BUYING GUIDE FLORIDA
restaurants, golf courses, boating and fi shing. It’s also close to the untamed wilderness of the Everglades, which is ideal for days out to spot alligators and manatee. Appearing in any number of top 10 lists
(such as the 10 best undervalued places to live, the 10 best American beaches ranked in National Geographic Travel magazine, and the top 10 healthiest hometowns in the USA), it’s reassuring to know your investment in the southwest Florida is likely to be desirable to others as well when it comes time to resell. Savvy foreign buyers with cash are picking
up some good deals here: think low pricing mixed with favourable exchange rates. A three-bedroom house at Northshore Lake Villas, for instance, with a communal pool, biking/fi tness trail and close access to the beach costs just $350,000 (£220,000). Naples’ specialty is homes in golf communities, such as Lely Resort, Eagle Creek, Collier Reserve and the Wilderness Country Club, where homes start at about $250,000 (£158,000).
Sarasota We have the Scots to thank for the Gulf town of Sarasota, 50 miles south of Tampa. Scottish families set sail in the mid-1800s to this once sleepy fi shing village in search of fresh air, citrus groves and aff ordable housing. Scottish lawyer John Hamilton Gillespie built America’s fi rst golf course and the DeSoto Hotel here, as well as becoming Sarasota’s fi rst mayor. Today, Britons still head out to art-meets-
nature Sarasota County, (population 370,000) with the US number one beach, Siesta Key, as rated by ‘Dr Beach’ coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman, and cultural pursuits a plenty (opera, ballet, theatres and a symphony orchestra for starters) not normally associated with the Sunshine State. Pine View is in the top 10 of American high schools. T ere’s something for everyone in
Sarasota, from private and 40 ‘pay as you play’ public golf courses, to beaches, walking trails and lectures from the likes of Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Maya Angelou. Equally, there’s housing to suit most every wallet. Although prices dropped by 40-50 per cent in the recession, the market’s turned a corner and values have been leveling out. A decent one-bedroom condominium
starts from $70,000 (£44,240) and two- bedrooms cost $100,000 (£63,200). A new, three-bedroom ‘single family’ (detached) home is about $200,000 (£126,400), with another $20,000 (£12,600) on top for a pool. Knowing where to buy is crucial,
especially for foreigners who don’t know the area. If you’re a swimmer or ‘beach walker’, you’ll be happiest near the water on a Key, such as Longboat, where homes are from $350,000 (£221,200) up to $19 million (£12
Florida has slick super-highways, shopping malls galore, top-notch communications and telecoms services, and sophisticated health facilities.
Left:
Orlando Cityscape Right: Colorful tropical buildings overlooking water and piers in Naples, Florida
million), but you won’t necessarily get as much space as you would away from the water. And yet, you have easy access to bars, restaurants and beaches and sea breezes, which are important during the hottest months. A clever solution for those who can’t aff ord waterside property is to buy an inexpensive inland home that can be rented to a local year-round. T e profi t can pay for a beachside place for your annual holiday. An interesting community is the vibrant
downtown sector, where you can pick up a good condominium from $200,000 (£126,400), unheard of fi ve years ago. Lakewood Ranch, a good live-work-play community of 7,000 homes, where a new, three-bedroom home on a lake with den, pool and some upgrades costs $305,000 (£192,760). Beware of up-grades, however, as those pretty tiles can push the price higher. A good location close to Siesta Key is
Village Walk, part of Palmer Ranch, with two pools, basketball and tennis courts,
and gas station inside the gates. A three- bedroom townhouse is $200,000 (£126,400) and a villa with ‘shared wall’ (semi- detached) ranges between $275,000 (£173,800) and $325,000 (£205,400).
Jacksonville It’s hard to fathom why the largest city in Florida and largest by area in the US has remained the Sunshine State’s best-kept secret. However, Jacksonville in North Florida, about 25 miles south of the Georgian border and 340 miles north of Miami, is being discovered by British buyers keen to invest, relocate or simply enjoy their overseas holiday homes. Property bargain hunters are realising
the potential of affl uent Jacksonville, one of the fastest growing American regions with a major deep-sea port, US navy bases, banking, insurance, healthcare, education and logistics sectors. A typical model is to invest in a home that can be let fulltime to skilled workers in the area, or to use it for
The Floridian property market
The real estate market in Florida seems to be coming back round after several years of getting hammered, and the markets leading the recovery are the very ones that were most damaged by the collapse. Florida was one of the hardest hit states when the market plummeted, but now things are looking better in the Sunshine State. The recovery steadily gained momentum in 2012, and by March 2013 there had been 15 consecutive months of price growth, according to Florida Realtors, with 50 per cent of homes selling within two months or less.
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