FLORIDA
Southern Gulf Coast
time to pick up something because inventory is low and new construction is beginning again,” she adds. For example, at Berkshire Lakes, a development designed around seven lakes, there’s a three-bedroom, two- bathroom home with a pool and lake views for $212,000 (£128K) – which sold for $403,000 (£244K) in 2005 (
www.berkshirelakes.org) or in Briarwood there are properties for sale between $249,000 (£151K) and $875,000 (£530K). “Most properties are 40 to 50 per cent less than fi ve years ago. Another example is a four- bedroom, three-bath Key West-style house with its own pool and boat dock in the Vanderbilt Beach area that is now $1.09million (£661K) after selling for $1.825million (£1.1m) in 2006,” she says. For Terrilyn Van Gorder at South
Main
Captiva Island Below left
Thomas Edison Home in the Fort Myers area
Below right
Golf course in Naples Opposite right
A morning stroll along Naples beach
Bay Realty (
www.southbayrealty. com), the Vanderbilt Beach area of North Naples is where everyone wants to be, with great shopping, fi ne dining, golf and beach. “Short sales on the beach are rare, but there’s a two-bedroom, two-bathroom fi fth-fl oor condo with ocean views offered for $574,000 (£348K) which was worth $800,000 (£485K) at the peak,” she says. “Or at Vanderbilt Towers [just behind the beach] you can get a one-bedroom condo for $200,000-$300,000 (£121K-£182K). A single-family home here will cost $1million-plus (£606K).” Terrilyn suggests The Regatta
(where you’ll fi nd marina-based luxury condos for $400,000-plus) for short-term rentals; but the neighbouring communities of Pelican Bay (with a private beach) and Pelican March (with golf) have condominiums from $300,000 that are proving popular with British buyers too. These are all resales, but for brand-
new Van Gorder recommends Heritage Bay Golf & Country Club (North Naples) and award-winning Lely Resort (also golf) in South Naples (
www.lely-resort.net), with prices from $200,000-plus. This area is great for golfers, and “bundle golf” properties are popular, where club membership is included with the home purchase. Those that come recommended are Taylor Woodrow’s Vasari in North Naples (which offers a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo foreclosure for $116,000); Glen Eagles in East Naples (a two-bedroom regular villa for $209,000) or Greg Norman Estates at the Ritz-Carlton Tiburon (with condos from $300,000). Heading north of Naples are Bonita Springs and Estero, which also offer popular golfi ng communities, according to Van Gorder. “You’ll get something for $300,000 that would cost $500,000 in Naples,” she says, cherry-picking Bonita Bay, Pelican Landing and The Colony. “Estero is a college town with great shopping, whilst Bonita Springs is on the beach and good for families. You can get a one-bedroom condo
that needs updating from $75,000 (£45K),” she says. Just west of Estero is Fort Myers
Beach (the resort town, not Fort Myers the inland city) with its own shopping, restaurants, entertainment and waterfront cultural events. “It’s a lively community, with a good nightlife, and great for year-round rentals. Most properties on the beach are around 20 to 30 years old,” says Lani Belisle of VIP Realty (www.
viprealty.com). “Resale condos cost from $200,000 to $600,000. There’s not much new construction but there’s a lovely luxury condo tower called Waterside [superbly located at the southern tip of Fort Myers Beach] where 2008-built three-bedroom units cost from $399,000 (www.
watersideatbaybeach.com). A single family home with moorings generally costs $500,000 to $700,000; but for $200,000 to $300,000 you can get one inland yet within walking distance of the beach.” Fort Myers itself, the historical
and governmental hub along the wonderfully named Caloosahatchee River, is less popular with Brits than Naples, although its downtown waterfront area is a starting/fi nishing point for all those spending a few months cruising from one coast to the other (via the Intracoastal Waterway). “South Fort Myers is more popular
(and expensive) than North as it’s closer to the beach,” says Belisle who
52 A PLACE IN THE SUN JUNE 2011
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