What's it REALLY like?? (Cape Coral, Sarasota: real estate market, rental, HOA)

[ThinkinBoutFL]

My husband and I want to get out of the cold of Colorado!! I know, its not that novel of an idea! We think the Sarasota and surrounding areas look very inviting. In previous blogs we have read many wonderful things, along with a bit of negative. Well, today we received this email from an employee of my husband's whose aunt has lived in the area for a number of years.

"My Aunt owns a home in Sarasota, but it is not a rental property. She lives
there 185 days of the year to meet the Florida resident requirements and the
home is left empty during the rest of the year. She constantly complains
about Sarasota. The weather, town and house are beautiful, but home owners
insurance, odd tax/ HOA laws, termites and storms are a constant battle.
She essentially thinks it is a "money pit", which says A Lot coming from a
women whose other home overlooks central park in NYC..."

We would LOVE feedback/ comments/suggestions/information: do the positives outweigh the negatives???? or the other way around?

THANKS!

[bbronston]

You've already pretty much described life here. It can be wonderful, rarely difficult, sometimes expensive, sometimes affordable. If you like beaches, blue skies and sun you'll love it but you have to also take the heat, humidity, thunderstorms and threat of severe weather, too. No place is ideal and we are no different. Now, her particular property might be a different story and that requires some investigation.

[ThinkinBoutFL]

Thanks for your feedback, BB! It will be fun to see what feedback I get. We mostly want to move forward with as much info as we can get. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE blue skies, sun and beaches, but don't want to be too naive.....

[bbronston]

If you post what you hope to achieve and what you hope to avoid with this move, I am sure you'll receive plenty of opinions.

[Old Man Winter]

No place is perfect, Sarasota included. We love it here, the good things we encounter every single day over shadow the bad. Every city has crime, we have it too. The vast majority of this area is very safe, and that includes surrounding counties. While Sarasota and surrounding counties do have bad areas, the key is to identify them, and dont go there.

Once you get use to the weather here, it is absolutely beautiful. Wildlife all over, not like out west, but the wildlife here is diverse and all over the place. Nature trails everywhere, beaches everywhere, tons of state and county parks, water sports, backpacking, fishing, horse back riding, the best sunsets this side of the Mississippi, diverse population with people from all over. And on and on. I have always said to people complaining on this board about having nothing to do, they are not looking for something to do.
and the number one reason we all love Sarasota........ we have never had to shovel humidity !!!!!!!

Good luck, if you give it a try here and are open minded you will love it. If you want it to be like home, you will be unhappy with your decision to come.

[TamRE]

Thinking of moving to Southwest Florida?
Southwest Florida is in the Gulf Coast Region. The following cities are considered part of Southwest Florida: BonitaSprings, Naples, Cape Coral, Captiva, DesotoCounty, Estero, Englewood, Fort Myers, Marco, NorthPort, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Sanibel, Sarasota, and Venice.

Here you will find white sandy beaches, crystal blue warm waters, and light tropical breezes. This is such a beautiful area with many lifestyle choices. You will find it a wonderful place to live. The real estate market offers a variety of homes and condos which are unique to each city. There are properties from magnificent golf course communities...to luxurious estate homes along the beach...to high rises in the sky...to retirement communities.

Home prices are low, interest rates are low and there is no state income tax. Insurance rates are different depending on location. You can compare homeowner insurance rates by going to the following web site: www.shopandcomparerates.com/HOCompareRates.htm. Florida also offers a homestead exemption. Details can be found at dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/taxpayers/exemptions.html.

Some lifestyle activities are golfing, fishing, boating, biking, swimming, tennis, shelling, museums, art, shopping, music, sports, dining, parks, bird watching, and nightlife. There really is something for everyone. Because of our tropical Florida weather, there are events year round.

Florida is called the sunshine state for a good reason. The average annual temperature in Southwest Florida is 74 degrees. Temperatures range from the mid 90's in the summer to upper 60's in the winter. In the winter you only need a light jacket in the morning or evening. In the summer the breeze off of the Gulf keeps you comfortable most of the time. It keeps the temperatures from exceeding 100 degrees even during the dog days of summer. Prevailing winds are an easterly average of 12-18mph.

The rainy season is in the summer and early fall. Typically there are rain showers in the late afternoon/evening just in time to cool things down. The average yearly rainfall is approximately 50 inches, with two-thirds occurring from June to September. Frequent lightening and heavy downpours are common during these rainmaking events, but they do not last long. This is also the season for tropical storms and hurricanes. Residents just need to keep a close eye on the weather and developing systems.

Southwest Florida is paradise. Floridians don't have to deal with the winter blues and that is why we get so many "snow birds" from the frozen North who return again and again. Come see what we are all about.

[macyny]

Why so many snow-birds? Why do people choose to not make Florida their full-time residence?

[SoFLGal]

That's how it's been for years and years. I suppose it might be because it gets a bit hot in the summer months. So, the snowbirds come here to dodge the snow in the winter and when it gets hot in the summer they fly back up north.

I was born and raised here though so I'm probably not the best one to answer the question

[coastal chic]

I wish I could be a snow bird! I would definitely leave for the summer if I could and come back to visit on Memorial weekend, 4th of July, and then stay November through April. LOL.

I would probably live in the NC mountains during the summer if I had my choice.

[Messing About]

We moved here in Dec. 2007 and love living here year 'round. If we had the luxury of a second home, we might do it for August and September when being outdoors in mid-day can be tough. But we came from Phoenix, where I lived for over 40 years and endured my last summer having 61 days in a row above 115* actual temperatures.

I love SWFL and Charlotte Harbor for the boating and fishing. Hurricane season brings about some finger crossing and occasional window boarding (except none last year). To me, the storms and storm tracking is a bit exciting. I'm confidently, cautious but not really concerned. With the weather around the US and world, I believe in "it is what it is" and "when my time comes..." Until then, the only place I'd rather be than here is The Keys.