Home & Garden Southwest Florida peeps, wheres a great neighborhood to buy a home?

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designer1

Member
Jul 23, 2010
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#1
So, this Canadian girl is looking to buy a 3 bedroom home in southwest Florida. I'd like to be close to the airport in Punta Gorda or Fort Myers. Will spend a few weeks of the year there and would like it to be a safe and more quiet area. Close to great shopping and beaches too. Seems like the Port Charlotte area offers some very inexpensive pool homes ($135-155 000). I'm hoping anyone who lives in southwest Florida can tell me some other areas I should be researching. Again, I'm willing to buy in an area that is no more than 45 mins to either airport. I'm only 45, so I don't want an area that is 99% elderly! Still looking to have fun ! ;)
 
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#4
designer1 said:
Around the $140-150 000 price range since it won't be mortgaged and it's only a vacation home for a few weeks per year. Thanks
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Do you want a condo or single family home? Are you planning on renting it out when you're not there? Have you looked into insurance costs in the area? A condo/townhouse may be more practical (and you could get one closer to the beach) if you're only going to be there for a few weeks each year.
 
#5
NO condo, not interested in sharing a pool. Definitely 3 bedroom home, more spacious, more privacy. No we won't be renting it out. Not worried about insurance, and don't want to be near the beach. I'd rather have a nice pool/lanai and a short drive to the beach. Not really a beach person all that much. Yes, it will start out being a few weeks a year (still pretty young), but when hubby fully retires in about 15 years, we will spend a full 6 months there. Thanks.
Anyone live in Leigh Hts? Seems to be a lot of homes for sale there, and a great area??
 
#8
We have a real estate agent, Naples seems too snooty for my liking. Our fishing charter captain last month told us the women from Naples think they're celebrities, then went on to say they spend too much money on plastic surgery , calling them "cougars who try to find young men who are likely just interested in them for their money. " lol
 
#10
junqueprincess said:
Wondering if you have found anything? What area did you settle k ? Also how were flood insurance and home owners insurance prices?
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Still looking, nothing that really grabs my attention lately. A few homes I've seen say "no flood insurance needed" or "in a no flood zone" ? Not sure…those details don't mean a lot right now..lol. I am still searching for the perfect home. Its either really nice inside and NO pool, which is a deal breaker, or a huge pool, lanai, backyard, and the inside is hideous. No rush…my hubby doesn't retire for a loooong time still, and thinks it won't get much use if we buy right now. I on the other hand am retired and would spend weeks at a time there. It seems the U.S economy has improved, (crappy for us) ,so we will likely wait until it flips again…and we get more for our CDN dollar :smile: I do know it will be in the Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte area though, its perfect for quick flights in and out from the Buffalo/Niagara airport!
 
#11
Punta Gorda Isles area is really nice ,but more money than what you are looking at. Look at North Port area, it's close enough to Punta Gorda and Ft.Myers airport. I live in North Port estates, used to live in Port Charlotte ( wouldn't recommend that area, it's badly planned and they don't keep up on improvements) North Port is a great location we are close to the interstate to drive down to Ft.Myers and Sarasota for shopping and we are 30 mins from the beach. You would definitely find a house in the price bracket you are looking for. They are improving this area all the time, new shopping developments and improvements on the roads. The median age in North Port is much younger than Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. Good luck. Punta Gorda is 20 minutes from here on I75, I don't care what they tell you, the whole of Florida is a flood zone lol. I've lived in this area for 20 yrs.
 
#12
Good to know all this, thanks ladies. I'll keep visiting my sister's home in Port Charlotte until we find one we love. They bought theirs 18 months ago and got a steal of a deal ! They use it 3 times a year for a week or two, so it's empty ALOT! Our agent sends quite a few homes ( email ) for sale in North Port, but nothing has caught my eye yet. A lot in Leigh Heights too. I've bumped the budget up to $ 175 000, but I think we may wait til the market takes a nose dive again. No rush, hubby is only 44, so far from being fully retired. :smile:
 
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