Venice Island: Nice, a little seedy, both? (Sarasota, North Port: for sale, real estate)

[JJGittes65]

My wife and I are looking at the Sarasota/Venice area for possible retirement. We have spent time along the Gulf Coast in different locations, but not yet in Venice.

After looking at small houses for sale between $300k and $500k on various on-line real estate sites, and using google street view and satellite view to go up and down the streets, we are frankly a little surprised at how rough looking many of the residential streets and homes are.

The main drag with the shops and restaurants appears nice enough, but it seems odd that there are not more cottages/small homes that have been redone. Lots of vintage 60's to 80's decor.... and not in a good way.

Venice island is unique in that it is fairly large and not the typical skinny strip of land across a bridge with a beach, like most areas in Florida. But the housing generally seems to lack charm.

Are we being too critical? Or is it ripe for a renaissance by retiring boomers?

[DragonflyMom]

No renaissance going on here in Venice. No gentrification. If you want to live on the Island, you're gonna find cute homes just like you described, build from the 50's to 70's. There are lots of nice places to live off the Island in nice, modern communities with new homes being built in your price range. I live in a community named IslandWalk, and I can drive to the beach in 10 minutes. It's close enough for us. We are off US 41 on the far southern end of Venice, actually just across the city limits in North Port.

[photoman_6]

Originally Posted by JJGittes65

My wife and I are looking at the Sarasota/Venice area for possible retirement. We have spent time along the Gulf Coast in different locations, but not yet in Venice.

After looking at small houses for sale between $300k and $500k on various on-line real estate sites, and using google street view and satellite view to go up and down the streets, we are frankly a little surprised at how rough looking many of the residential streets and homes are.

The main drag with the shops and restaurants appears nice enough, but it seems odd that there are not more cottages/small homes that have been redone. Lots of vintage 60's to 80's decor.... and not in a good way.

Venice island is unique in that it is fairly large and not the typical skinny strip of land across a bridge with a beach, like most areas in Florida. But the housing generally seems to lack charm.

Are we being too critical? Or is it ripe for a renaissance by retiring boomers?

"renaissance by retiring boomers sounds sort of an oxymoron. I have a feeling that it's exclusive enough cause it's owned by the previous generation than ours and they haven't been able to afford updating. $300-500 k seems to be a price range that you'd be able to find something nicer, newer, and a little closer to Sarasota

[daveysue]

My husband and I moved to Venice in July of 2015 after an exhausting year of home searching. We love it here. I know what you mean about there being seedy looking areas. It is not a total tourist and upper class area like Naples and other high-end spots, it is more like "real life" in my opinion. We have access to great shopping, restaurants and wonderful activities from bird-watching to golfing in every direction. There are beaches also in every direction. As far as seeing beautifully manicured lawns and perfect homes when you are driving on the main roads.. consider if you would want to own a house on a main road. The first sign of a high-end community is the beautiful landscaping which costs so much to maintain in Florida. It doesn't take much to make a street look 'seedy' if that money hasn't been put into landscaping, but it doesn't mean it's a high crime area. So we just feel it is a regular community with lots of regular -income people as well as the snowbirds and upper income people. Just my opinion, but we have been happy here and feel safe here. True if you are able to afford it there are more insulated communities to explore, but we feel comfortable here.

[JJGittes65]

Originally Posted by daveysue

My husband and I moved to Venice in July of 2015 after an exhausting year of home searching. We love it here. I know what you mean about there being seedy looking areas. It is not a total tourist and upper class area like Naples and other high-end spots, it is more like "real life" in my opinion. We have access to great shopping, restaurants and wonderful activities from bird-watching to golfing in every direction. There are beaches also in every direction. As far as seeing beautifully manicured lawns and perfect homes when you are driving on the main roads.. consider if you would want to own a house on a main road. The first sign of a high-end community is the beautiful landscaping which costs so much to maintain in Florida. It doesn't take much to make a street look 'seedy' if that money hasn't been put into landscaping, but it doesn't mean it's a high crime area. So we just feel it is a regular community with lots of regular -income people as well as the snowbirds and upper income people. Just my opinion, but we have been happy here and feel safe here. True if you are able to afford it there are more insulated communities to explore, but we feel comfortable here.

Thanks for the honest opinion. We plan to visit and keep an open mind. Perhaps the strategy would be to find a little house with good bones, for a decent price, on the right street, and give it the 'Fixer Upper' treatment. Probably easier said than done, but Venice has a lot going for it, for someone who likes the beach and a slower pace.

[daveysue]

Originally Posted by JJGittes65

Thanks for the honest opinion. We plan to visit and keep an open mind. Perhaps the strategy would be to find a little house with good bones, for a decent price, on the right street, and give it the 'Fixer Upper' treatment. Probably easier said than done, but Venice has a lot going for it, for someone who likes the beach and a slower pace.

Yes, we are seniors and it was the slower pace that attracted us to this spot. I don't like to drive on the highways and here I can get to most important places in 45 mph or less zones and not get on a busy ramp to the highway.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

There is nothing "seedy" about Venice - many of the homes are historical - others are cute "old Florida" and most are re-done inside and pricey -

[sware2cod]

You post is particularly about Venice Island versus the other parts of Venice. Venice Island is sought after and the real estate prices are higher for a home on the island versus a comparable home off the island. The island is kept up nicely in terms of cleanliness/trashiness. Lawns are cut regularly and homes exteriors are kept tidy and maintained. It is safe and people walk around, ride their bikes and jog.

In many ways, it's the ideal utopian community that many people seek.

However, many of the homes are older small ranches built in the 50s and 60s. Many of these older homes have not been updated(to seem newer) on the outside. However, they are maintained regularly and are clean and painted and they have nice enough landscaping. You will see some newer homes and updated homes on the water or the streets closest to the water.

It is not a trashy or seedy area. There are a couple subdivisions with newer homes but those are farthest from the beach- but they are still considered on the island.

The reason Venice island isn't a strip of land like you have seen on other barrier islands is because at one time Venice was not an island. It was connected to the mainland to the south (near the airport) and to the east behind Venice High School. That long canal part of the intracoastal waterway was dredged which then made Venice an island.

If you want a newer home or larger home then you might consider living off the island. But lots of people prefer to be on the island and they end up choosing one of the older homes on the island, because that's what's available.

IMO, over time, those small ranch homes will eventually be updated or knocked down and new home rebuilt on the lot. You see it here and there on the island already, but still the small older homes dominate. But the location has always been one of the prime locations, and I don't see that changing, IMO.

[dpbarr2000]

If you can afford to live on the Island in Venice, do it. It's one of the few places where you can walk to the beach and a real downtown, rather than a touristy beach village like Siesta Key. There's nothing seedy about it.

[kiggy]

Now, South Venice is another story...