased in number by about 30 percent, prices fell by about 14 percent from 2007.

“Even with a downturn in the market, I think the statistics show a lot of people still want to be here,” she said, adding that the increased activity trend began to pick up about five months ago.

Home and condo sales in May 2008 were up about 50 percent over May 2007, said Linda Sandlin of RE/MAX Results Realty. The Sandlin Team sold 50 properties so far this year, a “nice increase” according to Sandlin.

Inventory is beginning to shrink, activity is rising and prices are bound to rise next, many realtors say.

“We have already seen signs of appreciation in a few select pockets of the market,” Sandlin explained.

Very high-end homes are among those “pockets.” The three highest sales ever on Marco Island occurred in the last year including homes which sold for $7.75 million, $8.4 million and $9 million, Prange said.

“Marco Island has four miles of beach front and they’re not building any more of it. We’re not adding anymore streets. No more condos are going to be built. This is kind of like last call,” he added.

As Marco Island goes, so goes Florida? The nation? Only time will tell.