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And, noting a trend toward "starter castles" on Edington Place and on Embassy, Giralda and Hyacinth courts in the vicinity of the Olde Marco Island Inn & Suites off Collier Bay, Pransky believes the area could become a miniature Port Royal.

Or, as she says with a chuckle, "Royal Port."

The area has always been popular, but the completion of the luxurious high-rise Pier 81 towers on Bald Eagle Drive in 2002 has given Olde Marco more "credibility," Pransky said.

As an example of the interest in Olde Marco, she said, last year she got four offers within two weeks after putting an Edington Place house on the market.

"Many of them are what we call 'big-view' properties," Pransky said, "and they're always worth the most. There's a small canal lot for close to a million (dollars) available now, for example."

She said one of the main attractions of the teardown or remodeling trend in Olde Marco is a four-minute chug to the open Gulf from Collier Bay.

Pransky is spearheading promotion of the area based on her observations.

"It has a charm that some other areas on the island don't," Pransky said.

Fellow agent Bill Filbin agreed.

"Just the words 'Olde Marco' have a fascination for people," Filbin said. "It connotes the way it used to be."

Filbin said one of the attractions of Olde Marco is that it is quiet.

"Everything there is destination," he said, "while Collier Boulevard and San Marco Road are both drive-by routes."

He said the area's reputation for quietness is ironic on an island that is generally regarded as pretty quiet anyway.

"I've had clients tell me they don't want the hustle and bustle of living in a 200- to 300-unit condo on the south side of the island," he said. "It's almost like in the '70s, when people went to the Isles of Capri because they thought Marco was too crowded."

Filbin agreed that the Pier 81 development has stoked interest in the area, but noted that places like Marek's Collier House Restaurant, the Olde Marco Island Inn & Suites, Café de Marco and the Snook Inn add to the charm.

"You're looking at history at the north end," Filbin said. "When I drive clients there and tell them the Olde Marco Inn is more than 100 years old, they ooh and aah."

Agent Marilyn Barnes said another attraction of the area is the Shops at Olde Marco.

"These were some of the first properties to be built on Marco Island," Barnes said.

She said some of the main reasons for the resurgence in interest in Olde Marco are its quaintness, deep water and quick boating access to the Gulf.

Barnes also noted that while remodeling was popular about four years ago, teardowns are now more prolific in the area.

"(Homeowners) are getting 10 cents on the dollar," she said, "so they find it's better to tear properties down for the values of the lots."

The flat elevation is also significant in this regard, she said, because people are choosing to go up in home elevation.