Best choice - Venice Gardens or South Venice? (Nokomis: 2015, foreclosures)

[ShantiAnahata]

I am planning to move to Venice in the spring of 2015. Most of the houses in my price range are in South Venice and Venice Gardens. I am single, 62 yr old female. In your opinion, would Venice Gardens or South Venice be the best bet for me? What are the main differences between the 2 communities? Thanks for your thoughts.

[gettinoutofjersey]

i dont live in either but drive thru them. i could tell you which i think is nicer but thats my opinion just like you will get others opinions. that being said my or any other opinions shouldnt mean much as you are the one that would be living there. i would think for a purchase of a home it would be worth a trip down to meet a realtor and go looking. season hasnt started yet so there should be some deals out there for a rental.

[TamRE]

Yes, as gettingoutofjersey said, you need to come down and take a look at both neighborhoods yourself. What one person likes, may not be what you like.

Many of the homes in Venice Gardens were built in the 1960's. The home insurance will be high. There is an optional homeowner association fee of $95 per year and you can use the community pool. There is also a park. There are still a lot of bank foreclosures in Venice Gardens. Here is a link to the park - https://www.scgov.net/parks/Pages/Ve...rdensPark.aspx

South Venice will have more homes built in the 70's and 80's, but there are still older homes too. South Venice has a private ferry to the beach and a private boat ramp. There is a fee for both. Shamrock park is near South Venice - https://www.scgov.net/parks/Pages/ShamrockPark.aspx.
South Venice Civic Association - South Venice Beach

City of Venice - Welcome to the official Website of City of Venice, FL
Venice Chamber of Commerce - Venice Area Chamber of Commerce > Home
Venice Regional Medical Center - Venice Regional Bayfront Health

[sware2cod]

You should look at homes in both and then choose the home that best meets your criteria/requirements.

[dpbarr2000]

Most homes in Venice Gardens have city/county water and sewer, as opposed to S. Venice, which mostly have well water/septic.

Homes in Venice Gardens tend to be older, and tend to be 2 bedroom and 2 baths. South Venice has a mix of older and new homes on some larger lots. Also, they have the S. Venice ferry and boat launch facilities for their members, which is a plus if you are a boater. You can park your boat on your own property in S. Venice.

[sandybiel]

Is the insurance is higher in Venice Gardens than South Venice? Do you know why?

[TamRE]

Insurance rates vary by age of home, size of home,
conditions of home, and location of home. Insurance is more expensive if you live
near any type of water – pond, lake, river, Gulf. Insurance is more expensive if
home was not built to current hurricane standards. You can get discounts the home
qualifies for by having a wind mitigation inspection done at the same time as your
home inspection. Discounts are available for building features that reduce damage
during high wind events. Overall discounts include things such as age of home, style
of roof, how close the home is to a body of water, how close to a fire hydrant, how
the roof is tied down, if the home has hurricane shutters or impact resistant
windows, frame or block home, etc. If the home is in a flood zone, the insurance
company will require a flood elevation certificate. That can be obtained by paying a
survey company to prepare it. To check Flood Zones go to www.floodsmart.gov and
type in the address of the property. It will give you the flood zone, rates, and
insurance companies.

[dpbarr2000]

Moderator cut: remark removed Insurance will be higher in parts of South Venice that are closer to the water, compared to Venice Gardens, which is higher elevation, mostly because of flood insurance.

[imagardener]

Something else to consider is water quality, as in the tap water. Some So. Venice homes water supply is well water and it needs an in-line osmosis system or your water will smell and taste very sulfurous. We looked at a home in Nokomis that had an osmosis system and we decided it was one too many things to take care of so we looked elsewhere. A whole-house osmosis system is not a small thing, it's a big rig and sits outside next to the house.

If a home is on city water you don't need an osmosis filtration system. It should be looked into before buying but it's up to the buyer to ask the right questions.