Retiree thinking of relocating to SouthWestern Florida (Jacksonville, Tampa: gated, housing)

[SoFLGal]

There's some pretty good deals in the Port Charlotte area for sailboat properties. Especially with the all the foreclosures.

[bhau]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

You might like North Port or Venice. North Port is the least expensive area in Sarasota county-SW Florida. The beaches are 25 minutes away and there are lots of trees/parks around. The Myakkahatchee State Park and Myakka State Forest are two of the bigger parks in the area. The Myakka State Forest is slightly over 8,000 acres. It's a pretty primitive place to go hiking around.

In Venice you have the dog beach and dog park. My dogs just love it there!

I guess it really depends on what your budget is as well. You could pick up a newer, 3/2/2 home in good shape in North Port for around $120,000. The cost would be higher in the Venice area.

Sorry, can't help you with the humidity question. I was born in SW Florida so, I guess I don't even notice it. And I don't really have much to compare it to

i'm really new to this " thread and posts ".. i don't even know what they mean , and what i'm supposed to do to communicate with you ... wrote you an email to you a few days ago.... anyway , could you please clarify what 3 / 2 / 2 means... is it a house with 3 bedrooms , 2 FULL baths , and a 2 car garage .... thanks .....

[bhau]

Originally Posted by nomoresnow

We moved to N. Ft. Myers from Plattsburgh, NY late last summer. I think that was the perfect time for us, because we moved from hot and humid to hot and humid, so it was easy to adjust. Since summer is the only time it's hot & humid in NY, we lucked out.

We live ina 55+ gated community and really enjoy it - lots of things to do, no lawn mowing, etc. But if you move to a gated community, there are rules to live by, so if you don't like rules, stay away from those types of places.

We find it's actually less expensive for us to live down here, since we don't have to pay for heat. That's a biggy for us. Plus, we downsized a bit and went from two cars to one, that sort of thing.

This past winter was one of the warmer ones around here. I would say we had fewer than 10 days altogether that were below 80 degrees. It was quite pleasant most of the winter - low 80's, low humidity. This past week, we've had summer-like weather - upper 80's, rain every afternoon, but I understand that April is not usually like that.

I wish you the best in your search. Let us know if you have any other questions.

thanks for your input , from Upstate NY... i hear you about the lawn-mowing [ and , the yard-raking of the leaves in the fall , the snow-shovelling of the driveway , and the scraping of the windshield , of the ice in winter ] ... i have no idea about the * RULES * of a gated community ... are they very * restrictive * ??.... i guess , that depends on one's own definition and criteria of * restrictive * that one can live with ... is there a link or a place i could go to , to get an idea of these * RULES *... are the rules very different or more or less similar of the gated communities ??? ... do these places allow one to have a pet , e. g. a dog ? ... i have a 4 yrs old dog ... i can pretty much live by any * rules * ,as long as i can have a dog , and i don't have to put the lights off by a certain time e. g. 9 or 10 PM ! ... i would appreciate any type of comments ... i also appreciate , your willingness and offer , of communicating with me , regarding any questions that i have for you ... do you have any opinion about one living in the Tampa / Sarasota area , in order to have a " lower , and reasonably *tolerable* , level " of humidity in the summer ?? , or does it not make much difference , by living in your area , or is it better , living in your area .....again , it's a matter of opinion , but , still , i would appreciate yours ! ... do you know of a trustworthy and * straight-shooter * real estate agent that you could recommend ?? ... i'm not even sure you'll get my reply , as i'm not sure that i'm supposed to reply with " a quick reply " or " reply with quote " , as i'm new to all this form of communication ... [ have no idea what " multi-quote this message " means ]......
anyway , after all this rambling , hope you get my reply... am looking forward to your reply.... have a good one ... bhau

[SoFLGal]

Hi There,

I responded by email, guess you didn't get it Yes, 3/2/2 means, three bedrooms, two baths, two car garage. If you see 3/2.5/2 that would mean a half bath which would mean, just be a sink and toilet--no shower or tub. If you look at newspaper ads or Realtor magazines this is how most describe property.

I also wanted to point out that many of the ads will say square feet under air (I guess they don't do it like this up north). Under air means everything air conditioned--bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. Under roof means everything under the total roof--lanai(porch), garage, and including everything under A/C.

Hope this helps!

