Naples, Osprey or Sarasota (Venice, Siesta Key: home, to live, restaurants)

[GailH]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

If you can live inland, no direct beach view but still close, there will be a ton of pool homes in very nice neighborhoods in your price range. The City of Naples, west of 41 is full of them.

Marco Island will be the same except most will be canal front.

RMD3819,
Thank-you, you! You and FlBob are the only ones here that have attempted to tell me anything nice about Naples. I really want to learn more, I guess I'm just going to have to see for my self when I come down.

[RMD3819]

There is plenty to like about Naples if you are in the right situation. You are in the right situation.

Folks come down here with unrealistic expectations of what Naples is and isn't like.

[lynne4t]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Just some important milkshake history from a Native New Englander!

And if you're from Massachusetts, a milkshake is a drink with milk and syrup only. A frappe has ice cream blended in!

[Crickett46]

My husband and I just spend the last 4 weeks exploring both coasts of FL trying to decide where or if we want to buy a second home. Naples was lovely but there were three things that we felt would eliminate it for us. (1)People on the sidewalk at lunchtime were "dressed" to the teeth (Not a bad thing but more fussy than I want to be on a regular basis.) There was nothing "beachy" about it, in spite of being right on the beach. (2) Outside the city, the area is kind of swampy. There are (drainage?) ditches along the roadsides. (3) Most people are obviously older (and I'm 64). We don't want to live in an area that is so specifically homogeneous. On the plus side: it felt refined and upscale. I was surprised to find we could afford nice housing for about half of your budget (not near the beach though). We also stayed in Venice a few days. We did not happen to see the age issue as so evident but I have heard that criticism before. Adorable town center. Beaches are okay but not great.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by lynne4t

And if you're from Massachusetts, a milkshake is a drink with milk and syrup only. A frappe has ice cream blended in!

Yes, I'm from MA - born & raised. I used to get black & white frappes at Brigham's all the time. I figured nobody would know what I was talking about. Try ordering a regular coffee sometimes.

Originally Posted by RMD3819

There is plenty to like about Naples if you are in the right situation. You are in the right situation.

Folks come down here with unrealistic expectations of what Naples is and isn't like.

I agree. I don't think I've ever said anything negative about Naples on this board. Sometimes I've mentioned the people where I'm now living seem to be a little friendlier, but I think Naples is lovely.

Anyway, I stick to my original post where I mentioned that you can get some beautiful properties a few miles off the beach for $800,000. Look at the listings in Olde Naples or Barefoot Beach - they're all in the millions. You cannot get a direct Gulf front house in Naples for $800,000. The OP said

We are interested in a nice 4 bedroom home, about 2800 square feet or larger, with 3 full baths. A pool and lanai would be nice.

No way anything close to 2,800 s.f. on the beach will be $800,000.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Crickett46

People on the sidewalk at lunchtime were "dressed" to the teeth (Not a bad thing but more fussy than I want to be on a regular basis.)

Really? Sounds more like Miami or Boca. Maybe these were people on their lunch hour? Not arguing, but I found Naples to be very casual. Shorts & sandals are very common. However, it's true that in the downtown area people usually don't walk around in their bathing suits.

Originally Posted by Crickett46

There was nothing "beachy" about it, in spite of being right on the beach.

I agree. It's not like Fort Myers Beach at all. ( Did you go there?) You might also like one of the islands like Sanibel or Captiva, although they're awfully expensive. Again, keep in mind that a lot of the people are working at banks, shops, real estate offices, hotels, etc. Naples is a popular tourist spot, but it's also a city.

Originally Posted by Crickett46

Outside the city, the area is kind of swampy.

Yes, and the biggest one of all is called the Everglades! However, there are a lot of beautiful developments all over Naples which are definitely not swampy.

Originally Posted by Crickett46

Most people are obviously older (and I'm 64).

Then you should fit right in. The average age is about 60. I'm 58 and never had a problem meeting people my age even when I was in my 40s.

Originally Posted by Crickett46

We also stayed in Venice a few days. We did not happen to see the age issue as so evident but I have heard that criticism before. Adorable town center. Beaches are okay but not great.

Interesting. Again, I hope I don't sound argumentative, but the reason I'm chuckling is that Venice has one of the oldest populations in the state (maybe THE oldest) Average age is 68. The beaches on the east coast are a little nicer, but the Atlantic is a lot rougher too. It's a personal preference.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Crickett46

My husband and I just spend the last 4 weeks exploring both coasts of FL trying to decide where or if we want to buy a second home. Naples was lovely but there were three things that we felt would eliminate it for us. (1)People on the sidewalk at lunchtime were "dressed" to the teeth (Not a bad thing but more fussy than I want to be on a regular basis.) There was nothing "beachy" about it, in spite of being right on the beach. (2) Outside the city, the area is kind of swampy. There are (drainage?) ditches along the roadsides. (3) Most people are obviously older (and I'm 64). We don't want to live in an area that is so specifically homogeneous. On the plus side: it felt refined and upscale. I was surprised to find we could afford nice housing for about half of your budget (not near the beach though). We also stayed in Venice a few days. We did not happen to see the age issue as so evident but I have heard that criticism before. Adorable town center. Beaches are okay but not great.

