[stuckinva]

can anyone tell me about port north? i have been reading this for about 3 weeks now and cannot decide the best place to live i am considering vero beach, port north, hernando county, can any one help? i am 53 single lady and am having a tough time figuring it out. i am in an association that is crazy so that is out i am in a townhouse so i want some privacy and the crime here has gotten really bad i want a house with a pool a short sale or foreclosure for no more than 150K i saw alot in hernando and port north area. how about the personal property tax and insurance--thanks

[SoFLGal]

I'm assuming that you mean North Port and not port north You could easily get a home with a pool for 150K or under possibly under 100K. I live in North Port and really like it. The average age is 38. It's about 15 minutes from the closest beach. Sarasota is about 40 minutes with lots of stuff to do.

So you have a point of reference, my home is was built in 2003, it's 2127 under air, it has a hip roof, no pool and is located in North Port. I pay just under $800 per year for Home owners insurance. Some things to consider when looking at homes are: the age of the home, the style of roof (generally hip roofs are better), how close the home is to a fire hydrant or natural body of water and the flood zones. These things are top on the insurance companies list. 95% of North Port is not located in a flood zone. So, flood insurance would not be required but I would recommend it. It would be much cheaper since it is not required. Also the state of Florida has a program called www.MySafeFloridaHome.com For around $200 or so you can have someone come out and inspect your home for wind resistance and usually receive a discount off your insurance.

OK, now using my home again as a reference for taxes. The county values my home at $179,600 and my taxes for 2008 were $2546 for the year.

I hope this answers some of your questions!