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Best Place For Second Home / Stuart,SW FL, or Keys?
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RE: Best Place For Second Home / Stuart,SW FL, or Keys?
Quote:
lazydawg - 12/5/2008 3:37 PM
Fishing - Keys
Nightlife and Dating??? The following is a quote from a local web site:
"[Body Odor] My newly single sister just moved down here to get a change after a bitter divorce. Wow, I never realized how difficult it is being single in the Keys. I appreciate my husband more each time I talk to my sister about single life. Her divorce was final in mid September and after a month of being alone she decided it's time to date again and it is tough. Guys, please, a shower will make you a lot more desirable to the ladies. Lesson two, it's not sexy to pass out drunk on the first date. Lesson three, fish bait is not a cologne. This isn't a male bashing post. I had a male co-worker who was single too and he told me many stories about the women he met here. They weren't any better. Too bad he met someone before my sister dumped the jack ass."
The next day was a response from a guy who had similar issues with meeting "regular women".
Was just in Stuart/Port St Lucie area and must say if I was single I'd be there or in the Ft Lauderdale area and not the Keys. And don't think the Keys are old Florida, as the ridiculously large size on the New Banks sign on the Corner of US1 and Key Deer Blvd that was just installed goes to show that "local" planners who allowed it don't have any idea what "TACKY" is.
I wonder who has the lesser baggage, a guy who likes to fish or a gal recovering from a "bitter divorce?"
I'm not in the dating market but I might reccomend that he might skip the shower, otherwise he might just end up as a another "jackass."
Dry
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Re: Best Place For Second Home / Stuart,SW FL, or Keys?
I just closed on a home in old town Key West today. The entire process took more than a year, 7 months to the day from the original offer until the previous owners bank (it was a "short sale") approved the deal. Most of the homes in your price range down here are short sales OR the asking price is out of line, my opinion only. The RE market down here is one of the most bassackwards processes I have seen in my life but well worth the effort. PM me if you want specifics and I can give you the name of a great Agent, hard to find, and one of the best mortgage brokers on the plant, also a THT member.
I like you am in my early 30's have a place in RI and hate the cold. My aunt/uncle had a canal front home in Marathon while I was younger and I thought that was the best. When I got older I learned there is ZERO to do in Marathon and during the winter it tends to blow down here so fishing is not an every day affair, maybe every other day . Over the past 8 years my wife and I have spent time in Key West, specifically old town, as you can park your car and walk to everything, restaurants, stores, along the historic streets, etc etc. We are not party types so Duval street does NOTHING for me BUT if you want to get your groove on it is within walking distance.
Fishing in KW is good, not as good as Islamorada but much better than up North, and there is always the back country if the ocean is blown out. I used to ship my 20 SeaCraft down here but it was too small so this year I shipped my 27 Whaler down and it so far has been great, caught a nice Blackfin Tuna Today, beat the shit out of myself in the process but it beats slipping on Ice.
Stuart is also a great place, Captain Chuck's, from classicseacraft.com, wife is a RE agent in the know in Stuart and I really like the area but I wanted tropical blue waters and a get away from the route 1 type hustle. If you have any questions about RE down here I would be happy to share with a fellow SeaCraft nut and wish you luck in your search. No matter where you buy the deals are almost insane now and maybe they will continue to tank but these numbers are very nice.
I have been vacationing in Marco island,Fort Myers, and Naples for 30 years.I love that area.Because Marco is so far south the weather can be as warm as 5 degrees warmer than even Fort Myers.I have a fabulous women realter that e-mails great deals every day .Give her a call and ask to have her put you on her mailing.She also handels the East coast .Her name is Bronwn .Her phone number is
1-239-777-2479.Tell her Tom from Boston gave you her number.
Keys are great for fishing and diving. Other than that, there's less to do there than in Stuart or other parts of FL.
Just remember, in the winter the wind blows and there will be times where it'll be impossible to fish/dive/be on the water for days at a time, if not longer. The bars in the Keys are fun for a while, but can get old.
Check your insurance. A lot of companies won't insure 2nd homes in Florida, let alone ones in the Keys or on the water. Yes, you can find companies that still do -- but you'll pay.
SANIBEL ISLAND - CAPTIVA. Really, all around this area cannot be beat. Its exclusive and still very natural. Fishing provides good offshore action 15 miles +, and absolutely phonomenal redfish, snook, and tarpon fishing in Pine Island Sound. Google Boca Grande Pass.
Best of all, it can be afforded now too.... sure, a couple years ago $500-600k wouldn't cut it here, but today IT'S ON SALE!
0 crime. 0 undesirables.
As for nightlife, downtown Ft Myers, Ft Myers Beach, Naples are all within a 20 minute drive. Spend much time all over Florida, and glad to call SW FL home (I'm in Naples).
Just moved to Naples, seems like there is more to do here than most of the other places in SW FL...Marco/Sanibel/Captiva are nice but you will have to drive 30 minutes to get to nightlife, I am in the northern part of naples, renting a house on a canal, 15 mins. to the gulf, waiting to sell my bowrider to get a center console to start fishing a lot more.
All that being said the east coast has more going on if you are near Miami, Boca seemed like a nice place with a lot to do.
