SouthWest Florida Realtor

My wife and I are planning to winter in Florida in a condo and summer on the boat in Narragansett bay. We may eventually bring the boat down to Florida full time in a few years but right now we like cruising the the bay and Long Island sound.

We are looking somewhere between Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Cape Coral, Fort Myers area.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a realtor in this area?

Does anyone have any opinions on living in this area?

thank you in advance

Why that area? Further north in the Tampa st. Pete area you have great airport and every service a major metro area can offer. Since you aren't planning on a boat here there are zillions of choices of condos, on the water, in the city, on golf courses, on the beach or just plain cheap.

I live in Fort Myers and like it very much. My boat is in Cape Coral and could be happy living there also. As close as they are to each other, they are a world apart as far as realtors. Same for North Fort Myers, South Fort Myers, and Fort Myers Beach. When I was looking to move down, I spent a couple weeks looking between Punta Gorda and Naples. Once I narrowed it down to FM, it took a couple of one week vacations to zero in on the right neighborhoods, and then find the house.

A key thing to remember in this area is that house turnover is huge. Lots of people move here to retire, live 10+ years and die. Then the kids sell the house off. So, with that much turnover, the good realtors concentrate on much smaller areas than you would expect.

Ted

bayview said:

Why that area? Further north in the Tampa st. Pete area you have great airport and every service a major metro area can offer. Since you aren't planning on a boat here there are zillions of choices of condos, on the water, in the city, on golf courses, on the beach or just plain cheap.

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We have a great airport with better parking, on average warmer temperatures in the winter, less crime, much less traffic, Closer to the FL Keys and SE FL coast if you want to go there.

Ted

I'll have to agree with Ted, we've lived in SW Florida, specifically PuntaGorda for almost 20 years, and I can't imagine a more beautiful place to live year round. We've regularly cruised Long Island Sound out to Martha's Vineyard, as as gorgeous as some of those areas are, I have memories of 50+ winters that takes the bloom off the rose. Judd, if you want to talk about SW FLorida, private message me, and I'll give you my cell number, and I'll fill you in on the area.
Jim

O C Diver said:

A key thing to remember in this area is that house turnover is huge. Lots of people move here to retire, live 10+ years and die. Then the kids sell the house off. So, with that much turnover, the good realtors concentrate on much smaller areas than you would expect.

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This is true of much of Florida, although most live more than 10 years. The cycle is closer to 20 years but it does exist.

In addition to retirees, SW Florida is a favorite of Europeans. Many buy vacation homes and rent them out when they are not there.

We strongly considered the same area when we were moving from Brevard County but got turned off by the congestion. Real estate can be tricky there. Many HOAs require large capital contribution fees above and beyond the buying price of the house and sometime a plethora of other fees and/or memberships. We opted to move to Vero Beach on the east coast and thoroughly enjoyed it before we found our current house on the St Johns. I would highly recommend Vero Beach.

Some years ago Ken and Karen Rolland- http://krolland.net/ showed us property in Punta Gorda Isles. I can certainly recommend this realtor couple.

PGI and the surrounding area is my favorite in SW Florida. Cheaper than the Sarasota area but not as dense as Cape Coral. When we looked in PGI 5-6 years ago, canal front homes could be had for $300K and canal front condos for $200K. The high condo fees turned us off then, but with foreclosures under control, condo fees have probably stabilized, but prices are no doubt higher.

David

If you want to look in Punta Gorda Luke Andre is your man. Ilovepuntagorda.com

I have done three real estate deals with him and have never seen a better agent.

My boat is at Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral, and I'm with Ted that this is a great area to consider. The cruising grounds from Punta Gorda and Boca Grande in the north, to Cayo Costa, Captiva, Sanibel islands, and the beaches from Ft Myers Beach to Naples to Marco Island are wonderful variety for boating, and RSW is an awesome, easy airport. We live in Atlanta and are able to get down 6-8 times a year.

We looked at property in Cape Coral and had a really good realtor. PM me and I will look up her contact info...

I've been a visitor to the Ft. Myers area since 1981. If quiet suits you, take a peek at Pine Island.

If you're coming down in January, then you'll appreciate the temperature variation between anything North of Punta Gorda vs South of PG. We live in N.Ft.Myers six months and Ontario the other six.
Glad we're here and not North of PG.

"If you're coming down in January, then you'll appreciate the temperature variation between anything North of Punta Gorda vs South of PG."

You bet till you get south of Lake O you are still in Georgia ,

Do you want to be in T shirt , or just out of the freezing cold?

FF said:

"If you're coming down in January, then you'll appreciate the temperature variation between anything North of Punta Gorda vs South of PG."

You bet till you get south of Lake O you are still in Georgia ,

Do you want to be in T shirt , or just out of the freezing cold?

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You guys make me laugh. I think we had 4 days where the high was below 70 in January and one in February and we are only 50 miles south of Jax (which is Georgia ...haha). If you want 85 degree temps in January, then so be it but some of us don't like 85 degree temps ever.

I highly recommend Boca Grande. Charming town, no stop lights, nice people, great views, dog friendly and all you need is a golf cart to get around. You can rent a condo at Boca Grande North for a reasonable price (but no pets). Great views and small boat marina. If you want to be on the beach, but much more $$, check out boca grande club.

I know Boca Grande pretty well, having anchored there for a week or so. Cute, as you say, but expensive. Great for a vacation but I wonder how it would be to live there full time. It is a long way to anything.

David

It's horrible down here! ?

jdud133 said:

My wife and I are planning to winter in Florida in a condo and summer on the boat in Narragansett bay. We may eventually bring the boat down to Florida full time in a few years but right now we like cruising the the bay and Long Island sound.

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Why not do an OC Diver move and bring your boat down with you? Seems sad to be on the water in FL and your boat in Narragansett.

If you are coming down for some long term visits, my friend Darrell has a very nice house on a canal in Punta Gordy Isles that he rents out by the week and month. Winter might be a problem as it is usually rented out well in advance for winter months.

Air temperatures in FL can vary widely from winter to winter. A good source of comparison is the USDA Hardness chart. It's updated about every 10 years and gives a 10 year history range of coldest expected temperature. The purpose of the chart is for agriculture, but it's very useful for getting regional coldest temperatures overview.

USDA Hardness Zones

Ted

I sent a PM with a realtor contact

50 miles south of Jax,

IN Jax I have been there when it snowed overnight.

But if there is any reality to Global Warming there may be hope for Jax in say 2500 years.

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I just got back from Florida after visiting the Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda area. I was very impressed with Burnt Store Marina, it might be hard to find a better situation along the SW Florida coast. I will be visiting again in late spring or early summer to continue my search.

jdud133 said:

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I just got back from Florida after visiting the Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda area. I was very impressed with Burnt Store Marina, it might be hard to find a better situation along the SW Florida coast. I will be visiting again in late spring or early summer to continue my search.

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Glad you had a trip, lots more good places to see.

Ted

Find the area you think you like , and RENT for a season.

Gives you time to check out other areas and see if you like where you are.