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Hello to all of you . This is my first time visiting this board in the Sarasota area. I first visited the Ft. Meyers board and I could not believe what I read and how badly that area is doing. Made me sad to see some areas deteriorate and so many people going through very hard times. The foreclosures and short sales are in groves and from what I read it seems to be turning into a ghost town with so many empty homes.
Anyway, I first came on here because we were interested in buying a vacation home, It will be a second home so can not go very high in price. I do not want to rent it out, it will be just for family use and who knows down the road, we may move there when the time is right. ( years to come) I am very familiar with Sarasota as I have family there. I use to be down there all the time, but our visits slowed down once the kids came along. My question is, is it as bad as the Ft. Meyers/Cape Coral area got? I have loved the Sarasota area for years. I investigated the other areas thinking it would be more affordable for a second home than Sarasota , but it seems to be a big mess down there. We will be down for a month next summer.. renting a vacation home in the Siesta Key area, but I just wanted some input in how things really are compared to the other areas in Fla.
I guess it depends on what your perception of what "that bad" is. There are 6887 properties in all of Sarasota county. Out of that number there are 130 properties listed as foreclosed. The are 1031 properties that are listed as short sales.
We would need to know exactly what you are looking for in order to suggest areas that might be a good fit for you. How far from the beach do you want to be? Do you have a specific area in Sarasota county in mind? What's your price range? What kind of things do you like to do? What size home are you looking for? How many bed and baths? Do you want a pool? Are you specifically looking for a single family home or would a condo/townhome/villa be OK? Do you want to be in a gated community?
If you could answer a few of the above questions people can recommend more specific areas. Good luck with your search!
Sarasota has not missed the economic down turn, but over all things are not that bad.
Some areas were hit harder than others, any area where there was speculative building / buying you will find empty properties today.
luxury condo developments that were built recently are sitting mostly empty, while established older condos are nearly completely occupied.
Property is much more affordable today than a few years ago, and in some areas prices have fallen to levels seen back in 2002.
I've spent some time on the Ft. Myers thread and if you believe what you read there you'll be shocked should you visit the area. I have friends that live near the orange river, and when we get together I don't see the level of disaster that I read on the FM thread. When I look at the foreclosure rates in FM I do find it alarming, but the Cape Coral and Leigh Acres areas saw tons of speculation.
I guess it depends on what your perception of what "that bad" is. There are 6887 properties in all of Sarasota county. Out of that number there are 130 properties listed as foreclosed. The are 1031 properties that are listed as short sales.
We would need to know exactly what you are looking for in order to suggest areas that might be a good fit for you. How far from the beach do you want to be? Do you have a specific area in Sarasota county in mind? What's your price range? What kind of things do you like to do? What size home are you looking for? How many bed and baths? Do you want a pool? Are you specifically looking for a single family home or would a condo/townhome/villa be OK? Do you want to be in a gated community?
If you could answer a few of the above questions people can recommend more specific areas. Good luck with your search!
The Ft Meyers area seems very depressed and getting worse, as they say on that board. I was actually told not to come there, I'd be sorry... I was actually shocked in what I read and what some posters wrote back to me.
What we are looking for is a private home close to the beach in a well kept area. A pool would be wonderful especially for the kids, but not being there year round might not be a good idea. I do not have a specific county in mind , or if a gated community is the better way to go. I would consider a villa if all else fails..I do like them, but there's nothing like the privacy of a single family home. I guess there are ups and downs to both, especially when not living there full time.
We are in the exploring stages , looking to learn as much as we can. We are not in a rush, just something we have been thinking about for a long time. I have a lot of family and friends in various areas down there , but have always favored the sarasota area. Once we are there we can see everyone who we miss and spend time with them. My cousin is a school teacher in sarasota and from what she has told me , the class sizes are getting smaller due to people having to move due to loss of jobs and leaving the area. The economy has effected many across the states. Fla. seems to be one of the top three worse hit state according to the news. I know it may be a good time to buy, but we also do not want to make a bad investment... not sure if things are going to continue to decline or certain areas are leveling off. I do know that we love it down there and enjoy our time there. I am jealous of the beaches you have, to me you can't beat the gulf. It would be great to have a home away from home and get away from NY when we can. It is a huge decision to do this, so I am here to learn as much as I can from those of you who live there.