The only thing I wanted to comment on is the dressed to the teeth thing. It's funny you mention that because when I have gone down there for conventions or on the rare occasion that I'd show a home down there, the Realtors are dressed in full suits with pantyhose, and the majority the ones I saw wear big gaudy hats! It's kind of a joke between my mom/partner and I. When we mention going down to Naples we always say, "well we better go look for a hat to wear." The feel is surely a lot more dressy than up here. That's of course just my opinion

I would have to agree with Nancy on the age thing though. Venice does have an average age of 68. Which I believe is even older than Naples. Sarasota on the other hand, has an average age of 50. You might want to explore that Sarasota area.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

The only thing I wanted to comment on is the dressed to the teeth thing. It's funny you mention that because when I have gone down there for conventions or on the rare occasion that I'd show a home down there, the Realtors are dressed in full suits with pantyhose, and the majority the ones I saw wear big gaudy hats! It's kind of a joke between my mom/partner and I. When we mention going down to Naples we always say, "well we better go look for a hat to wear." The feel is surely a lot more dressy than up here. That's of course just my opinion

Not to go back & forth on this, but I actually agree with you. However, I've had similar experiences in Sarasota. I was only saying that many of the people who are dressed up are working. Although we're more casual than cities like NYC or Boston in general, many businesses still expect employees to look professional. In fact, most people from Naples would be under-dressed if they worked in cities like Atlanta. It isn't much different in sections of Fort Myers except there are more blue collar workers and it also has a larger population. I worked in a couple of upscale furniture stores in both Naples & Fort Myers and some designers spent a small fortune on clothes & jewelry.

Of course the OP has every right to post her opinion and she's not entirely wrong either. I wasn't trying to sound argumentative, but I think people automatically expect an area with a beach to be a lot less formal and everyone to look as if they're on vacation. I've been in a lot of multi-million dollar homes in Naples and the people are usually in casual clothes, especially the retirees, although there's certainly nothing wrong with dressing up a little to go out to dinner.

I guess I sometimes have a negative reaction to posts because this particular board is probably the #1 forum on City-Data where posters feel free to bash the local communities. Some posters do it regularly and many don't even live in SWFL or even in Florida! True, Naples is very upscale and people can be snobby, but only in certain circles. There are also needy families in Naples and many people, including seniors, live well below the poverty line.

Sorry, I just realized Gail started this thread asking about homes in the area and we've gone way off-topic.

[GailH]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Not to go back & forth on this, but I actually agree with you. However, I've had similar experiences in Sarasota. I was only saying that many of the people who are dressed up are working. Although we're more casual than cities like NYC or Boston in general, many businesses still expect employees to look professional. In fact, most people from Naples would be under-dressed if they worked in cities like Atlanta. It isn't much different in sections of Fort Myers except there are more blue collar workers and it also has a larger population. I worked in a couple of upscale furniture stores in both Naples & Fort Myers and some designers spent a small fortune on clothes & jewelry.

Of course the OP has every right to post her opinion and she's not entirely wrong either. I wasn't trying to sound argumentative, but I think people automatically expect an area with a beach to be a lot less formal and everyone to look as if they're on vacation. I've been in a lot of multi-million dollar homes in Naples and the people are usually in casual clothes, especially the retirees, although there's certainly nothing wrong with dressing up a little to go out to dinner.

I guess I sometimes have a negative reaction to posts because this particular board is probably the #1 forum on City-Data where posters feel free to bash the local communities. Some posters do it regularly and many don't even live in SWFL or even in Florida! True, Naples is very upscale and people can be snobby, but only in certain circles. There are also needy families in Naples and many people, including seniors, live well below the poverty line.

Sorry, I just realized Gail started this thread asking about homes in the area and we've gone way off-topic.

I have been reading instead of writing, I can learn more that way.
Yes, there certainly seems to be a lot more negative posters in the Ft Myers area than the Sarasota / Venice / Osprey area. Because of that I think I will look up there.

As a clarification, for what it is worth, I would like something with a water view, I mentioned in my post that accross the street would be fine with me.

So much unwarranted hostility here - really what's that about?

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by GailH

I have been reading instead of writing, I can learn more that way.
Yes, there certainly seems to be a lot more negative posters in the Ft Myers area than the Sarasota / Venice / Osprey area. Because of that I think I will look up there.

As a clarification, for what it is worth, I would like something with a water view, I mentioned in my post that accross the street would be fine with me.

So much unwarranted hostility here - really what's that about?

Sorry, when I wrote "the OP has every right to post her opinion" I was thinking of Cricket46, not you. You didn't write anything negative. That's probably why I shouldn't use internet acronyms. Regarding the negativity, I think it's what RMD3819 said. It all depends on your situation. There are a lot of obnoxious people in Naples, but saying the majority of its wealthy residents are snobs is stereotyping based on a few bad apples

Regarding a water view, what about a canal or long lake view? IMO you can't find a 4 bedroom home with a Gulf view or even across the street for $800,000. Maybe there's an older home that needs a little TLC, but it doesn't sound as if that's what you're looking for. Still, even a small home in Olde Naples can cost millions. You might be able to find a home in a development like Bonita Bay for $800,000 and it's less than 5 minutes to the beach. As I mentioned before, there are gorgeous homes a bit inland. The Vineyards, Lely Resort, Imperial Golf Estates & many other nice communities have lovely properties for that price. There's an area I like in North Naples called Pine Ridge where you can probably find an estate home with over an acre of land for under $800,000, and it's very close to the beach. It's one of the few areas close to town where you can have acreage. I'd recommend Collier's Reserve but I think the lowest priced house is $1.2 million in that community. It's just my opinion, since I'm not in the real estate business, but anyone who tells you $800,000 will buy beachfront property or even beachview property in Naples hasn't looked for homes in 20 years. The economy is bad, but I'd like to see a listing for under a million that is across the street from the beach and fits the description of the 2800 s.f. house you described.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but you can use the MLS in Naples. Just enter your criteria to see what homes are available.

Naples Area Board of Realtors - Find a Home and Find a Realtor in Naples Florida