[Merl1977]

Hi!

I am new to these forums and this is my first post. My family (husband and 1 year old son) are relocating to FL. We are currently in the process of listing our home and we have narrowed down our search to 3 different areas of FL, Wesley Chapel, Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda & Ft Myers area (suburbs).

Does anyone have a recommendation for a Realtor that services these areas? I tried just randomly reaching out to someone and it didn't work out. We are relocating from PA and this is the first time with a move like this so we really need someone knowledgeable, reliable and trustworthy.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on neighborhoods? We are looking for something in the 180-200k price range with the following:

-Small town feel
-Screened in pool
-Property with space meaning the houses aren't right on top of each other or pools butting against one another in the back. I want neighbors just want a bit of space too.
-Amenities nearby - grocery, shopping, daycare etc,
-Family friendly (ie. good schools, low crime, parks etc.)

If I am missing an important detail let me know. I am hoping some recommendations from the folks here will be helpful in our search.

Thanks!!!

[Merl1977]

No one interested in schooling a newbie? ��

[RMD3819]

Originally Posted by Merl1977

Hi!

I am new to these forums and this is my first post. My family (husband and 1 year old son) are relocating to FL. We are currently in the process of listing our home and we have narrowed down our search to 3 different areas of FL, Wesley Chapel, Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda & Ft Myers area (suburbs).

Does anyone have a recommendation for a Realtor that services these areas? I tried just randomly reaching out to someone and it didn't work out. We are relocating from PA and this is the first time with a move like this so we really need someone knowledgeable, reliable and trustworthy.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on neighborhoods? We are looking for something in the 180-200k price range with the following:

-Small town feel
-Screened in pool
-Property with space meaning the houses aren't right on top of each other or pools butting against one another in the back. I want neighbors just want a bit of space too.
-Amenities nearby - grocery, shopping, daycare etc,
-Family friendly (ie. good schools, low crime, parks etc.)

If I am missing an important detail let me know. I am hoping some recommendations from the folks here will be helpful in our search.

Thanks!!!

I think you can find something in any of those areas that meet your criteria. I suggest posting in the respective subforums to get folks more familiar with the specific area.

People are going to ask about your employment status so I would mention that upfront.

[vtallison]

I can't help you with your search as I am in the same situation but looking in Brevard County. My experience of the last 6 weeks started out dismally as most agents just would not reply. Now I think I have an agent and we will see how it goes. I do suggest you find a home inspector with great reviews and ask them which real estate agents are the best in the areas you are looking. I have hired a home inspector to go with me when looking at homes because , let's face it, I do not know anything about homes in Florida and the issues I may not know about that can affect a Florida home.
He also recommended two agents and I researched them online and with the state board to get an idea of who they are. Also, because he is not beholden to the state law prohibiting RE agents to tell me if an area is "safe", I was able to give him addresses of homes I saw online and want to see and he was able to tell me if I should avoid some of them because of sketchy areas.
It was like I finally found a way around the issue of knowing if I should be looking at a certain home, but my RE agent could not tell me if I would like the area. I would hate to come down for 4 days to buy a home and waste time looking at homes that I would never buy because of a high crime/traffic/ noisy area issues.
I hope someone can directly help you with either a Realtor recommendation from their personal experience in the areas you are looking. I will be going down in March and can let you know how my "rent an inspector" for the day works out. Just PM me!

Good Luck!

[kyle19125]

A bit of advice to the OP. Once you figure out which area you're planning to look in, go on Trulia and look at their Q&A section which has realtors in your area who have volunteered to assist and are obviously willing to go the extra mile to help. Contact one of them and you will surely not want for assistance. Good luck!

http://www.trulia.com/voices/qa/Port_Charlotte---30219

[HarryWho?]

