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advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Old Apr 15th 2015, 4:47 pm
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Default advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Currently living in NE. Looking to maybe buy a small place by the beach somewhere in florida for winter months. Possibly renting it out when I don't use it. Just wondering if anyone has experiences they'd like to share. Or suggestions of decent geographical locations. Mainly looking for beach and grocery shop or bodega. Not interested in nighlife etc. (Old fart)! An hour or so from an airport. Not sure if that is possible with a beach location though.

I'm not handy so I'd probably have to rely on some sort of manager to maintain it.

Thanks for any input.

Edited to add NE USA!

Last edited by judesM; Apr 15th 2015 at 4:48 pm. Reason: another thought!
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Old Apr 15th 2015, 5:13 pm
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Originally Posted by judesM
Currently living in NE. Looking to maybe buy a small place by the beach somewhere in florida for winter months. Possibly renting it out when I don't use it. Just wondering if anyone has experiences they'd like to share. Or suggestions of decent geographical locations. Mainly looking for beach and grocery shop or bodega. Not interested in nighlife etc. (Old fart)! An hour or so from an airport. Not sure if that is possible with a beach location though.

I'm not handy so I'd probably have to rely on some sort of manager to maintain it.

Thanks for any input.

Edited to add NE USA!
We are also looking for a place in Florida...a condo as near to the beach as possible but we will not be renting it out. We like Clearwater Beach but are currently considering Fort Lauderdale...not too far from the airport and cruise terminal. We will probably make a trip down there in a few months time to look at properties.
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Old Apr 15th 2015, 5:41 pm
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Thanks 4 suggestions! After this winter its time!
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Old Apr 15th 2015, 9:04 pm
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

In 2011 I bought in Charlotte County, Fl. I have a house which I rent to a good friend in Port Charlotte (small local beach in Charlotte Harbor) and a "seasonal" rental in Rotonda West a couple of miles from the Gulf Coast between Tampa and Fort Myers. It's less developed in this area and the property market has been depressed with many foreclosures. Many homes are on canals (fresh and salt water), there are plenty of golf courses and great fishing. Insurance is quite expensive and yard and pool maintenance adds to the cost. I have found that there is high rental demand from snowbirds (from mid west, Canada for example) for January to March but it is much more difficult to find renters for the summer months. Englewood and Venice would be other towns on the Gulf worth considering. In the last few years this area has scored highly in the Best Places to Retire list.

I'd be interested in what you decide ........
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Old Apr 15th 2015, 10:47 pm
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Sarasota/Bradenton?

Last edited by zzrmark; Apr 15th 2015 at 10:48 pm. Reason: typo error
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Old Apr 16th 2015, 12:10 am
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

The big snag with doing this is that property taxes for non-residents are pretty high as only residents get the homestead exemption and the disparity has been increasing steadily over time.

However there is a huge shortage of rental property at the moment so it hasn't been a major problem, but it will be once people start buying property in Florida again rather than renting.

Good article: The new question for Canadian Snowbirds heading south: to buy or rent? | Financial Post
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Old Apr 16th 2015, 12:21 am
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Gulfport is a nice town. Has a small beach on the bay or 15 mins drive to St Pete Beach. Posting this link as I know the Town Shores complex - I lived next door for a while. It is for Old Farts (over 55). And there is a Bodega right next to it! Tampa airport 30 mins, outside rush hour.

Town Shores

There are many other options in the vicinity too.
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Old Apr 16th 2015, 2:49 am
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

If it is in Florida and not near the beach it soon will be.
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Old Apr 16th 2015, 2:57 am
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Originally Posted by Boiler
If it is in Florida and not near the beach it soon will be.
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Old Apr 16th 2015, 12:24 pm
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Originally Posted by Boiler
If it is in Florida and not near the beach it soon will be.
A bit like the place I bought in north Norfolk.
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Old Apr 16th 2015, 12:35 pm
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Fort Lauderdale is pretty nice, my first apartment was overlooking the intercoastal and the beach was across the road. It was in the Galt Ocean area so there were stores and restaurants but no real nightlife aside from a few bars. The real nightlife is Fort Lauderdale beach, downtown and Las Olas. It's near FLL airport too which I'd always prefer to use over MIA.

Some areas of Pompano beach are really nice too - my (now) wife lived there when I met her and I preferred the beaches up there.

We now live on a lake a little more west and although I much prefer my apartment and complex, I do miss watching the boats on the intercoastal (although not the people partying on them at 3am on a Sunday night).
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Old Apr 18th 2015, 2:38 pm
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

I know people in my area make quite a lot of money renting out their condos for spring training. I live in the Clearwater area and when the Phillies baseball team turn up its common to get really high rents just for those few weeks from the fans who also travel down. Look on vrbo.com. Might be something to consider if you are wanting to rent it out when you are not here.
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Old Apr 19th 2015, 12:05 am
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

The problem with Broward and Dade is that it's too humid, although it's not quite as awful during the winter. I'd have a read of this: Miami, the great world city, is drowning while the powers that be look away | US news | The Guardian
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Old Apr 19th 2015, 8:35 am
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

We are moving over next week and love Englewood area. .we will be looking to rent there
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Old May 2nd 2015, 9:50 am
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Default Re: advice sought on purchasing condo or rentals in FLA.

Got a condo in Port St Lucie if you want to chat -message me
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