SoFLGal

[bhau]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

Hi There,

I responded by email, guess you didn't get it Yes, 3/2/2 means, three bedrooms, two baths, two car garage. If you see 3/2.5/2 that would mean a half bath which would mean, just be a sink and toilet--no shower or tub. If you look at newspaper ads or Realtor magazines this is how most describe property.

I also wanted to point out that many of the ads will say square feet under air (I guess they don't do it like this up north). Under air means everything air conditioned--bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. Under roof means everything under the total roof--lanai(porch), garage, and including everything under A/C.

Hope this helps!

SoFLGal

hi there ... thank you so much for responding , as well as for the detailed information ... [ we do not have sq. ft " under air nor under roof " ] . i did not get your email , but thanks for replying ... have a good day ..

[santafe4rent]

Have you thought about Santa Fe New mexico?

[bhau]

Originally Posted by santafe4rent

Have you thought about Santa Fe New mexico?

no , FL being , only for personal reasons , even though i have a cousin living in Lovington [ NM ].... thanks for your input , though , which i appreciate ! ......... have a good day ..

[nomoresnow]

Originally Posted by bhau

thanks for your input , from Upstate NY... i hear you about the lawn-mowing [ and , the yard-raking of the leaves in the fall , the snow-shovelling of the driveway , and the scraping of the windshield , of the ice in winter ] ... i have no idea about the * RULES * of a gated community ... are they very * restrictive * ??.... i guess , that depends on one's own definition and criteria of * restrictive * that one can live with ... is there a link or a place i could go to , to get an idea of these * RULES *... are the rules very different or more or less similar of the gated communities ??? ... do these places allow one to have a pet , e. g. a dog ? ... i have a 4 yrs old dog ... i can pretty much live by any * rules * ,as long as i can have a dog , and i don't have to put the lights off by a certain time e. g. 9 or 10 PM ! ... i would appreciate any type of comments ... i also appreciate , your willingness and offer , of communicating with me , regarding any questions that i have for you ... do you have any opinion about one living in the Tampa / Sarasota area , in order to have a " lower , and reasonably *tolerable* , level " of humidity in the summer ?? , or does it not make much difference , by living in your area , or is it better , living in your area .....again , it's a matter of opinion , but , still , i would appreciate yours ! ... do you know of a trustworthy and * straight-shooter * real estate agent that you could recommend ?? ... i'm not even sure you'll get my reply , as i'm not sure that i'm supposed to reply with " a quick reply " or " reply with quote " , as i'm new to all this form of communication ... [ have no idea what " multi-quote this message " means ]......
anyway , after all this rambling , hope you get my reply... am looking forward to your reply.... have a good one ... bhau

Hi, bhau. Sorry I didn't get right back to you. I don't get into this forum every day.

As far as rules for a gated community (or even condos, for that matter), each one is different. For example, here are a few rules we have to live by here. Oh, and each community differs as to how strictly they enforce them. Here, it's hit and miss. Here's what I mean: You are allowed one pet - a dog OR a cat. The dog must be smaller than 35 lbs. However, we have 4 cats (they're indoor cats, so they don't bother anybody), and I've seen everything from Labrador Retreivers to Sheep Dogs here, so that rule isn't enforced much unless a neighbor complains. Oh, and one lady on our streets has 2 dogs and another has a dog and a cat. Also, you are responsible for keeping up the landscaping, so if it gets too overgrown, they will contact you. If you don't comply within a specified time, they will have it trimmed for you and bill you an exhorbitant fee. Each house has a lamppost in the front yard which the owner is responsible to keep lit. It has a light sensor, so you don't have to turn it on and off. You can't have a clothesline outside. A number of us hang clothes in the garage, however. Each house has a garage. If you have 2 cars, only one can stay in the driveway, the other must be in the garage (we got turned in for this one right after we moved in - the garage was full of boxes we hadn't had the chance to unpack yet, and we sold the truck shortly after we moved in, so that was taken care of).

These are the types of rules they have. Sometimes, it may seem petty, but I understand why they have them. As I mentioned, each community is different. I suggest if you're interested in one, visit and ask to see their rules. They don't mind showing them. It's up to you to decide if they're too restrictive. One community we looked at wouldn't even consider allowing us to look at houses because we had 4 cats!

As far as Tampa/Sarasota, I'm afraid I can't help you there, as I'm not familiar with that area and we only moved here 8 months ago. I'm happy we did move here, though, because the "winter" weather is warmer than most of Florida. I've noticed that even Orlando area is 10-15 degrees and more cooler many days, whereas the temps are very similar this time of year.

