[paradiddle]

Originally Posted by markas214

Why mid August? If it's to get the effect of what it "will feel like weatherwise" 9-10 months out of the year couldn't he just vist anytime except the 2 months when it won't feel like that? Or is it that it only feels that way in mid August? Hmmm? I lived in the are in '81 and everyone said "wait til July (pronounced JOO-lie) and while it was extrremely hot in July and August to say it was the same 9-10 months a year is simply not true.

I can think of a lot of negatives for Florida but 2 months of heat vs 5 months of cold is not a deal killer for me. I worry about schools, taxes, wages, insurance and hurricanes.

The heat (humidity) is from June - Sept. 4 months plus... I still would take it over a fluctuating summer up north and a brutal winter. Check your school ratings, Florida tax burden is still low (I came from NH which has the highest prop taxes but overall 49th lowest tax burden - no income or sales tax), Wages - ehhh, insurance I think is coming back to normal according to my last bill, Hurricaines, blizzards, ice storms, flooding ( since we left NH my old house got flooded 2x)....

[LewLew]

[quote=TwoMoores;2153272]I'd like to join the LewLew fan club!

I am her real estate agent and as you can see she keeps me on my toes. Looks like you have been taking great notes!

She has been researching the area for over a year and is extremely knowledgeable about North Port and the surrounding areas.

Way to go LewLew

[/quote
Thanks Make sure to edit your post to take out your tagline...the moderator will give you a slap on the hand. They consider it advertising. If you don't edit it, they will...but they might give you an infraction. I've gotten one already LOL

[d3tsabo]

So Shannon, now that we got you on here, what's the scoop on North Port? Step out of the realtor role for a moment and tell us as a Mom, what's the best area for a young family in that market? Things such as big house, reasonable price, nice neighborhood, decent schools, you know, the whole package!! This information would be invaluable for those of us that don't have a year to visit and do research (I've actually got about two days). Thanks for any suggestions!

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by d3tsabo

So Shannon, now that we got you on here, what's the scoop on North Port? Step out of the Realtor role for a moment and tell us as a Mom, what's the best area for a young family in that market? Things such as big house, reasonable price, nice neighborhood, decent schools, you know, the whole package!! This information would be invaluable for those of us that don't have a year to visit and do research (I've actually got about two days). Thanks for any suggestions!

Hi Dan,

*Takes the Realtor hat off*...Ok, this is my opinion as a mom of three kids,(15, 10 & 3). I am also a native Floridan and have lived all up and down the south west coast from Bradenton to Little Gasparilla Island and everywhere in between. LewLew has nailed it pretty well. Charleston Park is the most family friendly, in my opinion. Take a drive through there, tons of bikes, play equipment, etc. lots of young families. I know many, many people that live in there and love it. It's a very close knit community. They have a mom's club just for that community, all the kids play together on the sidewalks that wind around through the park. In fact, I know of several families that were new to the area and loved the "look" of Heron Creek and bought in there. Then ended up selling to move over to Charleston Park. Of course, they weren't my customers.

Don't get me wrong, Heron Creek is a very nice community and there are kids that live there, but not nearly as many as in Charleston Park. Bobcat Trail does have some families but again, it's pretty much the same deal as Heron Creek. More golfers and retirees and less families.

Lakeside Plantation has quite a few families but you need to be careful of the CDD fees. Which are fees over and above what is in your normal tax bill. They are for the original infrastructure, roads, etc. The fee is spread through all of the residences. I had a young couple that was looking in there but when they really looked at the big picture they decided against it.

If you are not in a gated community in NP it's pretty much a street by street basis as far as houses. There are no deed restrictions, just code enforcement for grass, etc.

Let's move on to schools. Both of my older children go to Pine View in Osprey-- Welcome to Pine View School. It is about a 35 minute drive from NP and there is bus transportation provided. I can't speak highly enough about this school. We went the private school route (Laurel Oaks Academy in Port Charlotte), International Montessori in Venice and Island Village Montessori in Venice. We did Venice Elementary in Venice, Toledo Blade Elementary in NP. Nothing compares to Pine View.

Pine View was rated one of the ten best high schools in the US by Newsweek Magazine, 4 years in a row. 100% of the graduating class goes to college, most on scholarship. To get in to Pine View you must have good grades, teacher recommendations, and pass an IQ test with a 130 IQ or higher. Pine View is a public school and is available to anyone living in Sarasota county. I moved from Charlotte county to Sarasota county to have my children attend Pine View. If you can possibly get your children into Pine View-by all means do!

What I've heard about local schools and my personal experience. My middle child attended Toledo Blade Elementary, it was OK. Not terrible, but not great, in my opinion. Since my child attended, there is now a new principal.

Lamarque Elementary, I've heard is very good things about. I have a friend that owns The Kids Play Place in NP- Kidz Play Place (which by the way is a wonderful place if you have young kids.) She has three boys that go there and she loves it. There are several other people that I know that have kids in Lamarque that like it a lot. It's only been open a year or so.

Cranberry I've also heard good things about. Many of my friends are happy there.

I believe all of the elementary schools have required uniforms except Glenallen. I'd rather not comment on that school I don't have any first hand experience-so I shall not say anything.

If your looking for a lot of commotion and things going on all the time then NP probably isn't the place for you. On the other hand, if your looking for a nice quite town to raise a family or retire, you've come to the right place. If want to drive an hour or so to Tampa or Ft Myers you'll find more activity. But in most cases the prices are going to be much higher than NP. I don't think you can get more bang for your buck than NP. Just my humble opinion, look around and tell me what you find.

Not sure if I've answered all questions but I would be happy to answer any on this forum or by email, phone, etc.

