looking for a holiday home. Help! (Cape Coral, Tamiami: spring break, foreclosures, rentals)

[sellbydate]

I'm British (for my sins!) and am looking for a holiday home i.e. close to beach, nice neighbour hood etc. I've been given details on Estero, Cape Coral and Bonita Springs. Are these desirable places to visit as a tourist? thanks guys

[rikoshaprl]

All three are nice. Cape Coral is furthest from the beach but would still be my choice because of the great values available there.

[kroeran]

how do you like to spend your outdoor leisure time?

what is your price range?

what about comfort zone for monthly carrying costs?

which airport do you have direct access to?

how many weeks do you anticipate getting over for?

coming single, couple or family?

what would you consider too long a drive to the beach?

[justNancy]

If you are looking for a vacation spot near the beach, Cape Coral certainly isn't the place I'd recommend. Are you talking about buying or just visiting? If you are only visiting for a couple of weeks, then go to Sanibel Island. Fort Myers Beach also has lovely beaches, but it's a lot more lively. It depends on your lifestyle.

If you are looking to buy, it depends on your budget. You'll find a lot more value on the Cape than in Bonita Springs, although Bonita is much more convenient to shops, beaches and to Naples. Estero is also very nice, but it all depends on your needs & desires. Most of all, only you know what you can afford and the style of accommodations your prefer.

[sellbydate]

We are a young family of 4 i.e. with 2 kids of 5 and 8. We are looking for a holiday home to buy i.e. a 3/4 house with a pool. We would also love a view of water e.g. lake, canal etc. We intend to visit 3 -4 weeks a year. Mainly in the winter months. We love out door living so a beach close by is paramount i.e. 10 - 15 minute drive would be fine. My wife is a shopper so good shopping & resturants would be nice too. I don't mind lively areas but would rather drive to them instead of having them on my door step. We are looking for an area with nice flora/fauna that is considered a safe middle class area.


PS thank you for you kind, informative responses.

[rikoshaprl]

What price range are you considering?

[kroeran]

[/quote]

Originally Posted by sellbydate

We are a young family of 4 i.e. with 2 kids of 5 and 8. We are looking for a holiday home to buy i.e. a 3/4 house with a pool. We would also love a view of water e.g. lake, canal etc.

You sound like an ideal candidate for the SWF vacationer club. strongly advise spending a few weeks here on vacation getting to know the various areas and figuring out what you actually end up doing with your outdoor time.

Especially for 4 weeks of the year, I would recommend a condo situation with a shared pool(s). Maintaining and heating a pool is is very expensive, and sharing a pool is a great way to socialize and get to know neighbours. We are closer and friendlier with our Florida neighbours of 2 years than our Canadian neighbours of 10 years.

Originally Posted by sellbydate

We intend to visit 3 -4 weeks a year.

crunch your numbers - take a look at your costs per day relative to renting, especially if you are not a cash buyer. Renting a furnished house for a month can be very very efficient, especially just out of peak season.

Originally Posted by sellbydate

Mainly in the winter months. We love out door living so a beach close by is paramount i.e. 10 - 15 minute drive would be fine.

be aware that SWF can get too cool for beach and pool weather for short bursts, which can be a disappointment if you come a long way for just a week at a time. If you can, have flexible flights and watch the 15 day long term forecast. Dec 15 to Feb 15 is the riskier window.

for beach access (you cannot rely on the main FM beach bridge which gets jammed in season, unless you plan to get over there early), you need to orient yourself to either the Sanibel causeway (tolls & parking fees) or Bonita Beach Road.

Originally Posted by sellbydate

My wife is a shopper so good shopping & resturants would be nice too.

One focus for furniture and girly shopping is Daniels @ the Tamiami Trail. Boyland is just down the road with Lowes and Home Depot and Walmart all on one corner. That area is relatively central to Estero/Bonita, the Beaches and Islands, Daniels Corridor as well as the Cape bridges. Estero has the much larger and higher end Coconut Point shops and the Miromar outlets. We get most of our serious clothing shopping done at Miromar. Check out the Design Centre across from Miromar to see how the other .01% lives. Its like a whole mall for very high end interior designers.

Originally Posted by sellbydate

I don't mind lively areas but would rather drive to them instead of having them on my door step.

FM beach is relatively affordable for that close to the beach, it is very young adult oriented, especially near the pier, gets very jammed in season, and is the sort of place a person arriving by motorcycle would feel comfortable. My college age neices head there when visiting for the spring break atmosphere, but I do not allow them down there without their physically intimidating boyfriends.

Originally Posted by sellbydate

We are looking for an area with nice flora/fauna that is considered a safe middle class area.

the price points make a huge difference in what and where you can consider. Owning in a gated condo HOA is more expensive, but then you don't have to worry about external maintenance and overall security is much better. Knowing the "bad" areas and putting distance between you and them is a consideration.

you should as well take a peek at my development. We are 20 minutes from FM beach bridge and 30 minutes from the Sanibel causeway. A key factor was safety in our choice. It is the sort of neighbourhood that I can feel comfortable with my elderly mom and aunt staying here alone and we have no worries, even if they want a stroll around the neighbourhood after dark.

