This is a big bleepin deal - Just bought house in PGI (Tampa: HOA, big house)

[Karen and Jim]

Originally Posted by angelagardner

Glad that you guys are out there and positive. I get so much flack from everyone in my life about us packing up and moving down there. They all tell me how much I will hate Florida in the summer and blah blah....but of course those are all people who love this cold, rainy weather I get in Washington 9 months out of the year. YUCK! I can't wait to get there and get settled and actually be warm for a change, I am serious cold every waking moment of my life.
I do wonder where most of you are finding such amazing realtors--I haven't had much luck with anyone taking us seriously enough to even do a tad bit of research for us. We are cash buyers with our house set to close on April 16th-have been in contact with 3 different agents since December and have either been referred off to someone who doesn't follow up well or we don't get returned information that is helpful. Being an agent in my area I am stumped as to why that happens--but hopefully we will find a good fit before we cruise down there in early May.

You will LOVE it down in FL! Where are you thinking about moving TO? We just bought a house (yesterday) for our daughter and son-in-law, and now have to put OUR house on the market and get one for OURSELVES! We'll be in Port Charlotte on the WATER! Good luck to you!

[angelagardner]

We are looking anywhere from Sarasota to Port Charlotte...it's all so nice in that area. I did love the small town feel of Venice but most of the houses are outdated for my taste. North Port seems to be good as far as prices go but I am concerned about the drive to work if I have to travel to Sarasota or Bradenton...I am used to a 10 minute drive at the most and hate long distance driving-maybe I am just spoiled.

[Sparky002]

Originally Posted by GPH

Congrats Sparky, I am heading down to Sarasota on Saturday to try and do the same thing! A bit nervous I admit, but I'm armed with my GPS, a great sense of adventure and a mother-in-law who is lending me a car. Planning to put on alot of miles from Sarasota to Englewood. I am meeting up with a buyers agent and hope things go as well for me as they did for you! Best of luck to you, I thought about Punta Gorda, we are boaters too, but I like to be within biking distance of a beach. Where do residents of this area go to the beach, if they don't have a boat?

Happy hunting GPH! Is that like Great Big House? I used the hack out of Myfloridahomes.com, thanks to all the advise on this board. gave me a real feel where my price range was and what to expect. Important before you leap, talk to neighbors. Have some questions prepared so your ready. If you're boaters, get down to the dock and talk to boaters.

[Sparky002]

Originally Posted by IamCheap

Congrats Sparky, I feel happy for you.
I will get my turn to inspect the area in about 4 weeks. Right now I am undecided btw condos and houses. Hopefully, being there will help me to make up my mind.

I am Cheepa to. There seems to be a price range for everybody. Use a good inspector. I was fortunate to get mine done before makng an offer. Cost $250. Well worth the due dilegence. And there seems to be good advise here on insurance agents as well as getting some from your realtor. I am going to have to start some basic upgrading. Will do it in phases as I have time. But I have vsions of a big ol' lanai facing the canal with a grill and summer kitchen, fish cleaning station and beer fridge. Fish cookouts and a electric fish smoker for jerky with special soi sauce. Great with beer. Fish frys for neighbors and friends. Did I meantion beer twice BH?

[GPH]

Originally Posted by tommy-105

About 45 min. on a good day. It's not like it's a quick trip down the Meadowbrook.
Punta Gorda, FL to Gulf Blvd - Google Maps

Thanks for the info. Oh, such good memories of sailing down the Meadowbrook to Jones beach, I'm from Freeport.

[Karen and Jim]

Originally Posted by SoFLGal

Karen & Jim and Sparky, congratulations on your new purchases in Florida! Now maybe you all can join us on April 10th at the next meet up.

We wish we COULD join you all at the next Meet-up, but, most likely the next time we go down will be for our closing.....around April 30th, if all goes well. We'll make one ONE of these days, though, and really looking forward to meeting you ALL!

[tommy-105]

Originally Posted by GPH

Thanks for the info. Oh, such good memories of sailing down the Meadowbrook to Jones beach, I'm from Freeport.

I know, I looked at some of your other posts. I miss Jones Beach (and all it had to offer) quite a bit.

I was original attracted to this area by all the canals of Cape Coral and the beaches of Sanibel Island. I came down in 99 during the construction boom (I'm a carpenter) and rented in Cape Coral for a year. That was about 30 min. to Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel (off season). I went to the beach often, and had fun exploring the area.

Met my wife (a native Floridian) and we spent another year renting down in Naples, two blocks from the beach. We walked down to the beach and the Naples pier on a regular basis. Nightly, when the weather was nice.

After that, we moved back up to the Cape and bought a house with a pool. Lived there for a few years and hardly ever bothered to make the drive to the beach. (I was also spending about three hours a day commuting back and forth to Naples all during the week, getting in the car and driving somewhere was the last thing I wanted to do)

Moved further North to Punta Gorda in 05, to a more affordable home, yet it was closer to I-75 so my commute time to Naples remained the same. While my work took me over to the coast up here all the time, we've never driven over and had a "day at the beach".

I've come to realize that growing up on Long Island has spoiled me. I lived in various towns on the island and was always very close to both the North and South shore beaches. Down here, the Gulf of Mexico hasn't been as alluring as I thought it would be. For me, the bathtub temperatures and calm water of the Gulf aren't an attraction during the long hot summers here. I miss the cold waves of the Atlantic. Of course, if I could have afforded a boating lifestyle, I might have been happier here.

If I could do it again, I think I would try to find something on the East coast, close to "real" beaches.

The point to all this is that after ten years down here of day to day living, I actually spent more time at the beach (winter and summer) when I lived up North on Long Island!

My advice (if you enjoy spending time at the beach) would be to try to stick to your plan of staying close to the beach. If you get lured away to "deals" on homes inland, you might find (as I have) that driving through traffic to get to these beaches gets old after a while.

Good luck with your search!

[Peter the Brit]

St Augustine may suit you

[tommy-105]

Thinks Peter. I checked it out with Google, pretty cool.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by angelagardner

We are looking anywhere from Sarasota to Port Charlotte...it's all so nice in that area. I did love the small town feel of Venice but most of the houses are outdated for my taste. North Port seems to be good as far as prices go but I am concerned about the drive to work if I have to travel to Sarasota or Bradenton...I am used to a 10 minute drive at the most and hate long distance driving-maybe I am just spoiled.

There are a lot of really nice houses in North Port, some are only a few years old, and NP is about a 30-40 minutes to a number of good beaches. I live in Punta Gorda, and have driven to the beach twice this week, and boated to Cayo Costa and took the tram to the beach once. You have to try that! The only way to get there is by boat.

When you drive, if you live really near the beach, which is lovely, you may find you have to deal with heavy traffic coming and going from time to time, just to get to normal places to shop and so forth. So the few times a month we go, we don't mind the drive, and get to pick which beach to which we'd like to travel. It's not bad, and then you can park right near where you need to unload all the chairs, umbrellas, and coolers for the day. Its really not a bad way to go.

Regardless where you find the right place for you, you will no doubt love it here. Prepare to travel up and down the barrier islands, and make sure to visit Venice, St. Armands Circle, Boca Grande, Siesta Key, and all the nice areas in between. We have a tradition, that when we pick up in bound guests we always take them straight to the beach after they arrive. Siesta Key if they come in from Sarasota, or Sanibel if they fly into Ft. Myers airport. Starting out the trip right is always great!!