PORTOFINO ON THE BAY in Sarasota (Venice, Vamo: real estate, to rent, houses)

[mjrg]

I am looking at houses in this area. I see that Portofino on the Bay is in trouble. However, I am not familiar with the area of town it is located. Is this a good area for kids? Is it a nice area or kind of on the slummy side?

Thanks for the help.

[SoFLGal]

That area is kind of a mixed bag, it's what is referred to as the Vamo Rd area. Right along the bay there are very nice homes and then across the street on Vamo Rd there are duplexes and smaller homes mixed in with some older larger homes. It kind of reminds me somewhat of the south Venice area, not really uniform. It is very close to the mall and other amenities which is a plus.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by mjrg

I am looking at houses in this area. I see that Portofino on the Bay is in trouble. However, I am not familiar with the area of town it is located. Is this a good area for kids? Is it a nice area or kind of on the slummy side?

Thanks for the help.

Hey mjrg,
First I'd like to Welcome you to the board! There are a lot of really helpful people here. You will find all the help you need especially if you've got questions about the area, things to do, places to see, schools, restaurants, wanta chat, or anything about real estate too.
What kind of house are you looking for ____ sf, _ bedrooms / _ baths, garage, newer/ older / fixer upper, with pool and lanai, with gulf access (if you're a boater), on the beach, how close to the beach, are schools important? You said houses are you an investor, or looking for one?

Are you from the area?
Do you have pets?
Are you married?
What age range are you looking for in an area, some areas are over 55, mostly retired, or are you younger and want more night life?
Do you like to boat, sail, golf, swim, play tennis, do you like watching sports?
Are you planning on living there and do you have a job? Are you retired? or will you need to find employment locally?
What kind of work do you do or did you do?
I'm not prying, just asking questions so that others here can help you.

From what I understand there are better areas to look for housing in, I'd be careful there, but there are plenty of good areas around with some fantastic housing deals.

I hope this helps get you started!
Hope to chat more soon.

[SoFLGal]

Good questions BigHouse! If this is an area of interest to you I would go back after 5pm and take a look around and see what the neighborhood looks like. Usually people are home from work by then and kids are out of school as well. This would give you a more accurate picture of the neighborhood. I would suggest doing this with any neighborhood you were interested in. You might also want to ask a few people in the neighborhood how they like it, I've found that neighbors usually tend to be pretty honest about their likes and dislikes. You might want to rent in this neighborhood before you buy to make sure it's a good fit.