Considering Moving to Nokomis / Venice / Englewood (Sarasota, South Venice: for sale, rentals, buying a home)

[DebbCo]

My husband and I have visited this area a few times, staying at rentals in Nokomis, South Venice and Englewood. Since I work from home and he's retired, we can live anywhere. We are currently in Michigan.

I do have a few questions about relocating to Florida:

I understand we'll need to have regular treatments to our home for bugs. We likely will buy a 1700-1900 sq foot home. Any idea what the monthly cost will be for a bug service?

I've also been told we should consider a lawn / landscaping service. We've always taken care of our own yard in Michigan, so not sure why we wouldn't be able to do it in FL.

Same for a pool. Is there any reason we wouldn't be able to take care of chemicals and cleaning ourselves? We've had an inground pool in MI for almost 20 years, so are very capable of treating it.

We have a 42 lb mixed lab. We love taking her to the Dog Beach. But since we do travel once in a while, we need a reliable and clean kennel. Or a dog sitting service. Any recommendations? Am also looking for recommendations for a good veterinarian.

We love South Venice because of the ferry service. I love the idea of being able to walk or bike to the ferry and watching sunset anytime I want. But do not like the house that are back to back; we'd like a small amount of privacy. There are a few streets in South Venice that would fit the bill, but we know we may have to wait for the right place.

Does anyone know if the red tide is affecting the beaches in this area?

Sorry for the randomness of all my questions, but house in MI is for sale and we need to be making some decisions soon!

Thanks.

[FLHfan]

Some do there own pest control, some don't. There are a lot of threads on CD discussing different products that will do the job. I do my own every couple of months and it has worked for me.

Same with the lawn & the pool. Can't see paying someone to do something that I can do myself. One of the first things I did after moving here was replace all the landscape plants that needed trimming with those that don't. Reduced my trimming to almost nothing.

I take a pool water sample in twice a month to the local pool store to get it tested for free. It usually only needs a cup of acid a week (salt pool). Brush it once a week while I'm in it cooling off and vac once in a while.

It's pretty easy to do all yourself with very little cost.

[Gulf coast jon]

Originally Posted by DebbCo

Same for a pool. Is there any reason we wouldn't be able to take care of chemicals and cleaning ourselves? We've had an inground pool in MI for almost 20 years, so are very capable of treating it.

Nope! If you cared for a pool up north, you can certainly care for a pool here.

[beach43ofus]

I lived in Michigan too, and have some fond memories growing up there. The weather in Michigan makes me appreciate this area even more. If you plan to live here year around, and if you have not visited here in the Summer, I suggest doing so before moving. I didn't move from Michigan to Florida, I was in Georgia for 15+ years, so I became accustomed to the heat and humidity, but Florida takes it to another level.

Yes, the Red Tide is impacting this area a lot. Its been hanging around for ~6 weeks now, and is a real pain. In the grand scheme of things, you might have to deal with Red Tide a very small % of your time here, so over the long haul no biggy, but when it does pop up, it pretty much takes away the beach as an activity.

I do my own pest control, but we don't have any pets. There's a place that sells the chemicals to do-it-yourselfers in Sarasota who has enough experience to advise you and treating for pests w/o harming your pets. Do not try to go it alone w/o expert advice since you have pets. They'll tell you what you can use, and how to use it to keep your Dog safe.

I do my own lawn too, & the mulch, & the shrubs, & the chems. Again, you'll need guidance to keep your furry friend safe.

We don't have a pool, but I've read that it isn't that tough to do it yourself. The local pool supply store will guide you.

There's a lot to know about living here full time, and buying a home here. I'd stongly suggest renting for at least 6 months before buying. You can use that time to learn how to buy the right home. I just bought after renting for a year, and I bought a lot smarter than I would have if I had bought upon arrival here.

[MattMN]

Answers already given are good. I'll still weigh in / echo others.

Pool / Lawn - nothing too different in FL, you can certainly do on your own. Only issue in summer is things grow like crazy, so it needs more work at the same time the weather is the worst - hot and humid. But many certainly still manage it on their own.

Pest control - I diligently tried the do-it-yourself route with standard Ortho HomeDefense stuff, plus other treatments from Lowes/HomeDepot. That did not work, and I ended up paying a pro. Cost is $300-500/year, and for that price they provide quarterly treatments indoors and out, plus will come back anytime if you ever have a particular problem. If you really want to do-it-yourself, you need to find the place that sells better chemicals.

Red tide is especially prevalent at the moment along the Venice/Englewood beaches. But each year it varies with time of year, duration, and location.

There is a nice dog beach in Venice - Brohard Paw Park. Obviously your dog should never go in a lake or pond due to alligators, so this gulf beach is a great option.

I HIGHLY recommend renting at first to give yourself time to really explore the various areas and home types. There is a lot to consider and the extra $ you pay in rent will be covered by the need to sell/buy a house within a few years because you didn't realize this or that. We did a 12-month rental with a dog; the pet limits your options but there are places available. I think you'll be much happier with your purchase if you have time to feel things out adequately.

[beach43ofus]

FLH Fan said: "One of the first things I did after moving here was replace all the landscape plants that needed trimming with those that don't. Reduced my trimming to almost nothing."

If you plan to do your own landscaping, this is great advice. I'm in the process of ripping out a lot of what the builder put in because it grows too fast, it was poorly spaced, and/or it pricks me when I touch it. Out goes the Junipers, those fake Rose shrubs (thorns), Holly (leaves w/ sharp points), regular Oleanders (toxic & grow to 10'+ high), ect..

It was all too close to the new home's exterior walls, and too close to each other. Pressure washing and painting the exterior stucco would have been impossible just a few years from now.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I am one of those people who hate to pay money to people for stuff I can do myself. I am a middle aged woman but still cut the lawn by myself with a push mower - we have a lot of lawn but I like the work out better than Cross Fit - it gets a little tough in the summer when the grass grows so fast if it gets too long it will be too thick to cut - so I am out there cutting every week.

I pulled out all the fast growing shrubs after I almost cut my thumb off using the electric clippers - now I have slow growing plants I can clip manually.

My husband does the pool care - just cleaning and chemicals once a week.

I do have a bug guy but a cheap one not one of the big companies that want a contract and we really do not spray that often.

I am the odd one in my neighborhood because most of them have services for all the above - but a lot of them are too old to do anything.