best subdivision in Naples!! (Sarasota, Fort Myers: rent, HOA fees, home builders)

[dansocean]

Hello moving to Naples Florida soon. would like information on some good places to live
in and around Naples. I'd say with in 30 miles or so. we have no kids, in our late 30's
love the beach, gulf and boating.. living that active lifestyle. our budget is 400,000.
must haves in a home would be a unground pool!! "a must" 3 car garage, high ceilings a plus.
with in a short drive to shops and restaurants. So any old or new subdivisions or home builders would
be a great help. we plan on coming down in Jan 2016 to scout out the areas. Thank you. any other information
anyone would like to add would be great too

[markjames68]

Welcome...for a $400,000 budget you should face the reality that you will NOT get new construction, at least not a home with what you are looking for - in Naples/North Naples. You really need closer to $600K+.

There are properties in Golden Gate Estates that will fit your needs but they may not necessarily be close to shopping or such.

As you have a 30 mile radius you will get more for your money in Estero for sure.

[motordavid]

Agree on existing home, and you may have to ratchet up the budget...
Longshore Lakes comes to my mind, as we have a couple sets of friends that live there and both have 3 car garages, high ceilings, etc.

A Jan visit will be right in the thick of the 'season' and the attendant RE fever; it builds from then until late April, followed by occasional and more realistic listing prices later on in Summer, imo.
GL, mD

[movin1]

Be aware that property taxes are higher in Lee County (2.0%) than they are in Collier County (1.25%).

Once you go north of Naples (Bonita Beach, Estero, Fort Myers etc). The only place within 30 miles of Naples in Collier County is Marco Island.

You do get more house for your money (less $/sq ft) in Fort Myers.

You also have to watch out for high HOA fees everywhere here. Be sure you know all the fees that are part of your monthly budget.

If you are working in Naples, you may not want to live 30 miles from Naples. Traffic here in season is pretty bad and adds a lot of time to your commute.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by movin1

Be aware that property taxes are higher in Lee County (2.0%) than they are in Collier County (1.25%).

Once you go north of Naples (Bonita Beach, Estero, Fort Myers etc). The only place within 30 miles of Naples in Collier County is Marco Island.

You do get more house for your money (less $/sq ft) in Fort Myers.

You also have to watch out for high HOA fees everywhere here. Be sure you know all the fees that are part of your monthly budget.

Technically Ave Maria is within the range as well.

[dansocean]

Thank you all for the infomation... I'm hoping my trip down will answer more questions too. Im open to living and working as far as Sarasoda not sure if I wonna go any farther north. My job allows me to be flexible in relocating. Ft Myers may be a option too if that's a area better on a 400,000 buget. 500,000 would really be the most I would wanna go.. So what you guys think

[movin1]

You really need to spend some time checking out each city. Drive around, see what they look like, get a feel for what they have to offer.

We liked Naples best, but that's our taste. If $500K is doable, I doubt you will regret doing it to get in the right place.

You could rent for a year and wait to invest, but house prices seem to be going up.

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by dansocean

...Im open to living and working as far as Sarasoda not sure if I wonna go any farther north. My job allows me to be flexible in relocating. Ft Myers may be a option too if that's a area better on a 400,000 buget. 500,000 would really be the most I would wanna go.. So what you guys think

In general, Sarasota County will offer similar houses, communities, weather, et al at price points of 20-30% less for comparable house and situ, imo.

'Traffic' for any given area or time of year will be 20-30% less than Collier County, imo.

Sarasota County does have higher RE taxes per millage rates, but house will/may be assessed less than Collier County on comparables.

No disrespect to 'Naples' and Collier County; we had a seasonal SFH house in Naples for ~ 9 winters.

Sarasota County RE pricing has not yet accelerated to the lofty levels regained by Collier County in the past few years, in our experience.

Both counties, and most of SW FL are fine locations.

Go shopping, expand your map, pick what is best for you. That $400 to $500Gs will go considerably further in Sarasota County vs Collier County in our house/community hunting experience.
GL, mD

[relocatingtonaples]

Hi Dansocean, if you can stretch the budget to $475K you just might be able to buy into Marina Bay, a GL Homes development near the Ft. Myers airport exits. Maybe not a huge home, but a 2100 sqft, 3-car, 3-bed new construction with pool -- provided you don't go crazy on options. The development there is relatively new so you can still get in before price increases. Houses go for about $100K to $125K less than the same house in North Naples. Marina Bay in Fort Myers, Florida

[gymdogdad]

Naples Park, New build or existing close to everything