A mother with young children can operate very securely here without the requirement for hubby to be along. As far as non-gated, you then have to start considering discussions you will see here about carrying weapons and home invasions...that sort of thing, which I assume is as foreign to you (Brits) as it is to us (Canadians).

[hiknapster]

It's 35 minutes to Fort Myers Beach from your condo, and that's if there is no traffic. In season you know there will be traffic.

I'd suggest Bonita Springs. You can definitely be within 15 minutes of the beach and the shopping is much better in that area. You'll be less than 10 minutes to the Coconut Pointe Mall, one of the newest shopping centers in the area, but also within reach of Estero's Miromar and Naples extremely high-end shops.

You can find some lovely villas in that area.




You sound like an ideal candidate for the SWF vacationer club. strongly advise spending a few weeks here on vacation getting to know the various areas and figuring out what you actually end up doing with your outdoor time.

Especially for 4 weeks of the year, I would recommend a condo situation with a shared pool(s). Maintaining and heating a pool is is very expensive, and sharing a pool is a great way to socialize and get to know neighbours. We are closer and friendlier with our Florida neighbours of 2 years than our Canadian neighbours of 10 years.



crunch your numbers - take a look at your costs per day relative to renting, especially if you are not a cash buyer. Renting a furnished house for a month can be very very efficient, especially just out of peak season.



be aware that SWF can get too cool for beach and pool weather for short bursts, which can be a disappointment if you come a long way for just a week at a time. If you can, have flexible flights and watch the 15 day long term forecast. Dec 15 to Feb 15 is the riskier window.

for beach access (you cannot rely on the main FM beach bridge which gets jammed in season, unless you plan to get over there early), you need to orient yourself to either the Sanibel causeway (tolls & parking fees) or Bonita Beach Road.



One focus for furniture and girly shopping is Daniels @ the Tamiami Trail. Boyland is just down the road with Lowes and Home Depot and Walmart all on one corner. That area is relatively central to Estero/Bonita, the Beaches and Islands, Daniels Corridor as well as the Cape bridges. Estero has the much larger and higher end Coconut Point shops and the Miromar outlets. We get most of our serious clothing shopping done at Miromar. Check out the Design Centre across from Miromar to see how the other .01% lives. Its like a whole mall for very high end interior designers.



FM beach is relatively affordable for that close to the beach, it is very young adult oriented, especially near the pier, gets very jammed in season, and is the sort of place a person arriving by motorcycle would feel comfortable. My college age neices head there when visiting for the spring break atmosphere, but I do not allow them down there without their physically intimidating boyfriends.



the price points make a huge difference in what and where you can consider. Owning in a gated condo HOA is more expensive, but then you don't have to worry about external maintenance and overall security is much better. Knowing the "bad" areas and putting distance between you and them is a consideration.

you should as well take a peek at my development. We are 20 minutes from FM beach bridge and 30 minutes from the Sanibel causeway. A key factor was safety in our choice. It is the sort of neighbourhood that I can feel comfortable with my elderly mom and aunt staying here alone and we have no worries, even if they want a stroll around the neighbourhood after dark.

A mother with young children can operate very securely here without the requirement for hubby to be along. As far as non-gated, you then have to start considering discussions you will see here about carrying weapons and home invasions...that sort of thing, which I assume is as foreign to you (Brits) as it is to us (Canadians).[/quote]

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

It's 35 minutes to Fort Myers Beach from your condo, and that's if there is no traffic. In season you know there will be traffic.

I'd suggest Bonita Springs. You can definitely be within 15 minutes of the beach and the shopping is much better in that area. You'll be less than 10 minutes to the Coconut Pointe Mall, one of the newest shopping centers in the area, but also within reach of Estero's Miromar and Naples extremely high-end shops.

As I wrote on the Sarasota forum in response to the same inquiry, without knowing what the OP wants to spend, it's impossible to make suggestions.

I agree that Bonita Springs is ideal. So is North Naples. Sarasota is also a good place to live, since there are many activities for children should the weather be uncooperative. It's all so relative. I lived walking distance to the beach, less than 2 miles from route 41 and about 4 from I-75. However, even a dumpy, old house was over $200,000. So a family has to choose its priorities. I love Olde Naples, but what does $500,000 buy compared to a beautiful house in Estero for half?

Again, affordability is key when shopping for property. I mentioned on the other forum that renting for a few weeks a year for $3,000 (which will get you a very nice home for a month) makes more sense to me but, as always, someone disagreed. I just can't see spending money on property taxes, insurance, lawn care, maintenance and utilities for 3 to 4 weeks a year. Houses are still dropping in price and another 3 million foreclosures were supposed to hit the U.S. market soon, but there's been a halt by the banks.

If price isn't an issue, I'd pick Southport Cove in Collier County at Barefoot Beach. Homes currently range from $1.2 to $3.7 million. You'll have everything you need - shopping, restaurants, boating, a beautiful beach across the street.

[nhkev]

I find the water more enjoyable April- mid november after that it's cold. So a pool is probably a good choice. If only 4 weeks a year I would go Condo route that has their own rental management program. You'll probably find it'll be enough to cover all ownership expenses. if this was the case I would go with Sanibel Island. Next choice would be Sarasota. Be very careful in choosing a condo development, there are a lot of downsides to look out for, educate yourself as much as possible and Google things like "problems with Condo fees, association, rentals, foreclosures, bankruptcies.