The Ft Meyers area seems very depressed and getting worse, as they say on that board. I was actually told not to come there, I'd be sorry... I was actually shocked in what I read and what some posters wrote back to me.
What we are looking for is a private home close to the beach in a well kept area. A pool would be wonderful especially for the kids, but not being there year round might not be a good idea. I do not have a specific county in mind , or if a gated community is the better way to go. I would consider a villa if all else fails..I do like them, but there's nothing like the privacy of a single family home. I guess there are ups and downs to both, especially when not living there full time.
We are in the exploring stages , looking to learn as much as we can. We are not in a rush, just something we have been thinking about for a long time. I have a lot of family and friends in various areas down there , but have always favored the sarasota area. Once we are there we can see everyone who we miss and spend time with them. My cousin is a school teacher in sarasota and from what she has told me , the class sizes are getting smaller due to people having to move due to loss of jobs and leaving the area. The economy has effected many across the states. Fla. seems to be one of the top three worse hit state according to the news. I know it may be a good time to buy, but we also do not want to make a bad investment... not sure if things are going to continue to decline or certain areas are leveling off. I do know that we love it down there and enjoy our time there. I am jealous of the beaches you have, to me you can't beat the gulf. It would be great to have a home away from home and get away from NY when we can. It is a huge decision to do this, so I am here to learn as much as I can from those of you who live there.
Are any of you part timers with kids?
amitygirl,
I've been reading that board for a while, and what you are seeing is a half dozen or so posters that have all been slamming that board and anyone who comes there for several months. A couple of the posters there just hate Florida in general, and some of the others just like to harp on how bad the economy is, and it is tough, but not near as bad as they are saying. Several people have moved down to the Sarasota area and love it. I would say listen, but don't let a hand full of people on that board, that harp on the same thing sway you too much.
amitygirl,
I've been reading that board for a while, and what you are seeing is a half dozen or so posters that have all been slamming that board and anyone who comes there for several months. A couple of the posters there just hate Florida in general, and some of the others just like to harp on how bad the economy is, and it is tough, but not near as bad as they are saying. Several people have moved down to the Sarasota area and love it. I would say listen, but don't let a hand full of people on that board, that harp on the same thing sway you too much.
Read this board. You will find people are a lot more positive, and a number of people that have moved down successfully and love it down here. Several people have moved and either kept their job and can work remotely (always a possibilty), and others have fought through all the worries, and come down and found work.
Sometimes they comeback and post updates. I am waiting for a couple friends (((Hedzup3))), to come back and post that they made thier journey down successfully. She by the way tried to sell her home for 2 years, was steadfast about coming down, and should have pulled in down there by now. She is probably unloading, and unpacking, and waiting for comcast to bring the interent to her home.
Where are you located?
What do you do?
When are you planning on coming down?
There are lots of people that can give you in-site if you ask.
You will get a fair picture of things on this board if you listen to the regulars here. It really isn't as bad as they are posting over on the other board.
Occasionally some of us on this board get together for meet-ups and have gotten to be friends. I somehow seem to have been elected the guy who organizes them. I am coming back down in October and plan on setting something up then. Probably around Venice, because it is convienient to many of us.
The Ft Meyers area seems very depressed and getting worse, as they say on that board. I was actually told not to come there, I'd be sorry... I was actually shocked in what I read and what some posters wrote back to me.
What we are looking for is a private home close to the beach in a well kept area. A pool would be wonderful especially for the kids, but not being there year round might not be a good idea. I do not have a specific county in mind , or if a gated community is the better way to go. I would consider a villa if all else fails..I do like them, but there's nothing like the privacy of a single family home. I guess there are ups and downs to both, especially when not living there full time.
