Costs to be aware of when buying home/townhome (Cape Coral: rental, insurance)

[dreemcatcher]

I'm posting another thread that is similar to an older one, but the other post went off topic.

I am not from the Cape Coral/Fort Myers area and want to have an idea as to what fees will be. I am looking at homes within 1500 and 2000 sq ft.

Property insurance?

With pool?

Flood insurance?

Electricity?

Water?

Pool care?

yard care?

Pest Control?

In an HOA, what fees are typically included?

What is a septic/sewer?

Is the water drinkable or do you need a filtering system?

I know I need to check on assessments for water in Cape Coral as well.

Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Are some fees higher in Cape Coral vs Fort Myers or visa versa?

[nhkev]

is it going to be a primary residence or a rental or a 2nd home this will make a big difference #1 on whether you get a homestead exemption on taxes which could be huge. and in the insurance whether it's owner occupied or not. same thing with electricity if it's unoccupied will obviously be less than occupied. another thing to consider when it comes to home owners is age of house because they had new hurricane codes in 2004 , 2005, 2006 so the newer the house the less in insurance. also what part of the cape you buy in could determine if it is a flood zone.

[dreemcatcher]

Good points to look at. This will be my primary residence which I will occupy.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by nhkev

another thing to consider when it comes to home owners is age of house because they had new hurricane codes in 2004 , 2005, 2006 so the newer the house the less in insurance. also what part of the cape you buy in could determine if it is a flood zone.

But if it is an older house you may not have to worry about Chinese drywall.

[dreemcatcher]

How will I know if it's chinese drywall?

[121804]

Originally Posted by dreemcatcher

Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Are some fees higher in Cape Coral vs Fort Myers or visa versa?

It's all dependant on where you live & how you live.
Personally, I won't touch a house with a septic/well, but millions of people live in them throughout the country & has no issues. Septic is the drainage system. A good filtration sysem for the well does cost some $$ but over time is worth the investment.

Right now, you are dealing with "new homes" that were built quick & cheap during the boom. The contractors made sure to meet code but with the costs that took, they skimped out on other areas. Certain SWFL builders are more notorious than others for poor work. The problem is the big name contractor subcontracted out to Joe who in turn had his subcontractors. No consistency in workmanship. Quick & cheap.

A lot will depend if you move into a deed restricted area or not.

Not sure how it is currently, but a few years ago the big concern with NE/NW CC was the water asssessment issue. $20k added on to homeowners that they had to pay for the installation of pipes & so on to provide city water/sewer. It wasn't an option. And not many can afford an additional $20k to their mortgage. Again, not sure where that issue has gone the past year or so.

[dreemcatcher]

Is septic/sewer really a septic tank? We had one here in NC and the drain fields were always damp and disgusting. I think they didn't really do a good job and the cost to replace was high.

Was does a "deed" restricted area mean?

[OrlandoRE_Miracle]

What about electricity costs, as dreemcatcher asked? If you have a townhouse with other units on both sides, do you really save a lot on energy costs?

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by dreemcatcher

How will I know if it's chinese drywall?

Read and weep!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/fort-...w-fl-home.html

[nhkev]

Originally Posted by dreemcatcher

I'm posting another thread that is similar to an older one, but the other post went off topic.

I am not from the Cape Coral/Fort Myers area and want to have an idea as to what fees will be. I am looking at homes within 1500 and 2000 sq ft.

Property insurance? I have a 2006 1800 sq ft in nw 900 yr 200k coverage

With pool?

Flood insurance? $300 a yr in nw could be more in se section if in a different flood zone

Electricity?
my father lives there alone avg $50 month during winter- neighbor I talked to has a pool said $200 during the summer months
Water?
if well 0 if on town water it is expected to double in the near future so amount is undetermined
Pool care?

yard care? typically about $50 month

Pest Control? $300 yr done quarterly

In an HOA, what fees are typically included?

What is a septic/sewer? tank & leachfied vs city sewer I haven't seen any issues with the septic in the area

Is the water drinkable or do you need a filtering system? you can get a reverse osmosis system to better the water quality

I know I need to check on assessments for water in Cape Coral as well.
assessments in north cape are back on the table they are expecting to bring city water only at a cost of about $6000.

Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Are some fees higher in Cape Coral vs Fort Myers or visa versa?

alarm monitoring fees about $35 per month

and PLEASE<PLEASE read all you can about chinese drywall and don't listen to the realtors that are trying to sell, No offense to the realtors on this forum.