And, sorry to say, I'm afraid I can't help with realtors. We bought thru the community here, so I'm not familiar with who might be honest, etc. I do see Rawlings signs are on a good number of houses here, though. If you want, I can get you their number.

Now seems to be a good time to buy.

If you want to communicate directly with me, click on my name, then click on "direct message" which will allow you to contact me privately. This will send a message thru CD, but not an email. I don't find the email system thru CD to be very reliable, but DM is. I tried to DM you, but you must not have ok'd it when you signed on.

Best of luck to you!

[bhau]

Originally Posted by nomoresnow

Hi, bhau. Sorry I didn't get right back to you. I don't get into this forum every day.

As far as rules for a gated community (or even condos, for that matter), each one is different. For example, here are a few rules we have to live by here. Oh, and each community differs as to how strictly they enforce them. Here, it's hit and miss. Here's what I mean: You are allowed one pet - a dog OR a cat. The dog must be smaller than 35 lbs. However, we have 4 cats (they're indoor cats, so they don't bother anybody), and I've seen everything from Labrador Retreivers to Sheep Dogs here, so that rule isn't enforced much unless a neighbor complains. Oh, and one lady on our streets has 2 dogs and another has a dog and a cat. Also, you are responsible for keeping up the landscaping, so if it gets too overgrown, they will contact you. If you don't comply within a specified time, they will have it trimmed for you and bill you an exhorbitant fee. Each house has a lamppost in the front yard which the owner is responsible to keep lit. It has a light sensor, so you don't have to turn it on and off. You can't have a clothesline outside. A number of us hang clothes in the garage, however. Each house has a garage. If you have 2 cars, only one can stay in the driveway, the other must be in the garage (we got turned in for this one right after we moved in - the garage was full of boxes we hadn't had the chance to unpack yet, and we sold the truck shortly after we moved in, so that was taken care of).

These are the types of rules they have. Sometimes, it may seem petty, but I understand why they have them. As I mentioned, each community is different. I suggest if you're interested in one, visit and ask to see their rules. They don't mind showing them. It's up to you to decide if they're too restrictive. One community we looked at wouldn't even consider allowing us to look at houses because we had 4 cats!

As far as Tampa/Sarasota, I'm afraid I can't help you there, as I'm not familiar with that area and we only moved here 8 months ago. I'm happy we did move here, though, because the "winter" weather is warmer than most of Florida. I've noticed that even Orlando area is 10-15 degrees and more cooler many days, whereas the temps are very similar this time of year.

And, sorry to say, I'm afraid I can't help with realtors. We bought thru the community here, so I'm not familiar with who might be honest, etc. I do see Rawlings signs are on a good number of houses here, though. If you want, I can get you their number.

Now seems to be a good time to buy.

If you want to communicate directly with me, click on my name, then click on "direct message" which will allow you to contact me privately. This will send a message thru CD, but not an email. I don't find the email system thru CD to be very reliable, but DM is. I tried to DM you, but you must not have ok'd it when you signed on.

Best of luck to you!

hi there.... thank you for responding , and giving me so much detailed information .... and , thank you for your offer to communicate directly with me ..... right now , i'm trying to get as much information as i can get about the various places that i am considerering , and narrowing down the field , before visiting < down the line , to retire to , no time frame restriction , even though , as you say , that the good time to buy is right now !> ...

i didn't quite understand your comment about Orlando's " winter " temp being 10 - 15 degrees ?? lower ?? than your area , or is it , that the temp. can be only 10 - 15 degrees F ??
which would be way cold , like that of my current area ! ... could you please clarify this... thanks ... my understanding about your winter temp.'s being warmer than Orlando's is because of the sea breeze / wind .. this is just a guess , and i may be totally off the wall ...

i would appreciate the phone # of the Rawlings Realtors ....

you'll probably be hearing from me , down the line , as and when , i need your help , with my questions ..... cheers !

[nomoresnow]

Glad I could help, bhau. When I was getting ready to move, a number of people were very helpful to me, so I'm trying to pay it back.

Yes, it's about 10-15 degrees warmer down here in the winter than it is in the Orlando area. We're in a different climate zone. Why? Ya got me! It could be the breezes or whatever, but I'm sure if you did some research on the weather channel or something, they'd tell you.

mod cut - sorry - dm the info - no advertising allowed I hope the mods let that go thru.


Again, good luck. Feel free to DM me.