Yes, they yankees are invading oh my...and guess what I am not 60+ and I know how to drive!!
Before I sold my business and was able to actually stay full time down here for the winter, I stayed in Marathon. I had a place there for one or two months every year from the early 80's until 2000.. I'd typically stay for 11 days (2 weekend stretch) and go home and work 2 weeks (missing 1 weekend). Give it to employees to use when I wasn't there etc.. It is truly a paradise, a great place to visit. Seemed to me it was too windy to take the boat out more than 1/2 the time (Jan & Feb esp). It had a couple other big disadvantages for me when it comes to extended stays. To get there from Phila area (or anywhere else) it is a full day trip, no matter how you do it. There is no such thing as a discount airfare either. Everything had to come from Miami (at least back then). Once I waited 3 days for a computer in our Jeep Wrangler! Sounds crybabyish, but down there without wheels sucked. Oh, if it matters to you or your SO, there really are very very few beaches in the Keys. I settled in Stuart, really nice area. Besides, IMHO the fishing is better, there's definately more water, there is much more to do nearby, and PBI is under an hour away. Friends can leave ACY or PHL at 7 am and we're on the boat or beach or bikes by noon.......... For $150 round trip or less most times.
BTW: I rent a pretty nice 3/2/2 on the water about a mile from the SLI for 6 months a year for mid teens. Rent a 5x10 storage bin that holds 90% of my stuff including a Harley for under $200 during the summer.... You might want to consider that before you 'settle' somewhere.
__________________ Mike
Livin the dream...
Last edited by Afishinado; 12-17-2009 at 08:37 PM.
Reason: Add.....
Just moved to Naples, seems like there is more to do here than most of the other places in SW FL...Marco/Sanibel/Captiva are nice but you will have to drive 30 minutes to get to nightlife, I am in the northern part of naples, renting a house on a canal, 15 mins. to the gulf, waiting to sell my bowrider to get a center console to start fishing a lot more.
All that being said the east coast has more going on if you are near Miami, Boca seemed like a nice place with a lot to do.
Yes, they yankees are invading oh my...and guess what I am not 60+ and I know how to drive!!
Chiguy-
Welcome to Naples! Been lived here 10 years myself. It truly is the nicest (aesthetically speaking) city in all of Florida. (I'm gonna get slayed for saying that). But IT IS!
oh, and you should partner up with me (don't buy your own) in this 35 Marlago CC.
Ken
Hey all. It's been awhile since I have been here, but a few days out of Cudjoe has refueled my need for fishing after a couple of years nonstop at the helm of the business. Anyway, I have always wanted a house in Florida on the water. I would like to find a canal home with good access to open water. Getting there is one of my biggest concerns. My regional aiport (10 minutes from my home) services Tampa, Fort Myers, and Fort Lauderdale directly and usually fairly cheaply. It is also a relatively easy trip through Atlanta to Key West. I am young (ish) and single, so an area with a decent nightlife would be good. Nothing crazy, just good restaurants, etc.
Please give any opinions on where you would choose and why. I picked the three areas with convenience in mind and also because I have spent some time in the Stuart area and the Key. Also my dad recently moved to Sarasota, so it would be nice to get relatively close to him.
Budget is 500 to 600K. Thanks in advance for any advice you give. Who knows, maybe one or two of you know of a good deal out there that meets my needs.
I live in Pompano Beach (just north of Ft.Lauderdale) and lived in Miami for many years prior. You can easily find a house with 20 minutes or less ocean access well within your budget. There are several bars along the ICW with boat access that makes for an interesting, yet "not too crazy" nightlife. Miami is just too crazy for my taste but it's only 30 minutes away if feeling adventurous.
The problem with the keys is accessibility and taxes. There's only one way in or out. It's quite common to cut off access for a day when a truck flips over. Don't dare fart without a permit and expect to have your neighbor in your armpit for 500k on the water. Again, it's easily accessible within an hour or so, or about 4 hours by boat.
Jupiter and the west coast are great if you are trying to raise a family or just want peace and quiet.
Edited to add: It's an hour to Jupiter and two hours to the Gulf Coast.
__________________ '96 Scarab Sport 302, '06 Mercury Verado's 275 hp (x2)
Last edited by ScarryBarry; 12-21-2009 at 06:03 AM.
Chiguy-
Welcome to Naples! Been lived here 10 years myself. It truly is the nicest (aesthetically speaking) city in all of Florida. (I'm gonna get slayed for saying that). But IT IS!
oh, and you should partner up with me (don't buy your own) in this 35 Marlago CC.
Ken
Naples is definitely pretty nice, I think it has to do with everything being new more than anything. I am not opposed to boat partnership but need my current boat which is also a partnership (a bit complicated since I moved to FL now!)...that being said a 35 footer seems like a serious offshore boat for my limited offshore fishing skills.
RE: Best Place For Second Home / Stuart,SW FL, or Keys? 
. Over the past 8 years my wife and I have spent time in Key West, specifically old town, as you can park your car and walk to everything, restaurants, stores, along the historic streets, etc etc. We are not party types so Duval street does NOTHING for me BUT if you want to get your groove on it is within walking distance.