We are in the exploring stages , looking to learn as much as we can. We are not in a rush, just something we have been thinking about for a long time. I have a lot of family and friends in various areas down there , but have always favored the sarasota area. Once we are there we can see everyone who we miss and spend time with them. My cousin is a school teacher in sarasota and from what she has told me , the class sizes are getting smaller due to people having to move due to loss of jobs and leaving the area. The economy has effected many across the states. Fla. seems to be one of the top three worse hit state according to the news. I know it may be a good time to buy, but we also do not want to make a bad investment... not sure if things are going to continue to decline or certain areas are leveling off. I do know that we love it down there and enjoy our time there. I am jealous of the beaches you have, to me you can't beat the gulf. It would be great to have a home away from home and get away from NY when we can. It is a huge decision to do this, so I am here to learn as much as I can from those of you who live there.
Are any of you part timers with kids?
Many of the CD boards are dominated by small groups of regular posters. On some boards they're too positive, on other boards too negative, sometimes just right. Be careful, read widely, and talk to lots of people.
The Ft Meyers area seems very depressed and getting worse, as they say on that board. I was actually told not to come there, I'd be sorry... I was actually shocked in what I read and what some posters wrote back to me.
What we are looking for is a private home close to the beach in a well kept area. A pool would be wonderful especially for the kids, but not being there year round might not be a good idea. I do not have a specific county in mind , or if a gated community is the better way to go. I would consider a villa if all else fails..I do like them, but there's nothing like the privacy of a single family home. I guess there are ups and downs to both, especially when not living there full time.
We are in the exploring stages , looking to learn as much as we can. We are not in a rush, just something we have been thinking about for a long time. I have a lot of family and friends in various areas down there , but have always favored the sarasota area. Once we are there we can see everyone who we miss and spend time with them. My cousin is a school teacher in sarasota and from what she has told me , the class sizes are getting smaller due to people having to move due to loss of jobs and leaving the area. The economy has effected many across the states. Fla. seems to be one of the top three worse hit state according to the news. I know it may be a good time to buy, but we also do not want to make a bad investment... not sure if things are going to continue to decline or certain areas are leveling off. I do know that we love it down there and enjoy our time there. I am jealous of the beaches you have, to me you can't beat the gulf. It would be great to have a home away from home and get away from NY when we can. It is a huge decision to do this, so I am here to learn as much as I can from those of you who live there.
Are any of you part timers with kids?
Your situation sounds like ours. We just bought a condo in Sarasota after looking for 18 months. We are not retired, but visit the area for about 3 months a year. After looking at the upkeep for a single family home, we decided a condo was best for us. The cost of someone cutting the lawn and maintaining the pool when we were not there was too expensive. The only complaint I have is that the complex we bought in does not have any kids, although it's not 55+. We have an 8 year old and she really needs someone to play with. We usually come down for about two months during the summer and I think next year we are going to enroll her in a few summer camps. We first looked in the Clearwater area. We had a mobile home there for ten years. IMHO, Sarasota is safer and cleaner than Pinellas County. One of the things we found out this summer was the variety of the beaches. In Pinellas County all the beaches were pretty much the same. In Sarasota County there is a lot of variety. Siesta Beach was for our traditional beach day, Point of Rocks for snorkeling and for something different we would go to Venice to look for Shark's teeth. Good luck on your search.
Many of the CD boards are dominated by small groups of regular posters. On some boards they're too positive, on other boards too negative, sometimes just right. Be careful, read widely, and talk to lots of people.
Amitygirl, IMHO Scots is the best advice that you've be given yet.
Some people have been burned and are bitter, some truly care about strangers, some want to protect the reputation of the area because they have already invested here and some people make their living selling houses here. You have to find out someone's background just to see how much weight to give their opinion.
It's not uncommon for someone to finally come down here and then stop posting in the forum. Is it because they are having a rough time? or is it that they are so happy with their new life that they are too busy? Who knows?
I don't think anybody will argue with me when I say I think that the Sarasota area water seems bluer and the beaches nicer than Fort Myers.
I'm glad to see that you're not in a rush.
Good Luck!
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