Shannon (mom of three NP girls)

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by TwoMoores

Hi Dan,

*Takes the Realtor hat off*...Ok, this is my opinion as a mom of three kids,(15, 10 & 3). I am also a native Floridan and have lived all up and down the south west coast from Bradenton to Little Gasparilla Island and everywhere in between. LewLew has nailed it pretty well. Charleston Park is the most family friendly, in my opinion. Take a drive through there, tons of bikes, play equipment, etc. lots of young families. I know many, many people that live in there and love it. It's a very close knit community. They have a mom's club just for that community, all the kids play together on the sidewalks that wind around through the park. In fact, I know of several families that were new to the area and loved the "look" of Heron Creek and bought in there. Then ended up selling to move over to Charleston Park. Of course, they weren't my customers.

Don't get me wrong, Heron Creek is a very nice community and there are kids that live there, but not nearly as many as in Charleston Park. Bobcat Trail does have some families but again, it's pretty much the same deal as Heron Creek. More golfers and retirees and less families.

Lakeside Plantation has quite a few families but you need to be careful of the CDD fees. Which are fees over and above what is in your normal tax bill. They are for the original infrastructure, roads, etc. The fee is spread through all of the residences. I had a young couple that was looking in there but when they really looked at the big picture they decided against it.

If you are not in a gated community in NP it's pretty much a street by street basis as far as houses. There are no deed restrictions, just code enforcement for grass, etc.

Let's move on to schools. Both of my older children go to Pine View in Osprey-- Welcome to Pine View School. It is about a 35 minute drive from NP and there is bus transportation provided. I can't speak highly enough about this school. We went the private school route (Laurel Oaks Academy in Port Charlotte), International Montessori in Venice and Island Village Montessori in Venice. We did Venice Elementary in Venice, Toledo Blade Elementary in NP. Nothing compares to Pine View.

Pine View was rated one of the ten best high school in the US by Newsweek Magazine, 4 years in a row. 100% of the graduating class goes to college, most on scholarship. To get in to Pine View you must have good grades, teacher recommendations, and pass an IQ test with a 130 IQ or higher. Pine View is a public school and is available to anyone living in Sarasota county. I moved from Charlotte county to Sarasota county to have my children attend Pine View. If you can possible get your children into Pine View-by all means do!

What I've heard about local schools and my personal experience. My middle child attended Toledo Blade Elementary, it was OK. Not terrible, but not great, in my opinion. Since my child attended, there is now a new principal.

Lamarque Elementary, I've heard is very good things about. I have a friend that owns The Kids Play Place in NP- Kidz Play Place (which by the way is a wonderful place if you have young kids.) She has three boys that go there and she loves it. There are several other people that I know that have kids in Lamarque that like it a lot. It's only been open a year or so.

Cranberry I've also heard good things about. Many of my friends are happy there.

I believe all of the elementary schools have required uniforms except Glenallen. I'd rather not comment on that school I don't have any first hand experience-so I shall not say anything.

If your looking for a lot of commotion and things going on all the time then NP probably isn't the place for you. On the other hand, if your looking for a nice quite town to raise a family or retire, you've come to the right place. If want to drive an hour or so to Tampa or Ft Myers you'll find more activity. But in most cases the prices are going to be much higher than NP. I don't think you can get more bang for your buck than NP. Just my humble opinion, look around and tell me what you find.

Not sure if I've answered all questions but I would be happy to answer any on this forum or by email, phone, etc.

Shannon (mom of three NP girls)

Awesome info...thank you. That even helped us more!

[SoFLGal]

I'm assuming that since it's not advertising you can post a link about a public school. This just came out a few days ago- http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/pvs/PDF/US%20News.pdf

Looks like Pine View ranks #6 out of all of the schools in the US. Not too shabby!

I have other school stats that are on my website but I can't post that here (due to posting rules).

Shannon

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by FringedNFab

Hi everyone. I'm new to this, but love all the insight reading all these posts about Southwest Florida. And what some hate, others LOVE! And this could be said anywhere really, no matter where you live. Anyway I'm hoping to move down by late Winter '08 or early Spring. Are there any other younger couples or singles who find North Port exciting and a great place to live? I've been to Clearwater Beach on vacation once, but that was around 1998. And am looking for something non-touristy and more laid back "Old-Florida" as people call it. Even though I am only 33! And North Port seems the best so far... Any Advice?

FYI Fringed...not sure if we ever said...but I'm 33 as well! I think we are all going to love Venice/NP, and DM after you move there!!!!! It's a good thing actually that all of us younger people are moving there, that the city counsel has some young blood running. Maybe we can turn around the image eventually. LOL

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by TwoMoores

I'm assuming that since it's not advertising you can post a link about a public school. This just came out a few days ago- http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/pvs/PDF/US%20News.pdf

Looks like Pine View ranks #6 out of all of the schools in the US. Not too shabby!

I have other school stats that are on my website but I can't post that here (due to posting rules).

Shannon

Yes, you can post an informative link..just no advertising for businesses and realtors, etc. Thanks!!!!!! Glad to see that some "real" wise info is coming out of NP for a change.

[FringedNFab]

Originally Posted by LewLew

FYI Fringed...not sure if we ever said...but I'm 33 as well! I think we are all going to love Venice/NP, and DM after you move there!!!!! It's a good thing actually that all of us younger people are moving there, that the city counsel has some young blood running. Maybe we can turn around the image eventually. LOL

Yep Yep!! Sorry I was offline a couple days but now I'm back and replying... and yes having more 30somethings down around there would be fun

[FringedNFab]

Originally Posted by FringedNFab

Yep Yep!! Sorry I was offline a couple days but now I'm back and replying... and yes having more 30somethings down around there would be fun

I woke up to our first snowstorm and a thick blanket of white this morning, I was not happy! BLEH