Originally Posted by vtallison

I can't help you with your search as I am in the same situation but looking in Brevard County. My experience of the last 6 weeks started out dismally as most agents just would not reply. Now I think I have an agent and we will see how it goes. I do suggest you find a home inspector with great reviews and ask them which real estate agents are the best in the areas you are looking. I have hired a home inspector to go with me when looking at homes because , let's face it, I do not know anything about homes in Florida and the issues I may not know about that can affect a Florida home.
He also recommended two agents and I researched them online and with the state board to get an idea of who they are. Also, because he is not beholden to the state law prohibiting RE agents to tell me if an area is "safe", I was able to give him addresses of homes I saw online and want to see and he was able to tell me if I should avoid some of them because of sketchy areas.
It was like I finally found a way around the issue of knowing if I should be looking at a certain home, but my RE agent could not tell me if I would like the area. I would hate to come down for 4 days to buy a home and waste time looking at homes that I would never buy because of a high crime/traffic/ noisy area issues.
I hope someone can directly help you with either a Realtor recommendation from their personal experience in the areas you are looking. I will be going down in March and can let you know how my "rent an inspector" for the day works out. Just PM me!

Good Luck!

You're going to buy a home after 4 days of looking?... I have to say that's not a lot of time...

[tomdeb]

we bought a condo after 1 day of looking But I did months of research before we went to Florida We knew we wanted the gulf coast so that narrowed it down We have traveled all over Florida so we had a idea about where we wanted to buy Then we we looked where our budget could afford We settled on Cape Coral It was hit and miss with agents We were working with 1 agent for about a month but he kept steering us to areas we didn't want and he was trying to sell us property we knew we couldn't afford I finally contacted a GREAT agent at Caldwell Bankers in Cape Coral I don't know if I'm allowed to say her name


Deb

[vtallison]

Originally Posted by HarryWho?

You're going to buy a home after 4 days of looking?... I have to say that's not a lot of time...

I appreciate your concern. I have spent hours everyday online looking at homes, neighborhoods, crime sites and speaking to my relatives who live there as well. My plan is to narrow down the number of homes by the criteria that suits us.
After visiting homes during the day I will be driving around the neighborhoods at night to see what's happening.
When one comes from out of state, it is a bit more difficult to buy a home, but hopefully with all of my pre buying research and recommendations from my relatives and professionals in the area, we should be able to buy a home in 4 days.

[vtallison]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

A bit of advice to the OP. Once you figure out which area you're planning to look in, go on Trulia and look at their Q&A section which has realtors in your area who have volunteered to assist and are obviously willing to go the extra mile to help. Contact one of them and you will surely not want for assistance. Good luck!

Port Charlotte - Real Estate Questions & Answers - Trulia Voices

Kyle, I have always loved your advice on this forum. I will say that I was on Trulia weeks ago and there were agents on there that advertise their services so I sent my inquiry to the 3 listed there. I was amazed that not one of them replied so I had to resort to other means to find an agent.

[vacoder]

Originally Posted by Merl1977

Hi!

I am new to these forums and this is my first post. My family (husband and 1 year old son) are relocating to FL. We are currently in the process of listing our home and we have narrowed down our search to 3 different areas of FL, Wesley Chapel, Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda & Ft Myers area (suburbs).

Does anyone have a recommendation for a Realtor that services these areas? I tried just randomly reaching out to someone and it didn't work out. We are relocating from PA and this is the first time with a move like this so we really need someone knowledgeable, reliable and trustworthy.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on neighborhoods? We are looking for something in the 180-200k price range with the following:

-Small town feel
-Screened in pool
-Property with space meaning the houses aren't right on top of each other or pools butting against one another in the back. I want neighbors just want a bit of space too.
-Amenities nearby - grocery, shopping, daycare etc,
-Family friendly (ie. good schools, low crime, parks etc.)

If I am missing an important detail let me know. I am hoping some recommendations from the folks here will be helpful in our search.

Thanks!!!

In Punta Gorda you may want to look in the Burnt Store Meadow neighborhood based on your criteria.